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. 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 green title-safe area and a rectangle around it shown in yellow. , most television stations and networks will place information within this area. 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. If the station uses a permanent digital on-screen graphic, it is placed just near the corner of the yellow area. However, the yellow area might be used if the television station wants the information to block against the edge of the screen. Many stations (e.g. BBC News) place tickers that run horizontally in some of the yellow area. Action-safe area is applied against a worst case of on-screen location and display type. Overscan The red border in the illustration represents the overscan, 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 red area is always transmitted and could potentially be seen by a viewer with the correct equipment. 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. The action-safe area (green + yellow) and overscan area (red) make up the entire transmitted image, or active picture. In addition to active picture, analog broadcast signals contain blanking areas that provide timings and control. When applying digital compression such as MPEG-4, it is only sensible to compress picture that actually exists, and active picture is what is used — including