NTSC VHS in the UK (PAL-land) - only black and white?

[japniz]

I shelled out for a Hitachi vt fx540e VCR as it could play an NTSC home video here in the UK. However, I find that all output is in black and white (am capping using a Pinnacle DV500 card/break-out box with a view to burning to DVD after some basic edits using Prem. Elem 2).

- Is this common to all VCRs that 'play NTSC' or is it down to different manufacturers?
- is there any way around this other than to buy a US VCR online and get it shipped over cheaply?

(I've already searched the forums for similar posts without success.)

I'd be very grateful for any useful advice.

[garryheather]

I'd say the Pinnacle can't handle / isn't configured to accept NTSC... I doubt there is anything wrong with the VCR (that is probably doing the job just fine and playing NTSC as NTSC...).

Check your software settings in case you need to check a different box or something.

[japniz]

Thanks for your thoughts. However, I've just tried the tape and VCR on the TV and there the pic is also black and white, so seems doubtful that it is the DV500 card.

Thanks, in any case.

[hech54]

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1531079#1531079

Same scenario...only reversed/backwards.
If the pic on the TV is only B&W....and not jumbled up...check to see of your TV can handle a quasi signal.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Look for a switch or setting that lets you select the colour signal frequency - either 3.58 or 4.43MHz.

The colour information in an NTSC signal is carried on a 3.58MHz signal, PAL uses 4.43MHz. If your VCR cannot output NTSC with a 4.43MHz colour carrier, then you won't be able to see the colour on a standard PAL TV set.

[KBeee]

I had the exact same problem with a older TV (Hitachi), and a Sony DVD player when playing NTSC DVD's. It prompted me to finaly get a new TV.

[japniz]

Thanks all.

To take suggestions in turn:

GarryHeather:
The card settings are set to cap NTSC and all is good in that respect.

Hech54:
The pic is fine, no lines or shake, just b/w. Thanks for the interesting link. I was hoping, though, I wouldn't have to buy any more hardware.

Johnny Maleria:
Where should those settings be - the VCR or the TV? Nothing is obvious on both and the TV is at least 10 years old.

KBeee:
I don't think the problems of DVD and VHS are quite the same, from what I've read.



In checking the Hitachi manual, I now find a paragraph at the back that says NTSC will be displayed in b/w as the 'colours' are not compatible with PAL!! So how could they justifably claim it would play NTSC on a PAL tv? Stretching it a bit since, it appears, b/w is the only result.

Does anyone posting from the UK/Europe know of a VCR that does, indeed, playback NTSC in colour?

Any further suggestions/guidance most welcome or I'll be looking on Ebay in the US for a cheap 2nd hand VCR which could make the trip over.

[KBeee]

Maybe not to a 10 year old TV.
My Hitachi FX960E VHS VCR would only play NTSC tapes in colour when connected via RF, and as black and white on my 10 year old Hitachi TV if connected via the scart socket. My Sony 305 DVD player would only play NTSC in B & W. My new (PAL) TV displays both just fine.
If you are connecting your VCR to your TV via scart, maybe you could try using the RF connection instead and see if that helps.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Many moons ago - well, 1994, - when I still lived in the UK, I had purchased an NTSC camcorder on a visit to the US. I bought a Sony VCR (in the UK) that played back NTSC VHS tapes - it has the switch for 4.43 or 3.58MHz. I also bought a Nicam TV from Argos specifically because it supported NTSC, SECAM and PAL. Well, when I got it home and connected the NTSC camcorder, it only showed black and white.

I contacted the manufacturer (Decca) and spoke to an electronics engineer there who said all I had to do was replace a couple of links on a circuit board with a capacitor and a 3.58MHz crystal. Less than 2 pounds from Maplin and everything was good to go!

This was more than 10 years ago, so I'm somewhat surprised the Hitachi VCR doesn't let you select the colour carrier frequency. Have a close look on/in the manual - often the VHS logo will have PAL in small letters and NTSC 3.58 or NTSC 4.43.

Not sure if any of this helps though....

[japniz]

Many thanks for the posts:

KBEEE:
Crumbs! What a mix of compatibilities, much more complex than my small headache. The Hitachi only has two SCARTS but I'll try with the RF, too. But, should it work, I don't have an RF input for the capture card I'm using.

JOHNNY:
Great story about how you sorted your problem! Unfrotuatnely, though, way too technical for this non-techie user. I've checked the VCR box and manual and there is nothing that offers a change of settings.


CAn anyone recommend a UK VCR that is known to playback NTSC in colour? (THe more I read the para. in the manual for mine, it is clear that b/w is the ONLY NTSC result possible with this model.)

On my old TV, I've had no problem playing home video NTSC DVDs back in colour.

[hech54]

I personally am not convinced that the VCR is not the same as my VCR....or the same as 95% of the VCR's sold here in Europe....which from my experience WILL play an NTSC VHS tape almost normally.
I just don't know if I have been extremely lucky with my choice of TV's or my choice of VCR cause all of my TV's display NTSC VHS tapes via both my old Philips VR 1200 and Sharp VC MH 601 VCR's.

Mine all output a quasi signal which prevents me from using my external converter but they display NTSC just fine....certainly not B&W or jumbled in the least.

[jagabo]

http://www.samsung.com/Products/VCR/WorldwideColor/SV_5000WXAA.asp

It's not a great VCR though.

[TripleTransAm]

True, that... horrible VCR, the only reason we keep it around is because my wife's older VCR (Aiwa? I forget) is mono and dates from the mid 90s. Not entirely stable as it is, the older one would occasionally flip out on us, and the Samsung truthfully has not 'crashed' in any such way. However, even when being used solely as a straight NTSC hi-fi VCR, it totally takes a back seat to my old 1994 Panasonic hi-fi VHS. Picture quality undeserving of a 'hi-fi' stamp, and sometimes strikes me as never being able to 100% track properly on a VHS playback, even those made on the machine itself.

[jagabo]

Hi-Fi on VCRs refers to the audio, not the video. Hi-Fi is high bandwidth audio that's recorded by the flying heads along with the video, as opposed to the linear mono track recorded along the edge of the tape by a stationary head.

[TripleTransAm]

Sorry for the liberties I took with my post... I am aware of Hi-FI referring to the audio, I was drawing on the irony that a Hi-Fi VCR should be so poor at outputting stable video. The video output from our Samsung isn't fit for a 17 inch black and white TV, much less a stereo unit.

I took one Samsung back to the shop 24 hours after I bought it and the second one performed identically. So I was stuck with that. Thankfully, my wife is not as critical of video quality as I am as she is the primary user (her family in Sweden will send her the occasional tape of PAL material, and she will send them PAL-ified home movies of our kids). Sadly, my Panasonic did not survive my change of homes in 2004, so ironically I might have to buy a hi-fi VHS unit one of these days in order to start DVD-ifying my tapes I'll be wanting to archive for long term!