PAL and NTSC | Less important with the arrival of HD

PAL and NTSC are the two most commonly-used broadcast formats around the world. PAL is used in the UK, NTSC in the US. Digital cameras and camcorders need to produce the right output for the TV they're connected to. The distinction between PAL and NTSC is likely to become less relevant, though, as digital and high-definition broadcasting take over from conventional analogue transmissions – PAL and NTSC are old fashioned 'standard def' technologies.

It's not just broadcast TV which will be affected. It look as if digital devices will increasingly connect to high-definition TVs via digital HDMI cables (below) rather than old-fashioned analogue PAL/NTSC connectors.

Digital cameras and high-definition camcorders now shoot in a variety of digital formats, but you will still need to select PAL or NTSC if you produce DVDs for playback on domestic TVs and DVD players. The movie editing/DVD software will then carry out the necessary conversions.

PAL and NTSC do use different frame rates (25fps and 30fps respectively). Movie editing software can adjust the frame rate when you export, so that if your device captures footage at 30fps (most do), the software can adjust this to 25fps on export using complex resampling techniques. The results won't be quite as good, however, as if you'd shot at 25fps in the first place.

This is reflected in the latest generation of digital SLRs with movie modes. Where compacts almost always shoot at 30fps, these SLRs typically shoot at 25fps (Panasonic GH1) or offer a choice between 25fps and 30fps (Canon EOS 7D).