Region code 1 = North America, 2 = Japan, 3 = Asia except china,
4 = ?, 5 =? 6= China.
The original intent for DVD region codes is so that Movies can be
controlled as in the past there are cases where the Movies are
alerady in DVD/Tape format even before the movie was released in
Cinemas in other regions.
So the DVD set up a DVD Consortium, (think changed to DVD Forum
now).
Only members of DVD consortium can have the codes to decode and
encode DVDs. They must strictly abide to manufacturing sets that
controls regions.
Penalties will be taken against companies who does not safeguard
the DVD codes and/or manufacturers sets that are region free.
But over time, with Piracy, global events (developments in Asia
that was unforseen), the ease of shipping things across borders,
and lack of government support, the purpose of DVD setting region
controls just fades away.
Now, it just appears that every DVD player is now "officially"
Region locked but "unofficially" region free.
In Singapore, the DVD players you buy are programmed to be region
free. This is an implicit arrangement since the distributors are
officially still obligated to keep it region locked.
