Key Points:

• If you are going to set up a surveillance system, NTSC/PAL cameras/receivers will work anywhere… as long as they are paired with cameras/receivers that use the same format(NTSC/PAL).

• But you can not put a NTSC camera with a PAL receiver, and vice versa.

• If you’re trying to pick up TV signals on a car DVD player or TV set which operates on a different color format with your country’s format, then it won’t work.

• Some product has PAL / NTSC auto switching:  Most digital TVs, Some Car DVD Player…

• PAL and NTSC rear-view cameras for car DVD players are not affected by color formats. Usually a NTSC reversing camera with a PAL car DVD player will work.

What’s the Difference Between NTSC and PAL?

If you’ve ever tried to watch a video from Europe on your American TV, you may have found that the images are scrambled and the sound quality is very poor. This is caused by differing broadcast formats used around the world. Basically, unless the same format is being used between two mediums, such as between a camcorder and a television, the result will be unwatchable. Therefore, it’s important to match up the corresponding formats when you are purchasing a movie or video device, such as car dvd players, digital camcorders, or IP cameras.

The format used by the United States is called NTSC, or National Television Standards Committee, while Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia use PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line.

Below you will find a diagram showing which format is accepted throughout the world.

Difference Between PAL and NTSC
It may be difficult for most people to notice the difference between NTSC and PAL, here are the technical details of each respective format:
-PAL televisions produce 25 frames per second while those of NTSC produce 30 frames per second.
-PAL signal is sent out at 50 fields per second while NTSC is at 60 fields per second.
-PAL has better picture resolution than NTSC

What’s the Point of Having Different Broadcast Formats?

The reason for the difference in broadcasting formats is due to the electrical power systems used in their respective countries. Power stations in the United States generate power at 60Hz, so for technical reasons it is necessary to send out the television signal at 60 fields per second, which to the human eye appear to be 30 full frames per second.

Since Europe uses a 50Hz power supply, the PAL signal is sent out at 50 fields per second, or 25 alternating lines. When NTSC video is converted to PAL, 5 frames are added per second. Likewise, when PAL media is to be made playable, 5 frames per second must be removed, or else the motion will appear too slow.

And if things weren’t complicated enough, there is one more format: SECAM, (Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire or Sequential Colour with Memory), which was implemented as a PAL alternative by France. Due to Cold War machinations, it was later adopted by East Germany.

The main cause for the incompatibility between formats is difference in electrical power systems used. The power grids of the United States operate at a frequency of 60Hz, whereas in Europe, their power frequency is 50Hz. The new color codes (PAL and SECAM) were created not only to fix the frequency issue, but they also addressed a flaw in the NTSC design: in areas with weak signal transmissions, the hue of the image was adversely affected. Thanks to this fix, television viewers in PAL and SECAM zones do not suffer this issue.

List of Countries and Their Supported Formats
For a more precise list of countries and their specific formats, please check the table below to read about each country’s specific format: