British Broadcasting Corporation

Richard Storey

John O Drewery

Charles P Sandbank

Martin Weston

Ian Childs

Alan Roberts

In order to achieve increased resolution and to minimise cross-colour and cross-luminance effects in a PAL, NTSC or SECAM encoded signal, a high definition source (20) is pre-filtered at a higher line rate according to one of at least two methods (22, 24, 26). The filtered signal is sub-sampled (at 30, 32) at the source line standard where necessary, depending upon the degree of bandwidth reduction employed and one of the methods of pre-filtering and sub-sampling selected according (at 34) to a control signal (36) dependent on picture content. The luminance and chrominance components of the selected encoded signal are band pass filtered (46, 50, 52) and the chrominance signal modulated onto a sub-carrier (54) such that the frequency spectrum of the luminance and chrominance signals do not overlap.

Television signals

Bandwidth compression for television signals

Video transmission systems

A movement detector for television signals measures the difference between maximum and minimum values of the movement components of a picture difference signal over a chosen interval. A television signal at an input (12) is delayed in a picture delay (2), and the delayed and undelayed signals subtracted in a subtractor (1) to form a picture difference signal. This is rectified in rectifier (3) and smoothed in a filter (4). A maximum detector (6) and a minimum detector (7) are coupled to the filter output and are re-set at prescribed intervals. A subtractor (8) determines the difference between the output of detectors (6) and (7) and this is compared with a reference value in a comparator (9), the output of which is sampled and stored in a store (10).

Movement detector for television signals

To portray movement in a television display, a field of the signal is stored in an image store (110), and subsequent input fields are compared in a motion detector (104) with the stored field to detect differences between them due to movement. A flag is retained in an auxiliary store (114) to indicate the positions in the field of the detected differences. For those positions for which a new difference is detected, i.e. for which no difference has been detected previously, the corresponding portions of the then current input scan are stored in the image store (110), by a switch (106) being connected to the input (102). For portions which are flagged, the output of the auxiliary store (114) causes the switch (106) to take the output of the image store (110), thus insetting past positions of movement into the current field. The background of the field in the image store is nevertheless updated by the background of the input field. To allow for the 4-field NTSC or 8-field cycle, transducers, or predictors, (170,160) are placed at the input and output of the image store (110) such that the image store retains information in one state only of the cycle. The motion detector (104) comprises a subtractor, a rectifier and a low-pass filter.

Method of and apparatus for movement portrayal with a raster e.g.

A single field of a PAL color television signal is stored in a store (50) and provides a signal at an input (52). The signal is delayed by one-line delays (56,58) in series to provide one and two-line delayed signals. Separate switching units (60,62) select desired ones or combinations of the input and delayed signals to constitute respectively the low-frequency and chrominance part of the signal at the output (82). The switch positions are changed between fields, and for at least some fields of the sequence each component of the output signal is formed by combining signals from more than one line, i.e. a halving adder (64;66) averages successive lines for the low frequency part of the signal and a halving subtractor (68) forms the difference between lines two lines apart for the chrominance part. The selector unit outputs are combined in an adder (78) which receives the output of the first selector (60), and also the difference between the output of the two selectors after band pass filtering (76). The store (50) can be replaced by a random access store capable of outputting three successive lines simultaneously. The apparatus has special utility in equipment for movement portrayal.

Method of and apparatus for deriving a PAL color television signal

Reduction of noise in a television signal is achieved by comparing signals from successive scans to produce a difference signal. Low amplitude differences are assumed to represent noise and are attenuated. Differences above a predetermined level are assumed to represent movement and are not so attenuated. The attenuation is achieved by a multiplier which receives as multiplier the output of a non-linear transfer characteristic element. The non-linear element receives the differences after rectification and after passing through a variable-gain element. The non-linear element is such that above a predetermined value a constant predetermined minimum attenuation factor applies. A noise measurement circuit measures the noise present in the difference signal and controls the gain of the variable-gain element accordingly. Several noise-measurement circuits may be provided, a selected one of which is used in dependence upon the magnitude of the input signal to the apparatus.

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Sutton, United Kingdom

Richard Storey