A High-Performance, Full-Bandwidth HDTV Camera Applying the First 2.2 Million Pixel Frame Transfer CCD Sensor

J. Blankevoort, H. Blom, P. Brouwer, P. Centen, B. vd Herik, R. Koppe, A. Moelands, J. v Rooy, F. Stok, A. Theuwissen

A newly developed HDTV CCD camera system, to meet various HDTV standards, is presented. The design aspects and design goals are discussed, as well as the application of a new 1-in. HDTV FT CCD sensor. The main challenges to the development of this sensor were the reduction of RC values of the CCD gates by means of a new interconnection scheme, the design of a very effective image cell, and the low noise-output stages. The optomechanical design aspects of the camera are also described. The focusing problem, caused by the smaller depth of field in HDTV cameras, is successfully tackled by the introduction of two new focus-assist tools: an electronic magnifier and “crawler” circuitry. The low-power, wideband video processing and full-bandwidth, two-dimensional contour processing are discussed. Signal transmission between camera and camera processing unit is possible in multicore mode with a maximum cable length of 300 m and in fiber-optic mode with maximum 2000 m of cable, including camera power. The system concept, together with the possible different modes of operation, is explained. User experiences, gained during the 1992 Olympic Winter and Summer Games and several other field tests, are also presented.

Print ISSN
Published
1994-05
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J02124