VCR that outputs true NTSC?

[cthulhu321]

Not sure if this is the right place to put this but still:

I'm looking for the cheapest PAL (I guess) VCR that plays back a true NTSC signal. I have two VCR's, both can playback NTSC tapes on a PAL TV. One plays back some NTSC tapes and the other has played every NTSC tape i've thrown at it, but neither output a true NTSC signal, which I need to finally record them onto DVD's.

In short i'm looking for some models which output true NTSC. Mainly some info which will help me distinguish between the one's which can and can't output a true NTSC signal.. are these cheap?

Thanks.

[victoriabears]

You would need to source a ntsc vcr , most of which will not work on 220 volt, or a multi system vcr.

How many tapes do you have?

The panasonic vcr/dvd combos E47V for instance do both ntsc and pal, so that might be agood option, and some pioneer dvd recorders accept pal 60 (which is when a europe vcr plays ntsc on a pal TV, it outoputs what is called pal 60, which most recorders cannot accept.

Also what were you intending to capture/record this ntsc vcr to when you get it?

[jagabo]

Samsung used to make a true converting VCR the SV-5000W. It was expensive, ~US$300, and wasn't great.

[cthulhu321]

You would need to source a ntsc vcr , most of which will not work on 220 volt, or a multi system vcr.

What do you mean by this? Basically a standard VCR from NTSC land? Just making sure.

How many tapes do you have?

About 20 or so, upto 4hr long recorded tapes.... yeah, alot of discs.

The panasonic vcr/dvd combos E47V for instance do both ntsc and pal, so that might be agood option, and some pioneer dvd recorders accept pal 60 (which is when a europe vcr plays ntsc on a pal TV, it outoputs what is called pal 60, which most recorders cannot accept.

Obviously my plan was to record from a VHS onto a DVD using my DVD recorder (Samsung r122) which doesn't accept the signal (i'm guessing the PAL 60 signal) from my VCR. Figuring there was no easy solution, well... one that wouldn't cost me, I gave up.

Recently I remembered my Camcorder can 'accept' the signal from a VHS/DVD player and I can record the video onto the camcorders tape, using the AV-RCA cable (I think it's that :S). The camcorder also has a 'NTSC PB' option where I can select either "ON PAL TV" or "NTSC 4.43." Neither option allows me to view the video from the NTSC tapes, only audio (unlike my PAL tapes), i'm only guessing but with a true NTSC signal the camcorder will pick it up?? Hopefully I worded that well. My main plan here is to capture the recorded video from my camcorder, onto my PC, then burn onto DVD's. :S

It sounds like alot of work for nothing, but i've had these tapes for too long and it's something i'm keen on doing. Would you recommend getting the Panasonic vcr/dvd combo or the DVD recorder which accepts the PAL 60 signal? I'm not sure, what's the price of these things? Thanks.

Also, thanks Jagabo... but $300?? Hah, awesome.

[jagabo]

Maybe not. I see some listed at more reasonable prices. Want to buy mine? Here are some others:

http://www.world-import.com/converter-vcr.htm

[victoriabears]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Panasonic-DMR-EZ45V-DVD-VIDEO-Combi-HDMI-Freeview-RR86_W0QQitemZ...3286.m14.l1318

is an example of the panasonic combos that will do what you want easilly, are you sure your samsung dvd recorder will record in NTSC, if it does you could use this Panny combo and output to the samsung, I suspect the samsung is a better picture quality, the Panny is oaky, and it has upscaling.

[cthulhu321]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Panasonic-DMR-EZ45V-DVD-VIDEO-Combi-HDMI-Freeview-RR86_W0QQitemZ220258539922QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 220258539922&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

is an example of the panasonic combos that will do what you want easilly, are you sure your samsung dvd recorder will record in NTSC, if it does you could use this Panny combo and output to the samsung, I suspect the samsung is a better picture quality, the Panny is oaky, and it has upscaling.

Thanks for that link, but I can't believe the price.. going for £11 and £15 postage? I'm expecting it to go up, but what's the catch here? Hah.

Also, i'm certain my Samsung can't record NTSC.. basically i've had a VCR and a DVD recorder for a while, copied PAL tapes onto DVD's fine, but the Samsung can't record whatever signal the VCR player is sending out, I can play them fine of course, just recording. So anyways I gave up on using a DVD recorder, until now I guess.
Just to be clear, that combo Panasonic will let me play a NTSC VHS (on a PAL TV no less) and record it onto a DVD? Just wondering as you asked me about the DVD recorder I have already aswell as saying the Panasonic will do the job easy. It just seems like a low starting price for a DVD recorder, nevermind one that's a combo and NTSC/PAL compatible, just a bit confused. Edit again - That combo has an HDMI port too? There's no way that's staying within my "budget." Hah.

Big help, thanks!

Edit - Jagabo, thanks for the offer, whats your asking price? I doubt it's worth while me asking though, I won't be able to match anything near what you could prolly get on eBay for it. Plus i'm guessing your in the US or Canada? Shipping fee's should be fun too.

[victoriabears]

If you look on Ebay you will see various Panny combos for sale, as you say that may go way up in price, others have them for buy it now prices.

Yes they do ntsc vhs to ntsc dvd and pal vhs to pal dvd, I have one here in Canada for that very reason.

[cthulhu321]

Those combos look like my best option then.
One more thing, when I record from a NTSC tape onto a blank DVD using one of those combo's, will the recorded DVD be region free, or will it be NTSC? If it's NTSC, that just sounds like my current setup of a seperate VCR and DVD recorder, except PAL, which wouldn't really be beneficial. Also, is it a reliable sub for a DVD recorder? As the only reason I actually want it is to transfer the ntsc tapes. :S

Sorry for the random questions, but thanks.

[jagabo]

Note that region coding has nothing to do with PAL/NTSC format.

The region code is simply a number on a DVD that tells the player whether it is allowed to play it. The world is split into seven (?) regions. A DVD meant for one region isn't supposed to play in another.

PAL vs NTSC are different formats of the actual video. 720x480 29.97 fps for NTSC, 720x576 25 fps for PAL. Some regions include both PAL and NTSC formats. For example, region 2 includes the UK and Japan. The UK being PAL and Japan being NTSC.

As far as I know, all DVD recorders produce recordings that are region free.

[victoriabears]

The specific combo I sent you the link for:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Panasonic-DMR-EZ45V-DVD-VIDEO-Combi-HDMI-Freeview-RR86_W0QQitemZ...3286.m14.l1318

is an older model that does not have a more modern tuner, thats why it is going so cheap. A note for North American memebers, this works on 110 volt as well, even though it does not say so !

If you do decide to go for another panny combo model just check the manual for it on, it looks like any with a hard disc do not do both ntsc/pal.

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/220239/index.html#anker_220239

These days nearly all dvd players/recorders in the UK will play ntsc on a pal TV, just like your VCR it oupts pal 60, so you should have no problems playing the resulting dvd's from your ntsc vhs conversions.

Eventually you could use software on your computer to convert the ntsc recordings to pal if you really wanted.

Good luck, if you get the panny keep the recordings to 2 hours, as they get a bit blocky longer than that, but yes I think its the easiest answer to your problem.

http://www.dvdoverseas.com/store/index.html?loadfile=catalog85_0.html

is one of your other alternatives but it would strceth your cost to close to $200 including shipping.


Bear in mind that those who answer your queries on here have many years of experience and generally know what they are talking about, we enjoy helping others.

[cthulhu321]

Thanks for clearing the Region code thing up...

I'm gonna take some time and think about which to get, it's doubtful that i'll ever need to convert a NTSC VHS again, so i'm kinda looking for a DVD recorder which will replace my current one, aswell as a ntsc/pal converter combo thing.

Eventually you could use software on your computer to convert the ntsc recordings to pal if you really wanted.

Would this require me to change the PC DVD settings from PAL to NTSC? You can only change that option a few times, can't you? Playing them on my PC is a definite must I suppose, I usually watch most DVD's on my PC.

Good luck, if you get the panny keep the recordings to 2 hours, as they get a bit blocky longer than that, but yes I think its the easiest answer to your problem.

Ok cool, thanks for the little tips.