Video Formats
Section Headings
In addition to the basic TV systems, there are a number of additional
hybrid formats which are to be found only in video equipment.
These are usually a hybrid signal used to provide compatibility with
video material of another TV format without a complete translation.
Many of these signals are not symetric in that they cannot be recorded
by video recorders that can play them.
Name
| Frame/Field
| Scan
| Colour
| Sub-carrier
|
Rate
| Lines
| Systems
| Freq.
|
NTSC 4.43
| 29.97/59.94
| 525
| NTSC
| 4.43MHz
|
Pseudo-PAL
| 29.97/59.94
| 525
| PAL
| 4.43MHz
|
Pseudo-NTSC
| 25/50
| 625
| NTSC
| 3.58MHz
|
For a range of reasons, some of them historical and some of them technical,
the main video formats aren't the same in each colour system.
There are actually some very dramatic differences in both the availability
and maximum running times between the main TV standards.
The table below summarises these:
Format
| Scan Lines
| Speed
| Max Playing
|
/Colour
| Time/Tape
|
VHS
| 525/NTSC
| SP
| 160 mins/T-160
|
LP
| 320 mins/T-160
|
EP
| 480 mins/T-160
|
625/PAL
| SP
| 300 mins/E-300
|
LP
| 600 mins/E-300
|
625/SECAM
| SP
| 300 mins/E-300
|
LP
| 600 mins/E-300
|
SuperVHS
| 525/NTSC
| SP
| 160 mins/ST-160
|
EP
| 480 mins/ST-160
|
625/PAL
| SP
| 240 mins/SE-240
|
LP
| 480 mins/SE-240
|
Beta
| 525/NTSC
| Beta I
| 100 mins/L-830
|
Beta II
| 200 mins/L-830
|
Beta III
| 300 mins/L-830
|
625/PAL
| N/A
| 215 mins/L-830
|
625/SECAM
| N/A
| 215 mins/L-830
|
SuperBeta
| 525/NTSC
| Beta I
| 100 mins/L-830
|
Beta II
| 200 mins/L-830
|
Beta III
| 300 mins/L-830
|
625/PAL
| N/A
| 215 mins/L-830
|
ED-Beta
| 525/NTSC
| Beta II
| 120 mins/EL-500
|
Beta III
| 180 mins/EL-500
|
Video 8
| 525/NTSC
| SP
| 120 mins/P6-120
|
LP
| 240 mins/P6-120
|
625/PAL
| SP
| 90 mins/P5-90
|
LP
| 180 mins/P5-90
|
625/SECAM
| SP
| 90 mins/P5-90
|
LP
| 180 mins/P5-90
|
Hi-8
| 525/NTSC
| SP
| 120 mins/P6-120ME
|
LP
| 240 mins/P6-120ME
|
625/PAL
| SP
| 90 mins/P5-90ME
|
LP
| 180 mins/P5-90ME
|
Video 2000
| 625/PAL
| N/A
| 480 mins/VCC-480
|
LaserDisc
| 525/NTSC
| CAV
| 30 mins per side
|
CLV
| 60 mins per side
|
625/PAL
| CAV
| 37 mins per side
|
CLV
| 72 mins per side
|
LaserVision
| 625/PAL
| CAV
| 37 mins per side
|
CLV
| 68 mins per side
|
Notes:
- SECAM SuperVHS, Hi-8 and LaserDisc are all recorded on tape/disc
as PAL signals and are converted to SECAM on playback by those machines
sold in SECAM markets.
- LaserVision (analogue sound) and LaserDisc (digital sound) are different
formats in PAL because it was not possible to retain the analogue soundtrack
when the digital audio signal was added.
Since LaserVision is now considered obsolete, not all PAL or Dual standard
LaserDisc players still support the replay of PAL analogue sound LaserVision
discs.
- Industrial, Broadcast and (completely) Obsolete formats are not shown
in the table above, although they will have existing in multiple TV system
variants.
- Video 2000 had a Long Play varient that allowed 8 hours per side of
a VCC-480 tape.
The differences between the running speed of VCRs of the same format
in different colour systems has led to some very confusing naming of
video tape lengths.
Beta is unique in having named the tape after the length rather than
it prospective running time, thus making it free of the problems that
beset other formats.
In the table below, we compare the actual lengths of some standard
tape types.
Name
| TV system
| Actual Length
| Running time
|
Own System
| Other System
|
SuperVHS/VHS
|
ST/T-120
| NTSC/525
| 250 metres
| 120 mins
| 175 mins
|
SE/E-180
| PAL/625
| 258 metres
| 180 mins
| 126 mins
|
Hi-8/Video 8
|
P6-120
| NTSC/525
| 112 metres
| 120 mins
| 90 mins
|
P5-90
| PAL/625
| 112 metres
| 90 mins
| 120 mins
|
Choose:
Building Bridges...
Broadcast Standards
Main Index.
Bevis King <B.King@ee.surrey.ac.uk>
31st October 1996