Kramer Electronics FC-10 - Manual (Page 4)

Kramer Electronics Ltd.
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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of this Kramer Electronics format interface. Since 1981,
Kramer has been dedicated to the development and manufacture of high quality video/audio
equipment. The Kramer line has become an integral part of many of the best production and
presentation facilities around the world. In recent years, Kramer has redesigned and upgraded
most of the line, making the best even better. Kramer’s line of professional video/audio
electronics is one of the most versatile and complete available, and is a true leader in terms of
quality, workmanship, price/performance ratio and innovation. In addition to the Kramer line of
high quality format interfaces, such as the one you have just purchased, Kramer also offers a full
line of high quality distribution amplifiers, switchers, processors, controllers and computer-
related products.
This manual includes configuration, operation and option information for the following products
from the Kramer line of format interfaces. All these interfaces are similar in operation and
features.
FC-10 - Composite-YC Transcoder FC-4042 - RGB Component Transcoder
FC-19 - RGB Decoder FC-4043 - CV/YC Component Transcoder
FC-4041C - Genlock Component Encoder FC-4044 - Multistandard Decoder
FC-4208 - Balanced Audio Transcoder
1.1 A Word on Format Interfaces
There are several video signal formats: Composite, Y/C, YUV (Y, R-Y, B-Y), RGB (S) analog
and digital. Component analog video formats (YUV and RGB) are unmodulated signals, where
the signal level represents the signal intensity, (e.g., 1 Volt of “Y” signal represents a maximum
white level). Converting from YUV to RGB and vice versa does not involve modulation, and
needs mainly an accurate matrix system. Composite video and Y/C (Super Video) contains
chrominance (color) information, which is a modulated signal using the color subcarrier
(3.58MHz in NTSC, 4.43MHz in PAL) as the carrier signal. Converting between Composite
video and Y/C (and vice versa) involves adding or separating the color information from the
luminance information. To convert from Composite and Y/C to Component video, a color
encoder or color decoder is needed, with very complicated circuitry. The color encoder receives
the component signal, and must create a chrominance signal by extracting the blue and red
information from the component video signal and by modulating this information using the color
subcarrier signal. The color decoder performs the opposite: it removes the color subcarrier and
extracts the color difference signals to create the video “components”.
The following format interfaces are described in this manual:

Video Decoders - used to decode (convert) a composite video signal to Y/C and to
decode a composite or Y/C signal to RGBS and/or Y, R-Y, B-Y.

Video Encoders - used to create a chrominance signal from video components, e.g., to
convert RGBS and/or Y, R-Y, and B-Y signals to composite video and Y/C.
 Video Transcoders - are bi-directional converters operating simultaneously in different
directions, such as converting from RGBS to Y, R-Y, and B-Y in both directions in the
same machine, going from composite to Y/C, bi-directionally or performing color
decoding and encoding in the same machine at the same time.
 Audio Transcoders - used in audio and video production studios for converting from
unbalanced low-level audio to balanced high-level audio, bi-directionally.