professional Panasonic format types?
 

There are PAL cams and there are NTSC cams. Are there SECAM cams? How about MESSECAM cams? Does Panasonic Professional make all these format types?

In general no, there are no production cameras for SECAM or MESSECAM. They are broadcast formats and PAL cameras are generally used for acquisition in those countries

Thank you Jeff Donald for clarifying this. I have another question. Which sell more, PAL or NTSC?

Jeff?

Most likely PAL cams.

Worldwide, PAL is the dominant format.

Thank you Jeff and Frank.

I do not mean to go off topic. I am a new boot afterall. I'm curious why we do not all go with PAL camcorders and PAL television. Is not PAL much better than NTSC? This would also eliminate the need to convert formats, and lower production costs.

The use of PAL or NTSC is more a product of nationalism than which technology is best. Within our lifetimes this barrier to communication will fall.

PAL, SECAM and MESECAM are based on a 50 cycle electrical system, with the exception of Brazil (which seems rather strange---Brazil's PAL system).

Brazil actually piggybacks an NTSC video signal over the PAL broadcast system. Thus, they use NTSC production equipment.

I wonder if PAL is dominant why do manufacterers end up charging us more for PAL equipment... weird. Econocmics of scale should work the aother way around. Is it just because of the slightly higher res? Does not make sense.

Isn't Brazil's PAL only 525 lines---like NTSC?

You mean there are different PAL formats - some you have to use a PAL camcorder while others require a NTSC camcorder? Shucks that sucks. Do any camcorders do both?

2 types of cams: PAL & NTSC. Many types of broadcast systems----don't think there is such a cam.

<<<-- Originally posted by Frank Granovski : Isn't Brazil's PAL only 525 lines---like NTSC? -->>>

It's confusing but it goes like this. Brazil's TV system is 525lines/60Hz based.

The PAL-M color sytem is very much like the NTSC system, with the chroma information handled in such a way so as not to have so much interference with mountains, which produce ghosts. As the two main Brazilian cities (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo) have a few mountains within, maybe that's the reason why this hybrid system was created.

In any case PAL-M is only used for broadcast. Professional recordings are all done in NTSC and home systems (VCR and DVD) are all NTSC. TVs are all dual system.

Hopefully we may see a universal recording system when we get to HD, but unfortunately digital broadcast already has three systems rolling: US, Europe and Japan. So here we go again.


Carlos

<<<-- Originally posted by Ignacio Rodriguez :
I wonder if PAL is dominant why do manufacterers end up charging us more for PAL equipment... weird. Econocmics of scale should work the aother way around. Is it just because of the slightly higher res? Does not make sense. -->>>

I don't have the figures here, but I very much doubt that the NTSC actual market (those that buy video cameras) is smaller than PAL's. In fact I'd say NTSC is probably much larger.

There are three very large consumer markets which are NTSC: USA, Japan, Canada and Mexico.

Europe and Russia have three different video systems, and are not handled as one market.

The rest of the world is mostly underdeveloped, so the markets are much smaller.

Scale economics apply really to NTSC based systems, which explains the lower prices.


Carlos

Well, PAL cams are actually used in Europe, Russia and the Middle East, as well as India etc etc. Korea also uses NTSC as well as other countries in the Americas---and Brazil, a country larger than Australia in both area and population.

Don't forget China. That's one heck of a LARGE market.