# Non-USA format dvds **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957 "2015-04-18T01:48:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/1 "2015-04-18T01:48:56Z")
What options are available to view/play a Cecil B. DeMille/Gary Cooper (or any other) movie on dvd issued in Spain that is available for purchase only in non-USA format? Are multi-format players available in US? ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/2 "2015-04-18T01:56:02Z")
You’re getting in to rules violations terrain here based on the DMCA making it illegal to circumvent any content protection system. IANAL and how specifically the law applied in this case would be in debate. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/3 "2015-04-18T01:59:08Z")
I don’t think owning a multi-region dvd player is illegal in the United States. They’re openly advertised with this feature on Amazon and other outlets. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/4 "2015-04-18T02:04:04Z")
Yeah, just search “region free DVD player” on Amazon and you’ll find a ton of them from name brands (Sony, Panasonic, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/5 "2015-04-18T02:05:51Z")
My DVD player died back when _Sherlock_ premiered in the UK long before it showed up here. Then we got an edited version. But [Amazon.UK](http://Amazon.UK) had the DVD’s. So I bought an all-region DVD player at Amazon for a bit more than a “regular” one… _Sherlock_ doesn’t make you go to that trouble any more, but the DVD player still works fine on both formats. ---
**Author:** ![Saturn\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/6 "2015-04-18T02:36:37Z")
You can also watch it on your pc if you have a dvd drive. There are region-free software players, and even the ones that aren’t region free can be changed, although a finite number of times. ETA: Depending on your DVD player, there are remote control codes that unlock region coding. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/7 "2015-04-18T03:04:38Z")
What I did was to find a [website](http://www.videohelp.com) that provided the region-free hacks for various DVD players and then purchased, from Target for about fifty bucks, a Philips DVD player that had a code available to make it region-free (or to change the region). ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/8 "2015-04-19T02:03:17Z")
Or, are you asking about the format the DVD uses for encoding? DVDs are recorded in a standard way no matter where they are produced. The only difference between a DVD from France and one from the US (of the same movie, of course) is the region code and any nationalization (dubbed language, etc.). VCR tapes, on the other hand were recorded using the basic TV recording method in that country (PAL for the UK, NTSC for the US and so on). I do not believe there were any players on the market which would play these multiple formats. Bob ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/9 "2015-04-19T03:30:22Z")
> [@urban1a](#): > > DVDs are recorded in a standard way no matter where they are produced. They still come in different frame rates - 29.97fps for the US, 25fps for PAL. Most DVD players and TVs accommodate for that, but you may hear subtle voice pitch changes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2015, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/10 "2015-04-19T04:50:21Z")
When I watch a UK DVD (or even some British programs on broadcast or cable), I see what looks like some choppiness, which I assumed was due to the difference in frame rate. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-usa-format-dvds/717957/11 "2015-04-19T18:42:50Z")
Faults in playing a PAL disc in a NTSC setup are due to the equipment. Good devices (DVD players/TVs) won’t change the pitch or cause noticeable choppiness.