I'm thinking of buying the XL1 but read that the television system is NTSC - what dos this mean in practice? (my other possible choice is Sony's VX9000E which is PAL). Brendan

-- Brendan Somers (BrendanSomers@compuserve.com), April 21, 1999

Answers

Brendan, I'm actually not familiar with the VX9000E, and I keep up with this stuff pretty much. Please send me info on the camera if you can. As for NTSC vs PAL, NTSC is the television standard in the US and a few other places, and PAL is the standard in many other countries, including the UK, Germany, Australia, etc. NTSC is based on a 30fps frame rate (actually 29.997) and 525 lines of vertical resolution. The 60 interlaced fields correspond to the 60 hertz power in the States. PAL is 25 fps (50 fields, 50 hertz) and 625 lines of vert. resolution. What does this mean for you? Well, if you're shooting on video to eventually transfer to film, PAL can offer considerable quality advantages. In addition to the extra 100 lines of resolution, transfering to film is a 1:1 relationship; there is no interpolation going from 30fps to 24fps, like with NTSC. PAL is transfered at 25fps, and then projected at 24fps; the 4% slower speed is unnoticeable. With NTSC, 12 video fields must be removed. This causes motion artifacts. Of course shooting in PAL in the US can cause major hiccups if a proper post production path is plotted first. PAL equipment (like Beta decks or monitors) may be hard to find in your area and therefore expensive to rent. The cameras are easy enough to buy, though, and if you're serious about transferring to film, this option should be explored. I hope this answer wasn't too long or too confusing. For more info on DV feature filmmaking, pick up the new FILMMAKER magazine. I co-wrote a simple guide that should be helpful. Also, check out our website: www.nextwavefilms.com. Good luck!

-- Mark Stolaroff (nuttball@aol.com), May 22, 1999.

Actually brendan - im very well up on this kind of information, i do belive that your opinions are of a despicable nature. PAL actually refers to the sexual orientation of Prostitutes And Lesbians.

Hopefully this satisfies your needs. and has answered your querie throroughly!

-- Fish Man (stuartjweir@hotmail.com), January 26, 2003.