Special DVD Audio for PAL?

[jizlobber]

Hi all. I created a DVD using pre-rendered projects on VS8 (specs below). I could play back on my region free DVD player & NTSC TV just fine. I sent the DVD to my in-laws who also have a region free player, but a PAL TV, and there's no audio. This is my 1st venture into creating a DVD to play on PAL. Is there a special audio setting I need to use? They are pretty technology ignorant so I can't be certain the audio's not there and they just can't find it.

Thanks,
Ben..

CPU: Athlon 1.2Ghz
RAM: 1GB
Sound: Audigy Platinum w/ Firewire for capture.
Version: VS8 retail
Video: GeForce 4 (I think).

[skier-hughes]

It's odd it's the audio that doesn't play as this is standard between the two. What audio did you use. PCM is used by both, AC-3 is also used by both, mpeg audio is not a good choice as some dvd players cannot play it back and this may be your problem.

Another thing to check, which took me ages to sort on a friends recording, he recorded the sound with a mono mic, forgot to copy to both channels and the customers dvd player only played sound from the right channel, mono sound being recorded only to the left!!!


Also for further info, but relating to video rather than audio
NTSC and PAL are two different standards. You don't say whether the dvd you made is PAL or NTSC.
If it's NTSC some PAL systems can output a pseudo PAL signal and you can watch it. Some can't and this may be your problem.
If it is NTSC and you want a proper PAL dvd you need a proper standards convertor, not a programme which just alters the frame rate and maybe the aspect ratio.

Graham

[jizlobber]

Hmmmmmmmm. Thanks for the response. I'm several thousand miles away from my PC so can't really check. I think I have have used MPEG audio though, so I'll check that.

How do I check the channels on a recording?

As to the format:
I'm quite sure I created it in NTSC because that's really all I'm familiar with. So the next questions are:

The original vid was shot in DV. Is there an NTSC DV and PAL DV? Will VS8 convert DV to PAL? I know the region free player they has no problem with region 1 (NTSC) retail DVDs.

I should have noted this thread as a "newbie" questions, because I obviously don't know enough about video, VS8, or my camera either.

Thanks for the help.

Ben..

[rwindeyer]

The original vid was shot in DV. Is there an NTSC DV and PAL DV? Will VS8 convert DV to PAL?
Ben..

As far as I know, there is. Basically, NTSC is 29.97 frames/second, at 525 lines vertical resolution. PAL is 25 frames/second, at 625 lines vertical resolution.

For your second question: I have succesfully converted a few projects from PAL to NTSC. I see no reason why it would not work the other way. So the answer is yes.

[skier-hughes]

The original vid was shot in DV. Is there an NTSC DV and PAL DV? Will VS8 convert DV to PAL?
Ben..

As far as I know, there is. Basically, NTSC is 29.97 frames/second, at 525 lines vertical resolution. PAL is 25 frames/second, at 625 lines vertical resolution.

For your second question: I have succesfully converted a few projects from PAL to NTSC. I see no reason why it would not work the other way. So the answer is yes.

You can make a poor conversion using the above, but PAL and NTSC also differ in chrominance/luminance, it is not just a frame rate/size issue, so to do it propely you need a standards convertor, as I said above.

So the answer to whether VS will convert pal to ntsc and vice versa is sort of, but not properly. For friends and relatives on the cheap it will possibly suffice, commercially, I wouldn't even go there.

For checking whether the audio is on both channels, when paying it, turn the balance on your speakers from left to right, It's the easiest way.

Graham

[jizlobber]

For friends and relatives on the cheap it will possibly suffice

My in-laws tape crappily broadcasted, badly dubbed American movies onto the same tape they've used 40 times. They definitely aren't part of the Hi-fi set.

I will try everything you've said. That being said, I have noticed the aspect ratio difference when watching a PAL movie on my NTSC DVD/TV. Any idea if I will see that when testing the pseudo-PAL DVD? I don't want to send them another bad DVD. I can't speak their language, so my in-laws already think I'm mildly retarded. I don't need to enhance that perception.

Edit: I forgot a word. What was I saying about being slow???

[skier-hughes]

It all depends on the dvd player and the tv,and how they translate the signal.

[jizlobber]

For your second question: I have succesfully converted a few projects from PAL to NTSC. I see no reason why it would not work the other way. So the answer is yes.

And how did you do that?

I'm trying to render them again this time using PAL-DV as my audio settings.

[rwindeyer]

For the PAL -> NTSC transfer - with a video file loaded in the timeline, I went to Share - Create Video File. Then dropped right down the bottom of the menu to Custom. Clicked the Options button; under General I specified a framerate of 29.97, and a frame size of 720 X 480. Under the AVI tab I selected the audio format to be DV Audio-NTSC. This gave me a DV file in NTSC format; I then exported that to another program that I use for transcoding and burning.
There were minor imperfections in the image in a few scenes, but more than sufficient to send a holiday video to friends in the States.
To go the other way (NTSC->PAL) just specify 25 frames/sec, frame size 720 X 576, and audio DV Audio - PAL.
Best of luck.

(Edit - to clarify, I am working with DV files. It happens to be my preference - I do all the editing etc with the video in DV format and then transcode to mpeg as part of the burning process.)

[jizlobber]

Yeah I use DV. Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a try. I have already tried the DV PAL thing before rendering the project and it works on my player, but so did the other one.

Thanks again.

Ben..