Export - Europe
 

I am submitting a documentary to film festivals in Europe. I know how to make a DVD playable in all regions using DVD Studio Pro, but a friend mentioned that I need to convert the video to pal or it will look weird. I don't think this is accurate??? I shot the film in 24p 720 on a JVC HD100.

To make the DVD playable does it just depend upon the region settings?

Do I need to worry about converting the video to 25fps?

Thanks in advance!!!

Best,
Tommy

Your friend is right and you'll have to convert the file to a PAL format and create a PAL dvd so that it plays in Europe. The region setting is different than the file format. Hopefully someone else can recommend the best program for converting your final file into PAL. I do my conversion within Vegas but I know there are some stand alone conversion programs that offer better quality.

Ben

Adobe Encore DVD allows you to create NTSC and PAL DVD's.

Hi, this is true upto a point. Most DVD players today will play NTSC DVD's in all PAL land. But if you want to be safe you would convert the DVD to PAL.

The region settings have basicly noting to do with Pal nor Ntsc. The region settings is just a markeding-thing. So they can sell DVD's in different markeds around the world.

EiB.


Sorry for my spelling. not to good.

Personally I'd go with supplying NTSC DVD to Europe over a software standards conversion to PAL any day. As has already been said, most European DVD players will happily play back NTSC DVDs. It's not uncommon for people here in the UK releasing high budget DVDs to standards convert to NTSC (with HARDWARE such as Alchemist with PhC) and then create NTSC DVDs for sale worldwide - including Europe.

Did you edit in HD 720p 24? If so, Then do your conversion to PAL dvd from that to get the best results. 24p isn't so popular for Pal countries I gather since 25p doesn't look that different, and the required adjustment is optimal.
Not that I love the NTSC 3/2 pulldown that so many people here are gaga over...

Yes, absolutely Sean. I should have read the original post more carefully. If you finished at 24fps then a 4% speed increase for a PAL playout is the way to go. You can pitch shift the audio to compensate for the semi-tone increase in pitch or you can just leave it, depending on how much you think it matters. This is how films are TK'd to video masters in PAL land for DVD distribution anyway, of course. My points about NTSC mastering only apply to anyone who is working 29.97 or 30 fps, where the standards conversion to PAL and secondary disc creation is often not worth the effort.

so does that i means if i am in pal region countries...i can safely purchase a ntsc video camcorder and later edit and burnt a ntsc format dvd for my clients? I am in wedding business..

thanks
ys

You'd need to be careful shooting under fluorescents because of flicker. This can be solved by using a correct shutter speed like 1/100th sec. Having said that, the picture quality from PAL is better than NTSC and a standards conversion from PAL is a lot better than the other way around.

It depends on how much NTSC you shoot and is it enough to cover the cost of a second camera.

Different festivals have different delivery requirements. Some require film, others will accept tape. Some require PAL, some NTSC, and some either.

HD, of course is neither PAL nor NTSC and there are even some festivals that'll take a 720p quicktime movie.

There are no hard and fast rules. Check with each festival what their requirements are.

Good luck,

Liam.

why would you do that? NTSC-equipment is rare here, it requires 220V instead of 110V (when you would ever take it with you to a 110V country) and all equipment is more expensive here...

Better buy/shoot HD and choose the correct frame-rate for conversion to your audience preferred format...

Sorry, maybe I don't understand you. In the US we have NTSC and the standard is 110 or 120 volts for household items. 220 and 240 volts are used for large appliances such as air conditioners, clothes dryers, etc.

But honestly, it isn't an issue with modern electronic equipment such as televisions, computers, camcorders, DVD players. They all have electronic switching power supplies which automatically sense the voltage and frequency of the line power and can operate anywhere in the range of 100 to 240 volts between 50 and 60 hz.

There are certainly reasons why you might not want to buy an NTSC camera in a PAL country, but compatibility with world power standards isn't one of them. You should be able to use you gear in just about any country as long as you have an adaptor to allow it to fit the local wall outlet.

One of the reason i ask is ntsc comcorders are relatively much cheaper and also for new models ntsc ones are the one that is launched ahead of the pal ones. I needed a particluar new model for some assignments but the pal models will only be sold in a month of two, that is the reason why i am thinking of puchasing the NTSC version of it.

In PAL countries I wouldn't go near a NTSC camera unless shooting a production for a NTSC country. It's also short changing your PAL clients, they'll be expecting a high quality product and NTSC is decidedly inferior to PAL.

To be honest, for weddings you really just need a quality basic camera, not the very latest camera model.

Tommy,

If you want a glitch-free playback here in Europe you need to provide a PAL encoded DVD. Many DVD players say they can play NTSC formats, but do it very badly. I have seen very strange Aspect Ratios coming out of the NTSC DVD's upto not playing the DVD at all.
There's a good chance the playback will be so bad on the PAL DVD player that they don't show the video at all on the festival.

Procoder2 from Canopus does a great job in converting the footage from NTSC to PAL.

Marc