We plan to distribute our DVD in Europe. Will I need a PAL version?

This is a trick question because the answer is both yes and no. I'll explain the "no" part of the answer first. A majority of the DVD and television sets manufactured for distribution in Europe and Asia are multi-standard. They will play not only PAL standard programs but NTSC, the North American video standard. The reason being is that there is so much content developed in the NTSC standard. That being the case, it is not necessary to develop a PAL version of your program because most set-top DVD players in Europe and Asia will play your NTSC version.

Now to the "yes" answer. If video quality is a concern then you will want to create a PAL specific version. When you playback a NTSC program on a PAL player, the player "converts" the NTSC signal on the fly so the playback quality will be a little suspect. PAL is actually a higher quality playback standard to begin with.

Will my DVD need to be region coded?

Yes, all DVD Videos must have a region code. The idea behind DVD region coding is so the publisher/producer of the video content can limit playback to a specific region of the world. This is important primarily to the Hollywood Studios who use different distributors in each part of the world and it also helps in the timing of studio DVD releases. A DVD released in North America in the summer may not be released in Europe until after Christmas. Region coding helps protect that distribution chain. The way it works is a player manufactured for distribution in North American will be set to play back region 1 discs and so forth. A cautionary note for my fellow e-Bay users; If you purchase a theatrical DVD from outside North America, chances are you will not be able to play it back due to the region coding; video standard not withstanding.

Here is a list of the regions:

REGION 1 — USA, Canada
REGION 2 — Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland
REGION 3 — South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia
REGION 4 — Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico)
REGION 5 — Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa
REGION 6 — China
REGION 0 or REGION ALL

In almost all cases, DVD's manufactured outside studio theatrical releases are coded region 0. This enables playback on any DVD player anywhere in the world. Unless you are a Hollywood studio protecting your distribution chain there is no reason to use a region code other then "0".

Should we add foreign language tracks?

The DVD format will support multiple language tracks simultaneously. If your foreign distribution will be concentrated in a particular country I recommend that you take advantage of this feature. It will add somewhat to your authoring time and expense, and it may push you from a DVD-5 to a DVD-9, but it will likely pay dividends with customers that will find the presentation more suited to their needs. One additional piece of advice; do your homework with translation services. Make sure you're working with a translator that really knows the language including slang. Otherwise you may find yourself saying something inadvertently offensive to your audience.

Send your media related questions to Chris at chris@ParagonGroup.com. Answers will be printed in Media Inc. or available online at www.Media-inc.com.

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