Re: FS: PAL videos - The Whole Story & Live at Hammersmith Odeon

[chrisw@wwa.com (Chris Williams)]

In rec.music.gaffa you write:

>SioDallion wrote:
>> 
>> What is a pal version?


>I'm not up on the techno jargon, but I do know that there are 
>two VHS formats. One is PAL and the other NTSC. If you're in 
>Europe, you use PAL. In the US, we use NTSC.

    Actually three. PAL, SECAM and NTSC.

> I think the two 
>systems were developed to prevent films whose rights were 
>questionable from one country to another from being sold by 
>anyone other than the rightful owner.

   Actually, the other systems were developed because they were
just plain better. NTSC is a hack to maintain compatibility
with the pre-existing monochrome system. Film rights had nothing
to do with it. The major difference between NTSC and PAL is NTSC
is 60 fields per second and PAL is 50 fields per second.

> I work for MGM, and we are 
>currently releasing Digital Video Discs which are encoded 
>differently for Japan, the US, Europe, etc. for that very 
>reason.

   MGM and the other movie companies are going to kill DVD
with their insane power grab. The "contry code" nonsense
should be abolished. Why should a their marketing methods
be enshrined in the law?

-- 
Chris Williams of
Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago
chrisw@miso.wwa.com (his)
vickie@miso.wwa.com (hers)