Ultimate Guide About DVD Region Codes for Different Countries

Posted by Paula Pailaga to Rip DVD Apr 03, 2024

You have probably been there, excited about playing a DVD you have purchased overseas, and suddenly experienced DVD region code errors playing it. This error is understandably frustrating, but it is also beneficial at the same time. Now, to provide you with brief yet rich information about DVD region codes, this post features a discussion about DVD region codes and ways to free them from these codes. So, without any further ado, start exploring each of them now!

What is DVD Region Code? How to Find It on DVD?

To start exploring DVD region code, here’s brief information about this protection code, why DVD have their corresponding codes, and how you can find them on a DVD.

So, DVD region codes are pieces of data that are infused into DVDs. These data are digital rights management (protection) implemented by various film studios. Now, why do DVDs have region codes? Well, having this on DVDs will protect them from various authorized distribution/releases of movies in different countries. It gives distributors control over the international distribution of their DVDs containing movies. With these region codes, distributors could prevent illegal copyrights/piracy, control the release dates and prices in different countries, and avoid a significant reduction in revenue.

Moreover, this is also the primary reason you can’t play the foreign DVD you purchased. This happens when your DVD player and the DVD don’t share the same region codes.

Now, how do you find DVD region codes on the physical disc? Well, region codes are imprinted at the back of the physical disc. It is imprinted with an image/icon of a globe with a region number in its middle.

Get to Know All about 9 Different DVD Region Codes

Now that you have a brief idea about DVD region codes, it is time to discover the 9 different DVD region codes for various countries. So, what they are? Here’s a list for you, and check what is the region code assigned for your country.

• DVD Region Code 1 - USA and Canada.
• Region 2 - Japan, Middle East, South Africa, and Greenland.
• Region 3 - South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and some parts of Southeast Asia.
• Region 4 - Latin America (including Mexico), Australia, and New Zealand.
• Region 5 - India, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Russia.
• Region 6 - China.
• Region 7 - For unspecified particular use.
• Region 8 - For cruise ships, airlines, and other international venues.
• Region 0/Region ALL - For discs that are uncoded and playable worldwide. However, they can only be played with a PAL and NTSC-compatible unit.

How to Remove DVD Region Code for Easier Playback

There you have it! That’s a brief discussion about DVD region code, why it is embedded on a DVD, and how you can find it on the physical disc. Now, if the DVD you purchased overseas/abroad doesn’t share the same region as your country, then this caused the issue. Don’t worry; in this part, you will see the 3 best solutions you can do to remove the DVD region code! So, start diving below!

Solution 1: Rip DVD to Digital Formats

The first solution you can do to remove the DVD region code is to use the professional 4Easysoft DVD Ripper tool to convert your DVD to a digital format. This tool supports ripping those region code-protected DVDs into a digital format. It supports 600+ media and device preset formats to convert your DVD content. Moreover, it is integrated with GPU Accelerated technology that rips and converts DVD contents at 60X faster speed without any quality loss. Using this tool, you no longer need to deal with region codes, use a DVD player, and play the digitalized DVD content to various devices!

How to Remove DVD Region Code Using 4Easysoft DVD Ripper Tool:

Step 1Download and install the 4Easysoft DVD Ripper on your Windows/Mac computer. Then, insert the DVD into your computer’s disc driver/external driver and launch the tool. After that, click the "Load DVD" dropdown button and select the "Load DVD Disc" option.

Step 2Next, click the "Full Title List" button to access all the DVD’s content. Then, select all the "Titles" you wish to rip and convert by clicking their corresponding "checkboxes". Once you select all the titles, click the "OK" button.

Step 3Afterward, select the "Rip to Video/Audio" option and choose a format you wish to rip the DVD content at the upper right corner of the tool, next to the "Rip All" button. If you don’t know which format to choose, you can select the "MPG Lossless" option.

Step 4Once you finish the above setups, click the "Rip All" button to initiate your foreign DVD's ripping and converting process.

Solution 2: Use a Region-free DVD Player

Apart from using a professional DVD ripper tool to play DVDs with region code, you can also purchase a Region-free DVD player to play region-coded DVDs. Some brands offering region-free DVD players include Sony, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, etc. You can search for them on the market and choose which one could give you the best region-coded DVD-playing service. Some of the best DVD player recommendations include the Sony BDP-S6700, Panasonic DVD-S700, and Samsung DVD-E360. 4Easysoft Blu-ray Player is recommended.

Solution 3: Change the DVD Region Code

Aside from purchasing a Region Code free DVD player, you can also change the region code so you can play the region code-protected DVD. But, before that, you need to remember that the region code of a DVD can be changed only five times. To do this, here are the steps you should follow:

On Mac:

Step 1Insert the disc on your Mac’s optical drive. On the dialogue box, select the region code that is the same as your DVD player, and click the "Set Drive Region" button.

Step 2After that, click the "Lock" button at the left corner of the Drive Region window to save the changes you’ve made.

On Windows:

Step 1Insert the "disc" on your computer’s disc driver. Then, press and hold the "Windows" key, and then press the "R" key to access the "Run" program.

Step 2Next, enter the "devmgmt.msc" on the Run’s search bar and click the "OK" button. Then, on the Device Manager window, access the "DVD/CD-ROM drives" option.

Step 3After that, right-click your "Drive" and select the "Properties" option. Then, on a new window, select the "DVD Region" tab, choose your current region, and click "OK".

FAQs about DVD Region Code of DVD Disc

• What region code is UK for DVD?

  UK DVDs are encoded with Region 3 or PAL codes. Sometimes, you might find a DVD encoded with Region 0, which is playable across different DVD players.

• How do I change the region code on the DVD player?

  To change your DVD player’s region code, using your remote, browse to Settings, select the Info option, and press the Setup or Preferences button. Then, within the options, press the Region button and select your desired Region Code. And that’s it!

• What would happen if I used all the 5 chances of changing the region of a DVD?

  Once you have changed the DVD's region code 5 times, the last code you have set will be permanently saved. So, you need to stick to one specific region code that supports your DVD player.

Related Articles:

• Review of 10 Free DivX/XviD Video Players: Which to Choose
• DVD to MKV – Convert or Rip DVD to MKV Videos for Easy Playback
• DVD Audio Extractors – How to Get Background Music from DVD Disc
• How to Copy DVD to Computer for Free? 4 Simple Methods