Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1703)

352 Part V Appendixes
Video Standards
For the last 50 years, there have been two major signal types recorded on video
tape: NTSC and PAL. With the emergence of new, high definition video formats, NTSC
and PAL formats are now referred to as standard definition video formats.
Standard Definition Video
NTSC, or National Television Systems Committee, is the television and video standard
used in most of the Americas, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. PAL, or Phase Alternating Line, is
the television and video standard used in most of Europe, Brazil, Algeria, and China.
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 mostly a broadcast format, not a recording format, so
postproduction work is usually done in PAL and later converted to SECAM.
Note: SECAM is not supported by Final Cut Pro.
Standard definition formats have an aspect ratio of 4:3 (1.33:1).
High Definition Video
In the late 1990s, high definition video formats were standardized in the United States
by the ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee). These high definition video
formats are the next generation of broadcast and recording video formats. Unlike
standard definition formats, which are restricted to fixed frame rates and number of
lines per frame, HD video provides several options per format. While the increased
flexibility is convenient, it also makes format interchange more complicated. Simply
saying “high definition video” is not enough; you need to define the frame size, frame
rate, and scanning method of your HD format.
Standard Lines per frame Frame rates Scanning method
NTSC 525 29.97 Interlaced
PAL 625 25 Interlaced
Standard Frame size Frame rates Scanning method
720p 1280 x 720 23.98, 29.97, 59.94
24, 30, 60
25 Progressive
1080p 1920 x 1080 23.98, 29.97
24, 30
25 Progressive
1080i 1920 x 1080 25 (50i), 29.97 (59.94i),
30 (60i) Interlaced