PAL

From AudioLexic

PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a color encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. Other common analogue television systems are SECAM and NTSC.

[edit] History of the PAL standard

PAL was developed by Walter Bruch at Telefunken in Germany. The format was first unveiled in 1963, with the first broadcasts beginning in the United Kingdom and Germany in 1967. The standard that defines the PAL system was published by the International Telecommunications Union in 1998 and has the title Recommendation ITU-R BT.470-6, Conventional Television Systems

Telefunken was later bought by the French electronics manufacturer Thomson. Thomson also bought the Compagnie Générale de Télévision where Henri de France developed SECAM, historically the first European colour television standard. Thomson nowadays also co-owns the RCA brand for consumer electronics products, which created the NTSC colour TV standard before Thomson became involved.

The term "PAL" is often used informally to refer to a 625-line/50 Hz (576i, principally European) television system, and to differentiate from a 525-line/60 Hz (480i, principally North American/Central American/Japanese) "NTSC" system. Accordingly, DVDs are labelled as either "PAL" or "NTSC" (referring informally to the line count and frame rate) even though technically the European disks do not have PAL composite colour. NTSC, by contrast does define the video line and frame format.

PD: Paraguay use the PAL-N system over the national broadcast TV system.

[edit] External links

• More information about TV standards
• Review of the different refresh rates of PAL, NTSC and motion picture films

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