General Information on Video and Television Formats


The first videotape  format was developed by Ampex, using a 2 inch tape, Quadruplex was released in 1956 and was still being used as late as the 1980s, the name is a result of the four heads that rotated 240 times a second. Since those times there have been many dozens of video format.

In the modern world of DVDs, Blu-ray and Digital TV the main formats to be concerned with are the broadcasting standards of PAL or NTSC and regional coding, ie the general characteristics of video. For the average person the biggest confusion regarding TV and DVD formats is to do with Regional Coding and Frame Rates or the broadcasting standards.

Regional Coding


The DVD regional format is the easier one to explain. For most low volume DVD productions the regional code is set to “0”. This means the disc will operate on a DVD player in any part of the world. The DVD regional codes are part of the digital rights management incorporated in to all DVD players and was designed to allow the major movie studios to control the release and distribution of their content. So for example a disc with a Region 1 code would only play on a dvd player sold in the USA and Canada and a Region 2 Code is for Europe as well as a number of other nations.

NTSC or PAL


Of more importance to low volume DVD production is the analogue Broadcasting standard that is required for the intended market. The frame rates for television vary around the world, depending on the broadcasting standard for that region, so for example The USA, part of South America and Japan, together with parts of Indonesia use NTSC (National Television System Committee). The basic outline of NTSC is 29.9 frames per second, 525 scan lines, 60 Hertz and an aspect ration of 4:3

For Western Europe (except France, who use SECAM), most of Africa, Australia, the Middle East and India, the broadcasting standard is PAL (Phase Alternating Line) operating on 625 scan lines and 50 hertz with a frame rate of 25 frames per second. The general basics of each is very similar, and for our part the most important consideration is where your disc is to played.

For most of the world a PAL or NTSC video format will suffice as DVD players will automatically recognise either format and the viewer will notice very little difference in the performance of the content they are viewing. However, if your product is intended for the US or Canadian market, the players available in those countries will not recognise the PAL format, so a disc specifically encoded in the NTSC standard will be required.

So the broadcasting standard is not part of the DVD Duplication process, nor for that matter is the regional coding, these are all part of the authoring process during the pre-production stage. DVD Duplication will copy exactly the entire contents of the disc, so if the master is NTSC the duplicates will also be NTSC. The same is also true for DVD Replication

NTSC or PAL? The rule of thumb is PAL for the UK and Europe and NTSC for the USA. If you expect to sell your content in the USA and your budget doesn’t stretch to producing two versions of the same title, opt for NTSC, this will work in Europe and the USA, whilst PAL will not be viewable in the USA.





Media Matters Technology Ltd, The Tack Room, Stansted Park, Rowlands Castle, Hampshire. PO9 6DX. Company Reg. No. 5013221. VAT No. 825 1544 41.