VCR that plays PAL (in USA)

Factual Questions
1

I just got a gift of a video cassette from my sister in Australia, and unfortunately she didn’t realise that the broadcast standard in America (NTSC) is different from the PAL system used in Australia. Consequently, i can’t play the tape.

Now, when i lived in Australia, many VCR manufacturers used as a selling point the fact that their machines could play NTSC tapes. But here in the US, when i do a Google search for “pal vcr,” the only players i can find are well over $1000, with some up in the $3-5000 range.

I was wondering if it is possible to buy a relatively cheap VCR in the United States that will play PAL as well as NTSC media.

Any help would be most appreciated.

2

You need more than just a VCR that can play it. I think you need a TV that can handle the extra lines PAL has.

Er… actually, now that I think about it, I’m not certain on that… Perhaps TVs can adapt.

3

There are multisystem VCRs that can play a tape recorded in one format and output the video signal in another. Many video shops can also dub copies from one format to another for you.

4

I know this isn’t all that helpful, but the VCR I have plays both PAL and NTSC tapes on a regular tv. It cost around $450.
-Lil

5

Thanks folks.

It seems that there are reasonably-priced machines out there, but i’m not sure it’s worth getting one just for a couple of tapes. It’s probably easier to get them converted to NTSC. Now that my sister etc. know that the US is on a different system, they won’t send PAL tapes any more.

6

Something like this is a lot more reasonable than $450 http://www.apmstudio.com/products/conversion/ or http://www.pacdv.com/pricing.html

7

Find out what kind of equipment the conversion shop uses - running your PAL tape through a SAMSUNG “convering” VCR will not produce as good an image as running it through a pro-grade PAL duplicatior, connected to a real (trilab or better) comverter, to a NTSC Duplicator deck. If this is anything resembling an important tape, take the time to to it right (I hired a “Professional Video Transfer Shop” to transfer a PAL "Song of the South: to NTSC - I then bought about $800 of equipment and made a much better transfer). Converters fun from about $100 to $54,000 - there is a difference.

8

Well, it looks like getting a conversion service, like those recommended by elfkin, isn’t going to work.

You see, the tape isn’t some home movie–it’s a store-purchased, copyrighted video, and the conversion services all say that they cannot transfer copyrighted material. And, even though this transfer would be nothing more than a “format shift” to allow me to see the video, i’m willing to bet that no commercial enterprise will be willing to do it.

Anyway, it’s not earth-shatteringly important. I’ll just send it back to Australia and let someone there have it.

Thaks for all the advice.