converting PAL to NTSC at DVinfo.net

Brian Young · April 8th, 2003, 11:24 AM

OK I am pretty new to the whole process here.....I have shot most of my stuff on NTSC but was recently in Europe where I picked up PAL camera. Now I have no problem getting either of these sources onto my hard drive, but they will all be used for playback on NTSC, so what I'm wondering is so I just shrink the frame down from PAL size to NTSC or what? And what about the 25fps as opposed to the 30fps?

Also I'm a little confused as well...it seems that I have 2 conflicting Frame sizes for PAL.....one is 720x576 and the other is 768x576. Which one is the actual frame size. Sorry for my lack of knowlege on this subject, but any help would be great! :-)

Jeff Donald · April 8th, 2003, 02:16 PM

Are you using a Mac or a PC? What NLE are you using FCP, Premiere, Avid, Vegas and what version? Do you have After Effects?

Brian Young · April 8th, 2003, 04:26 PM

I'm using a Mac, I've got premiere 6.5 now but just ordered Final Cut yesterday, so I'll be using that once it arrives. I also have After Effects 5.5, but I am still learning my way around it.

Jeff Donald · April 9th, 2003, 05:54 AM

The fairly quick and easy way is to do it through QuickTime Pro. Import the PAL and when you export use NTSC. The conversion looks a little better going the other way, but I assume you need NTSC. A little better quality can be achieved using AE. The best way would be to have the footage professionally converted by a post house familiar with the process.

Conrad Williams · April 12th, 2003, 12:02 PM

If the product is not meant for a film blowup (no need for a slowdown), then use the Atlantis software at www.dvfilm.com. The results are great. I've used it in the past and gotten jobs just based on the footage quality. It deinterlaces your footage. If you want to keep interlaced, or if you need to do the 4% slowdown eventually, do it in After Effects. It's confusing, but bite the bullet and learn that crazy program. Check the Adobe forum, that's where I learned to do it.

John Jay · April 13th, 2003, 06:20 PM

canopus procoder

April 8th, 2003, 11:24 AM	#1
Brian Young New Boot Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: los angeles, California Posts: 11	converting PAL to NTSC OK I am pretty new to the whole process here.....I have shot most of my stuff on NTSC but was recently in Europe where I picked up PAL camera. Now I have no problem getting either of these sources onto my hard drive, but they will all be used for playback on NTSC, so what I'm wondering is so I just shrink the frame down from PAL size to NTSC or what? And what about the 25fps as opposed to the 30fps? Also I'm a little confused as well...it seems that I have 2 conflicting Frame sizes for PAL.....one is 720x576 and the other is 768x576. Which one is the actual frame size. Sorry for my lack of knowlege on this subject, but any help would be great! :-)

April 8th, 2003, 02:16 PM	#2
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Are you using a Mac or a PC? What NLE are you using FCP, Premiere, Avid, Vegas and what version? Do you have After Effects? __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 9th, 2003, 05:54 AM	#4
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	The fairly quick and easy way is to do it through QuickTime Pro. Import the PAL and when you export use NTSC. The conversion looks a little better going the other way, but I assume you need NTSC. A little better quality can be achieved using AE. The best way would be to have the footage professionally converted by a post house familiar with the process. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 13th, 2003, 06:20 PM	#6
John Jay Major Player Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: US & THEM Posts: 827	canopus procoder __________________ John Jay Beware *PLUGGER-BYTES*

April 8th, 2003, 04:26 PM	#3
Brian Young New Boot Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: los angeles, California Posts: 11	I'm using a Mac, I've got premiere 6.5 now but just ordered Final Cut yesterday, so I'll be using that once it arrives. I also have After Effects 5.5, but I am still learning my way around it.

April 12th, 2003, 12:02 PM	#5
Conrad Williams New Boot Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 10	If the product is not meant for a film blowup (no need for a slowdown), then use the Atlantis software at www.dvfilm.com. The results are great. I've used it in the past and gotten jobs just based on the footage quality. It deinterlaces your footage. If you want to keep interlaced, or if you need to do the 4% slowdown eventually, do it in After Effects. It's confusing, but bite the bullet and learn that crazy program. Check the Adobe forum, that's where I learned to do it.