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What 72% NTSC means on a monitor spec sheet

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

An exact sRGB triangle's area is 70.8% of NTSC's in CIE 1931 xy, close to the 72% rule of thumb. It covers only 68.5% of NTSC, though, and a 72% NTSC screen isn't promised to cover sRGB.

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CIE 1931 xy chart with NTSC 1953 and sRGBThe curved outline holds every color people can see, with wavelengths in nanometers along its edge. Each standard is a triangle of its red, green and blue primaries. A larger triangle holds more saturated colors.
  • sRGB, the solid line
  • NTSC 1953: The first color TV standard. Spec sheets still quote it, as in 72% NTSC.
sRGB against each reference, in CIE 1931 xy
ReferenceCoverageArea
NTSC 195368.5%70.8%

Coverage is the part of the reference inside the triangle, so it stops at 100%. Area is the triangle's size next to the reference, and it can pass 100%. Spec sheets don't always say which one they print.

Open this chart in the Color Gamut Visualizer. Check any standard, enter a monitor's primaries or spec sheet numbers, and switch between CIE 1931 xy and u'v'.
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NTSC on a spec sheet means the color range of the first color TV standard, from 1953. No screen today is made for it, but the number stuck, and 72% NTSC is the one you see most. It's sold as roughly equal to sRGB. The chart fills an exact sRGB triangle and draws NTSC 1953 around it.

Topic
What 72% NTSC means
An old yardstick
On the chart
sRGB, NTSC 1953
CIE 1931 xy

How this is calculated

NTSC 1953 set phosphor colors that TVs of the time could barely reach. Its green sits at x 0.210, y 0.710, the same corner Adobe RGB later used. Its red is close to DCI-P3's, and its blue sits a little above sRGB's on the chart.

That last point catches people out. sRGB's blue corner sits outside NTSC's triangle, so even NTSC itself covers only 96.7% of sRGB. A screen can reach 100% NTSC by area and still miss some of sRGB's deep blues.

NTSC numbers are usually area, and spec sheets rarely say whether they're in xy or u'v'. In u'v', sRGB's area is 87.2% of NTSC's. So the same screen can print two quite different NTSC numbers.

Verdict

Treat an NTSC number as a rough size, not a promise. 72% NTSC means a screen of about sRGB's size, not one that covers sRGB. Look for an sRGB or DCI-P3 coverage number in a review, which tells you what the screen can really show.

More Color Gamut Visualizer scenarios

sRGB vs DCI-P3
DCI-P3 holds all of sRGB and reaches further into red and green. Here's how big the gap is, and when it matters.
View details
DCI-P3 vs Adobe RGB
Two wide ranges of about the same size, pointed different ways. P3 reaches further into red, Adobe RGB into green and cyan.
View details
sRGB vs Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB keeps sRGB's red and blue and moves green far out. Here's what that adds for photos and print.
View details

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Frequently asked questions

Is 72% NTSC the same as 100% sRGB?
No. They're about the same size: an exact sRGB triangle's area is 70.8% of NTSC's in CIE 1931 xy. But area doesn't say where the triangle sits, so a 72% NTSC screen can still miss part of sRGB.
Is 45% NTSC bad?
It's a small range, well under sRGB's size, and it's common on budget laptops. Colors look dull next to a phone, and photos lose their reds and greens. For anything with color work, skip it.
Why do spec sheets still use NTSC?
Habit, mostly. It was the standard TVs were measured against for decades, and its big triangle makes a monitor's percentage look modest and steady across models. sRGB and DCI-P3 numbers tell you more.

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