Converting NTSC to PAL?

[lata]

Hi John

For standard DVD the frame size was 720 x 576 for Pal and 720 x 480 for Ntsc, however these sizes both used widescreen 16:9, the video being anamorphic was literally stretched to fit a 16:9 shape.

With HD the frame size is 1920 x 1080 which is 16:9 and is used for both Pal and Ntsc. (use a calculator to work out the aspect ratio)

The frame rate however has remained the same for standard and high definition--- Pal uses 25fps and NTSC uses 29.97fps.
And that is the main difference between Pal and Ntsc that you will be aware of.

So when we convert from one to the other the frame rate changes, either dropping frames or adding frames by duplicating them, the duration then remains the same.
You will/may see the effect of these frame changes as blips during playback.
I did mention this in an earlier post, I think, rendering the libraries sample to pal?

Like graham I would advise purchasing a Pal version.
What is the make and model of camera you have in mind?

[jparnold]

Hi Trevor,

Thanks again for your information.
Yes I understand about the differences for DVD but what about HD eg BluRay which it seems is always 1920 x 1080.

Since posting my last post I have 'discovered' a difference between the NTSC and PAL versions of the camera and there seems to be only one.
That is the record/playback mode. One is 1080/60p (NTSC?) and the other 1080/50p (Pal?). From a Google search I find (according to some) is that Blu-Ray players can handle 1080/60i but not 1080/60p. This 'frame rate' is a lot faster than the normal 25fps so how that that work?

The camera I am interested in is the Panasonic HC-X920 because it is 3MOS, 1/2.3 inch sensors and so brilliant in low light (compared with normal hand held cameras which usually have around 1/4 inch sensors). Have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7rJo41gEKA.

Hey the Google search 'revealed' a PAL version of the camera at the Panasonic UK site (with an e-price of 887.99 GBP) http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/P ... kInfo=trueand then another revealed that the PAL version is due for released here in Australia in May so maybe I will wait a few weeks and see what they want for it here, though I am thinking that along with most other imported items here that it will be $500 more expensive - we are ripped off here.

[Ken Berry]

but what about HD eg BluRay which it seems is always 1920 x 1080

Well, no. You can also burn 1280 x 720 50/60p to Blu-Ray. And in fact, it is the only 50/60p video which *can* be burned to a Blu-Ray under the current international Blu-Ray standard. I am pretty sure that 1440 x 1080 AVCHD and transport stream mpeg-2 can also be burned to Blu-Ray, though at only 25/30p.

Blu-Ray players can handle 1080/60i but not 1080/60p.

Well, again, not quite. It depends on how they are played. If you are talking about a Blu-Ray disc, then as I have already said, the international standard does not yet accommodate 1080 50/60p, though it does 1280 x 720 at 50/60p.

But most (all?) stand-alone Blu-Ray players can play 50/60p video recorded to either an external USB hard drive or USB stick drive (or even burned on a Blu-Ray disc as data?) I do this all the time with AVCHD 50p video filmed at 1920 x 1080. And of course many HDTVs these days can also play at least AVCHD 50/60p from a USB stick drive connected directly to the TV.

Finally, FWIW, I agree totally about us being ripped off in Australia and would add New Zealand, where the situation is made even worse by a 15% GST (compared to Australia's 10%)!!

[skier-hughes]

That is the record/playback mode. One is 1080/60p (NTSC?) and the other 1080/50p (Pal?). From a Google search I find (according to some) is that Blu-Ray players can handle 1080/60i but not 1080/60p. This 'frame rate' is a lot faster than the normal 25fps so how that that work?

60 and 50i is the same as 30/25fps, as each frame is made up of interleaved "sub frames", made up of all the lower fields then all the upper fields, so you see one picture made up of fields 1,3,5,7,9, for half of the time then you see fields 2,4,6,8 for the other half. This makes up one frame of a full picture and helps make movement seem more fluid.
60/50p is made up of 50 full frames, so although it is more frames per second it makes up for the fact that i is made up of 50/60 half frames per second.

[jparnold]

Finally, FWIW, I agree totally about us being ripped off in Australia and would add New Zealand, where the situation is made even worse by a 15% GST (compared to Australia's 10%)!!

It's more than the GST we are being ripped off. For example I can purchase books from Amazon which are cheaper than the mail order book shops in Australia. Also sports shoes are much more than 10% more expensive than the same ones in USA (and they come from countries where labour is cheap). Regularly jewellery shops have up to 50% off and they would still be making a profit - the list is endless including electronics.