Patent ID: 8040433

Claim:
A video output apparatus, comprising: a video outputter operable to output a video signal while switching a format of the video signal between a first format and a second format for expressing color differently; a mute signal generator operable to generate, as a muting video signal, a specialized video signal expressing a color in which a difference between a color displayed when the specialized video signal is interpreted in its own format and a color displayed when the specialized video signal is interpreted in a different format is within a predetermined limited permissible range of an entire range of color difference; and a selector operable to select one of the video signal outputted by said video outputter and the muting video signal generated by said mute signal generator, and output a selected signal, wherein in a case where said video outputter switches the video signal from the first format to the second format, said mute signal generator is operable to generate the specialized video signal of the first format during a period including the format switch; in a case where said video outputter switches the video signal from the second format to the first format, said mute signal generator is operable to generate the specialized video signal of the second format during a period including the format switch; and the specialized video signal of the first format and the specialized video signal of the second format are substantially a same color.