The BBC news has an interesting article about the region codes in DVD players. Movies can now only be played in the region they were purchased. However (as we all know) viewers got round it with "cheat codes" and now the system is about to collapse.
DVD manufacturers' cheat codes are made up of combinations of button presses on the machine's remote control. When entered correctly, users are presented with a "secret" menu inviting them to reset the DVD player to "multi-region" - to play discs from all regions.
How are these cheat codes distributed? Although the manufacturers don't print them in their instruction manuals, they are made available directly or indirectly to retailers who often include the cheat codes on a photocopied slip of paper in the packaging, or publish them on the Internet.
All selling DVD players can be easily turned into multi-region players. I don't know anyone who hasn't got a region free DVD player.
However a new system is emerging called Regional Code Enhancement. This system adds another layer of security to select Region One discs - preventing them from being played on region-free DVD players.
However they don't think it will come this far. Europe and the US are getting closer and many more people decide themselves where they buy their DVD movies.
Source: bbc
