Quote:
Originally posted by charlene:
I didn't know any of this---very interesting stuff.....you'd think in this day and age everything like this would be 'universal'....
Sir John - could you do something abut this?....
lol
I did know about PAL....
|
No but I am researching!!
interim report
The doubtful bit is not the region but the format because it is a fact that some DVDs are compiled in PAL and others in NTSC
I recently discovered that there are such things as "pseudo-PAL and Pseudo-NTSC.
check out:-
http://www.weethet.nl/english/video_formats.php
where you can read:-
"Note: Most modern DVD players are capable of switching between PAL and NTSC. Most modern TV-sets accept the so called pseudo formats (Pseudo PAL and Pseudo NTSC) as well so you can do playback of an NTSC movie on a PAL TV-set for example"
I do know that I have here now three region free PAL DVDS
1. the great Paul Simon "how the Graceland album came about ( a DVD I purchased in the UK)
2. the Paul simon/Everly Brothers "Old Friends" 2003 concert (A DVD bought from a Dutch source)
3.A DVD made by a Dutch Nevil Shute fan from a UK PAL VHS video cassette of a UK television company made film (by Granada Television)
all three play happily and perfectly here on our American Market Toshiba DVD/VHS Combo player into a standard US bought JVC Television.
Regarding item 2 I bought an identical Old Friends DVD from the same Dutch source for my sister in the UK which plays on a UK market DVD player into a PAL television.
On the other hand I have made VCDs (Video CDs)from mpg digital video files which happily play on UK equipment and as far as I know corfidian catmanron has an American market Reno DVD that plays on his Australian set up despite being upside down!!
Right Ron??
John Fowles
However I have to admit defeat (so far ) in watching a new DVD issued last year initially in the UK only entitled "the Definitive Buddy Holly"
I had read that copies imported from the UK pending an official US launch would not play over here because some cretin for unfathomable reasons had made them region 2.My wife found a copy on line at the very American Barnes and Noble as a Chrissy Pressy for me but although clearly marked on the DVD Case "region free worldwide" it flatly refused to play on the combo unit and then tried to convert the PC DVD-ROM Drive we eventually tried to region 2 in order to play it (not recommended as computer DVD Drives can only be so-changed a silly maximum of 6 times)
This was the identical reaction that the DVD Player and my old Vaio laptop's DVD Drive had when asked to play a region 2 copy of the Riverdance DVD bought in the UK
OK that DVD was made in Ireland and close inspection of the Holly DVD revealed that it was a product of some misguided Agentinian DVD factory
I guess as a Brit I should have expected trouble from the Micks and Argies but really it is just plain stoopidity IMHO.
any one know more???
BTW On that interesting weethet site there is a listing of all countries that use PaL and of bloody coarse Argentina is one of them!We returned the offending DVD to our locsal Barnes and Noble store for a full refund no hastle.
Had there been I would likely have run amok!!
[ April 03, 2006, 17:05: Message edited by: johnfowles ]