Job Discussion Forums

mtheta · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 76

I read somewhere that English DVD's from home (Canada/U.S.) might not be compatible in Japan. Is this true? I thought I would check before I go out and stock up on them.
Does it depend on the DVD player?

Thanks!

azarashi sushi · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 562 Location: Shinjuku

Hi mtheta,

Yes, it depends on the DVD player. Generally they won't work on DVD players made for use in Japan. However, you can buy a multi regional DVD player and it will work on that.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

I answered that question in a fair bit of detail here:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=38666

If you don't understand any of the terms or concepts I used, just ask. Smile

Cheers.

mtheta · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 76

O.k. so what I got from that thread (and please correct me if I am wrong) is that and DVD's bought in North America are region 1 and are not compatable with DVD players made in Japan. You can watch North American DVD's on a lap top or DVD player that was purchased in North America.
If you buy a DVD player in Japan you just must make sure it is compatable.

Correct? I don't plan on buying DVD's while over there, just brining with me or having them sent.

JaredW · Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 6:47 am Post subject:

I do want to add one correction to Dunlop's comprehensive answer.

You can go into Contol Panel-->System-->Hardware-->Device Manager and find your DVD player.

Click twice on the DVD player and then click on the tab on top that says DVD Region. You can choose which Region you want the DVD player to read. But be careful, you can only change the region only a certain number of times. But, I live in the US and have a desktop so I just spent 30 bucks and bought a second DVD player. I can now play Region 1 and 2 whenever I want on a US Windows XP operating system.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

womblingfree · Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 826

Here's a list of DVD regions:

REGION 1 -- USA, Canada
REGION 2 -- Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland
REGION 3 -- S.Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia
REGION 4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico)
REGION 5 -- Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa
REGION 6 -- China
REGION 7 -- Reserved for Unspecified Special Use
REGION 8 -- Resevered for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc...
REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played Worldwide

If you wish to play DVD's from the US, Canada or Australia that aren't region 0 then you will need a modified DVD player or a laptop set to the correct region.

If you wish to play UK DVD's you shouldn't need any modification as they are both region 2.

I say 'shouldn't', but there is another issue. The UK's TV standard is PAL, Japan, US and Canada all use NTSC.

PAL displays more lines on a TV than NTSC and so some DVD players from other regions simply don't have the capacity to play them back. This is a hardware problem not a region lock out.

Also even if you can play UK DVD's back they will not display correctly on an NTSC TV for the same reason. NTSC videos will however play back on a PAL TV as there are fewer lines to display.

2 ways around this:

1. Buy a PAL to NTSC convertor from Laox.

2. Get a TV out cable for your laptop to your TV. This mirrors the laptop screen and so bypasses the source.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

You can also buy a region-free dvd machine from www.theflyingpig.com which is from Costco in Japan. I think I paid about 10,000 yen for mine.

ghostrider · Joined: 30 May 2006 Posts: 147

Many players have region-free codes. http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks

mtheta · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 76

Great stuff. Thanks!

Off topic question:

Anyone know if you can use your Costco card from home in Japan? Or should I wait and set it up over there?

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Willy_In_Japan · Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 329

Sure there are region free players available, HOWEVER, unfortunately, some studios are producing RCE disks, that are REGION CODE ENHANCED.

Bottom line, is that an RCE disk will NOT play in a region free player.

Columbia Tristar is notorious for releasing RCE discs.

I would buy a 50 dollar small size DVD player with Region 1 and put it in my luggage. There are lots of mini ones. Some of the portable DVD players have audio and video out for televisions.

I use my computer with video sent to the TV for my Region 1 discs, and have a Japanese player for rentals. Region protection is a pain in the rear, but the solution is to just bring a cheap player with you to Japan.