Abstract: A high definition television signal with a sequential scan with the standard number of lines per frame and double the frame frequency is processed to generate a single MAC line having a duration substantially equal to that of four sequential lines of standard duration. Each MAC line has two luminance components having different compression ratios. For the remaining two lines, compressed line difference signals are transmitted, thereby allowing reconstruction of all luminance lines at the receiver. Each MAC line further has a U chrominance component and a V chrominance component, alternatively compressed 1:4 and 1:2. The remaining parts of each MAC line are taken up by data signals and audio as well as the necessary clamping. The luminance and chrominance signals are prefiltered to prevent artifacts. The filtering is geared to the visual characteristics of the human visual system, i.e.

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: 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: Method and apparatus for extending the horizontal resolution of the luminance and chrominance video signals in a two-channel HDTV system, requiring no increase in channel bandwidth. High-frequency components of luminance and chrominance of a wide bandwidth source signal are bandpass filtered, vertically decimated, time expanded, and heterodyned into frequency interleaved relationship with each other and with a line differential signal to produce an enhancement package carried in a designated time and frequency slot on the second channel. At the receiver, the various signal components are recombined to substantially reproduce the source signal for display.

Abstract: An adaptive comb filter employs vertical and horizontal edge detectors to selectively activate a vertical high-pass filter and a horizontal band-pass filter during the occurrence of vertical and horizontal edges in a received television signal, for use in the chrominance/luminance separation process. Artifacts such as "hanging dots" and "crawling dots", inherent in prior art comb filter circuits during the occurrence of vertical and horizontal edges in the composite television signal, are greatly reduced in the process.

Abstract: A signal processor useful for a non-integer scan rate conversion and non-integer sampling rate conversion, applies multiplicative factors to a multiplicity of initial data elements which are then summed to obtain a data element at the new sampling or scanning rate. Each multiplicative factor is a function of the conversion factor, the multiplied initial data element, and the data element of the converted sampling or scanning rate. This procedure utilizes all the data elements in the initial sequences and establishes a converted sampling or scanning rate with a significant reduction of processing steps.

Abstract: A high definition television signal having 525 lines per frame, a sequential scan, and 59.94 frames per second is encoded into a time multiplex signal for transmission. The encoder drops alternate line, but creates line difference signals which allow reconstruction of the dropped lines at the receiver. The line difference signals are time compressed, while the luminance signals of the alternate, transmitted lines are time expanded. The encoder can accept programs from any one of a plurality of program originators, as long as the frame and line rates are multiples of one another. The time multiplex signal carries luminance and chrominance components in each line, but update signals such as high frequency luminance, high frequency chrominance and the line difference signals in a predetermined pattern in sequential frames.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transmitting a high-definition television signal containing picture information which, on display, forms first picture frames at a rate of 2n frames per second, where n is a standard number of picture frames per second formed by the picture information in a standard television signal, and having a width which is wider than that of a standard aspect ratio picture frame, said high-definition television signal having a bandwidth greater that that of a standard television signal, each of said first picture frames including a single field having m sequentially scanned scanning lines, where m is a standard number of interlaced scanning lines in each picture frame formed by the picture information in said standard television signal, in which said scanning lines are arranged in two interlaced fields.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transmitting a high-definition television signal containing picture information which, on display, forms first picture frames at a rate of 2n frames per second, where n is a standard number of picture frames per second formed by the picture information in a standard television signal, and having a width which is wider than that of a standard aspect ratio picture frame, the high-definition television signal having a bandwidth greater than that of a standard television signal, each of the first picture frames including a single field having m sequentially scanned scanning lines, where m is a standard number of interlaced scanning lines in each picture frame formed by the picture information in said standard television signal, in which the scanning lines are arranged in two interlaced fields.