View source for PAL region

{{Short description|Regions using the PAL television standard}}
[[Image:PAL-NTSC-SECAM.svg|thumb|300px|Television system by country, prior to [[Engineering:Digital switchover|digital switchover]]. Countries using the <span style="color:blue;">PAL</span> system are shown in blue.]]
The '''PAL region''' is a television publication territory that covers most of [[Earth:Europe|Europe]] and [[Earth:Africa|Africa]], alongside parts of [[Earth:Asia|Asia]], [[Earth:South America|South America]] and [[Earth:Oceania|Oceania]]. It is named PAL because of the [[Engineering:PAL|PAL]] (Phase Alternating Line) television standard traditionally used in some of those regions, as opposed to the [[Engineering:NTSC|NTSC]] standard traditionally used in Japan and most of North America.

More recently, as most countries have stopped using the PAL standard entirely in favor of newer digital standards such as [[Digital Video Broadcasting|DVB]], the term "PAL region" in video gaming means the list of regions it had covered in the past.

==List==
Below are countries and territories that used or once used the PAL system. Many of these have converted or are converting PAL to [[DVB-T]] (most countries), [[Engineering:DVB-T2|DVB-T2]] (most countries), [[Engineering:Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast|DTMB]] (China, Hong Kong and Macau) or [[Company:ISDB|ISDB]] (Sri Lanka, Maldives, Botswana and part of [[Earth:South America|South America]]).

===PAL B, D, G, H, K or I===
<!-- This is information that is for sure a list in nature.  Converting it to prose would obfuscate it and make it harder to read, use, edit and update.  Please do not tag this genuine list for conversion to "prose" -->
{{div col|colwidth=48em}}
*{{AFG}} (used SECAM)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998">{{cite book|author1=Michael Hegarty|author2=Anne Phelan|author3=Lisa Kilbride|title=Classrooms for Distance Teaching and Learning: A Blueprint|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5YjHecPlPS8C&pg=PA260|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Leuven University Press|isbn=978-90-6186-867-5|pages=260–}}</ref>
*{{ANG}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{ARM}}
*{{BHR}} (DVB-T introduction in assessment)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{BAN}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{BHU}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{BIH}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{BOT}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{IOT}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{CMR}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{CPV}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{CHN}} (Digital broadcast using [[Engineering:Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast|DTMB]])<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{CXR}}
*{{COM}}
*{{COK}} (see New Zealand)
*{{DJI}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{EGY}} (migrated from SECAM 1990–1992)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{GNQ}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{ERI}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{SWZ}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{ETH}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{FLK}} (UHF only)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{FIJ}}
*{{GAM}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{GNB}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{INA}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/> (Analogue shutoff scheduled to 2 November 2022; simulcasted in [[DVB-T]] since 2008 until 2012, been changed to [[Engineering:DVB-T2|DVB-T2]] 2012 forward, and the government scheduled to give-away free 7 million STB DVB-T2 in April 2014)
*{{IRQ}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>(DVB-T introduction in assessment)
*{{ISR}} (DVB-T introduction in assessment)
*{{JOR}}<ref name="shop.sandbag.uk.com">{{cite web |url=http://shop.sandbag.uk.com/OneGiantLeap/PALNTSCInfo.html|title=PAL / NTSC / SECAM countries list|access-date=2017-12-09|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221173323/http://shop.sandbag.uk.com/OneGiantLeap/PALNTSCInfo.html|archive-date=21 February 2016}}</ref> (DVB-T introduction in assessment)
*{{KIR}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{KUW}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{LAO}} (Once experimented in PAL-M)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{LIB}} (Using PAL for Lebanese channels. Channels from Europe or even from USA are not broadcast analogue)
*{{LES}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{LBR}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{LBA}}
*{{MAC}} (PAL-I, DTMB introduced since 15 July 2008)
*{{MAW}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{MAS}}<ref name="shop.sandbag.uk.com"/> (DVB-T2 digital launched. Analogue switch-off was completed by end-October 2019)
*{{MDV}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{MUS}}
*{{MDA}}
*{{MNG}}
*{{MOZ}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{MMR}}
*{{NRU}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{NEP}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{NGR}}
*{{NIU}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{NFK}} (see Australia)
*{{PRK}} (used SECAM until 1990s)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{OMA}} (DVB-T introduction in assessment)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{PAK}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{PLE}} (DVB-T introduction in assessment)
*{{PNG}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{SHN}} (Two PAL-I analogue TV services operated by BFBS)
*{{SAM}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{STP}}
*{{SEY}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{SLE}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{SOL}}
*{{SOM}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{SSD}}
*{{SRI}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{SUD}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{SYR}} (along with SECAM)<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{TLS}}
*{{TGA}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/> (PAL broadcast to be abandoned. Analog shutoff scheduled for 15 June 2015. Simulcast in DVB-T)
*{{TUR}}
*{{TUV}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{UGA}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{VAN}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{VIE}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
*{{YEM}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/> (DVB-T introduction)
*{{ZIM}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/>
{{div col end}}

=== PAL-M ===
* {{BRA}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/> (H264 video over ISDB-T, at 480i@60 Hz (SD) or 1080i@60 Hz (HD), [[Engineering:Simulcast|simulcast]] with digital format in [[Engineering:ISDB-T International|ISDB-Tb]], also called ''SBTVD''), an update to ISDB-T, started in December 2007. PAL broadcasting in its final stages of abandonment, the complete shut-down is scheduled to 2023.

=== PAL-N ===
* {{ARG}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/> (H264 video over ISDB-T, at 480i/576i@50/60 Hz (SD) or 1080i@50/60 Hz (HD), simulcast with digital format in ISDB-Tb, also called SBTVD), an update to ISDB-T, started in August 28, 2008. PAL broadcasting in its final stages of abandonment, the complete shut-down is scheduled to 2023.
* {{PAR}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/> (Simulcast in ISDB-T)
* {{URU}}<ref name="HegartyPhelan1998"/> (Simulcast in ISDB-T)

=== Countries and territories that have ceased using PAL ===
The following countries no longer use PAL for terrestrial broadcasts, and are in process of converting from PAL (cable) to [[DVB-T]] or ISDB-T.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Country
! Switched to
! Switchover completed
|-
| {{ALB}}
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2019-10-01</span>1 October 2019
|-
| {{AND}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2007-09-25</span>25 September 2007
|-
| {{AUS}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2013-12-10</span>10 December 2013
|-
| {{AUT}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2010-06-07</span>7 June 2011
|-
| {{AZE}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2015-06-17</span>17 June 2015
|-
| {{BEL}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-03-01</span>1 March 2010
|-
| {{BRN}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2015-01-01</span>1 January 2015
|-
| {{BUL}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2013-09-30</span>30 September 2013
|-
| {{CAM}}
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2015-01-01</span>1 January 2015
|-
| {{HRV}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-10-20</span>20 October 2010
|-
| {{CYP}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2011-07-01</span>1 July 2011
|-
| {{CZE}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-06-30</span>30 June 2012
|-
| {{DEN}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2009-11-01</span>1 November 2009
|-
| {{EST}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-07-01</span>1 July 2010
|-
| {{flag|Faroe Islands}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2002–12</span> December 2002
|-
| {{FIN}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2007-09-01</span>1 September 2007
|-
| {{GEO}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2015-07-01</span>1 July 2015
|-
| {{GER}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2009-06-04</span>4 June 2009
|-
| {{GHA}}
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2015-06</span>June 2015
|-
|{{GRE}}
|DVB-T
|<span style="display:none">2015-02-05</span>6 February 2015
|-
| {{GIB}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-12-31</span>31 December 2012
|-
| {{flag|Bailiwick of Guernsey|name=Guernsey}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-11-17</span>17 November 2010
|-
| {{HKG}}
| [[Engineering:Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast|DTMB]]
| <span style="display:none">2020-12-01</span>1 December 2020
|-
| {{HUN}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2013-10-31</span>31 October 2013
|-
| {{ISL}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2015-02-02</span>2 February 2015
|-
| {{IND}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2015-02-31</span>31 March 2015
|-
| {{IRN}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2014-12-19</span>19 December 2014
|-
| {{IRL}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-10-24</span>24 October 2012
|-
| {{IMN}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-10-24</span>24 October 2012
|-
| {{ISR}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2011-06-13</span>13 June 2011
|-
| {{ITA}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-07-04</span>4 July 2012
|-
| {{JEY}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-11-17</span>17 November 2010
|-
| {{KEN}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2015-03</span>March 2015
|-
| {{LAT}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-06-01</span>1 June 2010
|-
| {{LTU}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-10-29</span>29 October 2012
|-
| {{LUX}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2006-09-01</span>1 September 2006
|-
| {{MKD}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2013-05-31</span>31 May 2013
|-
| {{MLT}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2011-10-31</span>31 October 2011
|-
| {{MON}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2011-05-24</span>24 May 2011
|-
| {{MNE}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2015-06-17</span>17 June 2015
|-
| {{NAM}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2014-09-13</span>13 September 2014
|-
| {{NED}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2006-12-14</span>14 December 2006
|-
| {{NZL}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2013-12-01</span>1 December 2013
|-
| {{NOR}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2009-12</span>December 2009 <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nkom.no/fritid/digital-radio/digitalt-bakkenett/digitalt-bakkenett-i-norge |title=TV og radio}}</ref>
|-
| {{POL}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2013-07-23</span>23 July 2013
|-
| {{POR}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-04-26</span>26 April 2012
|-
| {{QAT}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2012-02-13</span>13 February 2012
|-
|{{ROM}}
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2016-12-31</span>31 December 2016
|-
| {{RWA}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2014-03</span>March 2014
|-
| {{SMR}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-12-02</span>2 December 2010
|-
|{{KSA}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2012-02-13</span>13 February 2012
|-
|{{SRB}}
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2015-06-07</span>7 June 2015
|-
| {{SIN}}
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2019-01-02</span>2 January 2019
|-
| {{SVK}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2012-12-31</span>31 December 2012
|-
| {{SLO}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2010-12-01</span>1 December 2010
|-
|{{RSA}}
|DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2015</span>2015<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://afkinsider.com/68611/analogue-tv-banning-to-switch-off-many-in-africa/ |title=Switching Off Analogue TV Will Lock Out Many In Africa|date=14 August 2014 }}</ref> (as of 2018, PAL terrestrial still operational)
|-
| {{ESP}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2010-04-03</span>3 April 2010
|-
| {{SWE}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2007-10-29</span>29 October 2007
|-
| {{SUI}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2007-11-26</span>26 November 2007
|-
| {{TAN}}
| DVB-T
| <span style="display:none">2014-07</span>July 2014
|-
| {{THA}} 
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2020-09</span>26 March 2020
|-
| {{UKR}}
| [[DVB-T]] and [[Engineering:DVB-T2|DVB-T2]]
| <span style="display:none">2016-12-31</span>31 December 2016
|-
| {{UAE}}
| DVB-T and DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2012-02-13</span>13 February 2012
|-
| {{UK}}
| DVB-T (SD) and DVB-T2 (HD)
| <span style="display:none">2012-10-24</span>24 October 2012
|-
| {{ZAM}}
| DVB-T2
| <span style="display:none">2014-12-31</span>31 December 2014
|-
|}

==60&nbsp;Hz operation==
During the mid-1990s, the practice of modifying consoles such as the [[Engineering:Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] and [[Engineering:Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]] to allow 60&nbsp;Hz operation became somewhat common among PAL gamers, due to the rise in NTSC/60&nbsp;Hz capable PAL TVs and the relatively simple nature of the modifications. Beginning with the [[Engineering:Amiga CD32|Amiga CD32]], which introduced more powerful hardware, developers had the ability to output at full PAL resolution without borders or stretching, although games still typically ran slower and all ran at 50&nbsp;Hz. Beginning with the [[Engineering:Dreamcast|Dreamcast]] and continuing through the sixth generation of consoles, developers began including PAL60 modes in their games. Games that run at PAL60 are produced with the same colour encoding system as 50&nbsp;Hz PAL signals, but with the [[Engineering:NTSC|NTSC]] resolution and field rate of 60&nbsp;Hz, providing an identical gaming experience to their NTSC counterparts, however some games, such as [[Software:Tekken 4|Tekken 4]] and [[Software:Tekken 5|Tekken 5]], will actually use the NTSC colour mode when in 60&nbsp;Hz mode; these games will appear in black and white on PAL-only televisions. The Brazilian [[PAL-M]] standard always operates at 60&nbsp;Hz.

==Criticism of PAL region video games==
Games ported to PAL have historically been known for having game speed and [[Frame rate|frame rate]]s inferior to their NTSC counterparts. Since the NTSC standard is 60 fields/30 frames per second but PAL is 50 fields/25 frames per second, games were typically{{dubious|date=March 2021}} slowed by approximately 16.7% in order to avoid timing problems or unfeasible code changes. [[Software:Full motion video|Full motion video]] rendered and encoded at 30 frames per second by the Japanese/US (NTSC) developers was often down-sampled to 25 frames per second or considered to be 50 frames per second video for PAL release—usually by means of [[Engineering:Three-two pull down|3:2 pull-down]], resulting in motion [[Engineering:Telecine#Telecine judder|judder]]. In addition to this, PAL's increased resolution was not utilised during conversion, creating a pseudo letterbox effect with borders top and bottom, which looks similar to a 14:9 letterbox, and leaving the graphics with a slightly squashed look due to an incorrect aspect ratio caused by the borders. This was prevalent in previous generations (especially during the 8-bit and [[Engineering:Fourth generation of video game consoles|16-bit]] era, when 2D graphics were the norm at that time). The gameplay of many games with an emphasis on speed, such as the original ''[[Software:Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' for the [[Engineering:Sega Genesis|Sega Genesis/Mega Drive]], suffered in their PAL incarnations.

Despite the possibility and popularity of 60&nbsp;Hz PAL games, many high-profile games, particularly for the [[Engineering:PlayStation 2|PlayStation 2]] console, were released in 50&nbsp;Hz-only versions. [[Company:Square Enix|Square Enix]] have long been criticised by PAL gamers for their poor PAL conversions. ''[[Software:Final Fantasy X|Final Fantasy X]]'', for example, runs in 50&nbsp;Hz mode only, meaning it runs 16.7% slower than the NTSC release and features top and bottom borders; while this practice was common in previous generations, it was considered inexcusable by contemporary consumers at the time of release.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/47444/news/final-fantasy-x-in-50hz-only-shocker/?skip=yes |title=GamesRadar+ |website=computerandvideogames.com}}</ref> In contrast, the [[Engineering:Dreamcast|Dreamcast]] was the first system to feature PAL60, and the overwhelming majority of PAL games offered 50 and 60&nbsp;Hz modes with no slow speeds. The PAL [[Engineering:GameCube|GameCube]] also offered 60&nbsp;Hz on almost every title released. The [[Engineering:Xbox (console)|Xbox]] featured a system-wide PAL60 option in the Dashboard, with almost every game supporting PAL60. Seventh generation PAL consoles [[Engineering:Xbox 360|Xbox 360]], [[Engineering:PlayStation 3|PlayStation 3]] and [[Engineering:Wii|Wii]] also feature system-wide 60&nbsp;Hz support.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

As of the eighth generation, consoles such as the [[Engineering:Wii U|Wii U]], [[Engineering:PlayStation 4|PlayStation 4]], [[Engineering:Xbox One|Xbox One]] and [[Engineering:Nintendo Switch|Nintendo Switch]] have all games solely in 60&nbsp;Hz, with 50&nbsp;Hz only being used for video playback and, in the Wii U's case, backwards compatibility with [[Engineering:Wii|Wii]] and Virtual Console games.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

These problems do not occur in the [[PAL-M]] standard used in Brazil, since it is mostly based on the NTSC standard (with its frame rate operating at around 30 frames-per-second) except for the colour subcarrier, which is similar to that of PAL/625/25.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

==See also==
* [[Engineering:PAL|PAL]]
* [[Engineering:NTSC|NTSC]]
* Advanced Television Systems Committee standards
* [[Engineering:SECAM|SECAM]]
* [[Social:Regional lockout|Regional lockout]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pal Region}}
[[Category:Video formats]]

{{Sourceattribution|PAL region|1}}