region 1 vs region 2 quality difference?

[kazino21]

Hi guys is there any difference in picture quality between the two. I remember NTSC has a slightly lower resolution than PAL. So say if I had the same two dvd's with the same content and soundtrack and the same price would it be better to go for the region 2 disk?

Thanks.

[rEVILospud]

I suppose technically it seems to be better to go for Region 2 as:

Region 1 - 480i @ 60Hz (30fps - well 29.97 or something)
Region 2 - 576i @ 50Hz (25fps)

But there is a higher framerate.

Then again I suppose there all made from the same source originally, so there probably shouldn't be any difference

[Eddy Boy]

The PAL video format used in region 2 should give a better image, however it depends on how well the discs have been mastered, you can get poorly mastered region 2 discs, plus only recently PAL has been accepted for THX certification, it was only region 1 NTSC discs.

[unique]

The PAL video format used in region 2 should give a better image, however it depends on how well the discs have been mastered, you can get poorly mastered region 2 discs, plus only recently PAL has been accepted for THX certification, it was only region 1 NTSC discs.

yup, it depends on how well the disc was mastered. technically pal is higher PQ, but i challen anyone to be able to tell the difference on a decent setup. the main way you can tell is via 3/2 pulldown which can cause jerky panning film sourced ntsc material, but some systems have ways to avoid this so you don't see it

there are dvd regional comparison sites online that are good for checking to see which region is best, listing differences etc

personally i prefer R1 ntsc discs as they run at the correct speed and pitch. films converted to pal suffer from a 4% speedup, meaning music in particular is notably affected

thing is, if you wait till sale time, even just a few weeks after release, you can get new movies for £6 in the virgin sale, but you can't easily get r1 titles so cheap online. new titles can usually be had from the likes of cdwow on r1 cheaper than r2 at times tho

[elicash73]

dvdbeaver.com

take a look at r1 and r2 transfer comparisons

Resolution aside, the transfers themselves are very often better done in the US

[LV426]

There is a theoretical advantage in resolution with PAL.

In reality, this, all other things being equal, makes no appreciable difference. The PAL vs. NTSC argument arises from time to time and brings out all the same points. However, for the most part, those who do see an appreciable difference which is always in favour of one or the other format are often actually experiencing a difference in the way their equipment reproduces these formats.

Assuming your equipment is properly set up and has equal abilities to handle PAL and NTSC, then you should make your choice based wholly on other factors and not whether or not it's PAL or NTSC. (example: my DVD player can only output progressive for NTSC, not PAL, and my projector handles progressive better than interlaced - so I prefer NTSC, all other things being equal.)

You can find comparisons, based largely on features, anamorphic transfer, soundtrack types and so on at www.dvdcompare.net . Which to choose varies between film titles.

[english_bob]

Region 1 or NTSC all the way for me. Usually better transfers and none of the PAL speedup

[paulst10]

i have noticed that i seem to get better blacks with ntsc region 1 disks

[kazino21]

Thanks for the feedback guys, looks like I need to be getting myself a copy of both and see which my system prefers.

Thanks

[kazino21]

also are all the films converted to PAL done with the 4% speedup or is that just done when it has not been done properly?

[pRot3us]

dvdbeaver.com

take a look at r1 and r2 transfer comparisons

Resolution aside, the transfers themselves are very often better done in the US

Yep, I always check dvdbeaver before buying a dvd (where possible), and more often than not the R1 version is superior.

[unique]

also are all the films converted to PAL done with the 4% speedup or is that just done when it has not been done properly?

99% of film (which is 24 frames per second) transferred to pal (25fps) is speedup 4%. there is an alternate method thats rarely used, but results is awful PQ and most of the titles i can think of have other side effects. tartan sometimes transfer ntsc - pal digitally rather than pay for a pal telecine, and it usually means an awful disc

some people pitch shift the audio to try and keep the sound the same, they did this on 1 of the lord of the rings pal discs, but not on the others as that gives other bad side effects. it still means the movie runs at the wrong pitch, so timing is affected

[figrin_dan]

. . . plus only recently PAL has been accepted for THX certification, it was only region 1 NTSC discs.

1) That's just plain wrong
2) THX certification does not make a film look better than non THX certification.