Q: Dear Ms Connected,

I recently arrived home from a holiday in the USA. I bought some DVDs while I was there, but they won't work on my DVD player. Do you know why?

Jasmine W., Port Augusta, South Australia
 
 
A: Dear Jasmine,

Thanks for your letter. Yes, I do know why your American-bought DVDs are not working!

Traditionally, movie studios release their latest films in the North American market first, where the titles will run in cinemas before being released to DVD and then rolled out to theatres in other parts of the world. If you were a hard-core "Bridget Jones's Diary" fan in Oslo, Shanghai or Melbourne, you could buy a copy of the latest instalment on DVD from an eBay seller in Chicago before the movie has even hit the cinemas in your country.

The movie studios don't like this concept. To maximise their earnings, they want you to see the movie at the cinema.

So in order to retain some control over the international release of their content, the studios and associated businesses developed a system of "DVD zoning". As such, the global DVD marketplace is divided into eight geographical zones, which roughly equate to:

* Zone 1: North America
* Zone 2: Europe
* Zone 3: South-East Asia
* Zone 4: Caribbean, Central and South America, Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand)
* Zone 5: Africa
* Zone 6: China
* Zone 7: Reserved for future use
* Zone 8: International venues such as aircraft and cruise ships

In each zone, DVDs are coded so that they will only play on equipment with a matching region code. This is why the DVDs you purchased in America won't play. They are most likely coded to Zone 1, while your player is coded to Zone 4.

Behind the scenes, this is actually quite a controversial practice. It has been claimed that region-code enforcement violates World Trade Organisation free-trade agreements, and Australia's own Trade Practices Act. Perhaps because of this, the Internet abounds with shady advice on how to hack and unlock a DVD player's zone restrictions.

By the way, not all DVDs are zone-restricted. Similarly, not all DVD players are region-coded. However, the world's most reputable consumer-electronics companies are all contractually obliged to abide by zoning regulations. So if you do happen to find a multi-zone player, chances are it will be a non-reliable brand. Check the warranty details before forking over your money!

Yours in simplified technology,

Ms Connected

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