Region coding allows studios to have greater control over worldwide release dates and distribution.

There are three region codes for Blu-ray discs:
- Region A: North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia
- Region B: Europe (EU), Africa, Middle East, New Zealand, Australia
- Region C: China, India, Russia, rest of the world

The DVD-forum (who sets standards for DVD and HD-DVD) are currently still investigating the logistics of region coding for HD-DVD. Yes, that’s right, all HD DVD are currently region free and it’s possible to buy their content from foreign sites and play them anywhere.