Region Code vs Country Code

[zulusailor]

I have recently purchased an LG RH4920 DVD & HDD Recorder and in my enthusiasm to get the thing working only skimmed the manual before kicking off ops. The result of this haste was that the video/audio to both the HDD and DVD-R and DVD-RW were out of sync.

Before raising hell with the supplier I took a timeout and reread the manual a little more carefully and to my embarrasment found a small, not very prominent section, regarding setting the machine's Country Code which has surprised me a little - I was unaware that DVD recorders were country specific. Emblazoned on the front cover of the Manual is "Region 2" and that's it. On going through the setup again I reset the recorder from the USA to my own country and now it works like a dream.

As I don't have to input a 'Country Code' when backing up or making movies on my computer, why is it necessary when recording TV input on a stand-alone DVD recorder?

I'm curious and would appreciate any enlightenment.

Thanks in advance.

[bugster]

Just a guess, but it may well change something related to the broadcast TV standard used in your Country. Region 2 (with respect to DVD region coding) can be PAL or NTSC. What do you use where you live?

[zulusailor]

Here in SA we use PAL I. Similar to UK, I think.

Cheers

[mats.hogberg]

Isn't the country code just for your convenience, to provide localized menus and such, and record in the correct format (PAL/NTSC)?

/Mats

[zulusailor]

Yup, I guess so.

Just thinking, tho', if I was writing a User's Manual it's the kind of information I'd put on Page One. It would have saved a lot of bad language around this house.

Mind you, like many, I don't 'do' operators manuals very well!

Cheers

[mats.hogberg]

What? I read manuals instead of novels - just love 'em! Half the fun of getting some new gizmo is plowing the manual - preferably in some language where you have to have a dictionary near by

/Mats

[bugster]

On going through the setup again I reset the recorder from the USA to my own country and now it works like a dream.

You switched it from NTSC to PAL then. Surprised it recorded anything at all if you were feeding it a PAL signal and it was expecting NTSC

[hech54]

He switched the OUTPUT....not the input. Quite a few DVD Recorders will record either PAL or NTSC as long as the disc is brand new. I've never heard of a DVD Recorder that can convert while recording.