User Guide

286 Appendix D, Video Standards and DVD Regions
Television Video Standards
Different countries use different video standards for television broadcasts. The United States,
Japan, and several other countries use the NTSC standard; the rest of the world uses PAL (or
SECAM, which is very similar to PAL). NTSC video uses 525 scan lines at 29.97 frames/59.94
fields per second; PAL video uses 625 scan lines at 25 frames/50 fields per second.
NTSC DVD players usually cannot play PAL discs, whereas most PAL DVD players and all
software players can play both formats. DVD and VCD discs can contain either NTSC or PAL
video, but not both.
DVD Regions
The DVD Forum Committee divides the world into six DVD regions, and specifies one
transnational region (8) for such applications as in-flight entertainment. DVD players sold in
one region are set for playback in that region only, to discourage DVD piracy.
DVD regions
1
4
1
1
2
2
5
5
6
3
2
1
4