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Thread: Archive through October 03, 2004 |
    
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| Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 04:35 am: |
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Hi!
I need some help, regarding the NTSC - Pal formats.
I consider buying a mini DV cam (something like Sony's DCR PC 9/5). I want to buy it in USA, but I will use it mostly in Europe (Pal countries). Will I have any problems viewing the rushes on Pal TV, when played from the camera? Can I hook the camera to a Pal VCR? Will I able to do editing on a PC used in Europe?
Thanks |
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Relevant Product Info
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Mitch |
| Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2002 - 02:16 pm: |
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Your editing suite should will be able to edit in both forms, but if you tried to run your camera through the wrong vcr or tv you will most likley have problems. I think. |
Keimo Alavursti |
| Posted on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 02:46 am: |
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hi,
You will have a problem with older TV's in europe, they can not show ntsc format, but then again most of modern tv's have ntsc capability, but if you want to record on VHS, you will need a VCRQ that can play ntsc, otherwise you will get black&white picture and the picture will "spin", since ntsc is 60Hz and pal is 50Hz so they are not compatible. Then again, there are "boxes" which convert pal to ntsc and the other way around. Hope this helps. Oh yes, PC won't give you any trouble, doesn't care weather it is PAL or NTSC. |
Anonymous |
| Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2003 - 11:46 pm: |
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Hi! Guys,
Today i went to Bestbuy.The sales guy said you could record in any format by setting some switch on the camcorder. So, i tried to look setting but i could not find any. When i asked him, he said he would find out and never came back. So i came home.
Is it true that you can record any format. Are there any camcorders like that. |
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| Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 09:13 pm: |
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No you may not record in any format on cameras bought in U.S. yet, only NTSC. When asked why we didn't carry NTCS/PAL camcorders at my company we were told that it is currently not legal in the U.S. and I haven't found anything to dispute that yet. In looking for dual mode camcorders I have only found one or the other. Good luck finding knowledgable or helpfull salesmen at BestBuy. |
Sony Fan |
| Posted on Sunday, July 20, 2003 - 12:34 am: |
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Hi,
Additional to that, I have a question, can we use the PAL-Mini-DV tape on NTSC-Camcoder, what will be the result like ?
I like to try that out, just like to get some ideas and suggestions before I going to do that ! |
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| Posted on Monday, August 18, 2003 - 07:04 pm: |
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It is not illegal to sell PAL camcorders in the US! The problem might be that the brand doesn't allow it, which is why there is a grey market.
A DV tape is a DV tape, is a DV tape. No diff.
I have not seen a single dual system camcorder on the market, and I would not expect to see one either. There are two main differences between NTSC and PAL; Sample size 720x480(NTSC) vs. 720x576(PAL) and timebase 30fps(NTSC) vs. 25fps(PAL)
I would go for the PAL model!
Here's a great technical resource on DV: http://www.adamwilt.com/DV-tech.html |
Tony |
| Posted on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 04:35 pm: |
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Hey Anyone,
okay, i bought some dv tapes in Denmark when i was there recently, used a camera that i borrowed from a friend in Italy and everything went smoothly. then i got back to the states and tried to play back the tape but it looked shitty. Question: i hear a dv tape is a dv tape...does it change only when recorded on, so it doesn't matter where you buy the tapes, only what kind of camera you have? then another question: If i got an NTSC camera, cause i am in the states, is there a converter i could get to playback PAL dv tapes, a separate editing device, or is there no way i can see these tapes from Denmark? Sorry about the lenght but some of you guys seem really knowledgable. Thanks! |
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| Posted on Sunday, October 05, 2003 - 01:17 am: |
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I have just bought a new mini dv cam I recorded some video and it played back fine then I changed tapes to record a wedding and it won't play back. I can speed it up to 2X and get a somewhat garbled picture, but at normal speed I just get a blue screen. Both tapes were brand new sony tapes. what could be the problem? |
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Kc |
| Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 09:11 am: |
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Hi,
i'm just new to my DV, its a Sony DCR-TRV16E. my camera allows for both NTSC and PAL modes. After reading up on it, i was lead to believe that using PAL and recording in SP mode would acheive the best quality video. It looks decent on the TV, but if i try to capture in on my pc using USB streaming, i find the quality to be hopeless, and even worse since i began using the PAL and SP combination (previously i was using NTSC in LP mode). It has become very blocky.
I am using ULead Visual Studio7 and PIXELA ImageMaker Software for capturing. I even capture at their best quality modes.
Is it the software that is giving me the crappy video? am i using the wrong modes? What should i do?
If anyone can help me it is much appreciated!
Thanx for reading. |
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| Posted on Monday, November 03, 2003 - 05:40 pm: |
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Hi,
Can anybody guide me that if I am buying a mini dv based sony cam coder. will it work in INDIA?
Pls. reply on my mail id.
Thanks |
Anonymous |
| Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2003 - 02:02 am: |
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RE: Kc Well I have the DV Sony DCR TRV16E and for what I know up to now I can only record in PAL but I can play back in my mini DV camera an NTSC video recorded from another camera. I have tried several methods in Transferring my PAL to NTSC videos and the best results are doing as follows: First, I download my videos to the computer using Fire wire card & cable (I.link) instead of USB the pixela software works better with that and you get very good video quality. Even Better quality using Windows Movie Maker that comes with Win XP Professional( saving it as AVI). This files take a lot of space on hard drive usually + or – 4 Gb for 20 min Video. Then I open them with Adobe Premier (Video editing software) and export them to a folder as NTSC AVI format using the original settings configuration. With my computer it takes about 1 hour and 15 min to transform the 20 min AVI video from PAL to NTSC. Also the video looses quality when doing this but is the best I have achieved. Then you can put your videos in to VCDS (Low to medium quality), SVCDs (better quality) or burn them into a DVD. If you need very high quality video conversion the best ting would be to save the PAL AVI Videos on to a DVD and sending the DVD to a professional video editing company to convert it. You can find competitive prices over the Internet and by sending the DVD by mail.
Please If anybody knows a better method to convert DV AVI PAL to NTSC please post it because I think that many people are in the same shoe. Thanks ! |
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| Posted on Wednesday, December 03, 2003 - 11:13 pm: |
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I just read the post by Anonymous regarding the Pal DV to NTSC conversion using Adobe premiere which I have. How does it know to save it in NTSC format? Do you selct this or do you have to use special settings? I guess I am asking if the conversion process happens auotmatically in Adobe or I have to use some special settings. |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 01:25 pm: |
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THis posting is to address the question by Anonymous & Michael Herman. As for converting PAL avi file to NTSC DVD, use the software TMPGEnc (Tsunami MPEG encoder) program. This would take a PAL avi file for input and produce NTSC mpg file auitable for DVD production. Once you create the mpg file any DVD authoring program can help create the DVD.
As for using Adobe Premiere to save in NTSC format. As you start a new project this selection is part of initial setting. You can also select the project properties and review this setting.
If you have further questions re this please email me.
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Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Monday, January 12, 2004 - 05:50 am: |
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I live in Australia and you can only get Pal system video cameras, but I want to buy one that can record on NTSC format as I have family in america and I would like to send my kid's videos for them to watch.
Can anybody recommend something?
Can NSTC playback on Pal TV video camera record NTSC or not?
I need all the help you can provide |
MarianoL Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 03:26 pm: |
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anonymous said:
<i>"I have tried several methods in Transferring my PAL to NTSC videos ...."<i>
For the best of my knowledge, you are doing the right (<b>and Chaper<b>) way. But you can achieve better results if you convert the avi file with adobe after efects, its rendering engine is much better than the one that comes with Premiere, so you can achieve better results.
But if you are going to do this frecuently you will be happier buying a PAL to NTSC or NTSC to PAL Transcoder (you can find them on the net ranging from $300 to $35,000) |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 04:56 am: |
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Hi!I am in India and got Pinnacle studio Version 8 for DV editing from US.This recognises only NTSC as it was brought from North America.
Now I realise that there is a European Version which I should have brought but its too late.
What are the alternatives you can suggest. what is the cheapest s/w to convert PAL videos to NTSC
regards
jagmohan |
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| Posted on Monday, February 02, 2004 - 07:38 am: |
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hello, my friend from Canada wants to send me a mini DV to watch,i guess NTSC format, can i play it on my mini DV from Europe? PLEASE LET ME KNOW before he sends it to me. Thanks. |
New member Username: Gnsanz
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2004
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| Posted on Monday, February 02, 2004 - 06:14 pm: |
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Hi everybody! I'm a guy from Spain, and I would like to buy a panasonic dv953 in the us this summer. It doesn't matter if it's NTSC format, since I have Adobe Premiere and can edit in both formats (PAL & NTSC).
The only thing I'm not sure of is if the camcorder will work with mini dv tapes from Europe, or just with the U.S ones, cause that would be a problem.
Thanks |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2004 - 05:29 pm: |
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Hi there - hope this doesn't seem like too dumb a question..
I'm currently sharing my time pretty evenly between the US and the UK, and my employer has requested that I begin shooting a travelogue on MiniDV in both countries, uploading edited clips to a website and eventually producing a DVD of the final footage. I'll be using either Adobe or FinalCut to edit. My budget for the camera is around $800.
Can anyone recommend a camera which fits the bill?
Should I purchase an NTSC or PAL camera? Does it make a difference when the footage is being uploaded to a laptop anyway?
Will blank DV tapes purchased in either country be compatible with cameras in either country?
Do I sound embarrasingly clueless?
Any help would be appreciated folks (apart from the last query which should remain rhetorical..)
Thanks,
David |
David Nicholson Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Tuesday, February 03, 2004 - 05:40 pm: |
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Me again - scratch the question about the tapes compatibility - just read back the posts and saw the entry: a Dv tape is a DV tape etc.
One thing though - are most camera power packs dual voltage (ie both 110V and 240V compatible?)
Thanks again,
David |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Friday, February 06, 2004 - 08:52 pm: |
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Dear Friends..
I'm from Jordan and as u all know we use the PAL system. Currently I'm in USA and I want to buy a camcorder taking into consideration the system differences. Most TVs sold in my country are multisystem and they support the NTSC system as well as the VCRs. In this case u have 2 options: 1. to buy any camcorder and then when u need to watch the recorded tape, simply switch the TV color system into NTSC or (which is the best)
2. to buy a camcorder the supports both systems and I'm sure that u will find one. I have Nikon coolpix 4500 digital camera and the video option in it supports both systems: PAL & NTSC and when u record, u need to switch one of the systems on. |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Monday, February 09, 2004 - 05:36 pm: |
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Dear Friends,
I have a Digital Handycam DCR-TRV17E PAL. I would like to record what I have on my Mini DV on a DVD. I did some try but unfortunately I am not able to get the same quality of image as I have on my DV. What kind of support should I use to get the same high quality.
I would really appreciate some advise.
Thanks,
Denis |
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| Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 02:21 am: |
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Hello,
I have a PAL PD150 camcorder, but I wanted to buy a cheaper camcorder to use as a deck to reduce the wear on my PD150. I'd like this to be some sort of Sony NTSC camcorder if possible. Will I be able to capture PAL tapes from an NTSC camcorder? I know DV tape isn't inherently PAL or NTSC, but I can't just assume it will work. |
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| Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 04:44 pm: |
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hi anyone !!
i have one problem :-) i bought the Sony DCR-TRV16e and this dv cam has only a DVOUT but no dv in ! so its possible to capture the video to the computer but i cant send it back to my dv cam.
someone told me that its possible to change the dv out to dv in with a little program ....
its not legal to do that but i am interessted in doing that so if someone knows a program crack ore somthing like that i can use so please tell me :-) |
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| Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2004 - 09:03 am: |
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Hi every one,
I have a Digital Handycam DCR-TRV17E. I had tried recording images direct from the television using the supplied a/v connecting cable, couldn't record. I purchased the optional s cable for recording, still I did not succeed. Can some someone offer any help.
Finally how do I transfer images to the computer using windows XP operating system?
okey mike |
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| Posted on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 07:39 am: |
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Hello,
I am planning to buy a Sony TRV22E, so it is a PAL miniDV. Next I want to playback recordings of this machine on some TV in Japan. As I don't know whether that TV or the connected VCR, is multi-system, I was wondering whether the following solution would work;
1) Capture the video on a PC in Japan using a Firewire card,
2) Convert the AVI files (PAL) into AVI files (NTSC) by using one of the programs listed in in the threads before(Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects or TMPGEnc),
3) Record the AVI files (NTSC) onto a new MiniDV tape using my PAL MiniDV camcorder (using its Video-in),
4) Playback the NTSC tape on a Japanese NTSC TV, using the PAL camcorder.
The question is; are steps 3 and 4 possible / does this work??
Would be very glad with your answer,
Cor |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Wednesday, March 03, 2004 - 08:44 am: |
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i have a sony DCR TRV33 NTSC handycam brought in the USA. Currently i am in india where the system used is the PAL one. Is it possible to transfer the PAL VCR tapes using the handycam to the computer ie. to a digital format ? Am trying this, as the this handycam has that facility to transfer analogue to a digital signal ! Have tried it and only the sound goes through, but not the picture ! Can somebody please help ? Sorry fr the long question ! |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Thursday, March 04, 2004 - 10:55 am: |
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I recorded a tape on an 8mm tape and on tranferring to vhs tape using ntsc format 3hrs would not fit on a 3 hour vhs tape why? |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 04:14 am: |
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Ok,
lets sort this out
NTSC and PAL are different video standards (you with me so far) for two main reasons
they use different FRAME RATES (PAL=25 frames Per second, NTSC=29.97 fps)
they also have a different resolution (think of it in terms of pixels per inch, or horizontal lines on the screen)
NTSC is generally agreed to be of lesser quality than PAL in absolute terms, but if you're shooting for North America it's far better to shoot NTSC than convert it later.
Why do we lose quality on conversion -
due to the fact that these standards are different frame rates and different resolutions, any device offering to 'transcode' (switch a signal) between the two standards has to "guess" at what is going in between the missing frames and fill in the lines lost in resolution.
Any DV, VHS or other video tape is blank until we record onto it and has no kind of frame rate setting in built. When we have recorded, say, some PAL footage onto the first half we can add NTSC after that, but unless you have a Multi-Format VCR you can't switch between the two. Even after you have recorded stuff, you can demagnetise (erase) the tape and start again in any system you like.
What no domestic machine can do well is transcode (switch systems from NTSC to PAL or otherwise). This is done best by professionals who charge for the use of their equipment by the length of footage you want changed. You can get VCRs by plenty of companies which will offer to change systems, but they aren't good quality (good enough for family home videos but NOT recommended for submissions to Film Schools!)
Some DV decks (sony DSR-11, DSR-25) will record in either NTSC or PAL, but not convert between the two.
As for getting High Quality video into you computer, if you shoot in DV you have to do this over FireWire, then you will get true DV quality. Software which does this (and is free) - MovieMaker or Avid Free for windows, iMovie for Mac. To convert ANalogue (svhs or composite) video to DV you can get little import boxes such as the Formac Studio TVR
NTSC video tapes have to be longer than PAL as they have a faster frame rate (29.97 frames per second gets through 2m of tape per minute rather than 1.42 for PAL - or something like that).
If you're interested I shoot in PAL on Canon cameras (only) and edit on a Mac in Final Cut Pro, before burning to DVD (region free, but PAL system) and the quality is fantastic)
Chris |
James C Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Thursday, March 11, 2004 - 08:13 pm: |
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Hello all,
Just surfed into this forum... Most of my questions have already been answered by Chris C's highly informative post. Thanks Chris!
So, I now have a grasp of the PAL/NTSC video standards. My 'predicament':
I live in the UK, I will be shooting in the UK, editing in the UK, viewing in the UK...
As far as I can see, camcorders are much cheaper in the USA + the £ is strong at the moment.
I have two options: I either buy a Panasonic MX953 (NTSC) from the states -a great 3-chip camcorder…
Or I buy an inferior 1-chip camcorder from the UK (for the same money) -this would be PAL.
All I want to be able to do with my footage is, edit it on my PC and burn to DVD for me and my friends.
I have been told that most modern UK DVD players will play NTSC DVDs (poor quality???)
So… do I get the better NTSC camcorder, or an inferior (1-Chip) PAL camcorder? I.e. do I trade in the better video standard for a better camera or vice versa??
Thanks in anticipation.
James Covell
Newcastle upon Tyne
England |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Sunday, March 14, 2004 - 05:39 pm: |
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whats the best software to convert PAL to NTSC for a mac? Could someone tell me. It needs to be converted from MiniDV (edited using Imovie) to DVD or miniDV(NTSC). I don't want to convert to quicktime first or avi etc as this reduces the quality. Many Regards if you could tell me.
PS: most cameras seem to be dual now.
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AndrewUK Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - 10:22 am: |
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This U.S site sells imported PAL camcorders back to the U.K at prices less than if you bought them
in the U.K.
Rip off Britain?
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AndrewUK Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - 10:26 am: |
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Sorry the site is:
http://www.digitalfotoclub.com/sc/main_item.asp?id=964589419 |
Jersey Boy Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 12:06 pm: |
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Hello All,
I bought a PAL DV system from the USA for my relatives in India. When I was there I recorded 6 dv's for me to bring back to the states. the dv's don't work in the NTSC DV system. Can anyone recommend me a place or a URL I can go to so I can view them at home here in the USA |
New member Username: Shdwsclan
Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 10:25 pm: |
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These are the basics of NTSC Vs Pal
NTSC is a better format, better researched and a very good aspect ratio. Pixel size is .9 .
It is a waste of money buying a PAL DV cam.
NTSC will play on older PAL TVs in B/W.
NTSC will play on really old PAL/SECAM in color because of the closeness between SECAM/NTSC.
NTSC will play in color on newer/more moderne PAL tv/vcr because of a revelation called PAL60/NTSCM which adjusts the color carrier from 3.58to4.43. NTSCM is the new standard and new tvs sold in US and Japan can carry both carriers but not the PAL50 which is the classic.
Bottom line, in Europe, if your in a hotel, and you dont have a carrier adjuster, you will get B\W picture from a RCA/SVIDEO/COAX source.
You do not need an expensive converter because EURO TVs can compensate, but you need a color carrier atunuator to adjust the color carrier between 3hz and 5hz. |
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| Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 05:36 pm: |
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I guess there are too many questions on NTSC/PAL. Let me ask a few more.
I am planning to buy a miniDV camcorder (Sony or Canon, any suggestion as to which is better is welcome) in US which will be NTSC. Now can I do the following??
1. Record in US or elsewhere, be it NTSC, Transfer to PC thro' firewire and burn in CD-R or DVD-R. (I am assuming that camcorders come with the required software).
2. Does the software allow transfering in any format?
3. Can I still connect my PC to TV (S-video) and watch from the CD/DVD drive regardless of the format in the PC?
I will stop for now. Thanks for info.
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Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 09:19 am: |
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Hi all.
Thanks for all the info here. But I am still stuck on one problem.
I just got back to the UK with some video footage taken in the US with a (presumably) NTSC DV camcorder on miniDV tapes.
When I try to play them back on my own JVC camcorder, which is PAL, the footage seems to be garbled. I am make out that it has the footage on it, but the it is very distorted.
I have tried using a Firewire connection to grab the footage to the Mac and see if I can do conversion there, but no luck.
Any ideas, suggestions? Please help.
Edward |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 07:01 pm: |
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I've already learned a LOT from reading the info. here, but thought I'd pose my question, anyway. I have an AvidXpressDV editing system (but haven't learned it yet), we just got the computers, and are now deciding on the camera. We're setting up our own little prod. studio, and can spend up to approx. $6000 (at the high end) for a camcorder. I can't decide between PAL or NTSC. We live in the US, and want to shoot videos to stream (VOD) onto a website, and I'm getting ready to shoot a small documentary for submission to videofests. I'm leaning toward the JVC5000, and my partner likes the Canon in PAL format. Please HELP. BTW, thanx so much for all the information already given.
Chandra |
Dish Network Satellite Direct TV Directv reviewed Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 12:05 am: |
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Dish Network Satellite Direct TV Directv reviewed
http://www.geocities.com/free_satellite_tv_dish_system/ |
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| Posted on Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 06:11 pm: |
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Hi, My humble question to James Covell (as I amin the same situation ) Have you got any answer to your questions?
Thanks in advance for the info
mm |
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| Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 01:49 am: |
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Hi, I am wondering if someone could help me in with regards to trying to record back from my PC to my Sony Handycam. I am currently trying to record back a movie that I have edited in Image Mixer and I would like to record it back onto my Sony DCRTRV-22e handycam - Can I do this?? If so, can someone help me out with some instructions.
Regards
Nuffy |
funwithstuff Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 10:43 am: |
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For those of you who have a choice between NTSC and PAL, make sure you'll have a native format playback mechanism when you come to edit it, whatever you choose. Some Sony PAL camcorders will play back NTSC tapes, but if you can't get the DV master back onto tape, that's a problem.
If you're aiming for higher image resolution, choose PAL: 576 vs 480 vertical resolution. Frame rate (25 vs 29.97) is not a big perceived difference to the eye.
If you're aiming for film-look, choose PAL, and a camcorder that can shoot progressive. Note that recent Sony models that shoot progressive scan cannot use their widescreen mode simultaneously.
If you're shooting widescreen, get a camcorder that shoots it natively (ie. anamorphic). Late model Sony and Canon both do, but only Sony shows you the anamorphic video corrected in the viewfinder/LCD. Be careful: many models either crop the CCD output and stretch to tape, or worse, just record matted (black bar) widescreen. You want a wide CCD or an adapter lens if possible.
NTSC is not a "better standard". It's an older standard. Some people like to refer to it as "Never The Same Colour". The frame rate difference between PAL and NTSC is historical, for reasons related to the phase of the electricity (50Hz/60Hz).
Some more techy info: http://www.vtpcorp.com/htm/infoctr.htm |
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| Posted on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 08:01 pm: |
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hiiee guys.. im from india and am currently in usa... i bought a sony trv 19-a mini dv camcorder from circuit city and recorded some stuff... it is now not being converted in india onto a vcd.. do u have any suggestions on wat i can do? the camera was bought a month ago... do u think circuit city can help me out with this..?? pls leme know.. |
Silver Member Username: Project6
Post Number: 448
Registered: Dec-03
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| Posted on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 09:31 pm: |
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you have to first download the movie to the pc, then convert to mpeg2 so you can transfer it to a vcd |
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| Posted on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 01:00 pm: |
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Hello guys.. it seems that PAL will give more advantage on quality. Anyhow I got some difficult situation to choose between PAL/NTSC. I am now considering to buy Panasonic PV-GS15 (NTSC) and NV-GS15 (PAL).
http://www.panasonic.ca/English/audiovideo/video/palmcorder/PVGS15.asp
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/camcorders/nvgs15b/index.htm
The main problem is NTSC version has COLOR viewfinder while PAL version equipped with B/W viewfinder.
Actually I live in country which PAL is standard. But I would like to buy this camera to collect my holiday days. It is my intention to use firewire to digitally capture to my pc, and burn it into "VCD" disc and "MPEG I" files.
So, does NTSC camera will give me any lower quality on normal VCD or MPEG I file? or PAL camera will give better resolution?
Because both "color viewfinder" and "movie quality" have same wieght to my decision.
The reason that I am not going for another model is 24x optical zoom and I like this camera's handling feels.
Thks a lot for your comment ^o^ |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 05:25 am: |
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Hi to All,
I'm recently at the US while I live in Jordan (PAL Country). I want to buy the new Sony DCR-HC20E (PAL) or DCR-HC20 (NTSC). the only deference between them is the CCD 1/6". The DCR-HC20 Effective Video Pixel is 340.000 while the DCR-HC20E is 400.000. Does anyone knows whether this deference really affect video quality and worth around 150$ extra cost on PAL version? at the end all video tapes will be burned on DVD |
BarbeCrew Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 10:54 am: |
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Whew, this is the oldest active forum thread I've ever seen (started in 2001!). The PAL vs NTSC discussions never seem to come to an end (much like the global GSM vs the US CDMA mobile phone discussions). Why can't the whole world just agree on one standard, namely the best?? ;) Anyway I'm going to add another spin.
As far as I'm informed most European Sony DV models and a few other brands can only PLAY BACK NTSC DV tapes (and so can the Digital 8 ones). With very few (and very expensive) exceptions, the US models can't play back PAL. BTW if the camcorder can or cannot handle PAL plus NTSC has nothing with those obscure firmware settings in the cam (as often believed). The video head and the camcorder software need to be engineered for both standards in a first place. There's no way of 'hacking' the cam to a different standard. You might want to keep that in mind when choosing the
right model. As for recording footage through the CCD, I haven't heard of any DV camcorder that can do both standards. Except maybe the NTSC ones that also do 24fps progressive (although that's more like film not PAL video).
I've heard of an A/V capture card that captures NTSC tapes played back from a PAL camcorder by switching the card to PAL-M (the Brazilian standard) at the input stage. PAL-M also runs at 60 fps so it is actually closer to NTSC than to PAL.
The problem I've noticed with most simple PAL-NTSC conversions is either that the picture is clear but jerky when converting interlaced or on the other hand the flow is smooth but the picture is distorted when the material has been de-interlaced beforehand.
There is a neat little proggie that delivers smooth motion and clear picture conversions by using intelligent algorithms and interpolations. It's called Dynapel Motion Perfect. The results are very good for that price - much better anyway than simple resizing and re-rendering in Premiere or Vegas (which gives me a headache watching for more than a minute).
My humble setup is a bit like 'best of both worlds'. I also regularly exchange DV tapes with mates in the US. My main cam is a PAL JVC and then I found a cheap used NTSC Sony on Ebay which I only use as a digital DV recorder to play back and cut NTSC tapes. I do all my footage with the PAL JVC, edit and render with Vegas, convert to NTSC in Motion Perfect and bounce it to NTSC tape on the Sony. Like this I have high quality versions in both standards. BTW the quality is much better when converting PAL to NTSC than the other way around.
peace |
New member Username: Andreijar
Bucharest,
Romania
Romania
Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-04
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| Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 05:54 pm: |
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Everybody thinks that a 720x576(pal)video image looks better than a 720X480(ntsc)video image always looks ,better ,sharper.I am talking now about images obtained with digital camcorders wich all can not provide more than 520-530of real horisontal resolution no matter if they are pal or ntsc.BUT THINK AGAIN! .In order to obtain a 576 horisontal lines image for a pal format ,an amount of 46-76 blank horisontal lines are added in order to reach 576 from the 500/520/530 real lines recorderd by the cam.For an ntsc video file format 20-50 lines are taken out to obtain a 480 horisontal resolution(all of thiese are read from a HI-Tech magazine).RESULT:THE NTSC IMAGE MIGHT HAVE ONLY 480 LINES BUT IT HAS MORE DENSITY AND LOOKS SHARPER THAN THE THE 576 PAL IMAGE WICH IS DILUTED BY THOSE ADDED BLANK LINES,BECAUSE THOSE ONLY 480 LINES ARE ALL REAL.I have noticed this comparing different pal and ntsc video files(pal dvd-ntsc dvd,pal mpg2-ntsc mpg2,avi pal-avi ntsc...)edited with ulead sistem software and shot with the same camcorder,viewing them on a high resolution computer monitor.BELIVE ME OR BELIVE ME NOT.Just don't overapreaciate Pal when talking about digital camcorders,at least not until these machines will be able to deliver more than 576 horisontals. |
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| Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 03:46 pm: |
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[QUOTE]I am talking now about images obtained with digital camcorders wich all can not provide more than 520-530of real horisontal resolution no matter if they are pal or ntsc.[/QUOTE]
You may be right if you talk about pre-98 models which worked at 500+ lines interlaced. All the models of this millenium can deliver at least 1000 lines interlaced, some even more than 2000. The accuracy of colours obtained with a decent PAL model are definitely superior than its NTSC cousin. Or is it a matter of taste now? |
Ahmad Qasem Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 03:20 am: |
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Hi to All Again,
Back to my last massage, regarding video quality between Sony's DCR-HC20 (NTSC) and DCR-HC20E(PAL).The DCR-HC20 Effective Video Pixel is 340.000 while the DCR-HC20E is 400.000. I suppose that this difference will provide a better video quality on PAL version, but when I looked into both manuals they stated that the DCR-HC20 (with Effective Video Pixel 340.000) give 500 horesontal resolution, and the DCR-HC20E (with Effective Video Pixel 400.000) ALSO provide a 500 horesontal lines! Does this means that the vedio quality in both versions are the same! any help .. |
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