Region Free Releases

[liam1972]

This may have been asked already at some point, but I didn't find anything.

So I don't really get the whole "region free" blu releases. How do movies get an "official" release from the studios as region free titles? I thought the studios decided that each country or area of the world will have its own region coding so titles will only play on machines from that region. Makes no sense to me how a studio will release a title in another part of the world without a region coding.

Thanks for any answers you guys give me.

[steve_dave]

Region coding was created to combat piracy and cross importing. The problem is that region coding created enemies in the consumers. Many European countries even went so far as to deem region coding illegal as it prohibts fair market laws.

When HD DVD was being created, the studios that chose to support it...chose to forgo region coding. Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Universal shared the same sentiments as its consumers.

When Blu-ray Disc was being created, there was an choice to support region codes or leave the format open to all countries. Fox and Disney were the only studios who wanted region coding. However, to appease fair market laws in several countries, the region codes were less restrictive than DVD.

Yes, the studios choose what titles are region coded but like I previously stated, the three major studios that supported HD DVD have chosen not to region code their Blu-ray Discs. Fox has begun to leave region codes off many catalog titles but new to video releases will still be region coded. Disney is close to doing the same thing.

Now bear in mind that other distributors carry the rights to certain films in other countries. Lionsgate's The Punisher belongs to Sony outside the US, so the UK Blu-ray Disc is all-region with nearly all of the extras from the two DVD releases.

And even without region coding, distributors can find ways to stop cross importing. The Hong Kong Blu-ray Disc for Kung Fu Hustle only has English subtitles for the film only. The bonus materials are only subtitled in Chinese and Thai. Many French distributors include forced French subtitles when the English track is selected. In Germany, the higher quality soundtrack (usually DTS HD Master Audio) is in German while a lossy soundtrack is provided for the original English track.

As an aside...

Even DVDs can be all-region, multi-region, or region specific locked. Casino Royale HK and Thailand is R1 and R3. Warner Brothers has a number of titles that are R1, R2, R3, and R4.

[liam1972]

Thanks for that reply. Thats exactly the explanation I was looking for. I had no idea that the region coding was voluntary basis and that several studios have opted to not code the Blu's. I just assumed all the titles sold in North America was all region 1.
I find this very interesting....and now it kinda opens the door for me to maybe pick up some other titles that I thought I wasn't able to get before.

Appreciate your help. You rock!

[jw]

actually blu-ray uses A B C coding, heres a map to further detail it

Quick country/territory reference guide to Blu-Ray Regions:
Region A: North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
Region B: Europe, Greenland, French territories, Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Region C: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mainland China, Pakistan, Russia, Central and South Asia.

great quick reference site
http://bluray.liesinc.net/