DVD regional coding & Faqs
All DVD players contain a chip denoting their region.
Similarly, DVD discs are encoded so that they will only
play on DVD Players of the same region unless you own a
multi-region DVD player.
ChoicesUK.com supply UK PAL video format DVD discs
encoded for Region 2. .
The regions are:
1 U.S.,
Canada, U.S. Territories
2
Japan, Europe, South Africa, and Middle East (including
Egypt)
3
Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong
Kong)
4 Australia, New Zealand,
Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America,
and the Caribbean
5 Eastern Europe (Former Soviet Union), Indian
subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, and
Mongolia
6
China
7
Reserved
8
Special international venues (airplanes, cruise
ships,etc.)
You will also
encounter discs marked as region 0, although technically
there is no such thing! Discs marked in this way are
multi-region discs. i.e. they will play in a machine
regardless of region setting.
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What is a pre-viewed dvd title?
If a title has pre-viewed after its title,
this indicates that it was originally
manufactured for use, or has been used as a
rental copy, and may have been rented in one of
our ChoicesUK stores or one of our ChoicesUK
Local outlets but is now available to buy. All
titles will be supplied to you in their original
studio packaging.
Your pre-viewed purchase is completely covered
by our returns
policy, just the same as a brand new retail
copy, so you can have peace of mind on the
quality or your money back. Like with all our
products, pre-viewed titles qualify for free UK
delivery.
If you still have any queries about pre-viewed
titles please contact our customer care team:
customerservice@choicesuk.com.
What is a DVD?
A DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is a 12 cm disc
(identical in appearance to a compact disc) of
polycarbonate, encasing an aluminium layer on
which microscopic pits are burned using a
laser. It is these pits which are read by the
laser in the DVD player and then decoded to
provide picture and sound information.
How
do I play a DVD?
A DVD can be played using a DVD Player or a DVD
drive installed in a PC.
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
The aspect ratio of a disc dictates the shape of
the picture displayed. The two main ratios are
4:3 (normal TV i.e the screen measures 4 units
across by 3 units high) and 16:9 which is
widescreen. You may also come across 2.35:1 (or
Scope) which is even wider than normal
widescreen and more akin to the effect you see
on cinema screens. DVDs played in this final
format will leave black bars at the top and
bottom of the screen regardless of any
settings on the player or TV.
Dolby Digital
Dolby digital is a patented process of encoding
and decoding sound signals to give up to 6
separate channels of high quality audio. It
generally comes in 3 versions. |
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2.0 |
Two channels of audio |
(i.e Stereo | 1 left
channel 1 right channel |
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4.1 |
Five channels of audio |
1 centre (dialogue) channel
2 stereo front channels 1 mono rear surround
channel (usually played through 2 speakers) and
1 subwoofer channel (For low bass) |
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5.1 |
Six channels of audio |
Identical to 4.1 except
rear surround is stereo |
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DTS (Digital Theatre System)
An alternative to Dolby
digital 5.1, although if a DVD has a DTS
soundtrack it is required to have a Dolby
digital version of the soundtrack as well.
Region Codes
Motion picture studios use
region codes to control the release dates of
DVDs in different geographical regions. This is
because films are often released at different
times of the year in countries all over the
world. In addition, the distribution rights are
often sold to a different company for each
region. The codes ensure that the consumer pays
the correct company for their version of the
film concerned.
Technical information
TV Format
Throughout the world TV is displayed using
differing systems. The three main varieties
being.
PAL
Phase Alternating Line. The system used in the
UK.
NTSC
National Television System Committee. The system
used in the USA for example.
Special features
Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are special hidden features on a
DVD. They can be in the form of out-takes,
games, special scenes or anything really that
the producers of the disc wish to include. The
method by which they are accessed varies from
disc to disc, but generally involves selecting a
certain screen feature in conjunction with a
keypad on the players remote control.
Subtitles
Unlike VHS where subtitles usually require a
Closed caption decoder, DVD can display
subtitles as a standard feature. It also has the
ability to do this in whatever languages the DVD
producer chose to include.
FAQ
Picture problems
Black and White?
Check that the player is not set to S-Video in
the setup menu and that it is set correctly to
NTSC/PAL on the set up menu or via the switch on
the rear panel of the player. If the player is multi-region and a region 1
disc is played it may output a pure NTSC signal;
a TV with NTSC input will correct this. You may have connected one of the component
outputs (Y, R-Y, or B-Y) of your DVD player to
the composite input of your TV.
Picture is squashed/things look skinny
You are watching an anamorphic picture intended
for display only on a widescreen TV. You need to
go into the player's setup menu and tell it you
have a standard 4:3 TV, not a widescreen 16:9
TV. It will then automatically letterbox the
picture so you can see the full width at the
proper proportions.
Picture is jerky
On the player Set-up Menu, check that it is set
to NTSC and not PAL as the player may not be
able to playback at 60Hz (as used in the USA)
causing the picture to appear jerky. When set to
NTSC the picture may playback in B/W.
Unstable brightness or noises
This is the effect of macrovision (copy
protection). It can be overcome by connecting
the DVD player directly to the TV.
Avoid indirect connection to a VCR or TV/VCR
combo to view the picture.
Sound problems
Wont play DTS
Check on Set-up menu that DTS is set to "On"
and/or digital output is set to Bitstream.
DTS can only be derived from a digital source
i.e. Coax or Optical output (digital) not from
RCA audio output (analogue). Most home cinema
amplifiers should detect the DTS signal
automatically unless stated otherwise in the
instruction manual.
Connected Via S-Video but no sound
S-Video connections only carry video
information, audio connections have to be made
separately.
No 5.1 Dolby Digital
Not all Dolby digital soundtracks are 5.1. Dolby
digital can come in mono, stereo and several
surround formats. |
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DVD/Video
Age Certification:
UC
Universal - particularly suitable for children
U
Universal - suitable for all ages
PG
PARENTAL GUIDANCE - general viewing but some scenes may
be unsuitable for young children
12
12 YEARS - suitable only for persons of 12 years and
over
15
15 YEARS - suitable only for persons of 15 years and
over
18
18 YEARS - suitable only for persons of 18 years and
over
E
Videos exempt from classification by the British Board
of Film Classification
At the order
confirmation stage you will be asked to confirm that you
are old enough to purchase the goods that you have
placed in your basket, as per the certification
requirements above. This is to ensure that we do not
sell videos and DVDs to underage customers, as this is a
requirement by law.
Games
Certification:
A voluntary
system of age-rating for games exempt from legal
classification exists. The system belongs to the
European Leisure Software Publisher's Association
(ELSPA) but is administered by the Video Standards
Council (VSC). Games are rated at four levels (3+, 11+,
15+ and 18+) and will appear on the games packaging as
the following.
Glossary:
Widescreen
A method of displaying films on television sets where
the image displayed is close or similar to the original,
to maintain the aspect ratio as it would be seen in a
cinema. This method leaves black bands at the top and
bottom of a standard screen.
Aspect Ratio
The size of a TV screen in width and height, expressed
as a ratio, with width followed by height. Standard
televisions are 4:3 with a square screen. Many of
todays televisions will display a 16:9 widescreen
picture.
Pan and Scan
A method of displaying films on standard television sets
where the film fills the entire screen. Information may
be lost on the left and right hand edges.
Dubbed
An alternative to sub-titling is to dub a film. The
words are re-recorded, often by a different voice, in
the appropriate language. This is particularly prevalent
in Eastern and Oriental films into English, and musicals
where the singing voice is dubbed.
Price
Guarantee:
Our pledge is no
surcharges, no hidden costs and no postal charges on UK
orders. The prices shown on the site have already been
discounted, so (provided we have accepted your order as
set out below), the price you see is the price you pay.
All prices are quoted in UK Pounds Sterling.
Prices may
change without notice, so please check the price at the
time of ordering. However, we will always charge your
Credit/Debit card the price advertised on the website on
the date of release should it be lower than at the time
of ordering.
Any order for
goods placed by you constitutes an offer to buy those
goods at the price shown. We will then send you an
e-mail confirming that order, but your offer is not
accepted until we either send a further e-mail
confirming that we have dispatched the goods, or
dispatch the goods to you (whichever is the earlier).
There is no contract between ChoicesUK.com
and you until we either send this second e-mail or
dispatch the goods (whichever is the earlier), and we
are not obliged to accept any order until that time.
Occasionally
prices are shown on the website in error. If an error is
discovered before the goods are dispatched, we are
therefore entitled to refuse to accept any order for the
goods at that price, and to contact you to offer the
goods at the correct price. In circumstances where we
decide to honour a pricing error, you will receive 1
copy at the incorrect price - multiple orders and orders
for multiple quantities will be cancelled and you will
be notified by email.
VAT:
VAT, or Value
Added Tax, is charged on most goods and services sold in
the European Union. In the UK the standard rate is 17.5%
and this is included in our prices for all products.
In line with our
single price policy, there are no surcharges to overseas
customers nor do we credit any local taxes. The price
you see is the price you pay. There is no charge for
postage on UK orders.
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