There are on-line sources of information about "unlocking" DVD region codes in DVD players such as at www.dvdunlocker.com.

However it is important not to infringe copyright ownership and such "un-locking" can invalidate a manufacturers warranty.

DVD Regions

Not only do DVD's come in differing formats and produced by different methods, they are also produced to work in specific regions only, in accordance with current distribution laws. The region coding system protects the film and rental release programmes, which would be undermined if DVD's become universally available at the same time.

Map courtesy www.laserrot.com

Region 1: Dedicated to America and Canada.

Region 2: UK, Europe, South Africa, Japan, Egypt, Middle East, Greenland.

Region 3: Hong Kong, Taiwan, South East Asia and East Asia.

Region 4: Australia, New Zealand, Caribbean & Central & South America.

Region 5: Russia, Eastern Europe, India, Africa, North Korea, Mongolia.

Region 6: China.

Multi Region Players

However multi-region players are now readily available in the market. For technophiles a new activity of "region hacking" has developed for single region machines using procedures with the player's remote control to "switch" the region recognised by the machine. Although specialist periodicals and web sites provide information on this approach it is not an activity that we would recommend as hackers are in effect altering the software within the machine. Any subsequent problem would hardly be covered by the manufacturers warranty!