View Full Version : Will I need to convert to PAL?


Bob Bossart
August 31st, 2005, 11:35 AM
I have been asked to shorten-up a product demo which I shot, edited and delivered earlier here in the US.

The new version (AVI file has been requested) will be embedded into a Power Point presentation, carried across the POND in the clients laptop and become a 2 minute segment in his much larger "dog and pony show."

I don't know what the set-up is, but there must be a projector of some sort that the client plugs into. Doesn't it seem likely that an NTSC video file might be a problem in this situation? Client (an engineer) is quite confident that no conversion will be required.

Thanks-
Bob

Boyd Ostroff
August 31st, 2005, 12:21 PM
Just about every projector I've seen can take NTSC and PAL. More likely than not however they will be connecting to the laptop via VGA or DVI and that would completely avoid the issue.

Bob Bossart
August 31st, 2005, 12:46 PM
Great! The engineer was right then. I just didn't want to be the recipient of angry transatlantic call.

Thank you.

Boyd Ostroff
August 31st, 2005, 07:07 PM
Well "standard disclaimers apply".... don't blame me when the angry phone call comes! ;-)

Seriously, if the client says NTSC is fine then you should just make that very clear in your agreement (you DO have a written agreement... right :-) Of course the problem might arise if they want to repurpose the video later.

If so you can use the Natress standards converters (if using FCP) or DVFilm Atlantis for both PC's and Macs. I used it on some stuff that was shown on a 48' wide screen and it looked surprisingly good. Both programs have free demo versions and might not be bad to have in your toolbox.

I've also read that the newest version of Compressor for the Mac will do PAL/NTSC conversion.

Another good idea would be to get info on the specific model projector they're using and download its specs. That should set your mind at ease a little...