Television Standards - I.A.Recordings

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World TV

World TV Standards
PAL is the 625-line (50 Hertz, 625/50) colour TV system used in the UK, most of Europe, and Australia & New Zealand.

NTSC is the 525-line (60 Hertz, 525/60) system used in North America and Japan.

France and Russia use the SECAM (50 Hertz, 625/50) system, but are normally able to view PAL tapes & DVDs.

We supply all titles in PAL or NTSC at the same price. Please specify which you require on the order form, otherwise we will make an assumption based on your address!

Note
If your country uses NTSC but you have a multi-standard DVD or VHS player and TV, so that you can play PAL DVDs or tapes; we suggest that you always order PAL copies, as the picture quality will be slightly better!

TV Standards we use
All our DVDs and tapes are available in 'PAL'* and 'NTSC'*.

Some 'NTSC' DVD players will play 'PAL' discs.
All computer DVD drives and software should play both 'PAL' and 'NTSC' DVDs equally well. (Since all ours are 'region 0', any region allocation restriction you may have, won't be affected.)

We do not produce SECAM versions, but all SECAM DVD players will play 'PAL' discs and most SECAM VHS players will play PAL tapes.

Country Standards
If you are not sure what TV system your country uses, have a look at the list below. If your country isn't listed, the information was not available to us.

Most 625/50 countries are PAL and most 525/60 countries are NTSC.

List of Countries and their TV Systems

Afghanistan -625/50 -PAL
Abu Dhabi -625/50 -PAL
Alaska -525/50 -NTSC
Albania -625/50 -SECAM(H)
Algeria -625/50 -PAL
Andorra -625/50 -(PAL)
Angola -625/50-
Antigua &Barbuda -525/60 -NTSC
Antilles -525/60 -NTSC
Argentina -625/50 -PAL
Australia -625/50 -PAL
Austria -625/50 -PAL
Azores -625/50 -PAL
--
Bahamas -525/60 -NTSC
Bahrain -625/50 -PAL
Bangladesh -625/50-PAL
Barbados -525/60 -NTSC
Belgium -625/50 -PAL
Benin - SECAM
Bermuda -525/60 -NTSC
Bolivia -525/60 -NTSC
Botswana -625/60 -PAL
Brazil -525/60 -PAL(M)
Brunei -625/50 -PAL
Bulgaria -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Burma (Myanmar) -525/60 -NTSC
Burundi - SECAM
--
Cambodia - PAL
Cameroon - PAL
Canada -525/60 -NTSC
Canary Islands -625/50 -PAL
Cayman Islands-525/60 -(NTSC)
Central African Republic - SECAM
Chad - SECAM
Chile -525/60 -NTSC
China -625/50 -PAL
Columbia -525/60 -NTSC
Congo -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Costa Rica -525/60 -NTSC
Cuba -525/60 -NTSC
Curacao &Aruba -525/60 -NTSC
Cyprus -625/50 -PAL/SECAM
Czech Republic -625/50 -SECAM(V)
--
Dahomey - SECAM
Denmark -625/50 -PAL
Diego Garcia -525/60 -NTSC
Djibouti -625/50 -SECAM
Dominica - NTSC
Dominican Republic -525/60 -NTSC
Dubai -625/50 -PAL
--
Ecuador -525/60 -NTSC
Egypt -625/50 -SECAM
EI Salvador -525/60 -NTSC
Ethiopia - PAL
--
Falkland Islands - PAL
Fernando Po - PAL
Fiji - PAL
Finland-625/50 -PAL
France-625/50 -SECAM(V)
--
Gabon -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Germany (East) -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Germany (West) -625/50 -PAL
Ghana -625/50 -PAL
Gibraltar -625/50 -PAL
Greece -625/50 -SECAM(H)
Greenland -525/60 -NTSC
Guadeloupe -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Guam -525/60 -NTSC
Guatemala -525/60 -NTSC
Guinea Republic - PAL
Guyana French -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Guyana Republic - NTSC
--
Haiti -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Hawaii -525/60 -NTSC
Honduras - NTSC
Hong Kong -625/50 -PAL
Hungary -625/50 -SECAM(V)
--
Iceland -625/50 -PAL
India -625/50 -PAL
Indonesia -625/50 -PAL
Iran -625/50 -SECAM/PAL
Iraq -625/50 -SECAM(H)
Ireland -625/50 -PAL
Israel -625/50 -PAL
Italy -625/50 -PAL
Ivory Coast -625/50 -SECAM(V)
--
Jamaica - NTSC
Japan -525/60 -NTSC
Jibuti -625/50 -SECAM
Johnston Island-525/60 -NTSC
Jordan -625/50 -PAL
--
Kampuchea - PAL
Kenya -625/50 -PAL
Korea (North) -625/50 -SECAM -or- 525/60 -NTSC
Korea (South) -525/60 -NTSC
Kuwait -625/50 -PAL
--
Lebanon-625/50 -SECAM(V)
Leeward Islands - NTSC
Lesotho - PAL
Liberia -625/50 -PAL
Libya -625/50 -PAL
Liechtenstein - PAL
Luxembourg -625/50 -PAL/SECAM

Macau - PAL
Madagascar -625/50 -PAL
Madeira -625/50 -PAL
Malawi - PAL
Malaysia -625/50 -PAL
Maldives -625/50 -PAL
Mali - SECAM
Malta -625/50 -PAL
Martinique -625/50 -SECAM
Mauritania - SECAM
Mauritius -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Mexico -525/60 -NTSC
Micronesia -525/60 -NTSC
Midway Island -525/60 -NTSC
Monaco -625/50 -SECAM/PAL
Mongolia -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Montserrat - NTSC
Morocco -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Mozambique -625/50 -PAL
Myanmar (Burma) -525/60 -NTSC
--
Namibia -625/50 -PAL
Nepal - PAL
Netherlands -625/50 -PAL
New Caledonia -625/50 -SECAM(V)
New Zealand -625/50 -PAL
Nicaragua -525/60 -NTSC
Niger - SECAM
Nigeria -625/50 -PAL
Norway -625/50 -PAL
--
Okinawa -525/60 -NTSC
Oman -625/50 -PAL
--
Pakistan -625/50 -PAL
Panama -525/60 -NTSC
Papua New Guinea - PAL
Paraguay -625/50 -PAL(M)
Peru -525/60 -NTSC
Philippines -525/60 -NTSC
Poland -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Portugal -625/50 -PAL
Puerto Rico -525/60 -NTSC
--
Qatar -625/50 -PAL
--
Reunion -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Rumania -625/50 -SECAM
Russia -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Rwanda - SECAM
--
Subah & Sarawak -625/50 -PAL
Samoa Eastern -525/60 -NTSC
San Marino -(625/50) -(PAL)
Saudi Arabia -625/50 -SECAM(H)
Senegal -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Seychelles - PAL
Sierra Leone -625/50 -PAL
Singapore -625/50 -PAL
Slovakia -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Somalia - PAL
South Africa -625/50 -PAL
Spain -625/50 -PAL
Sri Lanka -625/50 -PAL
St Kitts -525/60 -NTSC
St Pierre et Miquelon-625/50 -SECAM(V)
Sudan -625/50 -PAL
Surinam -525/60 -NTSC
Swaziland -625/50 -PAL
Sweden -625/50 -PAL
Switzerland -625/50 -PAL
Syria -625/50 -SECAM(H)
--
Tahiti -625/50 -SECAM(H)
Taiwan -525/60 -NTSC
Tanzania -625/50 -PAL
Thailand -625/50 -PAL
Tibet - PAL
Togo -S25/50 -SECAM
Trinidad &Tobago -525/60 -NTSC
Trust Islands -525/60 -NTSC
Tunisia -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Turkey -625/50 -PAL
--
Uganda -625/50 -PAL
United Arab Emirates -625/50 -PAL
United Kingdom -625/50 -PAL
Upper Volta - SECAM
Uruguay -625/50 -PAL(M)
United States -525/60 -NTSC
--
Vatican -(625/50) -(PAL)
Venezuela -525/60 -NTSC
Vietnam - NTSC
Virgin Islands -525/60 -NTSC
--
Yemen Arab Republic -625/50 -PAL
Yemen Democratic Republic-625/50 -PAL
Yugoslavia -625/50 -PAL
--
Zaire -625/50 -SECAM(V)
Zambia -625/50 -PAL
Zimbabwe - PAL

E&OE

* Strictly speaking, a DVD isn't 'PAL' or 'NTSC', as those terms specify colour coding methods; but most people use 'PAL' as a shorthand for 625/50 and 'NTSC' as a shorthand for 525/60.

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