Is anyone interested in talking about purportedly out of region dvds that, nevertheless, play all-region? For instance, sometimes a disc will be listed Region 3, but be Region 1 playable.

Fruit Chan's full length Region 3 version of Dumplings (from the short in 3 Extremes or 3 Montser) is playable in Region 1. Of course you can now get a Region 1 copy as it is included in the 2 disc 3 Extremes.

I think most, if not all, Sony R3 releases are also R1 - for example all of the R3 SuperBit discs.

the chance is a disc will be described automatically as one region simply because of the country its issued in - HK discs get called R3, cos HK is R3 : often theyre R0. theres no easy way of telling before someone gets their hands on one and checks, and it would be impossible to keep track of all the ins and outs.

biggest advantage in dealing with the issue is to simply own a region-free player and it doesnt then matter where it comes from or what the region is, youll be able to play it. in the end, if your looking to other countries and wondering if a disc really is R3 (and not worldwide friendly) or R0 (and effectively all regions already) then you have that golden multiregion taste and need a multiregion player.