hamilton@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Doug Hamilton) (11/07/90)
In article <27920@usc>, lfreeman@phad.hsc.usc.edu (Leny Freeman) writes... > >Since British TV screens have more "lines" than those in the US, >one presumes that British VCR's are different too. My question is: >are the actual videotapes different? YES! >In other words, will a US >tape play on a British machine, or vice versa? NO! Perhaps the tapes >are the same, but the VCR processes them differently? Anyone know? > The UK, and most of Europe except France, uses the PAL system. The USand Japan use NTSC (Never Twice the Same Color)--in many ways an inferior system, and there's a story behind how we ended up with the inferior system (and a lesson to be learned as we make decisions about HDTV). PAL video has 600 lines of vertical resolution as opposed to NTSC's 525 lines. In addition, the color encoding for PAL is supposedly superior. Although PAL and NTSC videotapes physically look the same, neither will play in a machine designed for the other, as I confirmed for myself this summer in Denmark. d. ............hamilton@macc.wisc.edu or hamilton@wiscmacc.bitnet ............Douglas Hamilton, Instructional Technology Support ............Academic Computing Center, University of Wisconsin ....................1210 West Dayton, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 ..............................(608) 262-5667 or (608) 262-0626
h112706@assari.tut.fi (Herranen Henrik) (11/08/90)
In article <4695@dogie.macc.wisc.edu> hamilton@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Doug Hamilton) writes: > PAL video has 600 lines of vertical resolution as opposed to NTSC's 525 >lines. In addition, the color encoding for PAL is supposedly superior. To be exact, PAL has 625 vertical lines opposed to NTSC's 525 lines. But, PAL displays only 50 fields/s oppsed to NTSC's 60. > ............hamilton@macc.wisc.edu or hamilton@wiscmacc.bitnet > ............Douglas Hamilton, Instructional Technology Support > ............Academic Computing Center, University of Wisconsin > ....................1210 West Dayton, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 > ..............................(608) 262-5667 or (608) 262-0626 -- Henrik 'Leopold' Herranen Internet: h112706@lehtori.tut.fi Snail Mail: TTKK/Paarakennuksen neuvonta/PL527/33101 Tampere/Finland "I don't need no arms around me, I don't need no drugs to calm me" - PF 1979