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Worldwide Video Standards

PAL - Phase Alternating Line
Developed by Walter Bruch at Telefunken (Germany) and used in much of western Europe, Asia, throughout the Pacific and southern Africa. PAL has a higher resolution than NTSC with 625 lines, but it runs at 25 frames per second.

NTSC - National Television Standards Committee
Introduced in 1954 as the first set of standard protocols for television. It is used throughout the USA, Canada, Japan and elsewhere. NTSC has 525 lines displayed at 30 frames per second. It has a lower resolution then PAL or SECAM but a faster frame rate which reduces flicker.

SECAM - Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire
SECAM was developed in France (predominantly a political decision) out of PAL and is used in France and territories, C.I.S., much of eastern Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa. This system uses the same resolution of PAL, 625 lines, and frame rate, 25 per second, but it is not compatible to PAL. Most of France has now converted to PAL