World DVD and Blu-ray standards and region information
DVD Regions
All ABC DVDs are currently encoded for region 4 DVD players only for copyright and other legal reasons.
They will, however, also play on non-region specific DVD players. These are common around the world and growing in popularity as it allows the owner to view any DVD purchased from anywhere in the world.
Before sending family and friends any of our DVDs it would be wise to ask them to consult their player manuals for compatibility.
DVD Region and Countries
|
|
Area |
| 0 | Informal term meaning "playable in all regions" |
| 1 | Bermuda, Canada, United States and U.S. territories |
| 2 | The Middle East, Western Europe, Central Europe, Egypt, French overseas territories, Greenland, Japan, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland |
| 3 | Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan |
| 4 | Australasia, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Oceania, South America |
| 5 | The rest of Africa, Former Soviet Union, the Indian subcontinent, Mongolia, North Korea |
| 6 | Mainland China |
| 7 | Reserved for future use (found in use on protected screener copies of MPAA-related DVDs, and "media-copies" of pre-releases in Asia) |
| 8 | International venues such as aircraft, cruise ships, etc. |
Blu-Ray Disc
Blu-ray is the next generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc.
Blu-ray discs can hold five times the information of standard DVD and that extra data means your movies will now have a sharper picture that’s up to 5x the resolution of DVD in full 1080p (the shorthand name for full high definition), vivid colours and up to 7.1 channels of perfect High Definition sound.
Blu-ray also offers a wealth of special features never before possible, like picture-in-picture bonus view and internet Blu picture in connectivity, giving you access to exclusive on-line bonus materials. Plus Blu-ray players are capable of playing standard DVD's. To be able to play Blu-Ray discs, all you need is a HDTV (High Definition Television), a Blu-Ray Disc Player, HDMI cable and a Blu-Ray Disc.
Blu-ray Region and Countries
|
|
Area |
| A | East Asia (except Mainland China and Mongolia), Southeast Asia, North America, South America and their dependencies. |
| B | Africa, Southwest Asia, Europe (except Russia and Kazakhstan), Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) and their dependencies. |
| C | Central Asia, East Asia (Mainland China and Mongolia only), South Asia, central Eurasia and their dependencies. |
TV Standards
Television standards differ throughout the world. Australia employs the PAL system in DVD production and television transmission (as opposed to NTSC prevalent in the United States). Please ensure you are able to play PAL standard DVD before placing your order. World Television Standards are listed below.
NTSC (National Television System Committee) Videos, DVD and Blu-Ray
525 Lines/60Hz
Antiqua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda,Bolivia, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Greenland, Guam, Guatemala,Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Korea (South), Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saipan, Samoa, Surinam, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Trinidad, Tobago, United States, Venezuela, Virgin Islands
PAL (Phase Alternating Line)
625 Lines/50Hz
Afghanistan (Kabul), Algeria, Argentina(PAL-N), Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunei, China (mainland), Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Korea (North), Kuwait, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco (PAL & SECAM), Netherlands, New Guinea, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Romania (PAL & SECAM), Saudi Arabia (PAL & SECAM), Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay (PAL-N), Yemen (A.R.), Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
525 Lines/60Hz
Brazil (PAL-M)