I am currently working on a VCD that is going to Hong Kong, I need to know what format I should make it in PAL or NTSC. Is it really that important? Don't many of the VCD players come with an auto switch.

Do many of the VCDs use menus, or do only certain ones?

-- Ignacio Monge Jr. (Imonge@globaldigitalsolutions.com), February 10, 2000

Answers

It depends on the distributor. Some use NTSC(Era Home Video, CiC Video, Delta Mac), others(Universe Laser & Video, etc.) prefer PAL. If it is going to Hong Kong, then any format will work. Hong Kong has auto switching VCD players. If it is staying in the U.S. then you need NTSC.

Menus also depend on the distributor. Some distributors like Era Home Video(distributor for Warner Brothers, Columbia Tri-Star) use menus. Others like Delta Mac(20th Century Fox, some Disney movies) dont use menus but these do have chapter stops. While some distributors (Universe Laser & Video) don't use menus or chapter stops.

-- The Lone Ranger (rutger_s@hotmail.com), February 10, 2000.

just for the record. some dvd players even though they may be ntsc can play Pal vcds just fine with no problems. Why is beyond me but they do

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), February 11, 2000.

i see that the original question has not been answered directly - hong kong uses pal (pal i, to be precise) for broadcast tv, same as uk. practically all tv sets in hong kong can handle both ntsc and pal though. u.s. tv sets almost never can handle pal, as it would add to the manufacturing cost and european or asian movies aren't nearly as popular in the states (as u.s. movies are there).

-- Walter M. Amos (amos@spambait2001.hmc.com.hk), August 01, 2001.