NTSC/PAL

MacKenzie Fegan · March 19, 2008

I'm working with several international crews on short docs. I'm wondering with HDV if it matters whether they shoot PAL as long as we get the footage as quicktime files. Thanks for your help!

Phil Rhodes · March 19, 2008

Need a lot more information. What sort of output are you going for? Are you shooting HD (in which case neither NTSC or PAL really applies, although frame rate considerations might) or SD. What is most of your material being shot on?

P

MacKenzie Fegan · March 19, 2008

Need a lot more information. What sort of output are you going for? Are you shooting HD (in which case neither NTSC or PAL really applies, although frame rate considerations might) or SD. What is most of your material being shot on?

P

The primary distribution outlet for the videos will be the web, but television broadcast is a possibility as well. We're shooting HD, and about half of the videos in the series are being shot in the US, but for the international stories do I need to shoot NTSC? I guess that's my question - do NTSC and PAL not apply with HD? What about frame rate issues? Thanks, appreciate your help!

Brian Drysdale · March 19, 2008

The primary distribution outlet for the videos will be the web, but television broadcast is a possibility as well. We're shooting HD, and about half of the videos in the series are being shot in the US, but for the international stories do I need to shoot NTSC? I guess that's my question - do NTSC and PAL not apply with HD? What about frame rate issues? Thanks, appreciate your help!

NTSC & PAL don't apply to HD, they're SD formats. However the frame rate is important; 24p is commonly used when shooting HD because you speed up by one frame for 25 fps and do the usual pull down for 60i.

I suppose it will depend if you're going to shoot interlace or progressive. PAL country progressive HDV cameras tend to shoot only 25p, so will run a frame per sec slower in the US with the pull down. With the very common Sony Z1 you can select either 50i or 60i, so you can easily decide to shoot everything 60i for the US market.

John Sprung · March 19, 2008

I suppose it will depend if you're going to shoot interlace or progressive.

If you have to deliver both NTSC and PAL, you're much better off starting with progressive HD, either 24 or 25 fps. There's a resolution penalty for de-interlacing, and downconversion (from) 24 fps HD is accepted for broadcast in both the NTSC and PAL markets.

-- J.S.

(Edited to add the missing word "from")

Michael Nash · March 19, 2008

If you have to deliver both NTSC and PAL, you're much better off starting with progressive HD, either 24 or 25 fps. There's a resolution penalty for de-interlacing, and downconversion 24 fps HD is accepted for broadcast in both the NTSC and PAL markets.

Not to mention web distribution, which favors progressive.

Brian Drysdale · March 19, 2008

Not to mention web distribution, which favors progressive.

Progressive would better, just on the ground internationally, it could be easier to find crews with interlace HDV cameras.

Michael Nash · March 19, 2008

Progressive would better, just on the ground internationally, it could be easier to find crews with interlace HDV cameras.

And there's the rub. What's easiest to come by isn't the best choice for multiformat distribution. I would think 24P or 25P acquisition (not any funky "cineframe" or "frame movie mode" variants) would be the most versatile.

It also depends highly on post. Pretty much any frame rate/scan mode CAN be converted to another, it's just a matter of ease and the artifacts you're willing to put up with.