Page 1 of Region question

I have been recording TV programmes on my Panasonic DVD recorder using a RAM disk and then use TMPGEnc to make a -R DVD which I have done many times successfully. I live in the UK and I have sent a freind in the USA disk`s which she has atemted to play on her new PAL compatable player which she say she got from Seer`s. She says some play and some don`t. I may have sent her one or two -R disks than I made directly on my Panasonic recorder but I am sure I finalised them. Are the recordings on my Panasonic and from TMPGEnc region free and if so any body got any ideas why they are not playing.