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FAQ: MindCandy 3: PC Demos 2003-2010

1. Is my european DVD player able to playback the NTSC DVD of MindCandy 3 correctly?
2. Is my Blu-ray player able to playback the MindCandy 3 Blu-ray disc correctly?
3. I'd like to buy just the DVD or just the Blu-ray disc, is that possible?

1. Is my european DVD player able to playback the NTSC DVD of MindCandy 3 correctly?
Short answer: Yes, as before with the MindCandy 1 DVD (NTSC as well). The DVD can be played back by any standard DVD-player. The NTSC-format has been choosen because it allows 60 frames per second (PAL is just 50 fps), but more import because NTSC is the older format, so any PAL-capable DVD-Player supports NTSC, but not vice versa. That works on 3 different ways, depending on your DVD-hardware. Which way your hardware supports should be mentioned in the manual of your DVD-player / TV ... should. The 3 ways:

1. Most players convert the NTSC-signal and send it as 60-Hz PAL signal to the TV. Newer PAL-TV's can handle this "pseudo-PAL" signal.

2. A few players output true NTSC from NTSC discs. This requires a TV with NTSC support.

Some players allow to choose between variant 1 and 2. Both variants mean full framerate without quality loss.

3. A few players convert NTSC into a standard-PAL signal, working with every PAL-TV. High quality conversion requires expensive hardware to handle scaling and object motion analysis properly. Because the quality of this conversion in DVD players is poor that's the worst variant of the 3.

Bottom line: NTSC discs play on over 95% of DVD installations worldwide.

 
2. Is my Blu-ray player able to playback the MindCandy 3 Blu-ray disc correctly?
MindCandy 3 may not play on Blu-ray players made 2007 (or before), as they may not be fully compliant with the final Blu-ray player specification. MindCandy 3 utilizes high peak bitrates for maximum visual quality, which early players may have trouble decoding without problems. If your player is older and you're able to play "The Popular Demo" just fine but "Vokawardoai" (high bitrate) has skipping or choppy playback, then your player is not fully compliant. The included DVD serves as a "backup" in order to allow the playback of MindCandy 3 in older systems.
 
3. I'd like to buy just the DVD or just the Blu-ray disc, is that possible?
No, each MindCandy 3 box contains both, the DVD and the Blu-ray disc. MindCandy 3 was made to push the limits of your Blu-ray player and HD(TV) with its spectacular audio-visual effects. The included DVD serves as a "backup" in order to allow the playback of MindCandy 3 in older systems. It's not sold separately.