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EURO-USA Video conversion

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:22 pm
by DesignerGal
I need help.

In 2000 I went to France and spent three weeks with a young crowd my age. The young frenchman filmed the entire visit and then gave the videotape to my sisters and I before we left. How do I get it converted? Would buying a euro VCR work? What should I do? Anyone know? Its been 6 years! I would love to show it to my husband!!!

EURO-USA Video conversion

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:44 pm
by spot
DesignerGal;479005 wrote: I need help.

In 2000 I went to France and spent three weeks with a young crowd my age. The young frenchman filmed the entire visit and then gave the videotape to my sisters and I before we left. How do I get it converted? Would buying a euro VCR work? What should I do? Anyone know? Its been 6 years! I would love to show it to my husband!!!There's information on http://www.220-electronics.com/kdv5000.htm which gives details of the recording formats in use across the world and what equipment you'd need to play the VCR tape.

If it was recorded in France it might be SECAM standard, not the European PAL. It's obviously not NTSC which is the US format.

The cheapest option is to send it to a commercial conversion company and get it back with an additional NTSC copy.

EURO-USA Video conversion

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:56 pm
by DesignerGal
spot;479011 wrote: There's information on http://www.220-electronics.com/kdv5000.htm which gives details of the recording formats in use across the world and what equipment you'd need to play the VCR tape.

If it was recorded in France it might be SECAM standard, not the European PAL. It's obviously not NTSC which is the US format.

The cheapest option is to send it to a commercial conversion company and get it back with an additional NTSC copy.


My husband just found a comapny and he said the lady knew exactly what we needed to do. She said they send them off for conversion and it sould be about $40 USD. He said she told him it was PAL (but I live in a small town and you'd be hard pressed to find someone here that has travlled abroad and knows what they are talking about). IM sure its not PAL but I didnt get a chance to let him know that before she sent it off. Oh well, I guess we will see. If they get it and they are professionals, surely they will know what to do.

EURO-USA Video conversion

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:56 pm
by DesignerGal
But thannks for the website!

EURO-USA Video conversion

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 3:43 pm
by Richard Bell
DesignerGal;479018 wrote: IM sure its not PAL but I didnt get a chance to let him know that before she sent it off.


You're right, it's not PAL. It would be SECAM, as Spot mentioned.

SECAM isn't widely used. France and the ex Soviet Union are SECAM. There may be some former French colonies that also use it.

Still, they should be able to convert it to NTSC.