DVD player compatibility

[quimico]

Tricky question. Does anyone know if a DVD player buyed here would compatible to use in another european country? I'm not talking about DVD regions but different TV systems. I know by own experience that a video player bought here doesn't work in Spain and the other way around.

[Aaron]

Most of Europe, including Britain, uses the PAL TV system. The only exception I can think of is France, which uses SECAM. North America and Japan uses NTSC.

You shouldn't have too many problems using a British DVD player in Europe, although you need to make sure that you're using a transformer as I believe most of Europe uses ~115V power sockets, compared to Britain's 230V.

[quimico]

Most Europe uses 230v too. My worries are related with the Pal system. A friend of mine took his spanish video to here and he couldn't record from the tv using standard scart. He bought a video here and going back the same thing

[unrealrocks]

Have a look on a spanish online DVD site or something and look in the DVD specs for the format!

[unrealrocks]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/su...752696-6201745

Here you go ... should help - aparently there in PAL same as the UK!

[quimico]

Thanks alot m8, you're my hero

[KBeee]

I'm dredging my memory here, but I seem to remember there are different shades of PAL. I had problems years ago with a German VCR playing in the UK because of PAL g and PAL i or something. You might be able to still play a UK DVD into a non-UK TV because newer TV's have direct scart/AV inputs, and don't rely on RF connections.

[Aaron]

I used to work for a large Japanese corporation doing video work. All the different standards were a nightmare and I only had to really deal with Japense and American NTSC and British PAL.

I wish people would come with, and keep to, standards for these things. With a common standard, it would drive innovation so much faster as companies wouldn't have to cost of producing several different models for different markets.

Just look at mobile phones - the US went with the (arguably better) non-standard CDMA protocol and then fell way behind when it came to bringing the latest handsets to market.

/rant

[shiato storm]

Originally posted by Aaron
Most of Europe, including Britain, uses the PAL TV system. The only exception I can think of is France, which uses SECAM. North America and Japan uses NTSC.

typical bl**dy french...

[Dreamscape]

I know you cant use a uk VCR in europe ( or at least in sweden) because i've tryed it. As i understand it the audio is on a different frequency ( or part of the signal, i didn't get that down and dirty) so it won't work. So i would guess it won't work the other way

[Rave]

Yeah, VCRs don't work because the UHF signals from the transmitters are subtly different. A DVD through an AV or scart socket OTOH should have no problems whatsoever.

I know that's been said already, I just put it a bit more pithily

Rich :¬)

[quimico]

Thanks to everybody anyway