Are broadcast television color systems even relevant for DVD authoring today?
 

Hi, I have a pressing question. I have a DVD which I intend to market worldwide and was wondering if I need to encode it in different color systems like PAL and NTSC and SECAM for different regions worldwide. Isn't it true that almost all DVD players and televisions are multi-system these days, capable of automatically adjusting to the source colour system?

I'm looking to save some money by authoring it to one standard system (PAL) and going ahead with the worldwide distribution. Or would that lead to disastrous consequences?

Some advice would be most appreciated.

Generally, PAL players are more likely to be able to also play NTSC, so encoding in NTSC is the safer bet. Vice versa, finding an NTSC player that can play PAL tends to be the exception to the rule.

But in the long run you are probably saving time & money by taking the time to encode in each format.

Ali, love your tag line btw!!! So true...

Even when a player will play either PAL or NTSC, the TV to which it is attached is either one or the other. The player converts to the format that the TV supports. The resulting display in not as smooth as its native format. Converting frames per second (NTSC - 30, PAL - 25) and screen lines "hurts" the display quality. Since you describe your DVD as a commercial endeavor, it's appropriate to produce two versions.

You answered your own question when you said: Do you want your DVD to play on ALL players or only on 'most' of them?

No. While many (most?) PAL DVD players (in combination with agile TV sets) will convert NTSC to "PAL 60", even that is not a reliable thing to depend on across the planet.

And certainly, the number of customers in NTSC-land who can play native PAL DVDs is probably way less than 1% unless they play it on their computers, etc.

Recommended research:
PAL - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why not save yourselves the headache and time by doing both.....