Hi,

I am purchasing a miniDV camcorder in USA and intend to use it in Sweden
As see it the NTSC - PAL is a non issue I intend to edit with Adobe
premier Pro capturing the DV via firewire. However I do have a question
concerning miniDV tapes. is there one standard for miniDV tapes, if a
tape is recorder on say a PAL camera is it playable on a NTSC camera?

Thank you for your help. Peter

Peter Colins wrote:

I am purchasing a miniDV camcorder in USA and intend to use it in
Sweden As see it the NTSC - PAL is a non issue I intend to edit
with Adobe premier Pro capturing the DV via firewire.

Capturing and editing is not an issue, but playback might be. While many
European tv sets are multistandard, there are still those older ones in
use that won't sync to a 60 Hz signal.

Also note that while NTSC camcorders record 20% smoother motion, the
spatial resolution of their images is 20% worse. (If I was in your
shoes, this would be my primary concern. SD PAL resolution is not too
great to begin with, and SD NTSC resolution is even worse.)

However I do have a question concerning miniDV tapes. is there one
standard for miniDV tapes, if a tape is recorder on say a PAL camera
is it playable on a NTSC camera?

Not necessarily. That would depend on the camera in question. Even if
the camcorder can play it back you may still encounter problems with
some tv sets not necessarily being able to sync to the "foreign" signal.

There are some sources for PAL camcorders in the US as well (for
example, camera shops near international tourist attractions may carry
them.) Whether they're a good deal or not, that's a tougher question.

(Also, have you considered the HD formats? HDV, AVCHD, etc.?)

--
znark

"Jukka Aho" wrote...

There are some sources for PAL camcorders in the US as well (for example,
camera shops near international tourist attractions may carry them.)
Whether they're a good deal or not, that's a tougher question.

If your camera is more than about £1K it's cheaper to fly to New York, stay
four nights, and buy a PAL camera over there. (From the UK at least.)

For example: Canon XH A1
From Amazon UK £2315

From Broadway Photo in NY: $3450
Flight & 4 nights stay £336 (from Manchester)
Total in GBP £2012 = £303 saved!



There's always the danger that HMRC will demand import duty if you try to
bring the boxed camera back, and there's also the issue of whether the
warranty is valid.

If the OP is going over there anyway, even low-end PAL cameras will be
cheaper than here, if available.