Understanding Safe Areas in Television Production

Safe area is a term used in television production to describe the areas of the television picture that can be seen on television screens. The use of safe areas in television production ensures that the most important parts of the picture are seen by the majority of viewers. Older televisions can display less of the space outside of the safe area than ones made more recently, while flat panel screens, plasma displays and liquid crystal display (LCD) screens generally can show most of the picture outside the safe areas.

The Title-Safe Area

The title-safe area or graphics-safe area is, in television broadcasting, a rectangular area which is far enough in from the four edges, such that text or graphics show neatly: with a margin and without distortion. This is applied against a worst case of on-screen location and display type. The size of the title-safe area is typically specified in pixels or percent. The term "title-safe" originated from the fact this is where it is safe to display text such as lower thirds or full-screen graphics listing information such as telephone numbers.

This area will be seen by all television screens, no matter when they were made, unless the user has modified the settings. If the editor of the content does not take care to ensure that all titles are inside the title-safe area, some titles in the content could have their edges chopped off when viewed in some screens.

The Action-Safe Area

Depending on how a television set is adjusted, viewers can see a larger area than the title-safe area. The action-safe area is a larger rectangle, consisting of the title-safe area and a rectangle around it. This area can be considered the "margin" of the television screen in that picture elements are generally kept out of this area to create a buffer around the edge of the screen so elements don't pile up against the edge of the screen.

Most television stations and networks will place information within this area. If the station uses a permanent digital on-screen graphic, it is placed just near the corner of the area. However, the area might be used if the television station wants the information to block against the edge of the screen. Many stations, such as BBC News, place tickers that run horizontally in some of this area.

Overscan and Technical Standards

The overscan is the area of the active picture outside the action-safe area. It is not shown on most consumer television screens, unless the user modifies the television's settings. It is generally considered safe to have elements that shouldn't be seen by the viewers placed in this area, such as the edge of the set or cables and other equipment. However, some television production personnel don't place anything in this area they don't want viewers to see because the area is always transmitted and could potentially be seen by a viewer with the correct equipment.

Technically, the NTSC and PAL analog television standards do not specify official overscan amounts, and producers of television programming use their own guidelines. Television stations generally have professional-grade monitors that can be put into "underscan" mode. These monitors often include white lines showing where the title-safe and safe areas are located. In addition, TV tuner cards and DVD players for personal computers often show the entire picture.

Implementation in Video Editing Software

Some video editing software packages for non-linear editing systems (NLE) solutions have a setting which shows the safe areas while editing. Video editing programs that can output video for either television or the Web can take the title-safe area into account. Examples include:

• In Apple's consumer-grade NLE software iMovie, the user is advised to uncheck the QT Margins checkbox for content meant for television.
• Final Cut Pro can show two overlay rectangles in both its Viewer and Canvas; the inner rectangle is the title-safe area and the outer rectangle is the action-safe area.

Comparison of Television Display Areas