Two major television/video formats are used around the world. The US, Canada, Japan, and Mexico all use a system called the National Television System Committee (NTSC) while most countries use a system called Phase Altering Line Format (PAL). Simply put, the main difference between the two systems is the way the signals are received and displayed on the television. The PAL format has a lower frame rate (25 frames per second) than NTSC and contains more lines of resolution (625). Therefore, the PAL format displays better resolution. However, the NTSC format is able to capture better motion on screen given that it displays 525 lines of resolution at 30 frames per second. Furthermore, NTSC receivers perform color correction manually through a tint control. If this is not adjusted correctly, the colors may be faulty. The PAL standard doesn't need to incorporate a tint control because it automatically removes color flaws through the use of phase alteration in the color signal. A full conversion between PAL and NTSC includes the transformation of the color encoding, the number of lines, and the number of frames per second. Though there are now DVD players that are capable of playing both types of video formats, in most cases a video recorded with an NTSC camcorder will not play on a PAL television set and vice-versa. This means that if one wants to share a video with someone on another continent, they must have it converted with sophisticated software designed specifically for this task.
People may attempt a conversion themselves but because the processes involved are rather time-consuming and complicated, they usually require a professional to get the job done. The most difficult task involved in converting between NTSC to PAL formats is converting the frame rate. The frame rate is what controls the flow of motion on the screen so if it is not converted correctly, all movement will be noticeably off. 30 frames per second have to be downconverted to 25 frames per second when converting from NTSC to PAL and of course the opposite process is applied when converting PAL to NTSC; 25 frames per second have to be upconverted to 30 frames per second. Basically, this is done by freezing a frame and holding it until it matches up with the other TV system. This may seem simple but is actually a very tricky task that must be carried out using a specialized converter.
Secondly, converting the lines of resolution is not simple either. 525 lines of resolution have to be upconverted to 625 lines when converting NTSC to PAL; 625 lines of resolution must be downconverted to 525 when converting PAL to NTSC. The lines of resolution are what determine the clarity, or color and detail of an image, so if they are not converted properly, the images will appear very unclear. While there is more than one technique to go about this, the most common one involves merging the lines together. Remember, PAL format has the 625-line structure and NTSC has the 525-line structure so for this reason the majority of lines in the PAL format must be condensed into one in order to correspond with the lines of the NTSC format correctly. Once one manages to complete this tedious process, the material should be successfully converted and ready to be played on the other television system!