NTSC HDR-FX1 plays PAL HDV
 

So, this is weird. I accidentally grabbed my FX1 instead of my Z1U to check a tape, and didn't realize because, lo and behold, it swapped over to PAL! It wasn't until I looked back at the camera that I was like, "Wait a minute...that's my HDR-FX1..." Checked it again, played it agian.

Huh?!

It had the 50i symbol in the corner.

So...my question is...which REALLY came first, the FX1, or the Z1U?

Hm...

This leads me to another question...

If the NTSC HDR-FX1 plays PAL...is it too much to assume that, though it wouldn't record PAL, the NTSC HVR-V1U would play PAL?

And if so, wouldn't that justify possibly trading a Z1U for a V1U (as I have a lot of PAL HDV footage) as I would love to have actual progressive HDV at 24p?

the problem is not to play, it is to shoot...
Since the VX2000 you can play NTSC over PAL and reverse.
But how did you get PAL tape if you camera is only able to play, not to record ?

Well, the reason I shoot PAL sometimes is so that I can achieve a framerate closer to 24fps (and then slow it down precisely to that speed).

So, obviously, I have been shooting in PAL for a year now to achieve that look, and would like to be able to still access my footage, and since I don't have a ton of money, I can't just buy an HVR-V1U.

BUT -- if the HVR-V1U can still access PAL footage, I have no need to continue to shoot PAL, obviously, because I could just shoot 24p.

Which, would be handy, because it would be an NTSC downconverted signal for viewing on monitors...

In which case, then, I would sell my HVR-Z1U and with that money purchase an HVR-V1U.

I would just check to make sure you can also view the footage on an external monitor and capture it over firewire. Lots of cameras can play it on their builtin screen but not over the analog outputs, and sending the data over firewire is even dicier.

FWIW, the FX1 was introduced several months before the Z1.

I captured a whole 11 minutes of PAL over the firewire.

I know the FX1 was introduced before the Z1U, but I'm wondering which was built first. It seems that the FX1 has a left over capability, not a hidden feature.

Works great for me, because now I can use my FX1 as a stand-alone deck as opposed to using my HVR-Z1U.

Sweet!!

I have HDR FX 1E (PAL) It doesn't play NTSC tapes.I tried already i don't maybe i'm doing something wrong.

It might not play DV tapes, HDV though is a different beast.
If you really need to play both R50 and R60 tapes why not buy a HDV VCR?
All of them playout both 50Hz and 60Hz HDV and SD as well, well the M15 sure does and it has a very smooth transport, plus it'll take the large shell tapes.

It did actually worked and you are right it plays HDV ntsc tapes

I used an FX1u (60i) to playback 50i footage to capture on my NLE. And fyi, it's no longer called NTSC and PAL, but 60i and 50i, because other than the frame rate, everything is now the same: frame size, color space, etc.

heath

So then, does the HVR-V1U play 50i tapes?

Yes; after my crew shot a music video last October on an early model V1u, I did some tests with the camera, including capturing an entire tape in 50i, to see if it could do it.

heath