Playback of commercial DVDs in the PAL format

I live in the US. There is a movie I would like to get but it is only offered in PAL format. Can the i-Mac play this back ? Some have referred to changing a region setting. How is this done ? My i-Mac has a superdrive.

Most modern DVD players can correctly handle both
formats.
I've not seen a consumer DVD player that connects to a TV set play PAL here in the US. I HAVE seen stand-alone players with an attached LCD screen that will play both NTSC and PAL.
Edit: An Amazon.com search turned up two players that claim to play both in the US - the JVC XV-NP10S Multi Region Code Free DVD Player and the Philips 642/ 37 Region Free - Code free DIVX PAL NTSC DVD Player
That's not many choices.

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Can the dvd player support PAL formatted dvds?

Hi,
I'm moving from the States to France, and I'm wondering of the dvd drive supports PAL formatted dvds. If not, is there an easy, user-friendly way to convert from PAL to NTSC?
Thanks!

The entertainment industry mafia does not allow commercial DVDs to be "region free". However, a so called "Region 0" DVD can play anywhere, as is the case for most music DVDs. Playing it will not force a region change on the drive. More info on this controversial issue can be [found here|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVDregioncodes]
Note also that [the VLC player|http://www.videolan.org> can let you play most, if not all, DVD's directly on your Mac regardless of the region and without causing region changes. It also lets you play video/audio files in a great variety of formats.

Playing a commercial DVD on the remote disk feature (PC) from a Mac Mini shows the error -70025. This error has it been resolved?

Playing a commercial DVD on the remote disk feature (PC) from a Mac Minishows the error -70025. This error has it been resolved?

Since you mention "commercial DVDs" I asume they use some kind of copy-protection.
Copy-protected CDs and DVDs cannot be used/shared http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.7/en/mh19568.html
Stefan

How do I burn a dvd using the PAL setting for Europe?

This is an older answer:
Make a new project in PAL using custom settings. Copy and paste the contents from the NTSC project to the PAL project. Render everything.
Don't do this unless you really need to. If you're making a DVD for Europe you don't need to.
And my question is:
Why is it not needed to change it to PAL if this DVD is for Europe?
Would it not be best to use a project with PAL SD 720x576 DV Anamorphic 25i ?
What's the difference between .... x756 DV and ... DV Anamorphic
and also completely without this DV and DV Anamorphic?

Level 10(109,395 points)Tom WolskyJan 9, 2015 5:22 PM
Re: How do I burn a dvd using the PAL setting?in response to Totti 10Why is it not needed to change it to PAL if this DVD is for Europe?
You don't, unless you want to have PAL resolution. Would it not be best to use a project with PAL SD 720x576 DV Anamorphic 25i ?
Yes, if you want a PAL resolution DVD. That's why the OP is asking how to make a PAL project. What's the difference between .... x756 DV and ... DV Anamorphic
DV is 4:3. DV Anamorphic is 16:9. and also completely without this DV and DV Anamorphic?
Not sure what this means. The DVD specification is the same as DV resolution. If the OP as an HD project that has a frame rate of 23.98, the output resolution will be NTSC DV anamorphic, because DVD only accepts 23.98, 24, or 29.97 frame rates in 720x480, not in the PAL resolution 720x576. That has to be in 25fps.
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JUst to add the reason you don't need to make PAL for Europe is because all PAL DVDs can play back NTSC. Unfortunately almost no NTSC players can play back PAL.

PAL format DVD

Several months ago, we used our Macbook Pro DVD player to play a PAL (European) format DVD. We just tried to play another PAL format DVD and the DVD Player won't accept it. Can the Macbook PRO DVD player play PAL format DVD's or can it be set up to play

NTSC/PAL is not the same as region settings. NTSC/Pal is like Mac vs. PC. Two different equipment formats accomplishing pretty much the same thing. Region settings are the motion picture industry controlling the regional distribution of movie releases. They don't care if it is PAL or NTSC.
Have you tried playing it with VLC?
VLC media player - http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ - general media player that plays just about anything.

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

PAL Format

I'm new to MACs and have just tried making a DVD of my mother-in-law's 70th birthday party. (You have to look after the mother-in-law). When I created the project in iMovie it doesn't allow me to create it in PAL format, it just defaults to NTSC. PAL is not even listed in the video format (I was importing video clips previously saved on the mac). When I share it with iDVD as soon as I try to burn to a DVD it tells me there's a TV Standard conflict. How do I create a new project in PAL format?

Ponder
Welcome to "Discussions".
Have you looked at your iMovie PREFERENCES ?
I work in the PAL format. I can tell you that in iMovie 4, you have a choice in "preferences" between PAL or NTSC.
If you have inadvertently created a Movie in NTSC, you won't be able to convert it to PAL in iMovie.
One thing you may have to watch is that when you create a "new project", iMovie may default to NTSC. In that case, you have to go to PREFERENCES, change "new project settings are" to PAL... close the iMovie project and open it again, and double check that the format is PAL. That is my experience with it.
I hope this will help and that I am adressing your concern correctly. I have been playing with iMovie for a couple of years now and am still "learning" and discovering. I think it's a fantastic tool. The first thing I did was to print the sections of the "HELP" pages I was interested in and studied them ... one at a time! There is a lot to absorb ! Incidently, I am not an expert in these matters !!!
jc
eMac - G4 Mac OS X (10.3.7) 768 MB SDRAM

Convert non dvd video to ipod format

i've seen a lot of posts about using videora to convert dvd to the ipod format, but can i use that same software or do i have to use something else for video files on my computer

GUIDES TO: Converting Video for iPod - Mac & Window
http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=123067
Patrick

Creating my commercial DVD:)

Hey,
I am ready now with Final Cut Studio 2 to create my commercial DVD for the feature film I produced last July. It is called "A Life". It is a girly, girly drama.
Any ideas, tips on creating a nice opening motion menu? I want to create a custom one and not use an Apple template so any ideas about how to go about it?
Chris

Its a hard question to answer since variables change from design to design. Take David's advice and look at some DVDs you like and get your design MoJo from those. You'll need to know how to use a graphics program like Photoshop and After Effect FCP if you want to have motion.
Here's a good book on designing Menus
http://www.amazon.com/Designing-DVD-Menus-Create-Professional-Looking/dp/1578202 590/ref=sr12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214758878&sr=1-2

After burning a successful DVD in iDVD out of FCPX, how can I see the settings it used? So I finally burned a DVD out of a Apple Pro Res file into iDVD in PAL format. My question now is how can I find out what the exact burn properties were so that I ca

After burning a successful DVD in iDVD out of FCPX, how can I see the settings it used?
So I finally burned a DVD out of a Apple Pro Res file into iDVD in PAL format. My question now is how can I find out what the exact burn properties were so that I can apply the same burn properties to a project in Compressor 4?
Is it possible to see what iDVD did?

I don't know any way you can interrogate iDVD to reveal settings to the extent that you can in a Compressor project. What you could do is open up the show's VOB in MPEG STreamclip, go to File and Reveal Stream Information; that will at least give you some rudimentary info like average bit rate. Perhaps someone, with more iDVD experience, can chime in here.
The broader question is why use Compressor at all if your current workflow is doing the job to your satisfaction?
The value of Compressor is that it gives you control over the many parameters that affect size quality. and playability. The Compressor presets can give you a starting point for DVD delivery, Web, etc. From those presets, people typically experiment by adjusting the parameters until they get the desired results for their specific show. It's a little bit science and a little bit art. After experimenting, you may be able to get slightly better quality for the project you've successfully burned in iDVD by using Compressor and something likeToast…or maybe not.
Good luck.
Russ

G4 with OS X 10.4.11 and DVD's in various formats (NTSC, PAL, SECAM).

Can a G4 AGP Graphics “Sawtooth” running OS X 10.4.11 Tiger play DVD's in the various regional formats (such as NTSC, PAL, and SECAM) an unlimited number of times, or is there a limit to how often the capability to play a particular format can be switched to the capability to play a different one?

Using an application such as VLC should optimize format playability. It may also help with the region code issue. The "number of times" isn't to do with the DVD format, it has to do with region codes set into the DVD by the media distributors. You can change that 5 times and then the DVD player is locked in forever. Try VLC and it may help with both the format playback and maybe get around the region code issue (disable Apple's own automatic DVD Player activation).
VLC media player - http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ - general media player that plays just about anything.
Niceplayer - http://code.google.com/p/niceplayer/

What is the best technique for "ripping" a commercial DVD and inserting this clip in my IMovie project (macbook Pro)?

How can i "rip" a part of a DVD that i bought from a vendor, when I went scuba diving recently? My goal is to insert the scuba clip into my Imovie project, which I am developing in my Macbook Pro. (This Mac is about 3 yearsold now)
I ,of course, will give credit to the company that produced the scuba DVD.
I read the posts, and Appleman1958, vernon Alexander,and Samhaque have had experience with this issue.
Which solution do you recommend for me? My ultimate goal is to create a DVD that includes snippets of a family trip.
thank you for your input here.
Moshe Pipick

Let's assume that such a 'holiday video' does not have copy protection:
You need to convert the VOB files in the TS-Folder of the DVD back to DV which iMovie is designed to handle. For that you need mpegStreamclip:
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html
which is free, but you must also have the Apple mpeg2 plugin :
http://store.apple.com/us/product/D2187Z/A/quicktime-mpeg-2-playback-component-f or-mac-os-x
(unless you are running Lion in which case see below))
which is a mere $20.
Another possibility is to use DVDxDV:
http://www.dvdxdv.com/NewFolderLookSite/Products/DVDxDV.overview.htm
which costs $25.
For the benefit of others who may read this thread:
Obviously the foregoing only applies to DVDs you have made yourself, or other home-made DVDs that have been given to you. It will NOT work on copy-protected commercial DVDs, which in any case would be illegal.
And from the TOU of these forums:
Keep within the Law
No material may be submitted that is intended to promote or commit an illegal act.
Do not submit software or descriptions of processes that break or otherwise ‘work around’ digital rights management software or hardware. This includes conversations about ‘ripping’ DVDs or working around FairPlay software used on the iTunes Store.
If you are running Lion:
From the MPEG Streamclip homepage
The installer of the MPEG-2 Playback Component may refuse to install the component in Lion. Apple states the component is unnecessary in Lion, however MPEG Streamclip still needs it. See this:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3381
To install the component in Lion, please download MPEG Streamclip 1.9.3b7 beta above; inside the disk image you will find the Utility MPEG2 Component Lion: use it to install the MPEG-2 Playback Component in Lion. The original installer's disk image (QuickTimeMPEG2.dmg) is required.
The current versions of MPEG Streamclip cannot take advantage of the built-in MPEG-2 functionality of Lion. For MPEG-2 files you still need to install the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component, which is not preinstalled in Lion. You don't have to install QuickTime 7.

Will MacBookPro play Reion2 PAL formatted DVDs?

Will MacBookPro play Reion2 PAL formatted DVDs?

Most optical drives in computers are shipped without having set a region code. Here in the US, you are generally only allowed to change that region code 5 times, so if you have set it to Region 1 (US) and you want to change it to a new Region to plan the PAL discs, then you will have 3 changes left, so make sure that you keep this in mind because once you make that last change, you will be stuck in whatever region you select...

How do I export a PAL format dvd into i movie

I have a dvd of my Vegas holiday that is in PAL format and I have no idea how to get it onto i move. I am a newbie to Apple so laymans terms would be helpful to let me know what to do.
Cheers Newbie

Perfectly reasonable request! We all start out knowing nothing, then hope to learn a little every day!
So, let's start by why you have to convert: a DVD is in a compresed format called mpeg2, which is standard across all DVDs. This is what is known as a 'final delivery format' and is not suitable for editing. Because is is compressed, a 4.7GB DVD can hold a two hour movie (dual layer DVDs twice that), whereas the DV stream from a video camera, which runs at about 13GB per hour, is not compressed and IS intended for editing.
In other words you have to 'reverse engineer' the DVD back to an uncompressed format in ordfer to edit it. There is a penalty for doing this in terms of slight quality loss, but it is one you can live with.
When you have your DVD as an icon on your desktop, double-click it, and it will open to reveal a TS-Folder containing a number of various files, some called VOB. These are the constituent parts of any video DVD.
When you have downloaded and installed mpegStreamclip, and purchased and installed the Apple mpeg2 plugin, open mpegStreamclip and drag the entire TS Folder into its window. Then using the various menus available to you (just explore them and you will get the hang of it) ask it to convert to DV.
That DV file, which will be many times larger than the original TS Folder, and which can a while to create (be patient - make coffee or prune the roses!) is what you can now import into iMovie for editing etc.
When you have finished doing that, you then have to turn the project back into a DVD.
I don't know what version of iMovie you have, but this should help:
iMovie 9 tutorials:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#imovie
and also this:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/imovie_09_stone.html
A good guide to iDVD 7 can be found here:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/idvd_07_stone.html
Please feel free to post back if you have more questions!

HT3775 My DVD player is supposed to play avi videos, but it often doesn't telling me that the file format is not recognized. I suspect it's because it's the wrong codec. How can I tell what the codec is before I burn a DVD? And how do I get a workable

My DVD player is supposed to play avi videos, but it often doesn't telling me that the file format is not recognized. I suspect it's because it's the wrong codec. How can I tell what the codec is before I burn a DVD? And how do I get a workable codec? Thanks for uour help!
Ken Selvidge ([email protected])

I am not a computer savy person. I just need to plug in and have the machine do what it should do.
Not a problem, but that indicates you have a lot to learn.
File extensions like mpeg, mp4., avi, wmv, etc. are just wrappers. It is like a box the audio or video content is placed inside. The audio and video content must be encoded with a codec before it is placed in the box. There are thousands of codecs. Not all are installed on your Mac. You must have the same codec installed that encoded the video in order to play it. So, while Quicktime does support mpeg wrapper, it may not have the codecs to decode the internal video.
Some programs have lots of the codecs available to them, like VLC, Niceplayer, MPlayerX, etc.
You can also get "plug-ins" for Quicktime that add codecs to Quicktime, like Perian. Although it is no longer being developed, Perian still works well.
Why is it so difficult? Probably because they are always working on ways to compress the video to get better playback.

Playback of commercial DVDs in the PAL format

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