DVD Beijing Olympics Ceremony

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

We loved watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony and wanted to buy a copy of the video. The NBC Olympics store costs too much, so we looked on ebay, and there are lots of DVDs of the opening ceremony for sale direct from China at half the price. Is this safe to buy do you think?

Signed,

Buying from Beijing

Dear Buying from Beijing,

Buying from around the world is a positive aspect of ebay. Before bidding on an item from ebay, make sure that the seller has lots of positive feedback, and that you can purchase the item via PayPal. Avoid any direct money wire transfers.

Yes, the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics were spectacular. There are many DVDs on ebay of the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony and/or closing ceremony with coverage by NBC or the official Beijing version filmed by CCTV (China Central Television). DVDs as well as Olympic souvenirs can be found on ebay or at the NBC Olympic and Official Beijing Olympic websites.

Official Beijing Olympic website: http://en.beijing2008.cn/en_index.shtml

NBC Olympic website: www.nbcolympics.com

Before purchasing a DVD, an important factor to consider is the format. You have to make sure the DVD is compatible with your DVD player or you will not be able to view the video from your television set. In many cases, the DVD could be viewed on your computer instead.

Two popular formats are NTSC (National Television System Committee) and PAL (Phase Alternating Line). The United States, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan use NTSC. Over 100 countries use PAL, i.e. Western Europe, many countries in Africa, Brazil, Argentina, China, Australia, the Middle East.

One of the main differences between NTSC and PAL is that NTSC has the ability to display 525 lines of resolution whereas PAL can display 625. In theory, the higher the resolution, the better the picture quality.

However, if you have a Multi-system or multi-region DVD player, then you can view both NTSC and PAL and do not need to worry about the format. You can speak to your local DVD dealer for more information.