• DVD Authoring

  Region Free DVD

  Posted by Mick Thomas on December 31, 2011 at 7:53 pm

  Hi

  I’m based in England UK and have recently purchased Sony Vegas.

  After a “difficult” start using the software i have managed to get to grips with the basic functionality of the programme.

  I’m hoping to produce DVD’s with a view to sending them not only within the UK but also further afield- America and Austalia.

  Could someone advise whether there is a generic setting to format DVD’s in order that they can be read by any type of DVD player in any country.

  I’m aware that the UK has the PAL format but America has NTSC?

  Just wondering if there is anything i need to do to ensure that discs can be produced “region free”
  Thanks- Mick

  Juan Manuel replied 14 years, 6 months ago 4 Members · 12 Replies
• 12 Replies

• 

  Michael Slowe

  January 1, 2012 at 11:45 am

  I don’t know about regions but PAL and NTSC DVD’s are very different and I don’t think that there’s any way you can overcome that. It seems that most modern DVD and BD players over here (UK) will play both PAL and NTSC but I’m often told that in the US it is rare that PAL discs can be played.

  Michael Slowe
• 

  Mick Thomas

  January 1, 2012 at 12:01 pm

  Hi Michael

  Thanks for your reply.

  As i’m using Sony Vegas here in the UK would i need to adjust settings or purchase different types of DVD’s in order to correct this.

  Just out of curiosity i was wondering when discs are sent from the US to the UK (or vice versa) do they have to be specially formatted in some way.

  Thanks

  Mick
• 

  Eric Pautsch

  January 1, 2012 at 5:17 pm

  Both PAL and NTSC will play in the UK. In the states we can only play NTSC. You will need to convert your source video to NTSC with Compressor first
• 

  Michael Slowe

  January 1, 2012 at 5:39 pm

  Mick, to answer your questions. No difference in the blank discs, it’s just in the encoding. I use BitVice for my encoding and can choose PAL or NTSC. Without that option there are various conversion software apps. The safest thing to do is to provide NTSC to the US and PAL for Europe, that way you can be pretty certain that your stuff can be played.

  Michael Slowe
• 

  Mick Thomas

  January 2, 2012 at 8:53 pm

  Hi

  Thanks again for your replies regarding my query.

  I am currently using Sony Vegas so if my understanding is correct and i send a disc to be played in America i would need to:

  Start New Project–
  Select Region- America/Japan (60Hz/NTSc)
  Select Video- DVD
  Project- NTSC

  For UK /Europe settings i would select:
  Europe /Asia (50Hz/PAL)
  Select Video-DVD
  Project- Pal

  Would appreciate if you could let me know if this correct and that i wouldn’t need to purchase any other software to send discs to be played in the US.

  Apologies if i am asking the obvious but i am new to this and appreciate your feedback.

  Mick
• 

  Eric Pautsch

  January 2, 2012 at 9:39 pm

  You need to make sure your edited footage is NTSC first. What are you editing ??
• 

  Mick Thomas

  January 2, 2012 at 10:32 pm

  I have recorded video footage using a panasonic camera.

  I am then using Sony Vegas to add sound effects and editing.

  If i send any footage to the US i’d like to now how i can ensure that this can be played in the US.

  My understanding from my previous posts is that if I use the settings as previously mentioned this should work.

  Mick
• 

  Eric Pautsch

  January 3, 2012 at 12:24 am

  Is your camera PAL? 25 fps? What framerate and format are you editing?
• 

  Mick Thomas

  January 3, 2012 at 8:58 am

  I don’t know if i’m making this more difficult than it actually is.

  To summarise:

  I’m based in the UK and would like to send DVD’s to the US.
  I’m using Sony Vegas to edit sound and add titles etc.
  The current default i have been using was PAL DVD.

  My understanding is that i would need to change these settings to NTSC for the discs to be read in the US

  I have used different types of camera devices- the main one being a Panasonic SDR H-80- (this does not specify any particular format ie PAL / NTSC). I have also used footage from mobile phones and other digital cameras.

  The only thing i really need to be confirmed is that if i adjust the settings in Vegas to NTSC will this create a disc that can be read in the US?

  Thanks
  Mick
• 

  Michael Slowe

  January 3, 2012 at 10:29 am

  Mick, you are getting in a frightful muddle.

  I am in exactly the same situation as you, living and filming in the UK. I shoot in the PAL format as I’m sure do you. Most modern cameras allow you to choose which, although I don’t know anyone here who shoots NTSC, unless all their output is destined for the US.

  Unless this is the case you will be shooting PAL and therefore your project for your edit will be PAL. No problems there, that was decided by your choice of shooting format. You say you are editing with Vegas, fine, your situation again is exactly as mine, except I edit with Media 100, these are editing tools, nothing to do with DVD’s. Once you have your final timeline that is the time to decide your distribution or exhibiting medium. Could be tape (might well be anyway as an archive), could be by file (QT .mov) placed on a drive or, as you seem to require, by DVD, or, if you have an HD production, Blu-Ray. As you require your DVDD’s to be certain of being played in the US you need to make an NTSC version of your DVD. As both Eric and I have explained, your file needs to be converted AT THIS STAGE. If you are in London you can easily (and not too expensively) have this done by a production house in Soho, say Stanleys in Wardour Street or use a conversion software. Someone once sent me a way to do this involving I remember the H264 codec within Compressor but I’m not an expert in this.

  You have to convert at some stage unless you shoot in NTSC. After your edit but before encoding for DVD is the time to do it. Alternatively let’s try and get the US to abandon NTSC and join the civilised world on PAL.

  Michael Slowe

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