Film Speed in Europe vs. the U.S.

Your show could be shorter in Europe

A SD standards conversion from NTSC to PAL will retain it’s original running time — as long as the converter is a low to mid-end device.

However, if you are crossconverting from American HD to Europan HD or downconverting from American HD to European PAL (standard definition) you may come out a little short. The loss in running time is offset by better picture quality. Alternately, you could keep the same running time while sacrificing picture quality.

The European master will be approximately 4 seconds shorter per 1 hour of material. It is important to note that this rule applies to tapes mastered in progressive standards only such as 1080 23.98p.

The difference in speed must be considered if audio elements are to be delivered separately.