Videoing programmes for friend in the US

[Allifranklin]

Am I right in believing that the US home video system still runs on PAL? I'd like to tape some programmes for a friend in the US but I don't think my VHS system would work on his machine. Anyone know for sure?

[Cetti]

You will need confirmation for this, but I believe the US and Canada run on the NTSC system, and it's the UK on PAL.

But, having said that, most UK videos run both ( our old Panasonic does!), I also buy videos from the States without any problem.

[LeMarchand]

They use NTSC. That said, most modern players in the UK can handle NTSC tapes these days, so get your friend to check his/her player - the reverse may be true.

[Allifranklin]

Thanks for this info but I've just checked with him and he says they aren't compatible (he has Swedish antecedents and goes through this all the time getting tapes converted). Obviously, anything bought from the US for the UK market has been put into a format playable over here. I still think it's very old fashioned, though. Surely the situation must have moved on in the past 10 years? I think I'll email him again and find out what system exists in Sweden. Thanks for your help though.

[LeMarchand]

Obviously (as the U.S. is the centre of the universe) they figure that there's no need to be able to play tapes from other countries! It's not so much old fashioned as not conducive to the "global village" idea. Don't forget that American DVD's are designed not to play outside the U.S. too (of course, there's ways round it...) Re your problem, you can get tapes converted, but I suspect that the cost would make it prohibitive. I take it that whatever you taped isn't going to be on Kazaa? The only other solution that springs to mind depends on your PC specs and knowledge - if your graphics card has video in, you might be able to copy the programmes to your Hard Drive and then burn them as a VCD. P.S. I think Sweden and most of Europe are on PAL, but the missus needs the computer, so I can't check.

[Pickle]

The only way he could play the tapes in the US would be to buy a multi-system video and TV which cost twice as much as normal ones. It's such a backward country in some ways.