Abstract: A video capture system includes an input for receiving a plurality of analogue video signals; switching mechanisms for selecting any one of the analogue video signals; memory for storing signals output from the switching mechanism; and a system control for extracting signals from the memory at a predetermined rate and transferring the signals to a video Codec mechanism.

Abstract: A video capture system includes an input mean for receiving a plurality of analogue video signals, each analogue video signal including a plurality of active periods, there being dead time periods between successive inputs of different video signals; a switching mechanism for selecting any one of the analogue video signals for capture; a switching control for receiving information relating to the active periods of each analogue video signal and/or the dead time periods between some or all of the video signals, and determining the operation of the switching mechanism on the basis of this information to select the order in which the analogue video signals are captured.

Abstract: An airplane safely body passenger compartment is provided which contains a mechanism for ejecting the passenger compartment from an elongated receptacle in the fuselage when an airplane is in danger of crashing so that parachutes will gently float the passenger compartment to the earth.