PAL or NTSC ?

So you've just tried to pair your NTSC spy surveillance camera with a PAL DVR system and found that your high-tech, top of the range spy camera gives you nothing but a blank screen.   Don't worry, you're in good company.   The PAL/NTSC/SECAM systems have caused electricians, security specialists and consumers and a lot of grief ever since the colour NTSC transmission system was first put into use in 1953, where it was first dubbed Never Twice The Same Colour (NTSC) by wags due to variances in the colours transmitted.

BACKGROUND

The problems of the different video colour formats began in 1953 with the start of the shift from black and white television to colour.   To ensure the entire world didn't have to go through a major hardware overhaul to watch television the authorities and technicians in charge of broadcasting developed systems which would effectively allow the signals which dictated which colours were shown to be transmitted in the gaps between signals being sent to black and white televisions.   Three systems were developed to best fit the geopolitical, logistical and infrastructural concerns of the time, NTSC, PAL and SECAM.

NTSC, or National Television System Committee, first started as a black and white format before the Second World War.   The system had no allowances for colour and set standards at 525 lines of information for every frame and 30 frames per second for every picture and was used in Canada, Mexico and the US.   The problems first started with the second version of NTSC code, which had signal transmissions that allowed for colour but had a problem transmitting the correct hue to areas with weak transmission signals, resulting in the other definition of NTSC (Never Twice the Same Colour).

Another problem that broadcasters in Europe and other parts of the world faced was that colour NTSC signals only worked on power grids which had a power frequency of 60Hz.   This caused a great deal of difficulty in Europe, where the power grid worked on a 50Hz frequency.   The result was that the authorities in Europe started working on their own colour codes, the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) format was developed in West Germany and SECAM (Séquentiel couleur avec mémoire or Sequential Colour with Memory in English) in France.

The new formats were not only designed to work on the European grids they were also coded to correct the colour variance flaw which gave NTSC its nickname.   PAL was adopted in much of Western Europe but for geopolitical reasons SECAM was adopted in most of the communist Eastern European bloc as well as in it's native country of France.   Most Eastern European and African countries which broadcast the SECAM format now also send out PAL signals as well and France is now the only country which solely uses the SECAM format for television transmissions.

This is a visual guide to where each of the formats is used across the globe

"What does this all mean to me ?"   You may ask.

Essentially little in today's world of television signals, but it can still influence what transmitter works with what receiver.   But you can find out more about that in the upcoming sections.

• PAL/NTSC cameras/receivers will work anywhere as long as they are paired with cameras/receivers that use the same format.
• NTSC is common in North America and parts of South America
• PAL is common in Europe, Oceania, Parts of South America and Parts of Africa

• Country Lists for PAL NTSC & SECAM
• IHF - International Historic Films
• RF Concepts - Pal or NTSC
• Convert between Video Formats
• Wikipedia - Pal
• Difference between PAL and NTSC

COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS

Talking about the history of video colour formats is all well and good but what effect does it have on the electronic gadgets of today, and what things can go wrong when a PAL device is paired with an NTSC component or vice versa ?

NTSC receiver used to pick up PAL

When a NTSC receiver is used to pick up PAL colour transmissions people might see a 'rolling screen' or a blank screen as displayed on the images below.

When is this likely to happen though ?   This will happen if you've connected a PAL camera to an analogue NTSC monitor or NTSC DVT recording device or you're using an NTSC car DVD player to try and watch TV stations in a country which uses the PAL colour format.

PAL receiver used to pick up NTSC

When a PAL receiver is used to pick up NTSC transmissions it can cause more problems, with the potential visual effects being a black and white picture, a 'rolling' screen, a 'tearing' screen, or blank screen as shown below.

The good news however is that if you trying to set up a security system you will have no problems pairing a PAL security camera with a PAL security system, even if you're in a territory where the news is beamed to you in NTSC.

FORMATS AND DEVICES

While that's what will happen generally when NTSC transmitters are teamed with PAL receivers, or PAL transmitters are paired with NTSC receivers, things don't always work that way.

Televisions are a great example of how there are exceptions to the rule, even in the world of electronics.   If you're using an old analogue TV as a monitoring device then you'd better check what colour format it works in before splashing out on that top of the line camera you plan on plugging into it.   If it isn't the same format then there's a very high chance that it won't work.

The plot thickens if, by some strange x-file esque turn of events, you're considering using a cold war set from Eastern Europe as a monitor for a surveillance system (Perhaps your cousin Boris smuggled it over the wall, gave it to you as a wedding present and it's just been taking up space in your cupboard).   Before you dust it off and use it to monitor your system you'd better check that your cameras transmit using the SECAM colour format as many countries in the Eastern European Bloc didn't start making dual PAL/SECAM models until the 1980's.

However, if you're using a digital TV, you probably won't have any problems as most digital TVs these days have automatic switches which will change between one format and another.

Spy surveillance equipment is another area that could cause you a number of problems if you decided to mix and match PAL with NTSC surveillance equipment.

Itdoesn't matter if a camera is wireless or wired the same considerations come into play when you try to put an NTSC camera with a predominantly PAL system or a PAL camera with a NTSC monitor or DVR device.

Some car DVD players can also cause problems if you're using them to receive television programs.   Please note car DVD players may only receive one colour format so you need to ensure this is compatible with the country that you're operating in.

Spy surveillance cameras and car dvds are two categories were you need to get the colour format right before you buy.

However people plugging backing cameras into their car DVD players will be happy to know that, regardless of the format, any backing camera will work with any car DVD player it is plugged into, as it goes through an AV/camera in port which effectively works as a converter in its own right.

There's no need to worry about reversing cameras when it comes to PAL and NTSC rear-view cameras for car DVD players, they won't be affected by colour formats.

Points To Remember:

• Analogue TVs can be hugely affected by NTSC/PAL and should be paired with a device that works with a similar format.
• Wireless and wired spy cameras need to be paired with receivers which are the same format.
• Car DVDs which are being used to watch television will need to have a multi-zone colour format system, or operate in the same NTSC or PAL format as the country's television signal.
• A PAL reversing camera with an NTSC car DVD player will usually work

GLOSSARY

• NTSC
  The analogue video colour format used to broadcast television signals through North America, half of South America and parts of Asia.   It operates on a 60Hz power grid, displays 30 picture frames per second and 525 lines of information per picture.
   
• PAL
  The analogue video colour format used to broadcast television signals through much of Europe, Asia, Oceania, half of South America and parts of Africa.   It operates on a 50Hz power grid, displays 25 picture frames per second and ties in 625 lines of information with every frame.
   
• SECAM
  The analogue video colour format used in France, parts of Africa and much of Eastern Europe (in conjunction with PAL transmissions).
   
• Format
  The way information is arranged to allow it to be sent to, and understood by, different devices.
   
• Transmitter
  Device that sends out electronic signals to other devices (receivers). In this case a camera is an example of a transmitter.
   
• Receiver
  A device that receives and uses electronic signals from transmitters. In this case a TV is an example of a receiver.
   
• Signal
  A message sent electrically by variations of voltage current or both.
   
• Hertz (Hz)
  Hertz or cycles per second. Something that repeats a cycle once each second moves at a rate of 1 Hz.
   
• Frequency
  Frequency is the measurement of the number of occurrences of a repeated event per unit of time, it is measured in Hertz.
   
• Analogue (Analog)
  Continuously variable signals or data.
   
• Digital
  Data characters coded in discrete, separate pulses or signal levels.
   
• Rolling Screen
  The potential effect of running a PAL transmitter with a NTSC receiver.   The picture on the screen doesn't stay still and looks like it is constantly moving from the bottom of the screen to the top (or the top to the bottom depending on your perspective).
   
• Torn (Tearing) Picture
  The potential effect of grouping a PAL transmitter with a NTSC receiver.   The picture will break up in horizontal lines, effectively making the picture look like it is being torn.