CSS and region encoding are 2 completely diffrent things. Using the proper software you can author and burn discs for multiregion or single region playback, they do not have to be glass mastered and replicated.

NTSC 720x480 is the worldwide video format on DVD.
However although some players play this with either RGB PAL60 or NTSC-composite/svideo/component. Some TVs can't show it.

On the flip side, most NTSC players and their TVs have even less chance of playing PAL.

Some commercial discs are made and it is written on them that they are NTSC discs for worldwide playback (sometimes region 0 too). That is a marketing term to suggest that it is the purchasers fault if it doesn't work in their PAL home.

By the same account that some players won't play DVDR media through one reason or another. You may not need to miss out on too much sleep over this. Get a 720x480 59.94i DVDR out to them and mark it as NTSC for worldwide playback - perhaps offering a PAL version as a premium option.

If your source video is PAL, then you'll lose <somthing> by transcoding it to NTSC. Usually definition and smooth movement unless you really turn on the smarts of Vegas (etc).

Objection!

"NTSC 720x480 is the worldwide video format on DVD. "

No, not here in Europe! PAL 720x576 is actually VERY common here...

I have a Region 0 in PAL too so...

I'm in the UK part of Europe. PAL too.
Just that you'll find it a lot harder making a multiregion DVD for playback worldwide that has PAL dimensions.

Folk that object like yourself - must make at least 2 versions of their DVD.
I hadn't meant my words to be some kind of trap.

NTSC is worlwide in that at least the countries where PAL equipment is sold have manufacturers that see that they'd like some NTSC support. The other way around only exists for nautical and marine equipment, at a premium (or PAL/multi-standard import).

The consolation is that good old flickery PAL isn't the lowest common denominator format! (now I'll be fired at from the other side of the pond)

I think the easy way you do it to just make encode one DVD for PAL and the other for NTSC.

On the other hand it also depends on what you want the outcome to be - for example my mother in law sent us a DVD that is meant only for the PC - I remember when she wanted to send it she had all the issues about would it work or not. It isn't a movie, it is the "Nationalencyklopedin" put on DVD. The same could be applied for movies - if your outcome in it will only be playable on a PC that it shouldn't matter what format (PAL/NTSC) it is and, as someone already pointed out, anything burned with DVDA is region free.

If you want it to be region free *and* play anywhere in the world on set top players you will have problems because not all accept PAL and NTSC DVD's even if they are region free. I like to 'brag' about my Apex AD-1500 because for the money it is an awesome unit. It has a built in NTSC > PAL / PAL > NTSC convertor and also has a switchable output for either NTSC or PAL monitors/televisions. For North America DVD's have to be either region 1 or have no region encoding - beyond that it will play any PAL or NTSC DVD/VCD/SVCD you toss at it. But not everyone in the PAL/NTSC world has a set top unit such as this.

Life is funny that way.

Jim Taylor, (one of the most respected DVD GURUs) seems to support RBartlett's suggestion:

"NTSC discs (with Dolby Digital audio) play on over 95% of DVD systems worldwide. PAL discs play on very few players outside of PAL countries."

Some of the Information here --> Jim Taylor's Faq may help you reach a decision on the exact format to use for worldwide distribution.

My comments weren't from what I've read on the web. More from what I've surmised from what is in the shops here in the UK.
Music, and special interest discs are on the shelves and are in fact NTSC movies. They have no region code, and perhaps some have CSS protection and others don't.

I have bought an IMAX disc - Africa The Serengeti and a test disc called "DVD Silver" that has multi angles on it. My DVD player supports PAL60/quasi-PAL or frame skipping PAL50 on this 29.97fps footage. All TVs would be supported that have a composite input (or frame jumping PAL50 via an external modulator). These discs are labelled like I said.

A cousin bought a music disc of I think a British artist that was an NTSC Worldwide (region 2,4 and 6 or something like that). He took it back as although his Thomson deck played it, there is no option to support PAL50 frame jumping of the 29.97fps footage. So his SCART (RGB+compSync) JVC 21" TV just rolls madly until he stops the disc and sees the PAL50 menu again.

Digital data shouldn't have to suffer these vagaries - especially when you think that there aren't 25 or 29.97 true frames in an IBP MPEG-2 stream.

miniDV isn't any better. In this case only the expensive decks are multistandard. Whereas in the DVD player case, mostly the cheap versions are multistandard and the expensive ones are crippled.

The powers that be are preventing region-1 discs from reaching the shores more than ever from now on. However NTSC Worldwide will continue, I'd wager. People interested in such discs will have to change their kit or miss out whilst the tooling up for a pressed DVD in multiple video formats remains expensive.

Music and radio travels OK as does projected film. We are just the people who pay to watch it!

I think pjam just wanted to know how to author a DVD to region 0, ie so it would play in a DVD player regardless of its region coding. As far as I am aware that's the only way DVDA will author, don't think you can set the region code.

That is only part of the problem though, there is also the PAL / NTSC issue. For that I'd suggest going NTSC as most gear in PAL land will cope with NTSC but not the other way around.

>>>People interested in such discs will have to change their kit or miss out whilst the tooling up for a pressed DVD in multiple video formats remains expensive<<<

Just out of curiosity - when I first was reading about the Apex DVD players it was from PAL users...PAL versions. Over here these units for the most part all cost well under $100.00, most around the under $50.00 point. I get the impression from what you say they are not as cheap over in Europe as they are here in America.

They have been sold in Austrlia undr other names such as Hitecker, the market here is flooded with odd named DVD player at just around the $150 mark. At one time the video hire shops were giving a DVD player away if you hired X numbr of DVDs.


I've come accross a few people now who don't have a VHS VCD, just a DVD player. Its amazing how quickly thes scene changed. Problem is knowing just what your're buying, taking a few test DVDs and getting the player hooked up to a decent TV to check is hard. At these pricepoints the salesmen aren't that interested in making a sale.