[rikytik]

Cyberion. PAL/SECAM carry more data and hence better quality images. NTSC if I remember has 525 lines, PAL more like 600. (I forget).

Far as I know the only two countries who use NTSC are NorthAmerica and Japan. So if you live there then you are going to use NTSC gear.

For a user who has VHS tapes and DVD's to play in both formts, there are Multi-standard TV's and palyback units to get around this problem.

I send DVD movies made from NTSC to my Italian daughter and she plays them OK on her PAL system. But, PAL DVD's don't play at all on an NTSC systerm.

Same routine with VHS tapes, which you can have converted professionally to NTSC or the other way to PAL (which I've done with travel and family movies)

So, it's not really a choice of which quality you want. It's where you live and whast format you need.

I suspect that I will simply have to bit the bullit and buy new gear since I'll be going to Europe. I have the choice of paying more for multi-standard equipment, then I can take along my 200 VHS tapes and enjoy them.

Something I haven't looked into yet is if the newer flat screen tv's offer more options to handle cross format viewing of dvd or VHS media.