Expert: Alessandro Machi - 10/3/2007

Question
I have been searching for someone like you to help me.
I have Hi8 video cassettes that I filmed on a Sony video camera bought in Australia 10 years ago. The camera broke down so I have just bought one from England. I understand the PAL system is both used in Australia as well as England that is why I acquired a camera from England when I was on vacation. If I record with this camera the film speed comes through fine on the camcorder screen but if I play my old tapes which were also filmed with a PAL system camera they run slightly to fast, on the camcorder screen. Is the PAL system in Australia different from that of England, why would my tapes run fast yet they were recorded on a PAL system camera and played back on a PAL system camera. I have 10 tapes that I recorded on 10 years ago, they are in great condition and each one runs at the same fast speed.
I Thank you for your time and effort
Brian Edwards
Vancouver Canada

Answer
Hi Brian. It sounds to me like you are a PAL personality living in an NTSC world and you are being punished for it.

What you have described should not be happening, so just ignore it and pretend everything is OK.

Ok, I'm done with the jokes (maybe). I would suggest you find a couple of additional video cameras to act as tie breaker cameras and see how they play back your old tapes.

Other causes could be clogged video heads caused the speed function to be altered either on the older camera tapes at the time of the original shooting or on the new camera that you recently used to play them back; perhaps there is more than one PAL format and being male you couldn't commit to just one format; you recorded at a slower speed years ago and the newer cameras won't play back that older slower speed; or meteorites had something to do with it.

If you want to report back with the solution I'll gladly take full credit for it.

Follow up here.  I actually did answer your question.  I guess you were too busy being offended to notice that I blended in the answer.