Hey Guys,

Awesome forum !I have some questions about the xl1.I got a pal xl1.I got also a pal to ntsc converter so i can see it in my tv & make ntsc vhs copies.I got Pal cause i want to shoot a movie.But i also use the camera for other things so i need to see what i shoot some how(i'll get a pal field monitor later but probably won't be getting a pal vcr).I got a good digital standard converter(worldcom cdm-850/kdv500)w/ 4mb of memory.It supposed to have no visible difference from the original tape(specially going from pal[higher quality]to ntsc[lower])But sometimes i can still see some flicks on the converted image.The technical support of the converter's company says it's cause i'm using the rca connections ,the s-video should have a much better quality or the camera's heads are dirty otherwise the image should be clean.Also the movie frame doesn't look that different form normal movie,but i never saw the images in movie frame from any other xl1(pal or ntsc),maybe it just doesn't look that different as i expected.So my questions are:

*If i shoot in frame movie mode & transfer it to ntsc,will i still get the movie look?Will it still no interlaced?Will it so be converted to 30fps?
*I've heard of people complaining about the quality of vhs copies you make from the xl1 & gl1.Probably converting standards i could get a even worse quality,but anyway what's the best way to do vhs(or s-vhs) copies from the xl1?

Thanks for any help !

Read the post in the recent forum topic on frame movie mode. There is plenty in there.

On the VHS copies...I doubt any other cam will do better at making VHS, its the nature of the beast. You will need a device to enhance and correct video going to VHS.

Nathan Gifford

Read the 3-part "DV to 35mm Technology Guide" on the XL1 Watchdog website (under Articles Menu > Post Production). It's everything you want to know about using PAL cameras and Frame Movie mode. Hope this helps,

Send your master tape to a professional duplicating service in order to get good-looking VHS copies. Hope this helps,

Thanks for the help guys!
I checked both of the information you guys recomended me.It's a lot of good info there ,but I couldn't find much about pal to ntsc transfer on there.I'm just wondering if my converter converts and keep the picture in movie frame(i mean keep it no interlaced) when it goes to ntsc.Has anyone tryed to convert pal movie frame to ntsc?Did it look good?Still looking like the pic on the pal monitor(i don't have a pal monitor ,so the only way to see my xl1 video is through the converter and i know i'm missing a lot of the camera's performance that way.I just whish i knew someone that have a ntsc xl1 ,so i could compare)
About the vhs copies,i was suspecting it wouldn't work that good.Anyway i think i'll buy a s-vhs vcr(like the jvc hrs7800u which have some color correction features)to make me some home tapes.People say you can get acceptable results with it.When i need soemthing professional I can send it to a professional house to make copies.
Thanks again for all the tips guys.

Regarding Frame Movie mode... it's important to note that it *is* converted to interlace inside the camera, before it's recorded to tape. If this didn't happen, you couldn't watch Frame Movie mode video on a normal television monitor. Check the Real Audio files on the Watchdog for Canon's explanation of Frame Movie mode.

You should not see much of a difference in Frame Movie mode from PAL to NTSC video conversion. Just realize that the quality of the transfer is directly related to the quality (and expense) of the converter.