Video Standards: NTSC, PAL, SECAM

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Video Standards: NTSC, PAL, SECAM

There are currently three standards in the world for composite, color encoded video: NTSC, PAL and SECAM.

"NTSC" stands for the National Television System Committee of the Electronics Industries Association, the organization which defined the standard format adopted by the FCC for broadcast television in the United States. NTSC is also the standard used in Japan, Canada, and Mexico. "NTSC" is usually taken to mean the NTSC color television system itself, or its interconnection standards. This is also called "composite video" because all of the video information sync, luminance, and color are combined into a single analog signal. "NTSC" is often said to stand for "Never The Same Color." When color broadcasting first became a commercial possibility, the standard was created to allow color television signals to be compatible with existing black and white television. The restriction of compatibility with the earlier technology results in compromises in color image quality.

"PAL" stands for Phase Alternation by Line, the broadcast video standard used in West Germany, Great Britain and most Western European nations. By reversing the relative phase of the color signal components on alternate scanning lines, this system avoids the color distortion that appears in NTSC. Otherwise, PAL closely resembles NTSC. Based on the 50 Hz power system, PAL displays 625 lines interlaced at 50 fields per second (25 frames per second). PAL is not compatible with NTSC or SECAM, though conversion between the standards is possible. Video products to be used in Europe require compatibility with PAL standards.

"SECAM" is an abbreviation for Squential Couleur Moire, the line sequential color system used in France, Russia, Eastern Europe and some Middle Eastern countries. Like PAL, SECAM is based on a 50 Hz power system, displaying interlaced lines at 50 fields per second. The color information is transmitted sequentially (R-Y followed by B-Y, etc.) for each line and conveyed by a frequency modulated subcarrier that avoids the distortion arising during NTSC transmission. SECAM is not compatible with NTSC or PAL, although conversion between the standards is possible.

System Parameters

System	Lines	Channel bandwidth	Vision bandwidth	Vestigial sideband width	Vision modulation method	Sound spacing	Sound modulation method
B	625	7.0MHz	5.0MHz	0.75MHz	AM -ve	5.5MHz	FM
D	625	8.0MHz	6.0MHz	0.75MHz	AM -ve	6.5MHz	FM
G	625	8.0MHz	5.0MHz	0.75MHz	AM -ve	5.5MHz	FM
H	625	8.0MHz	5.0MHz	1.25MHz	AM -ve	5.5MHz	FM
I	625	8.0MHz	5.5MHz	1.25MHz	AM -ve	6.0MHz	FM
K	625	8.0MHz	6.0MHz	0.75MHz	AM -ve	6.5MHz	FM
K1	625	8.0MHz	6.0MHz	1.25MHz	AM -ve	6.5MHz	FM
L	625	8.0MHz	6.0MHz	1.25MHz	AM +ve	6.5MHz	AM
M	525	6.0MHz	4.2MHz	0.75MHz	AM -ve	4.5MHz	FM
N	625	6.0MHz	4.2MHz	0.75MHz	AM -ve	4.5MHz	FM

Technical Specifications

Code	Frames	Scan	Freq	Sound	Vision	In Use
		Lines	Band	Offset	Modulation
Terrestrial Transmission Standards
A	25	405	VHF	-3.5MHz	Pos	No
B	25	625	VHF	+5.5MHz	Neg	Yes
C	25	625	VHF	+5.5MHz	Pos	Yes
D	25	625	VHF	+6.5MHz	Neg	Yes
E	25	819	VHF	+11MHz	Neg	No
F	25	819	VHF	+5.5MHz	Pos	No
G	25	625	UHF	+5.5MHz	Neg	Yes
H	25	625	UHF	+5.5MHz	Neg	Yes
I	25	625	UHF	+6.0MHz	Neg	Yes
K	25	625	UHF	+6.5MHz	Neg	Yes
KI	25	625	UHF	+6.5MHz	Neg	Yes
L	25	625	UHF	+6.5MHz	Pos	Yes
M	30	525	VHF/UHF	+4.5MHz	Neg	Yes
N	25	625	VHF/UHF	+4.5MHz	Neg	Yes
Satellite Transmission Standards
Ku-Band	Any	Any	~11GHz	+6.50MHz	Neg	Yes
C-Band	Any	Any	~4GHz	+6.50MHz	Pos	Yes

Colour and Broadcasting Systems by Country

Country	TV	Colour	Stereo	Subtitles
Albania	B/G	PAL
Argentina	N	PAL-N
Australia	B/G	PAL	FM-FM	Teletext
Austria	B/G	PAL	FM-FM	Teletext
Azores (Portugal)	B	PAL
Bahamas	M	NTSC
Bahrain	B	PAL
Barbados	N	NTSC
Belgium	B/G	PAL	Nicam	Teletext
Bermuda	M	NTSC
Brazil	M	PAL-M	MTS
Bulgaria	D	SECAM
Canada	M	NTSC	MTS	CC
Canary Is	B	PAL
China	D	PAL
Colombia	M	SECAM
Cyprus	B	PAL
Czechsolvakia	D/K	SECAM/PAL
Denmark	B	PAL	Nicam	TeleText
Egypt	B	SECAM
Faroe Islands (DK)	B	PAL
Finland	B/G	PAL	Nicam	TeleText
France	E/L	SECAM		Antiope
Gambia	I	PAL
Germany	B/G	PAL	FM-FM	TeleText
Germany (prev East)	B/G	SECAM/PAL
Gibraltar	B	PAL
Greece	B/H	SECAM
Hong Kong	I	PAL	Nicam
Hungary	D/K	SECAM
Iceland	B	PAL
India	B	PAL
Indonesia	B	PAL
Iran	H	SECAM
Ireland	I	PAL	Nicam	TeleText
Israel	B/G	PAL
Italy	B/G	PAL	FM/FM	TeleText
Jamaica	M	SECAM
Japan	M	NTSC	MTS
Jordan	B	PAL
Kenya	B	PAL
Luxembourg	B/G	PAL	-	TeleText
Madeira	B	PAL
Madagascar	B	SECAM
Malaysia	B	PAL
Malta	B/G	PAL
Mauritius	B	SECAM
Mexico	M	NTSC	MTS	CC
Monaco	L/G	SECAM/PAL
Morocco	B	SECAM
Netherlands	B/G	PAL	FM-FM	TeleText
New Zealand	B/G	PAL	Nicam	TeleText
Norway	B/G	PAL	Nicam
Pakistan	B	PAL
Paraguay	N	PAL
Peru	M	NTSC
Philipines	M	NTSC
Poland	D/K	PAL		Teletext
Portugal	B/G	PAL	Nicam	Teletext
Romania	G	PAL
Russia	D/K	SECAM
Saudi Arabia	B	SECAM
Seychelles	I	PAL
Singapore	B	PAL
South Africa	I	PAL
Spain	B/G	PAL	Nicam
Sri Lanka	B/G	PAL
Sweden	B/G	PAL	Nicam	Teletext
Switzerland	B/G	PAL	FM-FM	TeleText
Tahiti	KI	SECAM
Taiwan	M	NTSC
Thailand	B	PAL
Trinidad	M	NTSC
Tunisia	B	SECAM
Turkey	B	PAL	-	TeleText
United Arab Emirates	B/G	PAL
United Kingdom	I	PAL	Nicam	TeleText
Uruguay	N	PAL
USA	M	NTSC	MTS	CC
Venezuela	M	NTSC
Yugoslavia	B/H	PAL
Zimbabwe	B	PAL

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