Region 1 DVDS in B/W?

ballooba

Why do Region 1 DVDs play in Black and White on my tv?

Is it to do with the frequency?

Samson

Your TV is not NTSC compatible.

peterk19

if its plugged into the scart make sure the scart cable has the bank full of pins not just a select few
Pete

MrPudding

It is very unlikely to be the SCART lead. I reckon Samson has hit the nail on the head. Non-NTSC compatable telly.

MrP

BrianD

If have had a problem with a composite to scart converter that did not have the full bank of pins - picture was not in B&W. Does the DVD player not convert the signal to the correct format? My VHS player can play both PAL and NTSC tapes but the TV set itself is PAL...is it not the same for DVD players?

Perhaps somebody could confirm if the DVD coding is 'neutral' and the DVD player reads the code and outputs as PAL or NTSC depending where the player is bought.

Samson

Originally posted by BrianD
Perhaps somebody could confirm if the DVD coding is 'neutral' and the DVD player reads the code and outputs as PAL or NTSC depending where the player is bought.

No, DVD encoding is not neutral. The movie is encoded as PAL or NTSC (the resolution and refresh rates are different).

Explosive_Cornflake

Also make sure you have the inputs and the outputs matched. i.e. that you don'y have s-video selected on the dvd player, and s-video not selected on the tv, but in my expierence that makes all encoding black and white. what i'm saying is try turning of s-video for that scart input on the tv.

John R

Originally posted by BrianD
If have had a problem with a composite to scart converter that did not have the full bank of pins - picture was not in B&W. Does the DVD player not convert the signal to the correct format? My VHS player can play both PAL and NTSC tapes but the TV set itself is PAL...is it not the same for DVD players?

Perhaps somebody could confirm if the DVD coding is 'neutral' and the DVD player reads the code and outputs as PAL or NTSC depending where the player is bought.

Your PAL tv is probably able to decode NTSC if it shows US videos in colour. A regular vcr will not convert one format to another, they just have the ability to play the NTSC as is.

Technically NTSC and PAL refer to just the colour encoding so yes a DVD is "neutral" as all DVDs are MPEG2 video. The only differences between a US and a European disc is the frame rate 29.97fps versus 25fps and the number of horizontal lines 480 vs 576. The dvd player output depends on the settings of the individual player, some (most AFAIK) will use the correct colour encoding according to the disc format, some will output US dvds with PAL colour at 29.97fps and some are selectable.

ActingThe Magot

If I understand correctly a multi-region DVD player will play R4 DVDs on a PAL TV-is this correct? (That is the B/W issue metioned earlier in this post should not arise )

Samson

Originally posted by ActingThe Magot
If I understand correctly a multi-region DVD player will play R4 DVDs on a PAL TV-is this correct? (That is the B/W issue metioned earlier in this post should not arise )

I'm fairly sure that they use the PAL system in Australia too, so you should be fine.

Tom Dunne

Originally posted by Samson
No, DVD encoding is not neutral. The movie is encoded as PAL or NTSC (the resolution and refresh rates are different).

I've always wondered about this one.

Aren't DVD's encoded in MPEG2 format? Doesn't the DVD player decode the Mpeg stream and then manipulate it to display the TV in either Pal or NTSC format?

Seems to make more sense.

Samson

Originally posted by tom dunne
I've always wondered about this one.

Aren't DVD's encoded in MPEG2 format? Doesn't the DVD player decode the Mpeg stream and then manipulate it to display the TV in either Pal or NTSC format?

Seems to make more sense.

No.
Although all regions are encoded in MPEG2 format, the resolution (480line versus 576line) and frame rate (29.97fps versus 25fps) are not.
This information is encoded into the MPEG file (if you were to rip the DVD, and open the MPEG, you would see the resolution is different).

Tom Dunne

I'm having trouble getting my head around this.

What exactly does the MPEG2 standard define?

dub45

How old is the tv as a matter of interest.

You can also get the occassional R2 NTSC dvds which can give problems with certain TVS too:(

DMT

I have this problem if I pass either composite or RGB signals using a full SCART cable from my DVD player to my VCR, which then outputs to the TV through RF.

The TV is able to display NTSC pictures from the VCR when connected through either SCART or RF and from the DVD if connecteed directly with a SCART lead.

The problem lies in passing the signal through the VCR on its way to the TV.

If this is what you are doing, try connecting the DVD player directly to the TV.

I have yet to determine if passing the DVD signal through an RF modulator to the TV with prevent a B&W from occuring, but fear it may have the same result as passing it through the VCR.

Also, MPEG2 is not a "format" - it is an encoding algorithm that can encode video at any frame rate or picture size (within reason).

ZENER

These topic seems to make more appearances than Eastenders on BBC1 !

There seems to be a lot of confusion about TV standards about, the terms PAL, NTSC and SECAM refer to the method of encoding the colour information onto a video signal. DVD's are produced as colour standard neutral, however the resolution and refresh rates are different depending on the target market ie America or Europe. The exception may be programmes like Friends which are recorded on video rather than film and hence originate in NTSC.

DVD player sold in Europe (except maybe France - SECAM) are fitted with a PAL encoder to allow the output play without problems on standard European TV sets. Likewise players destined for North America etc are NTSC. If you take the RGB signal from a full scart socket on any video device that offers it - the colour information is not encoded in PAL, NTSC or SECAM etc. If the TV set can handle the different Horizontal and Vertical frequencies then a colour picture should be viewable. Upmarket players may offer an "NTSC encoder" which in reality may merely be PAL 60.

Tinky

Tenshot

Tinky covered the main points already. A few more things to mention:

- Some DVD players have a menu option or switch that allows the output to be set to PAL60 for Region 1 playback (you may need to have the player set to Region 1 for this to show up). Essentially, the colour info is encoded as PAL instead of NTSC, but the frame rate & resolution remain at NTSC. Any modern TV can display PAL60 fine.

- Most DVDs have Macrovision encoding on the composite output when playing movies. If you pipe this through a VCR en route to the TV, it can get quite upset and distort the signal. This may also be exasperating the problem.

- If your TV supports it, RGB is definitely the way to go. Much sharper picture, and it will remove any issues with NTSC vs PAL encoding as well.

One final thing: if all else fails, you can get NTSC -> PAL colour converters for around EU40-50; they sit between the DVD player and TV and basically get your colour back. Keene Electronics and similar suppliers in the UK can provide them.