dvd_chance

I just got a R2 copy of Jaws, and for the first time I ever noticed the PAL speedup in the Mayors (Hal Holbrooks) voice. Have the PAL people always heard it like this?

Never even knew this effect existed before actually.

Does this still exist on Blu Rays?

What other titles is it noticable and to be avoided?

pro-bassoonist

Aside from a few very early Studio Canal titles, no.

Pro-B

Numanoid

It's noticeable on every title, if you're sensitive to it.

If it's a movie or show you've never seen before, and aren't too familiar with the actors, you'll never notice it because that's your beginning point of reference. Conversely, if it's something you know very well, then see in a PAL conversion, the difference will be obvious.

That being said, the first time I really noticed it was on my UK set of Star Trek: The Next Generation discs. Having lived with Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes' deep voices for so long, hearing them even just a half-tone higher was instantly recognizable as "wrong".

calhoun07

My question about PAL Speedup:

Every time I hear about it it's in reference to an American made movie transferred to a region two disc. What about movies/TV shows made in the UK for PAL TVs and released exclusively on Region 2 DVD in PAL format? Would I (or should I, as I own several British TV shows on DVD from region two) notice this on my DVD player?

Josh Z

PAL speedup is a consequence of the conversion from film (24 fps) to PAL (25 fps). 24fps is the worldwide theatrical standard, so even feature films made in Europe are affected.

What might not be affected are shows and movies made specifically for PAL broadcast. Content photographed on video in Europe will be shot natively at 25 fps, therefore it should have no speedup conversion artifacts. Some TV shows photographed on film also use the faster 25 fps rate there. However, other shows may shoot at the 24 fps rate, for standardization purposes and also to make them easier to export.

What really gets you into trouble are many older British TV shows that were shot on a mixture of video (for interiors) and 16mm film (for exteriors). Fawlty Towers, Ab Fab, and many more were produced like that.

Ravid

Wouldn't they have shot the 16mm stuff at 25fps to match the video?

Also, why did these shows use 16mm and not video for exterior shots? I always thought it was weird when the look of the show would change from video to film for exterior shots.

Lyris

Yes, that's right. For that sort of use, the film camera would simply be run at 25fps for easy integration with PAL TV.

More and more PAL movies are being released with pitch correction which can work quite well. It doesn't solve the problem of the film running at the wrong speed, but it does make the most objectionable part (the helium voices) go away.

It's quite funny... Americans can't stand PAL speedup, but talk to any PAL user and they'll mention how much they hate 3:2 pulldown judder. Just another reason why I love Blu-ray

Josh Z

Because the video cameras in use at the time weren't very portable, and were only suitable for studio lighting.