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SECAM

Stands for the organisation who made it (who have ties to the creators of SCART).

Analogue TV and video colour system which was used in France, ex-Soviet Union/Eastern Bloc, and some parts of Africa (where France owned colonies). Often accompanied with System L and 50Hz, running at a height of 625 lines of which 576 are visible on screen. Technically superior to PAL and was actually developed at the same time.

Can also refer to French versions of hardware which are usually similar to PAL versions, though not always (such as the infamous 8 colour palette of the SECAM Atari 2600, leading many who actually wanted one in France to import Spanish or British versions instead).

The Soviets chose SECAM over PAL not because they thought it was better, but because they didn't want neighbouring countries picking up their TV signals easily.

by PuchikoPPC December 19, 2021