NTSC

The first color TV broadcast system was implemented in the United States in 1953. This is based on the NTSC (National Television System Committee) standard. Many countries on the American continent some Asian countries including Japan use NTSC. NTSC runs on 525 lines/frame.

Technical Specifications of NTSC

PAL

The PAL (Phase Alternating Line) standard was introduced in the early 1960's and was implemented in several Asian countries and all European countries except France.

The PAL standard utilizes a wider channel bandwidth than the NTSC, which allows for better picture quality. PAL runs on 625 lines/frame.

SYSTEM PAL B, G, H PAL I PAL D PAL N PAL M Line/Field 625/50 625/50 625/50 625/50 525/60 Horizontal Frequency 15.625 kHz 15.625 kHz 15.625 kHz 15.625 kHz 15.750 kHz Vertical Frequency 50 Hz 50 Hz 50 Hz 50 Hz 60 Hz Colour Sub Carrier Frequency 4.433618 MHz 4.433618 MHz 4.433618 MHz 3.582056 MHz 3.575611 MHz Video Bandwidth 5.0 MHz 5.5 MHz 6.0 MHz 4.2 MHz 4.2 MHz Sound Carrier 5.5 MHz 6.0 MHz 6.5 MHz 4.5 MHz 4.5 MHz

SECAM

The SECAM (Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire or Sequential Color with Memory) standard was introduced in the early 1960's and was first implemented in France. SECAM uses the same bandwidth as PAL does, but transmits the color information sequentially. SECAM runs on 625 lines/frame.