R&D Report 1957-19
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RESEARCH DEPARTMENT COLOUR TELEVISION THE ADAPTATION OF THE NeT.S.C. SYSTEM TO U.K. STANDARDS PART 5~ SOME PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN THE USE OF A LOW-POWER TRANSMITTER Report Mo. Ta 060/5 (1957/19 ) THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION ENGINEERING DIVISION RESEARCH DEPARTMENT COLOUR TELEVISION THE ADAPTATION OF THE N.ToS.C. SYSTEM TO U~K. STANDARDS PART 5~ SOME PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN THE USE OF A LOW~POWER TRANSMITTER Report No. T-060/5 ( 1957/19) R,F, Vlgurs (w.-- Proctor Wilson) This Report is the property of the British Broadcasting Corporation and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the Corporation. Report Noo T-060/5 COLOUR TELEVISION THE ADAPTATION OF THE N,ToSoC, SYSTEM TO UoK, STANDARDS PART 5: SOME PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN THE USE OF A LOW-POWER TRANSMITTER Section Title Page SUMMARY •••• 1 1 INTRODUCTION •• 1 2 TRANSMITTER CHARACTERISTICS 1 2.1. Linearity. • , • • 0 1 202. Frequency/Response. 2 203. Group-Delay. • • • • 2 2.4. Differential Phase Distortiono 3 3 TRANSMITTER MODIFICATIONSo • • • • • , 4 3.1. Video Input Equipment •• 0 • 0 4 3.2. Carrier"-Frequency Drive Equipment. , 5 3.3. Vestigial-Sideband Filter •• 0 ••• , 5 4 PERFORMANCE OF THE MODIFIED TRANSMITTER. 0 6 4.1. Frequency/Response. 0 ••• 0 6 6 4.3. Differential Phase Distortion. 7 5 CONCLUSIONS, , , • 8 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8 7 REFERENCES • • , 8 Report No, T-060/5 July 1957 ( 1957/19) COLOUR TELEVISION THE ADAPTATION OF THE NoT.S.Co SYSTEM TO U.K. STANDARDS PART 5~ SOME PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN THE USE OF A LOW-POWER TRANSMITTER SUMMARY The report describes the work which was carried out in order to adapt a low-power monochrome transmitter to operate satisfactorily with an N,T,S.C.-type colour television signal, 1. INTRODUCTION During the investigation by Research Department into the characteristics of the N.T.S.Co colour system adapted to U.K. standards; a series of field trials was conducted in Channel 5 and with this in view a 500 watt S.T. & C. vision transmitter was borrowed from PoI.D. An associated 125 watt sound transmitter was also used. Preliminary tests on the vision transmitter revealed that, although the performance was adequate for monochrome~ it would be necessary to modify the trans mitter for colour television. 2. TRANSMITTER CHARACTERISTICS Some forms of distortion inherent in transmitteFs have a negligible effect upon a monochrome signal. These, however, can have a disastrous effect upon colour television transmissions, and must therefore be eradicated. The colour signal specification 1 requires a careful examination of certain characteristics of the vision transmitter and these are discussed below. 2.1. Linearity In the case of a colour transmission, a degree of non-linearity which is quite tolerable for monochrome signals may lead to very visible distortion of colour saturation; this is known as "differential gain" distortion. Fig. 1 shows that chrominance signals pertaining to the highly saturated colours may extend into regions which are both below blanking level and also above the peak-white level; hence, colour operation demands a better transmitter linearity over a greater amplitude range than monochromeo The degree of permissible non-linearity, according to the specification, is such that throughout the whole range of luminance 2 Chrominanc:e signal __ Pflak/wtlit'Z )·0 Luminance signa, 0.9 0·8 0·7 ..," ::" 0·6 Q. E .." 0·' pict.", > br' .;: !l.. O·Q 11: ..... I 0·, I I - I I 0·2 '~i~F~~'"burst" 0·1 Sync levlll, o "-- L-- Block Vellow Red Blue White Magenta Cyan Fig. I - Composite video waveform for saturated colours amplitude, the chrominance-to-luminance ratio does not deviate by more than 20~ from 2 the correct value. It has been suggested ,3 that, where necessary, unavoidable distortion may be corrected by "pre-distorting" the video signal. 2.2. Frequency/Response For 405-line monochrome television, a transmitter must have a frequency/ response characteristic which is substantially uniform from 3 Mc/s below the carrier frequency to 1 Mc/s above it. In order that the correct chrominance-to-luminance ratio may be maintained when colour signals are transmitted, an additional and more specific clause in the specification requires that the transmitter shall possess a frequency/response characteristic which at or near the sub carrier frequency is substantially the same as that at the lower video frequencies; the maximum allowable deviation is ± 2 dB. 2.3. Group-Delay If the chrominance transitions are to coincide with the associated luminance transitions, the complete radio frequency chain should be characterised by a group delay at or near the subcarrier frequency which is equal to that for the lower video frequencies. Further, in order to prevent chrominance signal phase distortion from causing hue errors at chrominance transitions, constant group-delay should be preserved throughout the frequency band occupied by the chrominance signals. The sharp cut-off in the combined frequency characteristic of the vision r.f. and i.f. circuits in the receiver is the principal cause of group-delay distortion. The distortion due to the receiver characteristics may be corrected by the use of a compensating network at the transmitter designed to cater for what is considered to be the average receiver group-delay characteristic. The colour signal specification includes a suitable 3 characteristic for the compensator which is tabulated below: Video Frequency Group-Delay Mc/s J.1-sec 0'1 +0'22 1'0 +0'22 1'5 +0'22 1'8 +0'19 2'0 +0'17 2'2 +0'133 2'4 +0'085 2'6 +0'015 2'8 -0'12 3'0 -0'355 2,4. Differential Phase Distortion The term "differential phase distortion" refers to a phase shift of the chrominance signal due to changes in luminance signal amplitude. The distortion results from a combination of non-linear circuit elements which include resistance and reactance. An example of differential phase distortion is shown in Fig, 2, which is a polar representation of the chrominance signals of Fig, 1. It shows the relative phase angle and amplitude of each with respect to the reference burst. It will be seen that the distortion imparts a phase shift to each chrominance vector which is dependent upon the associated luminance magnitude. -- Corrc;ct phase rglationship b&tw4I&n colours. ---- Examples of errors due to difterantial phase di stertian. Fig. 2 - Chrominance signal diagram illustrating "differential phase distortion" 4 Experiments have shown that phase errors in excess of about 5° produce visible distortion. A maximum error of ± 10° has been permitted 1 but further improvements in the performance of equipment could lead to a more stringent specifi cation. A problem somewhat related to differential phase distortion is the presence of the burst signal in the period immediately following the line synchronising pulse. In normal monochrome practice this period is used for clamping to stabilise black level: for colour operation it is essential that the clamp should distort neither the phase nor the envelope of the burst signal and the circuits must be designed accordingly. Until a practical compensating arrangement has been developed, differential phase distortion will remain the major problem in the design of a transmitter for N.T.S.C.-type colour television. 3. TRANSMITTER MODIFICATIONS 3.1. Video Input Equipment The video input equipment normally supplied with the S.T. & C. vision transmitter consists of a stabilising amplifier which accepts a standard video signal and provides an input to the transmitter modulator with a 50:50 picture-signal-to synchronising-signal ratio. Although quite satisfactory for monochrome operation, this particular amplifier (B.B.C. Type TV/STA/2B) was found to introduce prohibitive differential phase and differential gain distortions. After investigating the possibility of modifying the unit, it was decided that a new amplifier should be designed specifically for operation with colour signals. Such an amplifier was developed and will be described elsewhere. In order to satisfy the requirements of the colour signal specification as regards the compensation of receiver group-delay distortion, it was also necessary to include, in the video signal circuit of the transmitter, an all-pass network having a group-delay characteristic approximating to that recommended in the table of section 2.3. Fig. 3 compares the performance of this network with that required by the specification. o .... -- -.. - ::0......... -0-2 ~ ..u . ::t.. ~, .;:. !l .. -O~ \\ ." §! . ·Z ~. c; If!" ~~ -0·6 Characteristic of network ,...... -\ - --- Choroctnistic os sp~cilied \ -0'8 I I I I I I o 1·0 2'0 3'0 Video Irequoncy, MC/S Fig. 3 - Characteristic of receiver group-delay compensator 5 3.2. Carrier-Frequency Drive Equipment When receiving colour signals, a spurious signal may be generated by interference between the sound and 'chrominance signals at the receiver vision detector. An interference pattern may be seen, if the resultant beat, which has a frequency of some 840 kc/s, has sufficient amplitude. The visibility of pattern may be reduced substantially if the frequency of the beat bears an odd integer relationship with half the line scanning frequency: this condition will be satisfied if the frequency difference between the sound and vision carriers is an integer multiple of the line scanning frequency. A simple and convenient arrangement may be obtained if this frequency difference bears a four-thirds relationship with the colour subcarrier frequency. In both the S.T. & C. vision transmitter and its associated sound transmitter, carrier frequency is obtained by multiplying the drive frequency by nine. By changing the frequency multiplying factor to eight, the problem of locking the frequency difference between the sound and vision carriers may be simplified consider ably.