DVD players

[belovedmonster]

When you have a VCR player that is able to play different regions (ie. play PAL or NTSC or vice versa) the quality of the playback isnt very good becos the internal chip that does all the converting is only cheap. (A broadcast standard converter would cost thousands).

PAL builds a picture in two passes (Phase Alternating Line) to a total of 625 lines at a frequency of 50 cycles per second (Hz). Each pass is an interlaced field, with 2 fields per frame. NTSC uses a different colour system to build 525 lines at 60 Hz in a single pass. The differences are significant, and that's why the two are wholly incompatible.

My question is this...

If i got a UK DVD player that could play other regions is there any loss in picture quality?

Becos regardless of it being digital surely there is still the issue that the disks are set to play with deinterlaced fields at a different frenquency?

[untamed_aggression]

I personally don't notice any difference... perhaps an ever-so-slightly softer image, but that may just be the the actual transfer (most of my regions 1's are older films).

I only watch them through a 11 inch portable TV... You might notice more on a more expensive TV [img]tongue.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 11, 2003 08:45 PM: Message edited by: Untamed Aggression ]</font>

[Alex]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by belovedmonster:


PAL builds a picture in two passes (Phase Alternating Line) to a total of 625 lines at a frequency of 50 cycles per second (Hz). Each pass is an interlaced field, with 2 fields per frame. NTSC uses a different colour system to build 525 lines at 60 Hz in a single pass. The differences are significant, and that's why the two are wholly incompatible.

</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't think you are correct about NTSC. NTSC has two fields per frame also. Linear sound should be better on NTSC versus PAL because the tape moves faster.

I don't think the difference is as big as some believe it to be.

[belovedmonster]

i quoted that info from the top writer for the camcorder magazines in the UK. Unless he was drunk when he wrote it i can assure you its correct!

His website is http:/www.simplydv.com

[cash]

Hi I live in the u.k. and I have a Rotel RDV - 995 player, it is multi region. My personal choice for DVDs are all region 1s from America (not Canadian disks). The reason I get R1s instead of R2s are that the English dvds don?t have as many DTS tracks and extras, plus I prefer the American cuts of some films as sometimes English films get chopped to get a lower rating. I can?t really notice a difference in quality between the 2 though. Plus we just got to fast 2 furious in work today and apparently 3 minutes has been cut out to make it a 12a instead of a 15, so if you want that film uncut get the region 1 dvd when it comes out!!

[belovedmonster]

does anyone know any good sites that give details about which regions have what features/cuts?

[SoulJacker]

Does anyone use Google on this message board?

[belovedmonster]

theres a difference between saying... whats the address for the Hulk movie website... in which case instead of wasting peoples time you should use a search engine... and in asking for a reccomendation for a DVD site where is there is probably 1000s and google wont tell you which ones are any good!

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 14, 2003 10:47 AM: Message edited by: belovedmonster ]</font>

[cash]

i use

www.play.com (region 1s are from canada)

www.dvdboxoffice.com (canada)

www.discemporium.com (from the US, i use this one the most, but they can be expensive so shop around)

www.pictureparadise.co.uk

www.dvdconcept.com

&lt;font color="#a62a2a" size="1"&gt;[ June 14, 2003 10:52 AM: Message edited by: cash ]&lt;/font&gt;

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 14, 2003 10:53 AM: Message edited by: cash ]</font>

[SoulJacker]

... Or maybe not you daft gorp...