Cinematic Intelligence Agency

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What the Director of Intelligence advises

The problem

I live in the USA. I can't remember if DVDs from the Australian region can play on American DVD players. If that's not the case, do you happen to know where I might be able to get my hands on either a DVD player or a VCR that plays movies from Australia and the UK? Hope you can help me!

Lindsey

The Director of Intelligence replies

Lesson #1

Australia is in Region 4, the USA is in Region 1 so your DVD players won't play our DVDs but our players will play yours!

Our consumer watchdog - the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) - says that regional playback control (RPC) is anti-competitive:

The practical effect is that a consumer who has bought a DVD player in Australia may be prevented from playing films obtained overseas. Overseas markets give Australian consumers access to a wider range of competitively priced film titles, with special features not otherwise available in Australia. In the ACCC's view, this means Australian consumers are forced to pay higher prices for films with fewer features and a more limited range of titles.

Lesson #2

The six regions are as follows:

• Region 1 - The USA, USA territories, Canada
• Region 2 - Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Egypt, South Africa, Greenland
• Region 3 - Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong
• Region 4 - Mexico, South America, Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Caribbean
• Region 5 - Russia, Eastern Europe, India, most of Africa, North Korea, Mongolia
• Region 6 - China

Lesson #3

To keep life interesting, televisions also use 3 different systems:

1. NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) is the television standard used in North America and Japan. It displays up to 525 lines.
2. PAL (Phase Alternating Line) is the television standard used almost everywhere else. It displays up to 625 lines.
3. SECAM (Sequential Colour Memory) is the television standard used in some European and African countries. SECAM players can display PAL recordings; PAL players can display true SECAM (not MESECAM) recordings.

In Australia, most new DVD and video players will read anything although an NTSC-based picture - often jokingly referred to as "Never The Same Colour twice" - is sometimes a bit peculiar. I don't know how this will affect the output to your NTSC TV. Ask someone at the shop.

Lesson #4

None of this takes into account the advent of High-Definition or Digital television sets or the future decisions of the European Union.

Lesson #5

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is always introducing new technology to stop piracy and other copyright infringement but this shouldn't be a problem.

Lesson #6

Some Australian electronics retailers:

• Bing Lee: http://www.binglee.com.au/
• Buy Quick: http://www.buyquick.com.au/
• Retravision: http://www.retravision.com.au/
• Wishlist: http://www.wishlist.com.au/

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