Apple Final Cut Express 4 - Manual (Page 1059)

Appendix A Video Formats 1059
XIII
About File-Based Media
Historically, video footage has been recorded on videotape. As digital acquisition
quickly replaces analog technology, camcorders are starting to record footage as files
on non-tape-based media such as hard disks, solid-state cards, and optical discs.
Today, some common file-based media formats include:
 Panasonic P2 cards (solid state)
 Sony Video Disk Unit devices (hard disk)
 Sony XDCAM and XDCAM HD (optical disc)
Video Standards
For the last 50 years, there have been two major signal types recorded on videotape:
NTSC and PAL. With the emergence of new high definition (HD) video formats, NTSC
and PAL formats are now referred to as standard definition (SD) video formats.
Standard Definition Video
=National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) is the television and video standard
used in most of the Americas, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is
the television and video standard used in most of Europe, Australia, India, Brazil, China,
and many African countries. There are several variations of both NTSC and PAL used in
different parts of the world, but these variations are not described here.
SECAM is a video standard based on PAL. It is used in France, Poland, Haiti, and
Vietnam. SECAM is strictly an analog composite video standard, so it is not used in
digital video editing. Post-production work for SECAM broadcast is usually done in PAL
and later converted to SECAM.
Note: SECAM is not supported by Final Cut Express.
SD formats almost always have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (1.33:1).
Standard Lines per frame Frame rates Scanning method
NTSC 525 29.97 fps Interlaced
PAL 625 25 fps Interlaced