The National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) established broadcast quality and equipment standards in the US in 1953, which remained constant through the 20th century. The guidelines are not compatible with computer imaging but will become obsolete with the transition to digital broadcasting.
The National Television Standards Committee or NTSC is an organization that was formed in the United States during the early years of television broadcasting. The main function of the organization was to define the standards that would apply to broadcast quality and the equipment that would be capable of receiving the broadcast. The work of the National Television Standards Committee parallels the efforts of other similar organizations around the world, most notably the Phase Alternation Line (PAL) and the Sequential Couleur avec Memoire, or SECAM.
Originally formed in 1953, the original standards for television broadcasting remained more or less constant through the rest of the 20th century. The transmission protocol set up during this period was adaptable enough to handle the advent of color television broadcasting as it became increasingly common during the 1920s and eventually replaced black-and-white broadcasting. The basic protocols still held up as cable television became an increasingly common service during the 1960s and beyond. Currently, those same standards still set the blueprint for any type of analog broadcast signal from any television station and tower.
Essentially, the National Television Standards Committee has established a minimum of 525 horizontal lines per full screen image. The lines are scanned from top to bottom and left to right alternately. Essentially, the process requires two full scans to fully resolve the image projection. This double scan is known as interlacing and is completed in a fraction of a second. For the viewer, this resolution process provides continuous images that provide a clear picture.
The guidelines put in place by the National Television Standards Committee work very well with broadcast television, but are not compatible with computer imaging. This means that conversion equipment is required to convert the standard television signal into a digital signal that will work well with computer generated video. The reason for the discrepancy is that the traditional television receiver has a lower resolution rate than a computer monitor. However, with the complete transition to digital broadcasting in the United States in the near future, this discrepancy will cease to be an issue in many situations and will render the original guidelines developed by the National Television Standards Committee obsolete.
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