Analog Video

Broadcast
Yossi Cohen
VDroid
 Agenda

Introduction to Color Spaces

Connectors

Video Broadcast Standards

NTSC

PAL

Audio Standards

NICAM

BTSC

EIAJ

A2

Transmission Path

Reception Path
INTRO TO ANALOG TV

Color Spaces
Connectors
Broadcast Standards
 Color Representation

The most simple way to represent G
color is by using RGB representation. B

The color space will look like:

This is usually the color space used
for:

Display output

Sometimes as camera input

For video compression & video R
transport other color spaces are used.
G

In those color spaces luminance is
separated from the color channel:
B

In the diagramed we see the YUV
space I U Y

Reasoning is the number and
sensitivity of the light sensing cells V
(rods) in the eye in comparison to color
sensing cells (cons) Q R
Color Models in Video

In Europe, video broadcast uses PAL or SECAM coding,
uses the YUV color model.

A matrix transform YIQ is used to transmit TV signals in
North America and Japan. (NTSC) This coding also
makes its way into VHS video tape coding in these
countries since video tape technologies also use YIQ.

Digital video uses a matrix transform called YCbCr that is
closely related to YUV.

Recently NV12 format has gained popularity
YUV Separation
YUV Color Model

YUV codes a luminance signal (for gamma-

corrected signals) equal to Y , the “luma".

Chrominance refers to the difference between a
color and a reference white at the same
luminance. (U and V)
The transform is:
YIQ Color Model

YIQ is used in NTSC color TV broadcasting.

Again, gray pixels generate zero (I;Q)
chrominance signal.
I and Q are a rotated version of U and V .

The transform is:

 YUV / YIQ relationship

We can easily see that the
difference between YIQ &
YUV spaces is a 33 degree
offset of the IQ plane
Analog TV Connectors

Analog TV connectors have a tradeoff between

Number of Pins & wires

Quality of video

Using one wire to deliver luminance and color leads to
interferences between the luminance and color
components while using three wires or more just for the
video is not convenient.

Those problems are solved in new digital video connection
standards like:

DVI (obsolete)

HDMI 1.4
Composite Video

CVBS - Composite Video, Blanking, and Sync

Composite Video uses only ONE wire to transfer the mix
of:

Video color signals (chrominance)

Luminance signals

Since color and intensity are wrapped into the same

signal, some interference between the luminance and
chrominance signals is inevitable.
S-Video

S-Video uses two wires, one for luminance and another
for a composite chrominance signal.

This limits the crosstalk between the color information and
the gray-scale information.

Humans are able to differentiate spatial resolution in
grayscale images with a much higher acuity than for the
color part of color images.

As a result, we can reduce color information since we can
only see fairly large blobs of color, so it makes sense to
send less color detail.
 Component Video

Component uses three separate video signals for R,G,B
planes.

Each color channel is sent as a separate video signal.

Most computer systems use Component Video, with
separate signals for R, G, and B signals.

Provides the best color reproduction since there is no
“crosstalk“ between the three channels.

Component video, requires more bandwidth and good
synchronization of the three components than
composite/S-Video .
ANALOG BROADCAST
STANDARDS
Broadcast Standard

The main Analog Broadcasting standards are:

NTSC

PAL

SECAM

They differ in:

Resolution

Frame Rate

Color scheme

Modulation methods

Channel BW

Carrier Distances
NTSC
• NTSC (National Television System Committee) TV standard
is mostly used in North America and Japan.
▫ 4:3 aspect ratio
▫ 525 scan lines
▫ 30 frames per second (fps)

• NTSC follows the interlaced scanning system, and each

frame is divided into two fields, with 262.5 lines/field.
• The horizontal sweep frequency is 525 X 29.97 = 15,734
lines/sec,
• Line swept cycle is 63.6u second.
• The horizontal retrace takes 10.9 u sec, this leaves 52.7 sec
for the active line signal during which image data is displayed
NTSC
NTSC video is an analog signal with no fixed horizontal
resolution. Therefore one must decide how many times to
sample the signal for display: each sample corresponds
to one pixel output.
A “pixel clock" is used to divide each horizontal line of
video into samples. The higher the frequency of the pixel
clock, the more samples per line there are.
Different video formats provide dierent numbers of
samples per line,
NTSC Color Modulation

NTSC uses the YIQ color model, and the technique of

quadrature modulation is employed to combine (the
spectrally overlapped part of) I (in-phase) and Q
(quadrature) signals into a single chroma signal C:

C = I cos(Fsct) + Qsin(Fsct)

This modulated chroma signal is also known as the color
subcarrier, whose magnitude is qI2 +Q2, and phase is
arctan(Q/I). The frequency of C is Fsc 3.58 MHz.

The NTSC composite signal is a further composition of the
luminance signal Y and the chroma signal as defined
below:

composite = Y +C = Y +I cos(Fsct) + Qsin(Fsct) (5:2)
PAL

PAL (Phase Alternating Line) is a TV standard widely

used in Western Europe, China, India, and many other
parts of the world.

4:3 Aspect Ratio

625 scan lines

25 frames/second

YUV Color space

8 MHz channel

5.5 MHz to Y

1.8 MHz each to U and V.

Color subcarrier frequency is fsc 4.43 MHz.
 Analog Video Signal

B/W Sync Pulse

Luminance values

signal levels at 0-4.2MHz

Color Burst

Color Sync ~9-10 cycles

Color subcerrier at 3.85MHz
(NTSC)

Completing color values

Hue – Color Phase

Saturation – Color Amplitude
 Audio and Video modulation

For NTSC

Total channel bandwidth is 6MHz

Luminance signal 0 - 4.2MHz

Color sub-carrier at 3.58MHz

Audio sub-carrier at 4.5MHz.
Video sub-standards

Standards defines:

Scan time

Resolution

signal

The sub-standards (B,GH, DK, M, N, L, I etc)

Modulation depth

Modulation type

Frequency map of the modulated channel
Audio Modulation Methods

Mono AM

BTSC / MTS

EIA-J

A2 / Zweikanalton

NICAM
Overview

Legacy TV only has monaural sound capabilities which

receives a single L+R channel

Later audio system delivered stereo capabilities while
supporting the legacy TVs:

Must provide the legacy mono channel

Add Stereo of L-R using new technique & Bandwidth
BTSC

BTSC includes:

Normal Mono is FM modulated over L+R

BTSC adds Stereo Channel by adding AM L-R

SAP – Secondary Audio Channel (like subtitles)

Optional Professional channel

Source: Video Demystified

EIAJ

Stereo Broadcast standard in Japan

Used in conjunction with NTSC-J, similar to BTSC

Uses FM instead of AM for the L-R Modulation

Differentiate between dual mono and single stereo using a
3.5FH subcarrier AM modulated (for 1/0)
A2

Instead of L+R and L-R transmission, A2 FM modulates two

separate L+R, R channels

This enables

Better L/R crosstalk performance

Transmission of two separate mono channels (second lang.)

Source: Video Demystified

NICAM

NICAM is used for Digital Audio broadcast.

NICAM uses an “A-Law Like” commanding algorithm.

NICAM Supports

One digital stereo sound channel.

Two completely different digital mono sound channels.

One digital mono sound channel and a 352 kbit/s data
channel.

One 704 kbit/s data channel.

NICAM scrambles bits to resemble white noise and
provides parity check
 BTSC EIAJ A2 NICAM

Mono V V V V

Stereo V V V V

Dual Mono V V V

SAP V

Data V
Simplified Broadcast Path (Mono)
Audio IF Freq

Mono Audio FM
Modulator
Audio Video

41.25MHz

Video AM + HF
Conditioning
Modulator Modulator
Audio
video

666MHz
Video IF carrier freq Channel carrier freq
(30-40MHz) (~650MHz)
Broadcast Path

Conditioning

Back porch clamping

White clamping

LPF Filtering

IF Modulation

Fixed IF Frequency per standard

Carrier Modulation

Frequency changes according to channel
Signal Conditioning
FV Back Porch

Back Porch Clamping
clamping

-1.25MHz in NTSC

Reduce Channel BW

White Clamping

10%-90% of max signal

Prevents over modulation /
Buzzing

Chroma is added

3.58MHz in NTSC chroma

Low Pass Filtering

4.2MHZ in NTSC

chroma

BackLPF
Porch
clamping
Modulation

Video is AM modulated to IF
Audio Video
freq

45.75MHz in NTSC*

and mixed with modulated
Audio 41.25MHz 45.75MHz

41.25MHz in NTSC

The Signal is later modulated
to HF

Example of 666MHz
channel video Audio

664.25MHz 668.75MHZ

*For non-NTSC IF Frequency check backup slide

Simplified Reception Path

Audio
video

666MHz

SIF Audio I2S (Digital)

Display
Demodulator
Analog L,R (Analog)
Tuner Processor

CVBS Video
Digitizer Speakers
(HDMI)
Thank you!
More About me:
• Video Expert
Yossi Cohen
• Lectures on Video / Android /
VoIP
yossicohen19@gmail.com
+972-545-313092
• Android Native Developer