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Definition: HD analog formats


(1) For HD surveillance interfaces, see HD Analog.

(2) Over the years, there were several high-definition analog TV/video formats. The most notable was the Hi-Vision system in Japan that broadcast from the late 1980s until 2007 (see Hi-Vision).

France - From HD Monochrome to SD Color
Starting in the late 1940s, France's monochrome TV standard delivered 737 lines of interlaced resolution. When France switched over to SECAM for color TV in the 1960s, the resolution dropped from 737i to 576i. Since 737i is on a par with today's 720p HD specification, the French lay claim to the first HDTV standard, even though it was black and white TV.

Europe's HD-MAC (Multiplexed Analogue Components)
A project of the European Economic Community (EEC), the HD-MAC system employed analog video and digital audio to deliver 1152i resolution. The 1992 Olympics in France and Spain were broadcast via satellite to several hundred HD-MAC receivers set up at locations to promote the HD venture. However, due to the time-multiplexed nature of the format, it was difficult to convert HD-MAC into the composite video formats required by TV stations without degrading the signal, and the technology was abandoned a year later. Europe eventually switched to digital TV (see DVB).