PAL and NTSC

Hello Frances,

it's not completely clear, but i think it's either this:

when you change the standards in the iDVD preferences, those changes will apply only to new projects. so maybe you will have to change settings, then create a new project

or this:

in iMovie you can set standards for new projects in preferences as well by simply choosing the correct frame rate (25fps for PAL). you can check your iMovie by ctrl clicking it, then choose "show package contents" and go to shared movies > iDVD. in this folder you'll find a QT movie - open it and get the information from window > show movie info.

that said, in iMovie, when capturing from camera the standard will be adjusted automatically .... if i'm wrong here provide some extra details on what material you imported and how.

hope this helps

viva la mela

In iMovie, there is something you can change to PAL. When you first create a project, there is an options tab. Click it, and a drop down menu comes up. There are multiple options like "DV", and "iSight". Select what you want it to be compatible with. Then, once the main window comes up, there are multiple menus at the top. I can't remember which one (I'm not on my mac right now), but under one of them you can find the Project info. You can then select the type of project (NTSC or PAL) in there. There may be an option when you first create the project, to select this (once again, I can't remember; I'm not on my mac).

Hope this helps.

Hello Frances,

you found it all right: "Format: DV, 720 x 480 (640 x 480), Millions" and" FPS: 29.97" describes NTSC Format as opposed to PAL 720 x 576 and 25 fps.

the formats you get to choose when you create a new project apply to both, PAL and NTSC, but as in iDVD you must choose the standard before actually making new projects. go to preferences and find the settings for new projects in the "General" tab. it should say "new project frame rate" and you'll need to set that to 25 fps for PAL. Now create a new project and import your footage.

did you actually import from camera? as i said: when creating for example a PAL project and connecting an NTSC camera, iMovie will switch standards automatically when reading the cameras information ..... what is the actual source material?

hope this helps

viva la mela

Hello Frances,

i have to repeat my original question (don't want to get on your nerves, but it might be helpful ...:-)): where does the original material come from and what format/standard is it? this could play a big role in solving your little problem.

to answer your question: depending on where this DVD has to go it might make a huge problem. if the DVD is supposed to go to a customer then it's a big no-no to let iDVD make the conversion. if on the other hand it's "only" for personal use you could do it - but with losses in quality

let me know about your footage ... there's always a workaround

viva la mela

Was your original footage PAL or NTSC? If you somehow captured PAL video to an NTSC project in iMovie (don't know if this is possible, don't use iMovie) the chances are it's screwed up anyway.

Hello Frances,

first of all: don't panic (HHGTTG)

this is becoming a mystery to me .... how you captured PAL into an NTSC project is beyond me - as i said iMovie should recognize your camera's standard and adjust accordingly.

please make the following test:

1. create new iMovie NTSC project
2. connect your camera and try capturing, if your camera is PAL, the standard should change - you can see it at the top of the window together with your project's name. if it doesn't change, your camera is either NTSC or there is some bad voodoo going on...
3. try creating a PAL project and if you are able to capture your footage from camera to PAL project, i would recommend you rebuild your movie in order to burn correctly afterwards.

as for your question: "The films look ok to me and everyone who watches them. What would be wrong - how could you tell?" watching where? iMovie let's you see only a preview....
if you burn an NTSC project to PAL DVD, iDVD will make the conversion but it's not going to look very good.

good luck

viva la mela

Hello Frances,

from what i read in your post before this one, we're not talking about a camcorder here, but a digital still camera with the possibility to record short movies....grrrr

to create your iMovie project correctly, open iMovie and go to preferences. in the "general" tab you'll find the options for new movie's frame rate. set that to 25fps, that's PAL. now you'll need to create a new project (PAL/NTSC change takes place only for NEW projects) with the setting DV.
then import your photos/clips, edit and send to iDVD for burning.

hope this helps

viva la mela

In iMovie, there is something you can change to PAL.
When you first create a project, there is an options
tab. Click it, and a drop down menu comes up. There
are multiple options like "DV", and "iSight". Select
what you want it to be compatible with. Then, once
the main window comes up, there are multiple menus at
the top. I can't remember which one (I'm not on my
mac right now), but under one of them you can find
the Project info. You can then select the type of
project (NTSC or PAL) in there. There may be an
option when you first create the project, to select
this (once again, I can't remember; I'm not on my
mac).

Hope this helps.

On the face of it, you advice should help. I've just spent an hour getting frustrated in trying to get iMovie to create an empty project in PAL format.

The difficulty is caused by the appallingly poor labelling Apple has used in providing those options in Preferences. Yes, indeed I have the choice of 29.97 fps or 25 fps. Had Apple added something like 'for NTSC' 'for PAL', it would be much clearer for unwary users. Choices need to have some clues attached to them that can indicate the relevance of the choice to the user. I was looking for a choice relating to PAL and NTSC. I did not know that the fps options were essentially the same thing in different clothing.

The really irritating aspect to all of this is that the information in Help Viewer talks about the choice, but fails to mention how you can choose between the two systems.

I feel better now.

Power Mac G4 733 MHz Mac OS X (10.4.1)

IMac 2GHz Intel Mac OS X (10.4.7)