Can a DVD recorder change a DVD color system?

[coody]

Can the color system be changed from the PAL to NTSC after recording a PAL DVD movie with a NTSC DVD recorder?

[Frobozz]

No. There are dual-format DVD recorders but none that I know of can transcode a PAL source to a NTSC recording or vice versa.

[amckinney]

You would need a stand-alone standards converter to plug in-between the two devices. It'll run ya' some dough, though (think $200-300 for a decent-quality one). I have a ComWorld one that's quite good. Have used it for this very purpose, and to enable me to watch PAL-VHS on my NTSC telly (since this converter is way better than the ones that come "built-into" the expensive multi-standard VCRs, like Aiwa, Samsung, etc.)

[lordsmurf]

Color systems are a now-dead concept. The only difference now is framerate and resolution. The colorspaces are output by the DVD player, not the MPEG video data. It changed from VHS.

[amckinney]

Color systems are a now-dead concept. The only difference now is framerate and resolution. The colorspaces are output by the DVD player, not the MPEG video data. It changed from VHS.

I'm not denying that DVD and VHS machines use different technology, but you should bear in mind that some DVD players and recorders marketed in the US cannot output or convert a PAL signal (Panasonic DVD recorders are notorious for this).

The poster's question seemed to be asking how does he get a "burnt" NTSC disc from a PAL source. Assuming his playback machine cannot output a PAL signal to the recorder, then using a standards converter in-between the two devices is still] the way he's going to need to go, I'm afraid.

One added benefit of the standards converters is several of them (at least, the Comworld models) have "de-macrovision" technology built-in.

Other people who could use a standards converter: those who own DVD players that don't correctly display anamorphic PAL discs. I remember from old Sampo machines that this is a limitation of the chipset: you can either decode the anamorphic or convert to NTSC, but not both at the same time. If you leave such a DVD player in PAL or MULTI, then you can display the anamorphic picture and use the standards converter to make the picture NTSC.

[CDan]

Seems to me that the only sensible way to convert a PAL DVD to NTSC would be on your PC. Most editing software can do it, and some authoring software can as well. Of course, the re-encoding process is not lossless. So unless you have a specific need for NTSC, the best and cheapest option might be to just get a player that can handle both.

[StuR]

If you want to change colour systems, why not try a G2 MSTC, full multisystem and full TBC/frame sync, proc amp.
Look on ebay for a cheap one right now. I recently bought one, seems OK, broadcast quality, bargain price.
It'll go quick, easy to use after a bit of a fiddle.