World-Wide T.V. Standards

by | Apr 8, 2009 | Articles, video technology | 1 comment

Not all television sets in the world are equal. Different countries use one of the three main video standards – PAL, NTSC or SECAM. This means that a videotape or DVD from a PAL country will not play in a VCR or DVD player in a country that uses the NTSC standard. To look up a country, click the letter below or use the Edit/Find function of your browser.

This list is continually updated, but due to political changes many countries have changed from SECAM to PAL. Send comments. We suggest that you check with a video person in a particular country to check on their prevailing standard. We can convert your videos so they can be viewed in the U.S.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

A
Country System Color Stereo
Abu Dhabi B,G PAL –
Afghanistan B,D PAL & SECAM –
Albania B,G PAL –
Algeria B PAL –
Andorra B PAL –
Angola I PAL –
Antartica M NTSC –
Antigua M NTSC –
Antiles M NTSC –
Argentina N PAL –
Aryenuna N PAL –
Armenia D,K SECAM –
Aruba M NTSC –
Ascension Is. I PAL –
Australia B PAL Zweiton B/G
Austria B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Azerbaijan D,K PAL –
Azores B PAL –
Azores (US Forces) M NTSC –

B
Country System Color Stereo
Bahamas M NTSC –
Bahrain B,G PAL –
Bangladesh B PAL –
Barbados N NTSC –
Belarus D,K SECAM –
Belgium B,H PAL Nicam B/G
Belize M NTSC –
Benin K SECAM –
Bermuda M NTSC –
Bhutan B PAL –
Bolivia N NTSC –
Bosnia B,G PAL –
Botswana I PAL –
Brazil M PAL BTSC
Brunei B PAL –
Bulgaria D SECAM –
Burkina Faso K1 D/K B/G SECAM, PAL –
Burma M NTSC –
Burundi K1 SECAM –

C
Country System Color Stereo
Cameroon B PAL –
Canada M NTSC BTSC
Canary Is. B PAL Nicam B/G
Cape Verde B,G PAL –
Cayman Is. M NTSC –
Central African Rep. K1 SECAM –
Chad K1 SECAM –
Chile M NTSC –
China D PAL Zweiton D
Colombia M NTSC –
Comoros K1 SECAM –
Congo D SECAM –
Costa Rica M NTSC –
Crete B,G PAL –
Croatia B,G PAL –
Cuba M NTSC –
Curacao M NTSC –
Cyprus B,G SECAM –
Cyprus (Turkish) B,G PAL –
Czech Republic B,G PAL –

D
Country System Color Stereo
Dahomey K1 SECAM –
Denmark B,G PAL Nicam B/G
Diego Garcia M NTSC –
Djibuti K1 SECAM –
Dominica M NTSC –
Dominican Rep. M NTSC –
Dubai B,G PAL –

E
Country System Color Stereo
Ecuador M NTSC –
Egypt B SECAM –
El Salvador M NTSC –
Equatorial Guinea B PAL –
Estonia B, G PAL –
Ethiopia B PAL –

F
Country System Color Stereo
Falkland Is. I PAL –
Faroe Is. B,G PAL –
Fernando Po B PAL –
Fiji B PAL –
Finland B PAL Nicam B/G
France L SECAM Nicam L
French Polynesia Kl SECAM –

G
Country System Color Stereo
Gabon K1 SECAM –
Gambia B PAL –
Georgia D,K SECAM –
Germany B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Germany (US Forces) M NTSC –
Ghana B PAL –
Gibraltar B PAL –
Greece B PAL –
Greenland B PAL –
Greenland (US Forces) M NTSC –
Grenada M NTSC –
Guadeloupe K1 SECAM –
Guam M NTSC –
Guatamala M NTSC –
Guinea (Bissau) I PAL –
Guinea (Rep.) K1 SECAM –
Guyana (French) K1 SECAM –
Guyana (Rep.) B,G SECAM –

H
Country System Color Stereo
Haiti M NTSC –
Hawaii M NTSC BTSC
Honduras M NTSC –
Hong Kong I PAL Nicam I
Hungary B,G PAL –

I
Country System Color Stereo
Iceland B,G PAL –
India B,G PAL –
Indonesia B PAL –
Iran B,G PAL –
Iraq B SECAM –
Ireland I PAL –
Israel B,G PAL –
Italy B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Ivory Coast K1 SECAM –

J
Country System Color Stereo
Jamaica M NTSC –
Japan M NTSC EIAJ
Johnston Is. M NTSC –
Jordan B,G PAL –

K
Country System Color Stereo
Kampuchea B,G PAL –
Kazakhstan D,K SECAM –
Kenya B,G PAL –
Korea – North D SECAM –
Korea – South M NTSC Zweiton M
Kuwait B,G PAL –
Kyrgystan D,K SECAM –

L
Country System Color Stereo
Laos B PAL –
Latvia D,K PAL –
Lebanon B SECAM –
Leeward Islands M NTSC –
Lesotho I PAL –
Liberia B,H PAL –
Libya B,G SECAM –
Lithuania D,K PAL –
Liechtenstein B,G PAL –
Luxembourg B,G,L PAL & SECAM –

M
Country System Color Stereo
Macao I PAL –
Macedonia B,G PAL –
Madagascar K1 SECAM –
Madeira B PAL –
Malawi B,G PAL –
Malaysia B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Maldives B PAL –
Mali K1 SECAM –
Malta B,G PAL –
Marshall Is. M NTSC –
Martinique K1 SECAM –
Mauritania B SECAM –
Mauritius B SECAM –
Mayotte K1 SECAM –
Mexico M NTSC BTSC
Micronesia M NTSC –
Midway Is. M NTSC –
Moldova D,K SECAM –
Monaco G,L PAL & SECAM –
Mongolia D SECAM –
Montenegro B,G PAL –
Montserrat M NTSC –
Morocco B,H SECAM –
Mozambique B PAL –
Myanmar M NTSC –

N
Country System Color Stereo
Namibia I PAL –
Nepal B PAL –
Netherlands B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
New Caledonia K1 SECAM –
New Zealand G PAL Nicam B/G
Nicaragua M NTSC –
Niger K1 PAL –
Nigeria B PAL –
Norfolk Is. B PAL –
Northern Marina Is. M NTSC –
Norway B,G PAL Nicam B/G

O
Country System Color Stereo
Okinawa M NTSC FM/FM
Oman B,G PAL –

P
Country System Color Stereo
Pakistan B PAL –
Palau M NTSC –
Panama M NTSC –
Papua New Guinea B,G PAL –
Paraguay N PAL –
Peru M NTSC –
Philippines M NTSC –
Poland D,K PAL –
Polynesia K1 SECAM –
Portugal B,G PAL –
Puerto Rica M NTSC –

Q
Country System Color Stereo
Qatar B PAL –

R
Country System Color Stereo
Reunion K SECAM –
Romania D,K PAL –
Russia D,K SECAM –
Rwanda D,K PAL & SECAM –

S
Country System Color Stereo
Saba and Sarawak B PAL Zweiton D
Samoa (Eastern) M NTSC –
Samoa (Western) B PAL –
San Marino B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Sao Tome B,G PAL –
Saudi Arabia B,G PAL & SECAM –
Senegal K1 SECAM –
Serbia B,G PAL –
Seychelles B PAL –
Sierra Leone B,G PAL –
Singapore B,G PAL Nicam B/G
Slovakia B,D,K PAL & SECAM –
Slovenia B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Society Islands K1 SECAM –
Somalia B,G PAL –
South Africa I PAL Nicam I
Spain B,G PAL Nicam B/G
Sri Lanka B,G PAL –
St. Grenadine M NTSC –
St. Lucia M NTSC –
St. Pierre Miquelon K1 SECAM –
St. Vincent M NTSC –
St. Kitts M NTSC –
Sudan B PAL –
Surinam M NTSC –
Swaziland B,G PAL –
Sweden B,G PAL Nicam B/G
Switzerland B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Syria B PAL –

T
Country System Color Stereo
Tahiti K1 SECAM –
Taiwan M NTSC BTSC
Tajikistan D,K SECAM –
Tanzania B PAL –
Thailand B,G PAL –
Tibet D PAL –
Togo K1 SECAM –
Tonga M NTSC –
Trinidad and Tobago M NTSC –
Tunisia B SECAM –
Turkey B,G PAL –
Turkmenistan D,K SECAM –

U
Country System Color Stereo
Uganda B,G PAL –
United Kingdom I PAL Nicam I
Ukraine D,K SECAM –
United Arab Emirates B,G PAL –
Uruguay N PAL –
United States of America M NTSC BTSC
Uzbekistan D,K SECAM –

V
Country System Color Stereo
Vatican B,G PAL Zweiton B/G
Venezuela M NTSC –
Vietnam D,K PAL –
Virgin Islands M NTSC –

Y
Country System Color Stereo
Yemen B PAL –

Z
Country System Color Stereo
Zaire K SECAM –
Zambia B,G PAL –
Zanzibar I PAL –
Zimbabwe B,G PAL –

System Lines Channel Vision Sound Vision Sound Zweiton Nicam
B 625 7MHz 5MHz +5.5MHz -VE FM +5.742MHZ +5.85MHZ
D 625 8MHz 6MHz +6.5MHz -VE FM +6.742MHZ –
G,H 625 8MHz 5MHz +5.5MHz -VE FM +5.742MHz +5.85MHz
I 625 8MHz 5.5MHz +6.0MHz -VE FM – +6.552MHz
K,K1 625 8MHz 6MHz +6.5MHz -VE FM – –
L 625 8MHz 6MHz +6.5MHz +VE AM – +5.85MHz
M 525 6MHz 4.2MHz +4.5MHz -VE FM +4.72MHz –
N 625 6MHz 4.2MHz +4.5MHz -VE FM – –

MTS Stereo single sound carrier modulated with fm/am multiplex

FM/FM single sound carrier modulated with fm/fm multiplex

Zweiton B,G,D,Main carrier is modulated with (L+R)/2 or A. The second carrier with R or B

Zweiton M Main carrier is modulated with (L+R) or A. The second carrier with L-R or B

Nicam Stereo Main carrier is modulated with mono sound or A. The second (digitally modulated carrier) with L and R or A and B

1 Comment

  1. Teme Neho
    Teme Neho on July 10, 2011 at 8:51 am

    Upper Volta is now Burkina Faso

    TV systems are:

    – SECAM K1 on VHF band III

    – SECAM D/K & PAL B/G on UHF band

    ***
    Thanks Temo. I corrected the listing. The former Upper Volta has been removed.

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