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  1. Dear Admin

    I would like to ask a question regarding on Portable Panasonic PAL Video Cassette Recorder :
    Quarts Locked Direct Drive NV-3000, it's a really old model going back in the 80's.

    I purchased this item going back couple of months ago at ebay, unfortuntely what really
    happened is that I didn't noticed something it only plays PAL FORMAT not NTSC FORMAT.

    Is their any chance if anyone could please help me or give me some advice on how to convert
    this from PAL into NTSC Format. I tried playing a video cassette NTSC but their is no picture
    but sound only.

    Thank You
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  2. Member DB83's Avatar
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    I will asume that the machine does playback a PAL tape.

    The bottom line is that if the VCR does not support NTSC playback on PAL equipment there is nothing you can practically do - without a total change of circuitry - to change that.

    These portable units were meant for recording through a compatable video camera and playback of those recordings.
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  3. Thank you very much for your message.

    The reason I purchased a old model because they don't have a copyright protection like for example that protects copying VHS onto DVD or VHS tape. I bought 25 tapes of bruce lee documentaries which were NTSC but what really happened is that they were copyright that I couldn't transfer them on DVD. I tried so many things like Video filters / Dimax which allows copying VHS on to DVD. But nothing happened I was quite dissappinted.

    Anything else if you could help me ?

    Cheers
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  4. Member hech54's Avatar
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    There is nothing to "help". You bought the wrong machine and it will NOT work with your tapes.
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  5. Just so I know I'm following you correctly... Do you mean to say that you originally were trying to use a newer NTSC VHS machine that will play your NTSC tapes, but the copy protection wouldn't allow you to transfer them to DVD? Were you trying to do this with a standalone DVD recorder or by a different method?
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  6. Hello RowMan

    it's not a NTSC machine unfortuntely its PAL machine. I did try to record a film from video to video which worked.

    Portable panasonic to Sharp Combo VHS / DVD Rec
    Playing PAL TAPE = Rec OK

    The biggest problem is that I can get the sound working but no picture appears when it comes to NTSC tapes. I took the machine to the elctronics shop and the main engineer said suppose he can try to convert the machine from PAL into NTSC but he has to purchase a device or a part ?

    I was reading alot of information about copyright tapes because of the new technology Satellite / Cable boxes / PC / Laptop / Videos / DVD Players - recorders have a small device or circuit build in which doesn't allows to transfer or record some thing which a sign appears on the screen.

    The next person from another forum which their was a article or question based on how to transfer a copyright tapes, the person mentioned if you buy a video player - old model going back in the eighties they didn't have the device build in so it will be easy to record any tapes. Spending so much money on video fillters and at the end it doesn't works at all, t depends on the model or brand of the machine that you are recording it might
    be compatible or not.

    If I can't get any help so I have to take the machine back to the elctronic shop.

    Thank you very much for your help and advice.
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  7. OK. So you're not having any trouble recording PAL tapes to PAL DVD as you have all the equipment for that. The problem still is that you'll need an NTSC VHS machine to play your NTSC tapes.

    I wouldn't bother with the engineer trying to convert that 25+ year old PAL VHS player to play NTSC. Unless that person is doing it for free, it's probably going to be cost and labor prohibitive if he can even do it at all.

    Those "video filters" like the Dimax you said you purchased should work, but not with a PAL player trying to play an NTSC tape. You'll still need that NTSC player in order to properly utilize those types of devices.

    You're best options at this point are...

    1) Get a true NTSC VHS player and capture the video to your computer using some sort of capture device (along with the Dimax video filter). From those captured files in your computer, you can create NTSC DVDs or convert your captured files to PAL in order to make PAL DVDs (but in your country it's likely you will able to play home made NTSC DVDs on your PAL DVD player and TV). There's a lot to learn here if you've never done something like this before.

    2) Have a professional service take your tapes and make the DVDs for you. In this case, I would say have them make one NTSC disc first to see if it will play on your home equipment. If it does not, you'll probably have to pay them a little extra to do a conversion of your NTSC tapes to give you PAL DVDs.

    By the way, were those Bruce Lee documentaries you bought on NTSC VHS commercially available tapes that you would buy in the store or were they home recordings?
    Last edited by RowMan; 11th Sep 2010 at 11:50.
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  8. Member DB83's Avatar
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    The notion that these tapes are 'copyright' may not exactly be correct. Most VHS/DVD combos will play NTSC tapes on PAL equipment perfectly fine - that is what you are seeing. There are very few PAL VHS/DVD combos that can dub ie record from a NTSC tape on to a PAL dvd disk just using this one piece of equipment. You will receive some message but that could just be because the combo cannot perform this function. Like I said, very few can do this - Phillips have made some (you need to look for 'record from PAL60')

    There is equipment available that can take the PAL60 signal that your combo outputs and will then enable you to copy the tape, as long as it is not copyright, on to the portable and then use the copy tape to make the dvd. The equipment is not cheap.

    Another option, if the tapes are not copyright, is to capture them to your computer. There are some capture devices that support PAL60. There are plenty of topics in the forum that discuss ways to capture PAL60.

    Even if the shop can convert that portable in to a NTSC player you could not make a dvd using your combo. You would still have to capture to your computer.

    Another option would be to use a firm who could copy the tapes. I am not sure if they would handle copyright material. When I last used them - I had one Russian Secam tape and one Brazilian NTSC tape copied - they were charging £8 per tape. I do not even know if they are still in business although the webpage - http://www.jon.hinchliffe.name/video.htm - is still up. £8 may sound a lot but it is cheap when you consider that some firms will charge £20+ for one hour and then more. I have no commercial interest in this business and I only pass this link on as a previous customer.
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