Why dont DVD movies from UK work in USA?

[merijan 0]

My fiance sent me a movie some time ago and agian another one , They where purchased in UK but when I try to play them , (I tried two diff. players), they say Invalid Disk or something about International codeing or something. Anyway they will not work. One was bought at Blockbuster and one on internet. I dont get it . Is not all DVD the same?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

My fiance sent me a movie some time ago and agian another one , They where purchased in UK but when I try to play them , (I tried two diff. players), they say Invalid Disk or something about International codeing or something. Anyway they will not work. One was bought at Blockbuster and one on internet. I dont get it . Is not all DVD the same?

Unfortunately, it's because of licensing and piracy protection. Do a Google search - you might be able to find out how to temporarily change your encoding on your player to allow you to play the videos.

[Dan J 277]

Each dvd disc is encoded with a region. It will only work with players set to the same region. This is the movie studios way of being able to release the same movie at diffrent times and diffrent prices for each market.

USA is region 1, UK and most of Europe + Japan is Region 2.

Some set top box players have region free modes, but they are not always easy to get to, search the model number with region free in google. If you play it on the PC, you can use a software called AnyDVD.

[Fandango 1,439]

google 'handset hack' and your dvd player model #

[Minya's wife 24]

VLC Media player is a remarkably good media player (freeware) and will allow you to play the DVD on your computer. I have a Phillips DVD player, which I was able to make "region" free by pressing 2-3 buttons on the remote....it now plays DVD's from all regions. Some of the cheaper DVD players are more easy to re-program and make region-free. (My DVD player cost $60 and bought specifically because its one that plays all sorts of media and plays all types of 'burned' dvds.)

-P

[Saddle Bronc 124]

The issue is of PAL/SECAM (used in UK, India, Pakistan, ...) vs NTSC (used in US and Canada).

However, either type of DVD WILL play on a computer's DVD reader/burner.

[Fandango 1,439]

The issue is of PAL/SECAM (used in UK, India, Pakistan, ...) vs NTSC (used in US and Canada).

However, either type of DVD WILL play on a computer's DVD reader/burner.

good point...I forgot about that. Region 2 can be hacked to play region 1 cos PAL can play NTSC but not vice versa.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

The issue is of PAL/SECAM (used in UK, India, Pakistan, ...) vs NTSC (used in US and Canada).

However, either type of DVD WILL play on a computer's DVD reader/burner.

good point...I forgot about that. Region 2 can be hacked to play region 1 cos PAL can play NTSC but not vice versa.

Easy to figure, as my engagement DVD (recorded in Chennai, and simply copied--not recoded) will not play in a DVD player we borrowed from church.

[rclouse 0]

When I went to play a DVD in Windoze the player asked me what region I was in, then it said the setting was permanent.

I get no such question in Linux.

[Mags 112]

The issue is of PAL/SECAM (used in UK, India, Pakistan, ...) vs NTSC (used in US and Canada).

However, either type of DVD WILL play on a computer's DVD reader/burner.

Depends on what DVD decoding software the person is using and how many times they've changed it. I believe it's normally 4 or 5 changes between regions before it becomes permanent with WinDoze.

Yes, a DVD optical drive can physically read any DVD. Doesn't do much good if it can't process the data and display it on the monitor, though.

(Platypius, not Mags by the way...)

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

DVD region code

buy a region free DVD player and enjoy any movie.

http://www.dvdbuyingguide.com/

Edited May 19, 2007 by LuckyStrike

[Leney 0]

I just got a really cheap (24$) dvd player at best buy, and it plays UK dvd's no problem

[GaryC 7]

There is another, albeit tedious, way to permanently fix a DVD that is in another region or in PAL. You need two programs and a DVD burner on your computer. You can use AnyDVD to remove the region and then copy the DVD with Nero. Nero will convert the DVD from PAL to NTSC and AnyDVD will take out the region code. If you legally own the DVD then it's OK to do this.

Edited May 19, 2007 by Iniibig ko si Luz forever

[sparkofcreation 0]

I just got a really cheap (24$) dvd player at best buy, and it plays UK dvd's no problem

What brand, if you don't mind? (Maybe you'd better PM me the info.)

We had a CyberHome DVD player we got at Best Buy for cheap and it was great (we didn't want to potentially void the warranty on our fancy DVD player so we bought a cheap one to hack), but it died in the move to Albuquerque (and we were halfway through Simon Schama's History of Britain )and we couldn't find another one that was easily hackable (that model had been discontinued). The nice thing about CyberHome was that it was exceptionally easy, there was just a "hidden" menu in it that changed the region. Some DVD players, you have to download software on your computer, burn a CD of it, then play the CD in the player; or else a whole series of codes to enter. CyberHome just had a setup menu labeled 1-8, then if you picked 9, it would take you to the region coding.

Edited May 19, 2007 by sparkofcreation

[William33 110]

What about a multi-system DVD player?

http://www.barrel-of-monkeys.com/