A Multi-Format HDTV Camera Head

Abstract

A novel way for capturing native 1080P, 1080I and 720P at 16:9 aspect ratio and a CineScope aspect ratio in 1080P of 2.37:1 will be presented. The architecture of the multi-format HDTV camera head is based on a newly designed Frame Transfer CCD-imager. It enables the design of a camera head that has multiple formats available at the HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M) output of the camera head itself. The camera head utilizes three Frame Transfer (2/3 inch) CCDs with 9.2 Mpixels each (including overscan). Through the use of a 12-phase system all the vertical resolutions of the SMPTE 274M and SMPTE 296M standards are possible. Under software control (Dynamic Pixel Management ™) these pixels are prearranged , at the CCD, into image cells. The image diagonal (11 mm) is independent of spatial resolution and therefore the same for all scanning formats. The video processing chain consists of three 12-bit ADCs followed by two newly designed ASICs that allow multi-format video processing. Amongst many other outputs, the ASICs have an SMPTE 292M-compatible 20-bit parallel output can be serialized to obtain a HD-SDI output at the camera head. The above video chain offers full digital processing capability.