Sending family dvd across the pond

I've sent a recording (of non copyright material) to my son in the
USA, in DVD video format. His player won't play it because it is
stamped with the wrong area code.

How do I get round this? Use a different format or can he get a
gadget.

I realise why the code is there (to allow the film industry to control
release) but this is silly and will hinder the full use of the
technology.

John Kirton

John Kirton wrote:
> I've sent a recording (of non copyright material) to my son in the
> USA, in DVD video format. His player won't play it because it is
> stamped with the wrong area code.
>

Domestic DVD recorders and burners do *not* region-encode discs. If
your son is getting the standard "This disc is a different region code
from the player"-type message, then I'm baffled...

But if it is simply a matter of the disc not playing, or not
displaying the picture properly, it might be a TV standards problem -
with his US TV or DVD player being unable to cope with a PAL signal.
If this is the case, he should still be able to play the disc on a
computer.

Or it might be a disc compatibility issue. There are several different
formats of disc - DVD-R (& -RW), DVD+R (& +RW), as well as DVD-RAM.
Most modern players can play *properly finalised* DVD-R and +R discs,
but if you sent an unfinalised disc, or an RW or RAM disc, that would
be a problem.

paul

P Pron

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 08:29:14 +0000, John Kirton <>
wrote:

>I've sent a recording (of non copyright material) to my son in the
>USA, in DVD video format. His player won't play it because it is
>stamped with the wrong area code.
>
>How do I get round this? Use a different format or can he get a
>gadget.
>
>I realise why the code is there (to allow the film industry to control
>release) but this is silly and will hinder the full use of the
>technology.

If you made the recording yourself on a domestic DVD recorder then
it's not a region coding issue - consumer DVD recordable formats don't
use region coding on their recordings.

Chances are that his DVD/TV setup won't support the PAL picture
standard which we use in Europe. Although a lot of AV gear in Europe
these days supports the US NTSC standard for playback, it sadly isn't
the case the other way around.

There's also a possibility that his DVD deck doesn't like the
recordable media you used and simply won't read it. If you used
DVD-RAM it's really unlikely that he can read it. Best format to use
is either DVD-R or DVD+R.


Gav

Gav

"Gav" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 08:29:14 +0000, John Kirton <>
> wrote:
>
> >I've sent a recording (of non copyright material) to my son in the
> >USA, in DVD video format. His player won't play it because it is
> >stamped with the wrong area code.
> >
> >How do I get round this? Use a different format or can he get a
> >gadget.
> >
> >I realise why the code is there (to allow the film industry to control
> >release) but this is silly and will hinder the full use of the
> >technology.
>
> If you made the recording yourself on a domestic DVD recorder then
> it's not a region coding issue - consumer DVD recordable formats don't
> use region coding on their recordings.
>
> Chances are that his DVD/TV setup won't support the PAL picture
> standard which we use in Europe. Although a lot of AV gear in Europe
> these days supports the US NTSC standard for playback, it sadly isn't
> the case the other way around.
>
> There's also a possibility that his DVD deck doesn't like the
> recordable media you used and simply won't read it. If you used
> DVD-RAM it's really unlikely that he can read it. Best format to use
> is either DVD-R or DVD+R.
>
>
> Gav

Can he try and play it on a PC with a DVD Drive - they are usually more
forgiving.

rb

If you made the DVD yourself then don't switch on the regional coding
when you create it, or switch on region 1....


.... or if it's not one you created yourself then I would be surprised if
it's not non-copyright... but ask the maker for one without regional
coding?


In article <>,
says...
> I've sent a recording (of non copyright material) to my son in the
> USA, in DVD video format. His player won't play it because it is
> stamped with the wrong area code.
>
> How do I get round this? Use a different format or can he get a
> gadget.
>
> I realise why the code is there (to allow the film industry to control
> release) but this is silly and will hinder the full use of the
> technology.
>

Motorcycle Muppet

Motorcycle Muppet <> wrote:

>If you made the DVD yourself then don't switch on the regional coding
>when you create it, or switch on region 1....
>
>

Thanks to you all for the suggestions. The DVD-R was written on a
Pioneer -R recorder and finalised as a DVD video disk.

My son reported:
'Sadly however, the xxxxxx
machine even came up with a message telling me I was in the wrong
geography to watch your DVD'

so its ambiguous - I may well have jumped to the wrong conclusion and
it may be a PAL/NTSC thing which has been misleadingly reported as a
'geographic' problem.

With specific reference to MM's suggestion, I haven't spotted a
regional coding option in the finalisation software.

John Kirton

>f this is the case, he should still be able to play the disc on a
>computer.
>
>O

uh, no. not necessarilly In the U.S., not all current computers will play dvds.
I just bought a brand-new computer, and it doesn't play dvds. It has only a
CD-RW drive that plays CD-R and CD-RW, but not any dvd.

Also in the U.S, there is not any multi-standard (ntsc/pal) tv sets at the
consumer level.

and it's even rare for one at industry level here. (way too expensive for the
average consumer).

Waterperson77

> Chances are that his DVD/TV setup won't support the PAL picture
>standard which we use in Europe

that's sounds like it's probably it to me.

Waterperson77

>My son reported:
>'Sadly however, the xxxxxx
>machine even came up with a message telling me I was in the wrong
>geography to watch your DVD'
>

I didn't know that part, before. so now I have to change my opinion.

It seems that it is indeed region-encoded and that all of the other posters
here are wrong about consumer dvd recorders not being region-encoded. (or the
discs they make not being region-encoded).

It seems that they are.

It definitely doesn't sound like an ntsc/pal probleem to me, from that
statement.

Although if you do solve your region encoding problem, the ntsc-pal problem
might still come up for him and you.

Waterperson77

If you just copied the DVD using some DVD burning software (Nero, EZ CD,
etc) then you copied it intact, complete with region encoding. You need to
"Rip" the DVD and remove region encoding (or set the region to 1). DVD
Decrypter is good for this and is free for download.

"John Kirton" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I've sent a recording (of non copyright material) to my son in the
> USA, in DVD video format. His player won't play it because it is
> stamped with the wrong area code.
>
> How do I get round this? Use a different format or can he get a
> gadget.
>
> I realise why the code is there (to allow the film industry to control
> release) but this is silly and will hinder the full use of the
> technology.

Colon Terminus