PAL / NTSC DVD Conversion (patch method)

[richdvd]

tried on 4 different players..doesn't work

[absinthecarolinas]

Son of a gun!

I spent many, many hours authoring a DVD only to find it didn't play anywhere. The source was PAL and I of course authored with a PAL template. I live in the US, of course ....

Spent just a few minutes to apply this method, re-burned the DVD, and now it works everywhere!

Most of my AVI sources are PAL, so if this always works this well I'm going to make this a routine part of my conversions/authoring process.

Thanks for the tip!

-abs

[digits]

Thanks DJRumpy, I tried this on a PAL UK DVD and it worked on my Xbox. I used some generic DVD+R to burn onto too and I popped it in my Xbox, worked like a charm. The only things I saw were that sometimes, during cam pans it would get a little jutty, a couple times people speeded up, and the picture looked faded, the last thing is probably just because it was a low-budget independent film or something. I havn't tried the DVD out on my other Aiwa player yet.

-Thanks

[DJRumpy]

The jumpiness is common for some players. They don't handle the difference in frame rate very well. I prefer an actual conversion, but this method offers a quick 'fix' for those who don't want to do a full conversion, and all the details that invovles.

[mr-scarface]

I just tried this patch method and i dont get any jumpiness or anything, but it gets a LITTLE skippy, it doesnt play completely smoothly. It's actually pretty decent but not 100% perfect. It seems that the skippyness is constant throughout every scene of the whole film...seems like the framerate goes up and down every second or so.

Any one else experiencing this kind of skippyness? any way to fix it?

[scratchman]

Hello...could you please edit this to support NTSC --> PAl as well. I have done it and it worked in my US and Australian set top DVD players as well as 2 Australian computer DVD rom drives and a US computer DVD rom drive. Not the PS2 though :P

[Dennis1968]

Seems that most have already forgotten the "Region Code" restriction. For Region 1 players, set it to either 0, 64, or 254. Some players will refuse a DVD that is set to 0. and still some will have a problem with 64.

[DJRumpy]

mr-scarface, please see the preface in the guide. There is no 'fix' for this method. It either works to your satisfaction, or it doesn't If it doesn't, then you should try a different method.

As to editing the guide to handle NTSC to PAL, there is no need. Simply select PAL options when patching the IFO, as you have already found out.

[scratchman]

yes I know...but not everybody out there is that smart! There are probably people searching for a guide to do NTSC --> PAL and can't find it! Because your guide only lists PAL --> NTSC

[DJRumpy]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but it does not specify it is a PAL->NTSC guide. It says PAL/NTSC DVD Conversion. It will do either.

Searching the GUIDE section under 'How to convert PAL to NTSC or NTSC to PAL' on the GUIDE search tool, under the HOW TO category, will pull this guide up.

I have put in a few additional lines of text to specify which options a PAL to NTSC conversion might use, and an NTSC to PAL might use. Hopefully that will make it a bit easier for the beginner trying this method.

[Jzhang]

To get more compatibility, Just use the long method!

[cazzo]

how come the pics are screwed up?

[DJRumpy]

What pics?

[cazzo]

the pics to see where we edit the ifo files.

[cazzo]

i see an x instead of the pics!

[vrieze42]

Just to let you know, I've got some Pal DVD's that I wanted to play and could only on my computer. I tried a couple of the methods mentioned earlier. I did not try the long road, over my head. I ran across the DVDSanta program and although it takes a while, the setup could not be simpler. You select between Pal and Ntsc, one of three resolutions and full screen vs wide. Might be the easy road for some.....Terence

[DJRumpy]

Hmmm..I'll shoot a msg to Baldrick. Not sure what happened to the images.

vrieze42, please post only issues related to this guide here. If you want to promote a product that makes conversions easier, then create a guide specific to that product, and post it in the guides section.

[cazzo]

Dj
thanks man.



Also dvd santa is great as well! Have not used it yet.

[cazzo]

thanks for fixing pics.

[DJRumpy]

Your welcome

[tupacalot]

Hey DJ,

Thanks for taking the time with this but, unfortunately, when I try your method, the disc does not play smoothly. At least it plays, which is a start, but the final product comes choppy and you can tell what is happening, but it's not really watchable. Is there anything that can be done about this? For example, you say to change the setting to Letterboxed and I did although I also deselected what was originally selected: Pan & Scan. Should I maybe try with both selected or just Pan & Scan to see if it works? Would this make a difference?

Any other help would be appreciated. thanks.

[DJRumpy]

A little info first? What encoder are you using. Your field order setting is probably backwards. Simply switching it will probably resolve your problem. Try switching it and encoding a small sample were your jumping is noticable. Also check your source AVI to see if the problem exists there as well. You'd be surprised

[Heliok]

DJ,

Tried your patch method and worked like a charm. I got a Sony DVD player and patched 2 music show DVDs that I had in PAL (here in my country its all NTSC).
But, there is one little problem. In bot DVDs the menus have a problem. The menu pointer (for instance, when you move the cursor and an option is highlighted) is offset from where it should be. It happens in all menus, and in the same way in both dvds. You had experienced any problem like this ?

Regards,


Helio

[DJRumpy]

Yes. This is one of the problems I described. This is one of the reasons I don't use this method myself

[Heliok]

Dj,

Thats bad news ?
You said one of the problems.
What are the others that you noticed ?


Regards


Helio

[DJRumpy]

Scaling issues with some players. Some look fine, some don't. This is what I call a dirty hack. Usefull for video where these issues aren't important, or dvd's with no menu. If your player is one of those that doesn't scale well, you should probably look at another method, although most require more work.

[sydemon]

Great Trick DJR!! Worked like a charm with my Panasonic F85 player. Just had the menu offset problem, but that's no big deal. Thanks for the great guide!

PS: mabey sometime U could make a guide for the full conversion process. I know there are serveral already but they are usually way over my head, mabey yours could be simple, well simpler.

thanks again
sydemon

[DJRumpy]

You give credit where none is due. I didn't discover this method. Someone just asked me to post a guide on how to do it. As to DVD guides, I have a few, but my methods are always manual, rather than automatically with one-click solutions. I doubt you'd enjoy them much. I'm more of a hands on type of person. I like to know what's happening under the covers

[BogieV]

Just wanted to say this (patch) method worked for me

First trial failed but after double checking I realised my mistakes.
You really have to check all the *.ifo files and change the TV format as described in the guide (PAL to NTSC in my case)
I guess it also depends on the DVD player make so I almoast quit thinking my Samsung is the reason (gave "check your TV system" message on the first trial).
I'm happy now I tried again and it works GREAT - I cant say there is anything wrong with the picture quality or the sound!
Thanks for the guide.

[sugarshine]

Thanx for the guide Rumpy this method worked for me but i did get some frame rate jumps/skipping on one of my dvd players. I wonder Rumpy would i get a better compatability rate by using Dvd Patcher along with your method? I'm thinking that if i patched the vob files also to ntsc specs. Everything should work fine. On just about any dvd player. No more frame rate problems & etc. Dvd patcher may fix all those issues.