Buying Powerbook/NTSC vs PAL

[hkarlsen]

Hi!

First a question about waiting for the expo or not..
I need the powerbook quite soon, and I am hearing that the updates scheduled for PB are not major, thus not pushing the price on the other models much. How wrong is it to buy before the expo? And will a PB with 2 GB ram stay high-priced on the market, even after the intel switch?

Then a question about NTSC/PAL issues.
I have learned that, like a PC, macs can use both systems digitally ("internally"). But I have not gotten a clear answer if the S-video out, or perhaps the RGB (screen) out, would be a problem. Are these ports also coping with both types? I live in Norway and Im ordering a Mac for the US, so there would be a NTSC -> PAL issue, if that makes any difference..

Thanks for any help!
Regards
Haavar!

 

[wdlove]

If you need a PowerBook, there would be nothing wrong with purchasing now. Many don't expect the update to be all that much. The announcement will bring a lot of orders, which could mean a longer wait for delivery.

The 2 GB of RAM will give you a noticeable increase in performance. It will increase the value. I would also recommend getting AppleCare.

 

[Hattig]

Err, what rumors?

I thought the update would be much cooler running 7448s, maybe not amazingly faster (1.7, 1.8GHz) but something nice to have.

But, as in all cases (and because I am not waiting for a new laptop any longer) if you /need/ a new laptop, then get one yesterday. If you don't /need/ one, then it is worth waiting for the next update.

 

[mkrishnan]

It sounds, from this developer note, as if, when you plug a screen into the S-vid out of a PB, you will get an option to select different resolutions, including ones that are appropriate to the aspect ratio of PAL and NTSC, respectively.

I think, when you plug it in, and go to system prefs, you can just choose which one you want that screen to be from the prefs window on that screen.

 

[coachingguy]

S-video

To answer your S-video question, I have a 1.5 Ghz, 15" Superdrive model and as a teacher I make presentations all of the time and have used the S-video out when I forgot my video adapter. It worked just fine. Also, when purchasing, don't forget to check out the refubs in the in the "Sale/Deal" area of the store.

 

[mkrishnan]

To answer your S-video question, I have a 1.5 Ghz, 15" Superdrive model and as a teacher I make presentations all of the time and have used the S-video out when I forgot my video adapter. It worked just fine.

Out of curiosity, why did you buy a PAL mac in Europe instead of buying one here?

 

[telecomm]

I've used my PB on both PAL and NTSC screens with no problem (only with composite video—red, white, and yellow plugs—but it's the same adaptor, so I'm sure S-video will function similarly). When connected to a TV (and only when connected!) you have the option in System Preferences>Displays to select the appropriate video format.

 

[hkarlsen]

Thanks alot for your inputs!

This was very helpful and assuring to me, and I am finally ready to make the purchase. Thanks!

Regards
Håvar

 

[garybUK]

I have a 15" powerbook and when connected to a tv via S-Vid or Composite the display prefs give you each resolution @ NTSC or PAL so it's interchangable.... PAL is a lower hz but the colours and text seem so much brighter and legible. But I guess that may be because we have native PAL tv's here.

 

[thomasp]

I plugged my 15" PB into my telly here in England via the S-Video sockets. However, I forgot to change the PB's resolution from NTSC to PAL....

The quality of the image on the TV was not very good, and the colours were a bit wrong. Switching to PAL corrected this It's still a bit blurry when in the Finder, but full-screen pictures (iMovie slideshow) work great! The only problem is, I get awful distortion on the images, although this might be down to my telly..... (Panasonic 28" flatscreen widescreen telly)

 

[risc]

Out of curiosity, why did you buy a PAL mac in Europe instead of buying one here?

There is no such thing as a PAL Mac, PAL and NTSC are TV formats they have nothing to do with computers. As for TV output every Mac I've ever used has had PAL/NTSC TV support.