Instructional DVD in NTSC and PAL. Is it possible?

[Ed Dooley]

1-Yes, you can use Compressor, or you can use this:
https://www.nattress.com/standardsConversion.htm

2-Why would you want both on the same DVD? Another way to think about it is that
any modern PAL DVD players will play NTSC DVDs, so you really only need to create NTSC
DVDs. See this thread:
https://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_read_post.cgi?univpostid=855397&forumid=55&postid=855397&pview=t
Ed

[Venom Racing] “My question is this:
1) Can I convert my NTSC version into PAL without a lot of headaches?
2) Can I then put both versions onto a DVD that will work worldwide? Would I need an applet or some type of “widget” that can determine the appropriate format so that it will play correctly? I already have a regional selection menu created for users to select the region and play the correct data version, but if the EU version is not in PAL format, it probably won’t make a difference what menu I’ve created because they won’t be able to see it. = ) “

[Venom Racing]

ED-
Thanks for the quick response and info links. I’ll read up on them and go from there.
I’ll be sending a demo to our Australian office for testing so I’ll get my final answer regarding the NTSC DVD working on a PAL machine.

Chad
Venom Racing

[Neil Ryan]

“2) Can I then put both versions onto a DVD that will work …”

No. You cannot put both PAL & NTSC on one DVD. DVD Video discs are either PAL OR NTSC; simply and only ever one or the other.

“1) Can I convert my NTSC version into PAL without a lot of headaches?”

Well, not too many headaches. You basically have to re-do everything. Is that a headache?
The still images used in the menus (including overlays on motion menus) need to be resized from frame size to another; PAL & NTSC have different frame sizes.
And, as mentioned in the previous reply, the video all needs to be converted from standard to the other.

Note: computers will play either PAL ot NTSC. Can be useful for testing.

[Neil Ryan]

[Ed] “any modern PAL DVD players will play NTSC DVDs, so you really only need to create NTSC
DVDs”

… and on that subject, why don’t NTSC players play PAL discs, if the reverse is true ..

[Neil Ryan]

and finally, NTSC discs playing on a NTSC-playable PAL system don’t look the same as when they’re played on their native NTSC system.
To make NTSC only discs to ship worldwide is a compromise.
Hollywood doesn’t do it, and not just because of region-encoding issues …

[Bob O’brien]

I just had an NTSC DVD converted to a PAL DVD at a local duplication company. The cost was around $100.

Bob

[Walter Biscardi]

[Post Man] “… and on that subject, why don’t NTSC players play PAL discs, if the reverse is true ..”

No clue on that one, but they don’t. Our Philips DVD Recorder will actually record / playback PAL no problem, but when I inserted the DVD into our Sony DVD Player out front, it came up “Wrong Disc Format.” Very silly really.

Of course, any computer DVD player will play NTSC and PAL discs no problem.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Ed Dooley]

It’s definitely better to have the right format for each region. PAL even looks better than NTSC
when they’re each played on the correct players (it’s a higher resolution format, and with lower
bandwidth). The original question was whether you can put both formats on one DVD. In that context
I said that putting just NTSC on the DVD will work. And it sounds like they don’t have a “Hollywood” budget. 🙂
Ed

[Post Man] “and finally, NTSC discs playing on a NTSC-playable PAL system don’t look the same as when they’re played on their native NTSC system.
To make NTSC only discs to ship worldwide is a compromise.
Hollywood doesn’t do it, and not just because of region-encoding issues”

[Venom Racing]

I hear you, but Hollywood also has a lot bigger budget. = ) Plus, these DVDs are going to be inserted into packages during manufacturing in China. It’s already a crap shoot hoping they get the simple packaging right. Throw in the instruction to separate EU packages and insert PAL disks and then insert NTSC for the rest and I can only imagine the nightmare. I think the powers that be at our little company will take the lower EU quality as opposed to the risk of miss shipments and a chance of PAL disks not working in the US.

Chad
Venom Racing

[Venom Racing]

Bob-
What area of the country are you in? I’m up in northern Idaho. I’ll have to check with our local replicator.

Chad
Venom Racing