hemanth@amdcad.UUCP (Hemanth Kanekal) (03/26/86)
>From: riacs!seismo!ut-sally!kumar (Vipin Kumar) >Please announce the replies to the net. Thanks. >From: ihnp4!abnji!nyssa (James) >I hope you are rich, as I looked into a PAL->NTSC converter when I >moved from Scotland to here, it costs about $50,000. >It is cheaper to either >(1) buy a PAL TV and VCR, if you have a lot of tapes (~$1500) >or >(2) pay somebody to convert them (~$100/hour of tape). >Both options are expensive, I am saving for the former. >From: Lynn Gold <lll-crg!figmo> >There are several routes you can go: >1. Get an "Instant Replay" VCR. These allow you to play PAL tapes on an >NTSC monitor. We have one; it works. It leaves the reds a bit washed >out, but it works. >2. Get a tri-standard VCR. International Video in San Francisco >carries them. Be warned that the NTSC isn't as good on them. >3. Go to some place like Media Associates and rent a tri-standard VCR. >Hope this has been helpful. Hi folks, I made some inquiries at International Video in San Francisco and found that the "tri-standard VCR" costs about $600/=. They didn't know about "Instant Replay VCR". The price for one conversion unit was $4000/=. The price for one tape to be converted is around $75/=, which does not have any limitations on the time of the tape. I did not get any pointers from the phone co. as to the where-abouts of Media Associates. (Any help here Lynn?) Also , I made inquires here in the bay area, in a defense oriented firm about such conversions. Apparently one of the major problems is in matching the sound with the frame of the picture. One such professional here says it costs about $5000/= and above to own a conversion unit. One of the reasons I posted a query on the net was the following: Game systems ,like Atari 2600 etc, are becomming popular in India, and they are relatively easy to get through the customs , even on paying whatever the duties are. The price on an Atari here is $55/=. I took one to India and tried to hook it up. PAL format is used in the color TV that I have in India, and the Atari is made for NTSC: the result is that you can see only black and white on the screen with no sound!. A work around is, ofcourse design a game system for that format, pay what ever royalties etc. , and there are such systems being made in India but they are not quite up to the mark and they cost about 3 to 4 times the amount you pay for the system plus the customs duty. Now I pose the question again: Does anybody out there have a black box that takes as input , the Atari game's output and convert it to whatever format the TV is? If there is sufficient interest, I will post a summary to the net. -- ______________________________________________________________ Disclaimer, disclaimed, dis(whatever.....) --------------------------------------------------------------