NTSC or Pal for Magic DVD that must work all over world in Region ALL

[magicant]

Hi Everyone,

I'm just wandering what I need to do to make my DVD i'm editing playable worldwide 100%.

I've heard I need to export the film in NTSC and not Pal, as NTSC with a region ALL will play in UK, but not vice versa. Is that correct?

All DVD's produced for the magic community are region free so I have to go down this route.

Also the footage we have so far is shot in 25p on a Canon EOS 5D Mark 2... Should we have shot in a higher framerate or bought ntsc cameras?

Thanks a lot
All the best
Anthony
Close Up Magicians | Illusionists UK | Wedding Magician | Manchester Magician Corporate Table Magic London - Home

[david walsh]

What you've heard is pretty much right enough, although I'm not sure how it will play in SECAM regions. Years back I checked a VHS tape on a SECAM player. It played back in black and white but it was on a PAL TV.

Frame sizes and PAR are different for NTSC and PAL, thats the main issue, PAL will play back the NTSC frame size no problem.

For future reference if you shoot on 5D MkII at 24p, which will go straight onto NTSC or PAL DVD, at HD resolution and put this straight on to NTSC discs you should be fine. I used to do this with Adobe Encore to make PAL and NTSC versions from the same source and Encore taken care of the HD - SD conversion very well.

David.

[Midnight Blue]

David's pretty much right. Most modern DVD players will play both PAL and NTSC. One thing to consider is if the viewer is using an old tube TV, then there will be issues with the crossing over of the formats. This isn't really anything you have control over so I'd just go with the format you shoot in a keep with it. Although most video editing software should be able to cope with converting from one format to the other. I guess the bright spark who came up with this rule didn't really understand the art of videography.

So there isn't a yes and no answer to your question as there are many unknown variables on the playback equipment.

[magicant]

What you've heard is pretty much right enough, although I'm not sure how it will play in SECAM regions. Years back I checked a VHS tape on a SECAM player. It played back in black and white but it was on a PAL TV.

Frame sizes and PAR are different for NTSC and PAL, thats the main issue, PAL will play back the NTSC frame size no problem.

For future reference if you shoot on 5D MkII at 24p, which will go straight onto NTSC or PAL DVD, at HD resolution and put this straight on to NTSC discs you should be fine. I used to do this with Adobe Encore to make PAL and NTSC versions from the same source and Encore taken care of the HD - SD conversion very well.

David.

Ok thanks, so I would be better off exporting the movie in final cut pro 7 from a 24p pal, to ntsc, and then when burning the DVD make it worldwide compatible, and then it should work all around as best as possible?
Ok I will look into Encore too then thanks.

All best
Anthony

[david walsh]

exporting the movie in final cut pro 7 from a 24p pal, to ntsc

Sorry I can't hep you in relation to how FCP 7 deals with conversion. If the 25p to 24p conversion is good in FCP 7 then yes, but I have no idea what it does with the frame size.

David.