No color on the movie (black and white only)

[iiss]

Hi there!

I've tried to burn 3-4 different movies now but when I try to play them in my dvd-player it's no color (exept black and white...). Sure, I can watch, but it's boring without color.

My player supporters both PAl and NTSC and it says that it supports DVD+r and - (and I've tried both) so it should not be any problems... But I suppose there is a problem somewhere.
I've burnt the movies with DVDDecrypt, but maybe I should try with Nero as well?

I've been using discs like Benq DVD-r, NEC DVD+r and TDK DVD-r.
Or do I've to change any settings on my player?

[Forum Troll]

What is the format of your source files? Are you reencoding from another format before you burn?

[guns1inger]

Have you ever played PAL DVD's before (or, if you are in PAL land, NTSC DVDs before) ? Just because your player can read them, does not mean it outputs a signal that your TV is happy with. Some players will output the same signal as the source, others do odd things, like output NTSC as PAL60.

[bugster]

Definatley sounds like your player is outputting a PAL signal to your NTSC only TV. Check the players setting menu's or manual to see if there is something that says PAL/NTSC/Autio or something like that. If there is, make sure it is set to NTSC.

HTH

[Steve Stepoway]

I've tried to burn 3-4 different movies now but when I try to play them in my dvd-player it's no color (exept black and white...).

You are talking about a set-top player, right? How is it connected to the TV? S-video cable, perhaps? S-video keeps B&W (luma) separate from color info (chroma), so a bad s cable could result in this.

Do commercial DVDs have this problem? If so, look to the cable. If not, "never mind".

[iiss]

I'm in a PAL land and got a PAL TV as well as PAL movies. I'm not sure what format the movie has, but I think it's PAL. Is there somehow I can check if it's pal?

I don't use a scart cable right now, maybe that can be the problem. But there's no problem when I try to watch normal movies. Everything runs ok.

[iiss]

I can add that when I play it in my DVD on the computer, everythings OK. Someone got any suggestions?

[ZippyP.]

Is there somehow I can check if it's pal?

Check one of the vob files on the disk with avicodec.
25 fps = PAL
29.97 = NTSC

[ZippyP.]

I can add that when I play it in my DVD on the computer, everythings OK. Someone got any suggestions?

edit: Watch it on your computer!?

[guns1inger]

Cpmputers are format agnostic, so you would expect it to play back normally. Check your player. Somewhere in the settings it may allow you to force NTSC to be output on a PAL signal, probably called PAL60. Your TV should then be able to see it.

Just as a test, take a commercial disk you know plays properly, and back it up using the same techique you have used for these b/w disks. If it plays back OK, you know your process is sound, and the problem lies elsewhere. If they come out black and white, we have somewhere esle to start.

[Gurm]

See I'd say it was a PAL<->NTSC thing, that often results in B&W backups. But you're in PAL land, and most PAL players/sets do NTSC just fine. Must be a setting, if the discs are NTSC.

Fire up IFOEdit, point it at one of the suspect discs, and see if it's NTSC or PAL.

[thespook]

I had the same problem on a Panasonic TV, rang there help line and they told me it was stuck in s-video mode and to just press the red teletext button as I played the DVD, done as they said and like magic the colour returned.

[guns1inger]

That was the next thing. A faulty s-video cable or an s-video connected to a composite input (using an RCA cable like graphics cards have) will give you a very crisp b/w image. However that would affect all output. Your post reads like it is just some disks causing this problem.

[Gurm]

How in cripes name would you put a 3-pin/ground s-video cable into a 1-pin/ground composite jack?