123  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T UVW XYZ  Abbr.
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World TV Standards and Country List  
Standard Definition 480i, 576i           

NTSC - National Television Standards Committee

Developed in the US and first broadcast in 1954, NTSC is the oldest existing broadcast standard. It consists of 525 horizontal lines of display and 60HZ refresh. The frame rate is determined by the AC mains frequency. Each frame is a still image and is divided into two fields, transmitted sequentially, but 'interleaved' which reduces the time taken to transmit an image. The time needed has to be a faster speed than the human eye's 'persistence of vision' otherwise there is no illusion of movement. The transmitted picture also must have some synchronizing information to allow a TV set to reconstruct the picture. Of the 525 transmitted lines, 480 have picture information and are displayed, 240, then 240  giving the picture resolution as 480i.
Colour transmissions added an AM colour subcarrier at 3.58mhz to the B+W signal onto which where modulated reduced information red and blue signals, known as I and Q 90degrees out of phase from each other.  Colour is decoded in a TV set by referencing a small amount of the pure subcarrier on each TV line and then subtracting that to reveal the picture colour information. This technique is known as 'single sideband suppressed carrier' and allows the system to be backwards compatible with existing B+W TV sets

As the signal is on an AM carrier, the colour information can go out of phase and lead to some colour shifts. TV's that use the system have a 'Tint' control that can adjust the hue and for this reason it is sometimes irreverently referred to as "Never Twice the Same Color."

SECAM - Système Électronique pour Couleur avec Mèmoire.

This is a broadcast only TV standard. Recording and post production are in PAL due to the inherent delay in the colour signal.
Developed in France and first used in 1967. It uses a 625-line vertical, 50hz horizontal display. Like NTSC, the picture frame is comprised of 2 fields and are interleaved. Picture resolution is 576i. Unlike PAL, the colour component is not AM modulated, but FM modulated so there can never be and colour phase problems. However a larger memory is needed to reconstitute the picture information

Different adaptations use different video bandwidth and audio carrier specifications. Types B and D are usually used for VHF. Types G, H, and K are used for UHF. Types I, N, M, K1 and L are used for both VHF and UHF. These different types are generally not compatible with one another. SECAM is sometimes irreverently referred to as 'System Entirely Contrary to the American Method" or "SEcond Color Always Magenta."

PAL - Phase Alternating Line

Developed in Hanover, Germany by Telefunken and first used in 1967. A variant of NTSC, PAL uses a 625/50-line display as the AC current is 50hz. Like NTSC, the picture frame is comprised of 2 fields that are interleaved and transmitted sequentially. Of the 625 transmitted, 576 have picture information and are displayed 288, 288 having a picture resolution of 576i.
Colour transmissions added the Red and Blue signals 90 degrees phase shifted known as U and V on an AM subcarrier  at 4.43mhz, but to avoid the inherent colour shift it reverses the position of the of the colour carrier on alternate line, or a V axis switch through 180 degrees, which is how PAL got its name. Whilst there will be colour changes due to the environment, as the colour is opposite for half the time, the effect are then averaged out when the signals are combined. Initially PAL S used no delay and the eye 'averaged' the colour out. This led to some patterning known as 'Hanover bars' but this was improved upon with the first real transmissions in PAL D for delay line.
Colour is decoded in a TV set by referencing a small amount of the pure subcarrier on each TV line and then subtracting that to reveal the picture colour information. This technique is known as 'single sideband suppressed carrier' and allows the system to be backwards compatible with existing B+W TV sets
Different types of PAL use slightly different video bandwidth and audio carrier specifications. Common types are B, G, and H. Less common types include D, I, K, and N.  These different types are generally not compatible with one another. Proponents of PAL fondly call it "Pictures Always Lovely," while critics of its additional circuit complexity call it "Pay A Lot"

PAL M  A Hybrid system used for transmission in Brazil, but which has 525 lines at 60 hz. Video players in Brazil are typically NTSC

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Country List of TV Broadcast Signal Type

Afghanistan PAL B, SECAM B
Albania PAL B/G
Algeria PAL B/G
Angola PAL I
Antarctica NTSC M
Antigua & Barbuda NTSC M
Argentina PAL N
Armenia SECAM D/K
Aruba NTSC M
Australia PAL B/G
Austria PAL B/G
Azerbaijan SECAM D/K
Azores PAL B
Bahamas NTSC M
Bahrain PAL B/G
Bangladesh PAL B
Barbados NTSC M
Belarus SECAM D/K
Belgium PAL B/H
Belgium (Armed Forces Network) NTSC M
Belize NTSC M
Benin SECAM K
Bermuda NTSC M
Bolivia NTSC M
Bosnia/Herzegovina PAL B/H
Botswana SECAM K, PAL I
Brazil PAL M
British Indian Ocean Territory NTSC M
Brunei Darussalam PAL B
Bulgaria PAL B/G
Burkina Faso SECAM K
Burundi SECAM K
Cambodia PAL B/G, NTSC M
Cameroon PAL B/G
Canada NTSC M
Canary Islands PAL B/G
Central African Republic SECAM K
Chad SECAM D
Chile NTSC M
China (People'S Republic) PAL D
Colombia NTSC M
Congo (People'S Republic) SECAM K
Congo, Dem. Rep. (Zaire) SECAM K
Cook Islands PAL B
Costa Rica NTSC M
Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) SECAM K/D
Croatia PAL B/H
Cuba NTSC M
Cyprus PAL B/G
Czech Republic PAL B/G (cable), PAL D/K (broadcast)
Denmark PAL B/G
Diego Garcia NTSC M
Djibouti SECAM K
Dominica NTSC M
Dominican Republic NTSC M
East Timor PAL B
Easter Island PAL B
Ecuador NTSC M
Egypt PAL B/G, SECAM B/G
El Salvador NTSC M
Equitorial Guinea SECAM B
Estonia PAL B/G
Ethiopia PAL B
Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas) PAL I
Fiji NTSC M
Finland PAL B/G
France SECAM L
France (French Forces Tv) SECAM G
Gabon SECAM K
Galapagos Islands NTSC M
Gambia PAL B
Georgia SECAM D/K
Germany PAL B/G
Germany (Armed Forces Tv Germany) NTSC M
Ghana PAL B/G
Gibraltar PAL B/G
Greece PAL B/G
Greenland PAL B
Grenada NTSC M
Guam NTSC M
Guadeloupe SECAM K
Guatemala NTSC M
Guiana (French) SECAM K
Guinea PAL K
Guyana NTSC M
Haiti SECAM
Honduras NTSC M
Hong Kong PAL I
Hungary PAL K/K
Iceland PAL B/G
India PAL B
Indonesia PAL B
Iran PAL B/G
Iraq PAL B/G
Ireland, Republic Of PAL I
Isle Of Man PAL I
Israel PAL B/G
Italy PAL B/G
Jamaica NTSC M
Japan NTSC M
Johnstone Island NTSC M
Jordan PAL B/G
Kazakhstan SECAM D/K
Kenya PAL B/G
Korea (North) SECAM D, PAL D/K
Korea (South) NTSC M
Kuwait PAL B/G
Kyrgyz Republic SECAM D/K
Laos PAL B
Latvia PAL B/G
Lebanon PAL B/G
Lesotho PAL K
Liberia PAL B/H
Libya PAL B/G
Liechtenstein PAL B/G
Lithuania PAL B/G, SECAM D/K
Luxembourg PAL B/G, SECAM L
Macau PAL I
Macedonia PAL B/H
Madagascar SECAM K
Madeira PAL B
Malaysia PAL B
Maldives PAL B
Mali SECAM K
Malta PAL B
Marshall Islands NTSC M
Martinique SECAM K
Mauritania SECAM B
Mauritius SECAM B
Mayotte SECAM K
Mexico NTSC M
Micronesia NTSC M
Midway Island NTSC M
Moldova (Moldavia) SECAM D/K
Monaco SECAM L, PAL G
Mongolia SECAM D
Montenegro PAL B/G
Montserrat NTSC M
Morocco SECAM B
Mozambique PAL B
Myanmar (Burma) NTSC M
Namibia PAL I
Nepal PAL B
Netherlands PAL B/G
Netherlands (Armed Forces Network) NTSC M
Netherlands Antilles NTSC M
New Caledonia SECAM K
New Zealand PAL B/G
Nicaragua NTSC M
Niger SECAM K
Nigeria PAL B/G
Norfolk Island PAL B
North Mariana Islands NTSC M
Norway PAL B/G
Oman PAL B/G
Pakistan PAL B
Palau NTSC M
Panama NTSC M
Papua New Guinea PAL B/G
Paraguay PAL N
Peru NTSC M
Philippines NTSC M
Poland PAL D/K
Polynesia (French) SECAM K
Portugal PAL B/G
Puerto Rico NTSC M
Qatar PAL B
Reunion SECAM K
Romania PAL D/G
Russia SECAM D/K
St. Kitts & Nevis NTSC M
St. Lucia NTSC M
St. Pierre Et Miquelon SECAM K
St. Vincent NTSC M
Sao Tomé E Principe PAL B/G
Samoa, American NTSC
Saudi Arabia SECAM B/G, PAL B
Samoa NTSC M
Senegal SECAM K
Serbia PAL B/G
Seychelles PAL B/G
Sierra Leone PAL B/G
PAL B/G
Slovakia PAL B/G
Slovenia PAL B/H
Somalia PAL B/G
South Africa PAL I
Spain PAL B/G
Sri Lanka PAL
Sudan PAL B
Suriname NTSC M
Swaziland PAL B/G
Sweden PAL B/G
Switzerland PAL B/G (GERMAN ZONE, SECAM L (FRENCH ZONE
Syria SECAM B, PAL G
Tahiti SECAM
Taiwan NTSC
Tajikistan SECAM D/K
Tanzania PAL B
Thailand PAL B/M
Togo SECAM K
Trinidad & Tobago NTSC M
Tunisia SECAM B/G
Turkey PAL B
Turkmenistan SECAM D/K
Turks & Caicos Islands NTSC M
Uganda PAL B/G
Ukraine SECAM D/K
Uruguay PAL N
United Arab Emirates PAL B/G
United States NTSC M
United Kingdom PAL I
Uzbekistan SECAM D/K
Venezuela NTSC M
Vietnam NTSC M, SECAM D
Virgin Islands (Us & British) NTSC M
Wallis & Futuna SECAM K
Yemen PAL B/NTSC M
Zambia PAL B/G
Zimbabwe PAL B/G

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