1. Digital television systems (DTS)
Technical Univ. of Kosice
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics
Department of Electronics an Multimedia Telecomunication
(Katedra elektroniky a multimediálnych telekomunikácií – KEMT)
ftp server of the KEMT subjects:
materials for DTS:
Ľudmila Maceková, Vysokoškolská 4, 1-st floor
ac. year 2017/18

2. Plan of lectures Human vision and raster imaging. Digitization.
Lightness terminology and Photometry parameters.
Colorimetry. Color Spacies.
Image and Video Quality criteria.
Cameras – principle, components, analogue/digital cameras.
Digital projectors and displays.
TV-signal – analogue/digital, TV-norms, color standards, video. standards, audio standards, modulations, coding.
Video streaming. Digital TV and Video Broadcasting methods.
(It can be modified.)

3. The size of the characters to test 20/20 (normal) vision ?
1 minute equals 1/60 of a degree
This is the “normal” minimum discernible resolution for a human eye when tested for character recognition. O D
20 feet = m
O = 1 minute
D = 2 x 20 feet x Tan (O/2)
= 0.07 inches ( 1.8mm)
(Hence the letter E will be 9 mm x 9 mm if intended to be read by
a person with 20/20 vision at a distance of 20 feet or 6 metres).

4. Viewing Distance and angle (Spatial Domain)
Fig. The astronomers rule of thumb (1 degree of arc) [2]
ppi ... pixel per inch

5. Viewing Distance and angle (Spatial Domain)
The result:
The angle less then 1 spatial degree is not visible for human eye  spatial constraint.

6. SDTV: aspect ratio 4 : 3
(NTSC, USA)

7. Horizontal pixel separation = 0.51 mm Vertical line separation
4:3 Display “pixel” size (SDTV PAL, SECAM - Australia, Europe) for different screen diagonal.
4 (720 elements)
Horizontal pixel separation
= mm
Vertical line separation
= mm
18”
3 (576 rows)
4 (720)
Horizontal pixel separation
= mm
Vertical line separation
= mm
3 (576)
27”
1” = 2.54 cm)

8. 16:9 Display “pixel” size 16 (720) Horizontal pixel separation
= 1.2 mm
Vertical line separation
= 1.1 mm
42”
9 (576)
16 (1920)
Horizontal pixel separation
= mm
Vertical line separation
= 0.48 mm
42”
9 (1080)

9. HW – examples:
How long is minimal distance (D1) of viewer from the screen of TV receiver, if its diagonal (D2) is 55” and ¾ -format (SDTV)? What is the ratio D1/D2?
How long is minimal distance of viewer from the screen of TV receiver, if its diagonal is 55” and 16/9 – format (HDTV)? What is the ratio D1/D2?

10. Maximum resolving power
The eye under some conditions may provide :
“Vernier Acuity” of 8 seconds of arc. Eg. Offset of two lines placed end to end.
Note that the eye can discriminate down to 1 % in intensity between overlapping light sources.
The eye has a greater resolution for vertical separated lines compared to horizontal separated lines.
8 sec.
Hence approx. 1mm differences between “objects” maybe detectable,
at a viewing distance 6 metres from a display, by a typical eye. [1]

11. Pixel separation versus Picture resolution [1]
Horizontal
Pitch of the “Resolution” lines
(some examples)
Mask
pattern R G B R B G R B R G B R G B R G B R G B R G B or or G R B G R G B
Pixel A
Pixel B
Pixel C
Pixel A
Pixel C
Pixel A
Pixel B
Pixel C
Pixel B
“Dot”
“Slot”
“Trinitron”
or Plasma
Pixel separation
Pixel separation
Pixel separation
That is 1920 pixels horizontally gives 960 lines resolution
and 720 pixels horizontally gives 360 lines resolution

12. Pixel separation versus Picture resolution
Vertical
Pitch of the “Resolution” lines
(some examples) on on
Pixel A R B R G B
Pixel A G
Pixel B R B R G B
Pixel B or
off
off G
Line & Pixel separation
Line & Pixel separation
Pixel C R B R G B
Pixel C G on on
Note stripes are continuous
for a Trinitron
That is 1080 pixels vertically gives 540 lines resolution
and 576 pixels vertically gives 288 lines resolution
[1]

13. Other Considerations [1]
The other dominant factors which may influence whether the line structures or the increased resolutions can actually be seen are :
“Kel factor” associated with interlace scans. (works to decrease the observed resolution both vertically and horizontally by 0.7 to 0.8)
Interlace artefacts such as “pairing” in displays (H to V xtalk)
Room lighting conditions.
Programme material type.
Programme production and coding artefacts
Display structures - dot, line, rectangular, black matrix, tube, plasma etc.
Display dynamics, persistence, dynamic focus, and shading correction.
Viewing distance - this analysis is based on 6H for SDTV and 4H for HDTV.
Variability of the human observer from the typical normal vision for a young observer.

14. Spatiotemporal Domain)
temporal constraint: cca 50 frames per second for perception of fluent motion / imperceptible alternation of frames (in cinematography 24 frames x 2 per second) - in TV 25 frames x 2 fields (Europe) / 30 frames x 2 fields (USA) pre second (frame frequency, frame rate, [Hz])

15. Aspect ratio [2]

16. [2]

17. Lightness terminology
In grayscale imagination:
Brightness - formally as the attribute of a visual sensation according to which an area appears to emit more or less light
Intensity - radiant power in a particular direction
Radiance - intensity per unit projected area

18. Lightness terminology
In color imagination:
also wavelength [nm] – from the spectral range 400 – 700 nm
Luminance - radiance weighted by the spectral sensitivity associated with the brightness sensation of vision
Illuminance - luminance integrated over a half-sphere
Lightness – formally, CIE L* – is the standard approximation to the perceptual response to luminance (in grayscale imag.)
tristimulus values – for color sensation and reproduction – their amplitudes are proportional to intensity but their spectral compositions are carefully chosen according to the principles of color science - set of 3 (mostly R, G, B)
gamma correction – intensity correction of image signal (voltage, current ) because of nonlinear transfer characteristics of some imaging systems (CRT-screens and displays) – R’, G’, B’
Luma (Y’) is formed as a suitably weighted sum of R’G’B’; it is the basis of luma/color difference coding.

19. Luma and color difference components – difference signals CR, CB (R’-Y’ , B’-Y’ respectively; PB, PR in analogue area) for compressed color TV signal transmission, coding and store (more info later)

20. Photometry
= the science of the measurement of light, in terms of its perceived brightness to the human eye
Human eye is not equally sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light.
Human sensitivity for different wavelength is different in dark conditions (scotopic vision) and in light condition (photopic vision)
relative photopic/scotopic sensitivity
[Fig. Wikipedia]
λ [nm]

21. Table: SI photometry quantities
[Wikipedia]

22. References:
[1] W. Dickson, SMIREE MIEAust. CPEng.: The EYE and the Television Display
[2] Ch. Poynton: Digital Video and HDTV, Algorithms and Interfaces by Elsevier Science (USA)