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Maou

692th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member

"Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Fri 5 Aug 22:33

Please heed my call, o posters from France:
I was wondering if you might be able to tell me whether a "PAL" DVD can still be played properly on a NTSC television. I understand that Europe uses the same DVD region 2 as my Japanese PS2 should, but it occurs to me that VHS used to be in the PAL format, so I didn't know if this was another factor to consider. I was wondering if PAL format region 2 DVD's had a chance of projecting in Japan or the United States, since I want to grab a boxed set of Gendarmes movies (for real), and thought you might know. Merci bien!

人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．

Replies:

Mokona

295th Post

Copper Customer

"Re(1):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 00:29:

quote:
Please heed my call, o posters from France:
I was wondering if you might be able to tell me whether a "PAL" DVD can still be played properly on a NTSC television. I understand that Europe uses the same DVD region 2 as my Japanese PS2 should, but it occurs to me that VHS used to be in the PAL format, so I didn't know if this was another factor to consider. I was wondering if PAL format region 2 DVD's had a chance of projecting in Japan or the United States, since I want to grab a boxed set of Gendarmes movies (for real), and thought you might know. Merci bien!

It does. At least on MY television. I live in Canada, so the TV I had should be the same standards as in the US. I have a JVC TV and a Phillips DVD player that I could de-zone with a simple remote control code (this player is great, plays DivX too and now plays all zones). I can play my DVDs from France without a problem, so I guess the player does the converting from PAL to NTSC since my TV is NTSC only (the player asks you in the settings what type of TV you have, either PAL, NTSC or hybrid, and I put NTSC only, not hybrid, since I assumed my TV was NTSC only, and the PAL DVDs work fine, as well as my japanese NTSC zone 2 DVDs).

However, if the player you use doesn't play PAL DVDs, you won't be able to play them at all, like my PS2 (bought in Canada too), I have some zone free PAL DVDs from friends in France, and they don't play on the PS2.

My advice, buy the same player I bought, it's a fairly good deal, it's a Phillips DVP642 and I got it for 95$CAN at radioshack (I know they carry it, so you will be able to find it there), the remote control code is easy (something like "open tray, type 7, then 8, then 9, then ok, then type 0 for zone 0 (free) and then ok again"...

Blah!

[this message was edited by Mokona on Sat 6 Aug 00:29]

Burning Ranger

1263th Post

Red Carpet Executive Member

"Re(1):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 01:00

quote:
Please heed my call, o posters from France:
I was wondering if you might be able to tell me whether a "PAL" DVD can still be played properly on a NTSC television. I understand that Europe uses the same DVD region 2 as my Japanese PS2 should, but it occurs to me that VHS used to be in the PAL format, so I didn't know if this was another factor to consider. I was wondering if PAL format region 2 DVD's had a chance of projecting in Japan or the United States, since I want to grab a boxed set of Gendarmes movies (for real), and thought you might know. Merci bien!

I don't see why it shouldn't--provided that your DVD player and TV are using AV cables (the yellow, red and white ones). I remember playing my US NES on a Euro TV. Now, there may be an issue if there's a difference between 50 Mhz and 60 Mhz TVs (Dreamcasts have this option). I think 60 MHz is the standard, so there might not be a problem.

Advanced Cyborg E. Branger AKA Burning Ranger

Felicia & Morrigan: no explanation necessary.

exodus

2887th Post

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master

"Re(1):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 01:04

quote:
Please heed my call, o posters from France:

france uses secam.

but anyway, I would not bet on it displaying properly, unless your TV can handle 50 and 60 mhz display. most american TVs can't, and you need complex stuff (like a PAL/NTSC dvd player, which is expensive) to display it. You can do it on your PC though.

CHAZumaru
192th Post

Regular Customer

"Re(2):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 01:47

quote:
Please heed my call, o posters from France:

france uses secam.

Well, our DVDs are indeed Zone 2 PAL. Our DVD Players (like most in Europe ...because of us

) are PAL/SECAM.

There are two different issues here : the fact our DVD are Zone 2 and the fact we run them on PAL/SECAM, which as Brandon said is running images at a 50Hz frequency, instead of 60Hz. This is why european versions of games were, for a long time, slower than NTSC versions (it's much less true nowadays through the usage of 50Hz/60Hz options or optimized 50Hz on most games).

So you need two things.

First, you will need a DVD player able to run Zone 2 PAL DVDs, which means it's either dezoned, multizone, a hacked Xbox (it's what I use for my Zone 1 NTSC and Zone 2 NTSC movies) or whatelse.

Once it runs it, and assuming your TV isn't PAL compatible (like most american TVs), there are two options :

- The DVD player is able to convert the image flux at a 60Hz frequence, and you can watch the movie. I am pretty sure the modified Xbox does that for instance, although I actually do it the other way around.

- The DVD player doesn't and, well, you're doomed unless you have a little converter box that translates 50Hz PAL into 60Hz NTSC (I never saw that, but I own a converter box that does the contrary).

But hell, why bother, I am pretty sure the Geneva Convention bans imports of the Gendarme movies anyway.

NOW IS TIME TO THE 68000 Z80 AND SH-2 HEART ON FIRE !!

Iggy

6982th Post

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master

"Re(1):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 01:49:

EDIT : Chazed !
So...

quote:
since I want to grab a boxed set of Gendarmes movies

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!

will be my answer.

[this message was edited by Iggy on Sat 6 Aug 01:53]

Time Mage

2224th Post

Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master

"Re(3):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 04:05

quote:
(it's much less true nowadays through the usage of 50Hz/60Hz options or optimized 50Hz on most games).

Most PS2 games still doesn't come with a 50/60Hz selector. Remember FFX, or the super-recent God of War.

Kikkoken

944th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member++

"Re(4):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 04:09

La série des Gendarmes? Mais quel bon choix!

CHAZumaru
195th Post

Regular Customer

"Re(4):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 05:27

quote:
(it's much less true nowadays through the usage of 50Hz/60Hz options or optimized 50Hz on most games).

Most PS2 games still doesn't come with a 50/60Hz selector. Remember FFX, or the super-recent God of War.

I'd like to "remember" them but honestly I haven't played a PAL PS2 game in years, so...

There's no english page about the Gendarmes on Wikipedia. Wikipedia fails again !

NOW IS TIME TO THE 68000 Z80 AND SH-2 HEART ON FIRE !!

Mokona

296th Post

Copper Customer

"Re(5):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 05:43:

quote:
There's no english page about the Gendarmes on Wikipedia. Wikipedia fails again !

I'll fill you in.

It's a series of movies staring French comedy legend Louis de Funes and other then-great actors like Michel Galabru and Jean Lefebvre and tells of a troup of Gendarmes (basically policemen, I won't get into the details of the difference between police and gendarmerie) through different funny situations.
The first movie in the series, simply called "Le gendarme de Saint Tropez" was brilliant, but most of the others were not as good and even bad for the last ones... There's even one where there are UFOs and all...

All in all, it's still considered a cult series in France and some of De Funes' most recognized work.

Blah!

[this message was edited by Mokona on Sat 6 Aug 05:44]

Mokona

297th Post

Copper Customer

"Re(6):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sat 6 Aug 05:52:

Oh by the way, in Quebec, we have the Gendarme series in Zone 1 NTSC DVDs anyway... you may want to check quebec-based online stores... I recommend www.dvdsoon.com (I didn't check if they have them, but I bet they do).
and since those DVDs are for the canadian market, you might even be lucky and get english subs...

Blah!

[this message was edited by Mokona on Sat 6 Aug 05:53]

Maou

693th Post

Red Carpet Regular Member

"Re(3):Fun with PAL DVDs" , posted Sun 7 Aug 02:49

Ah, thanks for all of the advice, everyone! I was surprised when I saw PAL DVD's at first, since I'd just associated them with VHS and really slow 16bit games, but I forgot it persisted to this day. Thanks to Mokona for the Quebec advice, too, who knew I'd depend on Canada for my French needs.

quote:

But hell, why bother, I am pretty sure the Geneva Convention bans imports of the Gendarme movies anyway.

Hahaha, il n'y a personne qui aime Luis de Funes? Quel dommage...Hahahaha, conveniently I'll be back in a country that says the Conventions are "quaint" anyway (argh), so I may be allowed to watch them.

人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．