Vizio is a multi-system TV able to display either NTSC or PAL which means you only not need a region-free player, not a video converter. Most off-brand LCDs are multi-system while name brands such as Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic, etc are not. I own both Vizio and Sony LCDs and only the Vizio can display PAL video from a region-free player/recorder that does not include a video converter.
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Ernie6 is of course, correct. No name digital TVs have a good chance of being multi system while the bigger names lock that feature out. I'm not sure what's up with your Panny plasma though, but if it's displaying your Pal DVD it must be multi system. Try the DISPLAY button on your TVs, on my Sony LCD anyway it says NTSC in the display screen(which is funny because it probably only plays NTSC
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Cheap DVD players many times also have PAL playback. A $16.95 Harmon Tech player I bought on black Friday 2 years ago has PAL for a option, but since it's only region ONE the DVD would have to have no region code(which eliminates most commercial DVDs).
Your international Pannys on the other hand will play all regions so you only need a multi system TV which it sounds like both of yours are.
Note without the converter that you're buying you wouldn't be able to copy your PAL DVD to say a NTSC DVDR since the NTSC DVDR only records in NTSC and even if you fed your EH-57 from your EH-58 the resulting DVD would still be PAL unless you change the system with a converter.
I'm not sure how expensive your converter was but Oppo and some other DVD players will play a PAL DVD and output it as NTSC. I think Oppos start at >$150 so if your got your converter cheap enough it's probably still your best bet.
edit:mmihalik, are you saying you outputted your EH-57 to a tube non multi system TV and it displayed the PAL DVD? If so the EH must be doing the conversion, odd indeed
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Tube TVs will NOT display PAL unless they're multi system (or PAL only).
Cheap DVD players many times also have PAL playback. A $16.95 Harmon Tech player I bought on black Friday 2 years ago has PAL for a option, but since it's only region ONE the DVD would have to have no region code(which eliminates most commercial DVDs).
Your international Pannys on the other hand will play all regions so you only need a multi system TV which it sounds like both of yours are.
Note without the converter that you're buying you wouldn't be able to copy your PAL DVD to say a NTSC DVDR since the NTSC DVDR only records in NTSC and even if you fed your EH-57 from your EH-58 the resulting DVD would still be PAL unless you change the system with a converter.
I'm not sure how expensive your converter was but Oppo and some other DVD players will play a PAL DVD and output it as NTSC. I think Oppos start at >$150 so if your got your converter cheap enough it's probably still your best bet.
edit:mmihalik, are you saying you outputted your EH-57 to a tube non multi system TV and it displayed the PAL DVD? If so the EH must be doing the conversion, odd indeed
The manual for the Vizio I was using says nothing about PAL. A search of the manual on-line yeilds nothing.
I think you found this. It is indeed world-import, site is here .
The changeover is very easy. It can be done through the menu system, or from the front panel (two button press and hold).
As did my EH67. The EH68 clearly states in the back where the power cord attachment is, that it will work with multiple power systems.
Mine is region 2, but W-I made it region free, at least is says so on the web page.
The output works with my old CRT projection Panasonic PT-53WX53.
Maybe your theory about specifications is correct.
The television is an older model (see above).
Yup, that's a big point.
That's what I am saying too.
I'll try to run it through a few paces and see how it does. My suspicion is, it will be fine. The PAL/NTSC thing took me more than a little by surprise and ate up my evening. I'll see what happen with a few experiments this evening.
The manual for the Vizio I was using says nothing about PAL. A search of the manual on-line yeilds nothing.
I think you found this. It is indeed world-import, site is here .
The changeover is very easy. It can be done through the menu system, or from the front panel (two button press and hold).
As did my EH67. The EH68 clearly states in the back where the power cord attachment is, that it will work with multiple power systems.
Mine is region 2, but W-I made it region free, at least is says so on the web page.
The output works with my old CRT projection Panasonic PT-53WX53.
Maybe your theory about specifications is correct.
The television is an older model (see above).
Yup, that's a big point.
Quote:
edit:mmihalik, are you saying you outputted your EH-57 to a tube non multi system TV and it displayed the PAL DVD? If so the EH must be doing the conversion, odd indeedTube TVs will NOT display PAL unless they're multi system (or PAL only).![]()
That's what I am saying too.
I'll try to run it through a few paces and see how it does. My suspicion is, it will be fine. The PAL/NTSC thing took me more than a little by surprise and ate up my evening. I'll see what happen with a few experiments this evening.
In the past WI has supplied the $2 converter plug that converts from the 2 round plugs to our 2 vertical plugs.
AFA the LSI vs Panasonic CPU I've seen very little mentioned about what machines have what chips. I just know the older more reliable ES Panasonics had the Panasonic CPU and were very reliable. AFAIK every (US) Panasonic that had the LSI chip has been plagued with bugs and quirks. Because of this I'd personally want to stick to a Panasonic CPU if possible. AFA the features I've been told this is more a function of the firmware that drives the chip which may actually be the source of the bugs in the way the Panasonic firmware talks to the LSI CPU. Feature wise the machines are very similar and other than the bugs you wouldn't know the machines had different CPUs.
For encoding some people actually prefer the LSI chip for less macroblocking although I've used both machines and I can't say I notice a difference in encoding, but I do notice the bugs
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AFA the LSI vs Panasonic CPU I've seen very little mentioned about what machines have what chips. I just know the older more reliable ES Panasonics had the Panasonic CPU and were very reliable. AFAIK every (US) Panasonic that had the LSI chip has been plagued with bugs and quirks. Because of this I'd personally want to stick to a Panasonic CPU if possible. AFA the features I've been told this is more a function of the firmware that drives the chip which may actually be the source of the bugs in the way the Panasonic firmware talks to the LSI CPU. Feature wise the machines are very similar and other than the bugs you wouldn't know the machines had different CPUs.
For encoding some people actually prefer the LSI chip for less macroblocking although I've used both machines and I can't say I notice a difference in encoding, but I do notice the bugs
On opening the case... Um, I'll consider it. Since I am getting rid of the 67, maybe I'll do that unit instead
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. The buyer won't know. (Yeah, I'm THAT bad somtimes!)
I have never heard of gracenote. I'll give it a try and see what happens.
World-Import proveded a power adapter, just like they did with the EH67 I bought from them some time ago. The supplied power cord has two large round pins. The adapter is an extremely cheap molded plastic plug that accepts the two round pins, and has two blade-type connectors like any power plug. The round pins, and the adapter are not polarized (If that matters) so there is no wide blade and narrow one. Both are the same.
I get that now. It is surprising, since the manual does not mention it, nor does any web site where the EH-68 is sold. In fact, the web sites all say just the opposite, that it will NOT convert. It IS more convenient that way though.
Again, the manual says, in several places, that the hard drive can contain recordings of both type NTSC and PAL simultaneously. From page 11, for example:
so according to the manual, mixing formats on optical media is not supported, but it is on the HDD.
This sounds very confusing. At this point, all I want to do is playback some PAL disks, maybe make copies of them in NTSC so I can play them on all of my machines (personal copies only). I have no need for extensive PAL compatability.
Yes, I got two SCART adapters from W-I when I bought the recorder. Those connectors are why when cycling through the inputs, there are four AV-IN selections, but only two on the machine (one front, one back). The other two are part of the SCART connectors.
On opening the case... Um, I'll consider it. Since I am getting rid of the 67, maybe I'll do that unit instead
I have never heard of gracenote. I'll give it a try and see what happens.
World-Import proveded a power adapter, just like they did with the EH67 I bought from them some time ago. The supplied power cord has two large round pins. The adapter is an extremely cheap molded plastic plug that accepts the two round pins, and has two blade-type connectors like any power plug. The round pins, and the adapter are not polarized (If that matters) so there is no wide blade and narrow one. Both are the same.
I get that now. It is surprising, since the manual does not mention it, nor does any web site where the EH-68 is sold. In fact, the web sites all say just the opposite, that it will NOT convert. It IS more convenient that way though.
Again, the manual says, in several places, that the hard drive can contain recordings of both type NTSC and PAL simultaneously. From page 11, for example:
so according to the manual, mixing formats on optical media is not supported, but it is on the HDD.
This sounds very confusing. At this point, all I want to do is playback some PAL disks, maybe make copies of them in NTSC so I can play them on all of my machines (personal copies only). I have no need for extensive PAL compatability.
Yes, I got two SCART adapters from W-I when I bought the recorder. Those connectors are why when cycling through the inputs, there are four AV-IN selections, but only two on the machine (one front, one back). The other two are part of the SCART connectors.
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Unlike some DVDRs Pannys don't have the warranty void sticker so no one would be the wiser
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I've never used a device with gracenotes (unless it's what automatically titles my MP3s when I rip them from a CD and log onto the internet. After being on the net for a few minutes the titles magically appear in my Windows Media Player.
How much were the Scart adapters you purchased at WI, and do they convert to S-video or just composite?
It looks like Svideo.com sells a SCART output to composite for $10 and the SCART output to S-video for $22 while the more practical for dubbing S-video output to SCART adapter looks to be $19. I could be wrong, they have so many SCART adapters it's confusing
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Church AV Guy /forum/post/16835315
On opening the case... Um, I'll consider it. Since I am getting rid of the 67, maybe I'll do that unit instead. The buyer won't know. (Yeah, I'm THAT bad somtimes!)![]()
I have never heard of gracenote. I'll give it a try and see what happens.
Yes, I got two SCART adapters from W-I when I bought the recorder. Those connectors are why when cycling through the inputs, there are four AV-IN selections, but only two on the machine (one front, one back). The other two are part of the SCART connectors.
Unlike some DVDRs Pannys don't have the warranty void sticker so no one would be the wiser
I've never used a device with gracenotes (unless it's what automatically titles my MP3s when I rip them from a CD and log onto the internet. After being on the net for a few minutes the titles magically appear in my Windows Media Player.
How much were the Scart adapters you purchased at WI, and do they convert to S-video or just composite?
It looks like Svideo.com sells a SCART output to composite for $10 and the SCART output to S-video for $22 while the more practical for dubbing S-video output to SCART adapter looks to be $19. I could be wrong, they have so many SCART adapters it's confusing
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Okay, new info, and much of what I have said is in error. maybe I should close this thread and start a new one
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First, jjeff, I took the cover off, and there is almost nothing to see. The HDD is on one side, the DVD drive on the other. In the center is a big metal cover which does not look like a heatsync. There is a circuit board under these components, but all I can see is jumber wires and a few capacitors. It looks pretty darn simple for such a complex piece of equipment! The power module is just behind the DVD drive, and that has a few more components, but no chips are visible unless I get more agressive with further dissassembly. It is really unlikely at this point.
I tossed in a CD, and the Gracenote thing found lots of info each song. I guess that bit works just fine. I think it's unlikely I will put hours on my DVD drive laser listening to CDs though.
I tested the SCART connectors, and both top and bottom connectors put out a video signal. The adapter I have has video in and out, but I haven't had the chance to test the inputs. Since the outputs work, I have no reason to believe the inputs won't. My adapter does not have S-Video connections.
Here is the embarrassing bit
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. Almost everything I said earlier was in error to some extent. I was very rushed because as soon as the wife saw the disks would play, she wanted to watch them wich ended my testing (yeah, blame the wife, like that'll work!).
To those who said the Vizio was PAL capable, thumbs up. I wanted to test it so I hooked it all up and changed the EH-68 to PAL from the menu. The Vizio displayed it fine, either mode. I then put in the PAL disk and played it. It didn't matter what mode the EH68 was set to, the Vizio displayed the picture. Video, S-Video, HDMI, PAL or NTSC, the Vizio worked perfectly. It DOES have a display to show the input signal type, and here is where I made my earlier mistake. When in NTSC mode, if I put in a PAL disk and play it, the EH-68 switches to a 576i signal while the disk is playing. As soon as I press stop, it reverts to 480i.
So, the player does NOT convert PAL to NTSC. It's just that the TV I was using for testing was much more flexable than I thought, or than the manual stated. When I connected this to my PT-53WX53, the menus and other screens displayed just fine, and that was my second mistake. I never played the disk! When I pressed play, the picture became unwatchable, pressed stop, and it was okay again. I added the PAL to NTSC converter I bought and the display stayed solid. The picture through the converter is really not very good on my 53 inch television, but it's serviceable. When text is shown on screen it is the most noticeably bad, but when it is not showing text, it's okay. Not great, but okay.
First, jjeff, I took the cover off, and there is almost nothing to see. The HDD is on one side, the DVD drive on the other. In the center is a big metal cover which does not look like a heatsync. There is a circuit board under these components, but all I can see is jumber wires and a few capacitors. It looks pretty darn simple for such a complex piece of equipment! The power module is just behind the DVD drive, and that has a few more components, but no chips are visible unless I get more agressive with further dissassembly. It is really unlikely at this point.
I tossed in a CD, and the Gracenote thing found lots of info each song. I guess that bit works just fine. I think it's unlikely I will put hours on my DVD drive laser listening to CDs though.
I tested the SCART connectors, and both top and bottom connectors put out a video signal. The adapter I have has video in and out, but I haven't had the chance to test the inputs. Since the outputs work, I have no reason to believe the inputs won't. My adapter does not have S-Video connections.
Here is the embarrassing bit
To those who said the Vizio was PAL capable, thumbs up. I wanted to test it so I hooked it all up and changed the EH-68 to PAL from the menu. The Vizio displayed it fine, either mode. I then put in the PAL disk and played it. It didn't matter what mode the EH68 was set to, the Vizio displayed the picture. Video, S-Video, HDMI, PAL or NTSC, the Vizio worked perfectly. It DOES have a display to show the input signal type, and here is where I made my earlier mistake. When in NTSC mode, if I put in a PAL disk and play it, the EH-68 switches to a 576i signal while the disk is playing. As soon as I press stop, it reverts to 480i.
So, the player does NOT convert PAL to NTSC. It's just that the TV I was using for testing was much more flexable than I thought, or than the manual stated. When I connected this to my PT-53WX53, the menus and other screens displayed just fine, and that was my second mistake. I never played the disk! When I pressed play, the picture became unwatchable, pressed stop, and it was okay again. I added the PAL to NTSC converter I bought and the display stayed solid. The picture through the converter is really not very good on my 53 inch television, but it's serviceable. When text is shown on screen it is the most noticeably bad, but when it is not showing text, it's okay. Not great, but okay.
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OK I did some testing with my PAL VCR and new TVs, and I even through in my Sima CT-2 for good measure, I used composite connections.
My Vizio turned out to be PAL compatible. It displayed my tape in 576i and quality was fine. On my Sony LCD I could only get a B&W picture when connected directly to my VCR, if I ran the signal through my Sima (with the format switch set to NTSC) I got color but the picture had herringbone areras. If I set my Sima to PAL it again was only B&W
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My Panny LCD only displayed a rolling B&W picture directly connected to the VCR.
My cheap Insignia worked like my Vizio and the tape was in full color 576i with the direct connection.
Moral of the story, the less you spend for a LCD TV the more chance it will be multi system, the more you spend the more chance it has of not working
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Now I'll put my PAL VCR and tapes back in the basement and see if they still play in another decade. The Aiwa VCR was as cheap of a PAL player I could find a dozen years ago, it weighs 4 times what a new DVDR weighs and has the built quality we could only wish of in new DVDRs
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My Vizio turned out to be PAL compatible. It displayed my tape in 576i and quality was fine. On my Sony LCD I could only get a B&W picture when connected directly to my VCR, if I ran the signal through my Sima (with the format switch set to NTSC) I got color but the picture had herringbone areras. If I set my Sima to PAL it again was only B&W
My Panny LCD only displayed a rolling B&W picture directly connected to the VCR.
My cheap Insignia worked like my Vizio and the tape was in full color 576i with the direct connection.
Moral of the story, the less you spend for a LCD TV the more chance it will be multi system, the more you spend the more chance it has of not working
Now I'll put my PAL VCR and tapes back in the basement and see if they still play in another decade. The Aiwa VCR was as cheap of a PAL player I could find a dozen years ago, it weighs 4 times what a new DVDR weighs and has the built quality we could only wish of in new DVDRs
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