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PAL60 Versus NTSC Compatibility

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  • 02-04-2004 12:03pm
    #1
    DMT
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,669 ✭✭✭


    Just thought I post a little discovery I made with my TVs at home.

    I've been wondering for some time whether my TVs where all truely NTSC compatible or just PAL60 compatible. I know they're all PAL60 compatible because they display pictures from an NTSC VHS tape in colour.

    But then I noticed that my digital camera can output NTSC. I hooked it up to the TVs and discovered that my newest Sony TV is fully NTSC compatable (picture displayed in colour), while the older Mitsubishi ones only PAL60 (NTSC was black and white).

    Conclusion: Some newer TVs are fully NTSC compatible and it may also explain why NTSC DVDs appear black and white when the signal is first pass through my VCR due to some sort of NTSC to PAL60 conversion....


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    #2
    ZENER
    Registered Users Posts: 6,163 ✭✭✭ZENER


    I've been wondering for some time whether my TVs where all truely NTSC compatible or just PAL60 compatible. I know they're all PAL60 compatible because they display pictures from an NTSC VHS tape in colour.

    :confused: How did you come to that conclusion ?
    Conclusion: Some newer TVs are fully NTSC compatible and it may also explain why NTSC DVDs appear black and white when the signal is first pass through my VCR due to some sort of NTSC to PAL60 conversion....

    DVD's themselves do not have any PAL or NTSC Colour encoding, the players may have a feature whereby it will output a 60Hz material with NTSC encoding (not sure why though !!) Though they would usually put out a PAL M signal through the composite port.

    Tinky


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    #3
    eoinf
    Registered Users Posts: 1,285 ✭✭✭eoinf


    and it may also explain why NTSC DVDs appear black and white when the signal is first pass through my VCR


    the reason for this is that the vcr thinks you are trying to make copys of the dvd disc and macrovision kicks in this will distort the picture(make it black and white) and some times screw around with the sound


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    #4
    combs
    Closed Accounts Posts: 289 ✭✭combs


    Originally posted by eoinf
    and it may also explain why NTSC DVDs appear black and white when the signal is first pass through my VCR


    the reason for this is that the vcr thinks you are trying to make copys of the dvd disc and macrovision kicks in this will distort the picture(make it black and white) and some times screw around with the sound
    I don't think that's the reason. With copy protection, I reckon they won't display at all, and you'd have to be using a true RGB SCART lead for that to take effect. Your video's SCART connections simply aren't wired for RGB, I reckon.

    There's 2 versions of NTSC: I think it's NTSC 3.x (American/Asian) NTSCand NTSC 4.x (60Hz PAL maybe), where x is some number I forget. Most TVs with a SCART lead of the last 10 years or so are compatible with 4.x, but only the really new ones are being made compatible with 3.x as well.

    Of course all of this only matters if you're using composite video or S-Video, which are both less than great. RGB or component should display colours fine.


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    #5
    combs
    Closed Accounts Posts: 289 ✭✭combs


    Originally posted by DMT
    The SCART lead is a full RGB compataible one and the DVD recorder is set to output RGB...
    And you're still getting a b/w picture from DVD to TV?!


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    #6
    ZENER
    Registered Users Posts: 6,163 ✭✭✭ZENER


    2. DVD connected to VCR with SCART lead, VCR connected to TV with RF co-axial output - NTSC displayed in Black & White.

    When a signal is connected to a vcr it is converted from pal to luma and chroma signals to be recorded to video. The output signals are the recombination of the chroma and luma signals, this is the reason that NTSC into the scart will not come out in colour on a vcr recording or the rf output.
    What I don't know is: if I get a dedicated SCART to RF modulator, will the resulting picture be displayed in colour or b&w...

    There are devices like this available, but if the input is going to be RGB then the colour encoding is done in the black box. This means the box has to be designed to encode in PAL OR NTSC before the signal is modulated onto an RF carrier. The RF end is indifferent to what is fed into it as it merely just modulates the input to a carrier.

    Tinky


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    #7
    combs
    Closed Accounts Posts: 289 ✭✭combs


    Originally posted by DMT
    Here's the situation when:
    1. DVD connected directly to TV with SCART lead - NTSC displayed in colour.
    2. DVD connected to VCR with SCART lead, VCR connected to TV with RF co-axial output - NTSC displayed in Black & White.

    I need the DVD Recorder connected to the VCR to distribute the signal around to the other TVs.

    What I don't know is: if I get a dedicated SCART to RF modulator, will the resulting picture be displayed in colour or b&w...
    I think the VCR is just using the composite (video, audio L, audio R) signal from the DVD Recorder, not the RGB. I think this is typical of VCRs. Also, make sure the TV SCART intputs are wired for RGB too. On a TV with 2, or even 3, often 1 is only RGB compatible.

    A PAL colour booster is probably what you need. I never used one, but I think they're for situations like this, where you have NTSC composite and you want PAL composite. Mind you, it's still a bad video signal. RGB is far better.


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