Blu-ray region codes: why the disc you bought will not play

A Blu-ray bought in New York usually will not play on a machine bought in Rotterdam. The disc is fine and the player is fine. They are coded for different regions, and the player checks the code before it reads anything else.

This catches people out constantly, because the discs look identical. Here is the whole system, and the exceptions that matter when you are buying.

Three regions, not six

DVD split the world into eight numbered regions. Blu-ray uses three, and it uses letters instead of numbers. That difference alone causes confusion, because a DVD marked "2" and a Blu-ray marked "B" cover roughly the same part of the world.

• Region A: North America, South America, the US territories, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland South East Asia.
• Region B: Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Region C: the rest of Asia, including China, Russia, India, and Central Asia.

If you live in Europe, your player is a Region B player. It will play Region B discs and refuse Region A and Region C ones. A player sold in the United States does the reverse.

The exceptions, which are most of the market

Region coding is optional. A publisher chooses whether to set the flag, and many do not bother. Industry estimates put the share of Blu-rays released with no region lock at around 70%. Those discs carry a "region free" or "ABC" marking and play anywhere.

The bigger exception is 4K. Ultra HD Blu-ray has no region coding at all. It was left out of the specification. Any 4K UHD disc plays on any 4K UHD player, bought anywhere. If you are choosing between a region-locked Blu-ray and the 4K edition of the same restoration, the 4K disc removes the problem entirely.

DVD region codes are separate and still apply. A Region 1 DVD will not play on a European DVD player, and a Blu-ray player that accepts Region B discs may still be locked to DVD Region 2.

What this means when you buy

Buying inside Europe is the simple case. A disc bought in Berlin plays in Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Warsaw, because all of them are Region B. UK discs play on the continent too, for the same reason.

Importing from the United States is where it goes wrong. Before you order, check three things:

• The region marking on the listing. Sellers usually state it. "Region A" means you need a region-free player. "Region free", "ABC", or 4K UHD means you do not.
• Your player. A standard European player is Region B only. Multi-region players exist, and some are modified after purchase to accept every region.
• Subtitles. A Region A disc that does play may still carry English subtitles only, which is a separate problem from region coding and just as annoying.

Region free players

A multi-region or region-free player ignores the flag and plays all three regions. Some are sold that way. Others are standard players modified by a retailer, which usually voids the manufacturer warranty. Buying one turns every import into a normal purchase, and it is the single fix that makes a collection built across markets workable.

Computers are a middle case. A Blu-ray drive in a PC or Mac typically allows the region to be changed a limited number of times, often five, after which it locks to the last setting permanently.

The short version

In Europe, buy Region B or region free and you will never think about this again. Buy 4K UHD and it cannot go wrong. Import Region A only if you own a region-free player, and check the listing before you pay.