International TV Standards

INTERNATIONAL TV GUIDE

At the moment there are 3 main TV standards in use NTSC - National Television Standards Committee. This is the oldest standard. It was developed in the USA. It was first used in 1954 and consists of 525 horizontal lines of display and 60 vertical lines. There is only one type, called NTSC M.

SECAM - Système Èlectronique pour Couleur avec MÈmoire. This was developed in France and was first used in 1967. It consists of a 625-line vertical, 50-line horizontal display. Different types use different video bandwidth and audio carrier specifications - Types B and D usually used for VHF; types G, H, and K for UHF; types I, N, M, K1 and L for both VHF/UHF. The different types are not compatible.

PAL - Phase Alternating Line. This was developed in the United Kingdom & Germany. It was first used in 1967. It is also a 625/50-line display. Different types use different video bandwidth and audio carrier specifications. Common types are B, G and H; less common types include D, I, K, N and M.  The different types are not compatible.