Other

Vital Industries, Inc.

Digital Services Corporation

Reginald F McCoy

This invention discloses a system for manipulating color television images transmitted in the NTSC system of television. Manipulation is by known methods which involve storing in a memory picture data as transmitted in the television signal and restructuring the memory addresses to achieve the desired special effects. Unlike other systems, however, the data is stored in its composite form consisting of a luminance component and color information related to the phase and frequency of a subcarrier. The samples are taken at specified intervals and associated in groups. The samples in a group are mathematically combined in such a manner that the color component values are not affected by address manipulation. After manipulation the signal data is restored to its luminance and color components by a method which does not involve the phase or frequency of the subcarrier. These components are then recombined into a standard NTSC signal which will produce a manipulated display in color on the television screen.

Television effects system for manipulating composite color television

Two input pictures are each compressed horizontally, one to three-quarters width, the other to one-quarter width, and combined side-by-side to form a single picture suitable for transmission over a standard link. The two signals are interchanged on alternate fields. Bandwidth limiting in the transmission link results in the signal compressed to one-quarter width having a final bandwidth one-third that of the other signal. This applies to each picture on alternate fields. A one-field delay repeats the high-frequencies from the field having wider bandwidth on the subsequent field, so that fine detail will be present on both fields. Lower bandwidth information is separately transmitted every field preserving vertical detail and the reproduction of motion at field rate. At the receiving end, the pictures are separated and expanded to normal width.

Transmitting two television signals through one channel

Chroma-key system combining an image of a foreground subject located in front of a colored backing, with a background image, in which limitations on the permissible colors of the foreground subject are reduced; and in which the chrominance and luminance of areas having the backing color in the foreground image are suppressed to prevent their undesired appearance in the combined image; and in which transitions in the signal indicating presence of the backing color are sharpened while maintaining amplitude proportionality to compensate for bandwidth limitation of the chrominance signal from which this indicating signal derives; and in which transitions in the chrominance component of the foreground signal at boundaries between subject and backing are similarly sharpened; and in which the luminance component of fine detail located in front of the backing is combined with the backing color indicating signal to include such fine detail in the combined image.

Television chroma-key systems

Method for producing a background television image which moves corresponding to motion of a camera viewing a foreground scene, the image of which is to be combined with the background image by chroma-key, thus creating the appearance that both background and foreground are viewed by the same camera, although the background actually originates from separate cameras or recordings. Employs multiple cameras, or a single anamorphic camera with subsequent electronic horizontal expansion of the image, or recordings therefrom, to form the background image which can then be displaced in position, by variation of synchronizing pulse timings, while continuing to fill the full screen area. Also employs a backing for the foreground scene including a distinctive marker, the position of which in the foreground image is detected and used to control the position of the background image.

Television image positioning and combining system

A combined analog and digital video television signal switching system is provided in which parallel video signal paths are provided for analog and digital television signals, these paths being controlled by common control signals. When a video input signal is digital it is supplied to the digital signal path and an analog zero reference signal is supplied to the corresponding analog input in the analog signal path. When a video input signal is analog it is supplied to the analog signal path and a digital zero reference signal is supplied to the corresponding digital input in the digital signal path. The analog mixers in the analog signal path and the digital mixers in the digital signal path are each controlled by the same control signals generated by the common control equipment. If the common mixer control signals generated are in analog form they are used directly to control the analog mixers in the analog signal path and are converted to digital form for controlling the digital mixers in the digital signal path. If these common control signals are in digital form they are used directly to control the digital mixers and are converted to analog form to control the analog mixers. Conversions from digital to analog and/or from analog to digital are performed at the output of the switching system to suit the requirements (digital or analog) of subsequent equipment. When the subsequent equipment requires a digital input all digital inputs to the switching system will remain digital throughout and analog inputs will suffer only one conversion at the output of the switching system. The converse applies when the subsequent equipment requires an analog input.

Combination digital-analog television switching system

A television special effects system is provided wherein digitized picture elements of any one of a plurality of video input signals are assigned addresses corresponding to the desired location of each picture element in a composite output image. The digitized picture elements are then stored in a memory having a capacity equal to one full TV frame in accordance with the addresses assigned thereto. Each video input may be positioned at any location in the composite output image by adding to or subtracting from the write addresses by means of horizontal or vertical positioning numbers. Each video input may also be compressed in either the horizontal or vertical direction, or both, by means of horizontal or vertical compression factors which control the write address generating means so that certain picture elements of the video input are not stored in memory. A process of interpolation is provided for the luminance component of the digitized picture elements so that the data values stored more closely approximate the values which the data would have at the points at which it is written. A system of priorities is provided among the plurality of video input signals so that each desired input may be selected to occupy a portion of the composite output image to the exclusion of the others, even though they overlap. The stored picture elements are read out of memory by means of a read address generator which is non-synchronous with respect to the plurality of video input signals so that the special effects system also acts as a frame store synchronizer for all of the video input signals. The read address generator may also be controlled by horizontal and vertical compression numbers so that a portion of the composite output image may be magnified to occupy the entire output screen.

Television special effects arrangement

An analog video special effects generator capable of producing unusual special effects such as a five-pointed star, a heart, a keyhole and a binocular shaped pattern in addition to standard patterns such as horizontal and vertical wipes. The special effects are achieved by utilizing ramp generators to generate bi-directional ramp signals and modulus circuits for taking the absolute values of the ramp signals in order to generate complex waveforms. Switching and combining circuits are utilized to combine the complex waveforms from various ones of the modulus circuits to generate the switching waveforms necessary to produce the unusual patterns.

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Gainesville, FL, United States of America

Reginald F McCoy