The VHS is the tape format which should be the same as is used here in the
USA. It is world-wide I think. Unfortunately the PAL standard for the way
in which the infomation is recorded on the tape is not USA standard. The
French use one form of PAL and there is at least one other PAL standard. A
PAL tape even if recorded on a VHS format tape will not be playable on USA
standard VCRs. The USA tape recording format is NTSC which is inferior to
PAL but that is what we must have.
So, will the tape format be redone to NTSC for USA distribution? Is the
narration in French or in a mixture of languages? I deeply regret being
monolingual but that is the reality I deal with. Is there enough English so
that the visual material is reasonably clear?
Judy. You seem to be at a big University. Is there a video group there that
could take a PAL original bring it up on a digital non-linear editing system
and then make direct NTSC copies? Anyone else with this capacity? Doing
that way should minimize the generation losses in making the copies. I may be
able to find some such connection here but I would not bet on it. Most large
cities will have a PAL to NTSC translation services but there will be losses
in quality in the process which is why I asked about a digital procedure. It
is also not cheap.
Once again I'd like to note that most of the time the list mail gets to me
the originator's email address is gone. Please put them in when your mail
has things like "contact me off list" in it.
One final note. I have some information packets coming from two companies
that make sandblasting masks based on photo processes. Send me a note if
you want to be included in a secondary distribution of what I find out
from the packets. The people who emailed me about the sandblasting show in
Indianapolis will get the material no matter what. Stay tuned. If I get
enough new responses I'll just post it to the list.
Eugene Robkin
erobkin@uwcmail.uwc.edu