Cob: Lake Erie research housing

[puppetman at ix.netcom.com]

Hiallyall:

Brad Calvert just sent me some clarification on video formats which I pass on to you in its entirety. I think I understand now why I have so many problems buying video or cds from africa. VHS is a cassette size not a format. I have even had professional television studios give me tapes they assured me would play in the US. They always say, "You use VHS right." and I stare stupidly and say in mangled but very sexy French "Um...yeah I guess so." Of course when I get home they don't play and have to be reformatted at some expense. Now I find out that there is two parts to the problem 1) Cassette size 2) video format. 

We learn something new every day.

I checked the videos on the French site and they are all in either PAL or SECAM and could not be played on the average VCR in the US. Check your machine before you buy. 

Here is what Brad has to say on the subject:

 (Snip)VHS tapes may be formatted in NTSC, PAL or SECAM.
 
VHS is a kind of tape (like the old Beta), not a video format.
 
PAL is used in most of Europe and Australia and other places
 
SECAM is used in France, much of eastern europe, french speaking countries
 
NTSC is the US system, used in Canada, Phillipines, much of south america, parts of asia
 
 
I assume the french videos are SECAM and not much use to anyone in an english speaking country.
 
Here, australia, in the last few years players that handle both NTSC and the local PAL have become quite cheap.  I have one.
 
I gather they are not readily available in the US, this being the rest of the world's problem, not yours.
 
With PAL the picture is made of more horizontal lines than NTSC, the frame rate is also different, i think NTSC is a bit faster
 
I believe PAL is considered better than NTSC, I don't know about SECAM. (Snip)

I am finding the BASIN site to be much more informative Youall gotta see this stuff. 

http://www.gtz.de/basin/index.htm

Planning on a weekend of dirty dancing;

Michael Fitzgerald
Antropologist/Woodcarver/Puppetmaker