NTSC PAL SECAM DVD VHS video transfer world standards and conversion information

Domestic Video formats we accept:-	Domestic Video formats we convert to:-
PAL or NTSC VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C SVHS-C Video 8, Hi8, Digital 8 MiniDV, MicroMV HDV 1080i DVD Video including +/- and RW & RAM PAL Pioneer LaserDisc & CDV LaserVision Betamax SECAM VHS	PAL VHS DVD-R, DVD+R NTSC VHS, DVD-R, DVD+R SECAM VHS

Click here for professional video formats including Betacam, DVCAM & U-matic

NTSC VHS video recorders run the tape slightly faster than PAL/SECAM VHS tapes. As a result it's not possible to fit more than 3 hours of video onto a SP (Short Play) NTSC VHS tape.

TYPE

RECORDING TIME

PAL

NTSC

E-180/T120

180 mins

120 mins

E-240/T160

240 mins

160 mins

E-260/T180

260 mins

180 mins

E-300

300 mins

Unlike VHS, which has several different video flavours, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD Video) has just two.

You may see technical descriptions such as 625/50 or 525/60 but the two DVD types are most commonly referred to as either PAL or NTSC.

Regional encoding is deliberately intended to restrict international compatibility between DVD players in different world markets. Regional encoding should not be confused with the PAL or NTSC formats. DVD-R discs created by Manchester Video are region free (Region Code is Zero).

The DVDs we make are "DVD-R" and are intended for playback on fully DVD-R compatible domestic DVD players. DVD-R playback compatibility is estimated to be around 90% and rising.
A comprehensive list of compatible DVD players is published at the DVD Help website.

A DVD-R test disc is available for a deposit of £6.00 (refundable or credited against your order).

To order a test disc please contact us or buy one now here.

Manchester Video convert ALL video tape formats listed above to DVD-R.

The DVD's we produce have either a basic menu or auto start with no menu. Chapter points are automated approximately every 5 minutes.

Menu design with enhanced features and chapter points is available - email us for details.

Approximately 90 minutes of good quality video can be transferred to a single layer DVD-R. We can encode DVDs up to 4 hours duration however the picture quality will be reduced.

All other DVD & Multimedia pricing available on request - contact us

A question often asked is how good will the copy be ?

The simple answer is that it's never perfect and mostly depends on how good the original source footage is.

As a rule if you have a good quality source tape you can expect a fairly good quality copy. However, if your source tape has a crackling soundtrack and a wobbly picture then so will the copy !

If you would like to know more detailed information about the conversion process please read-on.

Copying analogue video footage is a lossy process. What this means is that you will never get a perfect copy of a VHS tape. When you copy and convert analogue video from one tape to another some information such as colour saturation or image detail is lost.

When transferring analogue video from one colour standard to another the quality drop issue is even greater. VHS is prone to poor colour reproduction (especially NTSC) with drop-out, colour bleed and tracking errors.

One other factor that affects NTSC/PAL transfers is frame rate and picture size.

NTSC standard definition video is 720 x 480 pixels per frame at 29.97 frames per second. PAL standard definition video is 720 x 576 pixels per frame running at 25 frames per second. To convert between these two formats, depending on which way we are converting (to or from NTSC/PAL) we need to either squash or stretch the picture size and either reduce or increase the frame rate plus sort out the differences between the colour signals.

The video signal is passed through a digital conversion unit. As you might expect during this stretching/squashing frame padding/frame dropping process something has to give!

Our equipment allows us to maintain picture quality while converting video between the various video standards within the limits of the analogue VHS-to-VHS level copying process.

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