VCD - fake NTSC?

[mantis2k]

I have an original VCD from the USA, which plays back on my DVD player as NTSC. However, when I examine the DAT file on the PC, it's actually PAL (352 x 288)!

Is this really possible? Can you author a VCD, with PAL video, to playback as NTSC?

[adam]

Your DVD player is converting the PAL source to an NTSC signal. Probably less than half of all DVD players sold in the United States have this function, but still its a quite common feature. Check in your DVD player's menu and you will probably see output options for both PAL and NTSC and possibly one titled multi. Its still a regular PAL VCD, your just lucky enough to have a versatile player.

[mantis2k]

No, it's a proper VCD released in the States, and plays back as NTSC on my DVD recorder here in the UK. I even have an old tv/monitor (not PC monitor) which detects and confirms that the USA-released VCD is really playing back in NTSC (like it should do)! However, only the DAT file on it's own is PAL frame-rate, which I analysed on the PC. Therefore, somehow the PAL MPEG file has been authored to VCD and forced to playback as NTSC! Maybe you can do this with Nero? I've never checked... But you certainly can't do this with DVD's, so that's why I'm confused...

[Kika]

What's the Framerate of your Video? Some Players are detecting PAL or NTSC by the Framerate, not the Picture-Size.

[mantis2k]

The best way to find out framerate is probably with VirtualDub, right? The method I use is probably just as good...
I opened the DAT file with Windows Media Player then went to Properties, and it showed the picture size as 352 x 288.
To confirm the picture size and framerate, I opened TMPGenc and loaded the VCD-NTSC template (just to be sure), then unlocked everything. Next, I selected the DAT file as the Input, and the default properties (shown below)are automatically changed to match the Input:-
MPEG-1 352x288 25fps CBR 1150kbps, Layer-2 44100Hz 224kbps

That confirms the DAT file is PAL!

The boot files (similar to IFO files in a DVD) must be authored to play the DAT file as NTSC. How do you explain that?

[Mug Funky]

that's weird.

i accidentally made a PAL VCD in 29.97 (the settings defaulted to that and i missed it), and it played back heavily cropped in NTSC. perhaps that's happening here, but also some kind of pulldown as well.

very peculiar. perhaps it was cheaper for the manufacturers to do that then to convert the content?

[mudda_t]

But you certainly can't do this with DVD's, so that's why I'm confused...
Funny story:
A friend had a dvd (re-authored) and it wouldn't play in his player, or any he tried. Gave me the disc and it played in mine (multi option). After checking the vob files I found out it was a pal format (I think 352x576/or 288). I've had many pal(x576/288) formated vcd's play fine before, but this was the first time it was that way on a dvd. I never checked it but, like Mug Funky mentioned, it must have been 29.97 with the vid pal formated. That is the only explanation I can think of.

My reason for this reply, IT IS POSSIBLE WITH DVD.