U.S. Color Television Fundamentals: A Review

On 17 December 1953, the FCC approved transmission standards for compatible color television and authorized broadcasters, as of 23 January 1954, to provide regular service to the public under these standards. This decision was the culmination of the work of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) upon whose recommendation the FCC action was based. — Over twenty years later, in 1977, these standards are still providing color television service of good quality that testifies to the validity and applicability of the fundamental principles underlying the choice of specific numerical standards. It is not the object of this discussion merely to recite the standards themselves, but rather to review the basic concepts along with some of the more interesting features that make the total system truly a masterpiece of “tradeoffs” among the pertinent psychophysical properties and electronic system techniques. Neither is it possible to explore in depth all the subtle details of the complete NTSC color television system in a single article. Thorough treatment of the details is available as indicated in the references cited. However, a compact summary organized for purposes of concise understanding and review of the critical concepts, as opposed to a historical development, is perhaps both interesting and useful. — The previous existence of black-and-white television standards provided a foundation upon which to build the necessary innovative techniques while simultaneously imposing the requirement of compatibility. Within this framework, an underlying theme — that which the eye does not see does not need to be transmitted or reproduced — set the stage for a variety of truly fascinating developments in what has been termed an “economy of representation.”

Print ISSN

0036-1682

Published

1977-11

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J06718