Blu Ray PAL v NTSC

[sizedoesmatter]

In the "old day" of region 1 & 2 & NTSC & PAL there was a distinct difference in picture quality.

Has that gone now in the 1080i/p options that Blu-ray brings?

[Pecker]

Largely, yes.

Almost all Blu-ray Disc releases use identical 1080p transfers for both the US & UK versions.

There are odd exceptions, where the distribution rights are held by different studios in different territories, but even then the transfers are often the same.

And when the transfers are different the chances of either the UK or US version being superior are 50:50.

Finally, when there are differences (UK vs US Pan's Labyrinth or UK vs US Face/Off) the differences are pretty small, though you might then want to check out the situation with extras and soundtrack formats.

Just remember to watch out for regional coding if you import discs, or warranty problems if you import a player.

Steve W

[wastedyuthe]

It's not too important, but I like the fact that we are now (for the first time with UK disks anyway) getting the films at the correct speed, which means having the original running time (instead of a difference of 4 mins for a feature length film) and correct sound pitch (not that I myself would ever notice).

[Joe Sueiras]

Originally Posted by wastedyuthe

It's not too important, but I like the fact that we are now (for the first time with UK disks anyway) getting the films at the correct speed, which means having the original running time (instead of a difference of 4 mins for a feature length film) and correct sound pitch (not that I myself would ever notice).

The different pitch is especially noticeable on music I find. I bought the R1 release of Sopranos season 1 a few years ago and the title music sounded very weird and slow after having been used to the Channel 4 broadcasts.

Joe.

[Joe Sueiras]

Incidentally, have there been any 50Hz Blu-Ray or HD-DVD releases? As I understand it, even the recent BBC releases (titles like Robin Hood) were 50Hz to 60Hz standards conversions.

Joe.

[Arthur Hucksake]

I thought all Blu-Ray discs were identical asfar as Hz is concerned?

Aren't they all 1080/24p and it's just down to the player / TV to handle it?

[Joe Sueiras]

Originally Posted by Arthur Hucksake

I thought all Blu-Ray discs were identical asfar as Hz is concerned?

Aren't they all 1080/24p and it's just down to the player / TV to handle it?

As well as the aforementioned BBC releases, I think some music titles are 1080i at 60Hz. There's also the infamous error on the Terminator 3 blu-ray, which was encoded at 1080i.

I don't believe there have been any 50Hz releases, although that would be the native format for titles such as Robin Hood and Torchwood. Possibly Planet Earth as well, but not so sure about that one.

Joe.

[Nic Rhodes]

The vast majority are 1080@24 on the disc but this still does not mean they are the same. We have three different video codecs (which can make a difference) and then there are also versions at different bit rates (even using the same codec), and finally post processing like filtering / edge enhancement. Having said all that, the only things we have really seen in any numbers have been MPEG2 (which even at high bit rates I think is behind AVC / VC1) and a touch of filtering / edge enhancement. Only MPEG2 really bothers me tbh and the vast majority of people just don't have the kit or room to even see these differences anyway. Things are much better than the early days of PAL and NTSC.

[KeanosMagicHat]

Originally Posted by Pecker

UK vs US Pan's Labyrinth

He mentioned it ..... but I think he got away with it ....

[djepic112]

Can someone explain the picture quality differences between PAL and NTSC on DVD? PAL format had a higher vertical resolution, right? So in wide screen films, would this mean that just more black space was added to the image? Not so advantageous.

As for BD in region b vs a, I'm pretty sure that the Tiesto BD is encoded at 50hz, which means that it will not play on American HDTVs cos the televisions only support 60hz. I'm not sure if it will play on the 120hz sets though. Does anyone know? This doesn't apply to HDTVs in UK and Europe of course.

Which BDs out there are encoded at 50hz?

[wastedyuthe]

Originally Posted by djepic112

Can someone explain the picture quality differences between PAL and NTSC on DVD? PAL format had a higher vertical resolution, right? So in wide screen films, would this mean that just more black space was added to the image? Not so advantageous.

Not so. Basically, if you watch an NTSC version of a 2.35:1 ratio film for example next to a PAL version, the black bars will take up the same amount of space on your screen on both. The only difference image-wise is that PAL, as you say, is made up of more lines, so you actually get sharper detail with PAL.
In fact, if an NTSC widescreen version of a film is non-anamorphic (so you have to change your tv display to zoom in), the difference is even more noticeable, and on larger sets, a zoomed in NTSC DVD can look so blocky it is, in my opinion, almost unwatchable.

[lgans316]

Some of your understanding is incorrect. Though the main feature (movie) has nothing to do with PAL/NTSC there is a possibility of the special features to be PAL/NTSC formatted. For ex, the bonus contents on U.K Pan's Labyrinth and Dutch 1408 was PAL formatted @576i/p or at 50 Hz which didn't play at all on U.S / Japan NTSC only BD players.

[Ettepet]

Originally Posted by lgans316

Some of your understanding is incorrect. Though the main feature (movie) has nothing to do with PAL/NTSC there is a possibility of the special features to be PAL/NTSC formatted. For ex, the bonus contents on U.K Pan's Labyrinth and Dutch 1408 was PAL formatted @576i/p which didn't play at all on U.S / Japan NTSC only BD players.

I wanted to reply the same thing: SD extra's can be a problem on a player from a country where they have NTSC (US/Japan).

[Doctor Hades]

There is no such thing as PAL and NTSC for high-definition formats as those refer to interlaced formats, eg. 480i/576i.

HD movie discs display in progressive scan at 60Hz regardless of whether they're from Europe or the US. Of course, some BDs and HD DVDs run at 1080i, which is technically an interlaced format, but the HDTV converts and displays it either at 1920x1080 or downscaled to its native resolution anyway. HDTVs don't actually show interlaced images like on CRT TVs (where there's visible flicker) as their screens are progressive scan only (just like PC TFT/LCD monitors).

In my own experience, movies tend to play at 1080p and special features sometimes at 1080p, but more often at 1080i or 480p even on UK discs, I've not watched anything that's been 576p for example.

[djepic112]

^ You don't have it all right. Did you read the posts in this thread? There are many special features on EU BD's that will not play on US PS3 or BD players because the format is still in PAL SD. It's all on the HD BD disc but there are still PAL SD material.

Also, there is a least one BD encoded at 50hz (Tiesto's concert) and that will not work on the US PS3 (at least with US HDTV's, I'm not sure if the region A PS3 will still output the 50hz or not allow it at all- like with PAL SD features).