Alan Dowley wrote:
In both NTSC and PAL &SECAM. The number refers to the total number of horizontal lines per frame, including the superblack sync bar. For NTSC, that number is 525 and it's 625 for PAL & SECAM. NTSC has had 525 lines, since before WW2. These numbers predate personal computers by many years. Also, NTSC is 60 fields/second or 30 frams/sec. PAL & SECAM are 50 fields and 25 frames.
So when is the US going to catch up with European technology. We moved from 405 to 625 many years ago.
The analog system is supposed to be gone in a few years. Also, that 525 line system dates back to ~1940, with colour added in the mid '50s. The 625 lines systems didn't come in until the '60s and could take advantage of the lessons learned with NTSC.