Q: I have been searching for a BBC DVD that I found on Amazon. Problem is, they’re recorded for European players. Other than the power source, what is the difference between European & American players? Can the foreign discs be played on our machines?
— Christy Rothwel
A: No. DVDs have individual region codes and will work only in DVD players produced for that region. Europe and the United States/North America are in different region codes for both traditional DVDs and Blurays. There are some manufacturers that sell , though they’re not as widely available as region-specific players. You can find them on Amazon and smaller Internet retailers. There are also plenty of sites that show how to “hack” your standard DVD player to bypass the region code, a process that would require some technical expertise.
—Andy Vuong
