NTSC - DVD will it play on a region 0 or 2 DVD player

Counting_Pennies_2

Can you help?

I have seen some DVDs I want to buy on Ebay, they don't say a region DVD player they are suitable just that they are NTSC so can play on any UK DVD player.

Is that right?

gizmoleeds

That sounds like an odd thing to say - are you sure they are genuine? They could be copies made in the USA (therefore NTSC encoded) but without region encoding (as what DVD fraudster would put region encoding on).

Can you link to a couple of examples for us to have a better look?

wirm

As region 0 is region free you can play any dvd. You need to make sure your dvd player and tv can support NTSC dvds as normally they are only play PAL dvds. You will only be able to watch the dvd in black and white if your tv or dvd player does not support NTSC.

wirm

POLDO_DONK

This is confusing! NTSC is the North American (and Japanese) TV broadcast standard. PAL is the UK (and other countries) broadcast TV standard. The whole regions thing is an artificial division of the world into different regions to prevent discs sold in one region being played in another. You will need to check in your DVD players instructions whether it will output NTSC. If the discs are not region 2 (i.e our region) you will need to ensure that your machine is multi-region (or region free) if is the answer is yes to both - then you should be able to play any disc. You then need to ensure your Television will accept a NTSC signal. Most modern TV's do - but not all !

Poldo

xueta

DVD regional encoding and NTSC format are 2 separate issues. You need to make sure that your equipment will cope with BOTH the regional encoding and the NTSC output.

Most modern DVD players and TVs will be able to switch from PAL (UK standard) to NTSC (USA standard) automatically; so unless you have a very old TV you should be OK.

Standard UK DVD players will work with region 2 DVDs or region 0 (universal). If the DVD you are looking to buy is encoded for another region e.g. Region 1, then it will not work with your player unless it is multi-region enabled.

There are some funny combinations around e.g. one of the Sex and the City series came out in Region 2 with NTSC output! Just because it's in NTSC format doesn't mean it's an illegal copy!

gizmoleeds

POLDO_DONK wrote:

This is confusing! NTSC is the North American (and Japanese) TV broadcast standard. PAL is the UK (and other countries) broadcast TV standard. The whole regions thing is an artificial division of the world into different regions to prevent discs sold in one region being played in another. You will need to check in your DVD players instructions whether it will output NTSC. If the discs are not region 2 (i.e our region) you will need to ensure that your machine is multi-region (or region free) if is the answer is yes to both - then you should be able to play any disc. You then need to ensure your Television will accept a NTSC signal. Most modern TV's do - but not all !

Poldo

I think Counting_Pennies point is that he is confused as to why someone would be selling NTSC disks which are either region 2 or 0 encoded ("...just that they are NTSC so can play on any UK DVD player.").

Most proper films will never be released on region 0 disks (legitimately), and region 2 disks should all be PAL encoded. So, what is the seller actually selling? I would guess that they are region 0 copies sourced from the USA.

gizmoleeds

xueta wrote:

There are some funny combinations around e.g. one of the Sex and the City series came out in Region 2 with NTSC output! Just because it's in NTSC format doesn't mean it's an illegal copy!

No, but they are rare.

The most likely explanation (considering this is ebay, where about 50% of DVD listings are dodgy) is that they are copies.

I stick to play.com/amazon.co.uk/playusa.com - they're often cheaper than ebay.

POLDO_DONK

xueta wrote-

You need to make sure that your equipment will cope with BOTH the regional encoding and the NTSC output.

Poldo Donk wrote-

If the discs are not region 2 (i.e our region) you will need to ensure that your machine is multi-region (or region free) if the answer is yes to both - then you should be able to play any disc.

I think we’re both saying the same thing!

xueta wrote-

There are some funny combinations around e.g. one of the Sex and the City series came out in Region 2 with NTSC output! Just because it's in NTSC format doesn't mean it's an illegal copy!

Correct, there are quite a few Region 2 NTSC discs about. However, I think gizomoleeds is right to be suspicious. Quite a few pirated discs have the region copy protection stripped out to ‘broaden the market

gizmoleeds wrote-

Most proper films will never be released on region 0 disks (legitimately), and region 2 disks should all be PAL encoded. So, what is the seller actually selling? I would guess that they are region 0 copies sourced from the USA.

There however, are SOME legitimate Region O (both NTSC AND PAL) out there as well…. As I said this is confusing!


Poldo

xueta

Yep, very confusing!

BTW Region 2 NTSC is the standard format in Japan. The OP doesn't say what they're considering buying - it's not Anime is it??

Channelman

I don't agree with some of these answers.
If your DVD player is (or has been made) 'Region Free' usually
by entering a code AND it is a machine designed to be
used in the UK.....then
It will play DVDs from ANY region... in colour and with sound.
Region codes are only an attempt of the manufacturer to restrict
the importing of DVDs from a country which sells them cheaper...
i.e. practically anywhere other than the UK.
I have Original DVDs from the USA (Region 1), Hong Kong (Region 3)
and the UK (Region 2). ALL play fine in both my DVD machines.
Channelman

gizmoleeds

Channelman wrote:

I don't agree with some of these answers.
If your DVD player is (or has been made) 'Region Free' usually
by entering a code AND it is a machine designed to be
used in the UK.....then
It will play DVDs from ANY region... in colour and with sound.
Region codes are only an attempt of the manufacturer to restrict
the importing of DVDs from a country which sells them cheaper...
i.e. practically anywhere other than the UK.
I have Original DVDs from the USA (Region 1), Hong Kong (Region 3)
and the UK (Region 2). ALL play fine in both my DVD machines.
Channelman

Yes that is true, however the American DVDs will be encoded using the NTSC standard rather than the European PAL standard. You won't notice any difference as the vast majority of DVD players and modern TVs will understand both systems.

However, the OP was confused as DVDs he/she has seen on ebay have been listed as NTSC while also saying that they will play on any UK DVD player.

Legitimate UK disks would not be NTSC encoded, and legitimate US disks would be region 1 and so would not play on all UK DVD players. Therefore these disks are either region 2 or 0 and NTSC, which means they are either legitmate but aimed at the Japanese market (as the Japanese use NTSC and region 2), or, most likely, they are region 0 fakes copied from American originals.