# VCR that plays PAL (in USA) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760 "2004-02-06T01:10:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/1 "2004-02-06T01:10:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/2 "2004-02-06T01:14:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/3 "2004-02-06T01:19:37Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/4 "2004-02-06T03:37:04Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/5 "2004-02-06T03:44:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/6 "2004-02-06T03:52:55Z")
Something like this is a lot more reasonable than $450 [http://www.apmstudio.com/products/conversion/](http://www.apmstudio.com/products/conversion/) or [http://www.pacdv.com/pricing.html](http://www.pacdv.com/pricing.html) ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/7 "2004-02-06T08:31:31Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vcr-that-plays-pal-in-usa/227760/8 "2004-02-06T15:21:02Z")
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.