NTSC and PAL

NTSC and PAL Formats

NTSC
NTSC stands for the National Television Standards Committee. It is a video signal standard used by the color television industry in the United States and Japan.

The NTSC is a common format used by many video compression boards.
NTSC video contains frames and fields. Most NTSC video frames consist of two interlaced fields. Each field is displayed as alternating horizontal lines across the screen. Most computer video formats are non-interlaced.

The frame aspect ratio used by the NTSC standard format is 4:3. This format uses a 640 by 480 resolution.

By using the NTSC standard for digital video, there are two areas of concern when dealing with aspect ratios. They are as follows:
· Pixel aspect ratio
· Frame aspect ratio

There are various divisions within the NTSC standard which determine what pixel and frame aspect ratios are used. These formats are as follows:
· NTSC (resolution 648 x 486 - preferred format)
· D-1 NTSC (resolution 720 x 486)
· D-1 NTSC Square Pix (resolution 720 x 540)

NTSC (Preferred Format)
This NTSC format uses a 648 by 486 resolution format. This format makes an allowance for a few additional pixels to be created on the screen edge that may be cut off when displayed. This format is also commonly used by many video compression boards.

Because this format allows you to display a video without losing the "edges" of your video during playback, this resolution seems to be the preference within the industry.

D-1 NTSC
The D-1 NTSC format uses the same standard frame aspect ratio as the NTSC format. Unlike the NTSC format, the D-1 NTSC format uses a 720 by 486 resolution using rectangular pixels.
The D-1 pixels used in the NTSC format are displayed using a vertical axis.

D-1 NTSC Square Pix
This format uses the same standard frame aspect ratio as the NTSC format. Unlike the NTSC format, the D-1 NTSC Square Pix uses a 720 by 540 resolution using rectangular pixels.

PAL
PAL stands for the Phase Alternating Line. This is a video standard used by the color television industry and is the common standard used in Europe. This video signal format sets the video to playback at 25 frames per second which contain 625 lines of pixels in each frame.

There are various divisions within the PAL standard which determine what pixel and frame aspect ratios are used. These formats are as follows:
· PAL (resolution 720 x 486)
· D-1 PAL (resolution 720 x 576)
· D-1 PAL Square Pix (resolution 768 x 576)

D-1 PAL
The D-1 pixels used in the PAL format are displayed using a horizontal axis. This format uses the same standard frame aspect ratio as the PAL format. Unlike the PAL format, the D-1 PAL uses a 720 by 576 resolution.

D-1 PAL Square Pix
This format uses the same standard frame aspect ratio as the PAL format. Unlike the PAL format, the D-1 PAL Square Pix uses a 768 by 576 resolution using rectangular pixels.

HDTV (1280 x 720)
The HDTV stands for High Definition Television. This format is a proposed definition which displays at 1280 by 720 resolution.

HDTV (1920 x 1080)
The HDTV stands for High Definition Television. This format is a proposed definition which displays at 1920 by 1080 resolution.

Film (Academy)
This format uses 2048 x 1536, a standard resolution used for digital film.

WHAT IS NTSC AND PAL STANDARD?
Although VHS video format is the same throughout the World, the video standard or electronic signal that is recorded on the cassette varies from country to country. The two most common video standards used are NTSC and PAL.NTSC is the video system or standard used in North America and most of South America. In NTSC, 30 frames are transmitted each second. Each frame is made up of 525 individual scan lines.PAL is the predominant video system or standard mostly used overseas. In PAL, 25 frames are transmitted each second. Each frame is made up of 625 individual scan lines.NOTE: If you want VHS PAL standard and it is stated on the product page as available in PAL, type "Want in PAL Standard" in the comments field at the bottom of the ordering page.To determine your video standard refer to the chart below:

PAL Afghanistan Algeria Argentina (N) Austria Australia Bangladesh Belgium Brazil (M) China Denmark Finland Germany Hong Kong Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jordan Kenya Kuwait Liberia Malaysia Netherlands Nigeria Norway New Guinea Pakistan Singapore South Africa South W. Africa Sudan Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey Uganda United Kingdom United Arab Emirates Yugoslavia Zambia

NTSC Canada Chile Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Japan Mexico Nicaragua Panama Peru Philippines Puerto Rico South Korea Taiwan U.S.A.