NTSC or PAL?

Rowena · Post by **Rowena** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 6:31 pm

After last night's help, I'm now ready to Finish and Create the video file for DVD export.

I don't know whether I need NTSC DVD or PAL DVD?

I've edited from a Sharp viewcam Mini DV and captured in DV format: Any other advice to prevent any probs at this stage would be great. It's 70mins, with text added and music. I intend creating MPEG-2 file, then waiting for the DVD Wizard. I only know what the film currently looks like whilst viewing in editing stage.

Rowena.

THoff · Post by **THoff** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 7:43 pm

It depends on the country you are in -- you can view or download a list of countries and their TV standards here.

Rowena · Post by **Rowena** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 8:06 pm

Thanks THoff,
I'm in UK, but I'm sending the holiday video to 4 people in Montana, New York, Pennsylvannia and Spain. I see that UK and Spain are PAL and USA NTSC. Does that mean I have to create two video files? I hope my PC will cope.

THoff · Post by **THoff** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:16 pm

If the DVDs will be played back on a PC, you shouldn't have to worry about the format, since software-based DVD decoders can generally handle both NTSC and PAL.

However, if the DVD will be viewed on standalone DVD players, chances are that they will be supporting only the format specific to the country they are sold in, so you would need to create two types of disks.

thecoalman · Post by **thecoalman** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:30 pm

Rowena wrote: Does that mean I have to create two video files?

You can if you want see here: http://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?how ... =4;41#4;41

Some standalones play both formats but generally only in PAL countries.

Here's a specific method that looks easy to do and the software is free: http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=221928

Note: the author does state it may not work in all DVD players.

Rowena · Post by **Rowena** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:19 pm

Thanks for the help guys. I think I'll create a special DVD for my USA friends. I can't risk it not working once they receive it. They're already so excited about getting it....
Rowena, UK.

thecoalman · Post by **thecoalman** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:23 pm

Rowena wrote: I can't risk it not working once they receive it. They're already so excited about getting it....
.

Suggest you send them both versions, at the very least they'll be able to view the PAL one on there computer without any modificatios that make the converted version unusable. For what it's worth you could just burn the mpeg right to a data disc and there won't be any issues whatsoever.

Rowena · Post by **Rowena** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:59 pm

Sorry, but what's a data disc?

thecoalman · Post by **thecoalman** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:06 pm

Just a regular disc, just burn the video file to disc like you would any other file. They need a computer to play it but it's as compatible as it's going to get. It's also a good way to archive your footage since you won't be taking up space with the extras such as menus. Also easy to acces it later on reedit etc.

rwindeyer · Post by **rwindeyer** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 2:44 am

As a general statement: many PAL-based DVD players can cope with NTSC discs; the reverse is not true. Your friends in the US will need a NTSC disc.
I have done this with VS8; it works well. If you have your project in the timeline, just go to SHARE - CREATE VIDEO FILE - select Custom. Under Compression, select mpeg-2; under the General tab make sure you have the appropriate parameters selected - framerate 29.97, framesize 720 x 480. Render that, and Voila! you have a NTSC video file. Run that through the burning module and author a DVD, and you're set. (make sure that the Project Settings - little cogwheel lower left of burning screen - haven't drifted - your default settings will probably be PAL. The first time I did this I created a NTSC file, and the burning module quietly changed it back to PAL for me

Anyway, my final effort was well received and played easily

thecoalman · Post by **thecoalman** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 3:36 am

I'm suprised that worked.... isn't everthing in faster motion? Chipmunk voices?

rwindeyer · Post by **rwindeyer** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 4:23 am

Heh - no, it came out fine

I probably should have added a caveat; I always work in avi (DV) files. VS8 doesn't seem to have any trouble transmogrifying that to a different framesize and framerate (there's a tiny amount of imperfection in some of the images but on the whole very good). So a PAL avi file was morphed to a NTSC avi file, then transcoded and burned to DVD.
In theory a mpeg should work as well; I guess the usual cautions about mpegs and lossy formats apply.

THoff · Post by **THoff** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 4:36 am

Generally speaking, converting from NTSC to PAL results in better quality than going in the other direction, because NTSC video has 29.97 frames per second, while PAL has only 25.

The vertical size difference (720x480 for NTSC and 720x576 for PAL) is somewhat easier to deal with than the framerate. You wind up throwing away some vertical resolution (which is quick), but you wind up having to come up with the extra 4.97 frames every second, which is a pain.

Rowena · Post by **Rowena** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:58 pm

Thanks for all the advice chaps. I must admit I thought this was going to be more straightforward than it is, when I promised everyone a video. Anyway, I'll have to see how it goes. You'll probably be hearing from me again!

Alludo USER to USER Web Board

NTSC or PAL?

NTSC or PAL?

NTSC / PAL