576p is the shorthand name for a video display resolution. The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non- interlaced, the ''576'' for a vertical resolution of 576

pixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the ...

s (the frame rate can be given explicitly after the letter). Usually it corresponds to a digital video mode with a 4:3 anamorphic resolution of 720x576 and a frame rate of 25 frames per second (576p25), and thus using the same bandwidth and carrying the same amount of pixel data as

576i 576i is a standard-definition digital video mode, originally used for digitizing analog television in most countries of the world where the utility frequency for electric power distribution is 50 Hz. Because of its close association with ...

, but other resolutions and frame rates are possible. ITU-R Recommendation BT.1358 allows the following resolutions, coded as R'G'B' or YC_BC_R, with timings compatible with BT.656: * 1024 x 576p ( 16:9 square pixel format) * 960 x 576p * 768 x 576p ( 4:3 square pixel format) * 720 x 576p (4:3

anamorphic Anamorphic format is the cinematography technique of shooting a widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film or other visual recording media with a non-widescreen native aspect ratio. It also refers to the projection format in which a distorted ...

) * 704 x 576p (based on 720 x 576p, blanking the first and last 8 pixels of each line) * 544 x 576p * 480 x 576p 576p is considered

standard definition Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...

for

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

regions. It can be transported by both major digital television formats ( ATSC and DVB) and on DVD-Video (if limited to 25 fps). It is defined as a valid ''enhanced-definition television'' resolution in the

SMPTE The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) (, rarely ), founded in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers or SMPE, is a global professional association of engineers, technologists, and executives working in the m ...

standard 344M. SMPTE 344M defines a 576p50 standard with twice the data rate of BT.601, using 704 × 576 active pixels with 16 x 576 horizontal blanking pixels.

PAL

This resolution can be also named as ''PAL'', for example in the context home video or gaming consoles, because of its relation with the analog color system using a similar number of scanlines. But 576p can be used to generate both

or SECAM interlaced analog signals (where both interlaced fields correspond to a unique frame).

576p50

With doubled temporal resolution, 576p50 is considered ''enhanced-definition television'' ( EDTV), regardless of the image being scaled the same way as an interlaced frame. In some countries, such as Australia, the 576p resolution standard is technically considered high-definition and was in use by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS TV), eventually replaced by

720p 720p (1280×720 px; also called HD ready, standard HD or just HD) is a progressive HDTV signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HDTV (1.78:1). All major HDTV broadcast ...

for its high-definition subchannel; SBS later changed to using

1080i 1080i (also known as Full HD or BT.709) is a combination of frame resolution and scan type. 1080i is used in high-definition television (HDTV) and high-definition video. The number "1080" refers to the number of horizontal lines on the scre ...

. The

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

initially used 576p for its high-definition subchannel, but now uses

instead. The frames are doubled (from a 25 frame source) on broadcast (to avoid flicker) for display devices that lack any kind of frame doubling ability. Widescreen 16:9 material has only the width scaled down to fit 720 pixels instead of an unscaled 1024 width.

References

{{TV resolution Video formats

PAL

576p50

See also

References