The NTSC (National Television System Committee) was convened twice.

The first NTSC developed the black and white, or monochrome, standard that was approved by the FCC for the advent of commercial broadcasting in 1941.

A second confrence developed the proposal to add color to the existing monochrome standard. The FCC approved this standard in December 1953.

A third committee, this time called the ATSC, or Advanced Television System Committee, developed the standard for high-definition television (HDTV) approved by the FCC in 1996. The first commercial HDTV broadcasts occurred in 1998.