Compatible high-definition television

Presents an overview of basic signal processing techniques that are being used to develop a MAC-compatible HDTV transmission system, together with the appropriate field rate conversion at the receiver. The processing is much more complex than that used for conventional television. Yet if one compares the complexity of HD-MAC with that employed in some other branches of image processing, the techniques are still relatively simple. One is constrained by what can be done in real time and what can be done at a reasonable cost. Motion compensation is one of a number of new techniques which have only recently been applied to HDTV coding. Very good results have already been achieved and, in the longer term, even better methods will emerge. The transmission standard that is finally adopted must be capable of evolution and contain the headroom to allow the benefits of these developments to be obtained