www.falconcrest.org | Deutscher FALCON CREST - Fanclub / German FALCON CREST Fan Club
 

 

 
  

Region Code on Packaging:
 

The back sleeve of the DVD packaging usually contains a symbol of the DVD region of origin. Check out the Region Codes list for an overview of the respective geographical areas.
 
Nevertheless, the DVDs can be played on machines in various other regions. For a regional compatibility check, consult the DVD – Technical Details section with a configuration synopsis for each season.

 
 
Special information for regions 2 and 4 DVD customers:
 

  • The original film to create both NTSC (TV format in North America; original U.S. version) and PAL (particularly Europe and Australia) was identical when the show was first produced.
    The TV stations of some countries might have edited or altered parts of some episodes when they aired the show in syndication; a typical example are manipulations of the main titles and the end credits, which might have been replaced with the dubbing crew of the respective countries or editorial staff from the foreign TV station. Please be advised that the video on the DVDs — fortunately — is normally the version of the show as it was originally broadcast on CBS in the U.S. without any manipulations as the PAL masters usually used by WARNER BROS. for the DVD transfer are unedited.
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  • In the region 2 and 4 DVD boxes, the video is equipped with multiple audio layers in different languages (availability depending on the country where they are sold).
    Scenes that were edited in the original foreign syndication are presented in their original U.S. version, with the audio temporarily switching to American English and subtitles in the respective foreign language being inserted automatically in these cases.
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  • The film speed is slightly different in the PAL and NTSC versions. PAL has a 4 % acceleration compared to NTSC.
    The standard conversion from the picture negative to video or DVD, the so-called Telecine Transfer, leads to slightly higher voices of the actors and a slightly higher pitch in the music due to the acceleration, which will be noticed by particularly sensitive viewers. Most people, however, will not notice since this is the case with any movie and TV production distributed in PAL countries. The dubbed versions, such as the Spanish and German audio, for instance, have that higher pitch in the music and sound compared to the original version.
    As this is a result of the film speed, this usually affects the PAL version in general, i.e. also the American English audio.
    Playing the DVDs on a computer drive enables to "undo" the PAL speedup by using an appropriate software. Corel WinDVD (9+; previously InterVideo WinDVD 4+) offers the "PAL TruSpeed" mode specifically for that purpose. The program reduces the speed to the normal NTSC playback only without noticeable loss of quality; the pitch of the sound is not affected.
    For further information about the details of PAL speedup, please consult the last paragraph in the Show – Episodes – Analysis & Interpretation – Behind the Scenes – Season 1 — General Information section.

 
 
Special information for DVD customers from other regions:
 

  • For customers from countries using NTSC TV format, specific recommendations are available in the DVD – Recommendations – Region 1 section.
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  • Before purchasing region 2 or 4 DVDs, please consult your instruction manuals about the regional code of your DVD player (or computer disc drive) and if your TV set supports the playback of PAL. Many modern players and disc drives, particularly if you can reset them to Region 0 (i.e. region-free), are able to play discs from other regions despite the various region-specific tools the studios regularly add to their DVDs, such as RCE (regional coding enhancement).
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  • In the DVD – Technical Details section, you will find a configuration synopsis for each season. This overview will help you select the country-specific DVD release with the appropriate configuration for your individual system requirements.