Can NTSC mini dv cam export PAL tape to MAC/PC with firewire?
 

Hi all,

I'm sure that somewhere this questions has already been answered.

I'm in PAL country, but the TV's here are mostly multisystem, and VHS recorders are almost extinct. I plan to export my movies to DVD, so if PAL or NTSC does not really matter (correct me if I'm wrong).

Comparing prices, I can get the NTSC cam for half the price of the PAL version.

My only remaining issue is to know if I can export my PAL footage to my MAC, using the NTSC cam.

I appreciate any comments. Thanks.

No, an NTSC player can not play back a PAL tape.

Some Sony cameras, at least here in Japan, will play back PAL tapes on a TV, but as for exporting the footage I have never tried it. Since it's digital it should work if the camera will play it back but you definately won't be able to record PAL footage back to the camera.

I'd go with the PAL model if you are in a PAL country.

Hi again,

Thank you for your feedback. The thing is that the more I read and research, the more confusing it seems to get. On camcorderinfo.com, I found several posts saying that Sony NTSC cams can play PAL footage via firewire to the computer and back.

I wonder if that is true for all brands, namely Panasonic.

In Asia, namely Thailand, VHS and VCD are almost dead. Therefore all my finished stuff is to be exported to DVD. Here, as far as I could learn, is does not really matter whether the original stuff was NTSC or PAL, correct me if I'm wrong. By the way, I do not want to mix footage anyway between my old PAL and any new NTSC.

In terms of prices, I'm looking at the following (Thailand-PAL/US-NTSC)
Canon GL2 - $3250/$1500
Sony TRV950 - $2250/$1400
Panasonic DV953 - $1650/$900
Panasonic GS70 - $1250/$650

See what I mean. Hope someone can give me further advise. Thanks.

i can transfer the taped record by dvx100e via firewire by using the trv27 ntsc

Why not get PAL equipment from the USA? B&H sell PAL equipment, for example. Aren't prices in PAL Singapore (Cathay for example) as low as the US for video equipment? They were when I was there a couple of years ago.

Best,
Helen

Contrary to Jeff's assertion, you can indeed playback PAL tapes on a NTSC camera. Here are two recent posts on the Yahoo VX2K forum:

> I was with Mark P. today in RAINY ARIZONA - and he had an idea!!
> We linked a VX2k [PAL] to a PD150 [NTSC] via a firewire cable.
>
> I played a PAL tape on the VX2k which played perfectly on the LCD of the
> PD150 and recorded perfectly onto a tape on the PD150 too!!!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vx2k/message/22268

And later:

> When I stuck the PAL tape in the NTSC only PD150 it played fine. I
> have no PAL/NTSC setting in the menu. It shows up in Pauls VX but
> not in the US NTSC PD150. I changed no settings, just stuck in teh
> PAL tape and hit play.
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vx2k/message/22294


Please keep in mind that this is a playback only. There is no coversion of the signal. As mentioned, if you record on the NTSC machine from a PAL source, you record PAL.

I would think other cameras are similar, but don't know for certain.

Wayne Orr, SOC

Joao Oliveira, didn't you post this question before?No.No. Some of the Sony PAL cams can play back NTSC footage only. Perhaps some of the newer NTSC Sonys can play back PAL (the older ones couldn't, such as the TRV900), but this I don't know.