About DVD regions (PAL & NTSC)

PAL and NTSC are TV picture formats.

Unless your TV / monitor can display both formats you need to purchase the appropriate format for your country.

Most modern DVD players can play both PAL & NTSC formats, however it is your TV / monitor that will play PAL or NTSC or both.

Any country not listed below as PAL or NTSC will be a SECAM area, which we do not cover. The only other exception is Brazil, which is a 'PAL M' area.

If you are still unsure after reading this page, then check your DVD & TV instruction manuals.

Please be 100% sure of your region before you order.

PAL format

PAL is the standard picture format in the UK & most of Europe. Learn more >>>

For playback in PAL countries, you should buy only DVDs marked PAL and not those marked NTSC unless you have a TV / monitor capable of playing PAL images.

List of PAL countries:

Australia, Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Ascension Island, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, China (Peoples Republic), Christmas Island, Cook Island, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Dubai, Easter Island, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Finland, Gambia, Gaza & West Bank, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece (also SECAM), Greenland, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Holland, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madeira, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norfolk Island, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Sardinia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Tristian Da Cunah, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UNITED KINGDOM, Vanuatu, Vatican, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe.

NTSC format

NTSC is the standard picture format in the USA & Canada. Learn more >>>

For playback in NTSC countries, you should buy only DVDs marked NTSC and not those marked PAL unless you have a TV / monitor capable of playing PAL images.

List of NTSC countries:

Alaska, American Samoa, Antigua, Antilles (Dutch), Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Burma, CANADA, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Diego Garcia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Johnston Islands, Korea South, Leeward Islands, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Okinawa, Palau, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Surinam, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Virgin Islands.

While we have done our best to ensure that information on this page is correct,

we take no responsibility for any inaccuracies. Please check before you order.

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