Region Code
An encoding system that makes DVDs specific to a particular area of the world, making them only playable by equipment using the same region code.
The geographical regions are as follows:
| Region Code | Countries |
|---|---|
| Region 1 | USA, Canada |
| Region 2 | Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland |
| Region 3 | S.Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia |
| Region 4 | Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico) |
| Region 5 | Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa |
| Region 6 | China |
| Region 7 | Reserved for Unspecified Special Use |
| Region 8 | Reserved for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc. |
| Region 0 | Discs are uncoded and can be played worldwide; however, PAL and NTSC discs must be played in a PAL or NTSC compatible unit. |
Many DVD players are or can be modified to be region-free, allowing playback of all discs.
