# It's a fair cop Guv



## Foxbat (Oct 16, 2004)

I decided to start my Christmas shopping early and one of the gifts I had in mind was a multi region DVD player. So off I pop up to Edinburgh to check things out. First couple of places I go to had no multi region players but the guy in the second shop suggested that I check their website. Fair enough, I thought. I’d already seen a deal on Amazon -a Sony at £69.99 which I thought wasn’t bad (I always stick to well known brand names). But I’d check out his suggestion anyway.

Into shop number three. “Oh no, Sir!” says the assistant –accompanied by a look of horror “we can’t sell you one of those. It’s illegal!” After some argument and the realisation that this guy was probably reciting a script, I shrugged my shoulders and left.

So here I am – an arch criminal. I have a multi region DVD player. I also have a multi region Laser Disc/DVD player (which I attacked myself armed with soldering iron and wire strippers to make multi region). I wondered who’s right and who’s wrong.

Certainly there is a grey area concerning the discs themselves (which is probably why Play.com now operates from two separate websites – USA and UK). And also BBFC accreditation becomes a legal minefield (that’s British Board of Film Censors). Technically, it is illegal to buy a film in this country, which has not been passed fit by this body. Because of this, you come to the ridiculous position where The Wizard Of Oz could be denied entry by customs because it has not been certified. And yet everybody knows the content – we see it about once a year at Xmas for Gawdsake! 

I have had one film refused entry into the UK (The Exorcist – a few years back it was illegal to own any kind of copy in the UK). 

But what about players?

I can’t find anything that definitely says that it is illegal. And what about DVD on the PC where most allow you to switch regions up to 5 times? Is it illegal to do it a sixth time (is a 5 times switch legal in the first place?) as you could reformat your hard drive and reinstall.

I bought my multi region player in the UK and I have just ordered another from Amazon. I know of many other places where they can be bought. Are all these retailers breaking the law? Quite frankly, I don’t think anybody really knows anymore. The situation is just a mess and with the torrent of discs entering the market, I think that regions will have to be done away with.

Sometimes laws become so convoluted and ridiculous that nobody would even bother trying to hunt you down like the dog that you are for being a MultiRegion  Mafioso.
Lets hope there ain’t no Hellhounds on my trail.

For anybody that’s interested   

http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa7.htm


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## Brian G Turner (Oct 16, 2004)

The whole multi region play issue is a canker in the film industry - it's a silly idea and has been very poorly executed.

 Not least because sometimes studios will release completely DVD's in different regions - for example, "Life of Brian" in region 1 has a lot of extra features - the region 2 release is just a two-fingered salute at the British homeland of Python.

 My understanding of multi-region players is that DVD players often share the same basic software to operate, regardless of which region they are sold in - therefore, to play different regions, it's simply a matter of adding a specific code to make it multi-regional. This in itself utterly undermines the moronic studios that set up the system, and empowers the consumer.

 I never actually realised that you could buy DVD players already set to lpay multi-region - I would definitely prefer something like that, than messing about tracking down the relevant codes and setting the player up. 

 Is it illegal? Only if you want to boost the pirate industry. So long as I can buy - and play - multi-region DVDs then I'll buy from the supplier. For the time-being that's the film distributors. Remove the distributors and you bet I'd go to the black market.


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## dwndrgn (Oct 16, 2004)

I've no clue on the issue at hand, not even understanding what region 1 is opposed to anything else.  I think I own maybe four dvds and all were gifts.  I am somewhat miffed at the title of the thread though, enticing me in here with a Python quote was quite dastardly Foxbat!


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## The Master™ (Oct 16, 2004)

I understood that multi-region DVD players _WEREN'T_ "illegal", if they were, places like Amazon, Sony Shop, Argos, Index, etc would be getting closed down by the police... I see shops all over the place advertising multi-region players...

Here is one from the net: http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0766580958.1097963078@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdladcmkkfegggcflgceggdhhmdgmi.0&page=Product&sku=025691&category_oid=-20132&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null


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## Foxbat (Oct 16, 2004)

> I understood that multi-region DVD players WEREN'T "illegal", if they were, places like Amazon, Sony Shop, Argos, Index, etc would be getting closed down by the police... I see shops all over the place advertising multi-region players..



I agree wholerheartedly - which is why I think this guy was talking through an orifice in his rectal area. 

dwndrgn: I apologise unreservedly for my lack of integrity and hope that you will forgive me (once you have been enticed)


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