NTSC / PAL irrelevant over HDMI?
NTSC / PAL irrelevant over HDMI?
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Discussion

DaveR

Original Poster:

1,209 posts

307 months

Sunday 21st October 2012
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As per title, if a US telly is is 'NTSC only' but has an HDMI input, should it work with a UK external satellite or cable box via the HDMI output on that piece of kit?

Do NTSC and PAL are both video standards aren't they? So in an all-digital environment where any flat panel display has more than enough resolution to cope with the equivalent 'number of lines' is there ever likely to be a compatibility issue or is that all in the past now?



caiss4

1,945 posts

220 months

Sunday 21st October 2012
quotequote all
PAL and NTSC are the modulation methods for the RF carrier for terrestrial transmission.

As HDMI is a separate standard/protocol after demodulation from the carrier (fibre/satellite/terrestrial) then there should be no problem. Anyway since the analogue switch-off it's all rather academic as PAL is no longer used (in UK).

OldSkoolRS

7,080 posts

202 months

Sunday 21st October 2012
quotequote all
You still might need to check the specs to make sure it can accept 50Hz signal over HDMI. I'd be surprised if it didn't but you'll get no picture if it doesn't and your set top box outputs at (for example) 1080/50p or 1080/50i. Might need to check power supply requirements too as US models are 110v 60Hz I believe.

DaveR

Original Poster:

1,209 posts

307 months

Sunday 21st October 2012
quotequote all
Thanks for the answers.

The question didn't arise out of me having nothing better to think about. A mate's US spec Panny LCD just won't play ball back in Blighty.

I'm guessing that maybe frame rate is the spanner in the works. The telly's after 60 and the cable box output at the other end of the HDMI cable is presenting it with 50. Bummer!

probedb

824 posts

242 months

Thursday 25th October 2012
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Yeah unfortunately I guess cable boxes have no reason to output 60Hz. Most Blu-Ray/DVD players are multi-system over here so probably would work.

OldSkoolRS

7,080 posts

202 months

Thursday 25th October 2012
quotequote all
BluRays usually output at either 1080/60i or 1080/24p though I have had the odd disc that was 1080/50i. You could use a video processor to output at 1080/60p from a 1080/50i input, but having done the reverse of this with a 1080/50i BluRay output at 1080/60p I can confirm that it looks poor as you get a bad judder.

Shame it's not the other way round as all of my UK bought displays can accept 50 or 60Hz inputs and I think this is fairly typical as it helps with PC use at 60Hz. In the US though they don't have any need for 50Hz input so I suppose it must save a tiny amount to leave it out.