PAL Camcorder capture to NSTC?

joeh wrote on 12/8/2010, 12:27 AM
I'm in Europe and have recorded a DVD with a PAL camcorder.

I want to sell the DVD in North America so can't render with PAL. When I render with NSTC I get a slightly blurry picture.

Can I render for something that was created by a PAL camcorder to a format that North Americans can see?

Really concerned at this moment as I've shot loads of film that looks as though it's useless!

Comments

Eugenia wrote on 12/8/2010, 12:36 AM
Yes, you can. You can do it via two ways:

1. Do it as you do it now, exporting at 60i, but DISABLE RESAMPLE on all clips in the timeline before you do. This is what created the bluriness. Export using the NTSC mpeg2 DVD template, and AC3. Import to DVDA.

2. Slow-down the whole video at 23.976 fps. Disable resample in ALL clips. Export in an intermediate codec at 23.976 fps progressive, using the interpolation de-interlacing algorithm in the project properties. Import to DVDA, create a "24p DVD".
joeh wrote on 12/8/2010, 1:46 AM
Eugenia,

You are a superstar!!!!

Number 1 seems simpler but I don't know how to " DISABLE RESAMPLE on all clips in the timeline" How do I do that?

Also regarding exporting at 60i is that something I have to set or is it what happens when I render with MPEG NSTC.

I owe you a mighty large beer.
Chienworks wrote on 12/8/2010, 4:10 AM
Right-mouse-button click on each video event on the timeline and from the popup menu choose Switches / disable resampling.

NTSC is 60i by default.
joeh wrote on 12/10/2010, 3:58 AM
Guys,

Any other ideas?

Nothing I've tried works, it seems the problem is that the PAL camera shoots at 25fps but when I render with NSTC it does it at 29fps and I thing that is the source of the problem. If I manually change it to 25fps when I use DVDA it imports it as 25fps but then compresses the file back to 29 fps.

All I want to do is change my PAL camcorder capture to a dic that can be played in North America - most DVD's in Europe will play all regions of DVD's.

Chienworks wrote on 12/10/2010, 4:27 AM
Actually 29.97fps, not 29. And that's what it is supposed to be. 25fps won't work in NTSC players.

Did you disable resampling? That will fix the ghosting issue.
TOG62 wrote on 12/10/2010, 4:36 AM
The problem is that PAL and NTSC have different no of lines, different pixel counts and different frame rates. Conversion therefore involves throwing away some data and generating lines and frames by interpolation. This is bound to degrade quality.

As I said in an earlier post there is hardware available that can do the conversion and might give better quality. If you are making DVDs commercially for the US market you really should shoot on an NTSC camcorder. If it's just home movies a Vegas generated disc should be fine.