New Z1U owner - PAL and NTSC playback question at DVinfo.net

James Sarte · September 20th, 2005, 12:07 PM

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum, and new to the Z1U. I decided to buy this camera because my wife and I are thinking of moving back to Australia, which uses the PAL system. I was wondering if I the Z1U can play back PAL directly to a TV there, or vice versa. Would NTSC recordings be able to be viewed directly on TV via direct connection to the Z1U?

Thanks!

James

Boyd Ostroff · September 20th, 2005, 02:37 PM

Yes, the Z1 will behave like a PAL camcorder when you shoot in DV mode at 50i. If you switch to 60i it behaves like an NTSC camcorder. So yes it will playback PAL footage on a PAL TV and NTSC footage on an NTSC TV.

However it cannot convert formats, so if you shoot 50i and plug it into an NTSC TV it won't work (unless you have a multiformat TV, which would be rare here in the US).

James Sarte · September 20th, 2005, 02:57 PM

Thanks for the reply, that's good to know. The manual seems misleading though - under the section "Using your camcorder in another country", it states that when playing DV back, the camera must be connected to an NTSC compliant television. Typo then, I presume?

Thanks,

James

Boyd Ostroff · September 20th, 2005, 03:09 PM

Yes, I noticed that too and think it was some stock text mistakenly included in the Z1 manual. The exact same thing appears in my NTSC PDX-10 manual.

As usual, Sony's manuals leave a lot to be desired :-)

Giroud Francois · September 20th, 2005, 03:14 PM

no that is right.
The american model (U) output composite video only in NTSC, while the european model (E) output in PAL.
Both allows to shoot in 50 or 60i , and you can capture to computer, make a DVD for PAL or NTSC.
I think if you use DV, Y/C or Component output there no signal coding that involve PAL or NTSC spec (but only frame rate), while composite video has to provide a color burst and a carrier frequency that is defined differently in PAL and NTSC.
If you can deal for this, purchasing a U model can be really cheaper than a E model (check B&H, they probably propose both)

Boyd Ostroff · September 20th, 2005, 03:23 PM

Well there is a lot of confusion on this topic, but see the following thread which goes into more detail:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=45657

James Sarte · September 21st, 2005, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giroud Francois

no that is right.
I think if you use DV, Y/C or Component output there no signal coding that involve PAL or NTSC spec (but only frame rate), while composite video has to provide a color burst and a carrier frequency that is defined differently in PAL and NTSC.

I don't know if this means that S-Video indeed has capabilities to output PAL or NTSC, but I'll leave that to the more experienced to decipher. This is what it states in the specifications of the Z1U model under S VIDEO input/output:

Chrominance signal: 0.286 Vp-p (at Burst/NTSC), 0.3 Vp-p (at Burst/PAL), 75ohm, unblanaced.

James Sarte · September 21st, 2005, 10:25 AM

I decided to give Sony Professional Services a call this morning. I spoke to an engineer named Lou, who I suspect is in the NJ offices. I asked him about interoperability between PAL and NTSC direct playback.

Very simply: Lou told me that the camera will not transcode (this I know), but he did confirm that the unit can output both PAL and NTSC signals all around. This means all outputs, whether it be Component, Composite, S-Video, or i-Link.

So I guess this answers my questions.

P.S. If anyone wants to know the contact numbers for Sony's Professional Services division (including product info and tech support for all pro gear), please check this link: http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Broadcastan.../contact.shtml

September 20th, 2005, 12:07 PM	#1
James Sarte Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 71	New Z1U owner - PAL and NTSC playback question Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum, and new to the Z1U. I decided to buy this camera because my wife and I are thinking of moving back to Australia, which uses the PAL system. I was wondering if I the Z1U can play back PAL directly to a TV there, or vice versa. Would NTSC recordings be able to be viewed directly on TV via direct connection to the Z1U? Thanks! James

September 21st, 2005, 10:25 AM	#8
James Sarte Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 71	Official Clarification! I decided to give Sony Professional Services a call this morning. I spoke to an engineer named Lou, who I suspect is in the NJ offices. I asked him about interoperability between PAL and NTSC direct playback. Very simply: Lou told me that the camera will not transcode (this I know), but he did confirm that the unit can output both PAL and NTSC signals all around. This means all outputs, whether it be Component, Composite, S-Video, or i-Link. So I guess this answers my questions. P.S. If anyone wants to know the contact numbers for Sony's Professional Services division (including product info and tech support for all pro gear), please check this link: http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Broadcastan.../contact.shtml

September 20th, 2005, 02:37 PM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	Yes, the Z1 will behave like a PAL camcorder when you shoot in DV mode at 50i. If you switch to 60i it behaves like an NTSC camcorder. So yes it will playback PAL footage on a PAL TV and NTSC footage on an NTSC TV. However it cannot convert formats, so if you shoot 50i and plug it into an NTSC TV it won't work (unless you have a multiformat TV, which would be rare here in the US).

September 20th, 2005, 02:57 PM	#3
James Sarte Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 71	Thanks for the reply, that's good to know. The manual seems misleading though - under the section "Using your camcorder in another country", it states that when playing DV back, the camera must be connected to an NTSC compliant television. Typo then, I presume? Thanks, James

September 20th, 2005, 03:09 PM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	Yes, I noticed that too and think it was some stock text mistakenly included in the Z1 manual. The exact same thing appears in my NTSC PDX-10 manual. As usual, Sony's manuals leave a lot to be desired :-)

September 20th, 2005, 03:14 PM	#5
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	no that is right. The american model (U) output composite video only in NTSC, while the european model (E) output in PAL. Both allows to shoot in 50 or 60i , and you can capture to computer, make a DVD for PAL or NTSC. I think if you use DV, Y/C or Component output there no signal coding that involve PAL or NTSC spec (but only frame rate), while composite video has to provide a color burst and a carrier frequency that is defined differently in PAL and NTSC. If you can deal for this, purchasing a U model can be really cheaper than a E model (check B&H, they probably propose both)

September 20th, 2005, 03:23 PM	#6
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	Well there is a lot of confusion on this topic, but see the following thread which goes into more detail: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=45657