# CDs and DVDs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-and-dvds/310798>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 2, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-and-dvds/310798 "2005-07-02T04:03:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![don\_Jaime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@don\_Jaime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_Jaime)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-and-dvds/310798/1 "2005-07-02T04:03:13Z")

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Why are DVDs restricted to regions and CDs aren’t?

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cds-and-dvds/310798/2 "2005-07-02T04:12:55Z")

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DVD-Video discs can be restricted to play in only certain areas because movie studios managed to get a [system](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvd#Region_codes) for enforcing their marketing concerns included in the standard for the DVD player.

I presume the idea had not yet occurred to anyone when the CD was introduced. The linked wikipedia article says that regional lockouts originated in the video-game industry.