International HD Standards

Not the same as in the U.S.

You thought that with the advent of HD the ages old NTSC vs. PAL duel was put behind us? Tough luck. Different regions of the world have adopted varying frame size and frame rate standards.

In U.S. alone two standards have been adopted by broadcasters – 1080 59.94i and 720 59.94p. Several more standards are available for acquisition only.

E.U. countries have adopted 1080 50i and 1080 25p standards. Some countries are still in process of selecting a standard.

The multitude of frame rates in use around the world is a part of SD television legacy. If everyone used the same frame rate the standard conversion process would be as simple as reducing or enlarging frame size which is a straightforward process. Unfortunately, the existence of multiple frame rates makes it important to consider overseas delivery ahead of time. Certain types of HD crossconversions will look great while others may suffer from same artifacts that plague SD standard conversions.