Convert DVD from PAL to NTSC?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

I've got an unencrypted DVD in PAL format. I'd like to find an easy way to
convert it to NTSC. I can do it in Premiere by renaming the VOB files to
mpegs, importing them, rendering them back out to NTSC (avi or mpeg) and
then reauthoring, but it's a rather long process.

Are there any programs out there that will take a more straight-forward
approach? Quality isn't critical, though I'd like the result to look as
good as possible.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

Not that I have come across.

The problem, of course, is the PAL 25 FPS versus NTSC 30 FPS. Which is
why most PAL players can play NTSC, but not the other way around.

Anyway, here is an interesting thread with a cheap, cheap, way to do it
by fooling the player into thinking that the PAL DVD is an NTSC:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.video.dvd.software/browse_frm/thread/4b4e624c362b8a07/2e0bfe9f01a16041?q=PAL+NTSC+IFOEDIT&rnum=10#2e0bfe9f01a16041

I haven't tried, but been meaning to on a free PAL DVD of *Paris, TX*
that came with the morning newspaper on a recent visit to the UK. From
what I can gather, using this method is very dependent on the NTSC DVD
player.

I have started to believe that if anyone is interested in doing this
much on hard to get foreign DVD's, then an analog capture with desired
subtitle settings might be best, or a simply a player that will play
both PAL/NTSC to NTSC.

Good luck...

>From ZMAN:

There is an easy way using IFOEdit. You have to use something like DVD
shrink to put all the files on your hard drive. Select OPEN in IFOEdit
find the files you copied. Then select VIDEO_TS_IFO and open. This
should be the first file in the dir. Click on the upper pane which is
the title of the movie and it will display information in the lower
pane. Now find the file that list PAL and 4:3. Double click and IFOEdit

will pop up a window "Video Attributes" Change PAL to NTSC, then change

Aspect ratio to 16:9 and check the box Automatic Letterbox and click
OK.
Continue down the files and locate every file with PAL and 4:3 in it
and repeat the process. Check the region free button to make sure it is

ALL. When you finish save it and say YES to all including BUP files.
Now
go back to your main directory and select the next IFO which is usually

VTS_01_0.IFO and do the same thing again and save and on and on until
you have replaced every file with NTSC and 16:9. To see if you did it
correct close IFOEdit and reopen it and go to the directory and open
the
first file again and you should see:
MPRG-2 720X480 (NTSC) 525/60 (16:9) (pal-scan)
Then just burn it with whatever you use. I use Nero Express. I have
converted many region 2 UK DVD's using this and they all play great and

I don't see any loss in picture quality.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

Thanks PTRAVEL for reporting back.

Well, I went ahead and tried the above method on the PAL DVD that I had
brought back from the UK. I created a new DVD using DVD Shrink, IFO
Edit, and Pinnacle Instant Copy for burning (don't think that that had
any effect).

It works on three for three of my DVD players. Two are newer ones,
inexpensive VHS/DVD combo units, one a Sanyo and the other a Samsung.
One was from Walmart, the other from Sam's Club. About $100 each.

It also worked on a JVC triple bay unit that I have had for about four
years. I didn't expect it to, but it played just fine.

My theory goes something like this:

Most DVD players built for the the international market will play mpeg
audio and mpeg at 25 FPS. These are not NTSC standards. But it is
cheaper to build all units the same, with only minor changes to the
firmware. Therefore many units will play the 25 FPS mpegs. Cool.

If I place the PAL disk into any of the DVD players, then I get an
invalid media type message. If I simply reauthor the DVD and flip the
DVD types in the headers as mentioned in ZMAN's article, then it plays
just fine. The VOB's still contain a 25 FPS mpv file, but that seems
OK for my three players.

I am now going to burn a DVD-R version of it, and going to test it on
all of my freiends DVD players. Both of them. ) Maybe I'll rent a
few more. )

I'm headed back to the UK next month. May pick up some more examples.

More info to follow...

Cheers!

ZMAN's post:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.video.dvd.software/browse_frm/thread/4b4e624c362b8a07/2e0bfe9f01a16041?q=PAL+NTSC+IFOEDIT&rnum=10#2e0bfe9f01a16041

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

Mark, it worked -- sort of.

My primary DVD player can play it now, but the video pauses for a fraction
of a second every second on a periodic basis.

Fortunately, one of my other DVD players (oddly enough, my cheapest one -- a
$29 KLH) can play the original PAL disk.

I appreciate the suggestions, though. I suspect it may be more of a
function of my DVD player than the conversion technique.


"Mark Burns" <marcus520520@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1111854956.848244.103180@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Not that I have come across.
>
> The problem, of course, is the PAL 25 FPS versus NTSC 30 FPS. Which is
> why most PAL players can play NTSC, but not the other way around.
>
> Anyway, here is an interesting thread with a cheap, cheap, way to do it
> by fooling the player into thinking that the PAL DVD is an NTSC:
>
> http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.video.dvd.software/browse_frm/thread/4b4e624c362b8a07/2e0bfe9f01a16041?q=PAL+NTSC+IFOEDIT&rnum=10#2e0bfe9f01a16041
>
> I haven't tried, but been meaning to on a free PAL DVD of *Paris, TX*
> that came with the morning newspaper on a recent visit to the UK. From
> what I can gather, using this method is very dependent on the NTSC DVD
> player.
>
> I have started to believe that if anyone is interested in doing this
> much on hard to get foreign DVD's, then an analog capture with desired
> subtitle settings might be best, or a simply a player that will play
> both PAL/NTSC to NTSC.
>
> Good luck...
>
>>From ZMAN:
>
> There is an easy way using IFOEdit. You have to use something like DVD
> shrink to put all the files on your hard drive. Select OPEN in IFOEdit
> find the files you copied. Then select VIDEO_TS_IFO and open. This
> should be the first file in the dir. Click on the upper pane which is
> the title of the movie and it will display information in the lower
> pane. Now find the file that list PAL and 4:3. Double click and IFOEdit
>
> will pop up a window "Video Attributes" Change PAL to NTSC, then change
>
> Aspect ratio to 16:9 and check the box Automatic Letterbox and click
> OK.
> Continue down the files and locate every file with PAL and 4:3 in it
> and repeat the process. Check the region free button to make sure it is
>
> ALL. When you finish save it and say YES to all including BUP files.
> Now
> go back to your main directory and select the next IFO which is usually
>
> VTS_01_0.IFO and do the same thing again and save and on and on until
> you have replaced every file with NTSC and 16:9. To see if you did it
> correct close IFOEdit and reopen it and go to the directory and open
> the
> first file again and you should see:
> MPRG-2 720X480 (NTSC) 525/60 (16:9) (pal-scan)
> Then just burn it with whatever you use. I use Nero Express. I have
> converted many region 2 UK DVD's using this and they all play great and
>
> I don't see any loss in picture quality.
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

On 26 Mar 2005 21:33:35 -0800, "Mark Burns" <marcus520520@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>

If you are interested, the Philips DVP642/37 player will
handle both Pal and NTSC, and can be easily hacked to handle other
regions.

1. open tray 2. Enter 7,8,9, ok, 0. 3. "0" should appear at lower
left of screen

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

Charles E. Fox wrote:
>
> If you are interested, the Philips DVP642/37 player will
> handle both Pal and NTSC, and can be easily hacked to handle other
> regions.

The Philips 963SA can output PAL DVDs at 480p/60hz, though only in
progressive scan (it doesn't do on-the-fly conversion to 480i).

It's a superb player, and also handles SACDs. Notwithstanding its
progressive scan capabilities (with Faroudja circuitry), I now use it to
feed my Faroudja NRS scaler (720p) and Ampro HD3600.











CPJ

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

On 26 Mar 2005 21:33:35 -0800, "Mark Burns" <marcus520520@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>Thanks PTRAVEL for reporting back.
>
>Well, I went ahead and tried the above method on the PAL DVD that I had
>brought back from the UK. I created a new DVD using DVD Shrink, IFO
>Edit, and Pinnacle Instant Copy for burning (don't think that that had
>any effect).
>
>It works on three for three of my DVD players. Two are newer ones,
>inexpensive VHS/DVD combo units, one a Sanyo and the other a Samsung.
>One was from Walmart, the other from Sam's Club. About $100 each.

A lot of the cheaper DVD players sold in the US will convert
PAL to NTSC... badly. The way they do it (I believe) is that they
resize the video to 720x480, deinterlace it, then play it back at 24
frames per second with the 3:2 pulldown flag activated. To be honest,
if you get a cheapo $30 DVD player at Best Buy, you can probably do a
simple hack on it to play back the region 2 PAL discs without any
problems.
-----------------------------------------------------
Neil Nadelman arvy@navzr-genafyngbe.pbz (ROT13)
-----------------------------------------------------
I have no fears in life,
for I have already survived Theta-G!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Just my guess, but it appears that the players play it back at
something like 704 X 480. This is because the people look slightly
thinner, but maybe it is just me. When I play it back on my PC, they
look slightly heavier. I have read elsewhere that different DVD
players scale differently. I need to get a full screen copy of the
same film in NTSC format for comparison.

It plays back in a very watchable way on the TV. I was very impressed
and believe that picture quality could be not improved. The price of
the DVD player is probably irrelivant, maybe even the cheaper ones have
an edge, as the manufacturers need to sell more in a global market to
make money.

Cheers!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video.production (More info?)

Neil Nadelman (ROT13) wrote:
> On 26 Mar 2005 21:33:35 -0800, "Mark Burns" <marcus520520@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Thanks PTRAVEL for reporting back.
> >
> >Well, I went ahead and tried the above method on the PAL DVD that I
had
> >brought back from the UK. I created a new DVD using DVD Shrink, IFO
> >Edit, and Pinnacle Instant Copy for burning (don't think that that
had
> >any effect).
> >
> >It works on three for three of my DVD players. Two are newer ones,
> >inexpensive VHS/DVD combo units, one a Sanyo and the other a
Samsung.
> >One was from Walmart, the other from Sam's Club. About $100 each.
>
> A lot of the cheaper DVD players sold in the US will convert
> PAL to NTSC... badly. The way they do it (I believe) is that they
> resize the video to 720x480, deinterlace it, then play it back at 24
> frames per second with the 3:2 pulldown flag activated. To be
honest,
> if you get a cheapo $30 DVD player at Best Buy, you can probably do a
> simple hack on it to play back the region 2 PAL discs without any
> problems.

Actually, I have a cheapie DVD player that will play it. It is,
however, attached to our bedroom TV, and I was hoping to watch the DVD
on my home theater, which has a more expensive Panasonic player that
can't handle PAL.


> -----------------------------------------------------
> Neil Nadelman arvy@navzr-genafyngbe.pbz (ROT13)
> -----------------------------------------------------
> I have no fears in life,
> for I have already survived Theta-G!