Who can watch both NTSC and PAL DVD's?

I wonder what part of SH forum members can watch European DVD's in PAL format (or know what PAL format means at least)

 

I was tipped off a couple of years ago. Costco was selling a fairly inexpensive no frills Elektrohome 8181/8181A DVD player. A friend of mine read that it was an "all regions" player. I brought the unit home and could not find anything in the user guide about it. So I searched the Web and found a Web site with screen caps that showed me how to reach a "hidden menu". From this menu you can select any of the 7 regions or "Bypass".

At first I was selecting the specific region for the U.K. or Australian DVD I was playing. Then one day a friend of mine noticed the bypass button. We tried it and voi la. I no longer have to go into the hidden menu to change the regions. Any DVD, PAL or NTSC with any region works! You do not have to select PAL or NTSC. This player handles that part automatically.

 

I can get any region DVDs copied here at work, so I don't own an "all region" player. I've been tempted to get one since they're usually very cheap, but the problem is that the picture quality usually isn't that good. I'd hate to use an all-region player for everyday use, and I don't have room for one for the few times I'd want to watch an import DVD.

 

RDK, the model to get is the JVC XV-S500. The best way to research prices is to do a Google search of the model along with the words multi-region, but in any case you should be able to purchase one for well under $200.

This player doesn't stretch the picture in converting PAL to NTSC like most of the other multi-region players do. Note: I researched the JVC player before purchasing, having already purchased an Akai which converts the other way; the JVC XV-S500 has virtually flawless conversion due to the employing of a chip which approaches conversion differently than chips used in many other players.

IMHO, the JVC is ideal for everyday use on multi-region DVDs as well as domestic releases; BTW, it is also a progressive scan player, which I think is universal for players which perform internal conversion. It has no downside that I've been able to find. Note: It's picture quality may not be quite as sharp as the very best DVD players (i.e., like the Panasonic RP-91K), but at it's price point it is very fine indeed.


Cat

 

Well, i would like to, but right now just NTSC.

At the risk of hijacking the thread, does anyone have anything +/- to say about this DVD player? It sounds appealing, particularly at that price. Other sites were asking $350 for it.

Multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player

 

That unit looks almost EXACTLY like mine, slender styling and all, and it apparently uses the same chip (i.e., it mentions not stretching or distorting the converted PAL picture); perhaps this is just the most recent version of the player I own. Note: If this player's performance is anything like the one I'm using, you couldn't go wrong with it!


Cat

 

I have a Malata 520.

 

I heard about a Apex dvd player where you could go in an bypass the region thing and use it all regions. I went into Curcuit City to buy one and they told me they got a order to stop selling those players a few days before and had to send them all back. The replacement players did not have that feature although I did hear that there were kit and instructions on ebay for sale that would do this.

 

What tickles me most about the JVC XV-N50BK is that i can play *any* DVD. I have a Pioneer DVL-909 which allows me to switch regions using the remote, but if the video on the disc is in PAL format, i still can't watch it. If it ain't NTSC, it ain't happenin'.

I was recently in Australia and i picked up several DVDs that i can't find here in the US. Of course, not realizing that their video is encoded as PAL, i have a small collection of coasters.

The internal PAL-to-NTSC converter means that i can buy any DVD i want. That's got some pull. Plus the price seems pretty reasonable, too.

 

I watch European DVDs in PAL format.

I might watch US DVDs in NTSC also.

I like the PAL TruSpeed feature of my WinDVD player. It slows down the film replay from 25 to 24 frames per second, like it is intended to be.

 

Here in New Zealand (a PAL country) most TVs are multi-standard (they'll reproduce both PAL and NTSC signals). DVD players tend to play both standards. Just about all DVD players are region-free out of the box - in fact it's hard to sell a player that isn't region free.

As you've been finding, the ability to play PAL discs (and for your TVs to accept the signals) is not common in the USA. It can be important if you want to play DVDs that haven't been mastered for NTSC. For example, a Split Enz fan would love the Split Enz DVD released down under a year ago but, unless their video sysetm could handle PAL, they'll be out of luck.

 

My suggestion would be to use a software player like WinDVD. It can deal with different screen resoultions anyway because everybody's computer uses a different resolution. So no problem playing either PAL or NTSC (as long as you've somehow solved that region code problem)

 

Here in Australia, as in NZ, just about every player you can buy now is multi-zoned and can play PAL and NTSC. My Sony NSV-905V can play PAL or NTSC from any zone - a few years ago, locally sold Sony players were region 4 only.

I am intrigued by the fact that teh WinDVD player can play PAL discs at 24 FPS - I presume this means the 4% PAL speedup disappears....?

 

I'd love to get a hold of that Split Enz DVD and as mentioned, I can play PAL DVDs. What is the best on-line source? Thanks.

 

Exactly. It will slow down the playback by 4% which is OK on a computer screen which operates at 70/75/85/90/100 etc. frames per second anyway.

In an older version, using the feature would result in weird effects on the Dolby Digital playback, but in the present version and the one before that ( I have the previous version of WinDVD Platinum) they fixed the audio, and the PAL TruSpeed feature works flawlessly now.

I am not aware of any standalone player that can do that. It would not work with most regular TVs I guess.

 

That's a shame Petzi - the 4% PAL speedup is the main objection to DVD in the PAL system. Most folks wouldn't notice or care - I certainly don't notice it, but knowing it occurs gives me the heebie jeebies. It's just not right. I want to see classic movies at the right pace. That's why I have tried to buy NTSC where possible, even though PAL is purported to have better colour and resolution.

To be honest, I am hard pressed to notice any differences between PAL and NTSC disks in terms of colour and resolution. In fact, a few comparison sites on the net seem to indicate that a lot of US discs in NTSC format are superior to APL equivalents from the UK or Europe, even where they are supposedly identical releases (eg. The Wizard of OZ) - see DVD Beaver for some interesting comparisons. I guess it boils down to the processes involved in the transfer - perhaps transfers done in the US for NTSC are getting converted to PAL at a later stage, with resultant loss of picture clarity.

 

I have an approach contrary to yours. Since NTSC uses 30 frames per sencond, one wonders how they generate the extra 6 frames per second when they transfer a film. That's why I avoid them. With PAL I have a chance to view the films correctly.

I also heard that sometimes an NTSC video master is used for a PAL DVD, but I have not come across any product so far that makes use of this process, at least not in my country. The loss in sharpness would be obvious and I would return such a disc.

 

Petzi, I do not understand precisely how NTSC generates 30 frames per second. Some trickery must be involved, and I think it results in what I read as being called "judder" - a jerkiness that is sometimes apparent, particularly when the picture is panning or there is slow to medium movement on the screen.

I have noticed judder with some NTSC discs on my player. It only bothers me slightly, but some people hate it. It's a tradeoff in many cases - accept the 4% PAL speedup or the NTSC judder factor. For me it usually comes down to cost - Australia is a PAL country and its cheaper to buy local PAL than to import NTSC discs.

 

I can watch both on our Plextor DVD drive in the PC. I can watch PAL DVDs about three times.

 

I am not an expert on this topic, but common sense tells me that the only straightforward approach is to repeat every 5th frame. I guess that's what's happening.

One could probably do a little better with recent high-powered computers I guess...