hd camcorders pal/ntsc

[billou2k]

I have the opportunity to buy a cheap "NTSC" Sony HD camcorder (HC3) but I am living in a PAL area, is it a bad idea?
I guess that by NTSC it means that it records in 1080i30?
Would it be a problem to play this content on "PAL" HD ready TVs using the HDMI connection? Are all HDTVs (european and japanese) able to play any HD video (be it "PAL" or "NTSC") ?

In the meantime, could avisynth convert efficiently 1080i30 videos to PAL (576i25) to produce good quality dvds for the family to read on their standard dvd player?

Thanks for sharing your advices!

[billou2k]

hmm, I know the pal/ntsc camcorder thing has been discussed in another thread, but I thought the difference in this one could justify another thread: HD (meaning 1080 lines for everybody) and mpeg2 capturing rather than DV.
By the way is the ntsc version capturing still capturing in 411 or 420?

[Slitheen]

I wouldn't risk the hassle. Just pay a bit more and get a PAL one.

[billou2000]

Thanks for the advice:)
Actually I'll just hang on with my current one and wait other manufacturers to come up with their own HD consumer camcorders so that we can see how they compare to each other, and that should also bring the price a bit lower:)