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May 2000, Week 3

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Subject:
From:
Steve Fore <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 19 May 2000 10:21:43 +0800
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No, they won't (in theory).  The media conglomerates, wishing to exercise
even more control over the global market for video software than they
already have, have established the practice of "regional coding".  This
means that (in theory) DVDs purchased in Europe won't play in the U.S.,
Japan, Brazil, etc.  For more information, visit this Web site:
<http://www.laserrot.com/info/lrinfo/dvdmap.html>.

That is, this is a technological gizmo introduced to further a corporate
economic policy agenda.  And I keep saying "in theory" because, as with
copy-protected videotapes, there are other technologies available to defeat
regional coding.  Inquire at your friendly neighborhood electronics chop
shop.  This fix generally voids the warranty of your player, but what's
life without a little risk?  You can also purchase "all-region" (i.e.,
already "modified") DVD players over the Web, at inflated prices.  (Also,
as I recall, one of the "glitches" with Sony's new Playstation, is that it
defeats regional coding.  I assume they'll "fix" that before it's released
beyond Japan.)

However, as I indicated in another post on this topic a few weeks ago, DVD
hardware manufacturers are quietly selling fully-warranteed, all-region
players in some markets, including Hong Kong, where multiple video formats
are an established part of consumer culture.  Is this going on anywhere
else in the world?

Steve Fore

At 04:39 PM 5/18/00 -0500, you wrote:
>I know that videotapes that are made in Europe are incompatible with
>our VCRs, but I was wondering whether European DVDs were OK. European
>CDs are just like ours, so does that mean that European DVDs will
>play on our machines?
>
>Thanks,
>Sandy Camargo
>Department of English
>University of Missouri
>Columbia MO 65211
>
>----
>Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
>University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu
>

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