play ntsc DVD-Rs in England? at DVinfo.net

Doug Bennett · July 31st, 2006, 06:34 PM

Will my client have any problem playing regular NTSC DVD-Rs in England?

Edward Troxel · July 31st, 2006, 06:57 PM

Generally speaking, they will play just fine.

Joe Barker · July 31st, 2006, 07:10 PM

It all depends on his player,some will, some won't.If he has a late model multi reaginal player,no problems.

Paul Doherty · July 31st, 2006, 11:49 PM

Yes as noted it will depend on the player. However many of the DVD players sold in Europe will play both PAL and NTSC so there is a good chance it will be OK.

I know one UK retailer who sells special interest DVDs and they include at least one NTSC title which customers are free to return if it doesn't work on their machine, and they haven't had many returns.

So there's a good chance of success, but it's not guaranteed.

Dan Burnap · August 1st, 2006, 06:56 AM

Unless I'm mistaken it will depend on both the DVD player and the TV. Both must be NTSC compatible otherwise you risk getting a monochrome picture or no picture at all!

As mentioned, most new players and TVs can handle both signals but if it's a critical situation I would either check or take two formats (if possible).

Playing DVD+-R's isnt usually a problem for most players unless they are very old.

Paul Doherty · August 2nd, 2006, 10:10 AM

Dan, I've got 3 UK bought DVD players hooked up to a PAL TV. 2 of them play NTSC DVDs just fine, the other (using the same TV) plays in B+W.

I'm not certain on this, but I think the TV will only be a factor in a minority of cases (ie if it's a set with limited capabilities). Hopefully someone can confirm the exact position.

Waldemar Winkler · August 4th, 2006, 06:35 PM

NTSC DVD's play fine on PAL players, so long as a region code is not attached to the production code of a burned DVD. My daughter had no problem playing home DVD videos on set top DVD players when she was studying in New Zeland, and most commentary I have read on this subject on several forums supports this commentary.

However, the reverse is not true. DVD's burned in PAL will not play on NTSC players. I do not know the reason, but suspect it has to do with the inherent higher resolution of PAL.

Paul Doherty · August 5th, 2006, 12:56 AM

Waldemar, it is not the case that all UK PAL DVD players will play NTSC DVDs. Many will, but a minority won't.

The original question was about NTSC in the UK. If your daughter had 100% success in New Zealand I suspect that may be because they are in the Pacific, so it's much better for them to have dual standard players.

N American DVD players don't support PAL discs because it's a larger, more insular market with minimal demand for PAL discs.

Region coding is a separate issue altogether. Some DVD players sold in the UK will play discs from any region, but many won't.

July 31st, 2006, 06:34 PM	#1
Doug Bennett Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NYC Posts: 260	play ntsc DVD-Rs in England? Will my client have any problem playing regular NTSC DVD-Rs in England?

July 31st, 2006, 06:57 PM	#2
Edward Troxel Sponsor: JET DV Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 7,953	Generally speaking, they will play just fine. __________________ Edward Troxel [SCVU] JETDV Scripts/Scripting Tutorials/Excalibur/Montage Magic/Newsletters

August 4th, 2006, 06:35 PM	#7
Waldemar Winkler Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Durango, Colorado, USA Posts: 711	NTSC DVD's play fine on PAL players, so long as a region code is not attached to the production code of a burned DVD. My daughter had no problem playing home DVD videos on set top DVD players when she was studying in New Zeland, and most commentary I have read on this subject on several forums supports this commentary. However, the reverse is not true. DVD's burned in PAL will not play on NTSC players. I do not know the reason, but suspect it has to do with the inherent higher resolution of PAL. __________________ Waldemar

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July 31st, 2006, 07:10 PM	#3
Joe Barker Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Perth WA Australia Posts: 124	It all depends on his player,some will, some won't.If he has a late model multi reaginal player,no problems.

July 31st, 2006, 11:49 PM	#4
Paul Doherty Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sherburn, England Posts: 136	Yes as noted it will depend on the player. However many of the DVD players sold in Europe will play both PAL and NTSC so there is a good chance it will be OK. I know one UK retailer who sells special interest DVDs and they include at least one NTSC title which customers are free to return if it doesn't work on their machine, and they haven't had many returns. So there's a good chance of success, but it's not guaranteed.

August 1st, 2006, 06:56 AM	#5
Dan Burnap Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 335	Unless I'm mistaken it will depend on both the DVD player and the TV. Both must be NTSC compatible otherwise you risk getting a monochrome picture or no picture at all! As mentioned, most new players and TVs can handle both signals but if it's a critical situation I would either check or take two formats (if possible). Playing DVD+-R's isnt usually a problem for most players unless they are very old.

August 2nd, 2006, 10:10 AM	#6
Paul Doherty Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sherburn, England Posts: 136	Dan, I've got 3 UK bought DVD players hooked up to a PAL TV. 2 of them play NTSC DVDs just fine, the other (using the same TV) plays in B+W. I'm not certain on this, but I think the TV will only be a factor in a minority of cases (ie if it's a set with limited capabilities). Hopefully someone can confirm the exact position.

August 5th, 2006, 12:56 AM	#8
Paul Doherty Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sherburn, England Posts: 136	Waldemar, it is not the case that all UK PAL DVD players will play NTSC DVDs. Many will, but a minority won't. The original question was about NTSC in the UK. If your daughter had 100% success in New Zealand I suspect that may be because they are in the Pacific, so it's much better for them to have dual standard players. N American DVD players don't support PAL discs because it's a larger, more insular market with minimal demand for PAL discs. Region coding is a separate issue altogether. Some DVD players sold in the UK will play discs from any region, but many won't.