Background Information and Techniques - Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques - page 492

NTSC

S-VHS (YC)

C

I

Q

Y

U V

Betamax (YUV)

Conversions

B-Y

Y R-Y

B

R G

FIGURE B.59
Video signal.

NTSC system mixes Y and C together and conveys the result on one piece of wire. The result of this
addition operation is not theoretically reversible; the process of separating luminance and color often
confuses one for the other (e.g., the appearance of color patterns seen on TV shots of people wearing
black-and-white seersucker suits).

Videotape formats
The size and speed of the tape and the encoding format contribute to the quality that can be supported by a
particular video format. Common tape sizes are 1/2, 3/4, 1, and 2 00 . The first two sizes are of cassette tapes,
and the other two are of open reel tapes. One-half inch supports consumer-grade formats (e.g., VHS,
S-VHS, and the less popular Betamax), 3/4 00 is industrial strength (U-Matic), and 1 and 2 00 are professional
broadcast-quality formats. One inch is the newer technology and has replaced some 2 00 systems.