Blu-Ray Question

[Nitro89]

I want to know whether Blu-Ray DVD's still use the NTSC and PAL formats, or is it all one format now?

[yoda313]

I am 99.99% certain they are still ntsc and pal. All bluray is is another distribution format. Video still conforms to the same frame rate and fps and resolution issues.

I don't believe Bluray has any region locking like dvds though. Don't quote me on that though...

[Nitro89]

I thought because the games are region free, the BD-DVD's were too

[yoda313]

Like I said I believe they are I just don't know 100%. Check out wikipedia and search bluray and you'll be sure to get more info.

[Nitro89]

I checked wikipedia, nothing is written about it

[rallynavvie]

IIRC there are still region codes so but I don't think there is a format difference anymore. The highest resolution is going to be 1080p which is 1920x1080. HDTVs in the UK aren't adding more lines of vertical res like PAL did, and since 1080p content is all mostly 60 fps (more than twice what PAL and NTSC used to be) then that would mean framerate is universal as well.

Bottom line is the 1080p standard seems to be universal since it's specification are set by the standard.

[Nitro89]

Apparently, you can change the region code on your ps3 through its settings, will this allow me to watch any blu-ray DVD from any region or not?

[waheed]

Blu-Ray does have region coding, but there are some titles available that are region-free.

It was HD-DVD that did not implement any region coding and all titles were region-free.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

Yes, Bluray has region coding, as waheed stated.
It is not the same as DVD though, and there are fewer regions.
Japan and North America are now the same region for Bluray.

You can't change the region on your PS3 -- changing the language is not the same as changing the region for Bluray playback.

[videopoo]

No PAL or NTSC in BD. Its all a matter of frame rates

1920x1080x59.94i, 50i (16:9)
1920x1080x24p, 23.976p (16:9)
1440x1080x59.94i, 50i (16:9) AVC / VC-1 only
1440x1080x24p, 23.976p (16:9) AVC / VC-1 only
1280x720x59.94p, 50p (16:9)
1280x720x24p, 23.976p (16:9)
Standard Definition Video
720x480x59.94i (4:3/16:9)
720x576x50i (4:3/16:9)

[jman98]

videopoo is 100% correct. The majority of commercial BluRay discs are encoded as 1920x1080 24p. HD DVD was the same way. The idea was that the player and the TV could change the output to another frame rate if necessary (ie. 25fps or 50fps for PALish TVs, for lack of a better term, or 29.97 fps or 59.94 fps for NTSCish TVs) and they could just have one encode for all parts of the world. Home brew BluRay and HD DVD discs may use PALish or NTSCish (for lack of a better term) frame rates as part of the encode though.

Note too that although this very website here claims that HD DVD supports 1280x720 in 24 fps progressive, the Scenarist HD DVD authoring program (no longer supported) will NOT accept such video, demanding that it be only 50 fps or 59.94 fps and nothing else at this resolution. That does make me wonder if BluRay really and truly supports 1280x720 in 24 fps progressive, but I don't know one way or the other.

[Nitro89]

What's the difference between fields (i) and frames (p)?

Why don't they just make the frame rates universal. what's the point of having it in different regions with different quality?

[waheed]

EDIT