If you keep with the same TV;

Firstly, the hookup is important. YCrCb can give different results to using SVIDEO or composite video. If the deck is in Europe it may have a SCART. Some cheap DVD decks even have a VGA or DVI-I port on them.

When the picture frequency is different to NTSC, the likelihood is that a B&W picture that is unsynchronised will result. Where it doesn't the TV is likely to be restricted to NTSC 3.58MHz colour subcarrier and 59.94 fields per second. The phase locked loop circuit is unable to resolve horizontal and vertical sync from the sync pulses on the Y terminal (or demod of composite/CVBS in the worst type of hookup).

A DVD player is more likely to be multistandard than the TV. However some DVD players will standards convert to either a menu setting or a switch position at the rear (or possibly a circuit board trace on the US model). Standards converter DVD players tend to have a c. 1Hz beat to the picture during pans or area motion (smoke, cars etc). Not the standards conversion that we see used in modern broadcasting (e.g. Snell & Wilcox Alchemist PhC.).

A VGA monitor with an in-line external Tv tuner adapter is often a good route into 4:3 multistandard support. HD resolutions and 16:9 need a better tuner and the right shaped monitor. slightly OT.

In Europe many North American special interest (e.g. IMAX) or music video discs are labelled as "All regions" and "for NTSC playback worldwide". These are two separate things. The "All regions" reflects that either CSS wasn't used, or all the regions were permitted with CSS as the encrypter. I wouldn't have thought Hollywood would make an RCE disc of this type. The "for NtSC playback worldwide" is a bit barmy. The use of NTSC implies a region that isn't worldwide. Also if your deck has standards conversion it will play as PAL frame size with some of the fields skipped. Essentially the discs could be returned to the retailer for at least two reasons.

Fortunately, PAL "all regions" discs should play in PCs worldwide. It may be that there are interlacing and other raster artifacts that aren't welcome. Same is true for NTSC DVDs on VGA displays not set for 60Hz, to be pedantic.

PAL "worldwide" discs are the least valid in statement. Indeed the cheaper DVD deck and the better TV (with right hook-up) are the most likely to play suchlike.

Unfortunately TV standards are geographically bounded but we aren't. It is about time that we all had multistandard everything. However consumerism pushes the marketing departments to satisfy this need for only a minority of cases. Often at a premium where the feature is listed as a unique selling point.

My next TV will probably be a wide SXGA CRT or panel. I'll hook up DVI-I (in digital mode) or HDMI. It'll be driven by a convergence machine somewhere between a personal computer, a set top box and a hard disc/disc recorder. I'll get a great picture, HD probably, but I'll never be able to record a broadcast film on it for the removable disc format. Progress, at least in part.

I still advocate buying DVDs in the format that matches the source best at the highest quality. For telecine movies, 25p PAL; broadcast USA TV NTSC (30p or 60i matched); UK TV 25p/50i matched PAL. HD thinking would be the same if I had a TV based playback capability. However, as I'm in the UK with fairly new kit (<10 yrs old), I'm lucky to have multistandard for a budget price.

I'd stick to playing those PAL discs on PCs if I was you!