Region codes on Blu-ray and DVD

NOTE: There are NO region codes on 4K UHD discs!

If you don't learn about region codes, you risk buying a movie that you can't play. Read about region codes here and avoid disappointment.

What are region codes?

Region codes are a technical way of dividing the world when it comes to Blu-ray and DVD discs. Film producers have divided the Blu-ray market into 3 regions and the DVD market into 6 regions. When a disc is released, it is coded with the region that corresponds to the country where it was released.

This means that a Blu-ray disc released in Sweden is coded with region B and a DVD disc released in Sweden is coded with region 2.

Players are also coded for the region in which they are sold. Blu-ray players delivered to stores in Sweden are factory coded to only play Blu-ray discs from the same region - region B. DVD players delivered in Sweden are coded so that they can only play DVDs that are coded with region 2.

 

The three Blu-ray regions are as follows:

North America, South America, and Southeast Asia, including Japan

Europe, Africa, and Australia

Most of Asia

 

The six DVD regions are as follows:

The United States and Canada

Europe, Japan, and South Africa

Southeast Asia

South and Central America and Australia

Africa and most of Asia

China, People's Republic of China

 

What does “Region ALL” mean?

Distributors are not required to lock discs to a specific region, although most do. Some choose to leave the disc unencoded, meaning that it can be played in any player.

 

Why are there region codes?

Region codes are a trick that movie companies have come up with to avoid competition. By preventing normal competition in the movie industry, they can make more money from inferior products.

If movie companies can enforce region codes, they can determine the price, quality, and selection in one region without regard to other regions. Under normal competitive conditions, consumers are free to choose between the best and cheapest products, but with regional codes, movie companies eliminate competition so they can dictate both price and quality.

 

Why are region codes harmful?

Competition is good for consumers. Competition allows consumers to choose the products they like best. However, the film companies will make money without delivering a real product. Instead of letting consumers choose, they force consumers to buy an inferior product or a product other than the one they actually prefer.

If you like older movie classics, it is unlikely that they will be released in your country, and you are often forced to buy the American editions—but the regional codes are designed to prevent you from doing so!

Approximately 10 times as many films are released in the US than in Sweden. If you like special films that are not released in Sweden, it is natural to buy the films where they are released – in the US. Swedish video companies hope that regional codes will prevent you from buying your favorite movie in the US (or from a store such as Noirdisc, which has its own imports). They want to force you to only buy movies that are released here—even if you might prefer completely different movies.

The Swedish version of Walt Disney's animated film Atlantis is cropped, while the American version shows the film as it was shown in theaters. With these region codes, the companies force you to buy the Swedish version, which is pan/scan, even if you prefer a letterbox version.

The Swedish editions may also not be of the same quality as the American editions. Danish editions often lack extra material, have poorer soundtracks, or are cropped on the sides. Quality-conscious film collectors who want the best will not voluntarily buy a Swedish edition in this situation. Film companies hope that region codes will make consumers settle for an inferior version because it is the only one that can be played on Swedish players.

Is region coding legal?

Essentially, film companies are free to decide how they want to distribute their products. It is illegal to restrict competition within the EU, and therefore it is also illegal to divide the EU into several regions, but there are no rules preventing the rest of the world from being divided.

The European Commission's Competition Commissioner once launched an investigation because there were many complaints that the prices of European publications were artificially high. Unfortunately, the investigation never led to anything.

Can region coding be circumvented?

Yes, fortunately. Manufacturers have agreed with film companies that their players must correspond to the region when they are delivered to retailers. When a manufacturer delivers the players to stores, the players can only play discs with region code B/2.

What does RCE mean?

RCE stands for “Regional Code Enhancement.” It is a special encoding that certain film companies (especially Columbia and Warner) used to encode DVDs to prevent them from being played on so-called “code-free” players from the East (these were the cheap junk players that you could buy in supermarkets).

Although such DVD players are called code-free, they usually cannot play DVDs that are also protected with RCE coding.

However, the Laser Disc modifications also include RCE coding, so the Laser Disc solution is the safest protection against regional codes.

English friendly – so you know that imports work in the Nordic region

TL;DR:

English friendly means that the release can be viewed on a Nordic player and that you get English audio and/or English subtitles on the film itself.

• 4K UHD: practically region-free → usually works in the Nordic region.
• Blu-ray in the Nordic region: Region B (US Blu-ray is often Region A).
• We always show language, subtitles, region code – and warn about forced subtitles if applicable.

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What “English friendly” means to us

We mark a title as English friendly when we can confirm at least one of the following for the main movie (not just the bonus material):

• EN audio: English speech/original audio is available.
• EN subs: English subtitles are available (usually “English” or “English SDH”).
• Playability in the Nordic region:
• 4K UHD: region-free in practice → playable on Nordic 4K players.
• o Blu-ray/DVD: region code matches the Nordic region (Blu-ray: B, DVD: 2).

Important: Bonus discs (especially Blu-ray in 4K boxes) may have a different region code than the 4K disc. We indicate this separately: “Film: 4K region-free (EN audio/subs). Bonus BD: Region A, not playable on standard Nordic players.”

Region codes in a nutshell

Format Region code Usually applies to Nordic countries

4K UHD – (none) Practically region-free worldwide Playable

Blu-ray A / B / C A = America/Asia, B = Europe/Oceania, C = Russia/Asia B

DVD 1–6 2 = Europe 2

Quick rule:

• UK & DE Blu-ray = usually Region B (good in the Nordic countries).
• US Blu-ray = often Region A (requires region-free player).
• 4K = region-free (exceptions extremely rare – we flag them if they exist).

2-minute “English friendly” check before purchase

1.      Format?

·         4K → usually clear ✔️

·         Blu-ray/DVD → check region code (should be B/2 in the Nordic countries).

2.      Language & subtitles on the main film?

·         Do you need English audio or English subtitles? We list both.

·         Look for English SDH if you want subtitles even for whispers/sound effects, for example.

3.      Forced subtitles?

·         Some imported editions may have forced subtitles (e.g., German subtitles that cannot be turned off). We indicate “No forced subtitles” where we have confirmed this.

4.      Bonus & extras?

 

·         Bonus BD may be region-locked (A/B/C) and lack English subtitles. We show the status separately: Movie vs Extras.

5.      Cover language?

·         Does not affect playability, but we indicate cover language for collectors.

Typical patterns per market (quick guide)

·         UK (Arrow, Second Sight, Indicator, Eureka/MoC, etc.)

o   4K: region-free; BD: usually Region B.

o   English friendly: almost always EN audio; EN subs often on the movie, more varied on extras.

·         Germany (Capelight, Turbine, PLAION, Wicked, etc.)

o   4K: region-free; BD: usually Region B.

o   Often EN audio on English-language films; EN subs vary. We indicate if forced subtitles are present.

·         USA (Criterion US, Shout!/Scream, Vinegar Syndrome, etc.)

o   4K: region-free; BD: often Region A.

o   Almost always EN audio; EN subs common on the film; bonus features may lack subtitles.

·         France/Italy/Spain

o   4K: region-free; BD: varies.

o   EN audio/subs more varied; read the PDP carefully (many FR editions lack English subs on the film).

Remember: “English friendly” applies to the main film unless otherwise stated. We always try to specify extras as well.

This is how we label the product page (example of chips/badges)

• EN audio · EN subs / EN SDH
• Region: 4K (region-free) / Blu ray: B / DVD: 2
• Closed captioning: No closed captioning / German closed captioning
• Extras: Bonus BD Region A (not playable) / Extras: EN text missing
• Cover: UK cover / DE cover / US cover

Tooltip explanation (short copy on badge):

• English friendly = playable in the Nordic countries and English audio or English subtitles on the main film.

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Common examples

• US 4K + BD combo: Movie (4K): region-free, EN audio + EN subs. Bonus (BD): Region A, without EN subs.
• DE Mediabook (4K + BD): Movie (4K): region-free, EN audio. BD: Region B, no forced subtitles. Extras without EN subs.
• UK LE (BD): Region B, EN audio + EN subs on film. Extras: varies.

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Questions & answers (FAQ)

Is 4K UHD always region-free?

In practice, yes – 4K discs do not have region codes and work on Nordic 4K players. If there is an exception, we will mark it.

What do you consider to be English friendly?

That the main film has English audio or English subtitles and that the release is playable in the Nordic countries (4K region-free or BD/DVD with the correct region).

Does English friendly also apply to bonus material?

Not automatically. We list films and extras separately (region/subtitles).

Do US Blu-rays work in the Nordic countries?

Nordic BD players are Region B. US BDs are often Region A and require a region-free player. However, the 4K disc in the same box is region-free in practice.

What does “English SDH” mean?

Subtitles adapted for the hearing impaired – also includes sound effects, etc.