PAL Encoder and Decoder

By Rajender Kumar
Director(Engg.)
STI(T), AIR & Doordarshan

Color reproduction in Television

System
Colors are generated by additive mixing of primary
colors, Red (R), Green (G), Blue (B).
The mixing is done in the color picture tube where
three R-G-B electron guns will hit the respective RG-B phosphor dots on the screen, resulting in
emission of red, green and blue light from the
respective dots. When these colors of different
intensities are emitted, human eyes would perceive a
particular color

Additive Mixing of Primary Colors

Color separation using optical system

Color Generation in TV Picture Tube

Conversion of RGB signals into

CCVS
TV Transmission is carried out in color composite
video signals (CCVS), instead of RGB component
video.
TV receiver responds only to CCVS signals.
PAL encoder convert RGB signal into CCVS
signal and PAL Decoder takes CCVS as input and
gives RGB as output
Therefore conversion from RGB to CCVS is
required.

CCVS

R-Signal

G-Signal

B-Signal

PAL
Encoder

CCVS

VIDEO FRAME

23

1
2
336

FIELD 1

310

FIELD 2
623

623-1/2, 624,.23-1/2

1
2

311, 312,.335

VIDEO FRAME

FIELD 1

Odd Field

FIELD 2

Even Field

Total line period = 64 sec

Active period = 52 sec
Horizontal blanking = 12 0.3sec
Horizontal sync pulse = 4.7 0.2sec
Front porch = 1.5 0.3sec
Back porch = 5.8 0.3sec

Video Bandwidth
Number of pixels in a single picture of a SD television is
720 576 414720 pixels(PAL)

The number of cycles produced is given by 1/2 number of pixels:

1
414720 207360 cycles/picture
2

Since there are 25 (PAL) complete pictures per second, then the
number of cycles per second, i.e. the maximum video frequency is

207360 25 5184000 Hz = 5.184 MHz

Constrains for migration from

monochrome to color Transmission
Compatibility: Color transmission must
respond to B/W receivers.
Reverse Compatibility: Monochrome
transmission must be received by color TV.
Bandwidth:Color composite video signal
must utilize the same bandwidth of 5 MHz
as utilized by monochrome composite
signal.

How to maintain compatibility

Three RGB signals are converted into
Luminance Y, and color difference signals
using simple mathematical relation
Y=0.3R+0.59G+0.11B, Luminance Signal
U=0.493(B-Y)
Color Difference Signals
V=0.877(R-Y)
(B-Y) and (R-Y) are weighted to avoid
over modulation

Generation of Luminance and color difference signals

Gamma correction

R1 = 0.59, R2 = 0.3, R3 = 0.11

Luminance signal
Y = 0.3R + 0.59G + 0.11B

Simple matrix
G

R1
R2

Amp.

R3
R4

Camera
outputs

Inv.
amp.
-Y

(R Y)
adder

-Y
B

(B Y)
adder

(R Y)

(B Y)

How to retain 5MHz BW

The color difference signals, U and V are
accommodated in the luminance Y signal using
frequency interleaving.
The frequency interleaving is achieved by
modulating U and V using QAM at color subcarrier frequency which is given by
f SC

15625 50
fh
fv

284 f h

284 15625
4
2
4
2
= 4433618.75 Hz = 4.43361875 MHz

Energy Spectrum of color video signal

Luminance clusters

Frequency interleaving used in colour television broadcasting

Quadrature Amplitude
Modulation
QAM is a type of modulation scheme where
two information, U and V can be conveyed
on a single carrier, means saving BW.
QAM signal or Chrominance signal C :

C U cos( c t ) V sin( ct )
C C cos( c t )
C

U 2 V 2

tan

V
U

V C

-U

U
-V

QAM Modulator
U

U
Balanced
modulator

U cos( t )
c

cos( t )
c
Sub carrier
oscillator

Adder

C U cos( c t ) V sin( c t )

90 o

sin( t )
c

V
Balanced
modulator

V sin( ct )

Phase Angle for yellow Color

R = 1.0 , G = 1.0, B = 0.0
Y= 0.30+0.59 = 0.89
U = 0.493(B-Y) = 0.493(-0.89) = -0.4387,
V = 0.877( R-Y) = 0.877(0.11) = 0.0965,
C U V
2

180 tan
o

0.4387 2 0.0965 2
0.0965
167 o
0.4387

= 0.44

Chrominance signal phasor positions for primary and

complimentary colors

Advantage of PAL over

NTSC
Phase Alteration by Line : Changing phase of the subcarrier by 180 degree at each alternating line to minimize
the phase error. The phase error causes error in color
reproduction. Correction of colors is done in the Human
Visual System.
Color correction is not done in NTSC system

Phase error correction in PAL system

Received vector
with NTSC line

Transmitted vector
At angle

Received vector
with PAL line

-U

U
-

-V

PAL Encoder
Y

Matrix

U
U Modulator
V

fsc 90

Burst
gate

V Modulator

U Carrier

Color
Sub-carrier
4.43 MHz

fsc 0
fsc 180

Phase
shift
V Carrier

Composite syncs
0 / 180
Phase switch
Ident PAL switch 1/2f h

+
+

+
Summing
Amplifier

+
4.43 MHz
BPF
f = 2.6 MHz
fc = 4.43 MHz

Summing
Amplifier

Composite
PAL

Luminance Delay
(400-500ns)

Output

Separation of U and V signal

U+jV

(U+jV)+(U-jV)=2U

U-jV

(U-jV)+(U+jV)=2U
Adder

From video
Preamplifier

U+jV
Chrominance Band
Pass amplifier

U-jV

Delay Line
63.943 microsec

U-jV
U+jV

Subtractor
U+jV

(U+jV)-(U-jV)=+2V

U-jV

(U-jV)-(U+jV)= -2V

PAL Decoder

THANK YOU