Phase Alternation Line Research Articles

Object Video Tracking using a Pan-Tilt-Zoom System

This paper implements object video tracking system that represents object location in subsequent video frames. A closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera mounted on a rotating system is used for capturing video while the object of interest always kept at the centre of the screen. Three tracking algorithms were selected and implemented: template matching, contour matching and optical flow. Measures of their accuracy and speed were taken for comparison. The software was implemented in a personal computer with C# programming language, with the aid of EmguCV which is a wrapper for OpenCV, a famous image processing library. The system implemented for this study is able to successfully track a rigid body, discernible from the background objects with size up to 400×300 pixel for the Phase Alternate Line (PAL) system of 720×576 pixel frame size. Tracking was stable even with the existence of rotation and scaling. Some faults were observed when occlusion was present or when the target was moving with a speed faster than that of the rotation system of 30 degrees/s horizontal and 15 degrees/s vertical.

Bits and Pieces: A History of Chiptunes, by Kenneth B. McAlpine

<i>Bits and Pieces: A History of Chiptunes</i>, by Kenneth B. McAlpine

An efficient and adaptable multimedia system for converting PAL to VGA in real-time video processing

Real-time video processing has found its range of applications from defense to consumer electronics for surveillance, video conferencing, etc. With the advent of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), flexible real-time video processing systems which can meet hard real-time constraints are easily realized with short development time. Most of the existing solutions have high utilization of system resources and are not quite flexible with many applications. Here we propose a hardware–software co-design for an FPGA-based real-time video processing system to convert video in standard Phase Alternating Line (PAL) 576i format to standard video of Video Graphics Array (VGA)/Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA) format with little utilization of resources. Switching between multiple video streams, character/text overlaying, and skin color detection are also incorporated with the system. The system is also adaptable for rugged applications. VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) codes for the architecture were synthesized using Altera Quartus II and targeted for Altera Stratix I FPGA. Results achieved confirm that the proposed system performs efficient conversion with very less resource utilization compared to the existing solutions. Since the proposed system is also flexible, many other applications can be incorporated in the future.

Hardware architecture design of block-matching and 3D-filtering denoising algorithm

Block-matching and 3D-filtering (BM3D) is a state of the art denoising algorithm for image/video, which takes full advantages of the spatial correlation and the temporal correlation of the video. The algorithm performance comes at the price of more similar blocks finding and filtering which bring high computation and memory access. Area, memory bandwidth and computation are the major bottlenecks to design a feasible architecture because of large frame size and search range. In this paper, we introduce a novel structure to increase data reuse rate and reduce the internal static-random-access-memory (SRAM) memory. Our target is to design a phase alternating line (PAL) or real-time processing chip of BM3D. We propose an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) architecture of BM3D for a 720×576 BT656 PAL format. The feature of the chip is with 100 MHz system frequency and a 166-MHz 32-bit double data rate (DDR). When noise is σ = 25, we successfully realize real-time denoising and achieve about 10 dB peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) advance just by one iteration of the BM3D algorithm.

Low-cost and small footprint solution for testing low-voltage differential signal video displays

In recent years, liquid crystal displays (LCD) have almost completely replaced older technologies such as cathode ray tube displays in many industrial, commercial, aerospace, and military applications due to their increased efficiency, decreased weight, and smaller size. Likewise, the technology used to transmit video signals to LCD displays has evolved from analog standards such as the National Television Standards Council's (NTSC) RS-170 standard and the Phase Alternating Line (PAL) standard to higher speed digital standards such as the Digital Visual Interface standard, High-Definition Multimedia Interface standard, and low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) standard. This evolution of video standards has created a need for the test environments and test generation devices used to test video displays to mature as well.

Identification of an Eccentricity in the Date / Time Metadata of a PAL MiniDV Recording*

A Phase-Alternation Line (PAL) Mini Digital Video (MiniDV) recording and camcorder were provided by the Law Society of Singapore for forensic examination. During visual analyses of the submitted recording and a test recording produced on the submitted camcorder, the number of occurrences of each unique date/time stamp varied from the nominal value of 25 frames (the frame rate per second of PAL recordings), within a range of +/-3 frames. This embedded date/time information is recorded in the digital bit stream along with the video and audio information and can be optionally displayed during playback. These visual observations prompted detailed analyses of the digital metadata of the recordings which consisted of locating the portions of the bit stream associated with the date/time information, and then identifying their redundancy characteristics, data structure, and encoding protocol. Automated scripts were developed using digital data analysis software to locate, extract, convert, and count all of the unique date/time stamps, and to provide an easily-viewable output of the results. The application of the scripting process to both the submitted tape and the test recording produced on the submitted camcorder revealed that the date/time information on each exhibited a nonstandard but consistent timing pattern, which confirmed the visual observations and provided evidence that the submitted recording was consistent with having been produced on the submitted camcorder.

Design of multi-standard NTSC/PAL video encoder

Abstract This paper presents the design of a multi-standard NTSC/PAL video encoder. The encoder converts International Telecommunication Union-Recommendation (ITU-R) BT.601 4:2:2, ITU-R BT.656 or RGB inputs from various video sources into National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) or phase-alternate line (PAL) TV signals in both S-video and composite video baseband signals (CVBS). The encoder adopts multiplier-free structures to reduce hardware complexity. The hardware bit width of programmable digital filters for luminance and chrominance signals, along with other operating blocks, are carefully determined to produce high-quality digital video signals of 1 least significant bit (LSB) error or less. The proposed encoder is experimentally demonstrated by using the Altera APEX20K600EBC652-3 device.

Building Cross-Platform Media Workgroup Solutions

This paper presents several essential development considerations pertinent to the creation of a new nonlinear editing (NLE) system operating on the Windows NT platform. A significant factor is that the new system is based on a product initially developed for the Macintosh. The initial product operated with Apple's QuickTime file-compatible standard, which offered several advantages resulting from the program's file architecture. The resulting NLE developed by Media 100 Inc. is called iFinish. The product is a cross-platform compatible system that permits easy access to the hardware by other applications as well as the use of a substantial number of QuickTime-compatible software applications. Also, the initial signal architecture readily lends itself to the inclusion of more recent interface standards including DV (IEEE 1394) and serial digital interface (SDI, SMPTE 259M). This is a consequence of the inherent flexibility stemming from the design choices initially made. Based on the ITU-R BT.601 YC r C b , structure, the system design also interfaces to component analog video (CAV) component analog, S-Video, and National Television Standard Committee (NTSC) or phase alternation line (PAL) sources.

Production and presentation of digital movies

222, 84-94 Over the past five years, photographic and video-tape documentation of microscopic data has gradually be- come outmoded and has been super- seded by digital image acquisition systems. There are many advantages of digital images over film or video. Acquisition is convenient and fast, and images can be duplicated without loss of information. Furthermore, digital images provide quantitative and pos- itional data maps of specimens, mak- ing them amenable to digital process- ing to enhance features of interest and extract information that is not readily apparent to the eye. With the advent of the digital-imaging age has come the problem of how to present digital movies in a video world. Televisions, monitors and projectors in the USA adhere to the National Televisions Systems Committee (NTSC) standard signal with 525 horizontal lines of resolution scanned at 30 times a second; most of Western Europe uses the phase-alternating line system (PAL) standard of 625 lines at 25 Hz, while in France and Eastern Europe 'Sequential Couleur ~ Memoire' (SECAM, sequen- tial colour with memory), which is similar in resolution to PAL, is standard video format. By contrast, modern computer displays typically offer res- olutions nearly twice as good as video (e.g. 1280) 150 Hz. In preparing for presentations at major scientific meetings, we were recently confronted with the task of presenting our time-lapse series of digi- tal fluorescence images of living cells using the audio visual (A/V) equipment available, without degrading the qual- ity of our data. We produced 20-min movies on super-video (S-VHS) tape, including timed text, graphics and movie clips. This article outlines the equipment requirements for this type of small-scale scientific digital movie production (see Table 1 ).

Identification and minimization of IIR tap coefficients for the cancellation of complex multipath in terrestrial television

By using a deterministic approach, an exact form for the synchronous detected video signal under a ghosted condition is presented. Information regarding the phase quadrature-induced ghost component derived from the quadrature forming nature of the vestigial sideband (VSB) filter is obtained by crosscorrelating the detected video with the ghost cancel reference (GCR) signal. As a result, the minimum number of taps required to correctly remove all the ghost components is subsequently presented. The results are applied to both National Television System Committee (NTSC) and phase alternate line (PAL) television.

The digital dawn in Europe [HDTV

Europe's digital television plans downplay high-definition applications because of their previous defeat by an uninterested public. Europe's move from analog to digital television is still unfolding. It all began in 1986 with an Europe-wide research project that used digital technology to enhance analog television. Under the umbrella of Project EU-95 manufacturers and broadcasters throughout the region joined forces to develop a high-definition television (HDTV) system native to their part of the world. The European system used 1250 picture lines, exactly twice the 625 lines of the domestic phase alternation line (PAL) system, to make compatibility with existing television sets easier to achieve. But it did not build directly on the PAL standard. Instead, the high-definition system built on a then-new 625 line MAC (multiplexed analog components) and so was called HD-MAC.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Mirrors on a chip

The design, development, and performance of the digital micromirror device (DMD), a spatial light modulator for projection displays, are examined. The DMD covers each memory cell of a CMOS static RAM with a movable micromirror. Electrostatic forces contingent on the data in the cell tilt the mirror either on or off, modulating the light incident on its surface. Light reflected from any on-mirrors passes through a projection lens and creates images on a large screen. Light from the remaining off-mirrors is reflected away from the projection lens and trapped. The standard-resolution version of the DMD corresponds to the National Television System Committee (NTSC) or Phase Alternation Line (PAL) standard. It is a chip about 2.3 cm/sup 2/ covered by 442368 movable mirrors, each 16 mu m on a side.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Videodisc and compact disc technologies.

The majority of optical discs (videodiscs and compact discs) are based on the reflective optical disc (a rigid plastic disc). Both are recorded and read by lasers. In the case of videodiscs the data are stored as an analogue signal (analogue signals are based on the variations that occur in a continuous electronic signal such as occurs on casette tapes and videotapes). The most successful videodisc format was developed by Philips and is often referred to as a laservision disc. Videodiscs (laservision discs, laserdiscs) are 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter. The storage capacity of a videodisc is impressive, enabling a resource of approximately 55 000 still frames per side or 36 min of moving video (PAL, see below). Two digital sound tracks can also be incorporated into the videodisc. For historical and political reasons, three separate television (broadcast) formats have arisen in different parts of the world. Phase alternation line (PAL, used in the UK and the majority of Europe, plays at 25 frames per second), National Television Standard Committee (NTSC. used in the USA and Japan, 30 frames per second) and sequential colour with memory (SECAM and developed in France, not frequently encountered. 25 frames per second). This can lead to incompatibility but dual format (PAL/ NTSC) videodisc players are now widely available. Access times are rapid and usually less than one second. The laserdisc is now regaining popularity as a high-quality medium for movies and music videos and Karaoke systems are based on laserdisc jukeboxes.

Navigating the video maze

The technology required to produce professional video and audio presentations from a desktop computing environment is now available and is supported by many companies. The hardware to support this technology, however, is offered in widely varying forms and at a broad range of prices. This article provides an introductory perspective on the current video technology and includes commercial hardware products currently available for producing video productions from a computing environment.Recording a computer graphics animation to videotape is a complicated task. The heart of the difficulty lies in the fact that video monitors, such as standard televisions, and computer monitors both use the same Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) technology, but they require different signals for display. In 1941, the National Television Standards Committee, NTSC, established a standard for broadcast video in North America. This standard signal is still in use today and consists of a composite, interlaced, 525 line signal, scanning at 30 frames per second (30 Hz.) In contrast to this antiquated standard, today's high-quality monitors display a component red, green, and blue (RGB), non-interlaced, 1280 x 1024 signal, scanning at 75 Hz. The art of producing a video signal can be summed up as translating today's technology to meet yesterday's NTSC standard, with a minimal loss of quality. Although only NTSC signal needs are specifically addressed in this article, most of the equipment is equally compatible with the European broadcast standards: Phase Alternate Line (PAL) and Sequential Color and Memory (SECAM).A video production can be produced from an animation on either a low-end personal computer or a high-end workstation, and most of the hardware discussed can be used interchangeably with any platform. However, choosing the proper system for your needs can still be a formidable task. The vast array of available products presents an endless maze, rather than an easy solution.

Import penetration and barriers to trade: the case of the UK television set market

The article considers the determinants of import penetration in the UK television (TV) set market 1968–1981. In particular, it examines the impact of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, the latter consisting of the phase alternating line (PAL) colour system patent licence, vertical integration of domestic TV producers into TV renting, quotas and voluntary export restraints (VERs). A qualitative examination is found to be more strongly influenced by non-tariff barriers to trade than by tariffs, and hence is related to the product cycle via the effects of renting. Product specific variables and supply side factors emerge as important in determining import penetration.

A colour video enhancement terminal for computerised tomography

A colour system has been developed for the EMI scanner incorporating a sixteen colour table with a selection of scale manipulation facilities. Features such as colour deletion and colour of interest pulsation are included and the output is available both in RGB (red, green, blue) form and PAL (phase alternation line by line) coded composite video form (625 line interlaced) to facilitate the use of a domestic television receiver (Boardman 1976). A digital processing unit, implemented in SSI (small scale integration) and MSI (medium scale integration) logic, is interfaced to the IVC (independent viewing centre) frame buffer memory. The unit is housed in a 19 inch cabinet on five standard Eurocards with three modular power supplies. The front panel provides a selection of switch options effecting instantaneous changes in the display. Digital information is processed in real time so that normal window and level variations are tracked by the colour display. The cost of the complete system was about Pounds 1800, and of this, Pounds 1000 was absorbed in the selection of a high quality RGB monitor (Sony PVM1300E).