ckolchak

i realize several factors contribute to the poor transfer of this on R1, but i'm wondering if this is going to be what R2 & R4 discs will look like if i use a Malata to convert to NTSC (as opposed to HTPC).
i'm confused as to whether the PAL to NTSC conversion (which means i'll be stepping down the picture and losing lines of resolution) will be offset at all by the ability to still use the progressive scan function (my pj won't synch to PAL progressive).

i desperately want the simplicity of a stand alone player, but am i going to be cutting to sharp a corner?

Matt Stevens

Take it easy, friend. It's a-OK. First off, set the Malata to NTSC and not PAL. It will output the PAL signal as NTSC Progressive. No need to be in 480i mode for PAL.

Second, the TRAFFIK DVD is being bashed everywhere for having sh*t quality. I have not seen one good review yet. They all rate it a big fat F.

Fact is, many PAL DVD's are pretty terrible. Most companies in PAL countries do not have the equipment or rescources of the major studios and can't transfer films from the IP's and therefore use theatrical prints, which yield lower quality (a lot lower). That being said, there are plenty of outstanding PAL releases. Check out any Hong Kong Legends release.

I am a long time Malata owner and the DVD cannot be beat. Its simply the best.

westvillage31

The TRAFFIK dvd quality really is very poor -- it's not your player, it's just very grainy film, and it's kinda old and not very glossy-looking. It's funny how quickly the home video industry has raised its standards, and raised the bar on video quality, since the dawn of DVD. I wasn't crazy about the series itself (I was expecting brilliance after reading all of these great reviews about it) -- it took about 3 episodes before I could get into it.

ckolchak

i guess i wasn't clear in the first post.
i don't actaully have a Malata.
i'm watching this on a panasonic RP56.
what i was commenting on was that the disc looked like what i would expect bad (or at least mediocre) PAL to NTSC conversion would look like..i.e. flickering, soft resolution, etc.
IF i DO get a malata, i would expect the transcoding from the higher res PAL (something like 576 lines) to NTSC (480) would soften the image and introduce artifacts also..
no?

Matt Stevens

Sounds like you are hoping for the worst, when you can expect the best. On my Panasonic 47WX49, I get an outstanding picture from PAL DVD's, one that is sharp, detailed and has none of the side effects seen with other players that convert PAL to NTSC (Apex, Raite, Sampo, Shinco, etc).

You simply cannot tell that you are watching a converted picture. On a 480i setup you can see some shimmer on text, but not at 480p.

Paul490

I also have the British PAL DVD of Traffik. Yes, it's OK - the DVD is basically the in the same condition that Channel 4 showed it in last year. It has not been remastered.

The film is very grainy, and doesn't look very good at all, but it is watchable - I have seen far worse DVDs, but this is nowhere near the best.