Prime Image TBC/Freeze II (50-II) in PAL mode?

[NTCT]

I'm doing some VHS tape transfers using Prime Image TBC/Freeze II unit (model 50-II), composite in, composite out. So far I've used it in NTSC mode running on the internal clock (no external genlock), and the device has been working great. As the manual says, the unit is supposed to work in NTSC, PAL and PAL-M modes, choosing the mode automatically. I now need to capture some PAL tapes, and I ran into some issues here. When I feed the TBC 50i PAL input (no external genlock), the output it produces is actually 60i (some fields duplicated? didn't check), and I get an ugly rolling picture on a PAL monitor.

I know that a few people here own the same TBC unit. Could anyone, please, try to feed the device PAL input with no external genlock, and see what the output is? I'm suspecting that either the unit I have is defective and doesn't work properly in PAL mode, or the device just doesn't have the internal clock for PAL frequency.

Suppose the latter is true, and I need to provide an external genlock for PAL. What is the genlocking signal this unit needs? Is it the black burst, or would anything else work?

Thanks!

[lordsmurf]

Quite a few hardware video processors (TBC, proc amp, etc) are locked to NTSC or PAL, and cannot do both.

I know this model has been discussed on this site in the past. I believe we've even posted a Prime Image manual here in the forum (though not for the exact model, but a comparable one), and this may be covered in there. I'll look in archived documents here, and see if there's anything else I can add. It would be notes from colleagues, snippets I saved from online conversations, PDFs/manuals, or clippings from the manufacturer.

I don't think genlocking would have any effect here.

[NTCT]

The manual you are talking about is indeed for the TBC I own. The manual says it is a multi-standard TBC suitable for NTSC, PAL and PAL-M. What I'm wondering about is whether the unit is supposed to have an internal PAL clock, or not. I'm also curious as to what the genlock signal for the unit is supposed to be, should the TBC require an external sync for PAL mode operation. I would greatly appreciate if you can find any info on this.

[lordsmurf]

From pg18 of the manual: (Section 5.1 Troubleshooting)

Quote:

Output corrected but rolls vertically. | Genlock input missing.

You were correct.