Blu Ray Regions

[eDPS]

Hi all

Can anyone who knows enlighten me as to why blu ray discs are spilt into regions? Why can’t every one be compatible for every state?

Recently bought a blu ray disc from America thinking I could play it through my PS4 but nope region locked, is it just me or is this really stupid?

 

[TheMidRunner]

Hi all

Can anyone who knows enlighten me as to why blu ray discs are spilt into regions? Why can’t every one be compatible for every state?

Recently bought a blu ray disc from America thinking I could play it through my PS4 but nope region locked, is it just me or is this really stupid?

Different companies distribute media in different regions and they are priced differently. They only want you to buy discs intended for your region to make the most money.

 

[eDPS]

Different companies distribute media in different regions and they are priced differently. They only want you to buy discs intended for your region to make the most money.

My first thought was money, certainly not done to help consumers that’s for sure

 

[Ron The Bear]

It's a control freak thing by the rights holders, e.g. if they want to release a film in the US in March and don't want to release it until July in Australia. It's intended to stop the transfer of disks to different parts of the world. We're in the same region as the UK, so it's safe to buy Region B disks from there, but not from the US or Asia (unless the disk is Region B).

There used to be a very good site that provided hacks for various models, e.g. hold down button X while pressing 3-6-9 to make your BDP region free. Not sure if it's still around.

It's a largely failed system and you can be lucky and buy a BDP that's region free out of the box (like my Cambridge Audio CXU), however I never did find the key to unlock the little Sony in the bedroom.

 

[Ron The Bear]

You can also get software e.g. DVDFab Passkey that will remove region protection from the optical drive on your computer, allowing you to watch or rip the contents. Something like MakeMKV can perform a lossless rip that you can put on a USB stick and watch on your TV in idetical quality to the BD.