Apex 1200 PAL playback questions
05-21-03, 07:15 PM
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Apex 1200 PAL playback questions
Newbie to non-R1 DVDs here so I've been enjoying the forum and picking up some great films. I was able to get a lightly used white label Apex AD1200 (Zoran chip) with the secret menu to allow playback of all region discs. My main player is the Toshiba 4700. I have my players hooked up to my 12 year old workhorse Toshiba TV via S-video. No widescreen/prog scan for a while because of limited living space in San Francisco!
On PAL produced source material (e.g., Split Enz Spellbound R4 music video/concert DVD and Texas Live in Paris R4 concert video) playback seems fine. NTSC material looks fine as well (Battle Royale, what a great flick!! and the R3 Army of Darkness kicks butt!). The problem I'm noticing though after watching a few PAL format films is that the picture is not smooth flowing, with a slightly choppy or jerky movement. I'm not sure if this is what someone referred to as "judder" (but the choppiness is present during still scenes as well as camera pans). Is this something inherent in the PAL>NTSC conversion and the difference in fps between the 2 formats? If so, are there other players out there that will compensate somehow for this and make the image flow more smoothly (e.g., the Malata players that have various filters, or the Cyberhome players)? I primarily noticed this issue with my copy of Murder on the Orient Express, R4 PAL and to a lesser degree with The Killer R2 PAL, HKL edition. Anyone else comment on issues with NTSC playback of these titles?
For those who'll respond simply by saying upgrade to the Malata, that's nice, but I'm still, and will likely be, only an occasional non-R1 buyer who cannot justify the $200-250 cost (unless the Malata 520 would fit the bill). If the Cyberhome might perform better and provide a smoother image, I'm open to that $75 option. But wondering whether it is a problem inherent in the PAL format.
Thanks!
Dave
On PAL produced source material (e.g., Split Enz Spellbound R4 music video/concert DVD and Texas Live in Paris R4 concert video) playback seems fine. NTSC material looks fine as well (Battle Royale, what a great flick!! and the R3 Army of Darkness kicks butt!). The problem I'm noticing though after watching a few PAL format films is that the picture is not smooth flowing, with a slightly choppy or jerky movement. I'm not sure if this is what someone referred to as "judder" (but the choppiness is present during still scenes as well as camera pans). Is this something inherent in the PAL>NTSC conversion and the difference in fps between the 2 formats? If so, are there other players out there that will compensate somehow for this and make the image flow more smoothly (e.g., the Malata players that have various filters, or the Cyberhome players)? I primarily noticed this issue with my copy of Murder on the Orient Express, R4 PAL and to a lesser degree with The Killer R2 PAL, HKL edition. Anyone else comment on issues with NTSC playback of these titles?
For those who'll respond simply by saying upgrade to the Malata, that's nice, but I'm still, and will likely be, only an occasional non-R1 buyer who cannot justify the $200-250 cost (unless the Malata 520 would fit the bill). If the Cyberhome might perform better and provide a smoother image, I'm open to that $75 option. But wondering whether it is a problem inherent in the PAL format.
Thanks!
Dave
05-21-03, 07:46 PM
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check the post on the Toshiba SD 3900 below -- the region fix has to be performed each time, but the PAL conversion is very smooth to my eyes, and it's only $100. Video quality is better than the Cyberhome CH 500 (no bleeding reds).
