Sony Corporation

James H Wilkinson

Richard J Avis

Roger Lagadec

Robin L Lince

A method of processing timecode data in a recorded digital video signal comprises assigning a first timecode to a first timecode location in the signal during recording, assigning the first timecode to a second timecode location and assigning a current second timecode to the first timecode location during a first editing step, and in subsequent editing steps sequentially changing the timecode locations of the timecodes so that the current timecode is assigned to the first timecode location and the previous timecodes are shifted sequentially through the other timecode locations.

Preserving a record of timecodes used in editing a recorded digital

A video replay store for a multi-channel digital video tape recorder, comprises a respective channel store for each channel, each channel store comprising a plurality of field stores which are written in and read from cyclically, a respective field boundary detector for each channel, each field boundary detector supplying a first pulse in response to each field boundary where an odd field changes to an even field, and a second pulse in response to each field boundary where an even field changes to an odd field, in the off-tape data in the respective channel, and a replay store controller for supplying write requests and read requests in a predetermined sequence to all of the channel stores, the replay store controller stepping on to the next state in the predetermined sequence in response to each first first pulse following a second pulse and each first second pulse following a first pulse.

Video replay store for a multi-channel digital video tape recorder

A method of decoding digital synchronizing signals each of which consists of a plurality of bits in a predetermined pattern, the intervals between the starts of successive synchronizing signals in an input digital signal being variable over a range, comprises ascertaining the bit period distance between the starts of two successive synchronizing signals, subsequently searching the input digital signal for the pattern using a window comprising the bit period distance, which window is varied in position if the bit period distance changes, and supplying an output synchronizing pulse in synchronism with subsequent synchronizing signals found in the window.

Synchronizing signal decoding

A component digital video signal is encoded such that first and second color components CB, CR are modulated on the lower sideband of a carrier at the Nyquist frequency of the luminance component Y. The encoding method involves alternately adding and subtracting the luminance and color component signals Y+C, Y-C, Y+C, Y-C, (etc) and changing the phase relationship between this addition and subtraction for the first and second color components every field, so that in each alternate field the addition and subtraction operations are in phase for both color components CB, CR and in every other field, the operations are out of phase. Upon decoding, the encoded video signal is comb filtered to recover the luminance component Y and color components CB, CR, and the correct phase for the color components (CB, CR) is restored by a phase alternation operation which is inverse to that applied during encoding.

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Yokohama, Japan

James H Wilkinson