Region coding on Burnt DVD's

[Davidk]

A number of students in my movie making class (Brisbane, Australia using VS, DVD region 4) have asked about region coding of DVD's created using VS. They have relatives elsewhere, mainly Europe, that they wish to send copies of their work to.

There's an excellent wikipeadia article on the details, reasons and uses of region coding of DVD's, and it's clear that players as well as disks have pre-defined region codes. However I cannot find anything in VS (preferences, project settings or authoring settings) that allows setting a region or all regions for any created disks, and there's nothing in the user guide either about what region code or codes it defaults to when burning a DVD disk. The region of installation based on display type (eg, NTSC or PAL) might coarsely define several regions but that is pretty loose and .. well .. gross.

Does anyone know what region or regions VS defaults to when burning a DVD?

Davidk

[Ken Berry]

As far as I am aware, it has always been region-free... As I understand it, the region business relates to commercially-produced discs.

[Davidk]

I had hoped that too. And yes, it does apply to commercial disks - and also players. But the disks I/we have created in oz using VS were always played here (region 4), and thus no issues have ever been observed. And thus far, there seems to be no positive data one way or the other.

The wikipedia article ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_regions ) is pretty comprehensive, and makes it clear that players are normally also required to be region coded. Thus a player bought/used in oz would play oz/nz DVD's because both were region 4. But a disk positively coded for region 4 would not play on equipment in Europe. A player in the UK (region 2) would play both UK disks, and any all regions disks, which would include any created here provided they were "all regions coded" when burnt. And hence this query.

There's a short table in the wiki article (page 2 of 6 pages) which outlines how flags are set on the DVD and players to indicate a specific region, or all regions. No flags, or all the flags, are the worldwide or all regions settings respectively. Either on a DVD will do.

Is there a preferred way to ask Yvonne this item, or should I just fire it at her?

Davidk

[canuck]

All the DVDs I have burned using VS have always been region 0 which means they are "region free" and will play anywhere. Neither VS nor Roxio have a region setting.

[BrianCee]

Surely the quickest easiest way to prove to yourself that DVD's burnt in VS are region free and if they are PAL will play on ANY PAL DVD player anywhere in the world is to make a few DVDs and send them to other countries and ask them if they play.

The only restriction on DVDs is that an PAL disc may well not play in a NTSC player - but most modern PAL DVD players will cope with NTSC discs