CCIR System E is ananalog broadcast television system used inFrance andMonaco, associated withmonochrome819-line high resolution broadcasts.[1] Transmissions started in 1949[2] and ended in 1985.
Some of the important specs are listed below:[3][1][2]
System E implementation provided very good (nearHDTV) picture quality but with an uneconomical use ofbandwidth. With the usual additions ofsound carrier andvestigial sideband the result was a combined signal that demanded approximately two to three times the bandwidth of more moderately specified standards, even when colour was added to them (as thecolor subcarrier resides within theLuma signal space).
For this reason, France gradually abandoned it in favor of the625-lines standard, implementingSystem L withSECAM color.
The final 819-line transmissions inMetropolitan France took place inParis, from theEiffel Tower, on 19 July 1983.TMC in Monaco were the last broadcasters to transmit 819-line television, closing down their System E transmitter in 1985.
Television channels were arranged as follows:[2]
| Ch | Picture (MHz) | Sound (MHz) |
|---|---|---|
| F2 | 52.40 | 41.25 |
| F4 | 65.55 | 54.40 |
| F5 | 164.00 | 175.15 |
| F6 | 173.40 | 162.25 |
| F7 | 177.15 | 188.30 |
| F8 | 186.55 | 175.40 |
| F8a | 185.25 | 174.10 |
| F9 | 190.30 | 201.45 |
| F10 | 199.70 | 188.55 |
| F11 | 203.45 | 214.60 |
| F12 | 212.85 | 201.70 |