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However there are three standards for the way the additional color information can be encoded and transmitted.

The first was the American NTSC ( National Television Systems Committee ) color television system.

The European / Australian PAL ( Phase Alternation Line rate ) and the French-Former Soviet Union SECAM ( Séquentiel Couleur Avec Mémoire ) standard were developed later and attempt to cure certain defects of the NTSC system.

PAL's color encoding is similar to the NTSC systems.

SECAM, though, uses a different modulation approach than PAL or NTSC.