PAL to NTSC....Anyone Try?

[ron spencer]

You know I thought of trying to run the Pro version on some PAL to NTSC conversions. Has anyone tried it? Basically I think all you need to do is just reencode to 720x480 and keep 25 fps. You could then use DGPulldown on the output and stuff should play correctly.

Can this be done? Would any scripts be necessary? Thanks

[jdobbs]

You'd also have to make changes to the IFO files.

[ron spencer]

I forgot about that....I guess the best way then is to re-encode by yourself with some encoder on the video only then use dgpulldown...then remux.

I think I remember a thread saying dvd rebuilder may do this in the future...am i correct?

[jdobbs]

Yes. Not sure when, though. It really wouldn't be that hard for Movie-Only encodes, since DVD-RB creates the IFO from scratch anyway. All I'd really have to do is tell DVD-RB that its NTSC, encode, and then apply the pulldown flags to make it 29.97 afterwards.

[rendez2k]

I'd rather do NTSC to PAL - will this ever be possible?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Many (cheapo) stand-alone DVD players use the FPS speed to determine whether the source is PAL or NTSC... and in-turn output the matching colour system!

So your proposal wont be all that reliable...

[jdobbs]

When you use 25fps/pulldown the resulting framerate (29.97) is the one that the player would see and is what would be in the headers-- just like with 23.976/pulldown.

[blutach]

I'd rather do NTSC to PAL - will this ever be possible?I'd think 95%+ of players and TVs out here in PAL-land play multi-format.

Regards

[hallway]

Just about all of your sub-$50 DVD players in the US will play PAL too. If they don't out of the box, there's usually a simple "hack" that will enable it.

[ron spencer]

Yah I have one of those players (two actually).

This would just be for fun...as not all players play it. I may try movie only....

Here is my quickie workflow:

1. Use pgcdemux to demux video, audio, subtitles if need.
2. Leave subtitles, although I have a feeling that you would need DVDSubEdit to move the subtitles around.
3. Use CCE, TMPG, etc. with ntsc template, but ensure you have 25 fps used and not 29.97 (so no audio sync errors)
4. After encode use DGPulldown on your new elementary stream.
5. Use dvd authroing program to remux.

This should do it right?

Now menus would be problematic....

[LakersFan]

AVI2DVD (http://www.trustfm.net/divx/SoftwareAvi2Dvd.html) will convert PAL --> NTSC using CCE. I've read that JDobbs will eventually implement it in Rebuilder (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=106691), but it has yet to happen. It also says he probably won't do NTSC --> PAL.

[JohnGalt]

Just about all of your sub-$50 DVD players in the US will play PAL too. If they don't out of the box, there's usually a simple "hack" that will enable it.

It's not the case that most US players will play PAL. Settops that play PAL or multi-region are expensive. You may well be right about the hack, but I, for one, am not going to mess with the hardware. I'll just watch my PAL discs on my computer until jdobbs manages the PAL -> NTSC.

[setarip_old]

@Ron Spencer

Hi!

For kicks and giggles, you might want to read my postings in the following thread (Despite the warnings posted by others, I attained very acceptable results):

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=115963

The only specific I didn't mention in that thread is - In IFOEdit, open "VTS_01_0.IFO" and in "VTS Overview", change "Menu Attributes" to "NTSC". Save BOTH .IFO and .BUP (Although the IFOEdit screen will then look like it is still set to "PAL", it's not. Just load the revised "VIDEO_TS.IFO" into IFOEdit to see that this is true). Repeat this procedure for each Title...

[SeeMoreDigital]

Some of you may find the following thread interesting too: -

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=83499

[jdobbs]

Hmmm... very interesting. Thanks for the link.

It's mind boggling how many iterations of "standards" are frollicking around, isn't it?

[ron spencer]

the patching method by setarip does work...I have tried it before. But my Toshiba 4800 bails...

I think the only true way to do this is to re-encode at same framerate and use dgpulldown, of course this is movie only

[blutach]

the patching method by setarip does work...I have tried it before. But my Toshiba 4800 bails...

I think the only true way to do this is to re-encode at same framerate and use dgpulldown, of course this is movie onlyNot on every standalone. Try one and see first.

Regards

[ron spencer]

I have...as I said the patch method works on all except the toshiba...hence the only real way of assuring 100% playback is re-encode.

[setarip_old]

@ron spencer

Going back a couple of years, Toshiba's typically had difficulty playing ANY kind of burned media.

Does yours suffer from that problem?But my Toshiba 4800 bailsExactly how does it behave when confronted with a burned DVD, where you've used VOBBlanker to change the Title information from PAL to NTSC and IFOEdit to convert each Title's .IFO Menu attribute from PAL to NTSC?

[dragongodz]

WOW, what a greta new idea. ;)

people may want to read this thread
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=109787

[ron spencer]

@ setarip....the 4800 has been flawless with all burned media...even DL NOT booktyped to DVD-ROM

the screen just flips all over...like it does with non-backed up PAL titles...again this is no real problem, just a fun thing to try.

@ Dragon

You mean this post by Video Dude?

"I came up with this method to convert movie only PAL to NTSC. It seems to work very well.

Tools needed: DVD-RB, IfoEdit 0.971, PgcDemux, DVDPatcher, DGPulldown

*The movie must be progressive.

1 - Configure DVD-RB as you normally would. Select "Movie Only". Using the "Filter Editor", add the line LanczosResize(720, 480). Then use one click mode or if you rather: prepare, encode, rebuild.

2 - Open the output (VIDEO_TS.IFO and VTS_01_0.IFO) in IfoEdit. Change all references of PAL to NTSC. Save and close IfoEdit.

3 - Use PgcDemux to demux the .m2v file. (Choose video only and PGC mode)

4 - Open the .m2v file in DVDPatcher and change the header frame size to 720x480. Select "patch entire file". Don't change any other header settings.

5 - Open the patched .m2v in DGPulldown and select 25->29.97. Version 1.07 can modify the pulldown in place, no new file has to be created.

6 - Open VTS_01_0.IFO in IfoEdit and remux your new modified .m2v file. Get VTS.

7 - Burn.


-----------------------

Edit: Step 3 uses PgcDemux instead of VobEdit.



Credit should be given to Don Graft and the forum members that gave him the idea for DGPulldown. The pulldown method makes pal to ntsc conversion a lot easier. And credit to Derrow, jdobbs, and jsoto for their great programs."

[steptoe]

Just browsing the AVISynth forums, there is an awful lot of discussion on converting NTSL to PAL or PAL to NTSC

A good few of the discussions I like to have a look at now and then and pick ideas up from, plus scripts that start as a basis for my own ideas on improving poor quality sources that I run through DVD-RB Pro with my own filters combinations


Heres a link to a couple of functions and scripts that somebody has taken to time and effort to write and importantly offer test video pieces for you to see the results of the scripts

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=113256&page=5


Basically, they allow you to convert NTSC-PAL or PAL-NTSC by using a simple function call, the script does all the hard work calling other filters, so I can imagine speed won't be an issue here !!