How well (if at all) do PAL based blu-rays play in North American blu-ray players?

That is all. Curious to buy King of Limbs on blu-ray, which I don't think has any region restrictions, but is PAL video. Would it play okay in my PS3?

Thanks.

 

as far as I'm aware blu-ray encoded in PAL or NTSC.

It's a universal format. the only issue is region locking.

Sorry, just checked - it's a blu-ray/ DVD set. What is on the DVD that isn't on the blu-ray?

 

Actually, once you go to check out, the choice is for the blu-ray or the NTSC DVD, which I believe have the same contents. HD video still falls under its NTSC/PAL origins in regard to frame rate, fer instance 720p here is 60 frames a second, while in Europe/PAL based countries, it's 50 frames per second. Thus my concern. They shot it film style, but might it be at 25 fps instead of 24 fps and still cause issues? I dunno.

 

Post Script:

And a search shall set you free! As it turns out, YES others in the states HAVE had issues with the blu-ray which IS encoded at 25p, PS3 included. Now I know.

Here's the other thread:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/s...&highlight=radiohead+from+the+basement&page=2

 

No, NTSC and PAL refer to vestigial, interlaced fields consisting of odd and even lines of resolution that were alternated in the frame rate. Blu-ray codecs handled by all hardware can accommodate different frame rates and resolutions and even interlacing. The only issue with compatibility for BD is region coding, as stated above.

 

Pal and NTSC have no meaning as regards Blu-Ray which is a universal format, the only obstacle to playing a disc should be region coding, if present. I don't know if playing it through a non HDTV would affect it though.

 

Agreed on NTSC/PAL being irrelevant as far as blu-ray is concerned.

Whether a blu-ray plays in your player sometimes involves issues other than region coding.

E.g., there is a thread at avsforum.com about overseas blu-rays that are 1080i/50Hz. I think that some N American blu-ray players can handle this (e.g., Samsung; probably Oppo) while other players can't handle it (e.g., Panasonic).

My Panny can't handle it in the one blu-ray I have of this kind: Wildes Russland. However, I'm okay w/ that because I can always watch this blu-ray on my computer.

But region coding is by far the greater limiting factor here (unless, of course, you have a region-free blu-ray player).

 

So, it's not an issue, but it's clearly an issue. Gotcha.

 

My Sony BD Player won't play UK 50Hz Blu-Rays but I bought an LG BD player that will. This link might help.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-players-recorders/95245-us-blu-ray-players-50hz-compatibility.html

 

Panasonic and Sony players in the U.S. will not play PAL material, even if hacked, and they can't handle 1080i/50Hz video. Many foreign releases are region-free but a majority of American displays and/or BD players can't play 1080i/50Hz video.

Samsung, LG, and Oppo do make American BD players that handle all these formats.

 

Okay, well that's encouraging, as I'm about to purchase an LG TV bundle that includes a player. Does any LG documentation say whether it handles these rates, or is it just something I should look up online?

Thanks, by the way.

 

It's usually not advertised by LG, you have to search the Internet and hardware forums for reviews. You should understand that most foreign Blu-rays are in the exact same video format, 1080p, that American BDs use and if they are region-free will play on any American BD player. The problematic import discs will be the concerts and television shows, which tend to be produced in the troublesome 1080i/50Hz format because that is the standard in Europe for them.

Without knowing the specific model number of the LG player, I would say it's a safe bet it will be able to handle PAL content.

 

There's no PAL content on BD besides an occasional extra that uses it. That's not even common. I don't have any Euro concert discs but no BD film has failed to play on any of my 3 Wee-jun emancipated players.

 

That's really an authoring problem then. Those broadcasts are not being used with a true blu-ray Codec, just slapped on the same way they are originally broadcast.

 

Why do American TVs not support European frame rates and resolutions, when European TVs support both European and American frame rates and resolutions?

Silly rabbits.

 

That list includes Panasonic blu-ray players, so I'm not sure how to reconcile the the conflicting information. Whatever the case may be, I have a Panny BD65 plasma and a Panny plasma (G series), and one or both won't handle 1080i/50Hz. I agree w/ PhantomStranger's assessment at this point.

Even if I had a blu-ray player that handled 1080i/50Hz, my Panasonic display won't (at least according to my reading of the owner's manual).

 

Have you tried? It may not be advertised. Some TVs that are identical in America and Europe are advertised differently (e.g. "200 Hz" vs "240 Hz"). I find it hard to believe that units that are identical except for the country they're sold in would have certain modes disabled for no apparent reason. :/

 

With the glaring exception of Radiohead's KING OF LIMBS LIVE FROM THE BASEMENT, which is why I brought it up. For whatever reason, rather than shoot/edit/distribute the video in 24P, which everyone can play it would seem, they released the disc in 25P. No biggy in the grand scheme of things, but annoying.

 

Protectionism would be the only thing that makes sense.

 

That would be the correct extrapolation. What other country could devise the Digital Millennium Copyright Act...? Mickey Mouse, himself, rewrote our Public Domain rules.

 

Yes, I've tried and Wildes Russland blu-ray will not play on my Panasonic plasma (G series). All I get is the menu background music and a black screen. If one is a BBC nature lover, Wildes Russland is a fine series, available, of course, from Amazon UK (or Amazon Deutschland).

 

Correct, Panasonic plasmas made for the U.S. market will not display 1080i/50Hz video unless the BD player can convert it. Perusing that list, there are a handful of Panasonic BD players that will handle PAL content but most still can't play it.

It's about preventing Europeans from importing our electronics to their countries. Panasonic and Sony want to maintain their higher prices in the EU.

Most live concert events and television shows intended for the European market are not shot at 24fps.

 

The 50i issue is why no one is importing the French BluRay release of the Caprice series (the spinoff from Battlestar Galactica). It doesn't play on PS3s, I know that.

 

I think there is something wrong with that list. I've seen other lists and they would agree with your statment "most [Panasonic blu-ray players] still can't play it [50Hz]."

It lists my Panny BD65 as capable of handling 50Hz material, and that is incorrect (and my player is not included in the other lists I've seen [perhaps at avsforum.com???]).

 

It is possible that your specific Panasonic BD player does play 1080i/50Hz content, but does not convert it to 1080i/60Hz for use on American displays. A number of the players actually convert from one to the other for playback with all equipment. I'm not sure either way as I don't own that model.