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Playing PAL VHS Tapes on NTSC VCR

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Jeannie35 Posted messages 8 Status Member -  
jeannets Posted messages 28402 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   -
Hello everyone
First of all, I am very happy to be a part of this forum and I hope to make my modest contribution. But in the meantime, I need your help, please. Here it is, I have VHS tapes recorded in PAL mode and right now I have a NTSC VCR (I now live in Canada and that's what you find here). So when I try to play my tapes in the VCR, no image appears except the sound, which is played in fast mode. I would like to know if there are converters that could fix the problem because I don't think I can find a multi-system VCR here, or if I do, it will be way too expensive.

Thank you.

6 answers

  1.
    glandu Posted messages 25506 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   4 090
     
    Hello, it hasn't escaped your notice that VCRs are sadly a thing of the past, so either you buy a second-hand VCR and a TV for cheap on "le bon coin" in France, or you purchase the reliable and well-known Dazzle device to convert your tapes into digital files (and what a device it is!!) You'll have the files on your computer in mpeg2 format at 720x576, about 4GB per hour of video. You can put your files on a USB stick and connect it to a USB port on a recent Canadian television.
    Here is the link https://www.pinnaclesys.com/fr/products/dazzle/dvd-recorder-hd/
    It is compatible only with Windows.

    "Donkeys change their minds, not fools."
    Please make sure to mark your message as "resolved" if that is the case.
    2
    1. Anonymous user
       
      Hello, 

      Hello, it hasn't escaped you that VCRs are unfortunately part of the past. So either you buy a VCR and a second-hand TV for cheap on "le bon coin" in France, or you convert your cassettes to digital files with the Dazzle Box (and that box) you will have the files on your computer in mpeg2 format at approximately 720x576, around 4GB per hour of video. 
       Here is the link https://www.pinnaclesys.com/fr/products/dazzle/dvd-recorder-hd/ 
       compatible only with Windows.


      The problem, as I said above, is that even if we consider converting on the computer, you first need to acquire a device, whether it's with a Dazzle box or another, and therefore have a compatible PAL player (VCR).
      So, the acquisition on the computer is not the solution.
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  2. gilloupe
     
    Hello, I have a PAL VCR that doesn’t play French VHS tapes in SECAM.
    2
    1. jeannets Posted messages 28402 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   6 603
       
      So what... what's the question... you record in PAL and that's it... In today's TVs, there’s no more Secam...

      Here's the summary... but you need to open your own question on the Forum and not latch onto other people's topics.
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  3. Jeannie35 Posted messages 8 Status Member 1
     
    Hello everyone
    Thank you so much for your quick responses! I will do some research and find a place where they can transfer my tapes to DVD or USB drive.
    1
  4. fabul Posted messages 42167 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   6 069
     
    Hi,

    If you found a company that digitizes VHS tapes, you could ask if they have a PAL VCR.

    Unless you order one from eBay in Europe and then a step-down transformer that you can find at Addison, and you digitize them yourself with a USB capture card that takes the PAL format and a PC, because you probably won't be able to use a PAL VCR with an NTSC TV, unless you have a newer TV that supports both? That's a lot of equipment to acquire.
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  6. Anonymous user
     
    Hello,

    The issue is that before converting, you need to read correctly. So, a VCR that can read the PAL format

    Therefore, the boxes that convert between the VCR and the TV are not suitable if the player does not read the source correctly, and thus does not output a correct signal.

    Likewise, if we consider capturing on a computer for conversion later.

    The best option would be to find a VCR on the second-hand market.
    Example:
    https://www.amazon.fr/Panasonic-Nv-vp31-lecteur-magnétoscope-Combinaison-télécommande/dp/B0035ETDZG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1530538882&sr=8-4&keywords=magn%C3%A9toscope+vhs+neuf

    You can find cheaper ones by checking classifieds. Local example:

    https://www.ebay.fr/itm/SONY-SLV-SX700-MAGNETOSCOPE-VHS-PAL-SECAM-NTSC-HIFI-STEREO/183291829631?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20170831090034%26meid%3D75e78844ff664e51841968bb77ac93e3%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D401559261513%26itm%3D183291829631&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

    However, even if we imagine that the VCR issue is resolved, and therefore it outputs a correct PAL signal, the TV must also be compatible with the PAL format. If it's a recent TV, there shouldn't be any issues, but that remains to be checked.

    Best regards.

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  7. jeannets Posted messages 28402 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   Ambassadeur 6 603
     
    Hello,

    were these tapes recorded... with British TV for example...? because it's not that simple, there are several types of PAL including the one the British use, which is PAL I. We have the picture but no sound...

    Your NTSC VCR won't play your tapes, the picture frequency is different.
    By digging into the manual of your VCR, it may read PAL tapes...? a lot of them do.
    Otherwise, you will need to buy a new VCR that is PAL compatible for your case.
    https://www.ebay.fr/b/Magnetoscope-vhs-pal-secam/15088/bn_7005565385
    How old are these tapes, are you sure they still contain images..?

    But... what do you want to do with them..? is it just to watch them or to convert and record them on a PC for example..?
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