Playing DVDs in Russia

[lathompson]

I have a client that is about to go to Russia to visit her mother. I've just put her home movies onto DVD, along with 2 special slide shows, But I warned her that Russia doesn't use the NTSC system there and they are likly un playable. I promised her I would try to find a way to convert them for her, but it would seem that this isn't being done with DVDs like it is with video tapes.

In light of that, I have made some inquiries and surprisingly, I'm being told that these DVDs might play in most players in Russia. Seems the manufacturers have made their players sold in Europe, Asia and Russia to be compatible with videos and DVDs programed for NTSC use.

Can anyone confirm that and if so, to what degree of compatibility might my customer expect?

Larry

[Ken Cox]

Larry

welcome to the forum

see

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8...le+Search&meta=

http://www.j-fan.com/edit.cgi?selected=dvd_region

http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/dvd.html

ken

[LumenLux]

Larry, I have not looked at the links posted by Ken. What I can mention is that PTE itself has in the Video section, the option to prepare your .avi for NTSC or PAL. I think I once successfully used the PAL option and sent it on DVD (along with my NTSC) version to a friend in Germany. Also, I think some of the typical DVD software offers the option to burn for either format. It is therefor my understanding that the issue is easier to deal with via DVD than via tape.

[lathompson]

Thanks Ken. Your links got me about the same info I have already ran into... basically, a sentence or two saying that SOME DVD sets sold in Europe (Russia not mentioned) MAY play DVDs recorded in NTSC. The last link, buried deep under basic DVD information, provided another sentence or two about regional playback problems. I know commercial DVDs are regional, but now I wonder if my DVD-R burner in my computer is putting a regional condition on my recordings! Could this be?

So now I have two things I question. Anyway I do appreciate the links.

LumenLux, you refer to the PAL option in the burn process but have you done this? It would seem to me that although I can choose PAL in the making of my mpeg, prior to burning, does my burner have to be a special PAL burner??? Or are all burners capable of burning either NTSC or PAL?

And if I choose the option to make this a PAL disc, I have no way to check it before putting it in the hands of my Russian customer.

I would feel more secure if someone (Igor???) who has 1st hand knowledge of the DVD situation in Russia could tell me their experience. It would help me a great deal when inquiring customers ask, to be as accurate as possible about DVDs used outside of the USA.

Now, armed with the info you guys have provided me, I suspect I will burn two discs for them. One in PAL and one the regular way, NTSC. Worse case scenario is that when they come back, they can tell me what happened.

Can anyone contribute more to this question?

[Ken Cox]

Larry

i would hunt out a local electronics store - the specialty type - not best buy - wally world or the like - find one that does pal and secam vhs tape transfers -- they may be setup to do pal testing or xfer of dvd's

Yamaha do make a dvd player that you can set to play various country codes -- but i do not know the model -- i overheard a lady asking about one she had ordered

as an experiment i did make a pal dvd but my tv would not show it and i was not up to diddlin my dvd players -=- have advised my local specialty shop that it is available if the need arises

so if you find a local shop do as Lumen suggested -- make a pal show -- the only thing you will be out is time and the price of a couple discs -- then you will be the resident expert on the forum re pal xfers

send both types properly labelled

ken

[LumenLux]

Larry, I think you are asking all the right questions, but I for one, am sharing "what I think" and don't remember or know the sure answers. If Igor could jump in here, that would certainly be correct info. When I had burned both NTSC and PAL versions of a DVD, at least one time, it was not a PTE show, but a homemade mini-dv tape that had been put on DVD for here in America. I then used Ulead or Roxio or ? to "rip" the video from the American DVD and then burned the result using the PAL option of the software. The PAL version DVD I then know only would NOT play on my NTSC DVD player. The sad part is, the recipient in Germany, being a teenager never reported back very accurately what she was able to view of the two (NTSC & PAL) versions I sent.

I think Ken has made a couple of further good ideas -

1. If you can trace down a commercial video shop that is willing to talk even if he won't get a $, you may get the answers you need. Or you may decide it is worth paying to get it done. Some of the commercial shops don't want to mess with such small potatoes as business but will nicely share the knowledge you need to do it yourself.

2. Finally, as Ken suggests, YOU will become the expert and we can come directly to you for the next round of this type of question.

And my parting advice - Remember, this is fun.

[DaveG]

For what it is worth I can confirm that in the UK, DVD players and also VHS player which are capable of NTSC playback or quite commonplace. These are playback only and will not record NTSC. (No one has yet, successfully, explained why the same machines are not available in the USA). The setup of the DVD players allow for outputting as NTSC or PAL formats (or auto sensing - multi).

When making DVDs for USA use I have to employ the use of a file converter which will produce an NTSC DVD file from a PAL MPEG2 or AVI or similar.

When compiling the DVD I can only produce a PAL DVD frpm a PAL source and similarly an NTSC DVD from an NTSC source. This is fairly obvious.

Since most home-made DVDs are region free (Region 0) this does not appear to be a problem.

I have not tried making NTSC PTE shows yet but I am pretty sure that the same problems would arise and the same solutions apply.

DaveG.

[Igor]

I know that almost all DVD players in Russia (I consider that absolutely all) can play DVD discs in NTSC standart, because there are many films in the 1st zone which are NTSC only.

But there is another problem - for NTSC format TV should show 30(60 Hz) frames, PAL requires 25 (50 Hz) frames.

At my home I could play DVD discs on TV only when I've connected DVD player to TV via SCART connection and choosed "sRGB" format of video signal in the menu of DVD player.

However all modern DVD player (at least, made during last years) can transcode (and do it by default) NTSC video and show it in PAL format.

But as I've seen on my DVD player, it works bad - motions look are twitched (because it seems that DVD just skips 5 frames to adapt 30-frames of NTSC to 25 of PAL). Because of this, I use another above described way.

As I know almost all European countries also use PAL standart.

NTSC is mainly used in the United States, Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, etc.

If it possible, use usual EXE files which plays fine in any country

Or at least, prepare DVD with two variants: for NTSC and for PAL.

[lathompson]

Thanks David! Sounds like you have experience with this.

It appears that you are located in the UK somewhere, right? Your experience is very helpful but the following statement confuses me:

"When compiling the DVD I can only produce a PAL DVD frpm a PAL source and similarly an NTSC DVD from an NTSC source. This is fairly obvious."

Your saying that no conversion from one to the other is possible? Seems to me, the burner will burn a prepared program with no regard as to it's chosen standard, be it NTSC or PAL. My encoder (TMPEGnc) offers me the option to produce an mpeg2 for either standard... Are you saying this will not work?

I'm on my way to the office in about an hour... I'm going to try it first thing this morning.

Ken/Lunenlux: I have already queried other vendors in the Saint Louis, Missouri area and they are like me. Perplexed at the question because nobody has asked for a conversion DVD yet. This is why I've posed the question here. I've tried other forums but nobody has spoke up anywhere but here! I've been doing TAPE conversions for years but this has been a first. It looks like David has some authority on the subject.

Soon as my Russian couple get back from their trip, I'll have some first hand knowledge myself. I'll post again at that time.

Larry

[Ken Cox]

THIS IS A QUOTE FROM AN ELECTONICS CHAIN newsletter

might be of some help

KEN

Ask the Expert: DVD Region-Free

by Sam Chow

Copyright © 2004 Future Shop

"Like many new Canadians that live in this country, we have some DVDs from our origin countries that are often not Region 1. Could you please tell us which solution Future Shop would have to help us to watch those DVDs?"

Unlike CDs, which are generally universally compatible, playing international DVDs can be tricky business. Basically, there are two factors that need to be addressed in order to make it possible.

NTSC/PAL

There are two types of television systems used in most countries throughout the world. In North America we use NTSC and in most of Europe and Australia, PAL is used. Some countries, such as France, use a third standard called SECAM.

NTSC vs. PAL is not an issue on a computer but if you plan on watching your DVDs on a TV, be sure your DVD player is capable of converting a PAL DVD to NTSC. While it is quite common for modern DVD players to have this feature, most cannot properly convert anamorphic widescreen PAL DVDs, resulting in a slightly vertically stretched picture. Full screen or non-anamorphic discs do not suffer from this problem. Check out JVC's XV-N310B or XV-N312S Progressive Scan DVD Players for PAL compatibility.

Region Codes

As a method to address licensing issues and control the home release dates of movies in different countries, Region Codes were developed. The globe is divided into seven regions with North America being Region 1. Region 0 discs are suitable for players from any region. When a DVD is inserted into a DVD drive or player, it checks the disc to ensure that the disc's region code matches the drive/player's region. If they do not match, the machine will refuse to play the disc.

For a computer system, there are several commercial software packages, such as DVD Region Free or Any DVD, which, among other things, allow you to bypass the region codes.

Standalone DVD players, especially those from lesser known manufacturers or smaller companies, often have a "back door" in order to make the player all-region via secret remote control command or firmware update. A search on the Internet can often reveal the secret remote control key-presses.

While circumventing region codes is not illegal, nor condoned by Future Shop, please note that any tampering with your DVD drive or player will most likely void the warranty.

(If you have a question for our experts, please email us at asktheexpert@futureshop.com. Please note that we are limited to publishing only one question and answer in each newsletter edition per week. This enables us to keep the newsletter length manageable for you and all of our subscribers.)

[DaveG]

Hi Larry,

Sorry for the delay.

What I meant was that if you are compiling an NTSC DVD you will need an NTSC MPEG2.

If your original is a PAL MPEG2 you will need to use file converter such as Digital Media Converter to produce the NTSC MPEG2 from the PAL source.

I disagree with the Future Shop comment in Ken's post in "NTSC vs PAL" with regard to playing DVDs on Computers. In practice, I have sent region free PAL DVDs to the USA and no one has so far been able to cope either on DVD Player or Computer. Hence the necessity for Digital Media Converter. When sending region free NTSC DVDs to the USA - no problem on Computer.

Best wishes,

DaveG

[lathompson]

Thanks for the clarification Dave. I understand that.

I have sent my Russian client off to his homeland with a NTSC copy. We didn't have time to experiment before he had to leave so, when he returns, he's going to let me know how the DVD worked over there. That's about 3 weeks from now.

Anyway, I'll post them as to what happens.

Larry

[lathompson]

Thanks for the clarification Dave. I understand that.

I have sent my Russian client off to his homeland with a NTSC copy. We didn't have time to experiment before he had to leave so, when he returns, he's going to let me know how the DVD worked over there. That's about 3 weeks from now.

Anyway, I'll post them as to what happens.

Larry

[Ken Cox]

I disagree with the Future Shop comment in Ken's post in "NTSC vs PAL"

Dave

are you going to query the Futureshop Author -- best to get it cleared up?

I have questioned them on other things and they retracted the statement later.

ken

[DaveG]

Hi Ken,

There seems little point in that. I have asked numerous "experts" before going into this and was assured that there would be no problem!

There was, of course and I now know what I have to do. I take each case and learn from my experiences.

There is not enough time to put everything in the world right. I take it one step at a time.

If Larry's client has access to a DVD player such as the one I have (a Philips) which is capable of reading ALL regions, and outputting PAL and NTSC he will find a way.

Best wishes,

DaveG