From: B.King@ee.surrey.ac.uk Newsgroups: rec.video Subject: Multi-Standard Video Systems FAQ (rev 1.9) Message-ID: <9109091335.aa06206@Ainur.EE.Surrey.Ac.UK> Date: 9 Sep 91 12:03:53 GMTHere is the lastest version of the FAQL relating to the problems of the differing TV systems in use around the world and their effect on individuals trying to use video recordings across these gaps. It covers several aspects, including multi-standard video equipment, which system is used where, and how to deal with the problems. My thanks to the many people who have offered constructive suggestions as to how it could be improved.
Major changes are details of some new models just announced for the Autumn. It seems there is still much confusion on the subject of using NTSC replay on PAL TV style transcoding video recorders, and I am working on a guide to this aspect.
It is divided into five sections:
REFERENCES:
For a more general FAQL on NTSC video systems and some general points, see H Morrow-Long's FAQL - posted monthly to rec.video & VIDEOTECH - the author's email address is: Long-Morrow@CS.Yale.EDU (Copies of these FAQLs are available for anonymous ftp from CS.Yale.EDU [130.132.1.2, 128.36.0.3] in subdirectory pub/rec.video)
For a series of excellent introductions to LaserDisc, contact Bob Niland: rjn@FC.HP.COM
Not all the worlds TV receivers work in the same way.
Different countries use different types of broadcast TV system, most of which are to varying extents incompatible with each other.
Unfortunately, video recordings retain many of the characteristics of the original signal of which they are a recording. In general, recordings are more likely to be compatible than recieving equipment, but only with their own "family".
1.1 Why did this happen?
Originally, TV receivers required a source of field timing signals. Early set designers decided to use the Mains power supply frequency as this source. There are two Mains power frequencies widely used arround the World, 50Hz and 60Hz. This immediately divided the worlds TV systems into two distinct camps, the 25 frames per second camp (50Hz) and the 30 frames per second camp (60Hz).
Later the 60Hz camp made a small adjustment and changed the field rate to 59.94Hz when they added colour to the signals. The issue of field frequency remained sufficently deep rooted in both TV standards that the vested interest remained long after the original technical justification had gone.
The biggest compatibility problems between TV standards remain related to the field rate; these are also the hardest problems to solve. The first domestic machine to attempt to actually convert between the two field rates was launched this year (Panasonic NV-W1), but at some US$2600 retail price it is too expensive for most pockets.
1.2 Compounding The Problem
Beyond the initial divide between 50 and 60Hz based systems, further sub-divisions have appeared within both camps since the inception of Colour broadcasting. The majority of 60Hz based countries use a technique known as NTSC originally developed in the United States by a committee called the National Television Standards Committee. NTSC (often scurrilously refered to as Never Twice the Same Colour) works perfectly in a video or closed ciruit environment but can exhibit problems of varying hue when used in a broadcast environment.
This hue change problem is caused by shifts in the colour sub-carrier phase of the signal. A modified version of NTSC soon appeared which differed mainly in that the sub-carrier phase was reversed on each second line; this is known as PAL, standing for Phase Alternate Lines (it has a wide range of facetious acronyms including Pictures At Last, Pay for Added Luxury (re: cost of delay line), and People Are Lavendar). PAL has been adopted by a few 60Hz countries, most notably Brazil.
Amongst the countries based on 50Hz systems, PAL has been the most widely adopted. PAL is not the only colour system in widespread use with 50Hz; the French designed a system of their own - primarily for political reasons to protect their domestic manufacturing companies - which is known as SECAM (the most common facetious acronym is System Essentially Contrary to American Method). SECAM was widely adopted in Eastern Block countries to encourage incompatibility with Western transmissions - again a political motive.
In general, since the field and scan rates are identical, you can expect to get a monochrome picture from a PAL video recording replayed on SECAM equipment, and vice versa. Transmission frequencies and encoding differences make equipment incompatible from a broadcast viewpoint. Transcoders between PAL and SECAM, while often difficult to find, are reasonably cheap.
In Europe, a few Direct Satelite Broadcasting services now use a new Colour System called D-MAC. It's use is not wide-spread at present and it is transcoded to PAL or SECAM to permit video recording of it's signals. It includes features for 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratio transmissions and an eventual migration path to Europe's proposed HDTV standard. There are other MAC-based standards in use around the world including B-MAC in Australia and B-MAC60 on some private networks in the USA.
1.3 It Gets Worse...
In addition to the incompatibilities of 50 and 60Hz systems, and the different Colour systems, there is a further barrier to compatibility. Fortunately, video recordings themselves are not affected by this, only the equipment. For various reasons of number of stations and terrain, TV pictures can be transmitted in any of three main frequency ranges, VHF, UHF and Microwave (Satelite Direct Broadcasting). Equipment designed to receive signals in only one of these bands cannot receive transmissions in any of the other bands.
Further, there are differences between the encoding of the sound between countries using the same frequency bands. Within 50Hz PAL UHF transmissions, audio signals can be at 5.5Mhz offset (system G), or at 6MHz offset (system I). Similar differences exist between the Middle Eastern versions of SECAM (MESECAM) and the Eastern Block (OIRT) version.
1.4 ... and that's not all
In addition to standard combinations of Scan Rate, Colour System and transmission frequencies, there are further complications when it comes to additional features like Stereo Sound, Sub-titling and information services. Fortunately, such differences do not effect the basic operation of equipment conforming to the same broadcast standard, but they can restrict the use of various features.
In the cases of both stereo sound and additional textural information carried in the top few lines of the picture, there are three competing systems of varying technical merit. The oldest still operational of the stereo sound systems is the American MTS system based on NTSC transmissions, only slightly more recent is the twin channel FM-FM system used in Germany, Australia, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The most recent system, Nicam, has only been in existance for about 4 years, and ironically is still yet to be fully implemented by its designers, the BBC.
The oldest of the subtitling systems is almost definately the BBC designed TeleText system which has been is use in the UK since the mid 1970s. It is also the most widespread and the most flexible of the systems in widespread use. The US Closed Captioning mechanism came about through political pressure from the Deaf organisations in the USA and has not been developed beyond the simple job of producing subtitles for the Deaf. The French developed a subtitling and information system called Antiope which has not found favour elsewhere, largely due to the existing widespread use of the BBC developed TeleText system. A few US stations have now adopted the BBC-style Teletext and a few manufacturers, most notably Zenith, fit the decoders to their sets.
2.1 TV Picture Format/Colour System Combinations
2.1.1 Real Combinations (actually happens)
Name Frame/Field rate Scan Lines Colour System Subcarrier Freq ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NTSC 29.97/59.94 525 NTSC 3.58MHz PAL-M 29.97/59.94 525 PAL 3.58MHz SECAM-M 29.97/59.94 525 SECAM ? PAL 25/50 625 PAL 4.43MHz SECAM 25/50 625 SECAM 4.25MHz/ D-MAC 25/50 625(1250) D-MAC N/A HiVision 60/120 1125 HiVision ?
2.1.2 Pseudo Combinations (created by video equipment to work around problems).
Name Frame/Field rate Scan Lines Colour System Subcarrier Freq ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NTSC4.43 29.97/59.94 525 NTSC 4.43MHz PAL-525 29.97/59.94 525 PAL 4.43MHz NTSC-625* 25/50 625 NTSC 3.58MHz
(*)- based on comments that Instant Replay of Florida have a VCR that replays PAL tapes on an NTSC TV receiver. In order to do this, such a signal would have to exist.
2.2 Video Tape & Disc Formats
Certain Video formats are only available in certain colour systems, this table details such permutations. Dead and industrial formats are not listed in full, but there is a list of them at the bottom of this table.
Format Scan Lines/Colour Speed Max playing time/Tape ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- VHS 525/NTSC SP 160mins/T-160 VHS 525/NTSC LP 320mins/T-160 VHS 525/NTSC EP 480mins/T-160 VHS 625/PAL SP 300mins/E-300 VHS 625/PAL LP 600mins/E-300 VHS 625/SECAM SP 300mins/E-300 VHS 625/SECAM LP 600mins/E-300SuperVHS 525/NTSC SP 120mins/ST-120 SuperVHS 525/NTSC EP 360mins/ST-120 SuperVHS 625/PAL SP 240mins/SE-240 SuperVHS 625/PAL LP 480mins/SE-240
Beta 525/NTSC Beta I 100mins/L-830 Beta 525/NTSC Beta II 200mins/L-830 Beta 525/NTSC Beta III 300mins/L-830 Beta 625/PAL - 215mins/L-830 Beta 625/SECAM - 215mins/L-830
SuperBeta 525/NTSC Beta I 100mins/L-830 SuperBeta 525/NTSC Beta II 200mins/L-830 SuperBeta 525/NTSC Beta III 300mins/L-830 SuperBeta 625/PAL - 215mins/L-830
ED-Beta 525/NTSC Beta II 120mins/EL-500 ED-Beta 525/NTSC Beta III 180mins/EL-500
Video8 525/NTSC SP 120mins/P6-120 Video8 525/NTSC LP 240mins/P6-120 Video8 625/PAL SP 90mins/P5-90 Video8 625/PAL LP 180mins/P5-90 Video8 625/SECAM SP 90mins/P5-90 Video8 625/SECAM LP 180mins/P5-90
Hi-8 525/NTSC SP 120mins/P6-120ME Hi-8 525/NTSC LP 240mins/P6-120ME Hi-8 625/PAL SP 90mins/P5-90ME Hi-8 625/PAL LP 180mins/P5-90ME
V2000 625/PAL - 480mins/VCC-480
LaserDisc 525/NTSC CAV 30mins LaserDisc 525/NTSC CLV 60mins LaserVision 625/PAL CAV 37mins LaserVision 625/PAL CLV 62mins LaserDisc 625/PAL CAV 37mins LaserDisc 625/PAL CLV 64mins
Notes: SECAM SuperVHS, Hi-8, LaserVision and LaserDisc are all recorded on tape/disc as PAL signals and converted to SECAM on playback by the SECAM machine.
LaserVision (analogue sound) and LaserDisc (digital sound) are different formats in PAL with older LaserVision players unable to play LaserDiscs. All PAL and Dual Standard LaserDisc players can play LaserVision discs.
It appears that ED-Beta/NTSC machines cannot record at Beta I speeds, also many Hi-8/PAL machines cannot record at LP speeds. All machines in these categories are all capable of handling these speeds for playback only.
2.2.1 Industrial Formats
The following industrial/broadcast formats exist in both NTSC and PAL versions: Low Band U-Matic, High Band U-Matic (BVU), High Band U-Matic SP (BVU-SP), Betacam, Betacam-SP, 1" B, 1" C, D-1, D-2, 1/2" Digital, and 2" Quad.
2.2.2 Dead Formats
The following European designed video formats existed in PAL versions but can now be considered dead: VCR (N1500), VCR-LP (N1700), and SVR (Grundig).
The following Video Disc formats existed in NTSC teritories but where never launched or only appeared for a short time in PAL: VHD and CED.
Q: Can I arrange for my relative in European Country (PAL/625) to play my
US (NTSC/525) camcorder tapes?
A: Best bet is to encourage them to buy one of the PAL VCRs that feature
an NTSC on PAL TV replay feature. There are 8+ models widely available
that can do this, starting from approx US$500 - see list below.
(more details on transcoding players will appear in a guide being written at the moment, contact the author for more information.)
Q: Can I get a machine in the US to play PAL tapes?
A: Yes, models are becoming available that can do this - see list below.
You will need a reasonably modern TV reciever in order to get a stable
good picture.
Q: Can I have my NTSC tape converted to PAL?
A: There are firms who will do conversions from about US$30 per hour; you
pay more for a better quality conversion. Depending on local copyright
rules you may well only be able to get your own camcorder recordings or
recordings made by the company you work for converted. Off-air recordings
and pre-recorded material (like films) will almost certainly be rejected
by the conversion house. (This is true in Europe, in the USA I understand
that conversion companies are less concerned about copyright and may
undertake such work).
Q: Can I get equipment to do my own conversions?
A: Yes - The Panasonic NV-W1 (AG-W1 in USA) VCR can do standards conversion.
Price is approx US$2500-US$2600. There are no cheaper or comparable
models available. Free-standing standards convertors cost four or
five times that figure.
Q: Can I buy equipment that can work with all Colour systems?
A: Yes. Multi-standard hardware does exist and is made by some of the
major VCR manufacturers; these require a companion multi-standard TV
set. Most large European cities have shops that stock multi-standard,
equipment, other shops can order it. In the USA, stocking such equipment
seems only to happen in central New York; other shops seem unable to
obtain it. Generally the feature count of such machines is low, but
the price does reflect this to some extent.
In the USA it seems that Industrial video dealers (with the corresponding
higher cost) are more likely to be able to obtain multi-standard
equipment.
Q: Can I get a Camcorder that can record in PAL when I'm planning to
send a tape to someone in Europe, and can record in NTSC the rest
of the time?
A: Not yet. It does seem like a usefull thing to be able to do, but
none of the manufacturers have released such a product yet.
Q: Why are the names of VHS tapes different between NTSC and PAL?
A: VHS has always by convention had tape lengths expressed in minutes.
Since NTSC VHS (and Beta) were released earlier than PAL VHS (and
Beta), the bandwidth that could be recorded at a given speed was
lower and so the standard was defined in such a way as to run the
tape faster. By the time PAL VHS (and Beta) were designed, tape
and head manufacturing had improved to a point where the required
bandwidth could be delivered at a lower tape speed. PAL format
machines also required less tape since only 50 helical scan stripes
had to be recorded per second rather than 60. VHS tapes in NTSC
countries are prefixed with the letter T, with the longest tape
being a T-180, more normal lengths being T-160 and T-120. VHS tapes
in PAL (and SECAM) countries are prefixed with the letter E, with the
longest tape being an E-300, more normal lengths being E-240 and E-180.
For Video 8, the reverse is true - the P5-90 (90 mins) tape in PAL
countries is psyhically longer than the P6-120 (120 mins) tape in NTSC
countries.
Q: Is there anyway to connect my NTSC VCR to a PAL TV set?
A: Not Sure. Providing that the set is reasonably modern, it should be
possible with the aid of an adaptor that performs a simple transcoding.
The only supplier I know of who planned such a device was the UK firm
Video World Electronics - apparently this project is now on hold
because of manufacturing costs. They are keeping a list of interested
people, so if you want to write to them, see section below on addresses...
Q: Can the VCRs that feature NTSC replay on a PAL TV record NTSC?
A: No. A few produce monochrome recordings, most fail completely.
Q: What happens if I try to play a PAL tape on my NTSC VCR?
A: It won't work. The screen will be pure gibberish and the sound will
be badly distorted. This is due to the fact that the head drum will
spin at 30 rpm even though the recording was made with the head drum
spinning at 25 rpm. Furthermore, with VHS and Beta the PAL version
specifications were set later, by which time the manufacturers were
already thinking of increasing playing time by slowing down the tape.
These slower speeds were built-in to the specifications for PAL VHS
and Beta from day one. See running time tables for more info - in
general quoted maximum running times are for identical or similar
lengths of tape.
Q: Can I record an NTSC signal on my PAL VCR?
A: Some PAL VCRs can produce a just-watchable but unstable monochrome
recording
of an NTSC picture source. The relative closeness of the line scan
rates (15.625KHz PAL and 15.750KHz NTSC) means that a VCR with tolerant
sync circuits can sometimes cope. The picture will have noise bars
all over it. It is important to realise that even though this appears
to work, it is a 25 frames per sec recording at PAL tape speeds and so
is completely incompatible with an NTSC recording of the same signal.
Q: What is this strange rectangular multi-pin connector called SCART?
A: SCART is a European standard connector fitted to most video equipment
available in PAL countries. It has twenty pins and an outer shell
connection, retangular in shape with a triangular protrusion at one
end to ensure that the connector is inserted correctly. The SCART
connector carries a standard video input and output, along with stereo
audio inputs and outputs. SCART also features an analogue RGB input
to permit by-passing of the PAL decoder. Modified versions of SCART
are also available that can work with S-video-style Y/C signals.
Q: What are the relative merits and failings of the various TV standards?
A: Dealing only with their most common forms, namely NTSC/525, PAL/625,
and SECAM/625.
NTSC/525 Advantages:
* Higher Frame Rate - Use of 30 frames per second (really 29.97) reduces visible flicker.
* Atomic Colour Edits - With NTSC it is possible to edit at any 4 field boundary point without disturbing the colour signal.
* Less inherent picture noise - Almost all pieces of video equipment achieve better signal to noise characteristics in their NTSC/525 form than in their PAL/625.
NTSC/525 Disadvantages:
* Lower Number of Scan Lines - Reduced clarity on large screen TVs, line structure more visible.
* Smaller Luminence Signal Bandwidth - Due to the placing of the colour sub-carrier at 3.58MHz, picture defects such as moire, cross-colour, and dot interference become more pronounced.
* Susceptablity to Hue Fluctuation - variations in the colour subcarrier phase cause shifts in the displayed colour, requiring that the TV receivers be equiped with a Hue adjustment to compensate.
* Lower Gamma Ratio - the gamma value for NTSC/525 is set at 1:2.0 as opposed to the slightly higher 1:2.8 defined for PAL/625. This means that PAL/625 can produce pictures of greater contrast.
* Undesirable Automatic Features - Many NTSC TV receivers feature an Auto-Tint circuit to make hue fluctuations less visible to uncritical viewers. This circuit changes all colours approximating to flesh tone into a "standard" fleshtone, thus hiding the effects of hue fluctuation. This does mean however that a certain range of colour shades cannot be displayed correctly by these sets. Up-market models often have this (mis)feature switchable, cheaper sets do not.
PAL/625 Advantages:
* Larger Number of Scan Lines - more picture detail.
* Wider Luminence Signal - placing of the colour Sub-Carrier at 4.43MHz allows a large bandwidth of monochrome information to be recorded than with NTSC/525.
* Stable Hues - due to reversal of sub-carrier phase on alternate lines, any phase error will be corrected by an equal and oposite error on the next line, correcting the original error. In early PAL implementations it was left to the low resolution of the human eye's colour abilities to provide the averaging effect; it is now done with a delay line.
* Higher Gamma Ratio - the gamma value for PAL/625 is set at 1:2.8 as opposed to the lower 1:2.0 ratio of NTSC/525. This permits a higher level of contrast than on NTSC/525 signals. This is particularly noticable when using multi-standard equipment as the contrast and brightness settings need to be changed to give a similar look to signals of the two formats.
PAL/625 Disadvantages:
* More Flicker - Due to the lower frame rate, flicker is more noticable on PAL/625 transmissions; particularly so for people used to viewing NTSC/525 signals.
* Lower Signal to Noise Ratio - higher bandwidth requirements cause PAL/625 equipment to have slightly worse signal to noise performance than it's equivalent NTSC/525 version.
* Loss of Colour Editing Accuracy - Because of the alternation of the phase of the colour signal, the phase and the colour signal only reach a common point once every 8 fields/4 frames. This means that edits can only be performed to an accuracy of +/- 4 frames (8 fields).
SECAM/625 Advantages:
* Stable Hues
* Higher number of Scan lines
SECAM/625 Disadvantages:
* Flicker (see PAL/625)
* Mixing of two synchronous SECAM colour signals is not possible. Most TV studios in SECAM countries originate in PAL and transcode prior to broadcasting. More advanced home systems such as SuperVHS, Hi-8, and LaserDisc work internally in PAL and transcode on replay.
* Lower monochrome Bandwidth - Due to one of the two colour sub-carriers being at 4.25MHz, a lower bandwith of monochrome signal can be carried.
4.1.1 Colour & Broadcasting Systems by Country
Country TV System Colour System Stereo System Subtitles -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Australia B/G PAL FM-FM Teletext Austria B/G PAL Bahamas M NTSC Bahrain B PAL Barbados N NTSC Belgium B/G PAL Nicam Teletext Bermuda M NTSC Brazil M PAL-M MTS Bulgaria D SECAM Canada M NTSC Canary Is B PAL China D PAL Colombia M SECAM Cyprus B PAL Czechsolvakia D/K SECAM Denmark B PAL Nicam TeleText Egypt B SECAM Finland B/G PAL Nicam TeleText France E/L SECAM - Antiope Gambia I PAL Germany B/G PAL FM-FM TeleText Greece B/H SECAM Hong Kong I PAL Nicam Hungary D/K SECAM Iceland B PAL India B PAL Indonesia B PAL Iran H SECAM Ireland I PAL - TeleText Israel B/G PAL Italy B/G PAL - TeleText Jamaica M SECAM Japan M NTSC Jordan B PAL Kenya B PAL Luxembourg B/G PAL - TeleText Madeira B PAL Madagascar B SECAM Malaysia B PAL Malta B/G PAL Mauritius B SECAM Monaco L/G SECAM/PAL Morocco B SECAM Netherlands B/G PAL FM-FM TeleText New Zealand B PAL Nicam TeleText Norway B/G PAL Nicam Pakistan B PAL Peru M NTSC Philipines M NTSC Poland D/K SECAM Portugal B/G PAL Romania D/K SECAM Saudi Arabia B SECAM Seychelles I PAL Singapore B PAL South Africa I PAL Spain B/G PAL Nicam Sri Lanka B/G PAL Sweden B/G PAL Nicam Teletext Switzerland B/G PAL FM-FM TeleText Tahiti KI SECAM Taiwan M NTSC Thailand B/M PAL Trinidad M NTSC Tunisia B SECAM Turkey B PAL - TeleText Utd Arab Emirates B/G PAL United Kingdom I PAL Nicam TeleText USA M NTSC MTS CC (+TeleText) USSR D/K SECAM Venezuela M NTSC Yugoslavia B/H PAL Zimbabwe B PAL
4.1.2 TV Systems - Transmission Details
Code Frames Scan Lines Frequency Sound Offset Modulation Still In Use? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A 25 405 VHF -3.5MHz Pos No B 25 625 VHF +5.5MHz Neg Yes C 25 625 VHF +5.5MHz Pos Yes D 25 625 VHF +6.5MHz Neg Yes E 25 819 VHF +11MHz Pos No F 25 819 VHF +5.5MHz Pos No G 25 625 UHF +5.5MHz Neg Yes H 25 625 UHF +5.5MHz Neg Yes I 25 625 UHF +6.0MHz Neg Yes K 25 625 UHF +6.5MHz Neg Yes KI 25 625 UHF +6.5MHz Neg Yes L 25 625 UHF +6.5MHz Pos Yes M 30 525 VHF +4.5MHz Neg Yes N 25 625 VHF +4.5MHz Neg Yes (Satelite Systems) Astra 25 625 11GHz band +7MHz Neg Yes ? 30 525 Ku-band ? ? Yes NHK 60 1125 ? ? ? Yes
4.1.3 Additional Features
Stereo Sound:
MTS - single channel consisting of channel difference signals relative to transmitted mono audio track and sometimes a secondary audio program such as a second language. Uses a technique based on the dbx noise reduction to improve the frequency response of the audio channel. Among common uses of the Secondary Audio Program facility is the Descriptive Video Service (video for the blind).
FM-FM - dual carrier FM coded discrete stereo transmissions, analogue. Should be capable of bi-lingual operation under user selection. Audio characteristics better than standard mono soundtrack.
NICAM - (full name: NICAM 728) Digital two-channel audio transmissions with sub-code selection of bi-lingual operation. Stereo signals with specifications similar to Compact Disc are possible. NICAM stands for Near Instantaneously Companded Audio Multiplex and uses a 32KHz sampling rate which produces a data stream of 728KBits/sec.
Subtitling:
CC - (full name: Closed Captioning) transmitted on line 21 of NTSC/525 transmissions, contains subtitling information only. CC has no support for block graphics or multiple pages but it can support 8-colours and the use of an italic typeface. Frequently found on pre-recorded VHS cassettes and LDs, also used on broadcast.
TeleText - an information service of 200-700 "pages" covering a wide range of topics including TV Schedules, News, Financial Market prices, Comment, Reviews, Concert & Theatre information. Subtitles are typically transmitted on page 888 in the UK, on pages 199/299/399 in Belgium and Holland, on page 150 in Germany and on page 777 in Italy. There are a number of variant character sets used, but the encoding is identical and all English alphabet characters plus numbers and most punctuation can be handled by any decoder. Includes support for 8 colours, and limited block graphics, and selective revealing of underlying TV picture. Transmitted on a variable number of lines (specified in header which contains basic information such as time, date and channel), starting on line 12 and continuing for 7-8 lines typically. Found on broadcasts and some LaserDiscs; recording of TeleText signals is marginal on S-VHS, almost impossible on VHS.
4.2 Multi-Standard Video Equipment
The following models from major manufacturers are multi-standard:
(Domestic Models)
Panasonic NV-G50EM
Supports PAL/SECAM/MESECAM/NTSC3.58/NTSC4.43, SECAM-L
requires use of video connections, switchable NTSC playback
on PAL TV feature, mono linear sound.
Panasonic NV-G500EM (#)
As G50 but with SECAM-L capable tuner and RF unit.
This player includes a switchable NTSC replay on
PAL TV feature as well as being able to output pure NTSC.
Panasonic NV-J700
New model - no details as yet - update on G500.
Sharp VCC-779
Supports PAL/SECAM/MESECAM/NTSC3.58/NTSC4.43, SECAM-L
requires use of video connections, mono linear sound,
4-heads, variable speed slo-mo (R/C only), tape counter,
record/PB at SP/LP(PAL/SECAM) and SP/EP(NTSC), NTSC LP
playback possible.
JVC HR-D337MS
Supports PAL/SECAM/MESECAM/NTSC3.58/NTSC4.43, mono linear
sound, tape counter, VISS, record/PB at SP/LP(PAL/SECAM)
and SP/EP(NTSC), NTSC LP unknown.
JVC HR-D637MS
update on HR-D337MS, includes realtime tape counter, etc.
(more details when I get a brouchure).
Hitachi VTM-698
multi-standard machine, no other details known.
Hitachi LC-50EM
Supports PAL/SECAM/MESECAM/NTSC3.58, tuner capable of
PAL/SECAM only, NTSC and SECAM-L recordings via video
connections, portable laptop VCR with in-built 5" Colour
LCD screen, switchable NTSC playback on PAL TV feature.
Panasonic FV-1
Portable 4" LCD colour TV+VCR, record and replay in PAL
and NTSC (more details when available).
Sony MDP515 LaserDisc Combi player (*, Obsolete)
Sony MDP533 LaserDisc Combi player (*)
Supports PAL and NTSC3.58, replay of NTSC signals on
PAL TV possible by use of RGB connections on SCART,
no RF unit in machine, two-speed search via shuttle
noise reduction.
Philips CDV800 LaserDisc Combi player (*)
(just announced)
Philips PLD600WS LaserDisc Combi player
fairly basic machine, silver facia, backlight LCD display,
available in Japan and France (at least), part of the
Philips Matchline range.
Panasonic NV-W1 (AG-W1 in USA - US price US$2600, UK price UK#1600)
VHS Hi-Fi video tape deck (no tuner or RF) with built-in
Digital TV standards converter, Quasi-Super-VHS (replay at
VHS quality), Slo-mo. Supports PAL/SECAM/MESECAM/NTSC3.58
standards, replay on any TV type via conversion.
(Industrial Models)
Panasonic AG-7330 S-VHS (UK price UK#1995)
No tuner, Hi-Fi sound (more details anyone?)
Pioneer LD-V4300D LaserDisc (UK price UK#950)
RS-232 port, Remote Control (I/R), built in char generator,
CAV search time 1.5secs, optional LD-ROM adaptor, Ext sync.
Includes digital sound facilities.
Sony LDP3600 LaserVision player
RS-232 port, analogue sound only - can't play PAL LDs..
Philips VP380 (UK price UK#1,395)
LV/LD/CDV/CDV5/CD/CD3 combi player. Industrial levels 1,3
with RS-232C (F-code). Plays NTSC or PAL discs with chroma
transcoding to PAL or NTSC. Video, Y/C or SCART RGB out.
Philips claim 25,000 hours MTBF on the machine...
(*) - This player can play NTSC discs on a SCART-equiped PAL TV; it does
this by decoding the NTSC signal to RGB and feeding that to the TV
set.
4.3 Single System machines with replay only of Second colour system
4.3.1 PAL VCRs/LDPs that can play NTSC tapes/discs on a PAL TV
Panasonic NV-L28 (Obsolete)
(known as NV-L18 in PAL-B/G countries).
Panasonic NV-J35 (UK price UK#349)
(PAL-I model, PAL-B/G model no may be different)
Records and plays in PAL-I, plays back NTSC tapes on
PAL TV, cannot record NTSC, record/PB in PAL SP/LP,
NTSC playback in SP/EP - ?LP, insert edit, linear
mono audio.
Panasonic NV-F55
(new model) NTSC playback on PAL TV, Hi-Fi sound in both
PAL and NTSC.
Panasonic NV-F40 (PAL-I)
(new model - replacement for NV-J35)
Panasonic NV-F45 (PAL-I)
NTSC replay on PAL TV, ability to copy NTSC tapes with
pair of recorders, Hi-Fi sound (may be PAL only).
Mitsubishi E-32 (B-32 in UK) (UK price UK#400)
Records and plays in PAL-B/G (PAL-I on B-32), plays back NTSC
tapes on PAL TV, cannot record NTSC, record/PB in PAL SP/LP,
NTSC playback in SP/EP - ?LP, linear mono audio.
Mitsubishi E-52 (B-52 in UK) (UK price UK#550)
Records and plays in PAL-B/G (PAL-I on B-52), plays back
NTSC tapes on PAL TV, cannot record NTSC, record/PB in PAL
SP/LP, NTSC playback in SP/EP - ?LP, Hi-Fi sound in PAL only,
linear mono sound in NTSC, VISS, program play, Jog/Shuttle
(via buttons not dial), realtime counter.
Mitsubishi E-55 (UK price UK#550)
NTSC replay on PAL TV, Quasi-SuperVHS operation, Hi-Fi sound,
SP/LP, realtime counter (new model).
Mitsubishi E-82 (B-82 in UK) (UK price UK#995)
Records and plays in PAL-B/G (PAL-I on B-82) in both S-VHS and
VHS, plays back NTSC tapes on PAL TV, cannot record NTSC,
record/PB in PAL SP/LP, NTSC playback in SP/EP - ?LP, Hi-Fi
sound in both PAL and NTSC, NTSC S-VHS playback, VISS,
Jog/Shuttle dial, realtime counter, insert edit.
Hitachi VT-F780
Features include jog/shuttle dial, Hi-Fi sound (may be PAL
only), NTSC replay on PAL TV set. (just announced)
Hitachi (new PAL S-VHS)
(just announced)
Pioneer CLD1450 LaserDisc Combi player (*)
Based on NTSC CLD1070, PAL or NTSC LD playback on PAL TV
set, 18 bit/8x oversampling, subcode output, analog/digital
noise
reduction, SCART (video only, no RGB) and RF outputs.
(*) - The Pioneer CLD1450 can be modified to output pure NTSC, see the
entry on Video World Electronics.
4.3.2 NTSC VCR/LDPs that can play PAL tapes/discs on an NTSC TV
Several models from Instant Replay, see below for details.
SHARP VC-1180E (US$379)
(details anyone?)
SECTION 5. The Usefull Address List
5.1 Disclaimer
The addresses given here are only by way of giving the reader
somewhere to start when looking for multi-standard equipment. This list
is not intended to recommend these companies or their products.
5.2 Addresses in the USA
Instant Replay
2601 S. Bayshore Dr.
Suite 1050
Coconut Grove
Florida
USA
Phone: (305) 854-8777
Fax: (305) 854-9053
Toll Free No: 1-800-749-8779
Sell a range of VCRs based on modified production VCRs to make them
operate in a multi-standard mode. Believed to be the only supplier of VCRs
that can do PAL tape replay on modern NTSC TVs, the equivalent of the NTSC
on PAL TV replay feature of the mainstream manufacturers products listed
above. Deal direct rather than through dealers.
(Name below taken from Video magasine - I've heard one good report of
them, never-the-less beware).
Smile Photo
29 West 35th Street
New York
NY 10001
Phone: (212) 967 5900
Fax: (212) 967 5912
Toll Free No: 1-800-366-6993
Their advert lists a range of multi-standard equipment (also PAL)
includes JVC HR-D337MS at US$449, Panasonic G500 at US$489, and multistandard
TV's such as Sony KV1484 at US$329. (June Issue 1991, prices and models may
have changed)
5.3 Addresses in Europe
Video World Electronics
19 Ulwell Road
Swanage
Dorset
BH19 1LF
UK
Sales Office: +44 (929) 423077
Service Centre: +44 (929) 427872
Hours of Business: 11am to 10pm (WET), 7 days a week.
Do a range of modifications to Pioneer LaserDisc Players; conversions
include providing a pure NTSC output from Pioneers CLD1450 combi and
converting the PAL-only combis (CLD1400 + CLD1500) into multi-standard
LD players. Also planned a NTSC -> PAL TV transcoder, project now on
hold but are keeping a list of interested people.
(info taken from What Video magasine - BEWARE)
Hi-Fi Sounds
193 Kilburn High Road
London
NW6 7HY
UK
Phone: +44 (71) 372 6731
Caution: These people swore blind that the Panasonic NV-G500 does
not replay NTSC tapes on a PAL TV - either everyone else is wrong,
or they didn't understand the question/don't know their own products.
Advert lists a wide range of multi-standard VCRs and TVs at
reasonable prices. Phone call (Aug 1991) provided the following
prices (excluding UK sales Tax (VAT) I believe): Hitachi VTM698
UK#440, Panasonic J700 UK#440, and JVC HR-D637MS UK#445.
5.4 Elsewhere in the World
None at present.
(Any volenteers? Perhaps an address or two in Hong Kong, Singapore?)
Once again comments gratefully received. Thanks to everyone who has
contributed towards making this list more acurate. The list of names
was just getting too long.
-------------------------------- NOTICE --------------------------------------
This article is hereby placed in the public domain. Please do attribute the
author when using the article or an extract from it. Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regards, Bevis.
Bevis R W King, | Email: B.King@ee.surrey.ac.uk
Computer Systems Support Officer, | UUCP : B.King@uos-ee.UUCP
Dept of Electronic & Electrical | Voice: +44 483 509104
Engineering, University of Surrey, | Email list for European LaserDisc Users:
H. | europe-ld-request@ee.surrey.ac.uk to join.