Information on Video Formats?

mechanima

Does anybody know how I should explain our Irish video tape formats to someone in States who wants to send an educational video for use over here?

Any idea how he can get it converted?

Whatever information and suggestions appreciated.

G

Mike 1972

Some newer videos can play American tapes on a suitable TV
("NTSC Playback"/Pal60/Psuedo Pal)

watty

It is easier to convert it here.

Even on a non-NTSC VHS a USA tape (NTSC) will play in B&W.

Only the cheapest VHS don't play back in NTSC in almost PAL.


Except for France all of Europe uses the same format fot VHS (PAL). France uses SECAM and PAL

PAL-I, D/K B etc refer to sound scheme on RF out to are irrelevent to Tape. All are 50Hz.

PAL-M is used in Brazil, it is 60Hz

Most domestic "NTSC Playback" mean they play an NTSC tape in such a way as a PAL TV will get colour. True NTSC playback would need an NTSC TV (though many better TVs will do NTSC and PAL here).

Playing an USA NTSC tape on a PAL VHS gives a curious thing called 4.43 NTSC (normal NTSC is 3.57MHZ), Some A/V TV sets 20 years ago had a switch for this (disables part of the PAL decoder so it works as NTSC).

The common "NTSC playback" on a PAL VHS in fact partially converts the NTSC signal to PAL enough to let a PAL TV work. On some TVs the height may be shrunk a little, esp. on older VHS. It is NOT PAL 60 (This is what Brazilian PAL-M is).

Few North Americans have access to PAL TV or PAL VHS or NTSC/PAL convertors, in contrast such things are relatively easy to obtain in Ireland.

I wouldn't bother with conversion unless he is licence you to make a large number of copies, just get a socalled "NTSC playback" VHS for the regular Irish TV set.

Mike 1972

Even with an "NTSC playback on PAL TV" video some TV sets will only work in B&W (or not at all) as the output from most of these Videos isint true 50Hz PAL but a halfway variant called "Psuedo PAL" or "PAL 60"

If your TV is fairly new it should be okay though

watty

No PAL60 is something else.

The fake PAL "NTSC playback" is actually pretty much "realish" PAL. But it is 525 Lines rather than 625 as there is no frame store/resampling. The colour is PAL 4.43MHZ.

If played at 60Hz, the line frequency is near OK as as 30 x 525 not much different to 25 x 625. Sometimes in the past a VCR or VHS could only do 50Hz, so it would be played at 50Hz, in this case some TVs would not lock to the line frequency. No modern "NTSC Playback on PAL TV" VHS does this. They play at 60Hz, hence sometimes called "PAL60" but it is only sort of. True PAL60 would not use 4.43MHz (approx) matching the PAL 50 as the colour subcarrier is chosen for least interence with Frame and Line frequency.



US 525 line TV has about 480 visible lines and European 625 line TV has about 576 visible lines. In both cases half are shown "interlaced" at 60Hz or 50Hz giving the overall frame rate of 30 fps or 25fps. This is why one line high detail flickers much more noticably than broader solid lines.

True "PAL60" is only used in Brasil, where they added the PAL colour system to the Black & White NTSC. It is Pal-M. I don't know if they use 3.57 MHz PAL, 4.43 PAL or whatever, the 3.57MHz would suit the B&W signal better than the 4,43

NTSC refers both to the 1951 Color system and to the Monochrome (B&W) 525Line system preceding it.

Europe had 3 Monochrome systems before PAL/SECAM:
1) 405 Line (UK and breifly some parts of Ireland)
2) 819 Line (French)
3) 625 Line (mostly everyone else)

Both SECAM and PAL are 625 line 50Hz only everywhere except Brasil which has 525Line 60Hz PAL.

Japan, Canada and USA are main NTSC 525Line 60Hz with NTSC Color.


DVDs and MiniDV camcorders though not really using PAL or NTSC use a digital system related to PAL or NTSC. So DON'T buy a USA Camcorder/DVD/VHS/TV because exchange rate is good.

You may also find that a TV or VHS bought in mainland europe the sound via aerial won't work (with some models it will). Camcorders, DVD, Satellite receivers etc not a problem. This is because Ireland, UK, Cyprus and South Africa use the PAL-I varient for sound via the aerial (Analog TV signal) socket. Hence a Digibox or VHS taken form here to a Spanish Holiday home may only have sound via a SCART lead.

Most Thomson brand TVs and many TVs in France work PAL or SECAM but not NTSC.

Many Mitsubishi TVs for Ireland will do PAL or true NTSC, but only B&W from a SECAM picture (I tried it with analog SECAM and NTSC off satellite).

There is no "digital" version of SECAM. All French studio work and Digital transmission is "PAL". Only French Analog Satellite at 5W and terrestrial TV is SECAM. There is no 819 line anymore. Like UK's 405line it is long gone.

Mike 1972

Ive a JVC TV that will "do" SECAM and an Akura (Supermarket model) TV that will do PAL SECAM or NTSC both are pretty bog standard models

The problem with watching NTSC videos on a European TV seems to stem mainly from the field frequency rather than the line rate

The difference between 15.625 and 15.734KHz isint that great but theres a 20percent difference between 50 and 60Hz with which a lot of TV's just cant cope

If tboth he video and TV can both cope with the field rate difference youll get a watchable b/w picture. If the video has "psuedo PAL" conversion circuitry youll get colour as well