PAL-NTSC playback at DVinfo.net

Andreas Winkler · August 26th, 2004, 02:33 AM

I just wonder why my Panasonic PV-GS400 (NTSC) can not playback PAL recorded tapes? OK, not fully correct - actually it plays the tapes, but shows a red message on the LCD that it's unknown format or something like that. My friend's NTSC Sony cam (sorry, forgot the model name) can at least play back my older PAL miniDV tapes from Europe. Is it really such a big issue to integrate a PAL playback function in Panasonic cams?
How is it vice versa - does anyone have tested NTSC playback on a PAL cam?

Frank Granovski · August 26th, 2004, 05:18 PM

Some of the Sony PAL models could play back NTSC DV, but not convert it. My MX300 PAL cam can not play back NTSC. So this playback is a Sony thing, just as frame mode is a Pana thing.

Andreas Winkler · August 26th, 2004, 06:59 PM

But technically it should be not such a big problem to integrate a PAL playback function in a miniDV camcorder, as the tape speed and data rate is the same as NTSC, right!? Technically it's just a file to send to a firewire port. I don't need it displayed on the LCD wether any conversion is needed by me, I just want to copy some PAL tapes to my harddisk and edit them. The final outcome should be a PAL DVD then. Isn't there any hack or trick for the Panasonics to enable outputting PAL and NTSC?

Frank Granovski · August 26th, 2004, 07:35 PM

There are no "hacks" that I know of. You could always buy a very cheap/used PAL miniDV cam to solve this problem.

August 26th, 2004, 02:33 AM	#1
Andreas Winkler Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan Posts: 125	PAL-NTSC playback I just wonder why my Panasonic PV-GS400 (NTSC) can not playback PAL recorded tapes? OK, not fully correct - actually it plays the tapes, but shows a red message on the LCD that it's unknown format or something like that. My friend's NTSC Sony cam (sorry, forgot the model name) can at least play back my older PAL miniDV tapes from Europe. Is it really such a big issue to integrate a PAL playback function in Panasonic cams? How is it vice versa - does anyone have tested NTSC playback on a PAL cam?

August 26th, 2004, 05:18 PM	#2
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Some of the Sony PAL models could play back NTSC DV, but not convert it. My MX300 PAL cam can not play back NTSC. So this playback is a Sony thing, just as frame mode is a Pana thing.

August 26th, 2004, 06:59 PM	#3
Andreas Winkler Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan Posts: 125	But technically it should be not such a big problem to integrate a PAL playback function in a miniDV camcorder, as the tape speed and data rate is the same as NTSC, right!? Technically it's just a file to send to a firewire port. I don't need it displayed on the LCD wether any conversion is needed by me, I just want to copy some PAL tapes to my harddisk and edit them. The final outcome should be a PAL DVD then. Isn't there any hack or trick for the Panasonics to enable outputting PAL and NTSC?

August 26th, 2004, 07:35 PM	#4
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	There are no "hacks" that I know of. You could always buy a very cheap/used PAL miniDV cam to solve this problem.