ntsc has to do with the standard number of frames (still photos) per second (fsp) the image is recorded at. american is standard at 29.97 drop, which means almost 30 ion the same way that we have a calendar with leap years. Think of the leap day that comes around every couple of years as the \'drop frame\'. It puts you back on sync. Pal is universal for most of western europe and australia and runs a little slower, 27 I think. Movies record at 24. HD TV runs at double speed, 60 fps. The less frames in a second, the warmer and more movie-like it looks, when you add more it starts to look like hdtv.