DVD format

[Ostrich]

I know this is a dumb queston, but are there differences in DVD formats the way there are differences in video formats (PAL, NTSC, etc.)?

[Helene]

Not a dumb question at all. Yes, there are PAL and NTSC DVD's. Most computers will play both, and there are a number of DVD players that will, too, but many do not, like my combination TiVo/DVD player made by Toshiba. I watch all of my PAL DVDs from Europe on my Mac.

Some of our threads have ventured into this territory. I will try to find the most pertinent posts by the weekend and put them together in a thread, so that the information/discussion is all in one place.

[canbelto]

Nero does a good PAL --> NTSC conversion.

[art076]

Also, don't forget to look at the region code as well - something you didn't have to worry about with VCRs. Region code is harder to overcome than the PAL/NTSC issue (I believe that has been discussed elsewhere as well).

[Ostrich]

Thanks, everyone. I wonder whether anyone knows whether I can order a DVD from amazon.com and then play it in South Africa, on my PC. I do have Nero, so I could convert NTSC to PAL, but I don't know about the region code business. I believe South Africa falls under the same region code as Europe.

[Helene]

It depends on the DVD. The majority of arts DVD's are region "0," which means they can be played in all regions. An exception was the Royal Danish Ballet's La Sylphide, which had region 1 (US) and region 2 (Europe) versions.