Page 1 of I need the truth on NTSC, R1, SCART connections and the rest

MY MISSION: The desire to purchase R1 discs.

MY PROBLEM: I`ve got a Toshiba SD220E ( believed to be multi-region, and if it`s not, thanks to this forum, I know how to update the firmware ). I`ve also got a Philips 28PW5324 telly. Now then, the DVD outputs pure NTSC when playing R1 discs and the telly only accepts PAL. So, the RF connection is out the window. Also knowing that the original cine frame rate is 24 fps and the PAL scan/frame rate is 50/25 and the NTSC scan frame rate is 60/30 blah blah blah blah......

MY PERCEPTION: ALL DVD is mpeg encoded. MPEG encoding process dictates that the file is written with the region signature i.e. PAL or NTSC, by juggling the frames ( 2 scans this time, 3 scans the next ) or speeding up the moovy ( 25/24ths) .....

MY QUESTION: Does the SCART RGB connection get around these apparent incompatabilites? If so HOW does this work. Isn`t the video via the scart the same frame rate as the native video system ( PAL or NTSC ) or am I just being extremely thick???

MY DEMANDS: I just want a straight answer. No waffle.

Thanks to all that subscribe to this superb site. ( Patronising sod aren`t I ).

This item was edited on Thursday, 5th December 2002, 04:00

"ALL DVD is mpeg encoded."

Correct. MPEG-2 is the industry standard, although DVDs with MPEG-1 (VCD-type) encoding are also allowed by the spec.

"MPEG encoding process dictates that the file is written with the region signature i.e. PAL or NTSC, by juggling the frames ( 2 scans this time, 3 scans the next ) or speeding up the moovy ( 25/24ths) ....."

Not sure what you mean by "the region signature" - regional coding has nothing to do with the MPEG stream, nor with PAL/NTSC.

Basically, standard DVDs have MPEG-2 encoded video streams. On a "PAL" DVD, the video has a resolution of 720x576 and a frame rate of 25 f.p.s. On a "NTSC" DVD, the video has a resolution of 720x480 and a frame rate of either 30 f.p.s. (for video sourced material) or 24 f.p.s. (for movie sourced material). (In the case of movie sources, 3:2 pulldown is applied to generate the "extra" fields needed for 525 line/60Hz playback - this can result in a slight "jerkiness" on scenes with fast motion.)

"MY QUESTION: Does the SCART RGB connection get around these apparent incompatabilites?"

No. (That`s your straight answer - read on if you want the waffle after all.)

You`ll notice I used quotation marks for "PAL" and "NTSC" above. The confusion arises because many people use "PAL" to mean 625 line/ 50Hz (25 f.p.s.) video, and "NTSC" to mean 525 line / 60Hz (30 f.p.s.) video. In fact, the terms PAL and NTSC refer only to the encoding of the *colour* within a *composite video* signal - regardless of the resolution or frame rate.

RGB provides raw (unencoded) colour, so there`s no such thing as PAL RGB or NTSC RGB, just RGB. However, the line/frame rate differences still apply.

To explain this further: Let`s suppose your DVD player outputs NTSC composite (at 525 lines/60Hz) when playing back "NTSC" DVDs. If your TV is 525/60Hz compatible, but only accepts PAL composite colour signals, then you`ll get a perfect black and white picture. If this is the case, then changing to RGB will allow you to watch in colour, provided that both the TV and DVD player support RGB and a fully wired SCART lead is used.

But, if your TV does *not* support 525 line/60Hz, then the picture from NTSC composite will not only be black and white, but will also flicker, roll and/or suffer from distortion. Using RGB will *not* help you in this case - the picture will now be colour, but the other problems will still be present.

Mike

This item was edited on Thursday, 5th December 2002, 10:31

I can`t add anything to the technical stuff in the other reply but I`ve got a Tosh 220 connected to an old Philips TV (but not the same model as yours). The DVD is connected via a good quality scart cable to the RGB scart on the TV. The Tosh is Multi Region and yes it plays R1 discs. The TV does not support NTSC. The Tosh outputs NTSC as PAL 50 but not PAL. R1 discs play in colour although there is some minor disruption to the picture - faint wavy lines - but this is hardly noticeable unless the backgound picture is clear e.g. a sky shot. Make sure you use the correct scart socket on your TV as on some older Philips models only one of the two scarts is RGB (normally the one marked EXT1).

PUG,

Thanks for the `practical` input. My next step is to purchase a R1 disc and see what happens.

This item was edited on Thursday, 5th December 2002, 14:00

Mike,

Excellent reply, and so quick!

I now understand the differences between PAL and NTSC and the colour encoding.

Thanks

RGB is the way to go providing the telly can handle the different frame rates. By fully wired SCART I assume you mean connections that include the RGB and composite signals ( plus the CVBS / RGB on pin16 ). Just one question on RGB, is the sync on green? I didn`t see it anywhere else on the pin out.

Thanks again.

"By fully wired SCART I assume you mean connections that include the RGB and composite signals ( plus the CVBS / RGB on pin16 )."

Yep, that`s exactly right.

The sync isn`t on green, by the way - the sync information is actually extracted from the composite input on pin 20.

Mike

cjohnson6,
Any luck? Just wondering, because I`ve just bought a Pioneer 454 and am using a Philips 28PW5324/05 widescreen, and when playing R1 disks there is a bit of picture distortion / flicker. I`m wondering if this is normal for this TV?
Thanks