VJ-FAQ

Set-Top DVD Player Problems
Q:My set-top player refuses to play the disk, even though it plays commercial movies without trouble. What's the problem? (My PC-based DVD player on the other handwillplay theVideo Journal.) 
A:Because the disk will play on a PC-based DVD player this rules out the the individual disk being defective. Here's what the problem likely is.
Firstly, if you are in a PAL or SECAM country, make sure your DVD player is set for NTSC discsƒ³ most newer DVD players have that option.
Secondly, the movie industry has instituted a system of "regional coding" of DVDs. This means that every player checks the disk to see whether it is encoded for Region 1 (North America), Region 2 (Japan), Region 3 (Western Europe) etc, etc. All DVD players check the disk on start-up and if the regional coding doesn't match the one in the machine, the disk won't play. This is an anti-piracy scheme. For this reason you can't buy a DVD disk in London and play it on a machine in N...