Changing TV Standard of a Project?

b16a2 · Post by **b16a2** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:19 am

Hi Guys,

I made a project in DVD Workshop 2 in PAL format and it worked out fine. I now need to make NTSC copies of the project, and I figured I would be able to change the project from PAL to NTSC in DVD Workshop, however I have been looking around the software and it doesnt seem like I can?!? I would appreciate any help with this subject since I would really like to avoid having to remake the entire project and menus.

Thanks for your help!

heinz-oz · Post by **heinz-oz** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:41 am

Do you have any appreciation of what is involved to convert a PAL project to NTSC?

For starters, the frame size is different, PAL 720 x 576 to NTSC 720 x 480 and NTSC is using 29.97 frames per second to PAL's 25 fps.

There have been claims that either VS or MSP can do this but I have not had a need for it. Search the VS and MSP forums. I'm sure you will find a couple of posts on this.

b16a2 · Post by **b16a2** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:52 am

I do actually. The video clips I placed in to the PAL project were NTSC, and so it had to be reencoded originally by dvd workshop, which took quite a long time. I simply want to switch the project setting/properties back to NTSC and then I dont care if it needs reencoding... i simply am trying to avoid having to remake all of the menus and reorganizing the stuff. Do you guys have any futher suggestions, or am I out of luck in not being able to change the project settings once it has been made? I dont care that it would have to be reencoded, I just was wondering if there was some way to change the project properties?

Thanks again guys!

Devil · Post by **Devil** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:16 am

It is VERY bad practice to change standards at an MPEG-2 (DVD) level. The quality is abysmal.

Much better is to go back to the NLE stage and change it at an AVI level, using a lossless or semi-lossless (e.g., DV, HuffYUV etc) codec and then encode a totally new MPEG-2 file.

If the NLE is MSP8, and you use the chapter cue facility, it is not too onerous re-doing the menus: I've done that and rehashed a new menu in a few minutes (OK, not with changing standards).

b16a2 · Post by **b16a2** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:41 pm

Hi Guys,

I think that my question is not too clear. My questions is regarding DVD Workshop 2, and actually has nothing to do with NTSC/PAL conversion. My question is specific to DVD Workshop, and is a question of the capabilities and user-friendliness of that specific software. I am trying to change the option in the software that lets you choose between PAL and NTSC standard for a specific project. This is simply a menu option, and changing it does not start a drastic reencode unless I go ahead and output the project to a disc of folders. I am just wondering if I can change the project settings once I have added in clips to the project and made a menu, but BEFORE I output anything to anywhere. At this stage it would simply be a set of clips into the edit menu, and some menus created in the menu stage. Nothing has actually been generated, and all that I have input is just placed by the software into the project settings file, and I am simply wondering how to change the project properties from PAL to NTSC, or if there is even a way to change the TV Standard in the project settings file, before I go ahead and output it.

I hope this clears up the confusion. Thanks!

Devil · Post by **Devil** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:18 pm

Sorry, I'm still not clear. If you have DVD-compliant PAL MPEG-2 files and you change the project settings from PAL to NTSC in mid stream, apart from quality issues, all your timings will go haywire. Even though you may see that a menu item is at a given time, WS2 (and other authoring software) doesn't take any notice of it but converts it to the number of frames from the start. So. if you start a menu item at 5 sec in PAL, it will be registered as frame #125. When you change your setting, frame #125 will be at ~4.2 sec, not 5 sec. Obviously, the difference will be far greater as you advance into the time.

Moral of the story: do not change your settings.

skier-hughes · Post by **skier-hughes** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:22 pm

short answer, no you can't, you have to do it all again.

b16a2 · Post by **b16a2** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:24 pm

Ok, thats great, just was making sure I wasnt crazy. Thanks for your help guys

GeorgeW · Post by **GeorgeW** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 6:53 pm

As mentioned, DWS doesn't let you change the standard after you start your project.

Recent versions of MovieFactory and VideoStudio will let you do it, I am not sure of the results in terms of chapter points and video "smoothness" (although I tested it on a small project, and it appeared to work ok)

ymmv,
George

daniel · Post by **daniel** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:00 pm

Videodustion will change your project but as posted above, the chapters will remain at the same frame. If the chapter is PAL at 1 min and you change to NTSC it will be at 50 seconds...
But you have to select MPEG2 it will not change if in DVD setting.