What is PAL? The video format explained
PAL is a video format standard used in countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.
You may not think about how the TV shows and movies we watch are formatted, but you think a lot about how a video will be presented because it can impact quality.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about PAL color coding technology.
In this section:
What is PAL?
PAL stands for Phase Alternate Line, developed in the 1960s by Walter Bruch at Telefunken AG in Germany and created with the aim of providing a color television standard for Europe at a time when color televisions were emerging on the market.
Since its release, it has become popular in Europe but can also be found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Australia.
The format is a color coding system for analog television, its two main rivals being NTSC and SECAM. Since PAL is analogue, this means that streaming services such as Netflix do not use the technology, although the color standard is still available with broadcast television. PAL also survives with physical media, with DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray players.
How does PAL work?
PAL has a refresh rate of 25 per second, which means the screen refreshes 25 times per second, creating a smooth transition from frame to frame for viewers.
The image for PAL-format video consists of 625 interlaced lines, of which 576 lines carry a visible image. This method was adopted to increase the vertical resolution in the PAL format and to reduce video flicker while maintaining smooth motion that is realistic and pleasing to the naked eye.
625 lines is also used in the SECAM analog color system.
Is PAL still used today?
PAL remains in use in regions where it has become popular, and still dictates how many analog TVs present their picture.
Since OTT (over-the-top) services stream content over broadband and not through analog tuners, they aren't as popular as they used to be. However, if you watch a broadcast channel despite the fact that many digital televisions are capable of breaking the limitations presented by the format.
