[This article was first published in the July, 2011, issue of
Larry’s Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.]
Terry Colbert writes:
I have a quick question for you as I’m wondering if you might be able to settle a discussion my colleagues and I are having. There’s been some debate about authoring NTSC DVDs in DVD Studio Pro (with having all of the region codes selected) and their playback in PAL countries. Some are skeptical while others are convinced they can. Is it true that DVD SP authored NTSC (with region codes selected) discs will play in PAL countries? If so, can you explain how the process works?
Larry replies: Thanks for writing, Terry.
This isn’t a DVD SP issue it is a DVD player issue.
From what I have read, most DVD manufacturers support both PAL and NTSC playback in DVD players shipped to PAL countries, it’s just that they don’t mention the NTSC part.
There’s nothing you need to do in DVD SP. Either the player supports it, or it doesn’t.
UPDATE – July 27, 2011
Matt Schulze adds:
In response to the question about NTSC DVDs on PAL, you are absolutely correct in that most PAL players will play NTSC material. But a lot of the European players will only detect the luminance portion of the signal and not the chrominance portion, in other words they will play back NTSC material in black and white.
It is also possible to find players that will play back nothing and others that will play back in color. It depends.
But my experience dates back 4 or 5 years.
