Following moves by rival Blu-ray Disc format, the DVD Forum is considering developing specifications and an enforcement plan to include Regional Playback Control (RPC) on HD DVD-Video titles. The DVD Forum, the industry organization behind the HD DVD format, is in talks with Hollywood studios.

The new system will function in much the same way as current DVDs do – restricting players from showing content from discs purchased outside of the player's region. The number of regions and the geographies they each will cover are not yet known.

Blu-ray is also using region encoding, narrowing the seven regions of the current DVD specification down to three: North and South America and Asia (but not China); Europe and Africa; and Russia, China and everywhere else. With the Americas combined with much of Asia into a single region, it means that US anime fans will be able to easily import and watch the latest from Japan for viewing on their PlayStation 3 or forthcoming Blu-ray players.

The decision is part of the 34th Steering Committee Meeting of the DVD Forum, held on May 24 in Seattle. The forum approved the establishment of a "HD DVD RPC Ad Hoc Group" to work with appropriate Working Groups to develop a specification and enforcement plan for RPC on HD DVD-Video, including region map and requirements in consultation with the studios.

However, the first HD DVD hardware from Toshiba, as well as the Qosmio G30 home entertainment laptop, does not feature any region restrictions, meaning that the drive does not check for region coding. The move may reflect the fact that the initial HD DVD titles are back-catalogue releases and therefore region coding would be pointless on these discs.

But the DVD Forum's decision suggests that future releases will not be region-free, under pressure from Hollywood studios.

The rival Blu-ray camp has already announced its plans to apply regional restrictions for Blu-ray video.
The decisions of the 34th Steering Committee Meeting also include the following:

- Approval of "DVD Specifications for High Density Recordable Disc for Dual Layer (HD DVD-R for DL) File System Specifications, Version 2.0"

- Approval of "DVD Specifications for High Density Re-recordable Disc (HD DVD-RW) Physical Specifications, Version 1.0 and "DVD Specifications for High Density Re-recordable Disc (HD DVD-RW) 1x-speed Optional Specifications, Revision 1.0"

- Approval of "DVD Specifications for High Density Re-recordable Disc for Dual Layer (HD DVD-RW for DL) Physical Specifications, Version 2.0 and "DVD Specifications for High Density Re-recordable Disc for Dual Layer (HD DVD-RW for DL) 1x-speed Optional Specifications, Revision 1.0"

- Approval of "Logo/Mark for HD DVD-RW Dual Layer"

- Approval of "To begin to develop Physical Specifications for China only HD DVD-ROM format in WG-11 ad hoc while China Sub Committee resolves policy issues"

Story filed 28.05.06