When ever you look at images from american tv ot tv cameras (eg, american MTV awards etc), they always seemed slightly blurred and pastel. You can immediately say......"Thats in America" without even hearing or seeing anything obviously american.

Does anyone know why.....is it because of NTSC / PAL or something?

Yes, its the live conversion from their NTSC to our PAL system. Add in the fact that NTSC has less lines of resolution to start with and you can see why live tv from events in the US appear a bit blurry.

Dave

and the jerkiness is caused by the fact that NTSC uses 30 lines a second whereas PAL uses 25... so 5 frames a second are removed to view it on PAL... causeing jerkiness which is noticable on moving scenes or camera pans.

Thankfully, since HDTV it is getting better - we now have a much better picture with our new tv. I have lived between the US & UK for 5 years (and now settled here) and it was one thing that irritated me each time I came back here - felt like I needed my eyes tested!!

Forgive me if I am being dense, but if I buy a NTSC Region 1 DVD to play on my multi-region DVD player, will the fact that my TV is PAL cause problems?

I have looked in the manual for the TV (Philips Pixel Plus 32PW9618), but it doesn't mention anything about it being PAL only, or whether it is able to play NTSC too.

I have seen some really good Region 1 stuff on PlayUSA.com, but I don't want to fork out lots of cash for something I can't watch.

This has been mentioned lots of times on these forum threads!!

Most (really all) modern TVs have NTSC playback.
And if not; some cheap multi-region players can convert the NTSC color system into PAL anyway.

HDTV has always been the same quality, 1280x720 or 1920x1080. It is the TVs that are quickly catching up to optimize that high resolution, especially plasmas, and lcds, and dlp, and ,etc, etc, etc.

The difference in viewing American programming there is much more to do with the conversion process since NTSC and PAL resolution is not really a significant difference, practically speaking.

Hespera, your Philips TV will have no problems with NTSC, I have a Philips TV that is a good 3 years older than yours an I have been viewing region 1 discs on it for years.

Simon

aha - see I'm not very techie. But isn't it also to do with the whether the channels broadcast in HD as I have noticed some of the newer programmes are better quality - also, I keep being asked by DISH to sign a petition to get channels to broadcast all their programmes in HD (or is that also something to do with NTSC & PAL?). See, I'm the kinda person that just switches on and watches, and that's as far as I go but with all this new technology coming out, I do want to actually learn so I know about what I'm buying.

Are you sure you are actually watching HD programming as I don't believe DISH will automatically provide such programming in their basic service. Of course all the networks provide free over the air HD programming and most stations across America, including non network local type stations, and of course PBS, also broadcast digital equivalents that can show HD, along with standard definition.

Also, do you have an HD TV? You wouldn't be able to view HD quality without one.

Thanks for your help, good news yaaay!

oops wrong thread

Yes I do - it has HDTV in big letters on the front of it - that's the only way I'd know!!

Ok, then you have to be sure it is optimally connected, HDMI or DVI connection, and then you need to be sure you are actually receiving HD material through your subscription package with DISH, and/or free over the air.

It was put in for us so I will check that over the next few days and let you know. Many thanx.