PAL and NTSC

[jb879123]

i am wondering how i can make my setup support PAL discs, and how i may figure out if my tv already supports it. any help would be greatly appreciated

[lostboy]

There are load of threads on this a month or 2 back and in the archive. Here's one from earlier this week

http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16924&highlight=ntsc

Basically, there are 2 options. That thread tells you how to use INFOEdit to make PAL DVDs think they are NTSC DVDs to be played. If you do this, it should be for your viewing only; use the the original for any trades.

The other option is to buy a region-free DVD player, such as models by Coby and Cyberhome. They are usually < $50 at Walmart and such. It usually says right on the box they play PAL and NTSC. Most DVD players from major manufacturers sold in the US will only play region 1 DVDs.

[jb879123]

i appreciate the info. i think i might run out and grab a second player. thanks again.

[onebloodonelife]

I have a Cyberhome and would recommend it. If you look around, you might be able to get it cheaper than $50, mine was only $30-$40.

[ColinM]

HOLD IT!

Before you go out and buy another player, think about if you might want to have a model that also plays .avi files. maybe one that plays PAL, .avi and also records.

I wish I had done that... :(

[Jskibum]

I have a Philips DVP642, from Walmart at about 60 dollars, it plays NTSC and Pal , but the greatest thing about it is it can play mpg and avi files without having to encode to a vcd/svcd/dvd format. Just slap the files on a disc and it plays them! XVid, Dvix, CDs, DVDs, mp3 compiliations and everything else I can think of it has played without a hitch. I'm going to buy another just as a back up, it's a great player. IMHO :)

[ColinM]

Does that Philips allow you to burn the .avi files to DVD or just CD-R? I looked at some specs, but a real world review would be best.

Have you tried DVD +R?

I have a Philips DVP642, from Walmart at about 60 dollars, it plays NTSC and Pal , but the greatest thing about it is it can play mpg and avi files without having to encode to a vcd/svcd/dvd format. Just slap the files on a disc and it plays them! XVid, Dvix, CDs, DVDs, mp3 compiliations and everything else I can think of it has played without a hitch. I'm going to buy another just as a back up, it's a great player. IMHO :)

[hopenhower]

I was just in the same boat. I ended up getting the LG LDA-511. It was either that or the Philips. I did a lot of research and both sounded like they would play anything. It wasn't until I got in the store that I decided on the LG. It was more expensive ($140) but it said right on the box that it played XVID, DIVX, etc. Yes, you can burn them to DVD. Can fit several movies on one disc. The best thing about it is no more spending hours transcoding downloaded movies. Worth every penny. I would make sure that the Philips can do the same before I would get it if I were you.