Project Setup: NTSC or PAL

In connection with a recent post I made:
When you begin a project in DVD Studio Pro, you have the option to set the project as NTSC or PAL.
What would happen if I shot/edited an NTSC video, but selected the DVD studio pro project to be PAL? Would the burned DVD then be capable of playing on a PAL dvd player?

Unless I'm mistaken, I do not believe that you can import a NTSC video into a PAL DVDSP project. Even if it is possible, it's not a good idea from a quality standpoint.
So, yes, use Compressor to transcode your file from NTSC to PAL. That said, I would try to avoid doing that directly to an MPEG-2 encode. In other words, convert from (say) DV-NTSC to DV-PAL with a very healthy dose of Frame Controls - set every option to Better - and see how you like the results. Then convert your DV-PAL file to MPEG-2 for use in a PAL DVDSP project. But Compressor is not fast when it comes to transcoding of this type.
If you can - because you'll likely need to run this overnight or over the weekend. - I'd recommend the use of job chaining. In case you haven't done that before, select your DV-PAL encode setting in Compressor's Batch window and then select *Job > New Job from Selected Output* via the menubar. That will bring up a new job - a whole new box - that you can slap the appropriate MPEG-2 & Dolby settings on to. This way, you'll have your converted file - should you need to (re)encode and any point - as well as at least one attempt at converting it to MPEG-2. If you're happy with the quality, you've killed two birds with one stone...

Similar Messages

Denmark NTSC or PAL

I am kinda in a hurry to send a DVD off to Denmark for a family reunion. I completely forgot about the format. It is a slide show I did in NTSC.
PAL or NTSC is the question or both maybe. I apologize for my ignorance!
Rob

Denmark is a PAL country. Check this:
The best you can do is recreate the project in PAL (you cannot change an existing project from NTSC to PAL).
Most DVD players/TVs in PAL countried can play NTSC standard, but you really can be sure of that at least you can ask the people in Denmark.
You can find here a list of countries and standards:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAL
Alberto

Subtitles from ntsc to pal

I'm building a project in ntsc and pal and it's translated into 7 languages. Is there a way to export subtitles from the ntsc project to the pal project? I'm able to export the track description, convert to .stl, but then it won't import into pal. Help!

hey there:
i guess there's no easy answers for the matters in this thread as it has no replies for more than a month.
i got a related problem - and actually i didn't DO the subtitles in encore, but imported a text file of them. i had to spot in encore, though, as my import didn't contain in/out time codes.
& now that that's all done in PAL, i'll need to do the same for NTSC. i actually figured out a kind of a rudimentary workaround for this (or, so i thought) by ripping the subtitles off the finished PAL dvd with an app called subrip & porting to subtitle workshop that exports the encore format. but unfortunately whatever i try to do converting between different time code formats/frame rates, the resulting NTSC time codes are out of whack.
the above, though a long story, does contain two core questions:
- how to export subtitles & their time codes out of encore?
- how to convert above export back & forth between PAL/NTSC?
any pointers much appreciated... cheers!
best,
- z -

Where can I check to see if project has been imported in NTSC or PAL?

I have been importing DV tapes from both NTSC and PAL DV camcorders and I think I may have made a mistake on a take and recorded an NTSC tape in PAL. I can't find anywhere that tells me if my projects are in PAL or NTSC. Does anyone know how I can check?
Thanks
Kevin

[email protected] wrote:
...I tried what you said but it only gives me the option to see codecs under 'more info' when I view the info on the thumbnail files and then it still doesn't tell me if it is Pal or NTSC. When I right click on the file in the finder the only info I get is that it is a DV Movie....
.... ooops..
in case you own QTpro or the free tool Mpeg Streamclip, open file, hit Apple-I and read in the info framerate/fps: 25=PAL, 29.97=NTSC..

Authoring a DVD for both PAL & NTSC regions - convert pal project to ntsc?

Hello gurus
I have programmed and built a DVD in DVDSP for PAL regions. But my cleint has come back to me and asked for an NTSC version.
I have re-encoded all assets for NTSC but am now struggling to find a simple way to convert the programming. DVDSP is asking me to remove all assets and menus and basically re-programme the whole disk again...
Do any of you peeps have any quick fixes???
Thank you in advance
Jay

There is no reason why you can't save the PAL project as a new project - NTSC version - then take out all the assets that are video (and therefore PAL) then change the project to NTSC settings. This way the basic structure is there - you will need to reconnect stuff etc and you may find that buttons you have created "disappear" from the menu screens (due to the different frame size of NTSC and PAL)
I have done this in the past where projects had scripts and the like and were fairly complex - it's not ideal but might save some time in redoing the project

NTSC to PAL project conversion?

I know this question has been dealt with alot in the past but I can't seem to find an answer to my question. I know my video assets have to changed over to PAL
and that is not my question.
My question is can I convert the project to PAL,
with all my menu and buttons intact.
I don't want to have to go back and redo my menu and buttons.
It says the only way to change to PAL is to create a new project,
however then I loose my menu and buttons, which I don't want to do.
Is there away to convert the project to PAL, excluding the video assets?
Or how do I bring menus and buttons from a another project into a new project?
Thanks
Patch

Try this:
- Save As with a new name
- Remove all video assets from your tracks (you can keep the empty tracks
- Change in the Inspector the standard from NTSC to PAL (it must let you do so)
- Reencode your video and import the new assets into the old tracks (don't reuse the audio from NTSC tracks, because probably will get out of sync issues)
And finally . . . Menus. If you made graphics for your menu brackgrounds, you must made new versions of them using the right PAL pixels sizes. If you let DVDSP just resize the old ones, you'll get a poor quality background.
Give a try to this workflow!
Alberto

Cannont add NTSC to Pal project

Hi,
Ive been busy on this the last few days lol.
after using the "best quality dvd " settings in compressor, I go to import the assets into DVDSP but it says " cannont import NTSC assets into PAL projects"
1. how is it NTSC and since im in Europe Id like a Pal project. what dvd settings am i doing wrong in compressor?
Sean

Hi seanie84
Check your timeline. It sound as if you have made your project in NTSC and not in PAL.
FCP has a default of NTSC when you start a new project from new unless you change all the defaults when you installed FCP.
If not this then your film footage maybe NTSC and when you first put a clip on the time line it would have asked you if you wanted to set the timeline to the same as the clip, if you said YES then it could be that, if so make a new timeline and then copy all footage from old timeline and if asked say NO to "the make timeline same as footage".
If your footage is OK from your timeline, then check your DVD settings in compressor and make sure they are PAL.
HTH
PJ

Ntsc vs pal

pal vs ntsc
Posted: Oct 18, 2006 8:27 AM Reply Email
i got some footage of a wedding that was shot in ntsc format on vhs that was burnt do a dvd. i recorded the dvd onto my computer using final cutpro (dvd to cmaera to computer). I saved it as a quick time movie, now i want to burn into a pal format film so it can be shown in England. How can i do this with idvd.
I tried changing the prefernces to pal and i tried changing the video mode in the project info to pal but i get an message when i click burn that says TV standard conflict. i still go ahead to burn but it comes beack with an encoding error.
is there anyway i can change the format (ntsc to pal) using finalcut express

to playback your ntsc dvd (vhs for that matter) you need either
- a dvd player or vhs deck that does true ntsc playback plus a monitor or projector that handles true ntsc
or
- a dvd player or vhs deck that does "ntsc playback on pal" (i believe that's what it was called) with a regular tv. it's a rough scaling of the video-image and it drops a few frames here and there to compensate for the frame-rate difference. this is of course not as good as a proper conversion, but for home-viewing is more than good enough.
this last pont also explains what is the point of places offering proper conversion...
discs created in dvd sp usually are set to play in all regions - though can be made to play only in 1 region, you'll have to check this with the person who created the disc or by popping it into a different region player
hope this helps

NTSC and PAL

Under iDVD preferences and the Projects tab it asks a few things that I know nothing about:
1) Video Mode: NTSC or PAL. What are those and when would I use one over the other?
2) Encoding: Best Quality or Best Performance? Which is better to use and if I use Best Performance do I want to "Enable background encoding"?
Thanks. -Jeff

there are no NTSC DVDs, there are only DVDs that have 29.97fps, 720x480 MPEG-2 video to maximize video quality on an NTSC analog output
... and THAT makes them NTSC DVDs.
Jeff asked: ) Video Mode: NTSC or PAL. What are those and when would I use one over the other?. Jeff, the are video standards used in different places around the world. If all your DVDs are intended for use in the US, just select NTSC and don't worry about it.
PAL and NTSC are analog modulations
... that differ mostly in the way the chrominance signal is treated (besides the image size and frame rate).

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

Mixing NTSC and PAL on FCP X timeline.

I have a timeline which has both NTSC and PAL clips. The first clip was NTSC. What settings should I use to Share the timeline into .mov? Eventually I want to burn the .mov file onto a DVD.

Export as a Master File and use the MF in in the DVD app.
The Project should be NTSC and I think you will get away with it.
Al

NTSC to PAL, anyone?

Hello There,
I'm about to buy Premier and I'm excited about it. I'm learning and you'll see that from my question.
Can anyone tell me if Premier has the ability to output an NTSC project to PAL? My camera is NTSC. My client needs a PAL end result.
Or, if that's not possible, what program will do the job and how's the quality of the result?
Thanks,
BT

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.
And just how much visual color difference is there between NTSC and PAL? Does the difference between 16 - 235 for NTSC and 0 - 255 for PAL really matter? Is it noticeable?
Thanks,
BT
Well, make sure you know at least what you are shooting
I just gave it a try using AME, max render quality & frame blending and the result is... let me put is this way: you'll see the difference comparing both clips, especially if the source is interlaced, for progessive its a quite a bit better. Some people would say just play it back at 25 fps, the lesser speed is visually below being perceivable, but you will get audio shifting.
Using time remapping might be better, I had good result using Apples Compressor which uses optical flow for rendering intermediate frames (which is not good for CG, by the way). After Effects has similar capabilities, but I haven't used them yet.
As long as you stay in HD you wont notice any color differences since there arent any. Both use the same color space.

Checking movie file for NTSC or PAL

Hi,
Is there a way to check if a .mov file is NTSC or PAL? can anybody give me some directions on this topic? if there is sample codes for this, much better.
Thanks,

Christian
I knew about the 'all new projects' setting thanks - this is fine but awkward because you have to create a project before you can get to this setting and the project is a waste of time as it will be in the wrong setting (if you can follow that).
But I didn't know about the 'reset all warning dialogs' thing - and so I am really grateful to discover I can get my settings box back.
I just really appreciate how these forums help people out when they're starting out. Hopefully one day I'll know enough to be able to return the favour.
Mike

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.
want to use 1080 30p setting, ideally. question is, how do i handle shooting in europe? If i have a US crew and bring a NTSC camera, how shall it be shot given the 50hz vs 60hz issue? If i hire a crew in Europe using AF-100, it will be PAL but then how do I edit that footage along with stuff shot in US? much thanks.

Hello Sue,
personally I'd convert everything to PAL as I've always felt that I get slightly better results from NTSC to PAL conversions than vice versa ... but it also depends on your final output.
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.
hope this helps
mish

Converting NTSC to PAL with chapter markers

Hey guys,
I have just a quick question.
I am making a home made video. I did all the editing in FCP and made a great DVD in iDVD. I would like to do the same thing in PAL format so I can send it to my parents in Europe. My original footage is in NTSC. I did my own research and tried using compressor to change format to PAL.
I tried several different settings (PAL DV, Mpeg 2 PAL) but the outcome movie is always missing chapter markers.
I also tried to import the PAL movie (after conversion in Compressor) to FCP and added chapter markers but did not work.
Does anybody know how to convert the format from NTSC to PAL and keep the chapter markers at the same time? I would like to mantain as high quality as possible.
Thanks for your help.
iMac G5 Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8)
iMac G5 Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Well, this seemed to work. However, being completely new to converting to PAL, I was surprised to see the "jumpiness" that goes along with the frame rate drop. Looking at it taxes the eyes as it seems like its dropping frames every so often. I realize, through more research that this is due to the 25 FPS nature of PAL plus the fact that I'm converting and not just authoring from PAL material. Having said this, is there a tried and true way of "smoothing" this jumpiness that anyone would share?
A friend of mine suggested that when I place the file into DVDSP, I choose the TOP field in the encoding tab, prior to burning the disk. In the past I have always left the FIELD menu set at Auto. He says that setting it to TOP might help a little.
He also told me that a lot of the software based converters don't do the best of jobs. Although acceptable results may come from tweaking the settings, the best way to convert NTSC to PAL (with the most pleasing results) is by using a very high end converter (not a computer). Although you have to weigh out the circumstances such as how many disks will eventually be converted compared to available budget, is it worth spending a little extra for a master that will ultimately see 1,000 copies?
I'm planning on showing my client the burn with field dominance set to TOP, on Monday. Hopefully she'll find it acceptable and I'll be able to move on with this project. Thanks for all the help!
Steve
Power Mac, G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Project Setup: NTSC or PAL

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