Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: open mike
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 02:23 PM

in windows movie maker (for example) the advanced option menu has the choice for NTSC or PAL formats for both capturing and saving video.

the other choice you may need to make is aspect ratio option...either
4:3 or 16:9 these options are in the "Tools" menu under video properties.

help topics and conversion info can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/default.mspx

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 10:05 AM

I don't know about the other way around, but a friend recently sent me a DVD from the UK and it played on my computer. Haven't tried it in my DVD player.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: pavane
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 10:04 AM

PAl (Phase Alternation Line) is only a minor modification of NTSC, reversing the phase of alternate lines to cancel the colour drift, I believe

But the US NTSC has a different number of lines on the screen, and a different number of frames per second (60, not 50), meaning that conversion is needed.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: machree01
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 10:02 AM

my dvd was region 2, i copied a code from this site, now my dvd is region free, and plays all region dvds.

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: GUEST,Nickp (cookieless)
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 07:36 AM

(really out to reset my cookie)

Mr Red, I have found that one of the options I'm given when creating a dvd from tape is to change the format from PAL to NTSC. On the occasions I have done this it becomes very jerky (either adds one frame in 5 or removes one in 6 - can't remember which way round). I'm guessing that may be what you mean. Having been unhappy with the results, I took both format copies on a visit to the US and checked them and I now leave them in PAL. It may mean that it can only be read on a pc (depends on player & tv) but it's better than nothing.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 07:33 AM

It used to be a standard joke that NTSC stood for "never twice same colour".

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: broadstairs-jen
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 06:32 AM

when doing anything to a dvd player, it helps to have a teenager around! :)

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: GUEST,Captain Farrell
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 06:08 AM

I find that the very cheap DVD players tend to be less sophiticated and will play anything i.e. my "very good DVD recorder " wont play US DVD but my cheap acoustic solutions player will try it on someones cheaper player if it works buy one

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Mr Red
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 05:11 AM

Interesting - the last time I sent a DVD to Canada I encoded it in NTSC and it looked terrible. Maybe if I sent the PAL version it would be OK. Maybe if I had kept all the content in raw form I could have made it in either format, tedious but worth it. But the all the camcorder footage was PAL. The slide show of stills (in Nero or Premiere) would have been without need of conversion if done as NTSC.

It was a wedding video.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: GUEST,Nickp (cookieless)
Date: 30 Mar 10 - 03:58 AM

Note that American (NTSC) machines are less likely to play PAL but the format - either way - is less of an issue than the region code.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Micca
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 05:59 PM

Recently bought a DVD player from Amazon, Philips made,cost £40, and by following a very simple set of instructions from the Amazon site made it Region 0( that is it will play ANY region DVD, My TV (also by Philips) evaluates the incoming signal(either NTSC or PAL) from the player and displays the picture appropriately, thus it will show both Region 2 UK DVDs or Region 1 NTSC American DVDs So I now have FULL multi region capability, Now I just need a Multi Region Blu-ray player

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 05:34 PM

Even the ones sold in the UK as regional will often play US. I once went to the trouble of tracing the factory in Germany of a UK DVD player (not one in a computer) that I had - it even came with an explanation of regions in the manual - and I rang them up and they laughed and said in perfect English "Why don't you try it and see if it works?" It did.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 04:41 PM

Codeless models are on the market for less than $100 US.
I have one so I can play French dvds. It is pseudo-1080.
I have another for Blu-ray and pure 1080 discs.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Greg F.
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 03:49 PM

Dick-

There are plenty of "codeless" DVD players on the market by major manufacturers that will play ANY DVD that comes along.

Do a web search for "codeless DVD player" & you'll find a load of 'em.

We've had a codeess model JVC for years & it works every time.

Have fun-

Greg

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 02:14 PM

There are two different factors. On is the video format, which for USA is NTSC and in Europe is PAL - the televisions are designed to show a different number of number of lines on screen. Many modern UK DVD players can handle both formats and output a PAL signal.
The second issue is "Regional Coding" which is designed to lock a disc so that film companies can charge twice as much in the UK for the same film that Americans have been watching for a reasonable price.
Just because a DVD has been recorded in the USA it doesn't necessarily mean it has been "region locked", but commercial movie releases will be.
That said, some DVD players sold in the UK are also Multi-regional, and will play U.S. Region 1 discs happily. Others are single region and will only play Region 2 Movies.

Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: broadstairs-jen
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 02:02 PM

i found a way of hacking into my dvd player to allow it to play all regions. it was easy but tedious. you need to find the codes which i did via google. dont be intimidated by this idea, if you find the right code for your player it is not a problem at all.

i was lucky enough to find a free site for the codes for my player, but many of them charge a minimal amount.

hope this helps.
jen

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: zozimus
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 01:29 PM

My PC came with a programme called Cyberlink Power DVD which plays both formats

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Will Fly
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 01:22 PM

Some modern domestic players can play any DVD, regardless of region, but older models will be regional. My recently-purchased player plays both NTSC (US) and PAL (Europe) DVDs.

Subject: RE: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 01:18 PM

They are not supposed to but often they do. If you are talking about playing on a computer there used to be a program called DVD region killer that was free and would let you play US DVDs on UK computers but I am not aware of any up to date freeware versions.

There are however two levels of control and it is only software control that programs can override.

Subject: Tech: Do US DVDs play in the UK?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 01:12 PM

the subject asks it all.