Digital 8 Video: NTSC vs PAL

Hi

This question needs an expert answer

If I rent a digital 8 video camera in Australia, the camera itself will be a PAL camera, i.e. its analog video out plug will play a PAL signal.

But if I take that digital 8 tape, put it in a digital NTSC camera, will it play back through the firewire port OK, allowing me to download and edit?

In other words, even though the cameras are different, one plays back PAL analog output, one plays back NTSC analog output, is the actual digital content on a digital 8 tape "format neutral"? Thus allowing me to play and download the digital content through firewire from a NTSC camera, even though it was originally recorded on a PAL camera?

Reason for the question: I have a digital 8 NTSC camera but no housing...I am normally a still photographer. I would like to rent a digital 8 camera in Oz, record video, then return to the US with only the tape, plop it in my digital 8 and download.

I have my own speculation as to the answer, but is there someone on the board that has the expert knowledge to answer for sure?

Thanks!

I'm not an expert, but I don't think it will work. I have read of PAL tapes playing badly on NTSC players, generally if it works at all, they're b/w with a lot of static. I think it has something to do with the slightly different speeds of the recording.

I worked at a place where they regularly received PAL video submissions. They were all run through a transcoder and converted to NTSC to view properly.

This confirm your speculations?

Steve

PAL and NTSC I now know have different frame rates (25/sec vs 29.97) and different pixel sizes. What is on the tape is actually different.

A better solution is to download the video to disk while in Oz. Most editing software can handle either format as input video, so all I need to do is get the raw video files written to a DVD and I'm good to go.

An alternate solution is to rent a NTSC camera while there...

Cheers

Many people have a good deal of confusion on the PAL / NTSC issue.

In simple terms it - if it is a PAL recording it must be converted with a standards converter to NTSC ( or vice versa ).

Many camera's have a NTSC playback on PAL TV - this is not a conversion and is of no use to you other than allowing the viewing of your images.

The news is not all bad.

The friendly folk at Scubapix in Cairns can help you with a housing to suit your camera, or rent you one of our NTSC Digital 8 camera & housing units.

Cheers

Peter

www.scubapix.com