This article is from the DVD Formats FAQ, by jtfrog@usa.net (Jim Taylor) with numerous contributions by others.
You are probably trying to play an NTSC disc in a PAL player, but your PAL
TV is not able to handle the signal. If your player has a switch or
on-screen setting to select the output format for NTSC discs, choosing PAL
(60-Hz) may solve the problem. See section 1.19 for more information.
Or you may have connected one of the component outputs (Y, R-Y, or B-Y) of
your DVD player to the composite input of your TV. See section 3.2 for
hookup details.
 
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