Re: [CH] Why different formats?
=Mark (mstevens@exit109.com)
Wed, 26 Mar 2003 14:46:43 -0500
Actually the NTSC/PAL issue is not due to VCR technology. NTSC and PAL are
television transmission protocols. NTSC and PAL determine how a given TV
receiver processes incoming video data in much the same way that IBM and
Apple operating systems differ in how they process computer data. It is
true that the PAL format is superior to the older NTSC format that began in
the US in the 1940s.
We've turned the tables though! While the then superior Asian and a few
European electronics companies were working feverishly in the 80s & 90s to
perfect an HDTV system that was analog based, the fact that US companies
entered the fray late meant that they were able to base their system on
digital technology. Sometimes procrastination can pay... :-)
At 11:02 AM 3/26/2003 -0800, Brent Thompson wrote:
>In contrast, the VHS issue is purely technological, I believe. I have been
>told that NTSC is inferior to PAL -- significantly lower video quality. I
>suppose NTSC was the first type of VHS available, when VHS use was ramping
>up in USA, when it was dueling with Betamax, so it got the large installed
>base, so it continues to predominate in USA. Maybe VHS usage in Europe
>began growing somewhat later, and by then PAL had been developed, and it
>would be reasonable for the superior solution to be more popular, so it
>predominated there. Presumably ditto for the 2-3 other formats in use in
>different regions around the world, not that I know the intro dates of any
>of these formats nor merits, either, aside from NTSC/PAL comparison
>mentioned above.
>
> --- Brent