Patent GB-792863-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to compatible colour television systems
IPC: H04N9/04
Filed: 1954-07-06
Abstract: 792,863. Television. FRANCE, H. G. DE. July 6, 1954 [July 24, 1953; Oct. 22, 1953; Nov. 17, 1953; Nov. 24, 1953; Dec. 3, 1953; Dec. 17, 1953; Jan. 20, 1954; Feb. 22, 1954; March 27, 1954], No. 19779/54. Class 40 (3). In a " compatible " colour television transmission system the low-frequency components of the blue signals are continuously transmitted together with the high- or the high- and lowfrequency components of sequentially supplied green and red signals. The red, green and blue signals, which are sequentially generated at a frame frequency equal to three times that of the signals transmitted, are supplied either directly or over a radio link to device 15 (Fig. 4), from which, via a switch 19 operating synchronously with the camera, the green, red and blue signals are fed to picture-reproducing tubes 16, 17, 18 respectively having screen persistence times equal to three times the frame scanning period. The images produced by these tubes are directed on to respective picture signal generating tubes 20, 21, 22 operating at normal frame scanning frequency, the signals from the latter 22 being supplied via a low-pass filter 25 passing the desired low-frequency components of the blue signals to a mixer 27 and those from the former 20, 21 supplied to respective video amplifiers 23, 24. The latter amplifiers are alternately rendered conductive, each for the duration of (at least) one scanning line period, by means of a switching signal (supplied by an electronic switch 30) the phase of which reverses at the end of each frame scanning period (to effect colour interlacing) and the alternately switched signals supplied to an adder 32 in which they are combined with the output of a mixer 31 consisting of the blue signals (which appear as an amplitude modulation of a carrier of frequency P, Fig. 1, derived from oscillator 26) and synchronizing signals occurring at halfline frequency, derived from the line synchronizing generator 28 via a frequency divider 29, and employed at a co-operating receiver for colour identification. The output of adder 32 is then supplied to a mixer 33 in which it is combined with conventional synchronizing signals and the composite signal comprising, as shown in Fig. 1, the alternate red and green, signals amplitude modulating a main carrier of frequency F1 and the continuously transmitted blue signals as an amplitude modulation of a sub-carrier of frequency P together with associated sound signals on a carrier of frequency F2 is supplied to a conventional transmitter 34. In a second embodiment, Fig. 13 (and Fig. 14, not shown), the low-frequency components of the blue signals are combined with the high-frequency components of the red and green signals and transmitted on a main carrier of frequency F1 together with the lowfrequency components of the red and green signals modulated on a sub-carrier of frequency P. At a co-operating colour receiver the picture is traced out in lines alternate ones of which correspond to the two high-definition signals (i.e. red and green) whilst the low definition signals (i.e. the blue and in the embodiment of Figs. 13 and 14 the low-frequency components of the red and green signals) are continuously superimposed. on both red and green lines, the colour interlacing effect of switch 30, Fig. 4 (as described above) together with conventional interlaced scanning resulting in a colour cycle which repeats after every four frames. At a black/white receiver the picture is traced out in alternate lines corresponding to the two main monochromes (i.e. red and green) on which the continuously transmitted blue information is superimposed. By employing a scanning raster comprising an even number of lines instead of an odd number the flicker effect in black/white receivers is avoided at the expense of a small loss in vertical definition (due to the loss of geometrical interlacing). Both of the embodiments (Figs. 4 and 14) may be modified by arranging the switch 30 to operate in dependence on the mean luminance of the red and green content of the picture and thus to vary the ratio between the red and green lines in accordance with such brightness. Details of such an arrangement is given with respect to Figs. 10, 11 and 12 (not shown). Specification 776,764 is referred to.