Ampex Corporation

Phillip P Bennett

Steven A Gabriel

A TV video signal synchronization signal system enables a video device such as a digital special effects system to operate synchronously in response to an input video signal and still produce an output video signal synchronized to a television studio locking reference signal. The video device and the synchronization signal generating subsystem thereof operate in response to a pixel rate clock of approximately 70 ns and in response to a phase command to generate timing for the horizontal sync pulse, color burst signal and video data of the output video signal. The output color burst signal remains phase locked to the locking reference signal with output gating being responsive to the phase command. A ROM interpolator provides subpixel accuracy for the output horizontal sync pulse while output line buffering and interpolation permits the output video data to the phase matched to the reference master sync signal. The entire video system thus operates synchronously with the input video signal to avoid noise interference problems which result from multiple phase clock signals while generating a composite output video signal that is properly phase synchronized with a studio locking reference signal.

Video device synchronization system

A TV video signal synchronization signal system enables a video device such as a digital special effects system to operate synchronously in response to an input video signal and still produce an output video signal synchronized to a television studio locking reference signal. The video device and the synchronization signal generating subsystem thereof operate in response to a pixel rate clock of approximately 70 ns and in response to a phase command to generate timing for the horizontal sync pulse, color burst signal and video data of the output video signal. The output color burst signal remains phase locked to the locking reference signal with output gating being responsive to the phase command. A ROM interpolator provides subpixel accuracy for the output horizontal sync pulse while output line buffering and interpolation permits the output video data to be phase matched to the reference master sync signal. The entire video system thus operates synchronously with the input video signal to avoid noise interference problems which result from multiple phase clock signals while generating a composite output video signal that is properly phase synchronized with a studio locking reference signal.

System for spatially transforming images

A spatial transformation system includes a processing system for each component of an input video signal. The processing systems respond to operator commands entered through a control panel to provide spatial transformation such as enlargement, reduction, translation, and three-dimensional perspective rotation. The system further includes a key processing system connected to operate in tandem with the video component processing systems to transform an input key signal indicating a portion of a video image to be viewed in exactly the same way as the image defined by the input video signal. The output key signal thus exactly defines the same portions of the output video image as it did for the input video image notwithstanding significant changes in image shape which may result from a selected given spatial transformation. A proportional switcher is connected to receive a transformed image from the spatial transformation system on one channel and a second video image on a second channel and mix them in proportion to the magnitude of the key signal generated by the key processing system. The image from one channel may thus be smoothly blended into the image of the other input channel to eliminate aliasing along a boundary between two adjacent images. The transformation system may further include a key signal generator providing an internal key signal defining a standard sized video image and a switch coupled to provide an operator selection between the internal key signal and an externally generated key signal. A cropping circuit responsive to operator controls may modify the selected key signal by imposing more restrictive limits on the boundary of the key signal selected viewing area than provided by the original key signal. This selectively restricted key signal is provided as an input key signal to the key processing system. By performing the same spatial transformation upon the key signal as upon the input video image, the key signal precisely defines the borders of the selected viewing region to eliminate undesirable demarcation lines between the boundaries of two intermixed video images when they are displayed.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Phillip P Bennett