NTSC vs PAL in HD -- editing and shooting question.

I've heard different answers on this question and all my Googling has resulted in nothing but more confusion, so I'm hoping someone in here who truly knows the answer to this can tell me.
I am based in Los Angeles, but am partnering up on a big project with some people who are based in Europe. The project we are shooting is going to be shot in New Zealand and we want to shoot it in HD. When we are done, we are planning on having both parties split up the footage and the European crew will edit half of it on FCP there in Europe, while my crew here in the U.S. will edit the other half on FCP here in the U.S.
Obviously, European TV and video are all PAL based and here in the U.S. it's all NTSC. My question is deceptively simple: are we going to have a problem if all the footage is shot on the same camera?
I typically use Canon HD video cameras (the A-1 and the HV20) that were purchased here in the U.S. to do my shooting. I would like to take these cameras on the trip and shoot with them, but I also want the footage I shoot to be compatible with my partner's PAL-based FCP system. I have heard that there is no such a thing as NTSC HD or PAL HD and that HD is just HD regardless of the country it's in. Is that true? Could I rent an HD camera in Europe and shoot stuff with it there and then bring the resulting tapes back here to the U.S. and play them on my U.S.-purchased HD cameras and decks and load it into my current FCP setup in L.A. without any problem? And would my partners be able to do the vice-versa (i.e. will my HD footage play and load on their HD cameras that were purchased in Europe?)
I would love to know if anyone has an answer to this. So far I've heard a lot of speculation and conjecture and no one I've talked to definitively seems to know.
Many thanks if anyone does.

I have heard that there is no such a thing as NTSC HD or PAL HD and that HD is just HD regardless of the country it's in. Is that true?
Yes, its true. As far as "definition" goes, there is no difference between a 1080 image shot in a PAL region and a 1080 image shot in an NTSC region. However, which frame rate you intend to shoot at eg 50i / 60i, 25p / 30p etc will certainly make a difference. Most consumer level HD camera's are restricted depending upon the electrical frequency of the market region they are being sold in. If your camera was purchased in a 60Hz ( NTSC ) region then its likely your camera will only support 60i, 30p 24p etc. If its purchased in a 50Hz (PAL) region then it's likely to only support 50i, 25p etc.
Generally it is only the higher end pro camera's that support switching between systems ... neither the HV20 nor the XH-A1 have this capability.
Could I rent an HD camera in Europe and shoot stuff with it there and then bring the resulting tapes back here to the U.S. and play them on my U.S.-purchased HD cameras and decks and load it into my current FCP setup in L.A. without any problem?
Well that would depend on what camera you rented as compared to what your current setup is ... what's your current setup and what do you have in mind to rent?

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Hi,
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Crellin Sound wrote:
Hmmmm,
Just how tricky is the frame rate conversion going from NTSC to PAL? We'll probably shoot at 24fps, but one never knows. There's a possibility that this could go to TV.
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Well, make sure you know at least what you are shooting
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NTSC vs PAL upcoming shoot- need help.

hi, i have a huge project coming up. some video shot in US other in Europe.
thinking of using AF-100 as well as a DSLR, as second camera cutaways.
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Hello Sue,
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Since you're saying that you'll shoot with AF-100s and DSLRs, why not shoot everything in 24p and forget about standards conversions? And from what I hear you can even shoot overcranked 50/60p in 24p mode with the AF-100.
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DVD Footage for FCP Edit - how to tell if NTSC or PAL?!

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Hi Thomas, that's it!
Thanks for this - it clearly shows the TV standard and the resolution plus 4:3 etc., so everything I needed for confirmation.
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IMovie - iDVD and a NTSC versus PAL question

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Hi
Oh Dear. Is this an assigned task from an editing turor. Then He/She is mean.
a. If You want a DVD - Then You should not use iMovie'08 or 09 or 11 as they can not export interlaced video to iDVD as it needs but discard every second line resulting in a less quality DVD. Use (for SlideShows and Movies)
• iMovie up to HD6 (SlideShows or Movie) - or -
• FinalCut any version (SlideShows or Movie) - or -
• FotoMagico (if You make only a SlideShow - can not do movies)
If persisting with iMovie'08-11 - Then DO NOT use "Share to iDVD" from within any version of iMovie (not 3 - HD6 either) as they do a bad job. But in iM'08-11 "Share to Media Browser" and as Large. In iM HD6 or FCE/P Save as QuickTime .mov and import this into iDVD.
b. NTSC and PAL - If DVD is to be sent to EU (PAL) - then most DVD-players also playback NTSC so conversion is not needed (mostly).
There are NO way to make a combo version PAL & NTSC - They do not exist.
If You make a PAL iMovie /FC project - then DO NOT let iDVD convert to NTSC (or other way either)
• it can do so - BUT Result is severely BAD
I use JES_Deinterlacer to make the conversion and it's so much better. (free on internet)
But absolutly best result is by doing two versions in the movie-editor - one PAL and one NTSC version.
c. Use High quality DVD brand - I only use Verbatim DVD-R
and set down burn speed to x4 - Less burn errors and plays on many more Players.
Just to start with.
Take one Q at a time and we can fix this.
Yours Bengt W

FROM NTSC TO PAL

I have a sanyo xactia hd digital camera, so i want to change from 29 fps to 25 fps and i can't or i don't know how to do it. Can somebody help me?. Thanks a lot.

What camera are you shooting with? mpeg4 is not an idea editing format.
You can use compressor to change your finished sequence from ntsc to pal. Do some googling and searching here. And you might check the compressor documentation.
I use a plugin by Graeme Nattress to do the conversion. It does a great job
http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconversion.htm
Definitely worth the investment.

NTSC to PAL / 24fps

Hi guys,
I'm shooting a tv show for MTV tr in New York City and since it will air in Europe it has to be set in PAL so I am unsure on how to deal with the settings.
I have NTSC 24fps footage that needs to be edited. My question is when I start a new project in Premiere CS3 should I choose NTSC or PAL or should I start editing in NTSC and convert it to PAL?
Second question, when I import the footage in Premiere which, is located in my external hard drive with usb 2.0, the video seems jerky or choppy on the camera movements such as panning and any fast camera moves. Do you know how or where I can adjust this problem? Could it be that my project was shot in 24 fps and the new project file fps is 29.97? I didn't change any fps settings in the new project, so I assumed it's automatically 29.97.
My computer:
Windows XP
2.80GHz Pentium D CPU
2.00GB RAM
Third question, should I render my project and burn a DVD or does it render when you burn a DVD automatically?
Can anyone please help me with this?
Thank you so much!
Firat

From what you have described and looking at the specs I feel there is little chance of your program being accepted for television anywhere.
Need some answers...
What camera was used to shoot the footage at 24fps? Is it DV or HDV?
Why did you not choose a project setting of 24fps rather than 29.97?
Why did you use USB to transfer files rather than Firewire?
Capturing USB sort of indicates that your camera is DVD or HDD based and using Mpeg files which CS3 doesn't like, nor do TV stations.
Don't worry too much about burning a DVD until you work out if the footage is editable.

HD NTSC to PAL Debacle

Dear Compression sages,
I'm attempting to convert my NTSC DVCpro HD 720 Quicktime to PAL to make a PAL DVD in DVDSP. So I need a PAL mpeg2. My trouble starts here.
In compression I followed all the settings to convert to PAL. The resulting mpeg was a little rough in terms of quality, but it was the best I could get it. It seemed to play alright.
But to my horror when I dropped the clip into the DVDSP timeline I discovered that all the subtitles I had made in my NTSC DVDSP project gradually went out of sync. The DVDSP project had been fully converted to PAL, every menu. But this gradual de-syncing of the subtitles confused me. And this is not the kind of project that I can easily move the subtitles over. 26 min, heavy on the lines, 5 subtitle tracks.
I checked the audio sync and it seemed to be in sync, but I couldn't be clinically certain frames weren't being dropped towards the end. I did some research and discovered that many people had been having trouble with conversions from NTSC to PAL. Out of sync audio issues, frames being dropped, etc.
In desperation I consulted a friend, who recommended I use a FCP plug-in to do the conversion called Nattress Standards Conversion. He said he had had frame dropping issues with other transfers, but that the NSD plug-in had worked great.
I downloaded the plug-in, and attempted to follow the instructions (bellow) only to find that on step 9, it did not recognize the proper aspect ratio of my HD footage, giving me 4:3 instead of 6:9. I tried switching a few settings, but to no avail. Everytime I dragged and dropped the origional source clip into the filter interface the clip in the viewer altered to 4:3 ratio. Blast, I thought. Probably some little setting I will never discover.
So here I am, back on the compression forums. Has anyone successfully used compressor to convert NTSC HD to PAL without getting drop frames or subtitles gradually going out of sync? How on earth do I do this conversion without horrific results?
NTSC to PAL conversion for Nattress:
1. edit the NTSC clip to an PAL timeline
2. nest the NTSC clip to allow the plugin to scale the converted clip. Because the pixel
dimensions of NTSC video are smaller than PAL, the clip will appear shrunk down in
the timeline canvas viewer. This is normal. The nesting of the clip will allow the
plugin to correctly scale it to PAL pixel dimensions. (select clip and go to the Se-
quence Menu and select Nest Items - make sure the pixels dimensions of the nest
are PAL sized)
3. apply the G Converter plugin to the nested sequence in the PAL timeline. Make sure
the plugin goes onto the nest itself, not the clip that it contains.
4. open the nest in the viewer (control click on the nest and select "Open in viewer" or
select nest then press return)
5. select the ﬁlter tab in the viewer
6. set the correct settings for the desired conversion. In this case, we select Source
Pixel size to be 720 x 480 (NTSC), lower ﬁeld order for source (in this case a NTSC
DV clip) and destination (PAL DV timeline).
7. if you desire the PAL output to be de-interlaced, this can be performed in one step by
selecting progressive output
8. if you would like to experiment with the conversion algorithm using "Smart De-
Interlacing" then this can be selected in the De-Interlace options. The Tolerance
control affects the smart de-interlace and it's effects can be seen by selecting "View
Smart Mask" in the De-Interlace Options.
9. the original NTSC clip that was edited to the PAL timeline must now be dropped from
the project browser onto the Source Clip image well in the ﬁlter. The plugin will use
this video clip for all the image data for the conversion. This is the important step
that makes this plugin different from any other, and is vital to it's successful operation.

I downloaded the plug-in, and attempted to follow the instructions (bellow) only to find that on step 9, it did not recognize the proper aspect ratio of my HD footage, giving me 4:3 instead of 6:9. I tried switching a few settings, but to no avail. Everytime I dragged and dropped the origional source clip into the filter interface the clip in the viewer altered to 4:3 ratio. Blast, I thought. Probably some little setting I will never discover.
Email Graeme Nattress with your problem. He does a good job supporting his plugins.
x

From NTSC to PAL .mov - huge, urgent problem!!

Ive shot a shortfilm on a Canon XH A1 NTSC, 24 fps, HDV, 16:9.
It has been edited in FCP and exported as a Quiktime Movie (.mov)
Then i burned it to a DVD and discovers that it lags annoyingly when played on a DVD player (Im from Denmark so its PAL).
Now, i thought running it through FCP would have solved the NTSC / PAL problem automatically, but I was wrong.
How do I make my 23.98 fps Quiktime Movie play on a PAL DVD?? I tried Cinema Tools, but it wont open and conform the .mov file.
I have to turn it in tomorrow and seriusly need help.
Thank you so much...

Hi,
welcome to FCP discussion area.
A great standard converter is [Nattress Standard Converter|http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconvers ion.htm].
However, if you have Compressor you may convert from NTSC to PAL at no cost.
Compreesor settings>Other Workflows>Advanced Format Conversion>Standard Definition.
Here is an article which you may use as general guidance:
http://www.macworld.com/article/49306/2006/02/marchcreate.html
G.

NTSC project - PAL DVD

Hello,
I'm editing a project in NTSC (since I shot in NTSC), but my client is European and wants the final project on a PAL DVD. How can I output the project to PAL?
Do I convert it first in Final Cut (how is this done?) or does transfering the project to iDVD in PAL do the trick? It needs to be highest possible quality.
Thank you for suggestions and helpful 'how tos.'

on the basis of your need for highest quality, two options:
1- send a tape to a facility house who will standards convert the mataerial to a PAL tape which you can then import in a PAL sequence
2- purchase Nattress which is a software standards converter and a FCP plug-in,
it costs $100 and worth every cent
you could use Compressor, but for quality use Natress as it is a very high quality dedicated Standards Converter
once you have edited in a PAL sequence, compress to m2v and AC3 and import into DVDSP and author the DVD
all you need to know is on the web site:
http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconversion.htm

"Large" or "Full" "NTSC" or "PAL"

I recently shot about 3 hours worth of digital video on a Panasonic DVX100B. I am going to cut it down to be a 20 minute promotional video and it will be played on a very big screen in a theater. Here's a link to the best picture I could find of the screens.
http://images.citysearch.net/profile/ec/b0/35901331p1.jpg
I'm using iMovie '08 but I need to know how I should import the video.
should I use large or full, NTSC or PAL.
Please Help!

Here is how to think about FULL vs LARGE. This is only important if you are importing video shot at 1920x1080.
If you choose FULL, it will import at 1920x1080. It will take up about 40GB of disk per hour of footage.
It will preserve the full quality of the original camcorder capture.
If you choose LARGE, it will import at 960x540 (half the original resolution). It will take up about 13GB of hard disk space per hour of footage. There will be some quality loss, but the loss is minor, and is not noticeble by most people.
So it depends how you are using the footage. If you are creating a BluRay disk, import at full. If you have a way to display 1920x1080, such as a Sony PS3, import at full. If you are doing this for broadcast television and will do further editing in Final Cut, import in full. If you will be displaying your movie on a computer monitor, with at least a 24inch screen, you might want to use full. To take full advantage of Full, you must EXPORT USING QUICKTIME with appropriate options. All the other Share options will export at a max of 960x540.
For most other uses (Mobile Me Web Gallery, a 480i DVD, Apple TV, etc., iPhone, iPod, Quicktime file for the Web) large is sufficient. This is because even though you input at 1920x1080, the output will be a maximum of 960x540, and in the case of the DVD, will be much less. So if you are exporting at 960x540, why not import at 960x540 and save the space?
This is a gray area, however, because you may want to preserve your option to burn your movie to BluRay or other devices in the future. You might want to import at 1920x1080 just to preserve all your options.

NTSC vs PAL in HD -- editing and shooting question.

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