american lost in the uk

Hello everyone, I'm in the military over in england. i want to buy some movies off the economy but they have there movies formatted differently over here. I have heard for my buddies that have PC's that they don't work for them. I was wondering if there was a software that I could download or if the software was already build into the computer? If anyone knows...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, HELP!!!

Thank you

DVDs are region-specific and sometimes PAL-formatted. You could have trouble playing them on machines designed for the NA market. I'd stick to purchasing movies via iTunes, which will work anywhere.

Also, let's move this thread to a more relevant forum.

If you are going to watch them via your Mac, and you use VLC player, then the region doesn't matter.

I want to go buy snow leopard at the apple store in cambridge. would it still work or are they formatted differently too?

Kevriano said:

If you are going to watch them via your Mac, and you use VLC player, then the region doesn't matter.

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I thought the drive itself is region locked in firmware. Regardless, any DVDs the OP purchases in Europe are going to be limited in their use state side, particularly with set top DVD players. I would avoid purchasing DVD/Blu-Ray discs for use outside of the region they were purchased in.

m3rs34 said:

I want to go buy snow leopard at the apple store in cambridge. would it still work or are they formatted differently too?

Click to expand...

No, data discs are the same worldwide. It's just movies that I'd be concerned about.

cwa107 said:

I thought the drive itself is region locked in firmware. Regardless, any DVDs the OP purchases in Europe are going to be limited in their use state side, particularly with set top DVD players. I would avoid purchasing DVD/Blu-Ray discs for use outside of the region they were purchased in.

Click to expand...

Well yes it is, especially if you use DVD Player (I think you can change it 5 times) but for some reason VLC circumnavigates the issue.
That said, there are loads of region hacks for set top DVD players, to make them multi-region. There are even some for Blue Ray players now, but I agree, if you intend to pay them on a stand alone player, it's best to stick to your country's region (1 for the US).

I believe your DVDs are in PAL format. You need NTSC format. Buy a dvd player that plays both. Or use VLC player application this should work. Also you can always Make copies of the DVDs using a DVD copy/backup program. Make sure that the new burn is in NTSC format and you will be able to watch the video on all players.

Easy answer, go to your local Dixons electrical store. Buy a cheap DVD player under £30 as these are region free! That way you can watch U.S. & U.K DVDs and even bring home the DVD player so you dont lose out on purchasing DVDs in the U.K.