# Can You Rip PAL DVDs With Handbrake **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835 "2010-10-29T23:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835/1 "2010-10-29T23:23:53Z")
I have a friend in NZ and she got the Blu Ray versions of some movies and wanted to know if I wanted the DVD versions she has. I checked my computer and it says it can play PAL DVDs. But I normally don’t watch DVDs through the computer. I like to rip my DVDs with [Handbrake](http://handbrake.fr/) and make MKV files so I can play them on my netbook (no dvd drive). My question is would a rip work with PAL? I haven’t had time to check around proper at the forums at handbrake, but glances of it, seem to say you have to convert the PAL DVDs to NTSC first before ripping. But I think that was an early version of handbrake. I don’t need detail instructions, I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. I was just wondering if you can go from PAL DVD -\> Rip it -\> MKV file or is there more processing needed. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835/2 "2010-10-29T23:50:11Z")
Hmmm. Handbrake was developed in France, so I would expect it to handle PAL. A quick look indicates it works. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835/3 "2010-10-30T00:07:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Hmmm. Handbrake was developed in France, so I would expect it to handle PAL. A quick look indicates it works. Alright, but I believe they [don’t use PAL in France](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SECAM). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835/4 "2010-10-30T00:43:03Z")
True, but if Handbrake converts to NTSC (which it does), it makes sense to also convert to PAL while you’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835/5 "2010-10-30T00:49:31Z")
I guess my real question is the DVD is specific to PAL but are the files IN the DVD specific to the region? Or are the files themselves just files and something else in the DVD makes them PAL or NTSC or SECAM (France) Of course with most countries converting to digital, who knows what will be the format a year from now 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835/6 "2010-10-30T00:51:39Z")
Aside from the PAL conversion issue, what about the region encoding on the DVD? I assume that the DVD from New Zealand will be Region 4, but your computer’s DVD player is probably set to Region 1. Will you have a problem with that? ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-rip-pal-dvds-with-handbrake/558835/7 "2010-10-30T01:17:22Z")
The newer versions of Handbrake don’t allow ripping of DVDs. You would have to rip it with another program. After ripping it doesn’t matter if it’s PAL or NTSC, Handbrake can encode it using the native framerate. Under the “Video” tab check “same as source”. This will ensure that PAL is encoded at 25 fps and NTSC at 23.976.