Surely the whole point of DVD regions is that it was a non-legal way of implementing the ability to restrict international free trade.
I'm not saying that it's illegal, but the implementation of DVD regions was not to provide any governmental body with a set of requirements, but for the DVD producers to implement a non-democratic system of restrictions. And it's the same with DRM - there is no legal requirement to use them, they are simply being forced on the consumer by bodies such as the BBC that claim (presumably because Microsoft has advised them this) they are required. Copyright is supposed to be a legal balance between the producer and the consumer and DVD regions and DRM are an industry attempt to not play take their ball home with them. Brian Butterworth www.ukfree.tv > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Andrew Bowden > Sent: 02 February 2007 09:23 > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [backstage] BBC Trust "reaches Provisional > Conclusions on BBC on-demand proposals" > > Frank Wales > > Andrew Bowden wrote: > > > If everyone - and I mean everyone - made their DVD player > > > multi-region, it would be far harder to justify making > > > region-encoded DVDs. > > DVD region coding rides on the coat-tails of different > international > > video standards, so I think pressure against DVD region > coding could > > never become very severe. > > It's not enough that your DVD player be multi-region in > order to watch > > out-of-region discs, your TV also has to know what to do with the > > signal. At least in North America, it's quite hard to find > > multi-standard TVs, so a multi-region DVD player could play > a UK DVD, > > for example, but the TV wouldn't display it because PAL > wouldn't make > > sense to it. > > Yeah, well North America is another thing, however region 2 > is an entirely different matter - and it's a big region. > > Last time I bought a TV (four years ago IIRC) it was hard to > find one that wasn't NTSC compatable in that price range. > Now that was a £300 model. A couple of years later when I > had to buy a new DVD player, I got a £70 model (DVD/VHS > combi) which was towards the budget end - again NTSC > compatable seemed to be the norm. Looking at Comet's website > right now, NTSC is available on the cheapest DVD player, and > whilst not on the cheapest TVs, is on a 20" model at the > £79.99 price mark. > > Of course, many will still have non NTSC compatable equipment > so it will take time. > > Interestingly, you do get some NTSC region 2 DVDs already. > For some reason, season 1 of Sex and the City is NTSC! > http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sex-City-Region-NTSC-Format/dp/B00005I > BA0/sr=8-14/qid=1170408000/ref=pd_ka_14/202-6428698-3405436?ie > =UTF8&s=dvd > > > > - > Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To > unsubscribe, please visit > http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. > Unofficial list archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.17/661 - Release > Date: 30/01/2007 23:30 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.17/661 - Release Date: 30/01/2007 23:30 - Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. Unofficial list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
