To convert or not to convert a pal dvd

[nls8520]

I would greatly appreciate some advise. I am attempting to purchase a DVD and the only way I can purchase the DVD is in PAL format. I know very little in regards to this format, as I reside in the United States. I spoke with someone at the company and he informed me that he could convert the DVD to NTSC, however the quality would suffer greatly, and the DVD is not cheap either. I have looked into a cheap DVD that can play PAL DVD's, however will this play on my Flat Screen TV? My question is how simply can the PAL format be changed to NTSC to be viewed on my Computer?, will the quality suffer, and if so to what extent? Basically what is the most simple and affordable way to view this expensive PAL DVD? Thanks for any advise in advance, I am somewhat computer savvy, no expert though.

[guns1inger]

Your computer won't care if it is PAL or NTSC, so if you are happy to watch it on your computer, no conversion is necessary. If you can find a cheap player that will play PAL discs and output an NTSC signal for your TV, that may be the better solution.