Basic Television, Bernard Grob

Chapter 24, Color Television

Color Plates

Plate VII. NTSC Flag illustrating color resolution in color television. Largest areas in full color as
mixtures of red, green, and blue; smaller areas in cyan and orange; smallest details in black-and-white.
(From Proceedings of the IRE, Second Color Television Issue, Jan. 1954.)

Plate VIII. Hue and saturation values for red, green, and blue, and their color mixtures. In terms of the
rectangular coordinates in the chromaticity diagram in Figure 24-38, the lowest point on the horseshoe
curve at darkest blue has the approximate coordinates x = 1.7, y = 0.1; the highest point of green is x =
0.8, y = 8.4; the darkest red at the right is x = 7.3, y = 2.7. (RCA.)

24-21 . Typical Color Television Receiver.

Essentially, the color television receiver consists of the same circuits as a
monochrome receiver for the picture and sound, with the addition of the

chrominance video section for the color information and auxiliary circuits for the

color kinescope. For best results on u-h-f as well as v-h-f channels, the receiver
generally uses 45.75 and 41.25 Mc for the i-f picture and sound carrier frequencies,
respectively, and the 4.5 Mc intercarrier sound. To illustrate how the circuits fit
together, Fig. 24-33 shows in block-diagram form the stages in a typical color
receiver utilizing the I and Q chrominance signals with a three-gun tricolor
kinescope.
R-F and I-F Sections. Starting at the left in the figure, the r-f tuner selects
the antenna signal for any u-h-f or v-h-f channel, converting the r-f signal
frequencies of the picture and sound signals to the i-f signal frequencies of the
receiver. The r-f signal circuits, including the antenna and transmission line, are
the same as in monochrome receiversexcept that here uniform response for each
selected channel is more important to prevent attenuating the 3.58-Mc color
subcarrier modulation on the r-f picture carrier signal. The station selector and fine
tuning are provided as front-panel controls, as in monochrome receivers.
However, adjustment of the fine tuning control is more important because a slight
mistuning of the r-f local oscillator results in no i-f signal for the 3.58-Mc
chrominance subcarrier, which has a corresponding intermediate frequency of
42.17 Mc at the edge of the i-f pass band near the i-f sound carrier frequency.
This is illustrated by the i-f response curve in Fig.
24-34a. A crystal-diode detector produces the
desired video signal output corresponding to the
envelope of the amplitude-modulated i-f picture
carrier signal input.
Sound Section. Notice that a crystal-diode
detector is also used in a separate soundconverter stage to produce the 4.5-Mc
intercarrier-sound signal. Both the picture and
sound i-f carrier signals are coupled into the
sound converter to produce the 4.5-Mc
intercarrier beat. Then the 4.5-Mc signal for the
associated FM sound signal is detected by a ratio
detector to produce the required audio output for
the loudspeaker. A separate sound converter is
used, instead of taking the 4.5-Mc beat from the
video detector, in order to minimize the
amplitude of the 0.9-Mc beat between the 3.6-Mc
chrominance subcarrier frequency and the 4.5-Mc
sound carrier frequency in the video circuits.
Video Preamplifier. The video detector output amplified in the video
preamplifier, or first video amplifier stage, is the total composite video signal

containing the luminance signal variations, the blanking and deflection sync pulses
for horizontal and vertical scanning, and the 3.58-Mc chrominance information
including the burst for color sync. The frequency response required in the video
preamplifier to include the 3.58-Mc chrominance signal is shown in Fig. 24-34b.
Since the composite video signal from the video preamplifier includes all the
required information, it is coupled to the following circuits:
1. Keyed a-g-c amplifier, which produces a-g-c bias for the r-f and i-f
amplifiers as in monochrome receivers.
2. Sync separator and amplifier section which provide horizontal and vertical
synchronizing signals for the horizontal and vertical deflection circuits, as in
monochrome receivers, with automatic frequency control for the horizontal
deflection oscillator. The horizontal and vertical output circuits supply sawtooth scanning current for the deflection yoke on the neck of the color
kinescope to produce the scanning raster.
3. Luminance video amplifier which supplies the Y signal required for addition
with the color-difference voltages to produce the red, green, and blue video
signals.
4. Chrominance amplifier, which supplies the 3.58-Mc color subcarrier signal
for the chrominance section of the receiver.
5. Burst separator and amplifier, which supplies the 3.58-Mc reference burst
for the color synchronizing circuits.
Chrominance Section. The input to the chrominance section includes the
two-phase modulated 3.58-Mc color subcarrier from the video preamplifier; the
output consists of the desired red, green, and blue video signals for the tricolor
kinescope. First the input signal is amplified in the chrominance band-pass
amplifier. A typical chrominance amplifier circuit can be seen by referring back to
Fig. 24-18. The 3.58-Mc modulated chrominance signal from the band-pass
amplifier is then coupled to the two synchronous detectors for the I and Q signals.
Each synchronous detector has two input voltages: chrominance signal from the
band-pass amplifier and c-w output from the local 3.58-Mc carrier oscillator. The
c-w oscillator output for the Q demodulator is shifted 90 in phase by the
quadrature amplifier. As a result, the Q demodulator's output is the Q colordifference voltage, while the I demodulator supplies I color-difference voltage.
Figure 24-35 shows the demodulator and amplifier circuits used in this receiver for
the I and Q video signals. Compensation for the vestigial side-band transmission
of the I signal is accomplished in the I amplifier circuits by increasing the gain for
the 0.5- to 1.5-Mc I video frequencies transmitted with single side bands,
compared to the 0- to 0.5-Mc I video frequencies transmitted with double side

bands. After sufficient amplification and phase inversion, both plus and minus
polarities of the I and Q voltages are coupled into the matrix circuit, to be
combined with the Y signal from the luminance amplifier. The Y video amplifier's
frequency response is usually limited to approximately 3 Mc, as shown in Fig. 2434c. This minimizes the 3.58-Mc dot pattern in the picture and avoids cross- talk
between the luminance and chrominance signals produced by non- linear operation
in the video output stage, which would cause incorrect color values in the
matrixing.

Matrix Circuit. Figure 24-36 shows the resistive voltage-divider circuits for
the passive matrix network in the input to the color adder stages. Notice that the I
and Q signals have the polarities corresponding to the colors needed to form each
primary. For instance, the green adder stage has -Q input, which is yellow-green,
and -I signal, which is the blue-green cyan. With proper proportions of I, Q, and Y
voltage, each adder stage produces in the output circuit its respective primary color
video voltage. The three color output stages then amplify the primary video
signals enough to drive the control grids of the three-gun tricolor kinescope. The

three d-c restorers provide automatic background control for each of the primary
colors. The primary color adder and output stages have a 3-Mc bandwidth so that
the Y video signal can reproduce the fine detail of the picture in black and white.
Color Sync Section. For color synchronization, video signal input
containing the 3.58-Mc color burst is taken from the video preamplifier and
coupled to the burst amplifier. As shown by the typical circuit in Fig. 24-23, the
burst amplifier is tuned to 3.58 Mc and gated by horizontal deflection voltage to
produce output only for the 3.58-Mc color sync burst following each horizontal
sync pulse. The color sync burst has the reference phase required for
synchronizing the 3.58-Mc local subcarrier oscillator. With the 3.58-Mc color
sync burst voltage and carrier volt- age from the 3.58-Mc local oscillator coupled
into the phase detector, it controls the phase of the c-w oscillator, through the
reactance tube, to establish the correct hues in the picture. The schematic diagram
of this a-p-c (automatic phase control) circuit is in Fig. 24-24. The phase detector
is also used to supply negative d-c bias voltage to cut off the color killer stage
when there is no color sync burst and, therefore, no color transmission.
Kinescope Convergence, Focus, and Anode Voltage. The color receiver uses
reaction scanning for horizontal deflection, with the horizontal output circuit
supplying flyback high voltage for the kinescope anode. However, the tricolor
kinescope has additional high-voltage requirements. A voltage doubler supplies 20
kv for the anode of the tricolor kinescope, with a load current of about 750 for
the highlights in the picture, equal to the total beam current for the three guns. A
voltage regulator is necessary to stabilize the anode voltage for different brightness
levels, as the amount of high voltage affects convergence. In addition, the voltage
divider in the high voltage supply also provides about 10 kv for the convergence
electrode in the kinescope. Proper convergence also requires an a-c correction
voltage provided by the convergence amplifier stage, which varies the
instantaneous value of convergence voltage to converge the three beams for any
deflection angle. For this dynamic convergence, the amplifier combines 60-cps
voltage from the cathode of the vertical output stage with 15,750-cps voltage from
the horizontal deflection amplifier's cathode circuit. A separate focus voltage
rectifier obtains high voltage a-c input from the horizontal output transformer to
produce about 4 kv d-c voltage output for electrostatic focusing of the kinescope.
Low-voltage Supply. In the low-voltage power supply, two selenium
rectifiers are used in a voltage doubler circuit to produce about 400 volts B+, with
a load current of about 400 ma. The low-voltage supply provides direct current
through the horizontal and vertical scanning coils in the yoke, which can be
adjusted by the horizontal and vertical centering controls for exact positioning of
the scanning raster. Direct current is also supplied for the color purity coil and
field neutralizing coil. The accelerating grid of each electron gun in the tricolor

kinescope uses +400 volts, approximately, from the low voltage, which can be
adjusted for each electron gun. The amount of 60 cps a-c input power to the
receiver is about 500 watts.
Color Receiver Schematic Diagram. Figure 24-37 shows the complete
schematic diagram of a color television receiver, for reference purposes. This is
essentially the same circuit as the receiver illustrated in block-diagram form in Fig.
24-33, both using a wide-band matrix for I and Q signals, with a three-gun tricolor
kinescope. Note, though, that in Fig. 24-37 the hue control varies the phase of the
burst signal obtained from the video preamplifier, instead of varying the 3.58-Mc
oscillator phase.
24-22. Color Controls. Table 24-2 lists the additional controls for color in a
television receiver, in order to summarize their functions in producing a good color
picture. Although the usual controls for a monochrome receiver, such as station
selector, fine tuning, volume, contrast, and deflection adjustments are omitted in
this table, it should be noted that correct setting of all the controls is important.
This is especially true of the fine tuning control, which must be set exactly to
provide the chrominance signal for the picture i-f amplifier. Otherwise, there is no
color. The fine tuning control should be set for color in the picture, with the
saturation control turned up and minimum 0.9 Mc beat, which is evident as a
coarse herringbone pattern in the picture. Of the color controls, usually the hue or
phasing control and the saturation control are on the front panel of the receiver as
operating controls. When switching between stations broadcasting in color,
readjustment of the fine tuning, hue, and saturation controls will usually be
necessary. The remainder of the color controls are on the chassis, either at the rear
or available from the front through a hinged cover, or at the side of the cabinet.
Correct adjustment of the color controls is also necessary for a good blackand-white picture when a monochrome broadcast is received. As indicated in
Table 24-2, the following adjustments are set with a monochrome picture for good
black-and-white reproduction without color: screen-grid and d-c bias voltages for
the red, green, and blue guns in the kinescope; green and blue gain controls.
Convergence is checked with a dot generator, which is similar to a bar generator or
crosshatch generator used for checking scanning linearity. Its purpose is to supply
video signal that produces black and white rectangular dots on the kinescope
screen. About ten rows of horizontal and vertical dots are produced, so that each
dot is much larger than the phosphor-dot trios. For checking colors in the
reproduced picture, a color-bar generator can be used. A typical generator
produces video signal for ten vertical color bars differing in hue from orange to
green by 30 spacing in phase angles, corresponding approximately to the R - Y, B
- Y, I , and Q axes and intermediate colors.

Table 24-2. Color Controls

Control

Circuit

Function

Adjustment
Vividness of colors;
no color at zero
setting
Correct hues, as
determined by flesh
tones or hue of known
object
Zero d-c output at
balance
Rotation tilts raster;
movement along tube
neck affects purity
Pure red at center area
of raster
Pure red at center of
raster
Pure red at edge area
of raster

Saturation or chroma

Chrominance bandpass amplifier

Vary level of 3.58-Mc

chrominance signal

Hue or phasing

3.58-Mc oscillator ap-c or sync burst

circuit

A-F-C balance

Color phase detector

in a-p-c circuit
Horizontal and
vertical deflection
circuits
Low-voltage power
supply
Low-voltage power
supply
Low-voltage power
supply

Vary phase between

3.58-Mc c-w
oscillator and sync
burst
Balance diode circuits
of phase detector
Produce scanning
raster

Deflection yoke on
kinescope neck
Purity coil on
kinescope neck
Purity adjustment
Field-neutralizing coil
around kinescope
faceplate
Convergence
magnet(s)

Permanent magnets

D-C convergence

High-voltage supply

Horizontal dynamic
convergence

Horizontal output
circuit

Vertical dynamic
convergence
Focus

Align three electron

beams
Vary direct current in
purity coil
Corrects beam
misalignment caused
by external fields
Align each electron
beam with respect to
the other two for
proper convergence
Adjust d-c voltage
applied to
convergence electrode
in kinescope

Vary d-c convergence

and focus voltages at
horizontal line rate
Vertical output circuit Vary d-c convergence
and focus voltages at
vertical field rate
Focus voltage rectifier Vary focusing grid
in high-voltage supply voltage for kinescope

Vary d-c convergence

voltage and position
magnets to make dot
trios produce white, in
center area of raster
Vary d-c convergence
voltage and position
magnets to make dot
trios produce white, in
center area of raster
Convergence at left
and right sides of
raster
Convergence at top
and bottom of raster
Sharp focus in raster
and picture. Affects
convergence also

Table 24-2. Color Controls (continued)

High-voltage

Shunt regulator in
high-voltage supply

Stabilize kinescope
anode voltage

Red-screen, greenscreen, and bluescreen

Low-voltage power
supply

Green-gain and bluegain

Green adder and blue

adder stages

Red (master), green,

and blue background

Kinescope gridcathode circuit

Vary kinescope
screen-grid voltage
for red, green, and
blue electron guns
Provide enough green
and blue video signal,
compared to red
Vary d-c bias voltage
for red, green, and
blue electron guns

I Gain

I signal amplifier and

phase splitter

Provide enough I
signal compared to Q
signal

Constant high voltage

for all brightness
levels. Affects
convergence also
Low-level white
raster, without picture

High-contrast blackand-white picture

without color
Black-and-white
picture without color
tracking from low
brightness to high
brightness
Correct hues in color
bars, primarily red
and yellow

24-23. Color Troubles. Considering only symptoms that affect the color,
while the sound, raster, and monochrome picture are normal, color troubles can be
considered in the following categories: no color, no color hold, incorrect colors, or
undesired color interference. These color troubles can usually be localized to
either the chrominance section of the receiver or the color kinescope.
No Color. This trouble symptom can be established definitely by checking
on different channels to see that a normal monochrome picture is obtained on all
stations but there is no color for a program known to be televised in color. Before
assuming the trouble is in the color circuits, the setting of the fine tuning control
should be checked, as maladjustment can result in no chrominance signal for the
picture i-f amplifier. The fine tuning should be adjusted by varying the control
until sound bars are visible and then adjusting for minimum 920-kc beat
interference. Also, the adjustment of the saturation control should be checked, as
the zero setting results in no color. In the chrominance section of the receiver, no
color can be caused by the following conditions : (a) Inoperative chrominance
band-pass amplifier, resulting in no signal for the synchronous detectors.
Excessive bias from the color killer stage can cut off the chrominance amplifier.
(b) Inoperative 3.58-Mc subcarrier oscillator, resulting in no detection of the
chrominance signal, or insufficient oscillator output. Notice that these troubles cut
off all the color signal voltages, resulting in no color. A trouble in only one color

causes incorrect hues.

No Color Hold. No color sync results in changing colors or in horizontal
color bands that drift vertically. Since the lack of color sync means that the 3.58Mc subcarrier oscillator's phase is continuously changing, this causes variations of
hue corresponding to the color bands. The further the crystal-controlled 3.58-Mc
subcarrier oscillator is from the correct phase, the greater the number of color
bands. The loss of color hold can be caused by an inoperative burst amplifier,
resulting in no color sync voltage, or a defect in the automatic-phase-control
circuit. If the crystal allows the oscillator to lock in at a frequency differing from
the subcarrier by multiples of 15,750 cps, stationary vertical color bars appear.
This trouble of incorrect oscillator frequency is caused by a defective crystal.
Incorrect Colors. Troubles causing incorrect color values can be localized
to either the tricolor kinescope or the chrominance circuits by noting the
appearance of the raster alone and a monochrome picture. When there is color in
the raster, with the contrast control at minimum, the trouble is either in the color
purity or the red, green, and blue screen-grid adjustments, assuming the use of a
three-gun tricolor kinescope. Non-uniform coloring in the raster results from
incorrect purity. Uniform red, green, or blue in the raster indicates too much
screen-grid voltage for that color. When the raster is white but a monochrome
picture has color with the contrast control turned up, then the trouble is either in
the convergence and focus adjustments or the chrominance and video signal
circuits. Color fringing at the edges of objects in the picture indicates incorrect
convergence or focus. Color throughout the entire monochrome picture is caused
by lack of balance in the a-c signal drive for the three electron guns.
When the monochrome picture is reproduced correctly in black and white
but color pictures have the wrong huesassuming the hue control is set properly
for the correct reference phasethis indicates (a) no quadrature phase between the
ICW and QCW oscillator voltages for the demodulators or (b) incorrect relative
gain for the color signal voltages. The quadrature amplifier for the QCW signal
must be aligned exactly at 3.58 Mc to produce the required 90 phase. Incorrect
relative gain for the color-difference voltages in the synchronous detectors or in the
color adder stages can be caused by a circuit defect or misadjustment of the color
gain controls. If there is no I signal at all because of an inoperative I demodulator,
the picture is reproduced without orange and cyan color values. This effect can be
seen in Plate IV. Without the Q signal, as shown in Plate III, purple and yellowgreen are missing from the picture.
Color Hum Bars. Hum voltage in the chrominance video circuits produces
horizontal pairs of hum bars in the picture, as in monochrome receivers, but the
bars have the colors associated with the stage where the hum is injected. For
instance, 60-cycle hum voltage caused by cathode-heater leakage in the Q

demodulator will produce one pair of hum bars with the Q colors. As shown in
Plate II, one-half cycle of the hum voltage produces magenta-to-purple colors and
the opposite polarity in the next half-cycle produces yellow-green.
Color Snow. When the chrominance band-pass amplifier is not cut off for a
monochrome picture, the stage amplifies luminance signal-voltage variations of
approximately 2 to 4 Mc, which are detected in the color demodulators, resulting in
random speckles of color in the picture. Because of the relatively coarse grain, the
color snow is also called confetti.

Fig. 24-38. Chromaticity diagram showing color subcarrier phase and amplitude as a function of
hue and saturation. Refer to color plate VIII for actual hue and saturation values. (From
Colorimetry in Color Television,'' Part III, by F.J. Bingley, Proceedings of the IRE , Second
Color Television Issue, January, 1954 .)

24-24. ClE1 Chromaticity Diagram. Although different systems of

colorimetry can be used to specify color values numerically, the internationally
1

Abbreviation for the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE), also called the
International Commission on Illumination (ICI).

standardized chromaticity diagram illustrated in Fig. 24-38 is used to indicate the

color specifications in color television. To read the chromaticity diagram, consider
the horizontal x axis and vertical y axis as the rectangular coordinates of a graph.
The points marked R, G, and B on the triangle indicate the primaries specified for
color television. For red, x = 0.67, y = 0.33; for green, x = 0.21, y = 0.71; for blue,
x = 0.14, y = 0.8. The white at the center is the reference white illuminant C, with
coordinates x = 0.31, y = 0.32.
Actual chrominance values are reproduced in color Plate VIII. This
horseshoe-shaped curve is called the spectrum locus because it represents all hues
produced by splitting white light into its component spectral colors. The hue is
indicated by the numerical values on the curve, which give the dominant
wavelength in millimicron units (10-9 cm) . These points are saturated values of
the hues represented by a straight line through the white point at the center to
intersect the horseshoe curve. Opposite ends of the straight line intersect the curve
at points that are complementary hues. Along any one line of constant hue, values
closer to white at the center have less saturation. It should be noted that the
straight line closing the bottom end of the horseshoe curve corresponds to the
range of non-spectral purple colors. These colors do not occur in the spectrum of
natural white light but can be produced by additive mixtures of red and blue.
Referring to Fig. 24-38, the color values in the I signal correspond to the line
joining the orange point x = 0.55, y = 0.42 and the cyan point x = 0.16, y = 0.26,
through illuminant C. Colors on the I axis, then, are orange hues of varying
saturation up to white, or the complementary cyan hues of varying saturation. The
axis for the Q signal joins the yellow-green point x = 0.4, y = 0.55, through white,
to the purple point at x = 0.24, y = 0.12. By suitable combinations of I and Q, all
the chrominance values in the RGB triangle can be reproduced in the color
television system. This is illustrated in Fig. 24-38, which shows how the phase and
amplitude of the 3.58-Mc modulated chrominance signal correspond to
chromaticity values. The concentric rings around the white point at C correspond
to varying saturations for different amplitudes of the modulated color subcarrier
signal, while the curved lines from point C indicate the phase angle and
corresponding hue.