National Television System Committee (NTSC)

Last Updated: April 30, 2013

Definition - What does National Television System Committee (NTSC) mean?

The National Television System Committee (NTSC) was a standardization body established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1940 to standardize analog TV broadcasting. The standard that the committee came up with was then named after itself, NTSC. NTSC became the primary analog television system used in North America, some parts of South America and Asia. The standard, along with the majority of analog television broadcasts, was phased out and decommissioned on June 12, 2009, in favor of digital television.

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Techopedia explains National Television System Committee (NTSC)

The NTSC standard itself was first developed in 1941 and did not have any provisions regarding color televisions. By 1953, another modified version of the NTSC standard was adopted, which allowed color television broadcasting compatibility with existing receivers. This standard system dominated wherever it was adopted and reigned for 70 years until the first decade of the 21st century, when it was finally dropped in favor of the digital Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). However, many Asian countries are still making use of the old standard as HDTV is not yet very prolific, especially in poor countries.