English NTSC TV's.

[dtvmcdonald]

Originally Posted by ceebee23

Having seen PAL and NTSC in their real world forms OTA and on analogue cable...let's not over state the problems of either.

Far greater difference in quality with the two systems lies in the 525/60 625/50 standards.

From a viewer perspective .. 625 line (ie 576i) makes for a noticeably sharper image.
.

Did you guys in the NTSC world with tube sets suffer phase errors when you still had analog broadcasts? Real world test ... not lab stuff.

The main difference I saw in NTSC/PAL (50HZ) in old sets
(pre LCD or plasma non-sweep, light always on) was the horrendous
flicker at 50Hz, making it virtually unwatchable at respectable brightness.

I never noticed color problems with NTSC on live material. I saw
it only on material from very cheapie film chains. This dates
all the way back to 1954. I got my own set (actually a college
TV room set, but I ran it) in 1962. It never suffered color
problems after I put a locking pot on the hue control.

I have an RCA CT-100 from 1954, restored this summer. I have it actually
"calibrated" to match my modern calibrated flat screen. Colors
are not absolutely identical on all material, but are on most.
The difference could be corrected by adding two more color
adjustment pots, as it depends on 10% resistors in the color matrix,
and its so close I have not bothered. 10% error is easily visible,
my errors are in the 5-10% range
This, of course, is with modern source material. Looking at
very old prerecorded VHS tapes it looks ... excellent,
without adjustment. Just not absolutely perfect. I looked
at two 40 minute long slide shows I made of two recent vacations
I took on the CT-100 and they had perfect color.

PAL was a solution to a non-problem. The solution to the REAL
problem (50 Hz flicker) was the light-always-on LCD or plasma set.
Incidentally, phase alternation was not invented by the Germans,
but was developed in about 1951 by RCA and Hazeltine. I have
seen the "CPA" (color phase alternation) prototype (which is
PAF, phase alternating field, though RCA also tried PAL) working and
it does work OK. Nobody noticed interfield flicker.