Abstract: The source encoder for video pictures described includes a preprocessing unit (PP) which supplies block-sequentially the data of a video picture. The video picture is then transferred to an encoding unit (C) via a controllable switch (S). The encoding unit includes inter alia a picture store and a controllable quantizer; it is followed by a buffer store (PS). A control unit (K) supervises the buffer store (PS) and controls in dependence on the filling level thereof the controllable switch (S), the encoding unit (C) and the quantizer included therein. In order to obtain a good picture quality, measures have been taken to ensure that the control unit (K) additionally controls the quantizer in dependence on the time elapsed after the maximum filling level of the buffer store (PS) has been reached and/or in dependence on the actual value of the quantization stepsize, such that during the entire operation the value of the quantization stepsize only passes through adjacent values.

Abstract: The control method is associated with a frame information transfer in accordance with the so-called accordion principle in which information shifts are locally effected with an opening, a transporting and a closing phase. The opening phase involves an enlargement of sensor element areas in a column direction in which a shift is effected during the transporting phase. The closing phase involves a reduction in the column direction of the enlarged areas (IE, BE, SE) at the appointed locations.

Abstract: Phase detector having a first input for an angle-modulated input carrier to be detected, and a second input for a reference carrier having a phase shift which is dependent on the angle modulation with respect to the input carrier, the input and reference carriers being at least multiplied in the phase detector, and a frequency demodulator including such a phase detector. In order to inhibit signal distortion and notably second-order interference products in the demodulation of an angle-modulated input carrier, the phase detector according to the invention is adapted to derive an in-phase carrier A and a phase quadrature carrier B from the input carrier and to derive an in-phase carrier C and a phase quadrature carrier D from the reference carrier which has a phase which, at an average, is equal or opposite to that of the input carrier, while the phase detector is further adapted to supply from its output a signal which substantially corresponds to AC-BD.

Abstract: In the construction of the sensor as a frame transfer sensor (FT) a control circuit therefor may not only be utilized for the information transfer and the electronic shutter, but also for a third purpose, namely for a reduction of the smear before integration. Starting from the control circuit for an information frame transfer (.phi..sub.A, TG, .phi..sub.B), a parallel information shift (.phi..sub.B, TG) and a serial information shift (.phi..sub.C) at the sensor and the electronic shutter (ESPS, BUF, MF, .phi..sub.A) at a pick-up member (PP) of the sensor (FT), the smear reduction is obtained by the use of a pulse generator (JC, FF, AN,I) at the electronic shutter, which generator is adapted to supply a series of reset pulses (ESPS) with a minimum number. A minimum number of two line-frequency pulses occurring in line blanking periods has been given as an example.

Abstract: An electric signal converter utilizes a processing unit to establish a polynomial of n terms, each term being a power of the signal at the input terminal of the processor multiplied by an appropriate coefficient. Feedback of the input signal to the processor raised to the nth power through a multiplier, wherein an input signal to the converter is multiplied by the feedback signal and the product coupled to the input of the processor, provides signals at the output of the processor which establish the polynomial as a series of terms wherein each term is the signal at the input of the converter raised to a fractional power.

Abstract: A camera including a solid-state sensor (FT) of the charge transfer type, particularly a frame transfer sensor having a pick-up member (PP), a storage member (MP) and a parallel-in, series-out shift register member (SR), in which the number a of rows of radiation-sensitive pick-up elements (P) is larger than the number b of rows of storage elements (M) may be utilized for generating a picture signal which in television and cinematographic display has a picture definition in the field scanning direction which is increased by a factor of a/b.

Abstract: In a matrix display device, such as an LCD-TV, supply of data signals to each one of an array of display elements is controlled by respective switching means in response to applied switching signals. Novel addressing circuitry is provided to achieve redundancy and avoid improper charge levels on non-selected switching means.

Abstract: A detector indicates the presence of a desired signal when both of at least two conditions occur. The first condition requires the presence of a selected frequency in an input signal and a second condition requires the amplitude of the input signal at the selected frequency to fall within a predetermined range. A third condition requires that one or both of the first and second condition have a duration of at least a selected period of time. In one embodiment, the detector indicates the presence of a stereo audio signal in a television transmission program when (1) a pilot frequency (15.734 khz) is present in the composite baseband, (2) the signal amplitude at the pilot frequency corresponds to a frequency deviation of not more than 5.5 khz and not less than 4.5 khz from the 4.5 mhz carrier frequency, and (3) the two aforementioned conditions exist for a predetermined period of time, preferably about one millisecond.

Abstract: Either one of the fields of an interlaced television signal is designated as top field as indicated by a first selector signal. The presence of a second selector signal indicates bottom field. A regenerated vertical synchronization signal is furnished for the first horizontal synchronization signal following vertical synchronization in top field. This regenerated vertical synchronization signal resets a counter which counts horizontal synchronization signals repetitively to a count of five. A second regenerated vertical synchronization signal is furnished when the count of five is reached following the vertical synchronization signal of bottom field. The counter is reset by each first regenerated vertical synchronization signal. When a synchronization signal which would normally be designated top field occurs within a predetermined window around horizontal synchronization, the subsequent field is designated top field, i.e. a field switch takes place.

Abstract: A circuit for providing a mirrored version of a preselected transfer function includes a circuit having the preselected transfer function coupled to receive a signal modulated by a signal that is to experience the mirrored transfer function. The modulated signal at the output terminal of this circuit is mixed with a signal at a frequency that is greater than the carrier frequency of the modulated signal. The signal resulting from this mixing operation then is low pass filtered to provide the desired mirrored response.

Abstract: An X-radiation protection circuit in a television receiver is responsive to both high voltage and high beam current conditions. A first detector is interconnected with an electron beam power source and monitors the beam current therefrom. The first detector produces a first voltage proportional in magnitude to the electron beam current. A second detector monitors a high voltage transformer that produces a potential for operating on the electron beam and the second detector produces a second voltage that is proportional in magnitude to the high voltage potential. A monitoring circuit constantly monitors both the first and second voltages and produces a trigger signal whenever the additive sum of the first and second voltages exceeds a selected magnitude. In this manner, a trigger signal indicates an excessively high combination of electron beam current and high voltage.

Abstract: Upon receipt of an interlaced television signal, the field generator generates a first selector signal arbitrarily selecting one of the fields as top field and a second field selector signal selecting the other as bottom field. The received television signal is entered into memory under control of the field selector signals. When readout from the memory occurs on the same line that is currently being recorded, the same field selector signal is maintained for another field, effectively switching the top and bottom assignments.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus (FIG. 4) for recording an information signal (Vi), in particular an EFM-modulated signal, are revealed, which information signal comprises time-code signals which alternate with first time-synchronization signals. The record carrier (1) which is employed is provided with a preformed servo track (4) which exhibits a periodic track modulation whose frequency is modulated in conformity with the position-information signal (FIG. 2). The position-information signal (FIG. 2) comprises position-code signals (12) which alternate with position-synchronization signals (11). During recording a fixed phase relationship between the time-synchronization signals and the position-synchronization signals (11) is maintained, so that the portion (141) of the servo track (4) in which the time-synchronization signals are recorded are situated at fixed positions relative to the servo-track portions (140) which represent the position-synchronization signals (11).

Abstract: For a wide aspect ratio display, the main panel component and augmentation panel component at the transmitting end into which the horizontal line signals of hte source were decomposed are reconstituted at the receiving end by joining the previously separated components together at stitch points. In order to decrease the visibility of the stitch points in the reconstituted wide aspect ratio display, the location of the stitch point in each line is varied. The variation may be on a frame-to-frame bais or on aline-to-line basis. The latter is the preferred form, the line-to-line variation being, preferably, a random variation.

Abstract: A system for subband coding of a digital audio signal x(k) includes in the coder (1) a filter bank (3) for splitting the audio signal band, with sampling rate reduction, into subbands (p=1, . . . P) of approximately critical bandwidth and in the decoder (2) a filter bank (5) for merging these subbands, with sampling rate increase. For each subband (p) the coder (1) comprises a detector (7(p)) for determining a parameter G(p;m) representative of the signal level in a block (p;m) of M samples of the subband signal x.sub.p (k) as well as a quantizer (8(p)) for adaptively block quantizing this subband signal in response to parameter G(p;m), and the decoder (2) comprises a dequantizer (9(p)) for adaptively block dequantizing the quantized subband signal s.sub.p (k) in response to parameter G(p;m).

Abstract: Envelope detector comprising a differential amplifier (A), a full-wave rectifier circuit and a smoothing filter (AF), which differential amplifier (A) converts an input voltage into a pair of current signals in phase opposition and which full-wave rectifier circuit comprises a pair of half-wave rectifiers (HWR1, HWR2) for half-wave rectifying the said pair of current signals, coupled to a first combining stage (S) for combining the output signals of the two half-wave rectifiers (HWR1, HWR2) with like polarity, which first combining stage (S) supplies a full-wave rectified signal. In order to reduce d.c. offsets, the detector comprises a frequency-dependent negative feedback loop which comprises a second combining stage (D) coupled to the outputs (R.sub.o1, R.sub.o2) of the pair of half-wave rectifiers (HWR1, HWR2) for combining the output signals of the pair of half-wave rectifiers (HWR1, HWR2) with opposite polarity, said second combining stage (D) being negatively fed back to the input (I.sub.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for synchronizing local clocks at each of two data stations. The first data station is connected through an analog network to an interworking unit. The second data station is connected through an integrated services network having a central clock, to the interworking unit. The interworking unit includes a comparator for comparing the clock phase from the first station transmit clock to the central clock. The result of the comparison is transmitted to the second data station for use in synchronizing the second data station to the first data station.

Abstract: An input circuit to an active addressed display sequentially switches pixels of video information into high speed sample-and-hold elements which are coupled to corresponding signal lines on the substrate. The pixels of video information are on the signal lines for a complete switching cycle and are transferred to vertical source lines of the display during a time interval equal to the period of a switching cycle.

Abstract: High transmission and reception quality is achieved in a high definition television system, with minimum intra-channel interference, by digitally encoding the enhancement information and employing spread-spectrum modulation techniques.

Abstract: In the method of adjusting the transmission of an electric signal, applied to an input terminal (1, 1'), via two transducer devices (8, 9), to an acoustic signal at two positions (P.sub.1, P.sub.2) in a space (10), (a) the levels of the electric signals applied to the two transducer devices are adjusted in such a way that the two transducer devices provide substantially equal contributions to the acoustic signal at the first position (P.sub.1), (b) the second filter unit (4) is adjusted so as to obtain a desired frequency-response characteristic (50, FIG. 5) for the transmission from the input terminal (1, 1') to the second listening position (P.sub.2), (c) the first filter unit (3) is adjusted so as to obtain a desired frequency-response characteristic (50, FIG. 5) for the transmission from the input terminal (1, 1') to the first listening position (P.sub.1). Also described are an arrangement for carrying out the method (FIG.