Are PAL and NTSC interchangeable for web usage?

S

SantaCruzMichael

Well-known member
This is a question I never thought I would be asking...
Is the PAL/NTSC format even relevant when video content is used only for web purposes? Obviously, people around the world are watching web videos that were shot in regional formats other than their own.

I recently shot a winery tour up in Napa for a German company. Naturally, I shot it all in PAL, per the client's specifications. When I got home, I played back some of the footage on my NTSC LCD flat screen. It seemed to play back fine, which surprised me.

The only time I noticed a little stuttering was when playing back the original video files on a laptop with the Quicktime player.

This left me wondering what the limits are on interchanging PAL and NTSC.
Does it only matter if the footage will be going on a DVD?
Does the Web (Vimeo, etc.) even distinguish between the two?

In what situations is it critical that the format match the playback device?
 
NTSC vs PAL is only an issue in SD. In HD the image size is the same, 1920x1080 with a 1:1 pixel ratio. Only the frame rates are different and most HDTV's can handle any frame rate for the most part.

In SD the difference is in pixel ratio and frame size that makes them incompatible with each other and I don't know of any TV that could display both.

Cheers,
Pete
 
I'm a little confused here so please
clairfy. PAL and NTSC are TV formats
and your question clearly states:

"when video content is used only for web purposes"

If you are viewing an HD video ( 1920x1080x30 ) on
the web does "PAL" and "NTSC" matter at all"?
 
it's not just frame rate - pal is 50hz and NTSC is 60hz. If you film a fluorescent light mixing the two you'll get flicker.
 
PAL and NTSC are specific TV formats. They comprise of exact resolution, pixel aspect ratio, frame rate and colourspace details. They are only relevant to SD video and analogue systems. (eg non-digital TV broadcasts). Being 25fps does not automatically mean something is 'PAL.' To be PAL the video also has to be 720x576 with the correct pixel aspect ratio. However, if something is 25p it probably does mean that content comes from a PAL Region (ie a region that used PAL as their SD television broadcasting system). There is no PAL or NTSC with HD - one of the great things about HD is that it has unified many of the specifications which were previously very different betwen PAL, NTSC and SECAM. Now, the only difference is the frame rate, the main reasons for that being to a) maintain backwards compatibility within each region; and b) to match the electrical systems of each country.

So that was pretty much a long-winded way of saying that it doesn't matter for the internet. The internet doesn't discriminate between PAL and NTSC. Now that the resolutions are standardised, and the pixel aspect ratio is always square (except for some early HD formats like HDV and DVCPro) it makes things even simpler - you can easily upload without having to check all the right boxes regarding pixel aspect and getting all sorts of weird black bars and boxes around your videos.
 
c3hammer said:
In SD the difference is in pixel ratio and frame size that makes them incompatible with each other and I don't know of any TV that could display both.
Click to expand...

All of my TV sets I've ever owned here in Finland could playback both NTSC and PAL.
 
ok, I understand everything posted here so far (actually i knew most of that already), but, now that we're at it, let's go on a little further... even here in PAL land (in my case, Spain), most PCs use LCD screens set at 60Hz (it's the windows default, and often the only option available in the menus, e.g. my PC at work) - how does this affect video distribution? I know neither vimeo nor youtube can change my monitor's refresh rate, and most video players (windoes media player, VLC, MPCHC, etc) won't do that either for regular users - so, what to do? I just distritube my stuff at 24p and expect the software players to apply pulldown correctly; I don't think I could ask for more (no way John Doe is going to change the refresh rate before hitting play), but maybe I'm already being overoptimistic; perhaps someone here does it differently...
 
Norman, for playback on modern PC or Mac systems with lcd screens... 24,25 and 30p can be viewed on any PC in the world. Same for 1280x720 at 50 or 60p.

If your video is destined for DVD/Blu Ray or HD/SD broadcast, there are plenty of established work flows at post facilities around
the world to handle that. That is the great thing about shooting in HD, you, the individual shooter, don't have to worry about what
the final delivery format will be. A company involved in cable or OTA broadcast should have the infrastructure to handle any incoming
(based on standards) format and convert it to what they need. If not, they can hire a facility to do it for them.

Larger broadcast networks have published standards on what formats they will accept. Discovery, National Geographic and the BBC being
the most widely known.
Basically, 1920x1080x24p can be considered a universal format, with the main difference in what codec the receiving company wants. (Mpeg2 or Mpeg 4...or HDCAM SR for scripted TV shows). For the web, I actually prefer 25 or 30p now that Vimeo supports it (requires a paid account).
The most important thing to keep in mind is keeping your video, no matter where it will end up, in broadcast safe colors (REC 709), unless your are making a movie for theatrical release.
 
deltoidjohn said:
Now that the resolutions are standardised, and the pixel aspect ratio is always square (except for some early HD formats like HDV and DVCPro) it makes things even simpler - you can easily upload without having to check all the right boxes regarding pixel aspect and getting all sorts of weird black bars and boxes around your videos.
Click to expand...
What about DVCproHD pixels? They're not square, of course. Does that mean someone in PAL territory would have more trouble working with HVX footage shot in DVCproHD, versus H.264 clips?
 
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