PAL - NTSC Question

The biggest difference will be the frame rate (PAL - 25; NTSC - 29.97) and the resolution (PAL - 720 x 576; NTSC - 720 x 480), thus this might probably not work that well. And do not use 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 1080 (strange aspect ratio) as frame size, since that will introduce further quality loss due to the PAL or NTSC image being quadrupled and then downsized again for further DVD creation (which is limited to SD resolution).
Since your source is a video DVD (or several), expect some quality loss due to several transcodings.

Do you not have access to the original footage?

Hmm. I might suggest having PAL and NTSC disk images that they can directly burn. Then possibly have a streaming YouTube option to watch it online? That way you can save the online customers the conversion time to DVD no matter which format they choose.

steveOooo said:

Also, my client wants to film future stuff down the line - is it best to film in NTSC and create a NTSC DVD (region free too) as I hear most DVD players will play NTSC, whereas PAL want play in NTSC DVD players!

Nice and complicated ey

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Find out if they really really want DVD's! If they are just going to play the material on computers then the frame size/frame rate become's much less of an issue.

Yes, most DVD players sold in the UK are multi-region but in the US most are Region 1 only.

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steveOooo said:

Also, my client wants to film future stuff down the line - is it best to film in NTSC and create a NTSC DVD (region free too) as I hear most DVD players will play NTSC, whereas PAL want play in NTSC DVD players!

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How long are these DVD's by the way?

steveOooo said:

on average around one hour long.

I think he should sell PAL mp4 videos, with NTSC converted (using compressor) ready in the wings for anyone wanted to burn a NTSC DVD / have issues with the PAL.

I think in future (its mainly fitness DVDs / How to guide stuff) we will film in NTSC 24 frames ps and sell as 24p NTSC - so if someone bought the 24p mp4, they could burn merrily to NTSC DVD with no issues and PAL with 1 frame missing which should be better than the 4-5 frames missing with 50i/601?

Seems if most Europe DVD players will play NTSC DVDs, might as well film in NTSC and sell in NTSC?

I think i read somewhere, most stuff is fillmed in 24p NTSC as this allows for better looking conversion to PAL?

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It used to for programmes people knew were going to be sold internationally, they would film in PAL and cross convert - PAL being the better looking. A lot of US soaps were shot on film and then a PAL print made from the neg.

With HD its all changed. For a start the frame size is the same all over, so that's one hurdle. NTSC and PAL don't exist as such in the HD domain either - they are both artefacts of the composite era. So the only difference left is frame rate.

Hardware converters are now fantastic and do a much better and quicker job than the software converters like Compressor, but then they are more expensive. The best is the Snell and Wilcox Alchemist but the Terranex (now part of Black Magic) is very very highly regarded and pretty cheap. It also has thunderbolt so you can go straight into a thunderbolt mac.


If you've got a computer to playout from and one to record into its worth considering doing conversions that way.