This scheme works as follows: Each DVD can (it doesn’t have to) hold a bit of information that identifies the part of the world it was bought in. There are 8 regional settings: the region number superimposed on a world globe identifies players and discs. If a disc plays in more than one region it will have more than one number on the globe.
When a DVD is put in a player, the machine checks the code on the DVD. If the code doesn’t correspond to the code the player is set to, it might either limit the accessible options on the disk (i.e. it will not play a certain language in spite of the fact that it is available on the disk) or it will not play the DVD at all. The regional encoding scheme can be bypassed by purchasing a DVD player with a ‘0’ encoding or modify the existing encoding to ‘0.’ This is a legal procedure, since the owner of a disk has the right to play the DVD anywhere on the globe. (For that reason, only ‘code free’ DVD-players have been sold in Switzerland.) However, the modification of a DVD-player usually voids the warranty and might represent a problem for a layperson. The modification of computer-based DVD players is usually easier, since it can be accomplished by installing a program (see http://www.codefreedvd.com/dvd_dvdrom.htm). Some DVDs, however, contain program code that checks for the proper regional setting of the player. These "smart discs" won't play on code-free players that have their region set to ‘0.’ For these disks, a code-switchable player is needed that allows you to change the region using the remote control or the control keys. They may also not work on "auto-switching" players that recognize and match the disc region. Information about code switching players can be found at http://www.codefreedvd.com and other sites that can be easily found by running an Internet search for ‘DVD regional codes.’ Regional codes do not apply to DVD-ROM discs containing computer software and DVD-Audio.
ISBN 3-15-100215-3
DM 39.90
The CD provides not only a comprehensive collection of links to German libraries and on line bibliographies, it also gives the user with a general introduction to library research, lists the available tools, explains how to access and use them, and includes regular updates for registered users. It not only represents a good research tool, it can also function as an introduction to library research for students/graduate students of German. However, there is one problem that might frustrate the user of wozu.was.wie: Some of the CD-ROM based resources discussed on the CD are restricted to registered users of certain libraries and cannot be accessed on line. In spite of this problem, the CD represents a valuable research and teaching tool that eliminates the guesswork of what tools and libraries are available on the Internet and how to access them.
