How to convert between PAL and NTSC formats?

The answer is simple: when you want people overseas to see your video. Strangely enough, television sets are different in different countries. This is due to the different picture formats that exist in the world. So, if you record your video in the United States on a NTSC camcorder, people in Europe will most likely be unable to watch it on their VCRs.

Almost the same is the situation when we talk about digital video. A DVD recorded in NTSC format can not be played on a DVD player that understands PAL format only. Below you'll find more detailed information about NTSC and PAL formats.

• PAL
  
  
  PAL format is used in European and Asian countries. PAL (Phase Alternating Line) is used in almost all Western European countries, Australia and in some countries of Africa, South America and Asia.
• NTSC
  
  
  NTSC (National Television System Committee) is a Color TV standard for the United States, Canada, Japan, countries of North and South America and Asia. There is also a format named SECAM (Sequentiel couleur avec memoire, French for "sequential color with memory"). It was introduced in France, and now France, most countries of Eastern Europe, many Asian and some African countries broadcast in SECAM. Some SECAM countries are currently switching to PAL and broadcasting in both PAL and SECAM formats.
  
  To resolve the problem of incompatibility of NTSC and PAL formats, you need to use a video converting software, like MOVAVI ConvertMovie.
  

2. CONVERTING BETWEEN NTSC AND PAL.

MOVAVI ConvertMovie features all necessary tools for converting NTSC files to PAL and PAL to NTSC. In the following example, we'll see how to convert a NTSC file to the PAL format video ready to be burned on to a DVD.

1. Click , select your NTSC file and click Open.

2. Select MPEG as an output format:



3. Select DVD PAL Compatible in the next menu:

4. Select an output directory:




5. Click Convert:

After the conversion process finishes, you'll get a file in the PAL format that you can burn to a DVD and send your friends in Europe!

If you have a PAL file that you want to convert to NTSC, simply select DVD NTSC Compatible in the Output Format menus.