I know this has been explained on the forum once before (at least), but I'll gladly do it again!
Region coding and video format are two separate concepts.
Region coding is an artificial scheme invented by studios to try and control where videos can be watched in the world. Most video collectors consider this to be a kind of "scam" (maybe not by the legal definition, but BS all the same). It's done to control prices, and to control licensing (which is all about money, too). Some of my favorite shows, for example, are only sold in Australia and UK. It seems you're in the same situation.
The world is divided up in "regions". Region 1, for example, is most of North America. Region 2 is UK, Japan and most of Europe. Region 4 is Australia. A full map of regions is available from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_code
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The way to "get around" region coding is to either:
- Modify the disc -- make it "Region 0", or add/remove all regions to make it "All-Region" or "Region All" (1-8)
- Modify the player -- make it a "region free" player
Whether or not your player can be modified depends on the make and model. Some can, some cannot. Most modifications, or "hacks" as some people call it, is done by simply accessing hidden menus put there by the manufacturer. Because most all DVD players are now made for worldwide use, the hidden menus control how the machine behave for the country where its being sold. In other cases, it requires updating the firmware that has been modified by "hackers" (term used loosely, it's just basic code alterations).
Modifying the disc is as easy as ripping it, and selecting the "remove region coding" option in the software.
DVD Decrypter is one of many that can do this.
Video format is the difference in how video is encoded. The biggest difference in the digital era is the resolution and frames per second. NTSC is 29.97fps or 23.976fps at an x480 or x240 resolution, while PAL is 25fps at an x576 or x288 resolution.
Again, because DVD players are now mostly made for worldwide use -- cheaply made in places like China -- they play all standard DVD-Video MPEG formats, both audio and video.
Simply put a region-free PAL DVD in a player bought in the USA (NTSC player), and I bet it will work just fine. Players made in Japan tend to be the only ones made for NTSC only, as Japan is an NTSC country that often only markets to itself and USA/Canada.
Your UK discs will be PAL, possibly Region 2. However, I work with studios in Europe quite a bit these days, and a lot of their releases are Region 0. It really just depends on what it is, who made it, etc.
