Abstract: A system for detecting and measuring registration errors and chromatic aberration in color images derived from a color video camera includes an edge locator which finds edges in respective zones of the color images and stores sets of samples representing picture elements of each of at least two component color signals. A microprocessor processes the stored sample sets to identify a coarse displacement between corresponding samples of the two component color signals. The microprocessor then determines a fine displacement between the two color signals. The coarse displacement may be determined by performing a cross correlation on the two sample sets or by calculating respective sums of absolute difference between the two sample sets for different displacements between corresponding samples of the two samples sets.

Abstract: An interlace to progressive scan video signal conversion system interpolates lines between respective lines of upper and lower fields which constitute an interlace-scan image frame to produce lines of a progressive-scan image frame. The produced lines have effective spatial and temporal positions between the respective lines of the lower field and the lines of the upper field. One line from the upper field is interpolated with two lines from the lower field which are immediately above and immediately below the one line in the interlaced frame in order to generate two lines for the progressive frame. Optionally, the interlace-scan to progressive-scan method is applied only to relatively low-frequency components of the luminance signal with the higher frequency luminance signal components being selected from one of the two interlaced fields and either line-doubled or interpolated and line-doubled before being added to the progressive-scan low-frequency luminance signal components.

Abstract: An apparatus for mixing portions of a video signal produced by a single video source. The apparatus includes an input terminal for receiving a current video signal. A memory, coupled to the input terminal, receives the current video signal and stores a plurality of frames of the current video signal to produce a delayed video signal. A mixer, coupled to the input terminal and the memory, combines the current video signal and the delayed video signal to produce a mixed video signal. The mixer may combine video signals in a first domain, such as the spatial domain, or video signals that have been transformed into a second domain, such as the spatial frequency domain.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing signal-to-noise ratio in a multi-component analog signal during analog to digital conversion. The multi-component analog signal is made up of a plurality of separate analog signals, with each of the separate analog signals having separate amplitude levels. A reference gain control signal, corresponding to the largest amplitude component of the multi-component signal, is first determined. Next, the reference gain control signal is used to generate a gain control signal. The gain control signal is then used to adjust each component of the multi-component signal by a gain value. Finally, the gain adjusted signals are converted to corresponding digital signals.

Abstract: Computer main memory is used for storing relatively densely sampled luminance detail information concerning a television display and for storing relatively sparsely sampled narrowband color-component information concerning the same television display. The relatively densely sampled luminance detail information is read out in substantially real-time from computer main memory during line trace intervals in the television display. The relatively sparsely sampled narrowband color-component information is read out of computer main memory in advanced and compressed time during selected line retrace intervals in the television display.

Abstract: A burst locked phase locked loop (PLL) includes a relatively wide-band voltage controlled oscillator. This PLL may erroneously lock at a frequency which differs form the frequency of burst by an amount equal to the horizontal line frequency. To prevent this side-locking condition, the PLL includes circuitry which changes the frequency of the signal produced by the VCO when the number of cycles of the signal provided by the PLL during one horizontal line interval corresponds to the number which would be obtained in a side-lock condition.

Abstract: Computer main memory is used for storing relatively densely sampled green and detail information concerning a television display and for storing relatively sparsely sampled red information and blue information concerning the same television display. The relatively densely sampled green and detail information is read out in substantially real-time from computer main memory during line trace intervals in the television display. The relatively sparsely sampled red information and blue information are read out of computer main memory in advanced and compressed time during selected line retrace intervals in the television display.

Abstract: Computer main memory is used for storing relatively densely sampled wideband video information concerning a television display and for storing relatively sparsely sampled narrowband video information concerning the same television display. The relatively densely sampled wideband video information is read out in substantially real time from computer main memory during line trace intervals in the television display. The relatively sparsely sampled narrowband video information is read out of computer main memory in advanced and compressed time during selected line retrace intervals in the television display. The wideband video information may be luminance information; and the narrowband video information chrominance information.

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.

Abstract: A compressor compresses the edges of a wide screen image to provide a compressed wide screen video signal which may be displayed on a conventional 4:3 aspect ratio receiver with the compressed edge portions largely hidden from view because of receiver overscan. Complementary edge expansion restores the compressed signal to its original form for display by a wide screen receiver. The relative proportions of compression applied to the left and right edges of the wide screen images are varied to reduce the appearance of edge distortion in the compressed signal when displayed on a standard aspect ratio receiver and to reduce the appearance of loss of edge resolution in the expanded signal when displayed on a wide screen receiver.

Abstract: A wide aspect ratio television system includes memories for storing and recovering a video input signal in response to read and write clock pulses, respectively. Write clock pulses are deleted to compress edge regions of a wide aspect ratio input signal and read clock pulses are deleted to restore the signal to its original aspect ratio. The pattern of deleted pulses is altered on a line-by-line basis to reduce visible artifacts of signal decimation. Dual mode receivers include provisions for controlling edge blanking, interpolation and the pattern of clock pulses deleted as a function of received signals. Wide and standard aspect ratio images are displayed without altering the width of the display raster.

Abstract: A solid-state color imaging apparatus comprising a beamsplitter for splitting an incoming light beam representative of an image into at least first and second light beams corresponding to a first color band (e.g., green) of the incoming light and the first color band and a second color band (e.g., blue) of the incoming light, respectively, and first and second solid-state imagers disposed for receiving respective ones of the light beams. The first imager is optically offset with respect to the second imager and their output signals processed so as to develop an apparently improved resolution signal for light of said first color band when compared to the signal developed for light of said second color band.

Abstract: A frame comb type composite video decoder which does not require motion adaptive processing circuitry generates low frequency luminance signal components from one field of composite video signal. The high frequency luminance component is derived from two lines of composite video signal from each of two fields disposed before and after the field from which the low frequency luminance signals is developed.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for producing a frozen television picture are disclosed. Successive fields of picture information are generated by an interpolator which is responsive to a video input signal. These successive fields are applied to the input of a first field store device. The video input signal is applied to the input of a second field store device so that the successive fields of the video input signal correspond in time to the successive fields generated by the interpolator. Lines from the respective field store devices are sequenced repetitively to form a video signal representing the frozen television picture. The interpolator generates fields which, when displayed with corresponding fields of the video input signal, minimizes motion-induced artifacts without unduly degrading vertical resolution.

Abstract: A progressive scan receiver includes a frame interpolation filter for generating added lines for display in a given field from a video input signal by interpolation from corresponding elements of immediately preceding and following fields. A second filter provides a line interpolated signal having picture elements spatially and temporally coincident with corresponding elements of the frame interpolated signal and having a suppressed vertical detail component. A third filter attenuates the vertical detail component of the frame interpolated signal. An output circuit combines the signals of the three filters to provide a frame interpolated video output signal in which the vertical resolution of the video input signal is preserved and motion artifacts characteristic of frame interpolation are attenuated.

Abstract: A speed-up circuit time compresses and interlaces field delayed and interpolated lines of a video input signal for display in progressive scan fashion. The interpolated lines are produced by adding low and high frequency components derived from the video input signal. The low frequency component is produced by frame-combing and low pass filtering the input signal. The high frequency component is obtained by field delaying, line comb filtering and low pass filtering the input signal. The combined low and high frequency components are spatially and temporally coincident thereby reducing the visibility of motion artifacts (double images) on the display.

Abstract: A wide aspect ratio television system includes memories for storing and recovering a video input signal in response to read and write clock pulses, respectively. Write clock pulses are deleted to compress edge regions of a wide aspect ratio input signal and read clock pulses are deleted to restore the signal to its original aspect ratio. The pattern of delected pulses is altered on a line-by-line basis to reduce visible artifacts of signal decimation. Dual mode receivers include provisions for controlling edge blanking, interpolation and the pattern of clock pulses deleted as a function of received signals. Wide and standard aspect ratio images are displayed without altering the width of the display raster.

Abstract: A receiver includes a line store progressive scan processor and a frame store progressive scan processor for doubling the line rate of a video input signal for display. The video input signal includes an identifying signal signifying whether the fields that are derived from a common scene. The identifying signal is detected and used to control a switch for selectively coupling the output of the processors to a display such that frame store processed signals are displayed for fields derived from exactly the same scene and line store processed signals are displayed for "mixed" fields (i.e., fields from different frames or frames containing motion).

Abstract: A field comb filter for separating luminance signal from NTSC composite video additively combines signals separated by 263 horizontal lines. Vertical detail is restored and motion compensation provided by subtractively combining signal separated by 262 horizontal lines and adding the difference to the separated luminance signal.

Abstract: A color television camera includes imagers which produce signals representative of various colors of a scene. The signals are multiplexed to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for conversion to sequential digital video form for processing by a single-channel digital processor. In order to avoid loss of resolution, and to take full advantage of the speed of operation of the ADC, the imagers are clocked mutually out-of-phase so as to sequentially provide imager signals at a rate related to the multiplexer rate.