Amazing!! I can finally play 50hz PAL games on my tv!! (PS2)

[anRPGlegend]

There are a lot of English PAL games that came from Japan that never came  to the US. Many of them were "too japanese" for american audiences and I am just now discovering them! I cant wait to find that hidden gem that rocks !! Already enjoying 7 Blades, Saint Seya & Eternal Quest!

Using Mcboot and the GSM graphic synthesizer to play the PAL games on an american 50hz TV.

[Frank_fjs]

Funny, I'm in Australia where PAL is the native standard and all I want to do is play NTSC games.

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, NTSC is king.

I do have a PAL copy of Capcom Generations for PS1 that I've been dying to play for almost a decade.

[Frank_fjs]

It's not necessarily that the NTSC format is better, both formats have their pros & cons, it's just that games are seldom programmed for PAL which is why we have to deal with the crappy borders and slower game speed. This isn't the result of the PAL format, it's a result of a game being specifically designed to work with the NTSC format. PAL specific games running on a PAL system will play in full-screen, at full speed with a higher resolution than NTSC.

[Starfighter]

I didn't know it was difficult to play 50hz-PAL over there. You learn something new everyday I guess.. I need an occasional stepdown for the powercord but other than that I can play PAL/NTSC at both 50- and 60hz wihtout any extra equippment at all.

[ceti alpha]

It's not necessarily that the NTSC format is better, both formats have their pros & cons, it's just that games are seldom programmed for PAL which is why we have to deal with the crappy borders and slower game speed. This isn't the result of the PAL format, it's a result of a game being specifically designed to work with the NTSC format. PAL specific games running on a PAL system will play in full-screen, at full speed with a higher resolution than NTSC.

Ahhh. See I didn't realize that. I just assumed that NTSC was just simply a better format, but from what you're saying PAL is actually the better format - maybe not better, but at least just as good. I always heard that the slow scrolling in games was due to the PAL format itself. Very interesting.

[Frank_fjs]

I wouldn't say that PAL is better, but it does have its better points. NTSC also has its differing better points too.

Yeah, it's a big misconception that PAL is to blame for the slowdown, it's not the case at all. It's simply the fact that the games are specifically written to the NTSC standard.

It's not difficult at all to play NTSC games here, it's just that all our consoles and games are PAL. So you need to buy a JAP/US console and games or mod you existing PAL console to output 60Hz. Our TV's display an NTSC signal just fine, no need for special equipment. The point I was making is that it would be nice if NTSC were the standard here too, or everywhere had the same standard.

[SignOfZeta]

Everywhere does have the same standard, or rather it does now that NTSC more or less dead and gone.

As a big Laserdisc fan, I feel blessed to have lived in the US during that period. The two places with the best selection were the US and Japan, and you could interchange LDs from either era with no problem. All were NTSC, and there were no regions back then. PAL countries (not to mention SECAM, heh) got the shaft on this one.

[sunteam_paul]

Everywhere does have the same standard, or rather it does now that NTSC more or less dead and gone.

As a big Laserdisc fan, I feel blessed to have lived in the US during that period. The two places with the best selection were the US and Japan, and you could interchange LDs from either era with no problem. All were NTSC, and there were no regions back then. PAL countries (not to mention SECAM, heh) got the shaft on this one.

Luckily most decent PAL TVs, even back in that era, could accept and NTSC signal. I imagine not many NTSC sets were geared up for PAL signals though.

[Necromancer]

Everywhere does have the same standard, or rather it does now that NTSC more or less dead and gone.

Not quite.  ATSC is North America only (more or less); Japan and South America use ISDB, and Europe uses DVB.

[anRPGlegend]

I already own 7 Blades, Saint Seiya The Hades & Conan all PAL Exclusives on PS2. Here is a list of PAL exclusives I am interested in playing  , Stopped at letter T, more to come

7 sins
Altered Beast
Fugitve Hunter
An American Tail
animaniacs
Atlantis 3
Autobahn Raser Police Madness
autobahn raser 4 / world challenge
Azur & Asmar
Battle Construction Vehicles BCV
Bonmberman Hardball
Broken Sword
Code of the Samurai
Colin McRae 2005
Crash n Burn
Crime Life Gang Wars*
Crusty Demons*
Daemon SUmmoner*
Deadly Strike*
Evil Twin
Fightbox
Fighting Fury
Football Generation
Formula 1 2006
Free Running *
Galidor*
Glass Rose*
Golden Age of Racing
GT R 400 *
GT Racers
GT R Touring
Gunfighter 2
Hawk Kawasaki Racing
Masters Universe He Man Grayskull
Heracles Battle with the gods *
Hype Time Quest*
Knight Rider*
Knight Rider 2
Knights of Temple Infernal Crusade**
League Series Baseball 2
Mashed Drive to Survive
Master Rallye
Maxxed out racing*
Naruto 5
Noble Racing*
Realm of the Dead
Robot Warlords*
RPM Tuning
Runabout 3*
Saint Seiya The Sanctuary**
Shinobido

[SignOfZeta]

Everywhere does have the same standard, or rather it does now that NTSC more or less dead and gone.

Not quite.  ATSC is North America only (more or less); Japan and South America use ISDB, and Europe uses DVB.

Those are broadcast standards. If I'm close enough to Spain to receive an over the air signal, I'm probably going to have a receiver capable of decoding it. The only thing that matters to me are home video and games. VGA is VGA, etc.

For example, I have a PAL VHS of Astérix et Obélix contre César and its absolutely useless to me since a dual standard deck that can output NTSC is not an easy thing to come by. The PAL/NTSC thing was a giant pain in the ass back in the day.