UNIT 1: Fundamentals of Television and Display

1. Elements of TV system:
Q. Draw and explain basic television transmitter in detail.
Ans: The basic block diagram of Television Transmitter is as shown in fig 1. below

Fig 1. Block diagram of monochrome television transmitter

1 ) A TV camera, the heart of which is a camera tube, is used to convert the optical information
into a corresponding electrical signal, the amplitude of which varies in accordance with the
variations of brightness.
2 ) The electrical information obtained from the TV camera tube is generally referred to as video
signal (video is Latin for ‘see’). This signal is amplified and then amplitude modulated with the
channel picture carrier frequency. The modulated output is fed to the transmitter antenna for
radiation along with the sound signal.
3 ) The microphone converts the sound associated with the picture being televised into
proportionate electrical signal, which is normally a voltage. This electrical output, regardless of
the complexity of its waveform, is a single valued function of time and so needs a single channel
for its transmission. The audio signal from the microphone after amplification is frequency
modulated, employing the assigned carrier frequency. In FM, the amplitude of the carrier signal
is held constant, whereas its frequency is varied in accordance with amplitude variations of the
modulating signal.
4 ) As shown in Fig. 1, output of the sound FM transmitter is finally combined with the AM
picture transmitter output, through a combining network, and fed to a common antenna for
radiation of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.

Q. Draw and explain basic television transmitter in detail.

Ans: The basic block diagram of Television Transmitter is as shown in fig 2. Below
Fig 2. Block diagram of monochrome television receiver

1 ) The receiving antenna intercepts the radiated picture and sound carrier signals and feeds
them to the RF tuner. The receiver is of the heterodyne type and employs two or three stages of
intermediate frequency (IF) amplification.
2 ) The output from the last IF stage is demodulated to recover the video signal. This signal that
carries the picture information is amplified and coupled to the picture tube which converts the
electrical signal back into picture elements of the same degree of black and white.
3 ) The path of the sound signal is common with the picture signal from antenna to the video
detector section of the receiver. Here the two signals are separated and fed to their respective
channels. The frequency modulated audio signal is demodulated after at least one stage of
amplification. The audio output from the FM detector is given due amplification before feeding
it to the loudspeaker.

Q. Define Aspect Ratio.

Ans: Aspect Ratio represents the horizontal width of a television or projection screen in relation
to it its vertical height. For example, a traditional analog television has a screen aspect ratio of 4
: 3, which means that for every 4 units in horizontal screen width, there are 3 units of vertical
screen height. HDTV's have a an aspect ratio of 16: 9.

Q. What are main features of human vision that help us to develop entertainment television.
Ans: The main features of human vision that can help us to develop entertainment television
are-
1 ) Persistence of vision which is a property of human eye that any image produced on retina
will persist for 1/16th of a second.
2 ) Thus if number of pictures shown per second are more than sixteen, the eye will see all
images without break.
3 ) Distance between screen and viewer is used to give vertical resolution of the motion
pictures.
4 ) Averaging mechanism of eye is used to average the colours.
5 ) Eye structure is used to have aspect ratio of 4:3.
Q. What is scanning? Explain in detail Horizontal Scanning and Vertical Scanning.
Ans: 1 ) Scanning is done in the same way as one reads a written page to cover all the words in
one line and all the lines on the page. In Television scanning is done using electron beam at both
transmitter side and receiver side.
2 ) Horizontal Scanning: Fig 1. Below shows the concept of Horizontal scanning.

Fig 1. Horizontal Scanning

3 ) The linear rise of current in the horizontal deflection coils (Fig. 2) deflects the beam across
the screen with a continuous, uniform motion for the trace from left to right. At the peak of the
rise, the sawtooth wave reverses direction and decreases rapidly to its initial value. This fast
reversal produces the retrace or flyback. The start of the horizontal trace is at the left edge of
raster. The finish is at the right edge, where the flyback produces retrace back to the left edge.
4 ) Fig 2. below shows the diagram of Currents in Horizontal deflection coils.

Fig 2. Currents in Horizontal deflection coils.

5 ) Vertical Scanning : The sawtooth current in the vertical deflection coils (see Fig. 3) moves the
electron beam from top to bottom of the raster at a uniform speed while the electron beam is
being deflected horizontally. Thus the beam produces complete horizontal lines one below the
other while moving from top to bottom.
 Fig 3. Vertical Scanning

Q. What is meant by Flicker ? How flicker is eliminated using interlaced scanning.

Ans : 1 ) Although the rate of 24 pictures per second in motion pictures and that of scanning 25
frames per second in television pictures is enough to cause an illusion of continuity, they are not
rapid enough to allow the birghtness of one picture or frame to blend smoothly into the next
through the time when the screen is blanked between successive frames.

2 ) This results in a definite flicker of light that is very annoying to the observer when the screen
is made alternately bright and dark. This problem is solved in motion pictures by showing each
picture twice, so that 48 views of the scene are shown per second although there are still the
same 24 picture frames per second. As a result of the increased blanking rate, flicker is
eliminated.

3 ) Interlaced Scanning: In television pictures an effective rate of 50 vertical scans per second is
utilized to reduce flicker. This is accomplished by increasing the downward rate of travel of the
scanning electron beam, so that every alternate line gets scanned instead of every successive
line. Then, when the beam reaches the bottom of the picture frame, it quickly returns to the top
to scan those lines that were missed in the previous scanning. Thus the total number of lines are
divided into two groups called ‘fields’. Each field is scanned alternately. This method of scanning
is known as interlaced scanning and is illustrated in fig 1. Below.
 Fig 1. Principle of Interlaced Scanning

4 ) In the 625 lime monochrome system, for successful interlaced scanning, the 625 lines of each
frame or picture are divided into sets of 312.5 lines and each set is scanned alternately to cover
the entire picture area. To achieve this the horizontal sweep oscillator is made to work at a
frequency of 15625 Hz (312.5 × 50 = 15625) to scan the same number of lines per frame
(15625/25 = 625 lines), but the vertical sweep circuit is run at a frequency of 50 instead of 25 Hz.

5 ) Note that since the beam is now deflected from top to bottom in half the time and the
horizontal oscillator is still operating at 15625 Hz, only half the total lines, i.e., 312.5 (625/2 =
312.5) get scanned during each vertical sweep. Since the first field ends in a half line and the
second field commences at middle of the line on the top of the target plate or screen, the beam
is able to scan the remaining 312.5 alternate lines during its downward journey. In all then, the
beam scans 625 lines (312.5 × 2 = 625) per frame at the same rate of 15625 lines (312.5 × 50 =
15625) per second. Therefore, with interlaced scanning the flicker effect is eliminated without
increasing the speed of scanning, which in turn does not need any increase in the channel
bandwidth.

Q. Define Vertical and Horizontal Resolution. Also derive the expression for highest
approximate modulating frequency in 625 line TV system.

Ans: 1 ) Vertical resolution. The extent to which the scanning system is capable of resolving
picture details in the vertical direction is referred to as its vertical resolution.The vertical
resolution is a function of the scanning lines into which the picture is divided in the vertical
plane. Based on that discussion the vertical resolution in the 625 lines system can then be
expressed as Vr = Na × k

where Vr is the vertical resolution expressed in number of lines, Na is the active number of
lines and k is the resolution factor (also known as Kell factor). Assuming a reasonable value of k
= 0.69,

Vr = 585 × 0.69 = 400 lines.

2 ) Horizontal resolution. The capability of the system to resolve maximum number of picture
elements along the scanning lines determines horizontal resolution. This can be evaluated by
considering a vertical bar pattern as shown in Fig. 1. It would be realistic to aim at equal vertical
and horizontal resolution and as such the number of alternate black and white bars that should
be considered is equal to

Na × aspect ratio = 585 × 4/3 = 780

Before proceeding further it must be recognised that as all lines in the vertical plane are not fully
effective, in a similar way all parts of an individual line are not fully effective all the time. As
explained earlier, it ultimately depends on the random distribution of black and white areas in
the picture. Thus for equal vertical and horizontal resolution, the same resolution factor may be
used while determining the effective number of distinct picture elements in a horizontal line.
Therefore, the effective number of alternate black and white segments in one horizontal line for
equal vertical and horizontal resolution are :

N = Na × aspect ratio × k = 585 × 4/3 × 0.69 = 533

To resolve these 533 squares or picture elements the scanning spot must develop a video signal
of square wave nature switching continuously along the line between voltage levels
corresponding to black and peak white. This is shown along the bar pattern drawn in Fig. 1.
Since along one line there are 533/2 ≈ 267 complete cyclic changes, 267 complete square wave
cycles get generated during the time the beam takes to travel along the width of the pattern.
Thus the time duration th of one square wave cycle is equal to

th = Active period of each horizontal line / No of cycles

= 52 x 10^-6 / 267

Therefore , fh= 1/ th

= 5 Mhz
 Fig 1.

Q. Define and explain 1] Line frequency 2] Frame Frequency 3] Field Frequency.

Ans: 1] Line Frequency: 1 ) The number of lines scanned per second in Horizontal direction is
called as Line frequency or Horizontal Frequency.

2 ) There are 625 lines scanned in one frame and there are 25 frames per second. Therefore Line
frequency is

= 625 x 25= 15625 Hz

2] Frame Frequency: 1 ) The number of frames scanned per second in vertical direction is called
as frame frequency or vertical frequency.

2 ) There are 25 frames scanned in one second. But to avoid flicker, frame is divided into two
fields and scanning rate is increased to 50. So frame frequency is 50Hz.

3] Field frequency: 1 ) Frame is divided into two fields called as odd field and even field. Rate at
which this fields are scanned is called field frequency and is equal to 50 Hz.

Q. Explain in detail with neat sketch Composite Video Signal.

Ans: 1 ) Fig 1. Below shows the composite video signal details of three different lines each
corresponding to a different brightness level of the scene. As illustrated there, the video signal is
constrained to vary between certain amplitude limits.

2 ) The level of the video signal when the picture detail being transmitted corresponds to the
maximum whiteness to be handled, is referred to as peak-white level. This is fixed at 10 to 12.5
percent of the maximum value of the signal while the black level corresponds to approximately
72 percent. The sync pulses are added at 75 percent level called the blanking level. The
difference between the black level and blanking level is known as the ‘Pedestal’.

Fig 1. Composite Video Signal

3 ) Pedestal height: As shown in above fig 1. the pedestal height is the distance between the
pedestal level and the average value (dc level) axis of the video signal. This indicates average
brightness since it measures how much the average value differs from the black level. Even
when the signal loses its dc value when passed through a capacitor-coupled circuit the distance
between the pedestal and the dc level stays the same and thus it is convenient to use the
pedestal level as the reference level to indicate average brightness of the scene.

4 ) The blanking pulses : The composite video signal contains blanking pulses to make the
retrace lines invisible by raising the signal amplitude slightly above the black level (75 per cent)
during the time the scanning circuits produce retraces. As illustrated in Fig 1., the composite
video signal contains horizontal and vertical blanking pulses to blank the corresponding retrace
intervals. The repetition rate of horizontal blanking pulses is therefore equal to the line scanning
frequency of 15625 Hz. Similarly the frequency of the vertical blanking pulses is equal to the
field-scanning frequency of 50 Hz.
 Q. Sketch and discuss Horizontal and Vertical Sync Pulse details.
Ans : 1 ) The horizontal blanking period and sync pulse details are illustrated in Fig.1 . The
interval
between horizontal scanning lines is indicated by H.

Fig 1.

2 )Total line period of 64 μs, the line blanking period is 12 μs. During this interval a line
synchronizing pulse is inserted. The pulses corresponding to the differentiated leading edges of the sync
pulses are actually used to synchronize the horizontal scanning oscillator. The line blanking period is
divided into three sections. These are the ‘front porch’, the ‘line sync’ pulse and the ‘back porch’. The
time intervals allowed to each part are summarized below and their location and effect on the raster is
illustrated in Fig.1.