A question for PAL B5 DVD folks

[Ranger1]

I just noticed that there are some die hard fans who actually wait for the PAL seasons to get out,how can you wait?
Why you are not ordering the NTSC version?

[ZenoParadoxus]

Some people don't have the luxury of owning a region free DVD player (even if they have a way to display NTSC video).

'Course there are also fanatics like me (in the US) who buy a one and then order stuff from overseas. Me, I'm currently enjoying
Spaced!



Zeno

[Ranger1]

I think that all PAL players in Europe are able to play NTSC,correct me if im wrong.

[Doktor]

Region coding (1, 2, 3 etc) is entirely independent of PAL/NTSC. European DVD players will not play North American DVDs unless the player is specifically multi-region capable.

[RedFox]

Consider this: not everyone in R2 speaks English well enough to understand nearly as much as is needed to appreciate B5 for what it is. And what you do get with the various R2 releases is additional language tracks and various subs.

So why did I wait? I wanted to be able to share B5 with my non-English-speaking friends and get them hooked, too... despite the series losing some of its charm if you don't get to hear the *real* Londo

[Ranger1]

Originally posted by Doktor
Region coding (1, 2, 3 etc) is entirely independent of PAL/NTSC. European DVD players will not play North American DVDs unless the player is specifically multi-region capable.

Well that i know,and thats my point,i don't know any DVD player which play only PAL.

RedFox

True,didn't think about that.

[b5finland]

At least here in finland almost everybody owns dvd player that play only r2 movies. There are multiregion players too but usually they are low budged chinese players and they dont last long in normal use. And of course tv must support NTSC too.

i hope you understand what i mean, sorry about the poor english.

[grumly]

Hi everybody (my first post here)

Here in France, most of DVD players can read region 1 DVDs. You have to enter a code in order to put it on region 0 (instead of 2) but that's all.
I have bought my b5 season 5 DVD set in the US because I didn't want to wait until the release in France (obviously I was right to do so because it hasn't been released yet). Concerning Crusade, I don't know if it will ever be released in France so, I didn't have much choice and I bought my set in the US
In addition, DVDs are cheaper in the US than in France. I bought my b5 DVDs half the price they cost in France.

Sorry for my English

[Jan]

<waves>

Hi, B5finland and Grumly! Please don't apologize for your English, it's just fine.

Thanks for posting,
Jan

[Firebird]

Originally posted by Doktor
Region coding (1, 2, 3 etc) is entirely independent of PAL/NTSC. European DVD players will not play North American DVDs unless the player is specifically multi-region capable.

RANGER 1 is correct in that all and any R2 player SHOULD INDEED play NTSC disks. Also, Sorry Doktor but you are not actually correct. Region coding and TV standards are locked at the hip, but the ability to switch them is not that difficult, nor is it against the law. This ability to swith - at least in the UK - all revolves around Japan (which uses NTSC - the US TV standard) but is a R2 country the same as the UK and mainland Europe. So ANY region 2 machine MUST BE able to play NTSC because it is written into the DVD standard. It is how that ability is accessed that can cause confusion. Here in the UK you can buy a multiregion player (capable from the box) from about ú25.00 (approx $45.00 U.S.), they do tend to be from the supermarkets and the like but are not bad for the price. And at that price, if they fall apart after 2 years...what loss? The brand names will last longer but are usually region locked and so need a chip added inside - this can be done for as little as about ú50.00

We have both types in our place and they both work fine.

[Ranger1]

Originally posted by Firebird
RANGER 1 is correct in that all and any R2 player SHOULD INDEED play NTSC disks.

Should yeah,but the fact is that it looks like i was wrong,and R2 DVD player are still sold as R2 only players,which i found a bit weird.

I don't know how people who want to buy the B5 DVD's have patience waiting for the PAL version to get released

[Doktor]

Originally posted by Firebird
Also, Sorry Doktor but you are not actually correct. Region coding and TV standards are locked at the hip, but the ability to switch them is not that difficult, nor is it against the law.

You misunderstand me. I didn't say it was difficult or against the law (I have a multiregion DVD player and would never own any other kind). What I was saying was that technically region coding and TV format are not the same thing. Technically it's perfectly possible to have a region 2 player that will play both PAL and NTSC. In fact, I've seen region 2 players with a PAL/NTSC hardware switch.

Oh yeah, and Richer Sounds sell branded multiregion players off the shelf.

[Darth_librarian]

Older TV's have trouble with NTSC output...

That said, i'm going to R1 for Crusade and the movies set...

[Jump Now]

But isn't a PAL picture always better than an NTSC one (625 lines vs. 525 etc.)? That's why I wait. Well, that and the fact that I don't have a multi-region player. But even if I did, I'd always wait for discs which have a better picture quality.

[ZenoParadoxus]

Originally posted by Jump Now
But isn't a PAL picture always better than an NTSC one (625 lines vs. 525 etc.)?

Yes and no. Actually, PAL is 576 lines horizontal vs 480 lines for NTSC, but NTSC is 30 frames per second vs 25 frames per second for PAL.

Here's a nice article on all of the various ways you can compare PAL to NTSC (and still retain your sanity):

PAL vs NTSC

Zeno