From: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org (oppositeview-digest) To: oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Subject: oppositeview-digest V3 #166 Reply-To: oppositeview@smoe.org Sender: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk oppositeview-digest Monday, July 9 2001 Volume 03 : Number 166 Today's Subjects: ----------------- OV: DVD regions ["Jason Dale" ] OV: Re: DVD regions [David Wartik ] OV: Latest on state of DVD's..... ["Jennifer Woyan" ] OV: Re: [Excellent] Latest on state of DVD's..... ["Jennifer Woyan" Subject: OV: DVD regions Hi everyone, I'm not suggesting you try this, and wont be responsible if you screw up your machine in the process but you can find out if your DVD player can be multi-region, and how to make it so, at http://www.dvdscene.co.uk/regionhacks/ They can be either made multi-region by chipping them (ruins your warranty in the process) or by entering a remote control code before playing the Region blocked disc. I have three DVD players and two of them are able to be converted to multi-player by remote hacks but you need to be careful as some machines have a limit on the number of times you can change the region - for example, I think its phillips, where you can only change the code a total of 20 times and once its changed on the 20th code it stays on that region code forever (unless there is another code you can enter to wipe the memory chip - which some players allow you to do.) If you have a DVD Rom you can get a legit program from downloads.com called DVDGenie that allows you to play all regions thru the software instead of altering your hardware. Like I say tho - do so at your own risk. ;o) Anyway, roll on the new album and have a good Sunday y'all... :o) Bye now, Jason =================== Webmaster and Colostomist www.ostomy.fsnet.co.uk 130k+ unique visitors, and the Worlds #1 Ostomy website. (as voted by Dmoz.org) =================== > A lot of the newer DVD players can play all regions. It's also possible to > change some single region players into multi-region players. Sometimes all > that is required is for you to enter a specific unblocking code. I have no > first hand experience of this but I read it somewhere, so it must be true! > (I read it in a respectable hi-fi magazine - i didn't just make it up!) > > andrew - --- For your protection and peace of mind all email sent from the Lucyweb.co.uk servers is checked and certified Virus Free. :o) - ------------------------------------------------------------------- www.lucyweb.co.uk - designing for the new millenium. - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.263 / Virus Database: 135 - Release Date: 22/06/2001 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2001 08:53:49 -0500 From: David Wartik Subject: OV: Re: DVD regions Del-fans: I just recently got a new laptop computer that has a DVD-ROM drive in it. While setting up the computer, I was prompted to select which DVD region I was in. I could have set up the player to read any of the regions. So, apparently, this is a multi-region DVD drive. However, the catch is, after I selected Region 1 (US), I was told that I was only allowed 5 more changes to my selection. So, it seems to me that even if you have a multi-region player, you can go back and forth but only for a limited time. Hope this helps. David ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 14:19:27 -0500 From: "Jennifer Woyan" Subject: OV: Latest on state of DVD's..... http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/07/08/stinwenws02015.ht= ml? Britain forced to pay highest prices for DVDs=20 Edin Hamzic=20 =20 BRITISH consumers are being forced to pay more than 35% extra for = DVDs because of a deal struck between the big Hollywood studios and = electronics manufacturers.=20 Its terms mean that all DVD players bought in Britain are = electronically coded to reject discs that are bought at lower prices in = countries such as America and Australia.=20 The system, say experts, has had the effect of fixing the price of = DVDs in Britain as there is no incentive for parallel importers to = discount cheaper ones from abroad.=20 As a result, British shoppers pay on average =A318.39 for newly = released DVDs. This is about =A37 more than the same discs cost in = Australia where they average just =A311.36.=20 Sales boomed in Britain following the introduction of DVD players = in 1998. More than 1.5m households have replaced their video recorders = and 16m discs were sold here last year, netting the industry about = =A3280m.=20 However, Mario Monti, the European Union competition commissioner, = has started an investigation. Sources close to the inquiry say it is = focusing on a secretive licensing agreement imposed by the Hollywood = studios which forces the makers of DVD players to produce machines that = reject discs imported from overseas.=20 The terms of the deal divide the world into six geographic = regions. DVD players must carry a different internal code, making it = impossible to read discs from other regions without expert modification. = "The coding system in these machines is designed to increase = profits from distribution deals for both the studios and their local = distributors," said Tim Frost of the One to One DVD consultancy.=20 Critics say the coding system benefits both the studios, which = make the films, and also the companies, such as Sony and Toshiba, which = make the machines. The studios stagger the release of their films while = allowing price differences between regions; the electronics firms = benefit because they, too, charge different prices in various regions = and the code prevents parallel importers from undermining this.=20 Monti's EU investigators are hoping to find out why the DVD = industry divides the world into regions and what effect this has on = competition.=20 An international price survey conducted by The Sunday Times last = week showed that British consumers could save between =A34 and =A37 if = they were able to buy their DVDs in Region 1, America, where the discs = cost =A314.40 on average, or in Australia, Region 4.=20 Even within Region 2, which encompasses Europe and the Middle = East, Britain comes out the most expensive with discs costing an average = of =A318.39. In France they cost =A316.75 and in Germany =A314.45. In = Britain prices varied by just =A31 between the three leading stores, = Virgin, HMV and WH Smith.=20 Electronics firms sought to distance themselves from the licensing = agreement last week. They said it had been imposed on them and that they = had been forced to police the system on behalf of Hollywood.=20 =20 "In the 1990s hardware manufacturers came up with the new = technology but content owners made it a condition of use that every = machine is programmed with a content scramble system," said one maker, = who asked not to be named.=20 The body in charge of the licensing deal is the DVD Copy Control = Association, formed in 1999. Among those who sit on its board are = representatives of Toshiba, Warner, Fox and Intel, the computer chip = giant.=20 It denies price fixing and argues that regional coding was = introduced only in order to make the collection of royalties easier and = to avoid piracy. In the past 12 months the Hollywood film industry has = pursued through the courts those who have tried to bypass the DVD coding = system.=20 In Britain a number of DVD players are on sale which can be = modified to play back discs from all regions. In many cases it is = question of replacing a microchip in a player, at a cost of about =A350, = while in some a special code can be entered using the remote control.=20 It is illegal under the terms of their licence for manufacturers = to publicise these codes but they often find their way onto the = internet, as was the case last year with a Wharfedale DVD player sold = through Tesco.=20 =20 Jennifer A. Woyan jenwoyan@xsite.net 773.580.1440 [demime 0.97c removed an attachment of type application/octet-stream which had a name of STN08price.250x226.jpg?] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 16:10:40 -0500 From: "Jennifer Woyan" Subject: OV: Re: [Excellent] Latest on state of DVD's..... As if region coding was news... Noooo...I believe this story was more to the point of the pricing discrepancies between those zones. The past few weeks we've had a bit of discussion on the DVD market in particular, and while I have been aware of the regionalization of DVD manufacture, I wasn't aware of the severe price discrepancy between markets. The Times story begs the question of who governs & who benefits by slicing the markets and their revenues by zones. With so many bands and artists now using DVD technology to reach their audiences, how will this seeming continued disregard of the market demand for compatible product be resolved? I also have still not come across any reasonable explanation that while CD's, cassettes, MD's & LP's are manufactured to play universally, why DVD's and videotapes are not - any input from the trenches? Have a good weekend & Joe, cheer up, 'k? Jen - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joseph Whitcher" To: "Jennifer Woyan" ; ; "OV" Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2001 3:52 PM Subject: RE: [Excellent] Latest on state of DVD's..... As if region coding was news... - -----Original Message----- From: Jennifer Woyan [mailto:jenwoyan@xsite.net] Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2001 12:19 PM To: excellent@odc.net; OV Subject: [Excellent] Latest on state of DVD's..... http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/07/08/stinwenws02015.h tml ? Britain forced to pay highest prices for DVDs Edin Hamzic BRITISH consumers are being forced to pay more than 35% extra for DVDs because of a deal struck between the big Hollywood studios and electronics manufacturers. Its terms mean that all DVD players bought in Britain are electronically coded to reject discs that are bought at lower prices in countries such as America and Australia. The system, say experts, has had the effect of fixing the price of DVDs in Britain as there is no incentive for parallel importers to discount cheaper ones from abroad. As a result, British shoppers pay on average #18.39 for newly released DVDs. This is about #7 more than the same discs cost in Australia where they average just #11.36. Sales boomed in Britain following the introduction of DVD players in 1998. More than 1.5m households have replaced their video recorders and 16m discs were sold here last year, netting the industry about #280m. However, Mario Monti, the European Union competition commissioner, has started an investigation. Sources close to the inquiry say it is focusing on a secretive licensing agreement imposed by the Hollywood studios which forces the makers of DVD players to produce machines that reject discs imported from overseas. The terms of the deal divide the world into six geographic regions. DVD players must carry a different internal code, making it impossible to read discs from other regions without expert modification. "The coding system in these machines is designed to increase profits from distribution deals for both the studios and their local distributors," said Tim Frost of the One to One DVD consultancy. Critics say the coding system benefits both the studios, which make the films, and also the companies, such as Sony and Toshiba, which make the machines. The studios stagger the release of their films while allowing price differences between regions; the electronics firms benefit because they, too, charge different prices in various regions and the code prevents parallel importers from undermining this. Monti's EU investigators are hoping to find out why the DVD industry divides the world into regions and what effect this has on competition. An international price survey conducted by The Sunday Times last week showed that British consumers could save between #4 and #7 if they were able to buy their DVDs in Region 1, America, where the discs cost #14.40 on average, or in Australia, Region 4. Even within Region 2, which encompasses Europe and the Middle East, Britain comes out the most expensive with discs costing an average of #18.39. In France they cost #16.75 and in Germany #14.45. In Britain prices varied by just #1 between the three leading stores, Virgin, HMV and WH Smith. Electronics firms sought to distance themselves from the licensing agreement last week. They said it had been imposed on them and that they had been forced to police the system on behalf of Hollywood. "In the 1990s hardware manufacturers came up with the new technology but content owners made it a condition of use that every machine is programmed with a content scramble system," said one maker, who asked not to be named. The body in charge of the licensing deal is the DVD Copy Control Association, formed in 1999. Among those who sit on its board are representatives of Toshiba, Warner, Fox and Intel, the computer chip giant. It denies price fixing and argues that regional coding was introduced only in order to make the collection of royalties easier and to avoid piracy. In the past 12 months the Hollywood film industry has pursued through the courts those who have tried to bypass the DVD coding system. In Britain a number of DVD players are on sale which can be modified to play back discs from all regions. In many cases it is question of replacing a microchip in a player, at a cost of about #50, while in some a special code can be entered using the remote control. It is illegal under the terms of their licence for manufacturers to publicise these codes but they often find their way onto the internet, as was the case last year with a Wharfedale DVD player sold through Tesco. Jennifer A. Woyan jenwoyan@xsite.net 773.580.1440 ------------------------------ End of oppositeview-digest V3 #166 **********************************