DVD format - PAL or NTSC?

I am using Catalina and I would like to make an NTSC DVD. I am in Europe and I have NO problem making PAL DVDs straight out of FCPX but occasionally someone asks me for an NTSC version and I don't like to disappoint anybody. I cannot see any PAL/NTSC option anywhere so I imagine that FCPX will 'decide' on PAL/NTSC based on what the footage/project is in, maybe, yes?


I use a few Panasonic X900M camcorders for the amateur shows I get asked to video and the clips are 1920 x 1080 25i Rec. 709. Is perhaps the "Rec. 709" the thing that tells me it is PAL?


In my multicam projects I scale things down a bit and they are 1280 x 720 24p - according to FCPX.


'Get Info' in Finder tells me that the Quicktime videos I create from these projects have "Codecs: Timecode, Apple ProRes 422, Linear PCM" and "Colour profile: HD (1-1-1)". Anything in there which says it's PAL as opposed to NTSC?


If FCPX creates either a PAL or NTSC DVD based upon some characteristic of the project, is there some sort of software available that I can use to convert the project output from PAL to NTSC?


Or is it something completely different?


By way of explanation, for many years I've been using Adobe Encore and that gives me a simple choice of PAL/NTSC at the start of the whole process. The problem is that Encore is a 32 bit application and to keep that running I'm having to maintain Mojave on it's own APFS Container. It works fine but I want to simplify my workflow.


Many thanks for any advice etc, Brian.

Posted on Jan 29, 2021 9:20 AM

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Jan 29, 2021 1:29 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Many thanks for that Tom. I copied all the clips and the chapter markers into a 29.97 project and created the DVD. It took much longer than the PAL version (only to be expected as it was converting from 25fps, I suppose) and at the end I got a .img file as hoped for. It plays fine in the DVD player, fantastic and so straight forward.


One little thing, with Finder and Get Info it says it's a "NDIF Disk Image". Anything to worry about? Thanks in advance!



Jan 29, 2021 9:30 AM in response to briantho

NTSC/PAL is based on the project settings, 25fps for PAL, 29.97fps for NTSC.


Rec 709 is the color space used, the same for PAL or NTSC.


DVD is standard definition only. 720x480 for NTSC, using non-square pixels. It can be anamorphic using a different pixel aspect ratio.


You can change the PAL 25fps project to NTSC by copying and pasting the contents into a 29.97fps project.

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DVD format - PAL or NTSC?

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