NTSC

National Television System Committee

The analog television color system introduced in North America, parts of South America, and some other countries. The committee was established in 1941 and introduced the NTSC standard in 1953 to manage color television broadcasting in the United States.

The NTSC standard delivers video at a resolution of 525 lines at a rate of 29.97 frames per second (although it’s often approximated to 30 frames per second). This frame rate was chosen to be compatible with the 60 Hz power supply frequency used in the United States, which reduced the incidence of electrical interference.

One of the limitations of NTSC is its susceptibility to color phase errors, potentially leading to color distortions in the transmitted picture. However, it was the first widely adopted standard that allowed for color television broadcasting, setting the groundwork for future developments in video technology.

With the transition to digital broadcasting, most regions have phased out NTSC. Nonetheless, NTSC is often used to describe the video timing and resolution standards associated with the original analog system, even in digital video production, DVD and Blu-ray disc labeling, and video game console outputs.