PAL->NTSC->NYC

August 10, 2007 10:00 PM

Can anyone direct me to a storefront in NYC where I can find a simple hardware PAL -> NTSC video converter (RF inputs)?

A friend in Mexico has a PAL Wii from Europe and he wants to use it on his NTSC TV. He asked me to pick up a converter before I come to visit, but I don't know where they would have this. I checked J and R, B&H, Best Buy--no dice. Any ideas where I could find something like this/good stores for video junk?

posted by lovejones to shopping (13 comments total)

I'd try the electronic stores on 5th Avenue above 34th Street; they cater to tourists from PAL-land.
posted by nicwolff at 10:47 PM on August 10, 2007

The problem is that the PAL->NTSC conversion isn't simple. It requires a frame buffer. At the very least you have to have a DSP and a lot of RAM plus a bunch of custom analog circuitry.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:47 PM on August 10, 2007

Not counting the issue of RF encoding, there are three major problems involved in this conversion.

1. Frame rate: PAL is 25 frames per second. NTSC is 29.97.

2. Resolution: PAL is 625 lines. NTSC is 525 lines.

3. Color subcarrier encoding. Both encode the hue as phase and the saturation as amplitude, but PAL flips the polarity of the subcarrier on each line. (PAL == Phase Alternating Line; the color subcarrier encoding is where it gets its name.)

The subcarrier issue could be handled in encoding/decoding hardware, but the frame rate can only be resolved using a frame buffer and the resolution resize requires a processor of some kind.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:59 PM on August 10, 2007

...polarity of the subcarrier...

Um, that wasn't what I meant to say. It's hard to explain; and it doesn't really matter. What's important is that it's completely different from what NTSC does.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 11:00 PM on August 10, 2007

Your friend needs to buy a PAL TV, because PAL Wiis are made to not be convertible with an NTSC monitor. In fact, almost nothing with the PAL standard is convertible to NTSC.
posted by parmanparman at 11:18 PM on August 10, 2007

He needs something like this
posted by parmanparman at 11:18 PM on August 10, 2007

My friend bought one of those multi-system TV parmanparman links to. Worked like a charm for his imported games and American cable TV watching (though the channel numbers were messed up for some reason). But that will definitely do the trick. Sorry it doesn't seem to be any simpler.
posted by SuperNova at 1:50 AM on August 11, 2007

A multi-standard TV is likely to be cheaper than a PAL to NTSC converter box. Sad but true.
posted by flabdablet at 3:15 AM on August 11, 2007

Does he have a computer and/or VGA monitor? You could get a video capture card that supports PAL, or a PAL to VGA converter.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:15 AM on August 11, 2007

Umm, many thanks for the science lecture Steven. Where was that store again?

What about one of these things? They're like $35 on ebay, but I need to find it locally as I can't wait for delivery. Are you all telling me it just wouldn't work? Because then I'll just get him a new NTSC Wii...
posted by lovejones at 6:35 AM on August 11, 2007

You could try calling these guys. They might have something.
J&L Game Trading
posted by zackola at 7:45 AM on August 11, 2007

Because of the delay incurred by the frame buffer in the conversion, the lag might be noticeable while playing games. Not a big deal if you're hooked on Wii Chess, but for anything else, it may be an issue!

A multisystem TV, or an NTSC Wii, is the cleaner way to go.
posted by Myself at 10:16 AM on August 11, 2007

What about one of these things? They're like $35 on ebay, but I need to find it locally as I can't wait for delivery. Are you all telling me it just wouldn't work?

It's not going to work well. The video will be blurry (because of the resize) and the action will be mushy (because of the frame rate conversion). And as mentioned above, there will be a two or three frame latency in the display.

The box you linked to converts composite video, not RF.

Because then I'll just get him a new NTSC Wii...

That is probably the best plan.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 11:15 AM on August 11, 2007