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From: dam@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Converting to NTSC from PAL
Message-ID: <7636@vanuata.cs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Date: 4 Feb 91 10:03:46 GMT
References: <3956@orbit.cts.com>
Organization: Computing Sci, Glasgow Univ, Scotland
Lines: 27

In article <3956@orbit.cts.com> rambler@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Dan Meyer) writes:
]myers@hpfcdj.HP.COM (Bob Myers) writes:
]>>How difficult would it be to modify an old VCR to play and record tapes in the
]>>PAL format?
]>
]>Damned near impossible.  It would be the electronic equivalent of jacking up
]>the radiator cap and sliding a new car underneath.
]>
]>You'd be better off just getting a PAL (or multi-mode) VCR and TV.  (Note
]>that the line rate, etc., aren't compatible with U.S. TVs, either, so just
]>a PAL VCR isn't going to make you any better off than you are now.
]>
]
]O Really? I was under the impression that a standard US tv could pick up
]european transmissions under the proper "skip" conditions. Of course, the
]aspect ratio would be wrong, and there would be no color, but the picture 
]_would_ be viewable. Am I incorrect?
]
I would seriously doubt this given that the European verticle sync is 50 Hz
interlaced against NTSCs 60Hz. I'm not absolutely certain how the innards of
a video work but would strongly suspect that the V. sync lock on a 60Hz
machine just wouldn't have the range to lock to 50Hz. The line scan frequency
would probably be different too since European is 625 lines against 500 and
something for NTSC. Then there's the problem with colour.
I think you would end up with a very messy picture indeed.

Dave