PAL DV footage to NTSC DVD help wanted!

Hi there, apologies if this has been tackled elsewhere, but I couldn't locate it!
I have a finished PAL edit of around 90 minutes in FCP 4.5 that I have output to a PAL DVD via DVD SP 4/Compressor 2. Following this, the client has also asked for an identical NTSC DVD to send to the USA. Luckily I have the edit still loaded in FCP - therefore: This is the first time I have needed to do a standards conversion. Can anyone advise what the best method/workflow for creating this NTSC DVD is?
Many thanks in advance for your time, TP
PowerMac G5, Dual 1.8 ghz, 3GB Ram, 250 GB HD Mac OS X (10.4.6) FCP 4.5, DVD SP4, Motion, Toast 6 Titanium

You didn't understand what my last post said.
I said go from his PAL DV edit in FCP to a DV tape (DVCam preferrably). Then have the PAL DVCam tape transferred to another DVCam tape in NTSC.
PAL is better quality that NTSC so there will be some loss just because there is less resolution in NTSC than PAL, but keeping it on a DVCam tape is fine.
Then log the footage back into FCP with NTSC settings and then edit/export/author.
I said nothing about tranferring it to analog or VHS. I don't know where you got that one. He said his original footage was edited in DV.
And YES, if you take it to a "professional" dub house it will turn out better than most software conversions is what i meant. I have used Lightning Media in Hollywood for years and their stuff turns out great.

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Making a PAL version of an NTSC DVD

Hello all.
I have recently finish production on a short film, made a DVD with extras for the crew, and now need to send one to Australia (PAL DVD). What is the best way to transform my NTSC DVD project to PAL. Do I need extra software to do this, or simply use the PAL settings on my NTSC video and let compressor do the work? Could I change my DVD SP project file to PAL and let DVD SP work it's magic?
Using:
DVDSP 4
Compressor 3
Thanks everyone!

Hi:
Another one:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=976262&tstart=15
And something to take in account is that "ussually" DVD players & TVs in PAL countries can play NTSC DVDs (what doesn't happen in NTSC countries where most of the equipmnets cannot read/play PAL movies).
You could check that with your contact/customer in Australia.
Hope that helps !
Alberto

H264 MP4 PAL to NTSC DVD

Im having issues convertin an H264 mp4 PAL file to an NTSC DVD. Im getting blocking and stuttering on playback after I use Toast to burn the DVD. Ive tried to convert the files in mpeg stream clip and in QT but to no avail. Getting errors with both. This is an odd scenario in my book, so I figured I would put it out there to see if anyone has had any luck. Thanks All.

Have you tried JES Deinterlacer? Much better for transcoding.
Also, it might be advantageous to convert first into an editable video (anything with low compression) before transcoding. The way you do it, you are asking for two major steps simultaneaously.
Also, do the encoding to MPEG2 (for the DVD) as a separate last step (in Compressor)

25fps footage to put on PAL and NTSC DVDs - Inverse Telecine?

So, I've shot and edited a short item in 25P from my PAL HVX200...
I'd like to create a 'movie feature'-style NTSC DVD. One that has MPEG-2 files with inverse telecine flags to tell the NTSC decoder to repeat the fields to pull up the footage to 29.97fps.
Does that mean I need to scale my footage from 720w by 576h down to 720w by 480h, set the speed to 95.904% to 23.976fps? Can I do this in Compressor? Will Compressor take the audio and speed it up too, but keep the pitch the same?
That will get me a 24P NTSC file. How do I encode this as an MPEG for an NTSC DVD?
If I wanted to create a 'progressive' PAL MPEG for DVD (with the inverse telecine flags), are they encoded as 576 by 720 frames at 23.976fps, or at 24fps?
In the PAL world, a bit in one of the 50 non-broadcast lines is used to tell TVs and DVD players that the content is anamorphic. Is there an equivalent for NTSC? Does Compressor take care of that?
G5 2x2.5GHz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hey Alex
a little confused here, but from what i can gather:
you have a movie shot @ 25 fps (PAL)
you want to make a NTSC dvd and a PAL DVD, is this correct from the above source and make sure they are progressive?
well ok the PAL one is easy, just take your source video into compressor and in the frame control tab, make sure that your ouput field is progressive.
the NTSC DVD is a little tougher. do you have FCP?
the only difficulty i do see, like you said was the audio pitch/speed.
i guess you CAN do a conversion in compressor, but how well it looks.. dont know i will run some tests and let you know
Mikey

NTSC DVD material: Client wants PAL version, how?

Client now wants to know if the NTSC DVD we just did can be made into a PAL version using the same assets...I don't think so, correct? So what is best to do with this scenario - NTSC DVCPRO HD 720p60 material (and one HDV 1440x1080i seq) in my many FCP timelines. Do I just change every seq to PAL? How? Then use Compressor to make PAL mpeg 2's for DVD SP 4?
What's best workflow, or thing to do?
Thanks greatly
K

many PAL DVD payer and TV combinations are not able to play NTSC discs
and if they do the video picture area is aways smaller and always reduced in picture resolution.
When I recieve a DVD I expect it to play properly in full resolution and quality and not to rely on substandard work arounds.
If your client asks for A PAL DVD, give them what they asked for and convert the assets to PAL.
if you have the budget, get a facility house to convert using a Snell & Wilcox:
http://www.snellwilcox.com/products/conversionrestoration/conversionSD.php#alchemistphcip
or for inhouse conversion use this excellent FCP plugin:
http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconversion.htm

Easiest way to produce NTSC DVD from PAL encore project?

I have a PAL Encore project with 25fps assets and subtitles. What's the easiest way to make an NTSC DVD from this project? Encore won't let me edit the quality settings to change from NTSC to PAL. These settings are greyed out. I take it they are dictated by the assets. Can anyone suggest how to make an NTSC project easily from this Encore project? I don't want to go back to the original footage. I want to just convert it from these Mpeg-2 files in the Encore project.
Any help would be much appreciated.

What Richard said. I'll add three things.
Encore won't let me edit the quality settings to change from NTSC to PAL. These settings are greyed out. I take it they are dictated by the assets.
They are dictated by your selections when you created the project. And NTSC vs PAL are not settings that can be changed in the project settings once created.
Regarding reusing menus. The files accessed by the Encore library for DVD projects are different for NTSC vs PAL. They have NTSC or PAL in the filename, but you don't see this from inside Encore. (They do not vary for Bluray menus.) You can take your NTSC project menus, "save as file," and then "import as menu" into a new PAL project. They will be the "wrong" pixel size and aspect ratio, but Encore may correct the par. I have never tried this. But if you get oddities doing it this way, in the new PAL project, add a PAL menu, edit in photoshop, and copy the button groups and such from the NTSC version of the menu to the PAL menu. That might work.
What I see in most of these "convert PAL from NTSC" threads is that virtually all NTSC disks play on current PAL equipment. Many users asking your question decide not to convert. that is especially true, because Richard's "export as NTSC" is not as simple as it seems.

Will PAL dvd player play my NTSC DVD-r?

I'm trying to figure out if I need to convert several NTSC dvd's into PAL format to send to a friend's mom in Israel (she's very sick and would like to see these soon).
Since I've never converted between these formats, I've been doing lots of research and keep getting more confused. I downloaded JES Deinterlacer (i think thats what its called) but I'm not sure I need it since I read the following on an imovie FAQ website:
"I have an NTSC project and want a PAL DVD.
The good news is: You can just send an NTSC disc. Any PAL set top DVD player capable of playing DVD-R discs can also play NTSC discs. All that is needed is a fairly new TV, built in the last 8-10 years or so."
Could this be true? Can I really just send the NTSC dvd's to her? I hate to waste time here...please help...
Thanks so much in advance.
Jenny

That´s right; NTSC DVDs will always work on PAL players when the player is compliant to the DVD specs. Those players do give out the regular NTSC signal and/or convert to PAL60. Some players can even convert to PAL50. The problem is the TV set.
My German TV is 14 years old and cannot handle PAL60 or NTSC; I would need one of those rare players that convert to PAL50 (usually with poor results).
But NTSC DVDs will always work on a PC (when it is an all-region DVD).

PAL & NTSC DVDs--an Option?

I have an extensive collection of PAL & NTSC DVDs. The G5 has a (lower) empty optical drive slot. If I install another Superdrive will I be able to set it up to exclusively use this to play PAL regions 2 & 4 DVDs without locking the G5 permanently into this format i.e. use the first drive to still play NTSC Region 1 DVDs only? I understand that the manual says the the format choice can only be changed 5 times, but it is not clear to me if this statement applies only to the optical drives or the computer itself. I certainly do not want to make an irreversible choice for the G5!
Any help will be appreciated.

So... You are confusing video standard (format) with region codes here. The optical drives in Macs (most) are region code locked, meaning that they will only play disks from one region (and that region may be changed up to 5 times before the hardware gets stuck). It doesn't care what video format is on the disk from that region (NTSC or PAL), and it doesn't care about region-free disks (recordable DVDs, and commercial region-free disks).
On the Mac, the region locking is managed by firmware on the drive itself, so you can have one drive per region, if you like.
It might be more convenient to upgrade the firmware on the drive (depending on what model you have) to a region-free version of the firmware. As you may or may not be aware, the US is a WIPO signatory country and is prohibited from recognizing region codes as a form of copy protection or copyright control. Apple includes region code locks on their drives, ostensibly at the behest of their peers in the media industry, but it's perfectly OK for you to remove it (and, there are locales where region code locking is actually prohibited, but presumably if you bought your Mac there the locks are already absent). Be aware, however, that changing the firmware of the drive would void the warranty on the drive (not the whole Mac, just the DVD drive).
Another option might be to purchase an external region-free DVD drive.

Cannot burn NTSC DVD after burning PAL DVD

Using Adobe Premiere Elements vers.10, I created a video which I need to burn onto DVDs, in PAL format for European users and NTSC for North American recipients. I successfully burned (to folder) in NTSC, and then in PAL. Produced two sample DVDs from those two folders and reviewed them. This highlighted the need for a few corrections to the project. I carried these out, burned the revised film to folder in PAL format, and then wanted to do the same in NTSC format. The computer appears to work on the task, but produces no folder and no files. I am no longer able to procude a DVD in NTSC format, either by burning to a folder or burning directly on a DVD. What is the cause of this problem ?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide with this issue.
Paul

Paul,
I do not recall any issues, where the program gets hung up, though as a precaution, maybe clear the Media Cache in the Scratch Disks. I know that Encore (sort of the authoring "big-brother" to the authoring function in PrE) can get confused, when it has some older Media Cache files. It assumes that things have already been done, when it needs to "start over."
Also, I would create a new, empty folder, with a unique name, and direct the Burn to Disc to THAT folder. Since all that one gets is the VIDEO_TS, AUDIO_TS (empty), and then another folder, whose name I cannot recall (Encore does not write anything but the VIDEO_TS folder and IFO, BUP and VOB files), it's easy to confuse the output. Just thinking here.
Good luck,
Hunt

Can CS5 import from a PAL DVD, then burn a NTSC DVD?

Hi, I've looked to see if PAL to NTSC has come up in the forum but couldn't spot it. Has anyone taked the footage from a PAL DVD into CS5? And is it possible to then send that footage to burn a NTSC DVD? Thanks for any help!

The footage will need conversion at some point, and PP may not be the best tool for that job. Try the link below (but try it quick, it won't be up for long). If memory serves, one of the options Dan set up was to convert between NTSC and PAL (or in your case, the other way 'round).
http://www.dv2film.com/

Switch NTSC DVD slideshow to PAL

Good morning,
my wife and I recently received a DVD Slideshow made on a PC in the NTSC format from our Wedding photographers.
My family lives in Europe and cannot watch NTSC format. Is there a way to make a copy of my slideshow but in the PAL format?
Thank you very very much.
P

Hi
Usually - NTSC-DVDs plays well in PAL players - but not the other way around.
So here is my notes on PAL to NTSC. Just think the other way around.
PAL to NTSC or NTSC to PAL
A. Copying commercial DVDs - No Not possibly at all - Not even legal to discuss.
B. Home made DVDs (DVDs without copy protection)
C. Movies from iMovie or FinalCut
• Save as full quality QuickTime .mov and convert this with JES_Deinterlacer (free on internet)
NTSC ---> PAL.
• Most often not necessary - Most stand alone PAL DVD-players playback NTSC
(if TV is old in BL/W)
PAL ---> NTSC.
• If played on Mac - not necessary AT ALL
• If on NTSC DVD-player - CONVERSION IS NEEDED - nearly no Stand alone NTSC-DVD-players
playback PAL at all.
To do this You need to convert the PAL DVD to streaming.DV or full quality QuickTime .mov
• I use Roxio Toast™ to do this (There are no free converter)
• JES_Deinterlacer (free on internet) to convert to NTSC
• Set up an NTSC project (29.97fps or 30) in iDVD and import then burn
I burn to
• Verbatim DVD-R
• Set down burn speed in iDVD to x1 or x4 recommended by many
• Secure a minimum of 25Gb free space on internal boot hard disk before burning (IMPORTANT)
PAL is 25 fps and an analog TV standard of 625 lines
NTSC is 29.97 fps and 520 lines
NTSC (29.97fps) 520 lines - about 640x480 pixels (square) 720x480 rectangular (narrow) pixels
PAL (25 fps) 625 lines - about 768x576 pixels (square) 720x576 rectangular (narrow) pixels
to use a photo 702x480 resp 576 then add 9 pixels on each side to add together as 720
If iDVD hangs on PAL or NTSC.
Bengt W wrote
Deleting iDVD pref. file - should return You into NTSC mode.
Yes iDVD can switch to PAL - BUT as You see with a rather lousy result.
a. Need to convert to PAL - most often not - Most PAL-player can playback NTSC
and on a fairly new TV in color. (old TV in Bl/W)
(Other way around - from PAL to NTSC most often a must - few NTSC-player can use PAL)
b. IF MUST - then use JES_Deinterlacer to do this conversion - so much better and free.
My list on this (or rather PAL --> NTSC - just think the other way around)
Allosaurus writes
Thank you SDMacuser. I dumped all the plist icons with no result, and was getting pretty plist off when it occurred to me to delete all the previous dvd.proj files. Bingo. That did the trick. So thank you for all your help and the additional information you provided.
Yours Bengt W

Same project in CS5 to PAL DVD and NTSC DVD.

Hi everyone,
I am trying to find best solution how to do it. My project is slideshow with scaled JPEG images and some video clips from DSLR camera Canon T3i.
I know that video is 16:9 (1920x1080, 29.97fr) ratio and my output should be 4:3 ratio. With this I can deal with no problems, because is just few clips. My conclusion is: How to deal with PAL SD 4:3 ( 720x576, 25fr) ratio and NTSC SD 4:3 (720x480, 29.97fr) and a lot of images. What sequence settings I should use for the project? What I can think: start with DV PAL after everything is done put in DV NTSC sequence and scale it? Any other thoughts, please?
Thank you, Art

I was recently faced with a problem on an HD NTSC video that I videoed and produced. The customer wanted a DVD that relatives over in Germany could view. My concern was how to produce and test a PAL version. My good friend Harm advised me that any DVD player in Pal-land has the capability of playing NTSC DVD video disks! It worked fine.

PAL/NTSC DVD player question

Greetings, Can I play a PAL format DVD from the UK in my Powerbook? Here is the info. from system profiler:
MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-835E:
Firmware Revision: GAN7
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, DVD-DAO
Media: No
I have read that if you play a PAL format DVD more than five time my settings will be permanently locked in the PAL format, and I will no longer be able to play commercial NTSC DVD's. Which would be bad. I do travel allot with the Powerbook and watch movies on the plane. Should I consider converting all PAL DVD's into NTSC? If anyone could shed light on this please advise. Thanks.

Here's the work-around I use, which just requires that you have enough free space on your hard drive to hold the entire VIDEO_TS file (up to 8 GB): Download the freeware program Mac the Ripper (Google it, then find a site that MacroVision hasn't hacked into and shut down, and proceed with the download and installation). Insert the DVD you want to watch. The DVD player in your Mac will then ask you if you want to use one of your few remaining region switches. IGNORE that dialog box altogether--just leave it open without selecting anything (if you select CANCEL it'll eject your DVD, so don't do that).
Open Mac the Ripper and following the clear instruction manual to set the controls properly copy the DVD into your Mac (I choose to save the file in the Movie folder). Takes about 20-25 minutes for most movies, and the copy you get is stripped of region coding. When that is done, close MTR, go back to the dialog box of your DVD player, hit CANCEL, and let the disk eject. Then reopen the DVD player, and have it open the VIDEO_TS file. Playback will proceed as if you were watching the DVD itself.
PS-if you want to burn a DVD backup stripped of region coding, you can use DVD2oneX2, a file-compression/DVD burning program available for a free 30-day trial, $30 thereafter. Works very well. Good luck & (hopefully) enjoy!

NTSC DVD created with iMovie 6.0.3. Need to convert to PAL.

Is there a way to do this without starting over? Can I switch iMovie from NTSC to PAL? Can I take my iMovie NTSC project and copy it to a new iMovie window after switching the preferences to PAL? Would that keep chapters in place? Can Toast or something do this? I sure hate to totally start over.

Hi
Please Karsten
b) export your iMovie project; drag the resulting file into a new PAL IDVD project; iDVD will ask you to keep or change the standard
IS NO GOOD WAY at all - It works but resulting DVD is barely viewable ! (jumpy, un-sharp and really bad)
a) is an excellent choice as long as TV is fairly modern - else result will be Bl/W
My notes on this:
PAL to NTSC or NTSC to PAL
A. Copying commercial DVDs - No Not possibly at all - Not even legal to discuss.
B. Home made DVDs (DVDs without copy protection)
C. Movies from iMovie or FinalCut
• Save as full quality QuickTime .mov and convert this with JES_Deinterlacer (free on internet)
NTSC ---> PAL.
• Most often not necessary - Most stand alone PAL DVD-players playback NTSC
(if TV is old in BL/W)
PAL ---> NTSC.
• If played on Mac - not necessary AT ALL
• If on NTSC DVD-player - CONVERSION IS NEEDED - nearly no Stand alone NTSC-DVD-players
playback PAL at all.
To do this You need to convert the PAL DVD to streaming.DV or full quality QuickTime .mov
• I use Roxio Toast™ to do this (There are no free converter)
• JES_Deinterlacer (free on internet) to convert to NTSC
• Set up an NTSC project (29.97fps or 30) in iDVD and import then burn
I burn to
• Verbatim DVD-R
• Set down burn speed in iDVD to x1 or x4 recommended by many
• Secure a minimum of 25Gb free space on internal boot hard disk before burning (IMPORTANT)
PAL is 25 fps and an analog TV standard of 625 lines
NTSC is 29.97 fps and 520 lines
NTSC (29.97fps) 520 lines - about 640x480 pixels (square) 720x480 rectangular (narrow) pixels
PAL (25 fps) 625 lines - about 768x576 pixels (square) 720x576 rectangular (narrow) pixels
to use a photo 702x480 resp 576 then add 9 pixels on each side to add together as 720
If iDVD hangs on PAL or NTSC.
Bengt W wrote
Deleting iDVD pref. file - should return You into NTSC mode.
Yes iDVD can switch to PAL - BUT as You see with a rather lousy result.
a. Need to convert to PAL - most often not - Most PAL-player can playback NTSC
and on a fairly new TV in color. (old TV in Bl/W)
(Other way around - from PAL to NTSC most often a must - few NTSC-player can use PAL)
b. IF MUST - then use JES_Deinterlacer to do this conversion - so much better and free.
My list on this (or rather PAL --> NTSC - just think the other way around)
I have to send it overseas
That too can be a problem. As USA = NTSC = 29.97fps and EU = PAL = 25fps.
DO Not let iMovie or iDVD do this conversion from one to the other - Result will be Very
BAD
I save the movie as a full quality QuickTime .mov file then I use JES_Deinterlacer to do the conversion - then I cont. in iMovie or iDVD with project set accordingly.
JES_Deinterlacer is free on Internet and there are Pro applications but not that much better and costs are astronomical.
PAL-DVDs - don't play in US
NTSC-DVDs - usually plays well in EU
All plays well on a Mac - What ever.
Allosaurus writes
Thank you SDMacuser. I dumped all the plist icons with no result, and was getting pretty plist off when it occurred to me to delete all the previous dvd.proj files. Bingo. That did the trick. So thank you for all your help and the additional information you provided.
Yours Bengt W

Workflow PAL equipment to NTSC DVD

I want to shoot and edit with PAL gear, but I'd like to create an extra NTSC DVD too.
A. How is that done nowadays in a pro situation, when you could rent or buy whatever you need? What is the ideal source material for dual norm output (PAL & NTSC)
B. What can I do, using just some PAL camera's (maybe HD, maybe SD only) and a HD edit set?
>> Time is not an issue: if I have to render a week for the best PAL to NTSC conversion, no problem. I was thinking After Effects and pixel blending...
>> Please do not reply from hearsay; hands-on pro experience only.

I have tried a number of software methods and none of them are as good as a Alchemist hardware convertor. I send my master PAL tape to a Soho facilities house for conversion. About £275 for 2 hours of material.
Richard Knight

PAL DV footage to NTSC DVD help wanted!

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