Converting from PAL to NTSC

[Dave's PA Rental]

Master Thread on PAL > NTSC Conversion


ust getting into DVD boots...

Can a person download a PAL DVD and burn to NTSC with NERO? I remember seeing a setting in nero where you can pick formats...

I want to download the 12.03 U2 DVD that is up now

Sorry if this has been asked before...I did look...

[U2Lynne]

I don't use Nero, but I'm going to take a stab at this and say NO. You need to use some conversion software to convert the PAL DVD to NTSC format. You can find it over at videohelp.com, but it may be easier to just buy yourself ("Oh no, here she goes....") a cheap Apex play that plays both formats.

[RainDawg]

Yes, actually, depending on the Nero package you have, you will be able to convert from PAL to NTSC when burning your DVD. It will take quite a long time to do, however. This is a discouraged practice as it reduces the quality of the recording. Lynne's advice is the best...to just spend the $40 to get yourself a multi-format DVD player.

[U2Lynne]

Yes, actually, depending on the Nero package you have, you will be able to convert from PAL to NTSC when burning your DVD. It will take quite a long time to do, however.
Really? Hmmm, but as you said, the conversion reduces the quality.

[dorrcoq]

I think NeroVision 3, which comes with the latest version of Nero 6.6.01 does this.

[Spelunker]

My DVD player plays both.

[feralicious]

Does the TV need to be able to handle PAL as well? I now have some PAL DVDs so I'm going to test my 2 Apex players and see if either or both work on my TVs. Whee!

[RainDawg]

Does the TV need to be able to handle PAL as well?
No, the DVD player will interpret the signal the right way....

Let us know how the PAL/NTSC test goes....

[wazoo2u]

err.... the TV needs to see an NTSC signal. If the DVD player does a PAL>NTSC conversion, then fine.

On the conversion issue. PAL is a higher resolution standard than NTSC. Simply based on specs, you will lose quality on the downconversion, but unless the source was shot in dual formats you don't have a choice.

[RainDawg]

DVD players bought in America will output an NTSC signal....if it plays dual-format, it will do the necessary conversion internally.

[U2Lynne]

The two Apex players I have do the conversion internally, so it doesn't matter about your TV set. However, sometimes my PAL DVDs will skip occassionally when I play them.

[Lou]

It sure matters on my TV. My standalone DVD player plays both formats, but the TV can't handle PAL so I get a shitty, stretched black and white picture. I guess I don't have one that does on-the-fly conversion. I can only watch PAL DVD's on my computer.

[e6003]

I could be wrong, but I would be surprised if a modern US "NTSC" TV set had trouble with accepting a PAL signal from a DVD player. I would imagine that modern sets constructed the same for all regions of the world and are hence capable of accepting all kinds of input even if they don't explicitly say they can. Also, to be pedantic, PAL and NTSC refer to methods of analog colour encoding: technically they are a separate issue from the resolution and frame rate of the picture. For example, although Western Europe uses 625/50 and PAL colour (PAL-I), Brazil uses 525/60 but with PAL colour (PAL-M). There are two questions to consider - whether your TV can synch to a non-standard frame rate (e.g. 50 fields-per-second in the US) and secondly if it can decode the colour. Most modern TV sets in Europe can do the former and given the economy of scale of global production, I'd be surprised (but open to correction) if a set purchased in the US could not likewise. The key feature to look for is an automatic vertical hold.

[Dave's PA Rental]

Wow, this is some crazy stuff. You guys are wicked smart. I guess, for me, the bottom line is that if Nero can burn to PAL (and there is a menu in Nero to select the country PAL) then it must be able to play them on my computer.

But what happens if I get a TV reception card for my computer...would I still be able to watch PAL DVD on it? (just kidding...)

[U2Lynne]

Your computer should be able to play PAL or NTSC.

[k8_fan]

I'm late to this thread, but I've been dealing with this a bit. Most decent editing packages like Premiere, Vegas, Edius will do a conversion from PAL to NTSC and will do a LOT better job than the realtime converter in any DVD player. The main problem is that PAL is 25 frames per second while NTSC is 30 frames per second. The cheap converters just repeat a set of 5 frames during a second 1-2-2-3-4-4-5-etc. That leads to an artifact called "judder", and it's most noticable on pans from left to right. A good converter actually creates new frames by "morphing" between pairs of frames, and helps insure smooth pans. Personally, if I have stuff in PAL to share, I'll make both PAL and NTSC version available. People in NTSC countries who have the ability to play PAL natively will get the PAL version, but the vast majority will get a better picture with smoother motion by getting the NTSC conversion.

[h_vargas]

very good info k8_fan. i've never used Premiere to convert PAL > NTSC. i actually didn't even know Premiere or Vegas could do the conversion. but then, i don't do PAL > NTSC conversions really, after getting a DVD player that handles both formats, so...

btw, YES, there ARE DVD players here in America that will play both formats, but that do NOT do the internal PAL>NTSC conversion - which means the TV set will NOT play the DVD correctly (i know some Pioneer settop DVD players are this way). so your options in that situation are to either buy a new DVD player with a built-in converter, or buy a signal converter. if i were in that situation, i'd just buy a new player because it's roughly the same cost (or even cheaper to get a new player).

i know PAL > NTSC converted video lineages are discouraged, and i agree with that. however, recently, i did do a couple of PAL > NTSC conversions using some very good software, and the result is actually excellent. (of course, the original PAL sources were from DTV, i believe, and looked fantastic to begin with.) i used Canopus ProCoder, and i must say, it does the best job i've ever seen for a PAL > NTSC conversion, and i've used a lot of different programs in the past to try that conversion. ProCoder is also very fast, and very easy to use. and, you don't have to re-encode the audio (which is nice)... you can just convert the video stream, and it will synch up perfectly with the audio stream. as i recall, with a lot of other programs, an audio conversion is needed as well, but not the case with ProCoder.

[k8_fan]

i know PAL > NTSC converted video lineages are discouraged, and i agree with that. however, recently, i did do a couple of PAL > NTSC conversions using some very good software, and the result is actually excellent. (of course, the original PAL sources were from DTV, i believe, and looked fantastic to begin with.) i used Canopus ProCoder, and i must say, it does the best job i've ever seen for a PAL > NTSC conversion, and i've used a lot of different programs in the past to try that conversion.
Yeah, I have that and it does an excellent job. Personally, non-real-time software PAL-to-NTSC format conversion does as good a job as the most expensive broadcast standards converter and shouldn't be avoided. Most US television sets cannot handle PAL TV signals, so if the goal is to get the greatest number of watchable DVDs in the hands of the greatest number of people, good quality software conversion from the original source material is the way to go.

Here's a funny thing I discovered about Sony's 8mm and DV camcorders:

PAL DV and 8mm tapes will play in NTSC Sony DV and 8mm camcorders.
The Firewire connector will output the actual PAL signal for editing.
The S-video and RCA connector will output a pseudo-NTSC signal with a PAL frame rate (25 fps) and NTSC color. It is watchable, but not recordable.

ProCoder is also very fast, and very easy to use. and, you don't have to re-encode the audio (which is nice)... you can just convert the video stream, and it will synch up perfectly with the audio stream. as i recall, with a lot of other programs, an audio conversion is needed as well, but not the case with ProCoder.
I started with Canopus' software Standards Converter, and was happy to discover that it's capability was expended into ProCoder.

[Bootsy]

I have a great Ben Harper show that is in PAL. If it is acceptable to be converted to NTSC, please PM me.

[jaguaracer]

This issue can be resolved quite easily actually. Using a program called IFOedit you can go into the .IFO files and change a couple lines and bang, you have converted a PAL VIDEO_TS folder to NTSC VIDEO_TS folder. Then just burn normally in nero because it is now NTSC. No conversion required, just need to replace a couple lines (called patching the disc).
Here's how: http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=221928
http://www.ifoedit.com/
I don't know if I would recommend using this method if you plan on spreading the DVD, but for one's own personal use (ie playing a PAL DVD you D/Led, its seems great.

[fatoldpig]

This issue can be resolved quite easily actually. Using a program called IFOedit you can go into the .IFO files and change a couple lines and bang, you have converted a PAL VIDEO_TS folder to NTSC VIDEO_TS folder. Then just burn normally in nero because it is now NTSC. No conversion required, just need to replace a couple lines (called patching the disc).
Here's how: http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=221928
http://www.ifoedit.com/
I don't know if I would recommend using this method if you plan on spreading the DVD, but for one's own personal use (ie playing a PAL DVD you D/Led, its seems great.i tried this sometime back and didn't work. it won't even recognize as dvd and just ejects the dvd. it's a pioneer brand and plays both +/- format.

[katnapz]

I don't know if I would recommend using this method if you plan on spreading the DVD, but for one's own personal use (ie playing a PAL DVD you D/Led, its seems great.

I don't know...this seems to lead to a dangerous "distortion" of the trading pool. I understand that, unlike taking lossless>lossy>claiming lossless/wav where there's no going back, doing this change doesn't fundamentally change the file itself,...meaning I'd be able to rip the vobs off of your DVDR, remaster, and I'd end up with an NTSC again. But what about the percentage of folks who can't/don't know and now there's two versions with the uneducated not realizing one's a "fake"? Obviously no trader would intentionally trades something like this (well,....we hope not), but the chance exists. Or what about that buddy you loaned it to who copied it for personal use,...and then trades it? Just playing devils advocate here ;)

BTW dan, still catching up on things and need to get back to you on the side :wave:

[h_vargas]

excellent info, k8_fan, regarding the Sony 8mm and DV cameras.


jaguaracer, that is interesting info as well. the only type of altering i've done with IFO type files is altering hte U2 LA 87 DVD that i grabbed off STG a long while back, so that it doesn't play that blasted DVDXCopy warning at the beginning.

i didn't know this could be done for "tricking" a settop player into thinking it had an NTSC disc.

still, that wouldn't have worked in my most recent situation - authoring a compilation DVD with 80% NTSC footage and 20% PAL footage, as i simply imported the audio/video streams and authored an NTSC disc. i've heard DVDLab can supposedly author a DVD with both PAL and NTSC footage, but i haven't tried that yet (because i don't have DVDLab). to me, it seems like it would run the risk of the disc being less compatible, whereas having all the footage in one format would mean better compatibility overall.

[jaguaracer]

Yes, I should have stressed the 'personal use recommended' more I guess. I am not sure about all the technicalities of the patching process and its effect on quality (although I believe there is no effect on quality. However, as an above poster mentioned, this method didn't work with his player meaning a fair number of people who download the patched DVD may not be able to get it working if the poster did not mention that it was patched).
I just think it is a decent method that people should know about so that if, for example, there is a DVD you are dying to get but are afraid to download because they think the process of converting it to PAL is lengthy or difficult. Well with this patching method, your problem (might be, depending on player) solved.

[k8_fan]

excellent info, k8_fan, regarding the Sony 8mm and DV cameras.
Cool, I hope it comes in handy. I use this feature on a regular basis. I have a large collection of Kate Bush video in PAL format, and use an NTSC Sony DV camcorder as the source deck to my editing system, a Canopus DV Rex board running the Edius software. It's switchable from NTSC to PAL, so I edit everything in it's native format, then convert to whatever format is needed for distribution. I was even able to FireWire dub a PAL Digital 8mm to PAL DV using two NTSC camcorders.

[h_vargas]

k8_fan - incredible. i still can't get over this. there are some PAL dig8/miniDV tapes out there that i had wanted to get clones of, but didn't g for them because i didn't have a "PAL format camcorder"... now i can hopefully snag some of those clones and transfer them myself! woohoo! when you say you dubbed the PAL 8mm with two camcorders, did you just use a 4pin-to-4pin cable? (just curious, that's what i've always used to dub clones.)


jaguaracer - doing the "patching" method you described should not affect the quality of the video in ANY way. you aren't changing any of the bits of the actual audio or video in the method you described; only changing basically what amounts to a "table of contents" for a DVD, so that a DVD player will read the DVD as a different format. the actual digital audio/video bits are untouched that way. again, very cool trick that i may try out sometime... even though my DVD player will play PAL discs. :)

[RainDawg]

Most US television sets cannot handle PAL TV signals, so if the goal is to get the greatest number of watchable DVDs in the hands of the greatest number of people, good quality software conversion from the original source material is the way to go.
This is, in fact, not true, because it inevitably leads to the possibility of someone on the other side of the pond saying the same thing, using a "high quality" conversion back to PAL, and the cycle repeating. The best thing to do with any of the material here, is to keep it identical and the best possible....the hardware might take a few years to catch up, but at least then people are running around with multiple versions that span multiple degrees of quality.

My DVD player at home does not to PAL, so I watch them on my computer. I can also convert one for my own use, but I always trade the original, and that is the standard we will enforce here on TTD.

[RainDawg]

This method of "patching" the header file is not actually changing the video at all, or changing it to a different format. Basically, for reasons of pure greed and the need to control the media on the part of corporations, most DVD players have the ability to read multiformat, but simply refuse to do so based on some information it reads in the header. Sony manufactures the same unit for sale anywhere in the world, and just changes what header information it will accept so that businesses can control media from sailing to other continents.

So....changing this header will just trick your US DVD player into thinking it's playing an NTSC video, when in fact it is reading PAL. Based on the way the signal is decoded, this may or may not work for everyone, so I strongly encourage everyone to make these discs for your own personal use, and not for distributing. If your player permits you to use this method, do it, but only trade the original DVD with the correct header.

Again, the best solution for all of this is to just buy a cheapy Apek or Mintek player that will play anything for <$50.

[k8_fan]

k8_fan - incredible. i still can't get over this. there are some PAL dig8/miniDV tapes out there that i had wanted to get clones of, but didn't g for them because i didn't have a "PAL format camcorder"... now i can hopefully snag some of those clones and transfer them myself! woohoo! when you say you dubbed the PAL 8mm with two camcorders, did you just use a 4pin-to-4pin cable? (just curious, that's what i've always used to dub clones.)

Yes, a 4-pin to 4-pin FireWire cable. Now this only works with Sony equipment...I know Canon DV camcorders are NTSC only. Sony doesn't mention this in their manuals, and none of their US technical people know about this. It's just apparently the result of the Japanese design engineers wanting to simplify the manufacture of the recorder mechanism. I have not tried it with DV or Digi8mm camcorders sold in PAL countries, but I'd imagine they are the same.

You should be able to capture the PAL DV or Digi8mm into your editing system after re-configuring it for PAL, then convert it to NTSC with ProCoder. Let me know how it works out.

BTW, various Brooktree chipset video input cards like the I/OMagic PC-VCR handle both NTSC and PAL input. The best software for those cards is the wonderful, open-source package dScaler (http://deinterlace.sourceforge.net/). It's a very cheap, yet high quality, way to get analog PAL and NTSC into your computer. The guys who produce this are such great hackers. I described the video that the Sony camcorders produced - NTSC color combined with PAL frame-rate - and they managed to add the format to the program. Literally 24 hours after I mentioned it, I had tested two beta versions and had a working final version. There is no commercial software in the world that has that kind of customer service.

[bobs23]

There are some basic technical things that must be covered. As previously stated PAL runs at 50hz 625 lines 25fps. NTSC is 60hz(59.94 actually) 525 lines 30 fps. In basics you are much better to go from PAL to NTSC as you are essentially downsampling the line rate. The wonderful FCC has made our system quite complex, video runs at either 30fps or 29.97fps. This all came to be when the US made the change from black and white broadcasts in the 50's to try and intigrate color with a minimal equipment changeover at the TV stations.Film runs at 24fps and when transferred to video it must fill in the extra 6 frames by creating a pull down meaning every other frame is a frame and a half. In a PAL format everything is just 25fps. Also when doing a PAL to NTSC you also must pitch and speed correct by 4% to account for the 25 to 30 frame rate. I work with this stuff every day, if anyone would like a more detailed explaination I'd be glad to go into more detail.

[RainDawg]

I agree that NTSC is a bad idea that, by sheer might of the US's ineptitude, has remained a standard.

Both conversions require the encoder to find a frame and "guess" where it should be on the timescale, and thus will somewhat alter the quality. In NTSC > PAL, though, frames will be discarded whereas in PAL > NTSC, additional frames need to be created to account for the increased framerate.

Both require the video to be forced and adapted, and therefore both are not recommended for trading, especially when hardware to play either is becoming as prevalent and inexpensive as it has today.

[h_vargas]

excellent post, bobs23. for a long time now, i've thought PAL to be a superior format. aside from the things you mentioned in your post (higher line rate for PAL video), one great thing - especially for people who do any video editing - is that PAL doesn't limit the colors you can use for video graphics, whereas NTSC colors are limited (to prevent bleeding, etc.). and PAL is of course closer to the frame rate of film, which is great.


k8_fan, thanks for the link to dScaler. i'm going to that site as soon as i finish this post. unfortunately for me, i suspect dScaler will only work with true "capture cards"... for all of my transfers (DV, VHS, SVHS), i simply use a camcorder (for analog-to-DV transfers, i use the "pass-through" feature)... so i'm doubtful that something like dScaler will work in this situation. i need to save up and get a nice Canopus card, methinks. :)

[bobs23]

Well at least there is something that I can contribute to this board. :) Seriously though I do have 20 years in post production, and I'd help in way possible.

[k8_fan]

excellent post, bobs23. for a long time now, i've thought PAL to be a superior format. aside from the things you mentioned in your post (higher line rate for PAL video), one great thing - especially for people who do any video editing - is that PAL doesn't limit the colors you can use for video graphics, whereas NTSC colors are limited (to prevent bleeding, etc.). and PAL is of course closer to the frame rate of film, which is great.
Actually, it's a problem because 24 frame per second films in PAL countries are transferred at 25 frames per second. Which means that every single song on a PAL released videotape or song is either at the wrong tempo, pitch or both. I have "O Brother, Where Art Thou" in both PAL and NTSC DVD and can easily demonstrate it. Luckily, computer DVD players like WinDVD and PowerDVD have the ability to play PAL DVDs at the right speed (24 fps).

In general, PAL video does look better than NTSC. But I'll be so happy to see both of them tossed into the dustbin of history by HD. BTW, Leno has been in HD for years, and soon both Conan and SNL will be in HD as well.

k8_fan, thanks for the link to dScaler. i'm going to that site as soon as i finish this post. unfortunately for me, i suspect dScaler will only work with true "capture cards"... for all of my transfers (DV, VHS, SVHS), i simply use a camcorder (for analog-to-DV transfers, i use the "pass-through" feature)... so i'm doubtful that something like dScaler will work in this situation. i need to save up and get a nice Canopus card, methinks. :)
The untimate goal for dScaler 5 is make it a set of DirectShow filters, so it will work with any source. I use a $39 I/O Magic card for some capture as well as for display on my big screen, and upscale to HD res (1280 x 720).

[fatoldpig]

i got a bunch of pal dvds that i downloaded and my current thx certified super expensive 6 year old dvd player won't play. so i thought i'll get one of those cheapy $30 standalone dvd player that'll play pal/ntsc etc. but i landed up getting a ilo dvdr04 dvd recorderer for $150 from wallmart instead. it plays pal disc fine. it has a bult in tv tuner, s-video, even component video & optical/co-ax digital audio out (i guess they are standard now), hq recording over 9mbps. though audio is only mpeg at 256kbps and records only on +r/+rw discs. now i can watch all my pal dvds. you can hack it to be region/mv free :D

[gillett]

If you aquire this program http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html just run it in the background. Thats it...

[DMBrunnelson]

I wanted to convert some DVD's I downloaded from PAL to NTSC. I am using nero and TPMGEnc currently but I have no experience with converting. Thanks in advance for any help.
Jon
[email protected]
http://db.etree.org/dmbrunnelson43 DVD List
http://db.etree.org/dmbrunnelson Audio List

[crazyman]

Take a look here:

http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=221928

[ssamadhi97]

and remember, trading such converted dvds is evil. :)

(even though it's not as evil as reencoding videos to a different framerate)

[RainDawg]

This doesn't really copy from PAL to NTSC, but seems like it would work for PLAYING back DVDs. Most PCs will play either format (asuming they are not region encoded) regardless, so many people won't need this software.

[lucasweb]

Transferring from PAL to NTSC or the other way around is always a pain and results in quality loss, in the long run it's just easier to get a stand-alone dvd player that does both

[RainDawg]

Hmm....converting from PAL to NTSC would require reencoding to a different framerate, would it not?

[ssamadhi97]

the method described in the thread crazyman linked to is based exclusively on patching headers in the dvd data to trick the dvd player into playing it back at a different frame rate. (this trick should even be perfectly reversible, as far as I can tell)

Apparently it doesn't work with many dvd players though.

And tbh I can't imagine how this can really work because the speed of the audio track will not match the speed of the video any more afterwards since it has a fixed sample rate which will remain unaffected by this modification.

[New Homebrew]

It might be just about time for a PAL/NTSC sticky in this section.

It seems like a natural reaction for some NTSC people to rebel when they get that first PAL dvd. If you collect for any length of time you will end up with many PAL sources.

Maybe something like "living with PAL format"? :)
1) Play the DVD back on your PC which doesn't care if it's PAL or NTSC
2) Buy a cheap DVD player from Target or Wal-Mart that plays both formats
3) If you must convert, please don't trade or post.

[bubbabeui]

ive done it on a mac and yes, pal framerates are 25 fps and video is usually 29.97 fps. it took a lot of trial and error but i think the basic method was creating 1 big VOB file, then using mpeg2works to demux that, then convert to ntsc...then used toast to burn dvd....and now i have the genesis 5-6-80 dvd in ntsc format yaay

[bubbabeui]

err.... the TV needs to see an NTSC signal. If the DVD player does a PAL>NTSC conversion, then fine.

On the conversion issue. PAL is a higher resolution standard than NTSC. Simply based on specs, you will lose quality on the downconversion, but unless the source was shot in dual formats you don't have a choice.

pal uses 25fps while video uses 30 or 29.97 fps correct? converting to ntsc would involve duplicating some frames :eek:

[h_vargas]

pal uses 25fps while video uses 30 or 29.97 fps correct? converting to ntsc would involve duplicating some frames :eek:

correct on the frame rates (PAL = 25 fps and NTSC = 29.97 fps).

with decent software, it doesn't just "duplicate" frames, but tries to decipher the "in between" stages of the objects between two frames... so it's not technically a straight forward "duplication" of frames. (you won't see 2 identical frames in a row as a result, in other words.)

[dmbandnick]

I recently downloaded a Paul McCartney DVD in PAL format. I have no idea what the PAL stuff is all about. From short research I've found that standard normal DVD's are in NTSC format. How do I go about converting a PAL show to a DVD that I can watch?

[leatherman]

it's not easy. You're best bet is to buy a dvd player for 40-50 bucks that will play PAL. Most cheaper ones will (apex/cyberhome). Check out dvdrhelp.com for a list.

[dmbandnick]

it's not easy. You're best bet is to buy a dvd player for 40-50 bucks that will play PAL. Most cheaper ones will (apex/cyberhome). Check out dvdrhelp.com for a list.



Thanks man.

[Lou]

That doesn't help that much, because the image is still going to be out of whack on the TV, namely stretched and in black and white. You have to get a PAL-compatible TV which I don't even know that you can get in a US department store...I guess you'd have to buy one online. If you don't get a PAL TV, then the only way you can watch it without problems is on the computer, which doesn't care at all about PAL.

[lucasweb]

That doesn't help that much, because the image is still going to be out of whack on the TV, namely stretched and in black and white. You have to get a PAL-compatible TV which I don't even know that you can get in a US department store...I guess you'd have to buy one online. If you don't get a PAL TV, then the only way you can watch it without problems is on the computer, which doesn't care at all about PAL.

not true, new most dvd players now have a PAL/NTSC button so you can watch PAL discs on NTSC tv's. I have one so i speak from personal experience

[RainDawg]

Make note of our FAQ entry on PAL>NTSC conversions:
http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/faq.php?faq=video#faq_ntscpal

Note that doing this makes reseeding DVDs on TTD illegal, and is a bad practice in general as it dilutes the quality of the DVD. Cheap DVD players that will not only play but convert to the appropriate signal on the fly are readily available, and make it easy to view DVDs of either format. Also, your computer will play both formats fine.

If you do decide to make a conversion for personal use, please do not trade it...always trade or seed the original so that everyone gets the highest quality material.

[62v8]

Raindog ...
All is not yet lost.
Most, if not all, recent (ie manufactured within the last 10 years) Sony televisions will take either PAL or NTSC inputs. It may not help you transcode but at least you'll be able to watch your PAL DVD in colour.

I do the same for the reverse ie watch NTSC (Region 1) DVD on the Sony TV.

Sony may do some dumb things to their HiMD & MD but at least they got it right for television!

Cheers from over the Big Pond

[RainDawg]

Agreed...Sony's Trinitron TVs are really great. I am a bit dissapointed in the DVD-A/SACD player I got in that it doesn't play PAL DVDs, though it does play PAL VCDs and SVCDs.

Of course, I recently got rid of my TV completely and replaced it by putting a new 21" monitor controlled by my dual-output graphics card, and as such it's NTSC/PAL compliant ;). Just another idea for people looking to get compatibilities for both standards.

[rherron]

This is not going to be acceptable to do and reseed here, and it may strike some on this site as heresy, but you can use a program called IFOEdit to sort of trick your DVD player into playing PAL DVDs, and it is VERY, VERY easy to do.

Using IFOEdit, open .IFO files. The program will have two windows of information. In the bottom window there will be lots of lines of text. Look for the lines (there will be 1 or 2 depending upon which IFO file you are looking at) of text containing the word "PAL." Double click those lines. A dialog box will open. There is a button to select PAL or NTSC. Select NTSC. Save the file. It will ask if you want to change the .BUP files as well. Answer "Yes." You're done. Burn away.

This is not a true conversion (PAL to NTSC) but changing the info files like this will trick many DVD players into believing this is an NTSC recording. I have heard it will not work on all DVD players but it works great on mine. No problems whatsoever. It does nothing to alter the actual video files, so there is no deterioration of the quality (as I understand it).

IFOEdit is free, and available here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd-r_tools/ifoedit.cfm.

Rob

[RainDawg]

Actually, this does not strike me as heresy or even bad for trading. It is a very good idea that I've recommended to people in the past, if their DVD player is capable of playing it. It does not alter the video at all, and thus is what I would call a "lossless" conversion. But what it does is allow you to circumvent the restrictions the movie industry cartel has placed upon us.

Most major manufacturers indeed do not make different hardware for their players that ship to different parts of the world. But for movie producers to maintain artificially high prices on DVDs, they put limits on what types of discs certain players will accpept, even though they are perfectly capable of playing them back. An easy fix is to just tell the DVD player that it's been given an NTSC disc, even if it's not true, and the player will know what to do with it anyway.

It doesn't always work, but if it does, I say go for it.

[badhatharry]

I just got a few PAL DVD's that play in my computer but not my player and was wondering how easy, or difficult, it is to convert them. Does anyone know if NERO can convert them? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks

Mike

[U2Lynne]

It isn't that easy. You can go to videohelp.com and read up on it. I always just tell people to buy a cheap Apex player. They play just about anything.

[badhatharry]

That's kinda what I figured, buying a new player is plan B. Thanks

Mike

[Five]

there's several threads on this topic posted in the last couple months, perhaps you can find something helpful there. just surf thru the last few pages of this forum I'm sure you'll spot them.

hope this helps.

[rherron]

You can use a program called IFOEdit to sort of trick your DVD player into playing PAL DVDs, and it is VERY, VERY easy to do.

Using IFOEdit, open .IFO files. The program will have two windows of information. In the bottom window there will be lots of lines of text. Look for the lines (there will be 1 or 2 or more depending upon which IFO file you are looking at) of text containing the word "PAL." Double click those lines. A dialog box will open. There is a button to select PAL or NTSC. Select NTSC. Save the file. It will ask if you want to change the .BUP files as well. Answer "Yes." You're done. Burn away.

This is not a true conversion (PAL to NTSC) but changing the info files like this will trick many DVD players into believing this is an NTSC recording. I have heard it will not work on all DVD players but it works great on mine. No problems whatsoever. It does nothing to alter the actual video files, so there is no deterioration of the quality. It is my understanding that many (most?) newer DVD players are capable of playing both NTSC and PAL though they are not sold that way (perhaps because of pressure from the movie industry because it helps make it easier for them to maintain its region encoding system -- just a guess).

The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn't work on your player and you'd have wasted $.50 cents on a DVD+R. Back up every file in the "VIDEO_TS" folder that is not a video (VOB) file and if this doesn't work for you you can restore the folder to it's original state (this is also a good idea in case you ever wish to trade the show or reseed it, etc.).

IFOEdit is free, and available here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/v...ols/ifoedit.cfm.

Rob

[J_Omega]

YES!

Nero Vision Express 3 will allow you to convert PAL to NTSC! I've done exactly that for a few PAL dvds I've recieved.

[h_vargas]

with all due respect, can we make a "stickie" thread on this? i only ask this because this question pops up, what, every two weeks or so? i'm not bashing anyone here - the only dumb questions are the ones people *don't* ask... but if it can be "stickied" at the top, perhaps it would save a little b/w?

just a thought.


and maybe a stickie for the "is this MP3/lossy sourced?" type stuff? it would be nice to have one thread for all the various questions, for quick reference.

[U2Lynne]

Actually, I'll throw this in the Archive for future reference.

As for the mp3/lossy type stuff, I'm kinda wondering if we should have a sub-forum on that. PM Five if you like the idea and he will let Staff know if there are a lot of people interested in it.

(Hi Jamie. :wave: You're the Mod that knows this so I elected you.)

[Five]

okay by me!

[slipknotmr]

Yeah pal won't play for me & the MTV broadcast sucked ass!!!!Please help!!!!

[p_k]

was posting a dvd with uncut

jay-z
snoop dog
DMB
stevie wonder
the who
Pink floyd

unless something better pops up.... we'll see..

[copperdome]

Yeah, I hear the non PAL request. :(

In a perfect world somebody recorded the uninterrupted set (having a satellite connection) with a DVD recorder and matched it up with perfect audio.

[burns212]

What's wrong with PAL?

[burns212]

Certain DVD players only play NTSC right? (North America)

[rjs02]

I used DVD shrink to create an region free ISO image and DVD Decrypter to burn it and it works fine in go ol' USA. PCM digital sound that won't play through my optical or digital coax cables, but this is probably the best thing we get until someone converts it or until the official release comes out. Give it a go, both programmes are free and can be easily found. Good luck...!!!

[rjs02]

Someone just told me that my player might be playing it 'cause it may be region free. It's a low end JVC player and I thought it was only region 1. Also, I thought that the TV wouldn't be able to display PAL anyway because it's a NTSC TV...

Show's what I know. Does anyone who knows better what to clear this up?

[U2Lynne]

I have a very cheap Apex player and it converts the PAL before sending it to the TV. So, PAL plays just fine on my TV. (USA)

The 'homemade' DVDs that get posted on sites such as TTD are all region free. So, there is no need to worry about that at all.

[MarcoEsc]

Found one:
http://thepiratebay.org/details.php?id=3352388

NTSC widescreen DVD. Source (unfortunately) is XviD, but it looks really good and is complete and uncut. Your choice of THREE audio streams: XviD (captured from a German digital cable source), XM Satellite, and BBC2 FM. (I like the FM source best.)

I was hesitant due to the less-than-optimal source. But the XviD version looks damned good, the conversion to 30fps NTSC DVD was very well done, and the choice of audio sources makes this overall a very good DVD.

This one should suffice until a better-sourced version surfaces.

[lucasweb]

the thing is the only non-webcast uncut broadcasts of the Floyd set were in PAL, so if a NTSC version pops up then it's a PAL>NTSC transfer which is lossy and isn't allowed here.

[MarcoEsc]

Just watched the NTSC DVD (lossy source) I linked to above and it looks and sounds bitchin! (That means good.) Well worth the download.

Answering the "what's wrong with PAL" question: nothing. Except that TVs in North America and many other countries do not support the format. The issues people are having are *not* region code issues...many of us simply cannot play PAL DVDs on our NTSC equipment.

US DVD'ers, the XviD>NTSC DVD conversion is a good one, and the DVD is solid. Get it now from the Leech's Lair while there are still some seeds present...

http://thepiratebay.org/details.php?id=3352388

[Phlegmbot]

Hey, all you North Americans... If you are downloading this on your PC, you should have no problem playing the PAL stuff... just use your computer to play it. PowerDVD and all those programs recognise PAL just fine. Works for me...

[vegas_jay]

I used to skip PAL DVDs because I didn't think it would work with my player/TV. But I got one by accident and it worked just fine. Since then, I found out that it's a pretty common feature on DVD players to handle either format.

[AAR.oner]

*alot* of DVD players in the Us say they are NTSC only, but will play PAL just fine [a lil lie they continue to tell us for smoe reason]...the only way to find out is to burn a disc and try it...

if not, you can always try Rherron's method using IFOEdit to "trick" yer player into thinking the disc is NTSC...works for some, not for others...here's how:
http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6599&highlight=IFOEdit+NTSC
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=221928

note that doing a PAL to NTSC is a "lossy conversion", so keep the PAL disc for trading, and the converted one for personal viewing. Also, PAL>NTSC and vice versa is *NOT* allowed on TTD for seeding, due to lossiness.

[AAR.oner]

oh, and check out Lynne's recommendation re: Apex DVD players...you can get one for under 50 buckz at walmart and they'll play anything...if yer a real videophile with a multi-thousand dollar system, the Apex players might not hold up to yer standards, but i'm guessing most wouldn't be able to tell the difference

[Asterix]

The Harvested Guys just made a NTSC DVD which is supposed to be the ultimate Floyd @ Live 8 DVD release:



NTSC DVD of Pink Floyd at Live 8, London, 2nd July 2005

Made from a combination of the BBC's digital broadcast & Marc Olivier-Becks excellent slightly re mastered FM radio broadcast audio!
The quality of both audio and video are excellent, its authored in NTSC with simple motion menus.
Bonus features include stills slide show plus some excellent video clips shot from the front of the stage at the sound check the night before see the guys onstage together for the very FIRST time not the second time !! :)

DVD will be winging its way to the usual suspects over the next 2 days, trade away and enjoy guys, i havent named the DVD but ide agree with Ron on it being called "Better L8 Than Never", if someone wants to knowck some artwork up that would bre great.

[4candles]

The Harvested Guys just made a NTSC DVD which is supposed to be the ultimate Floyd @ Live 8 DVD release:


Being a PAL->NTSC conversion, would that DVD be allowed on TTD?

[MarcoEsc]

Being a PAL->NTSC conversion, would that DVD be allowed on TTD?

Can someone point to the spot in the "rules" where a proper PAL>NTSC is not allowed. I'm as much of a digital purist as the next guy, but come on... Let's pay a little attention to the tools and talent that go into a seed, and not just a partial view of misunderstood specs. I've seen many DVDs round these (and other) parts that sure enough are high bitrate, but absolute dogshit encoding...I've made VCDs that look better. Or classic video sourced from old VHS with lo-fi mono soundtracks, yet it has to be spread across multiple discs because this marginal audio is presented in full "lossless" PCM glory. Hey, it's lossles, it's gotta be good!

Props are due to all seed creators. But EXTRA props to those with the right tools who know how to use them.

Converting between PAL and NTSC is not trivial, and when done properly should be embraced by "the scene". There's a hell of a lot more to DVD authoring than "what's the bitrate...what's the bitrate...what's the bitrate..."

That said, I look forward to a Harvested upgrade to the XviD-sourced (but great looking) NTSC Live8 DVD. It would be a shame if people here missed out due to technical ignorance.

[lucasweb]

Being a PAL->NTSC conversion, would that DVD be allowed on TTD?

it's possible, but the bigger thing would be if they provide more source info with the distributed dvd, that would lead to the final decision of whether of not it is allowed

[Lights_1]

In my experience with PAL DVDs I have 4 DVD players. One is a older Panasonic which won't even play CDRs and also will not play PAL. It will only play NTSC DVD-r. My other DVD players are a Magnovox DVD+r recorder that will not play PAL either but play everything else just fine. My two DVD players that will play PAL DVDs are my Apex AD-1200 and strangly enough my X-Box. Both of these players have had no problems playing PAL discs.


peace

[fitz1888]

Newb Question: My home DVD player only plays PAL (Region 2) DVD's or region free DVD's. If i download a Video torrent from this site that is listed as NTSC and i burn it to DVD as a PAL disc will it play on my DVD player?

Thanks, i just don't want to download a 4GB file for it not to work.

[AAR.oner]

no...you will need to re-encode it [alot of work nad possible loss of quality]...but here's a trick that has worked for alot of folks, try this first:
You can use a program called IFOEdit to sort of trick your DVD player into playing PAL DVDs, and it is VERY, VERY easy to do.

Using IFOEdit, open .IFO files. The program will have two windows of information. In the bottom window there will be lots of lines of text. Look for the lines (there will be 1 or 2 or more depending upon which IFO file you are looking at) of text containing the word "PAL." Double click those lines. A dialog box will open. There is a button to select PAL or NTSC. Select NTSC. Save the file. It will ask if you want to change the .BUP files as well. Answer "Yes." You're done. Burn away.

This is not a true conversion (PAL to NTSC) but changing the info files like this will trick many DVD players into believing this is an NTSC recording. I have heard it will not work on all DVD players but it works great on mine. No problems whatsoever. It does nothing to alter the actual video files, so there is no deterioration of the quality. It is my understanding that many (most?) newer DVD players are capable of playing both NTSC and PAL though they are not sold that way (perhaps because of pressure from the movie industry because it helps make it easier for them to maintain its region encoding system -- just a guess).

The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn't work on your player and you'd have wasted $.50 cents on a DVD+R. Back up every file in the "VIDEO_TS" folder that is not a video (VOB) file and if this doesn't work for you you can restore the folder to it's original state (this is also a good idea in case you ever wish to trade the show or reseed it, etc.).

IFOEdit is free, and available here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/v...ols/ifoedit.cfm.

Rob

[AAR.oner]

forgot to note--the above is for yer personal viewing...keep the orig show for archiving/trading/seeding...the "edited" file set should *only* be used for yer personal usage

[ssamadhi97]

Newb Question: My home DVD player only plays PAL (Region 2) DVD's or region free DVD's. If i download a Video torrent from this site that is listed as NTSC and i burn it to DVD as a PAL disc will it play on my DVD player?

Thanks, i just don't want to download a 4GB file for it not to work.
DVDs seeded on this page are (should be) all region free.

Any even remotely modern PAL DVD player is able to play NTSC discs and convert the video for output on a PAL TV system on the fly upon playback.

Just burn one to try and find out whether they work for you, chances are that you won't have any problem playing NTSC discs whatsoever.


Edit: And for the sake of your own sanity you should entirely disregard what AAR.oner said for now. ;) Maybe come back to that if you actually run into problems when trying to play NTSC discs.

[joemc]

hi, if you get dvd shrink you can choose the output as pal regardless of what the vobs are in. load the files and it will encode and then burn all in one op. I have found great quality as well.

hope it helps :)

[fitz1888]

Thanks alot, fianlly got round to trying to make a DVD and as it turns out my DVD player plays ntsc DVD's anyway. No need to do anything at all. Thanks for the help anyway.

[Roope]

hi, if you get dvd shrink you can choose the output as pal regardless of what the vobs are in. load the files and it will encode and then burn all in one op. I have found great quality as well.

hope it helps :)
WHERE exactly you think there's an option for PAL<->NTSC conversion in DVDShrink?

[rherron]

Edit: And for the sake of your own sanity you should entirely disregard what AAR.oner said for now. ;) Maybe come back to that if you actually run into problems when trying to play NTSC discs.

What he describes in quoting me is so easy to do I'd hardly say someone's could lose their sanity attempting it. It is quite easy to do and has worked for me every time I have tried it (may 30 DVDs or so). My DVD player only plays NTSC. I know that's like still having an 8 track player to some people, and I know new ones that play both NTSC and PAL are super cheap, but they aren't as cheap as altering the IFO files with a free program. :)

Rob

[mudcrab]

WHERE exactly you think there's an option for PAL<->NTSC conversion in DVDShrink?


umm yeah I'd like to find that too :)

maybe joemc is thinking of another programme ?? I know I've done a few conversions with Nero

[ssamadhi97]

What he describes in quoting me is so easy to do I'd hardly say someone's could lose their sanity attempting it.Yeah, I was just exaggerating a bit (*cough*) to emphasize that there's a preferable solution which requires no work or alteration to the original dvd files at all. ;)

[rashers]

Intervideo DVD copy versions 2 and 3 do a great job of converting NTSC to PAL and vice versa

[vht]

It's hard to describe but IFO Edit causes a slight video lag every 2 seconds or so, when I convert PAL to NTSC. The dvds are still very much watchable, but it is slightly noticible.

[rherron]

It's hard to describe but IFO Edit causes a slight video lag every 2 seconds or so, when I convert PAL to NTSC. The dvds are still very much watchable, but it is slightly noticible.
That has not been the case with mine. First I have heard of that.

Rob

[ssamadhi97]

That has not been the case with mine. First I have heard of that.

Rob
Sounds more like an issue with the playback device to me anyway (standalone player, I guess?) - when playing PAL as NTSC, the player it has to compensate for 5 missing frames per second *somehow* - usually by duplicating frames, but who knows whether yours doesn't handle this in a more retarded way (or less gracefully)

[jabbo5150]

I am on a Mac


and I have gotten some discs that were in PAL. I don't want to buy a new DVD player, so i want to convert them to NTSC. Is there any way to pull the video and audio off the disc and then convert that to PAL? I don't want to recompress it or anything, just convert it.

Similarly, I have gotten DVDs where the chapters were all jacked up (like 5 per song), is there a way, on a Mac, to rip the video so I can edit it in final cut pro or DVDSP and put the chapter markers in the right spot? I guess to do it in DVDSP, it would have to rip to an MPEG2 file right? I don't want to pull it off the disc as DV and then reecode it as it will look like crap.

Any help would be appreciated

[ffooky]

There's no way I'm aware of that will allow you to make the conversion without losing your chapters but the best converter I know is part of MPEG2 Works 4 (http://www.mpeg2works.com) (bottom of the vob tab).

You'd first need to rip/convert the VIDEO_TS folder to a single VOB using something like 0SEx (http://www.cs.buffalo.edu/~afaversa/) (select Prog. streams output format).

If DVDSP accepts MPEG2 then the best application to use for that purpose would be MPEG Streamclip (http://www.alfanet.it/squared5/mpegstreamclip.html). Open any of the VOB's with it and it'll offer you the choice of opening the whole set. Accept and then select whichever MPEG2 output format you require from the File menu.

[jabbo5150]

Yeah, DVDSP accepts MPEG2 files. In fact, when I export from Final Cut pro, I export to MPeg 2 and then just build in DVDSP. I can add chapters in DVDSP. When you convert with MPEG2 Works 4, does it alter the speed and sync of the audio/video?

[ffooky]

When you convert with MPEG2 Works 4, does it alter the speed and sync of the audio/video?

I've never used the facility as I live in PAL-land where nearly all the players can handle both formats but as the application in question has the best reputation for the task, I'd be pretty amazed if it screwed up in such a fundamental way. If I were you I'd try the process first with a little clip (author a very short MPEG into a DVD/VOB with ffmpegx or something) and see what the results look like.

[jabbo5150]

I have a PAL test disc I made before t see if I could actually author one for people in PAL land, so I can use that as a test. Good thinking!

[tremayne007]

What's the best (quality wise) way to convert PAL to NTSC? I know it's not ideal but I can't buy a new dvd player right now(even a cheap one) and I have no intention of polluting the pool with a inferior quality disc. I just want to be able to watch the Jamiroquai video I'm dropping on my home system. I'll still burn the PAL version for a later date. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.Thanks! :D

[hofzinser]

Tmpgenc 3.0 Express works great.

[U2Lynne]

tremayne007, you might want to also check out videohelp.com. They have a list of software to use and also a lot of tutorials to use the software. They also have a forum with some helpful people if you have questions.

[tremayne007]

Thanks Lynne. I appreciate the help. :)

[rherron]

What's the best (quality wise) way to convert PAL to NTSC? I know it's not ideal but I can't buy a new dvd player right now(even a cheap one) and I have no intention of polluting the pool with a inferior quality disc. I just want to be able to watch the Jamiroquai video I'm dropping on my home system. I'll still burn the PAL version for a later date. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.Thanks! :D

Check the Technobable Archive. Here's what my post there says:

You can use a program called IFOEdit to sort of trick your DVD player into playing PAL DVDs, and it is VERY, VERY easy to do.

Using IFOEdit, open .IFO files. The program will have two windows of information. In the bottom window there will be lots of lines of text. Look for the lines (there will be 1 or 2 or more depending upon which IFO file you are looking at) of text containing the word "PAL." Double click those lines. A dialog box will open. There is a button to select PAL or NTSC. Select NTSC. Save the file. It will ask if you want to change the .BUP files as well. Answer "Yes." You're done. Burn away.

This is not a true conversion (PAL to NTSC) but changing the info files like this will trick many DVD players into believing this is an NTSC recording. I have heard it will not work on all DVD players but it works great on mine. No problems whatsoever. It does nothing to alter the actual video files, so there is no deterioration of the quality. It is my understanding that many (most?) newer DVD players are capable of playing both NTSC and PAL though they are not sold that way (perhaps because of pressure from the movie industry because it helps make it easier for them to maintain its region encoding system -- just a guess).

The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn't work on your player and you'd have wasted $.50 cents on a DVD+R. Back up every file in the "VIDEO_TS" folder that is not a video (VOB) file and if this doesn't work for you you can restore the folder to it's original state (this is also a good idea in case you ever wish to trade the show or reseed it, etc.).

IFOEdit is free, and available here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/v...ols/ifoedit.cfm.

Rob

[tremayne007]

Thanks Rob. I searched through quite a few pages of the archives before I gave in and asked (there are ALOT of pages in the archive). I guess I might have found it by running a search. Your fix is most appreciated. I hate to lose the quality if it can be avoided, especially on a Jamiroquai video.

[tremayne007]

Fix worked perfectly. Now I can grab those PAL vids I usually hold off on. Thanks again! :D

[KevinBe]

Is there an easy way to convert a PAL DVD to NTSC? I thought about just ripping the DVD to an NTSC compliant MPG but I don't think that will preserve the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.

Any help would be appreciated, if you need more info just ask!

Thanks,
KevinBe

[gsmyth79]

videohelp.com

[pigebear]

rherron the link is not working, I'll try a search .But do you have a new link ?Thank You

[U2Lynne]

:google:

http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd-r_tools/ifoedit.cfm

[cky2k77]

I'm using Nero 6 Ultra Edition and burned a GRAB show no problem and watched it on my DVD player. Tonight I tried to burn a Govt Mule DVD (http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16683&page=1&pp=15) and when the disc starts up in the DVD player it says something like "Check the TV System"

Any ideas?

[Explosivo]

The show is in PAL format, which is the video standard for Europe and some other place. North America uses the NTSC standard. Im pretty sure this is what it means by TV system. Some players can be tricked into converting PAL discs on the fly, what player are you using?

[cky2k77]

the player is a Samsung. It has trouble playing picture discs. I will try the PAL's that I burned in other DVD players. My parents have an Apex.

After converting them from PAL to NTSC using IFOedit, I get the following error after clicking burn on Nero 6 Ultra Edition..."DVD-Video files reallocation failed. The resulting DVD-Video might be unplayable. Do you want to continue?" I then get a couple other errors and "Burn Process Failed" at the very end of the burn. Are my files ruined now or can I convert them back to PAL and start over? This copy wont play or give me the "Please check the TV System" message upon playing it in the DVD player.

[Explosivo]

You can still change them over to PAL afaik, I dont see why you wouldnt be able to. I dont recall getting that error when I used Nero to burn discs that were changed like that, but its been a while. Trying the Apex is a good idea, I think most of their players play PAL discs.

[cky2k77]

I'm now in the market for a new DVD player. The 2 that I did successfully burn play on my buddies and my parents players. $40 is worth it. Thanks for all of the info. I delete the .IFO files and and getting the origingals back as I type this.....thanks again!

[Explosivo]

Glad to help. I came to the same conclusion about a new dvd player, i went to my local target and came home with a philips that has worked flawlessly so far. There seems to be a bunch of cheap players that fit the bill, so finding one shouldnt be a problem. Good luck!

[AAR.oner]

try this:

http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showpost.php?p=284920&postcount=5

[saveferals]

Is there a way to convert Pal to region free so that it is playable on most dvd players?? Or do I need to get a cheap dvd player.

[U2Lynne]

PAL and NTSC have nothing to do with region-free. PAL and NTSC have to do with the frames per second. Region-free is something the production companies do to make sure that DVDs are released only in certain regions (basically, countries or continents) at certain times.

[saveferals]

I am learning lots here!
So can a PAL disc be converted to play region 1?

[U2Lynne]

Well, like I said, regions are totally separate. You can convert PAL to NTSC (go to videohelp.com, but don't trade that DVD), but if you need a region free DVD player, you need to hack it. Again, go to videohelp.com. Lots of info there and great help also.

[saveferals]

Thanks Lynne. Why the no trade rule on the pal conversion. Just curious. Thanks for the site!!

[U2Lynne]

Thanks Lynne. Why the no trade rule on the pal conversion. Just curious. Thanks for the site!!
If you convert a video, you are changing the frame rate. And, when you change the frame rate, you are 'losing' information. It's kinda like changing wav to mp3 and back to wav. The second wav is not the same as the first because you changed it to a lossy format. In the PAL/NTSC version, you aren't changing to a 'lossy' format, but to a different format that isn't that same. By changing an NTSC to PAL, it is not the same as if you have the show originally in PAL. And, by changing from PAL to NTSC, it isn't the same as if you had it originally in NTSC.

[rollenran]

So NTSC is not Just a USA dvd player thing and Pal is not for other countries Because I thought Pal was Japan & NTSC was The USA or something I saw a lot of Pal looking around is there a way to play Pal on a US. Player and I am not talking the computer I am talking dvd player for your TV becaues for the most part I can play anything on my computer but making DVD's Is a Pain I have not Downloaded a dvd let becaues of space and this NTSC Pal thing but one day soon I will so I need to know what up this I have DVD Shrink I think it will work to make good DVD's

Plaese tell me all you can

Thanks
Randy

[Five]

check over at videohelp.com for the best advice.

also search this forum for other "PAL to NTSC" and "NTSC to PAL" threads...I've seen this topic posted many times before and full explanations posted in those threads.

fwiw I live in n.america and my $25 dvd player can play PAL or NTSC

the main reason we want the dvds kept in the original format is because say it was broadcast in PAL, then somebody converts it to NTSC, then their friend needs it in PAL, so they convert it to PAL and mail it to them, then that person seeds it on a bt site, then somebody downloads it and needs it in NTSC, then they do a b&p of that to somebody in Europe who converts it to PAL... changing from (aprox) 25fps to 30fps and back again and back again and then back again etc and the quality goes down the toilet.

as for "region 1" and such, that only applies to copy-protected official dvds, and you should not be copying those anyways. buy a copy from the store, problem solved. none of the dvds here have copy protection and are not officially released.

[jazzbo]

So NTSC is not Just a USA dvd player thing and Pal is not for other countries Because I thought Pal was Japan & NTSC was The USA or something I saw a lot of Pal looking around is there a way to play Pal on a US.


Totally off-topic, but one of the many conditions imposed on Japan when the US occupied it after WWII was that they were to adopt our television format. Most of the other countries on NTSC are either in this hemisphere or at one time was strategically interesting to the US in the cold war period.

PAL is pretty univeral in Europe now, I don't think many places still use SECAM.

[rherron]

http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6599

You can use a program called IFOEdit to sort of trick your DVD player into playing PAL DVDs, and it is VERY, VERY easy to do.

Using IFOEdit, open .IFO files. The program will have two windows of information. In the bottom window there will be lots of lines of text. Look for the lines (there will be 1 or 2 or more depending upon which IFO file you are looking at) of text containing the word "PAL." Double click those lines. A dialog box will open. There is a button to select PAL or NTSC. Select NTSC. Save the file. It will ask if you want to change the .BUP files as well. Answer "Yes." You're done. Burn away.

This is not a true conversion (PAL to NTSC) but changing the info files like this will trick many DVD players into believing this is an NTSC recording. I have heard it will not work on all DVD players but it works great on mine. No problems whatsoever. It does nothing to alter the actual video files, so there is no deterioration of the quality. It is my understanding that many (most?) newer DVD players are capable of playing both NTSC and PAL though they are not sold that way (perhaps because of pressure from the movie industry because it helps make it easier for them to maintain its region encoding system -- just a guess).

The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn't work on your player and you'd have wasted $.50 cents on a DVD+R. Back up every file in the "VIDEO_TS" folder that is not a video (VOB) file and if this doesn't work for you you can restore the folder to it's original state (this is also a good idea in case you ever wish to trade the show or reseed it, etc.).

IFOEdit is free, and available here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd-r_tools/ifoedit.cfm.

Rob

[Homebrew101]

http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6599

You can use a program called IFOEdit to sort of trick your DVD player into playing PAL DVDs, and it is VERY, VERY easy to do.

Using IFOEdit, open .IFO files. The program will have two windows of information. In the bottom window there will be lots of lines of text. Look for the lines (there will be 1 or 2 or more depending upon which IFO file you are looking at) of text containing the word "PAL." Double click those lines. A dialog box will open. There is a button to select PAL or NTSC. Select NTSC. Save the file. It will ask if you want to change the .BUP files as well. Answer "Yes." You're done. Burn away.

This is not a true conversion (PAL to NTSC) but changing the info files like this will trick many DVD players into believing this is an NTSC recording. I have heard it will not work on all DVD players but it works great on mine. No problems whatsoever. It does nothing to alter the actual video files, so there is no deterioration of the quality. It is my understanding that many (most?) newer DVD players are capable of playing both NTSC and PAL though they are not sold that way (perhaps because of pressure from the movie industry because it helps make it easier for them to maintain its region encoding system -- just a guess).

The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn't work on your player and you'd have wasted $.50 cents on a DVD+R. Back up every file in the "VIDEO_TS" folder that is not a video (VOB) file and if this doesn't work for you you can restore the folder to it's original state (this is also a good idea in case you ever wish to trade the show or reseed it, etc.).

IFOEdit is free, and available here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/v...ols/ifoedit.cfm.

Rob


I can attest to this - it works like a charm on my Sony player. :clap:

[Silver Stallion DVDs]

...one of the many conditions imposed on Japan when the US occupied it after WWII was that they were to adopt our television format.

I didn't even know there were televisions back in 1945. I thought they first came out around 1948 or so.

[tman88]

http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6599

You can use a program called IFOEdit to sort of trick your DVD player into playing PAL DVDs, and it is VERY, VERY easy to do.

Using IFOEdit, open .IFO files. The program will have two windows of information. In the bottom window there will be lots of lines of text. Look for the lines (there will be 1 or 2 or more depending upon which IFO file you are looking at) of text containing the word "PAL." Double click those lines. A dialog box will open. There is a button to select PAL or NTSC. Select NTSC. Save the file. It will ask if you want to change the .BUP files as well. Answer "Yes." You're done. Burn away.

This is not a true conversion (PAL to NTSC) but changing the info files like this will trick many DVD players into believing this is an NTSC recording. I have heard it will not work on all DVD players but it works great on mine. No problems whatsoever. It does nothing to alter the actual video files, so there is no deterioration of the quality. It is my understanding that many (most?) newer DVD players are capable of playing both NTSC and PAL though they are not sold that way (perhaps because of pressure from the movie industry because it helps make it easier for them to maintain its region encoding system -- just a guess).

The worst thing that could happen is that it wouldn't work on your player and you'd have wasted $.50 cents on a DVD+R. Back up every file in the "VIDEO_TS" folder that is not a video (VOB) file and if this doesn't work for you you can restore the folder to it's original state (this is also a good idea in case you ever wish to trade the show or reseed it, etc.).

IFOEdit is free, and available here: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/v...ols/ifoedit.cfm.

Rob


afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd-r_tools/ifoedit.cfm
is the full link

or you could go to
http://www.ifoedit.com/ screenshots there

[jazzbo]

I didn't even know there were televisions back in 1945. I thought they first came out around 1948 or so.

Well television certainly existed prior to 1945 -- NTSC was adopted in the early 40s, but set production was virtually halted during the war.

But my point was during the occupation -- which lasted through 1952 -- the US controlled as much as the rebuilding decisions as they could (and encouraged decisions which favored American corporations). I doubt there were that many Japanese watching TV even by 1952, but it is one of many things that is a hold over from that period.

[brucewayne]

ifo edit is a breeze. highly recommended

[sirdan57]

I've been trying to get an NTSC version of the Bruce Springsteen PAL DVD I got from a trade. I did not succeed. People had been asking if I was up for a trade - but I asked if the DVD was on PAL or NTSC. Well, believe it or not : no answers.

Even when told how to do it with DVDecrypter - there is a way of knowing whether a DVD is in PAL or NTSC with this software - that most traders use IMHO.

No answers. The process would take about a very loooooooooong 3 seconds. No. I don't know, it seems that people are lazy or something and don't want to bother unless they'll get the assurance of an easy trade with no questions.

But I have to know ! Is this so much to ask ? I live in N-America and even thought I have a player that can play both standards I'll get stuck with the PAL version. No one wants them here. I never did trade one.

I've decided to convert the DVD myself - not my first time - since I author my own stuff anyways. But asking if the Disc was in PAL or NTSC people don't want ot bother even thought I told them how to. I'm satisfied with the results and added a bonus track while I was at it.

Anyways, I thought I would get it off my chest. It seems that you are better served with yourself.http://www.thetradersden.org/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=4#
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Dan