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I'm sure I'm not the only person here who buys DVDs from America as well as the UK. I'm 21 so age ratings on films aren't a problem to me but what about younger children who have debit cards that can be used on the Internet to but DVDs from all over the world?
I'm not going to get into the 'are they a good thing' discussion again. The point I'm drawing attention to is that there are often differences in age ratings for different countries. America uses a different age rating system to ours and so (assuming guidelines are enforced) films will often be available to children at different ages in different countries.
For example, I bought Scary Movie a while ago on R1 (Canadian version) and it had a 14A rating. In the UK it's been given an 18 rating (according to my sources: Amazon and DVDStreet). Let's suppose I was 16 years old. Should I have been allowed to buy this disc from America? Think about it, I'd be underage in the country I'm in when buying it but over the required age to buy it in the country that I'm buying it from?
(pause while I re-read that bit to check it makes sense).
The differences are also very apparent with the UK and Ireland. Look at the discs in your collection and most of them should have 2 ratings on them, one for the UK and one for the Irish Republic. Chances are you'll have a couple of discs where the rating isn't the same. Here's a selection of mine (remember these apply to the same film/disc, not edited in any way):
Austin Powers 2
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
Charlie's Angels
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
The 5th Element
UK = PG Ireland = 12
Independence Day
UK = 12 Ireland = PG
Jurassic Park: The Lost World
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Mask
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Matrix
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
The Mummy
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
Road Trip
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
Sleepy Hollow
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
U-571
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
(sorry if I've made any mistakes in the list but you still get the idea)
Suppose you we're a 16-year-old in Ireland and wanted to buy The Matrix from a UK based Internet site - which age rating would apply? You'd be too young to buy it in your own country but another would let you do so quite happily.
DVDs are a global business, whether through multi-region players or (more favourably in the industry) Region 0 discs.
However, the obvious solution of having a global age rating is unlikely because of the differences between the people and tastes in different countries.
What else could be done? How can you enforce age ratings over the Internet anyway? Does anyone care? For the answers to all these questions and more hang about for a bit and see if anyone replies.
By the way, I liked the topic title. I though it was better (and also more interesting) than 'Where you're shopping FROM or where you're shopping AT?'.
I'm not going to get into the 'are they a good thing' discussion again. The point I'm drawing attention to is that there are often differences in age ratings for different countries. America uses a different age rating system to ours and so (assuming guidelines are enforced) films will often be available to children at different ages in different countries.
For example, I bought Scary Movie a while ago on R1 (Canadian version) and it had a 14A rating. In the UK it's been given an 18 rating (according to my sources: Amazon and DVDStreet). Let's suppose I was 16 years old. Should I have been allowed to buy this disc from America? Think about it, I'd be underage in the country I'm in when buying it but over the required age to buy it in the country that I'm buying it from?
(pause while I re-read that bit to check it makes sense).
The differences are also very apparent with the UK and Ireland. Look at the discs in your collection and most of them should have 2 ratings on them, one for the UK and one for the Irish Republic. Chances are you'll have a couple of discs where the rating isn't the same. Here's a selection of mine (remember these apply to the same film/disc, not edited in any way):
Austin Powers 2
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
Charlie's Angels
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
The 5th Element
UK = PG Ireland = 12
Independence Day
UK = 12 Ireland = PG
Jurassic Park: The Lost World
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Mask
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Matrix
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
The Mummy
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
Road Trip
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
Sleepy Hollow
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
U-571
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
(sorry if I've made any mistakes in the list but you still get the idea)
Suppose you we're a 16-year-old in Ireland and wanted to buy The Matrix from a UK based Internet site - which age rating would apply? You'd be too young to buy it in your own country but another would let you do so quite happily.
DVDs are a global business, whether through multi-region players or (more favourably in the industry) Region 0 discs.
However, the obvious solution of having a global age rating is unlikely because of the differences between the people and tastes in different countries.
What else could be done? How can you enforce age ratings over the Internet anyway? Does anyone care? For the answers to all these questions and more hang about for a bit and see if anyone replies.
By the way, I liked the topic title. I though it was better (and also more interesting) than 'Where you're shopping FROM or where you're shopping AT?'.
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I have noticed this with quite a few films in America and England
For instance
Mission Impossibe 2
England 15
America 13(their equivelant of a 12)
Charlies Angels
England 15(why I've no idea)
America 13
I know theres more but I cant think of them right now but the thing with these is that I've absolutely no idea why theyre 15's, they're not really really violent or rude!
Seeya Ben
For instance
Mission Impossibe 2
England 15
America 13(their equivelant of a 12)
Charlies Angels
England 15(why I've no idea)
America 13
I know theres more but I cant think of them right now but the thing with these is that I've absolutely no idea why theyre 15's, they're not really really violent or rude!
Seeya Ben
I noticed On my Charlie's Agels DVD that the Irish (or I asumed it wash Irish) had a 12 Rating where the UK is a 15 Rating. Having checked som other DVD's i found
Charlies Angels UK 15 IRL 12
Stigmaata UK 18 IRL 18
The Tiger Movie UK U IRL G
If this is indeed Irish ratings, Arn't the Irish Catholic? and so we could assume would have tigter ratings controll?
Charlies Angels UK 15 IRL 12
Stigmaata UK 18 IRL 18
The Tiger Movie UK U IRL G
If this is indeed Irish ratings, Arn't the Irish Catholic? and so we could assume would have tigter ratings controll?
I'm sure I'm not the only person here who buys DVDs from America as well as the UK. I'm 21 so age ratings on films aren't a problem to me but what about younger children who have debit cards that can be used on the Internet to but DVDs from all over the world?
I'm not going to get into the 'are they a good thing' discussion again. The point I'm drawing attention to is that there are often differences in age ratings for different countries. America uses a different age rating system to ours and so (assuming guidelines are enforced) films will often be available to children at different ages in different countries.
For example, I bought Scary Movie a while ago on R1 (Canadian version) and it had a 14A rating. In the UK it's been given an 18 rating (according to my sources: Amazon and DVDStreet). Let's suppose I was 16 years old. Should I have been allowed to buy this disc from America? Think about it, I'd be underage in the country I'm in when buying it but over the required age to buy it in the country that I'm buying it from?
(pause while I re-read that bit to check it makes sense).
The differences are also very apparent with the UK and Ireland. Look at the discs in your collection and most of them should have 2 ratings on them, one for the UK and one for the Irish Republic. Chances are you'll have a couple of discs where the rating isn't the same. Here's a selection of mine (remember these apply to the same film/disc, not edited in any way):
Austin Powers 2
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
Charlie's Angels
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
The 5th Element
UK = PG Ireland = 12
Independence Day
UK = 12 Ireland = PG
Jurassic Park: The Lost World
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Mask
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Matrix
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
The Mummy
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
Road Trip
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
Sleepy Hollow
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
U-571
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
(sorry if I've made any mistakes in the list but you still get the idea)
Suppose you we're a 16-year-old in Ireland and wanted to buy The Matrix from a UK based Internet site - which age rating would apply? You'd be too young to buy it in your own country but another would let you do so quite happily.
DVDs are a global business, whether through multi-region players or (more favourably in the industry) Region 0 discs.
However, the obvious solution of having a global age rating is unlikely because of the differences between the people and tastes in different countries.
What else could be done? How can you enforce age ratings over the Internet anyway? Does anyone care? For the answers to all these questions and more hang about for a bit and see if anyone replies.
By the way, I liked the topic title. I though it was better (and also more interesting) than 'Where you're shopping FROM or where you're shopping AT?'.
I'm not going to get into the 'are they a good thing' discussion again. The point I'm drawing attention to is that there are often differences in age ratings for different countries. America uses a different age rating system to ours and so (assuming guidelines are enforced) films will often be available to children at different ages in different countries.
For example, I bought Scary Movie a while ago on R1 (Canadian version) and it had a 14A rating. In the UK it's been given an 18 rating (according to my sources: Amazon and DVDStreet). Let's suppose I was 16 years old. Should I have been allowed to buy this disc from America? Think about it, I'd be underage in the country I'm in when buying it but over the required age to buy it in the country that I'm buying it from?
(pause while I re-read that bit to check it makes sense).
The differences are also very apparent with the UK and Ireland. Look at the discs in your collection and most of them should have 2 ratings on them, one for the UK and one for the Irish Republic. Chances are you'll have a couple of discs where the rating isn't the same. Here's a selection of mine (remember these apply to the same film/disc, not edited in any way):
Austin Powers 2
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
Charlie's Angels
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
The 5th Element
UK = PG Ireland = 12
Independence Day
UK = 12 Ireland = PG
Jurassic Park: The Lost World
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Mask
UK = PG Ireland = 12
The Matrix
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
The Mummy
UK = 15 Ireland = 12
Road Trip
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
Sleepy Hollow
UK = 15 Ireland = 18
U-571
UK = 12 Ireland = 15
(sorry if I've made any mistakes in the list but you still get the idea)
Suppose you we're a 16-year-old in Ireland and wanted to buy The Matrix from a UK based Internet site - which age rating would apply? You'd be too young to buy it in your own country but another would let you do so quite happily.
DVDs are a global business, whether through multi-region players or (more favourably in the industry) Region 0 discs.
However, the obvious solution of having a global age rating is unlikely because of the differences between the people and tastes in different countries.
What else could be done? How can you enforce age ratings over the Internet anyway? Does anyone care? For the answers to all these questions and more hang about for a bit and see if anyone replies.
By the way, I liked the topic title. I though it was better (and also more interesting) than 'Where you're shopping FROM or where you're shopping AT?'.
Page: