Spain's DVD Region

Spain belongs to Region 2 and its DVD players are coded for Region 2 only. Hence, these players are able to play only Region 2 coded DVDs. They are unable to play DVDs that are coded for Regions 1, 3, 4, 5, or 6. To overcome this limitation, the regionfree or codefree DVD players are used. A regionfree DVD player is one that is able to play DVDs from any part of the world, belonging to any of the Regions, 1 to 6. The players are designed in such a manner that they are able to switch to the relevant code for the DVD being played. Certain other DVD players are provided with a chip set that enables them to read DVDs from other regions.

PAL and NTSC Standards in Spain

In Spain, there are two types of DVD players available, the Region 2 type players, which can only play code 2 DVDs, and the regionfree or codefree DVD players, which can play any type of DVD. The Region 2 DVDs are PAL formatted and need televisions of standard PAL format to be able to be played. The DVD players are also manufactured having the PAL video format. The Region 2 DVDs are also provided with PAL to NTSC and NTSC to PAL convertibility and are able to play any type of DVD, PAL, or NTSC video format.

These PAL formatted Region 2 coded DVDs and the PAL-NTSC region coded players are readily available in all the local electrical stores and supermarkets. They are priced at around the $80 to $330 range, depending on the brand and the features provided. The major brands available in the Spain market are Panasonic, Samsung, Denon, Hitachi, Sony, Philips, and many others.

The regionfree DVD players are also available plentiful through the Internet, and are priced higher than the region coded types. These multi-region DVD players are equipped with PAL - NTSC convertibility and are able to play DVDs from any part of the world. They are priced higher and can be purchased in the price range of $200 to $770, depending on the features.

Electrical Supply Obstacles in Spain

The electrical supply in most of Spain is 220 to 225 volts AC and 50 Hz frequency. The Region 2 DVD players and the regionfree DVD players that are locally produced are designed to be 220 volts compatible. The regionfree DVD players would need a step down rig or adaptor to enable the DVD player to function. A few recent DVD players are fitted with a dual voltage adaptation function and are provisioned to adjust according to the inlet voltage for playing a CD.

A Wealth of Features

The DVD players are available with a range of features to woo the customers and provide them with a total entertainment experience. They are available in the portable and wall mounted forms as well, at a slightly higher price. The newer combo DVD players are equipped to be able to play a wide range of devices, including CDs, MP3s, DVD-A, DVD-R, DVD-RW, WMA, and also the JPEG and MPEG 4 drive modes.

It is legally permitted to use and own region free DVD players in Spain, provided it is not put to illegitimate use.