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Original poster

How do I find out if my DVD player is multi-region and my TV is NTSC (without asking dh)?

26 replies

SorenLorensen · 29/03/2006 12:43

It's dh's birthday soon and I was thinking about getting him the second series of Battlestar Galactica (the one that's showing now on Sky One) on DVD. Only it's not out here yet - but you can buy it on Amazon direct from the States, but it "requires a North American or multi-region DVD player and NTSC compatible TV". I don't know if ours are.

Also it says I may have to pay import duty - how likely is that and how much would it be (the DVDs are £20)?

OP posts:
Kathlean · 29/03/2006 12:46

Have a look at your DVD/TV make and model on the internet. Sometimes you can find codes to put into your dvd player which will allow them to play different region dvds.

Import duty, no idea I would imagine the 17.5% VAT.

Original poster
SorenLorensen · 29/03/2006 12:52

Thanks Kathlean, I've done that now - no mention of NTSC on the product specs for the TV, but it appears our DVD player is multi-region. I'll see if I can find the instruction manual for the TV.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 29/03/2006 12:57

I@ve never had any problems playing US DVDs with our multi region DVD player but I@ve never had to check that the TV is NTSC compatible.

Import duty is, I think, the VAT and it's hit and miss whether you pay it or not! I think your DVDs might be under the threshold anyway.

georginarf · 29/03/2006 13:00

I think most televisions are now NTSC compatible, if it's relatively new then it will be.

you could play it on a PC if all else fails....

georginarf · 29/03/2006 13:00

I think most televisions are now NTSC compatible, if it's relatively new then it will be.

you could play it on a PC if all else fails....

Original poster
SorenLorensen · 29/03/2006 13:01

I found \link{http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageImport_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_001454&propertyType=document\this} on HM Revenue and Customs but I'm really none the wiser. I think they'll be OK on the DVD, soupy, but I'll have to find out about the TV somehow.

OP posts:
georginarf · 29/03/2006 13:01

I think most televisions are now NTSC compatible, if it's relatively new then it will be.

you could play it on a PC if all else fails....

georginarf · 29/03/2006 13:01

how the hell did I do that??? sorry!

Original poster
SorenLorensen · 29/03/2006 13:03

\link{http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FSearch%3FstoreId%3D10001&referrer=FG13P&searchTerms=5361218¶ms=P10593\This is our TV!} Grin I am so untechnically minded...

OP posts:
Original poster
SorenLorensen · 29/03/2006 13:03

I don't know, georgina - most impressive double sandwich posting Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
SorenLorensen · 29/03/2006 13:05

That doesn't work. Try again.

\link{http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5377305.htm\here}

OP posts:
georginarf · 29/03/2006 13:12

hmm I don't know - other TVs on Argos say that they're NTSC compatible, but that may not necessarily mean yours isn't - not much help I'm afraid

JanH · 29/03/2006 13:12

The diff between NTSC and PAL is the number of lines - I think! - US TVs have c525 and ours are 625 (remember when that came in?). I have no idea how that works with DVDs though so not much help really Blush

JanH · 29/03/2006 13:14

\link{http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Contrib/WorldTV/conversion.html\Here} is a helpful but completely incomprehensible illustration for you, moo Grin

lucy5 · 29/03/2006 13:14

there should be little sickers on your dvd or symbols. Gb is region 2 and us is region 1.

JanH · 29/03/2006 13:19

I would think Bush is less likely to be NTSC compatible than eg Sony or Panasonic, though.

Re the import duty, it's completely random - there was a thread on moneysaving Martin about buying cheap perfume from a site called Strawberry something which is abroad somewhere, and some people had been charged duty and some hadn't. It's about 20% (and VAT could be another 17.5% if you got a jobsworth...)

I'd wait if I were you. You could \link{http://www.screenselect.co.uk/visitor/search_overview.html?search_keywords=battlestar+galactica+season+2&search_type=&search_go.x=12&search_go.y=7\rent it} to be going on with?

JanH · 29/03/2006 13:23

Sorry, that link isn't working properly - they do have it, honest - go to the preview page and put it in the search box Smile

georginarf · 29/03/2006 13:26

I'm thinking it probably isn't NTSC compatible as other TVs on argos do say they are.

JanH · 29/03/2006 13:28

Ohhhhhh - how spooky - there is a Screen Select click through at the top of the page!!!

Original poster
SorenLorensen · 29/03/2006 16:29

You saying my telly's cheap, Jan Grin? Thanks for that link, I am completely au fait with the difference now...obviously this means that a low end converter with only a field store will only be able to do comparisions between adjacent lines from the field, rather than adjacent lines from the full frame. This means that the lines being compared will in fact have a missing (even if the pair are odd) line that should have gone between them. Obviously.

Even more spooky - I just ordered a load of prints from Snapfish and I'm sure there was a leaflet in with them for 6 free rentals from ScreenSelect...it's a sign...oooer.

I may just ask dh in a cryptic sort of way about the TV.

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 29/03/2006 16:46

I think the TV doesn't really need to be NTSC-compatible. I'm pretty sure ours isn't (it's 10 years old, and was an ex-rental when we bought it) and we have loads of standard US DVDs which we play without problem. Our DVD player is multi-region, though.

I'd try to borrow a US DVD from someone to test it on your particular DVD player and TV.

JonesTheSteam · 29/03/2006 16:52

If the telly is not NTSC-compatible, I think the DVD will still play but pic will be in black & white.

saltire · 29/03/2006 16:57

On the subject of buying region 1 DVds without paying duty, I bought Walk the Line DVD from a company called movietyme.com. I never had to pay duty, and the DVD's arrived three days after release date in the USA.

WideAwake · 29/03/2006 23:36

"If the telly is not NTSC-compatible, I think the DVD will still play but pic will be in black & white."
In my experience with region 2 dvds on non ntsc tv's this is correct (and bloody annoying too)
BTW (You can download each episode of BG2004 the day after its released on TV in the states on various file sharing systems like emule, after all if your going to end up watching it on a computer to get past the region 2 encoding why bother paying at all)

SofiaAmes · 30/03/2006 02:56

Ok. here's the scoop. If the tv is less than 10 years old, it is almost certainly ntsc compatible. The dvd is another story. Generally you have to specifically buy a multi-region one for it to be that. But, even if it's not multi-region, you can easily "program" the cheaper dvd players to be multi-region with "cracks" that you can get off the internet. If you post the exact make and model number of the dvd (usually on the back if it's not on the front), I can look it up for you and tell you how to program it if it's possible.

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