NTSC and PAL - any real difference?

[PeteS2017]

I've been shooting in NTSC because apparently it's the only way you can get 30fps.

Can anyone tell me if it gives inferior image quality to PAL, or can cause any other problems?

 

[Plawa]

Those are old analog standards, they have no effect on the image other than the options for FPS.. shoot whatever works for you.

 

[Neebles]

Most people will not be able to easily tell the difference between NTSC and PAL. The main difference starts with the electrical power system that runs behind the color transmissions. In the United States, electrical power is generated at 60 hertz. The signal behind the NTSC broadcast format is set to send out 60 fields per second. Most televisions use a interlaced system, so the NTSC signal sends out 30 lines of the image, followed by another 30 alternating lines. Basically, that results in 30 frames of a complete image appearing every single second.

In Europe and other countries, electrical power is generated at 50 hertz. Televisions that utilize PAL as the broadcast format only produce 25 frames of a complete image appearing every single second. This causes problems with the proper display of motion, as it makes actors move a bit faster because of the difference in frames per second that are showing movement. If you are trying to watch a PAL movie on a NTSC television, you need to add 5 frames per second, or the motion of the film will be very jerky or slow.



General rule of thumb, use NTSC if you are in the states, and PAL if you are in Europe.

 

[Plawa]

Except this really only applies to analog transmission and is no longer relevant (unless you find a way for the Mavic to output analog video)... modern TVs are basically monitors, there's is absolutely no correlation between power (the decoder runs on DC) and video signal.

 

[Neebles]

Except this really only applies to analog transmission and is no longer relevant (unless you find a way for the Mavic to output analog video)... modern TVs are basically monitors, there's is absolutely no correlation between power (the decoder runs on DC) and video signal.

If he is in the states, he wants to run NTSC, it has a faster frame rate and will give smoother video. If he lives outside of the states and runs NTSC, and films near street lights, electrical wire, he may get flickering in his video. So yes, analog or not, it does make a difference. There is no reason to run PAL with a 25 FPS here in the states.

 

[ValueTactics]

Except this really only applies to analog transmission and is no longer relevant

This is true and I mistakenly thought for a few years now that we were finally done once and for all with interlaced nonsense. So can someone explain why the Mavic camera records video at 29.97 fps? As far as I can tell it's not interlaced, but it's not true 30 fps either. (It always bothers me when devices show 24/30/60 fps when they really don't mean it.)

 

[gjhick]

Strictly speaking, NTSC and PAL don’t exist in the world of HD video - they are SD standards. These days, those terms just shorthand for 25fps vs 30 fps (which is actually 29.97).

At a given bitrate, 25fps will have slightly better image quality and 29.97 will have slightly better motion rendition, but the difference is minor.

I've been shooting in NTSC because apparently it's the only way you can get 30fps.

Can anyone tell me if it gives inferior image quality to PAL, or can cause any other problems?

 

[Plawa]

So can someone explain why the Mavic camera records video at 29.97 fps?

This guy can.. it will also make you question why oh why do we still use that FPS value today.

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[coop64]

I found this useful.

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[mavictk]

Yes, I am responding to a really old thread.

I was puzzled why I would capture a video with my Air 2S at 30 fps and then store it on Windows 11 which would tell me, via file properties, I had a 29.97 fps video. Before I found this thread I asked Copilot (i.e., AI) and this is what it said:

The frame rate discrepancy you’re observing between the DJI Air 2S drone and Windows 11 is due to a subtle difference in how frame rates are expressed. Let me explain:

1. 30fps vs. 29.97fps:
   
   • When the DJI Air 2S drone records at “30fps,” it’s actually capturing video at 29.97 frames per second. This slightly lower frame rate is a legacy from the NTSC television standard, which was widely used in the past.
   • The reason for this discrepancy lies in the historical development of video standards. The original black-and-white television system operated at a true 30fps. However, when color information was added, the frame rate was reduced slightly to accommodate the additional data. As a result, the NTSC standard settled on 29.97fps to maintain compatibility with existing systems1.
   • In contrast, the “30fps” label is simply a convenient shorthand. It’s easier to say “30fps” than “twenty-nine point nine seven” when discussing frame rates. So, both the DJI Air 2S and your editing software correctly refer to this as 30fps1.
2. Which Frame Rate to Use:
   
   • For practical purposes, there’s no significant difference between 29.97fps and 30fps. Most modern video editing software handles both frame rates seamlessly.
   • If you’re working with content shot on the DJI Air 2S, you can confidently use the video at 29.97fps without any issues. Your editing software will handle the conversion automatically, ensuring smooth playback and compatibility with standard video formats1.

Once I understood this I figured out why Davinci Resolve always asked if I wanted to change the frame rate when, in project settings, I would set the fps to 30 since that is what I thought I recorded at with the Air 2S. Today I preset the fps to 29.97 and Davinci Resolve did not me if I wanted to change it. Knowledge is wonderful.