Development of a Digital VCR System

A digital video cassette recorder (DVCR) for home use has been developed, adopting a high-efficiency picture coding method. A constant data volume per frame or field is maintained, relying on rate-adaptive discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding using coding bit allocation according to the image activity. A modulator with a new coding technique and error correction module enables high-density recording. This paper explains the system construction of the experimental equipment and the features of individual blocks comprising the system. We also describe a method for preventing image quality deterioration caused by duplication, and report on simulation studies characterizing the functionality of the DVCR.