[sci.electronics] two video questions

hobbit@topaz.rutgers.edu (*Hobbit*) (11/09/89)

[Having recently purchased one of those teeny Sony handycams, a fun toy
indeed, I think I'm becoming a video weenie.]

1> What exactly do those "video enhancer/stabilizer" boxes do?  I suspect
I could build an equivalent [or better] and save some bux.

2> Is there a cheap mostly-analog way to genlock two independent composite
video signals so you can do crossfades and such?  Assuming that the devices
producing the original signals can't genlock in the first place...

_H*

qac@occrsh.ATT.COM (Quentin_Conner) (11/09/89)

Speaking of video questions:

How would one test out some arbitrary television transmission facility,
for instance a cable company's video distribution system or a broadcast
transmitter/receiver pair.  Would you perform a frequency response check
and then measure the received power of some known complex signal?  Does
any automated equipment exist that a technician could use in the field?

Thanks in advance,

Quentin Conner
--------------
qac@occrsh.att.com
or att!occrsh!qac

michael@fe2o3.UUCP (Michael Katzmann) (11/11/89)

In article <909@occrsh.ATT.COM> qac@occrsh.ATT.COM (Quentin_Conner) writes:
   >
   >Speaking of video questions:
   >
   >How would one test out some arbitrary television transmission facility,
   >for instance a cable company's video distribution system or a broadcast
   >transmitter/receiver pair.  Would you perform a frequency response check
   >and then measure the received power of some known complex signal?  Does
   >any automated equipment exist that a technician could use in the field?
   >
   >Thanks in advance,
   >
   >Quentin Conner
   >--------------
There are many paramaters and thus may test that can be performed, of which
the main tests are:
	signal to noise
	differential gain		(change of gain with luminance)
	differential phase		(change of phase with luminance)
	frequence response
	group delay			(time delay) (should be equal for
							all frequencies)
	bounce test			(for low frequency response)

+ many more (especially when your testing digital vieao components!)

Many stations (facilities) transmit a Vertical interval test signal "VITS",
which may have stairstep (with subcarrier modulation) & 2T pulse + bar.
Many tests can be performed with very crude test equipment (an oscilloscope
and a line selector (used to trigger the cro on the vits line).

There are automatic boxes (from Tektronix, Marconi, Anritsu and others) that
read and interpret vits but they are VERY expensive!

Marconi publishes "Video Measurements" by Weaver of the BBC
		which is the "bible"
and the European Broadcasting Unit also has a very good publication on the
subject.

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