I was just in the process of ordering the NPU Art of Uilleann Piping Vol 1 on DVD and thought I should check to see if anyone knows if it is in PAL or NTSC format? In Australia we use the PAL system. I have asked NPU but I am yet to hear back from them.
Thanks
Teflon
I just ordered it also, and I did’nt even think of asking that! I sure hope its NTSC for use here in the states. I don’t know if the standard in the UK is PAL or NTSC. Maybe they’ll send the proper format based on the address. At least I hope so!
As far as I know it’s region free. They’ll be able to tell you once they’re in the office tomorrow.
Patrick.
i have a copy of it & pat is right it is region free so no worries guys.
NTSC and PAL have nothing to do with regions, they are completely different formats, or more accurately, broadcast specifications, so it’s best to check and make sure your ordered the correct version.
Regions are simply a basic copyright protection scheme.
While most computer DVD players can handle NTSC (North American) and PAL (Europe), most North American televisions cannot. European TV’s can often switch between the two. There are a few other formats including SECAM which is used in France. Same goes for VHS.
Edited to omit my inability to read the post before me. 
i stand corrected n educated sorry guys 
Well, I guess I’ll find out in a few days as mine will be shipping tomorrow! Here’s hoping it works in my machine!
Thanks for the info everyone.
Teflon
I believe the NPU site states that the vol 1 DVD is region free so it should play everywhere. Now where is volume 2 and 3???
The above post by misterpatrick is correct - the DVD copyright Region has nothing whatsoever to do with the video formats PAL and NTSC. NPU has versions for both video formats. You can always email them to make sure they send you the right format.
djm
Hamish
My copy of the NPU DVD works perfectly here in Canberra.
Even better, in fact, than the video worked - my copy of the video had some sound problems.
Cheers
Jimbo
Hey Jim
Thanks. Thats good news then. I haven’t actually got my pipes yet but they should be ready around christmas so I’m just getting prepared.
Hamish
So, what have decided to invest in?
Did you also get a copy of the Clarke book?
Jim
I ordered a practice set from Ian Mackenzie.
Yep I also have the Clarke book so I should be able to get started right away once I pick them up. Looking forward to it.
H
Most new DVD players can play the higher-resolution “PAL-resolution” format as well as “NTSC resolution”
PAL and NTSC refer to broadcast encoding standards, and are misleading in this context, as DVDs are neither; PAL and NTSC on DVDs are terms used to refer to the number of scanlines in each frame, not the encoding. A few low end DVD players sold in the US, and some older units, cannot cope with the higher resolution (more scan lines) in a “PAL”-type DVD, but it’s not the same situation as it was for videotapes.
(Since VHS videotape is an analog format, the information encoded on the tape is basically in broadcast format; this is not the case for DVD.)
So chances are you will be able to view either resolution. However, because the DVD player needs to convert the information into a format that suits your TV, the (coaxial, cable-style) output from a DVD player really is in either NTSC or PAL. So an “NTSC DVD player” is one that outputs NTSC for your NTSC television, but unless it’s brain dead with respect to resolution conversion, it will be able to read either DVD resolution. (Confused yet? You’re not alone).
There is still some value to getting the NTSC version unless you have a new digital or hi-res TV; that’s because the process of converting from the higher PAL resolution to the lower “NTSC” resolution can involve some loss of picture quality.
There are mountains of (mis)-information on this topic posted throughout the Internet, you have to read very closely to make sense of it.
regards,
Bill
“All DVD players sold in PAL countries (Australia) play both NTSC & PAL discs, but your TV monitor must be NTSC compatible in order to view in full colour. Please refer to your user manual or manufacturer to determine compatibility.”
Jim, but that’s a different matter. And it’s not even correct - in that the output signal from PAL DVD players here is always PAL, even when viewing NTSC discs, so the TV monitor used does not matter (I am speaking from experience here).
More misinformation!
Bill
Hi billh
Most PAL televisions made in the last 5 years or so are NTSC compatible out of the box, and if you have a television from a recognised maker (Sony, Panasonic, Thomson etc) probably for the last 10 years. Therefore it probably won’t matter whether your dvd outputted PAL or NTSC the chances are the television could play it.
David
Hi David:
My experience is that with really old equipment, the color issue Jim cites is a problem with NTSC-compatible VCRS but not with “NTSC”-compatible DVD players. My contention is that “NTSC-compatible” DVD players sold in PAL countries are NOT generating NTSC broadcast signal output, but PAL output that has been scan-converted from the other resolution. Realize that in ANY case, a DVD player has to convert from the neither-NTSC-nor-PAL format in the DVD, to one of the two broadcast formats. It makes no sense for a PAL DVD player to generate NTSC output even if it’s reading a DVD with the NTSC-type “resolution”.
“NTSC” applied to DVD doesn’t mean NTSC, it means “the number of lines NTSC expects” which is a different matter altogether.
I am sorry I got into this discussion, I am trying to be helpful. Believe me, the whole issue is so obfuscated that it’s virtually impossible to explain, and there seems to be more misinformation out there than real information.
The fact that DVD manufacturers are abusing the terms NTSC and PAL is at the heart of the problem, since by definition those terms are not appropriate when discussing the DVD format.
Perhaps some folks in the US who have copies of the NPU DVD can report on whether it works for them, and what DVD player/model they own. Neither the NPU disc packaging nor the discs give any indication of the number of horizontal-lines-per-frame, etc. I am pretty sure they don’t have a country code (i.e. they are “Region 0” discs).
Bill