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There are a lot of TV broadcast standards in the world, but
there are only 5 video standards: NTSC, PAL, SECAM, PAL-M
and MESECAM. If you've heard of NTSC 4.43 and NTSC 3.58,
or PAL D/K, PAL I, PAL B/G and PAL-N, forget about them when we
discuss VHS formats. All these parameters should be taken into
account when we connect a VCR up to a TV set, but anyway they
are not "recorded" on a VHS.
These 5 standards could be subdivided into two incompatible
groups: one group includes NTSC and PAL-M,
and another group includes PAL, SECAM and MESECAM.
Speaking about the incompatibility, they usually mention a
frame rate difference (30 frames per second in the
first group and 25 in the second one),
but often forget about a tape speed (about 1.5 times higher
for the first group),
while it's the main reason of the incompatibility.
If you try to play a VHS on a VCR from the other group, you'll see nothing.
If you play a VHS on an other standard VCR, but being of the same group,
the picture will be black and white in most cases,
but at least it'll be sharp and watchable.
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So, people from countries marked
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pink
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should buy
NTSC videos,
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while those from countries
marked
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blue
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should buy PAL videos.
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If you've got a multi-system VCR and TV set, you could watch both NTSC
and PAL videos.
It's just a brief introduction in video standards. If you want to re-record
videos for sale or trade, you should learn more about the subject.
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Afghanistan | SECAM / PAL | |
Albania | PAL | |
Algeria | PAL | |
Andorra | PAL | |
Angola | PAL | |
Argentina | PAL-N | |
Armenia | SECAM  | |
Aruba | NTSC | |
Austrailia | PAL | |
Austria | PAL | |
Azerbaijan | SECAM | |
Azores | PAL | |
Bahamas | NTSC | |
Bahrain | PAL | |
Bangladesh | PAL | |
Barbados | NTSC | |
Belgium | PAL | |
Belize | NTSC | |
Benin | SECAM | |
Bermuda Island | NTSC | |
Boliva | NTSC | |
Bosnia | PAL | |
Botswana | PAL | |
Brazil | PAL-M  | |
Brunei | PAL | |
Bulgaria | SECAM | |
Burkina Faso | SECAM | |
Burma | NTSC | |
Burundi | SECAM | |
Byelarus | SECAM | |
Cambodia | NTSC | |
Cameroon | PAL | |
Canada | NTSC | |
Canary Island | PAL | |
Cayman Island | NTSC | |
Central African Republic | SECAM | |
Chad | SECAM | |
Chile | NTSC | |
China | PAL | |
Columbia | NTSC | |
Congo | SECAM | |
Costa Rica | NTSC | |
Crete | PAL | |
Croatia | PAL | |
Cuba | NTSC | |
Cyprus | PAL | |
Czech Republic | PAL | |
Denmark | PAL | |
Djibouti | SECAM | |
Dominica | NTSC | |
Ecuador | NTSC | |
Egypt | PAL | |
El Salvador | NTSC | |
Equatorial Guinea | PAL | |
Estonia | SECAM / PAL | |
Ethiopia | PAL | |
Falkland Islands | PAL | |
Fiji | PAL | |
Finland | PAL | |
France | SECAM | |
Gabon | SECAM | |
Gambia | PAL | |
Georgia | SECAM | |
Germany | PAL | |
Ghana | PAL | |
Gilbraltar | PAL | |
Greece | SECAM / PAL | |
Greenland | PAL | |
Grenada | NTSC | |
Guadeloupe | SECAM | |
Guam | NTSC | |
Guatemala | NTSC | |
Guinea | PAL | |
Guyana (French) | SECAM | |
Guyana | NTSC | |
Haiti | NTSC | |
Honduras | NTSC | |
Hong Kong | PAL | |
Hungary | PAL | |
Iceland | PAL | |
India | PAL | |
Indonesia | PAL | |
Iran | SECAM | |
Iraq | SECAM | |
Ireland | PAL | |
Israel | PAL | |
Italy | PAL | |
Ivory Coast | SECAM | |
Jamaica | NTSC | |
Japan | NTSC | |
Jordan | PAL | |
Kazakhstan | SECAM | |
Kenya | PAL | |
Korea (North) | SECAM | |
Korea (South) | NTSC | |
Kuwait | PAL | |
Kyrgyzstan | SECAM | |
Laos | PAL | |
Latvia | SECAM / PAL | |
Lebanon | SECAM | |
Lesotho | PAL | |
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Liberia | PAL | |
Libya | SECAM | |
Lithuania | SECAM / PAL | |
Luxembourg | SECAM / PAL | |
Macao | PAL | |
Macedonia | PAL | |
Madagascar | SECAM | |
Madeira | PAL | |
Malawi | PAL | |
Malaysia | PAL | |
Maldives | PAL | |
Mali | SECAM | |
Malta | PAL | |
Martinique | SECAM | |
Mauritania | SECAM | |
Mauritius | SECAM | |
Mexico | NTSC | |
Moldava | SECAM | |
Monaco | SECAM / PAL | |
Mongolia | SECAM | |
Montserrat | NTSC | |
Morocco | SECAM | |
Mozambique | PAL | |
Myanmar | NTSC | |
Namibia | PAL | |
Nepal | PAL | |
Netherlands | PAL | |
New Caledonia | SECAM | |
New Zealand | PAL | |
Nicaragua | NTSC | |
Niger | SECAM | |
Nigeria | PAL | |
Norfolk Island | PAL | |
Norway | PAL | |
Okinawa | NTSC | |
Oman | PAL | |
Pakistan | PAL | |
Panama | NTSC | |
Papua New Guinea | PAL | |
Paraguay | PAL-N | |
Peru | NTSC | |
Philippines | NTSC | |
Poland | SECAM / PAL | |
Polynesia (French) | SECAM | |
Portugal | PAL | |
Puerto Rico | NTSC | |
Qatar | PAL | |
Reunion | SECAM | |
Romania | PAL | |
Russia | SECAM | |
São Tome | PAL | |
Saudi Arabia | SECAM / PAL | |
Senegal | SECAM | |
Seychelles Island | PAL | |
Sierra Leone | PAL | |
Singapore | PAL | |
Slovakia | SECAM / PAL | |
Slovenia | PAL | |
Somalia | PAL | |
South Africa | PAL | |
Spain | PAL | |
Sri Lanka | PAL | |
St. Grenadines | NTSC | |
St. Lucia | NTSC | |
St. Marino | PAL | |
St. Vincent | NTSC | |
Sudan | PAL | |
Surinam | NTSC | |
Swaziland | PAL | |
Sweden | PAL | |
Switzerland | PAL | |
Syria | SECAM | |
Tahiti | SECAM | |
Taiwan | NTSC | |
Tajikistan | SECAM | |
Tanzania | PAL | |
Thailand | PAL | |
Togo | SECAM | |
Tonga | NTSC | |
Trinadad / Tabago | NTSC | |
Tunisia | SECAM | |
Turkey | PAL | |
Turkmenistan | SECAM | |
Uganda | PAL | |
Ukraine | SECAM | |
United Arab Emirates | PAL | |
United Kingdom | PAL | |
United States Of America | NTSC | |
Uruguay | PAL-N | |
Uzbekistan | SECAM | |
Venezuela | NTSC | |
Vietnam | PAL | |
Virgin Ilnd (Amer.) | NTSC | |
Virgin Ilnd (Brit.) | NTSC | |
Yemen | PAL | |
Yugoslavia | PAL | |
Zaire | SECAM | |
Zambia | PAL | |
Zanzibar | PAL | |
Zimbabwe | PAL | |
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