Patent GB-1285221-A (GB)
Title: A tv system with pcm encoding
IPC: H04N7/56
Filed: 1969-06-26
Abstract: 1285221 Television transmission; multiplex pulse code signalling POST OFFICE 26 June 1969 [26 June 1968] 32347/69 Headings H4F and H4L PCM encoded television transmission system comprises in addition to the PCM video encoder a digital coder generating digital code words identifying the horizontal synchronization pulses, and a further circuit to which at least two additional information signals to be transmitted are applied, this further circuit coding the additional information into pulses which occur at times occupied by neither the horizontal sync. code words nor the digital coded video. The additional information may comprise sound signals, e.g. in different languages, and/or data signals, the additional information being defined as information which does not form part of the synchronizing information necessary to transmit and receive visual images represented by the television waveform and also does not comprise video information for the visual images represented by the television waveform. The additional information is transmitted during the horizontal blanking intervals and thus no additional frequency bandwidth is required, the multiplexed sound channels, for example, being sent at the same bit rate as the picture information bit rate. In addition to the horizontal code words, vertical and equalizing code words are transmitted. In the embodiment described the number of TV-PCM bits per line equals (8 bits per sample x (460 samples per line)=3680 bits per line. A 64 megabit/sec. transmission rate is used. The clock frequency per sound channel equals 126 kilobits per second = (8 bits per sample) x 15À75 kc. (voice-PCM sampling frequency per sound channel). 38 sound channels may be transmitted with a clock frequency of 4À788 megabits per second=(126Î38). Each horizontal code word is 60 bits long and this may be transmitted during the 1À27 microsecond front porch. The 4À75 microsecond horizontal blanking pulse width is sufficient to transmit the 38 voice channels, i.e. 304 bits at a 64 megabit/sec. rate. Transmitter, Fig. 2.-A standard TV waveform, with or without colour bursts &c, is supplied to terminal 10, and 38 voice channels are supplied to voice PCM circuitry 28. The TV waveform is fed via a delay 20 to TV-PCM circuitry 26 which samples the video to provide pulse amplitude modulated pulses which are digitally encoded into 8 bit words. The equalizing pulses, horizontal sync. pulses and vertical sync. pulses are extracted, 12, from the video and supplied to a pulse timing generator 14 (Fig. 3, not shown) which provides output spikes corresponding to the input pulses on three respective leads, these spikes being delayed by a preset time to allow the generator to make a decision concerning the particular type of pulse. These spikes are fed to a timing circuit 16 (Fig. 4, not shown) which controls the time at which the video data, unique words identifying the sync. and equalizing pulses and voice data are transmitted. The timing circuit 16 sends sampling pulses via lead 29 and clock pulses via lead 31 to the TV-PCM circuitry 26, and clock and reset pulses to the horizontal, .vertical and equalizing unique word generators 18, 22 and 24 which each provide 60-bit words. The sampled (multiplexed) sound channels are converted into 8-bit words and passed to a memory 30 which compresses the digitally encoded sound data, the data being written into memory 30 at a slow bit rate and read-out under control of clock pulses from timing circuit 16 at a fast bit rate. The outputs from 18, 22, 24, 26 and 30 are combined, 32, modulated, 34, into a phase code and transmitted, 36. Unique word generator, Fig. 5, comprises a binary counter 140, a decoder 142, a bank of manual switches 144, and an OR gate 146. The binary counter 140 counts 60 input clock pulses and is then reset by the reset output of timing circuit 16. The "0" and "1" conditions of each stage of counter 140 are sensed by decoder 142 which may be a 12 x 60 diode matrix decoder, an output pulse being produced on the nth output lead when a count of n is registered. The particular coded form of the unique word is determined by the setting of the manual switches, these being different for the horizontal, vertical and equalizing unique word generators. Memory 30, Fig. 7, which receives the PCM encoded voice output from circuit 28, Fig. 2 (Fig. 6, not shown) at 4À788 megabits per second and transmits the information to the combiner 32 at the transmission clock rate of 64 megabits per second, comprises a pair of 8 Î 38 shift register type memories 176 and 188 controlled so that as one receives information the other is read-out. The function of the two memories is switched in response to each voice frame pulse at input 162 corresponding to a complete cycle of 38 voice samples (15À75 kb/s.). In operation 8 voice bits, i.e. one voice sample, are sequentially read into shift register 170 and transferred simultaneously via AND gates 172 to register 176 or 188 in response to a count of eight derived by write counter 194. Simultaneously the entire contents of memory 176 or 188 are shifted one column position to the right. Readout is controlled by counter 20 which receives clock bits at the 64 megabit per sec. rate (instead of the 4À788 megabit sec. rate) the outputs being passed from whichever memory 176 or 188 is being read out, via AND gates 178  or 180 and OR gates 182 or 184. Delay 20, Fig. 2, places the picture information in coincidence with the 3680 group of clock pulses fed to the TV-PCM circuitry, and is equal to the amount indicated by the word DELAY in the waveform of Fig. 1 (b) (not shown). Receiver, Fig. 8, comprises unique word detectors 246, 248 and 250 (Fig. 9, not shown), outputs from which are fed to horizontal, vertical and equalizing pulse generators 228, 226 and 224, and to timing circuit 242 (Fig. 10, not shown) which controls with the aid of clock pulses from demodulator 214 on lead 252 the operation of a distributer 215 (Fig. 11, not shown) which passes the TV-PCM to decoder 218 and the voice channels to memory unit 240. Timing circuit 242 also supplies clock pulses to decoder 218 and memory 240, and voice frame pulses to memory unit 240 and voice PCM decoder 230 (Fig. 12, not shown). Memory unit 240 converts received voice data at 64 megabits per second to data at 4À788 megabits per second and is similar to that of Fig. 7. Delay circuit 220 places the picture information at the proper time position with respect to the reconstructed horizontal sync. pulses.