Abstract: Apparatus and method are provided which receive and sample an incoming video image signal asynchronously, and then processes the signal to recover the video image, including video format, for conversion into a preselected video format. The apparatus and methods first sample the video signal using a stable (crystal oscillator) time base clock to reconstruct the frequency of the video signal, i.e., to recover the video format and then using a contrast optimization process to determine the video signal pixel clock rate.

Abstract: A method of color image compression processing provides compensation for lossy luminance compression (30) by adjusting (34) the red and blue color components using a lossy luminance compression factor equal to the difference between compressed and decompressed luminance. The compensated color components are then used to compute (42) chrominance color differences. Chrominance is range compressed (44) by bit-reduction using a non-linear range compression function that minimizes compression for small chrominance magnitudes, where the eye is more sensitive to a loss of color fidelity, while maximizing compression in the color saturation regions where the eye is less sensitive.