SECAM Countries

Here is a list of countries which use the SECAM television system.  Currently I can transfer SECAM Betamax recordings in full color, and attempt to transfer SECAM recordings for VHS, but only in black and white. Also, before the reunification of Germany in 1990, East Germany used the SECAM TV system; however, VHS VCR's in sold in East Germany could record in both PAL and MESECAM.  SECAM was discontinued, in favour of PAL, with the 1990 reunification.

NOTE: S-VHS, Video8 and Hi8 recordings from SECAM equipment were actually recorded in PAL and will play fine on PAL S-VHS, Video8, Hi8, Digital8 machines.  Digital formats do not use SECAM so Digital8 and MicroMV tapes from SECAM countries can be played on PAL equipment. 

If your Betamax recording was made on equipment intended for one of these countries, then it will likely be a SECAM/MESECAM recording on the tape.  Just taking your NTSC camcorder from Canada to such a country, for example, does not of course dictate what television system your recording is.  It would still be NTSC, just as if you had recorded it in Canada.

 Copyright 2013 Trevor Thurlow Productions

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