Abstract: A DTV signal has a plural-data-segment frame header including complementary first and second ghost-cancellation reference signals differentially delayed by the duration of two NTSC horizontal scan lines. A receiver for such DTV signal has an adaptive equalizer for baseband symbol code with kernel weights calculated by a computer operative on the equalizer response after comb filtering. The comb filter combines the equalizer response as differentially delayed by the duration of two NTSC horizontal scan lines to cancel artifacts of co-channel NTSC interference in the comb filtered equalizer response supplied to the computer. This reduces the undesirable influence of such artifacts on equalization to reduce intersymbol interference.

Abstract: Co-channel interference accompanying multiple-level symbols in a digital receiver, such as a digital television receiver, is suppressed by using a first comb filter to reduce the energy of the co-channel interference before data slicing. The first comb filter incidentally precodes the symbol decoding results generated by the data slicing. A second comb filter postcodes the precoded symbol decoding results from the data slicing to generate corrected symbol decoding results. The symbol precoding of the input symbol stream results from differential delay and first linear combination of the differentially delayed terms. The postcoding of the symbol stream recovered by data slicing results from second linear combination of the symbol stream with delayed result of the second linear combination, and is performed in accordance with a modular arithmetic. One of the first and second linear combinations is subtractive, and the other is additive.

Abstract: In a radio receiver for receiving vestigial sideband (VSB) signals including symbol codes descriptive of digital signals, HDTV signals being exemplary of such VSB signals, a tuner provides for selecting one of channels at different locations in a frequency band used for transmitting such VSB signals. The tuner also includes mixers for performing plural conversion of the selected channel to a final intermediate-frequency (IF) signal, which is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter. The pilot carrier is detected by a narrowband quadrature-phase synchronous detector operative in the digital regime, for controlling the frequency and phase of the local oscillations applied to one of the mixers in the tuner so that the pilot carrier component of the final IF signal is locked to a submultiple of symbol frequency. The fullband final IF signal is synchronously detected by an in-phase synchronous detector to detect symbol codes.

Abstract: Recording/reproducing apparatus including recording electronics and playback electronics and a radio receiver responsive to a selected television signal for supplying a composite video signal to the recording electronics at selected times are contained within a unitary package designed to rest on a surface. A video camera supplies composite video signal for selective application to the recording electronics at other times, the supplying of those composite video signals to said recording electronics being done by means other than cabling from the video camera to the unitary package. The video camera is included within the same unitary package as the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus in some systems, thus to eliminate cabling from the video camera to the unitary package.

Abstract: A system for reproducing a luminance signal from a medium containing a previously recorded luminance signal with a high-frequency portion thereof compressed in dynamic range includes a circuit for recovering that luminance signal from the medium. Filtering is done to separate the low-frequency and compressed-in-dynamic-range high-frequency portions of the recovered luminance signal from each other. A corer responds to the separated compressed-in-dynamic-range high-frequency portion of the recovered luminance signal to provide a cored high-frequency portion with expanded dynamic range and reduced noise.

Abstract: Digital signal receivers for detecting BPSK modulation of a suppressed carrier transmitted through the same channel as an analog television signal are described, in which the detected BPSK is digitized with an oversampling analog-to-digital converter prior to digital comb filtering for separating the BPSK from interfering analog television signal remnants. This is done to get an increased number of bits resolution from a relatively inexpensive flash converter so that the BPSK, which is of relatively low amplitude compared to maximally interfering analog television signal remnants, is not overwhelmed by quantizing noise. The oversampling analog-to-digital converter can be of sigma-delta type.

Abstract: BPSK modulation of suppressed carrier in quadrature with a video carrier amplitude-modulated by composite video signal is used for transmitting a serial-bit digital signal, which is subjected both to "pre-line-comb" and "pre-frame-comb" partial-response filtering prior to conversion to BPSK modulating signal. The "pre-frame-comb" partial-response filtering of the serial-bit data is done on a continuous basis, rather than transmitting frames of the BPSK twice, once in positive logic and once in negative logic, during successive pairs of consecutive frames of the NTSC television signal. This results in the full luminance bandwidth below chroma frequencies being available on average for the transmission of BPSK, rather than half that bandwidth.

Abstract: An NTSC television signal transmitter also transmits through the same transmission channel a suppressed data carrier having a frequency differing from that of video carrier, having a symbol rate that is a multiple of horizontal scanning rate of video signal, having data frames occurring at a data frame rate that is the same as the video frame rate, and transmitting the symbols transmitted in each of alternate data frames in opposite phase during the next data frame. The data carrier has no image on the other side of the video carrier and preferably its modulation spectrum overlaps the video carrier. A digital-signal receiver can recover data from such a data carrier buried in an NTSC television signal, using frame-comb filtering to separate data from interfering video signal.

Abstract: In a radio receiver for receiving vestigial sideband (VSB) signals including symbol codes descriptive of digital signals, HDTV signals being exemplary of such VSB signals, a tuner provides for selecting one of channels at different locations in a frequency band used for transmitting such VSB signals. The tuner also includes mixers for performing plural conversion of the selected channel to a final intermediate-frequency signal, which is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter. A phase tracker, operative on narrow-bandpass filtered portions of the digitized final intermediate frequency signal centering on its carrier frequency, suppresses an imaginary portion of the final intermediate-frequency signal, arising from multipath distortion or from phase incoherency in local oscillations used during frequency conversion.

Abstract: An NTSC television signal transmitter also transmits through the same transmission channel a suppressed data carrier having a frequency differing from that of video carrier, having a symbol rate that is a multiple of horizontal scanning rate of video signal, having data frames occurring at a data frame rate that is the same as the video frame rate, and transmitting the symbols transmitted in each of alternate data frames in opposite phase during the next data frame. The data carrier has no image on the other side of the video carrier and preferably its modulation spectrum overlaps the video carrier. A receiver recovers data from such a data carrier buried in an NTSC television signal, using frame-comb filtering to separate data from interfering video signal.

Abstract: A radio receiver for receiving a selected digital HDTV signal, irrespective of whether it is a complex-amplitude-modulation (QAM) or a vestigial sideband (VSB) signal, using the same tuner. The final IF signal from the tuner is digitized for application to in-phase and quadrature QAM synchronous detectors and to in-phase and quadrature VSB synchronous detectors. The carrier frequencies of the QAM and VSB final IF signals are regulated to be submultiples of symbol frequency by applying automatic frequency and phase control signals developed in the digital circuitry to a local oscillator of the tuner. The mean average energy in the output samples of the quadrature VSB synchronous detector is sensed for automatically switching the radio receiver reception mode, for operation in a VSB HDTV signal reception mode when the mean average energy is below a threshold level, and for operation in a QAM signal reception mode when the mean average energy is not below the threshold level.

Abstract: A frequency-multiplexed video signal is generated in which a color-under signal and a second under signal are linearly combined with at least partially overlapping frequency spectra to form a composite under signal for an FM luma signal. The frequency-multiplexed video signal is suited for recording on magnetic tape using helical scanning methods and for being played back from the magnetic tape using helical scanning methods. The second under signal is generated in such way that line-comb filtering can be used during playback to separate color-under signal and second under signal each from the composite signal despite their frequency spectra being at least partially overlapping in the composite signal.

Abstract: A vestigial-sideband amplitude-modulation transmitter using a balanced modulator for generating a suppressed carrier that is in quadrature phasing with the video carrier of a television signal receives as modulating signal a binary phase-shift-keying (BPSK) signal encoding digital signals. The quadrature transmission reduces the visibility of the lower-frequency PSK sidebands in the TV signal as viewed on screen. The symbol rate of the PSK is made to be a multiple of the horizontal line scan rate of video signal. To reduce the visibility of the higher-frequency PSK sidebands in the TV signal as viewed on screen, the BPSK is transmitted twice during respective frames of successive pairs of data frames, which data frames recur at the same rate as video frames. To reduce the interference of video with the BPSK, the BPSK is comb filtered at the digital signal receiver and after symbol detection is subjected to partial-response filtering for recovering the digital signal originally encoded in the BPSK signal.

Abstract: In a radio receiver for receiving vestigial sideband (VSB) signals including symbol codes descriptive of digital signals, HDTV signals being exemplary of such VSB signals, a tuner provides for selecting one of channels at different locations in a frequency band used for transmitting such VSB signals. The tuner also includes mixers for performing plural conversion of the selected channel to a final intermediate-frequency signal, which is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter. A phase tracker, operative on narrow-bandpass filtered portions of the digitized final intermediate-frequency signal centering on its carrier frequency, suppresses an imaginary portion of the final intermediate-frequency signal, arising from multipath distortion or from phase incoherency in local oscillations used during frequency conversion.

Abstract: In video signal processing circuitry detail enhancement is done on each of three color channels in response to the detail information, the enhancement of the detail in each color channel being done in reliance on separated high-spatial-frequency information originally contained in one or more of the channels. The high-spatial-frequency information is separated by differentially combining a fullband video signal with that signal as filtered by a cascade connection of vertical lowpass filter and horizontal lowpass filter.

Abstract: A relatively low power phase-shift-keyed (PSK) subcarrier encoding digital information is admixed with composite video signal. The PSK subcarrier is at an odd multiple of half the scan line frequency of the composite video signal, and the symbol rate is at a multiple of the scan line frequency. The PSK subcarrier modulates the amplitude of a suppressed carrier which is the same frequency as the video carrier for the composite video signal and preferably is in quadrature phasing therewith. To reduce evidence of the PSK subcarrier in television picture generated from that composite video signal, the PSK subcarrier is interrupted after each of periods of one frame duration and repeated in anti-phase during the next period of one frame duration. This also provides a basis for separating the PSK subcarrier from static luminance signal components by bandpass frame-comb filtering.

Abstract: A vestigial-sideband amplitude-modulation transmitter using a balanced modulator for generating a suppressed carrier that is in quadrature phasing with the video carrier of a television signal receives as modulating signal a binary phase-shift-keying (BPSK) signal encoding digital signals. The quadrature transmission reduces the visibility of the lower-frequency PSK sidebands in the TV signal as viewed on screen. The symbol rate of the PSK is made to be a multiple of the horizontal line scan rate of video signal. To reduce the visibility of the higher-frequency PSK sidebands in the TV signal as viewed on screen, the BPSK is transmitted twice during respective frames of successive pairs of data frames, which data frames recur at the same rate as video frames. To reduce the interference of video with the BPSK, the BPSK is comb filtered at the digital signal receiver and after symbol detection is subjected to partial-response filtering for recovering the digital signal originally encoded in the BPSK signal.

Abstract: A current minor amplifier (CMA) includes first, second, third and fourth field effect transistors (FETs), all of the same conductivity type. The first and second FETs are in nested cascode connection in the CMA input stage, and the third and fourth FETs are in nested cascode connection in the CMA output stage. The drains of the second and fourth FETs respectively connect to the CMA input terminal and to the CMA output terminal, and the sources of the first and third FETs connect to the CMA common terminal. The potential at the CMA input terminal is applied to an interconnection of the gate electrodes of the first, second, third and fourth FETs to regulate current conduction through their channels, thereby to implement CMA operation.

Abstract: A clipper includes an amplifier having a non-inverting input node, an inverting input node, and an output node. A feedback transistor has its base connected to the amplifier output node and its collector connected to the non-inverting input node for providing unilaterally conductive degenerative current feedback between the output node and the non-inverting input node. A resistor is connected between the non-inverting input node and an input terminal for conducting a current supplied via the collector-to-emitter path of the feedback transistor which is proportional to the amplitude of an unclipped portion of the signal applied between the input terminal and the inverting input node. When a reference potential is applied to the inverting input node and an AC input signal varying about the reference potential is applied to the input terminal, the stage functions as a negative half-wave rectifier.

Abstract: A field transfer imager is erased after every field transfer, prior to a new field of pixels-descriptive charge packet being accumulated in the successive charge transfer stages of the charge transfer channels of the image register. The image register is operated to supply a field of "null" charge packets for each field of pixel-descriptive charge packets it supplies. The "null" charge packets and pixel-descriptive charge packets are temporarily stored in respective field storage registers, and converted a line at a time to serial format for sensing. The resulting "null" samples and pixel-descriptive samples are differentially combined to provide pixel-descriptive samples with suppressed dark current ramp components and, assuming field-rate shuttering of the imager is not used, with suppressed transfer smear components.