Rivergate Software Inc. - makers of DVDAfterEdit

Posted Apr 18,2005 1:53 PM Dasnyc

Can I Change a NTSC Video ts To Pal? Time critical Job Must Know ASAP?

Posted Apr 18,2005 3:39 PM Trai

Hi Dasnyc,

No. You'll need to standards convert the footage. This means returning the assets to elementary states, standards converting, then reauthoring and multiplexing.

Take care,

Trai

Posted Apr 18,2005 5:18 PM Dasnyc

Thanks.....

Posted Apr 18,2005 6:58 PM Arky

Don't forget, though, that you needn't reauthor all the command sequences - you can use 'Edit to copy and paste these in seconds, provided you have replicated the physical domain structures identically.

Many swear by ProCoder for standards conversion (this requires some serious number-crunching, though).

Personally, I would be reluctant to attempt standards conversion if you only have MPEG source files, demuxed from the NTSC DVD, since, by virtue of the high compression ratio of the format, so much data has been discarded - therefore, your chances of achieving a professional result (i.e. one without excessive MPEG artifacting, such as macroblock 'mosaicing') would be extremely limited, although you may get a satisfactory result if the NTSC encoding was skillfully done, and at a high bitrate.

John.

Posted Apr 19,2005 3:46 AM Uli Plank

If this PAL version is only needed for a small target group, you may consider sending it in NTSC. All European players are capable of playing back NTSC, and most modern TVs can screen that signal (chip-projectors and flat-screens anyway). Only some older TV sets will show the image in black and white or nothing at all.

I second the advice not to do standards conversion from MPEG streams. Please remember that PAL has a higher spatial resolution and will show all weaknesses without any mercy.

Hope this helps,

Uli