USB TV Tuner

Most likely not. NTSC and PAL work with different scan rates and other variations.

You could check with the mfg. on the tuner you may be able do a software update.

I didn't think of it the first time the question was asked (by, I'm assuming, this OP), but I suspect that some of the video conversion utilities (I'm thinking of those in Linux, like ffmpeg) could do a conversion from a PAL format to an NTSC format.

I'm almost certain something like that could do a conversion, but I suspect it would not be all that useful to the OP--probably inconvenient, at least. (I'm trying to envision how that might practically be used.)

The intent, I guess, is to get the PAL signal into the computer--ahh, yes, now I understand the problem, I think. ;-) The NTSC tuner probably simply cannot accept (and tune) an incoming PAL signal--you need something on the antenna side of the TV tuner than can handle PAL, so even if ffmpeg could do a conversion, it wouldn't help.

(I should probably rewrite some of this but I'm afraid I'm running out of the 15 minute re-edit window on CR4.)

I'm certain it would be easier to look for and find a USB TV tuner that accepts PAL on the antenna side.

Try a google search on ["USB TV tuner" PAL]--it seems that some even automatically switch among NTSC | PAL | SECAM.

I did a google search on [ffmpeg NTSC PAL], and, indeed the conversion is possible with ffmpeg. I'll include some links and quotes below. But, they don't really talk about how the NTSC or PAL signal is gotten into the computer from the antenna--the context in these links generally seems to be in terms of taking a file on a DVD meant for use in a PAL system and converting it to a file usable on a DVD for an NTSC system. (I haven't read the entire post, in either case.)

Also, some of the packaged hardware solutions might be considered a tad pricey--see below ;-)

Thread: PAL to NTSC, NTSC to PAL framerate conversion? does have an ffmpeg command line to do a conversion. (Probably 3/4 of the way down the thread.)

From PAL SECAM NTSC Conversion:

Pal Conversion Quality Considerations - How a PAL SECAM Converter Works

The heart of any standards conversion is the converter itself. All converters are not created equal however. They range in price from under $170 to over $60,000 for the Snell & Wilcox Alchemist Ph.C.® ...... Not surprisingly, the quality that results is directly related to the cost of the converter. Think the $200 converter will match or even come close to matching the performance of Snell & Wilcox's Alchemist ? - Better think again..... What is truly amazing is that everyone claims their converters to be of "Broadcast Quality" - even the manufactures, mass marketing converters to the home consumer for less than $200 are sadly making that false misleading claim as well. The $200 converters are anything BUT broadcast quality. Inexpensive converters are lacking in image detail, loaded with motion artifacts and full of jitter. (referred to as "judder" as it relates to format conversion).

Perhaps the following will shed more light on the subject....

Converting between different numbers of lines and different frequencies of fields/frames in video pictures is not an easy task. Perhaps the most technical challenging conversion to make is the PAL to NTSC. Consider that PAL is 625 lines at 50 fields/sec as opposed to NTSC's that is 525 lines at 60 fields/sec. Aside from the line count being different, it's easy to see that generating 60 fields every second from a format that has only 50 fields might pose some interesting problems. Every second, an additional 10 fields must be generated seemingly from nothing. The converter has to do no less than 'create' new output pictures from those available at the input - and all this must be done in real time. So, even going from 525 line 60 fps NTSC to 625 line 50 fps PAL for example (technically the easiest), requires a skillful use of the existing information to provide a quality conversion.

So how is it done ?....... Just think of it this way.....

Hi,

Best thing to do is return it to shop from where you brought (a littel shipping cost), and ask him to give you a tuner with pal system.

Have fun !

It is probably a Digital USB stick. Good ones can be setup to receive almost any system, they are also very cheap, under US$50......

Return it, replace it......but you have little chance in converting it if it was not made with this in mind......

Its probably a DVB(x), where the x = -S for Satellite, -T = Terrestrial and -C = Cable. So it will look like one of these - DVB-T or DVB-S or DVB-C. Make sure you pick the right one, some can do both......

I don't know enough to be certain, but at least some can work on almost any TV system if correctly set up....so do some research on the Internet.

Start here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_television

You probably could use it as a TV Tuner, but it is very doubtful you will get anything usable since PAL and NTSC are very different, I saw many years ago in Venezuela PAL TV's trying to get NTSC signals, you could see phase shifts, color discrepancies and other issues.

If I were you I would either buy a new one or exchange it.

That's like trying to receive an FM transmission with an AM receiver...totally different. You need to get the signal into your receiving gear before you can translate it from one format to another.

You are trying to translate one language to another by using an interpreter of the second language.

Possible to convert this with a converter.

Sort of. There are many of these converters on the market. There was a time when the process was very expensive, and when just having someone convert a tape for you (because you cold not afford the hardware) was hundreds of dollars. (That was a few decades ago.)

However, the issue is not converting an NTSC signal to PAL, it is receiving the PAL broadcast on an NTSC device. That cannot be easily done.

Better just to buy a PAL (or multi-standard) tuner.

Its not fully true to say that NTSC and PAL are totally incompatible, they are usually Black & White compatible in spite of the line number differences.

I have a small NTSC TV that I use as a rear view mirror display when towing a caravan. It displays good PAL pictures when correctly tuned, I have not tried the sound.

I also have had a Sony TV and at this moment a Phillips TV, when I receive NTSC Sat programs (Pentagon Channel for example) the TV takes a second or two to adjust, then the pictures are great and in colour with sound !!!!