iMovie and PAL

S

simonjbinks

Registered
I have just purchased QuickTime Pro v 5 for my thirteen month old G4 Mac (just out of warranty).

I am attempting to use iMovie 2.1 for the first time.

However, in Australia, the standard video protocol is PAL. iMovie defaults to NTSC, and I can't work out how to change it.

All my video files are PAL, so when I load one into the NTSC format, it is corrupted. I can't save a separate iMovie template via Export without loading in a Pal file, which immediately becomes corrupted.

Because my Mac has just run out of warranty, Apple support won't help me without purchasing an extended warranty, even though I only purchased QuickTime Pro this week.

Really appreciate any help here.

Simon Binks.
 
Are you sure that it is a PAL/ NTSC format. I have never had this problem and have used imovie 1 and 2 on both OS 9 and OS X. I am also from Australia. Are these video files from a previous version of Imovie?
 
Byron,

Yes, it is definitely a PAL/NTSCV issue. The clips I have been imported were from VHS and other sources and transferred to PAL digital by a friend in Melbourne.

I got around the problem by borrowing a friends DV camera. When I start iMovie with that plugged in, it defaults to PAL, so I can import my PAL clips.

However I gave the camera back, but then my system become corrupted so I had to reinstall the OS from OS 9.0.4 back up to 9.2.2, and lost the PAL iMovie template I had made in the process.

So now I have to borrow the DV camera again to set up another PAL template. I hate borrowing things.

Having a PAL DV camera plugged in when I start iMovie seems the only way to get it to get iMovie to adopt PAL format and make it possible to import projects in PAL format.

I'd really like to hear if you know another way.

I have Premier, QuickTime Pro and DVD Studio Pro. I have ended up using Premier to edit my showreel. However, iMovie is so much easier and quicker, I'd like to have that facility as well.

Thanks for your help.

Simon Binks.
 
Sorry Simon to be a complete lack of help. You have just explained the difference to me. I always either use Imovie with my DV camera in, or am editing video imported in using the camera.

I hate to turn this into a you telling me stuff thing, but How do you get DV into a format that Imovie will work with if you aren't importing from a camera? If this is a long a difficult thing to explain, don't worry about it, I am just curious. I am a seriously amateur DV tinkerer, and convert all of my edited stuff into VCD or SVCD.

By the way, if you can send me enough information to fully understand your problem, I could query Apple for you. If interested, leave me a personal message at this forum with an e-mail address and I will contact you.
 
Byron,

No problem. Actually the issue of how to work with iMoive in PAL format without a PAL DV camera attached IS the problem. As yet, I don't have a work around.

What I tried, but lost the file before I could test, was to open iMovie with a PAL DV camera attached, start a project and save it as a template.

From thereon, I was going to use that template to open iMovie, hoping it would then be in PAL format and ready to accept PAL format DV.

I'm going to borrow my friend's DV camera again and set this up again. I'll let you know.

My email address is simonbinksproduction@mac.com, or simonjbinks@ozemail.com.au

Simon.
 
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