'RCE' stands for
Regional Coding Enhancement. RCE is a more involved method of enforcing
DVD Region Lockout in software.
DVDs with this feature are able to detect (and refuse to play) on region free DVD players (that is, players set to Region 0).
Discs known to contain RCE:
- The Patriot starring Mel Gibson
- South Park: The Chef Experience
- South Park: Christmas In South Park
- Thomas The Tank Engine and The Magic Rail Road
- Hollow Man
RCE-enabled discs seem to operate as follows. Note that this is entirely supposition at this point:
- The disc is popped into a DVD player. The disc is set to Region 0, so it's able to load on any player.
- Software on the DVD performs its own check, comparing the DVD player region code against all possible region codes, 0 through 8 inclusively. If the player reports any region code besides that one for which the disc is intended, then a message similar to the following is displayed:
This disc is intended for play on non-modified Region 1 players.
There is nothing wrong with this Region 1 disc. To assure playback you should purchase or rent a disc designed for your region as set forth below.
The
DVD FAQ for the
rec.video.dvd newsgroups say that
Warner Bros. was only the first
company to *
publicize* these 'smart discs', and that
Fox,
Buena Vista/
Touchstone/
Miramax,
MGM/
Universal,
Polygram, and
Columbia had already done something similar.