[hylaride]

Back in the analog TV days, I could see the flicker on the 50hz PAL/SECAM signals whenever I visited Europe, especially when the screen was white and in my peripheral vision. I always wondered why it didn't drive everybody nuts, but then I got used to it. I did always wonder if there was a way they could have eliminated that (maybe they did in more expensive TVs that fired off at double the reference signal and not in cheap TVs in hotels/bars?).

[anikom15]

The 100 Hz TVs weren’t that common and had other issues. They weren’t strictly superior. TVs were supposed to use a different set of phosphors for 50 Hz that were less flickery at 60 Hz but in practice I don’t know if tube producers bothered to have different sets for the different markets.

[noir_lord]

simple answer is grid frequency in europe is 50hz, in the US and Canada it's 60hz.

Early TV's synchronised to the grid frequency (and drew the entire screen on each cycle) - also remember TV's where analogue to start with (and operated at large voltages/transformers) so if they didn't sync with the grid electrical noise becomes a big problem with the power supply.

In monitor terms it reduced jitter.

[hylaride]

Yeah, I knew why. :-)

My brain immediately went into "solving" mode, though.