Template:Realworld DVD (short for Digital Versatile (or Video) Disc) is a home media format The various DVDs are split into regions where they were released and it is usually unlikely that they can be played on a DVD player in another part of the world.
Regions
A map of the world's DVD regions.
DVD releases are divided into separate regions, to restrict the areas specific discs can be played. The following is a guide to the regions and which areas of the world they relate to:
| Region | Country |
|---|---|
| 0 | "Region free" releases |
| 1 | US, Canada, US territories |
| 2 | Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East (including Egypt) |
| 3 | East and South East Asia(including Hong Kong) |
| 4 | Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean |
| 5 | Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Indian subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, and Mongolia |
| 6 | China |
| 7 | Reserved for future use |
| 8 | International venues such as aircraft, cruise ships, etc. |
History of Star Trek on DVD
Star Trek DVDs first emerged in 1998 in Region 1, when Paramount Home Video began releasing basic, 'vanilla' releases of the first nine Star Trek films - usually containing the film and its associated trailers. The films were released in a mostly reverse chronological order, starting with Star Trek: First Contact. Star Trek: Insurrection saw release during this time (slotting in between Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), and Star Trek Nemesis was released in 2003, with some limited special features.
The following year, a release of Star Trek: The Original Series began, in a two-episode-per-disc format. These releases had limited bonus features, and were presented in a cardboard sleeve. The episodes were released in production order, with "The Cage" (in both black & white and colourised versions) being included on the final volume. These releases were Region 1 only - the rest of the world would have to wait until 2004 for an Original Series release.
In 2001, Paramount released Star Trek: The Motion Picture on DVD. For this release, the company decided to reappraise the film as a whole, introducing new CG special effects, and recutting the film to better reflect Robert Wise's original intentions. This "Directors Edition" was a two-disc release with extensive special features. (As a result, the theatrical cut of the film has never been released on DVD.)
Following the enormous success of the Directors Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount rereleased the other nine films in two-disc special editions with added features.
The next phase of Star Trek DVD releases saw the focus shift from individual volumes to season boxsets. These boxsets contained a number of special features, including documentaries, galleries and 'easter eggs'. Each series would be released separately, with one series release finishing before the next would begin.
The first series to receive the boxset treatment was Star Trek: The Next Generation, which began its release in 2002. Deep Space Nine followed in 2003, with Voyager being released in 2004. A rerelease of The Original Series in season boxsets was intertwined with the Voyager release. Complete collections of all seasons were also released.
In Region 2, two special boxsets were released in 2003 - the Jean-Luc Picard Collection, and Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete TV Movies were unusual, in that they collected 'themed' episodes together. The sales of these led to Paramount announcing in 2005 that it was considering releasing DVD boxed sets containing episodes from any of the live-action Star Trek series, and polling fans via StarTrek.com as to the episodes to be released. The result of this was the Star Trek: Fan Collective boxsets.
- The TV Movies release is also unusual in that it has yet to be released in Region 1.
The series release of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 saw commentaries, bloopers and deleted scenes included as special features on a series release for the first time.
The final series to be released was The Animated Series, which received a release in late 2006.
Following the success of the season boxsets in Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment chose to rerelease the sets in new, "slimline" packaging at a much lower price - Next Generation in 2006, Deep Space Nine and Voyager in 2007.
In 2007, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Next Generation, a special complete series boxset was released, containing the original discs released, plus a special retrospective bonus disc.
The Original Series Remastered project saw the first release using next-generation optical media. The first season release was designed as a DVD/HD-DVD combination, allowing it to be viewed on players of both formats. However, the collapse of the HD-DVD industry means that the remaining two seasons will not be released in this format.