The Usable Intersection of PC Graphics and NTSC Video Recording

There are many reasons for users of computer graphics to want to distribute and/or record their output on standard television equipment: in-house documentation of user interfaces, teleconferencing, presentations to groups, and quality media production, to name a few. Unfortunately, most raster graphics devices do not, in fact, generate NTSC video as well as a cheap videocassette recorder or home color video camera does. High-resolution (e.g., 1024 x 1024) and noninterlaced 60-Hz displays designed for direct viewing do not adhere to NTSC standards because they grossly surpass the NTSC bandwidth. Display boards for PCs that generate raster images at equal or less resolution than NTSC video, including those that are able to use NTSC television monitors, vary greatly in video recordability. Even those devices claiming to be NTSC compatible often have severe detail errors in the signal; some errors can be easily corrected with post-production video equipment, while others make the signal difficult to record and edit. This article exposes the problems created by nonstandard video on PCs, proposes many solutions, and offers a detailed case study of one particular system.