Patent ID: 7042940

Claim:
An digital video signal transmission apparatus, comprising: a data transmission path for transmitting a digital video signal in which a plurality of chrominance signals having plural bits per pixel are combined; conversion means for converting the respective chrominance signals of the digital video signal to be transmitted, in such a manner that every plural frames (a) in one frame of the plural frames, each of the chrominance signals is converted into a gradation signal having plural bits less or equal to a number of bits contained in each chrominance signal, while (b) in other frames of the plural frames, each of the chrominance signals is converted into a binary signal having 1 bit, so that an average of gradation levels of the respective chrominance signals in the plural frames after the conversion is substantially equal to gradation levels of the respective chrominance signals in a single frame before the conversion; flag signal generation means (a) for generating a flag signal for setting how the gradation signal and the binary signal are respectively assigned to each of the chrominance signals, which constitute each pixel signal, so that one of the chrominance signals has plural bits, while the other chrominance signals have 1 bit, and (b) for outputting the flag signal to said data transmission path; signal setting means (a) for assigning the gradation signal and the binary signal respectively to each of the chrominance signals, in accordance with the flag signal, so that one of the plural chrominance signals, which constitute each pixel signal, has plural bits, while the other chrominance signals have 1 bit, and (b) for outputting a resultant digital video signal to said data transmission path; and bit expansion means for carrying out bit expansion of the digital video signal, which has been transmitted, in accordance with the flag signal that have been transmitted via said data transmission path, so that the respective plural chrominance signals, which constitute each pixel signal, have an equal number of bits.