Re: Measuring TV Delays

With regard to:
"On 02/01/14 20:33, Bill Hawkins wrote:
> IIRC, the reason why NTSC has an almost 30 fps rate is that early
> vacuum tube TV sets could develop heater-cathode leakage that
> would put a black "hum bar" in the picture. Almost 30 allows the
> bar to move through the picture in a 60 Hz power distribution
> system. Seems like Europe would have had that problem."

Not Quite.

Before Color transmission was introduced, The field rate and frame rate was 
exactly 60 fields/sec and 30 frames/sec, respectively.  The Frame rate was 
shifted as a result of the change in the horizontal line rate, primarily to 
avoid interference with the FM sound carrier when color transmission was 
adopted .

"In January 1950, the Committee was reconstituted to standardize color 
television. In December 1953, it unanimously approved what is now called the 
NTSC color television standard (later defined as RS-170a). The "compatible 
color" standard retained full backward compatibility with existing 
black-and-white television sets. Color information was added to the 
black-and-white image by adding a color subcarrier of 4.5 × 455/572 = 315/88 
MHz (approximately 3.58 MHz) to the video signal. To reduce the visibility of 
interference between the chrominance signal and FM sound carrier required a 
slight reduction of the frame rate from 30 frames per second to 30/1.001 
(approximately 29.97) frames per second, and changing the line frequency from 
15,750 Hz to 15,750/1.001 Hz (approximately 15,734.26 Hz)." See Wikipedia 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSC#Lines_and_refresh_rate.

BD Systems






On Friday, January 3, 2014 5:29 AM, "[email protected]" 
<[email protected]> wrote:
  
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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: Measuring TV delays (Gregory Muir)
   2. Re: Measuring TV delays (Frederick Bray)
   3. Update on my previous note regarding NBS television    timing
      reference experiment (Gregory Muir)
   4. Re: Update on my previous note regarding NBS television
      timing reference experiment (Chuck Harris)
   5. Re: Update on my previous note regarding NBS    television
      timing reference experiment (Robert Atkinson)
   6. Re: Measuring TV delays (David J Taylor)
   7. Re: Measuring TV delays (Magnus Danielson)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 15:45:07 -0700
From: "Gregory Muir" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Measuring TV delays
Message-ID: <0B9DF1E83D4E4B81AC3555E776EF9B6F@D32K5JC1>
Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="iso-8859-1"

Not certain as to how NBS achieved the transfer of timing accuracy but it was 
not believed to be in the VITS interval.  If I can recall, there was a special 
waiver (FCC/NTIA) that was required in order to run the experiment.  And it 
required some esoteric hardware to decode the signal at the other end.  Mind 
you, this project was for local timing information dissemination only and 
didn't relate to programming aspects.  This project was above and beyond the 
use of the local transmitted television signal sync pulses that NBS was using 
to synchronize the Fort Collins atomic clocks with the Boulder ones.

I do agree, for those of us who tend to dabble in the sub-yoctosecond world, :) 
something like this is would be a rather coarse approach.

Greg


On Thu, 02 Jan 2014 19:15:13 +0100, Magnus Danielson wrote:

>Just to help confusing matters even more, SMPTE-12M time code (which is 
>what you can suspect to be in the TV-signal) and it's Drop-frame 
>algorithm causes a drift of time over the day, as the drop-frame 
>mechanism isn't perfectly aligning up to 30000/1001 frames per second 
>over the 86400s day. This requires the production-time to be jammed into 
>alignment regularly, such as every day (off-hour). With the evolving 
>standards, the halting mechanics of drop-frame correction is not 
>changed, but just standardized. The jamming mechanism is also used for 
>leap-seconds and DST change-overs.

>So, in the US and other 30000/1001 frames per second countries (formerly 
>NTSC), encoded time is not going to be useful for precision work. For us 
>in the 25 frames per second world, we only need to jam for leap-seconds 
>and DST change-overs, but that is enough of an upset, but can be more 
>easily predicted with only a few handful of bits extra information.

>I prefer using MLS measurement for audio delay measurement. If you do it 
>right, you get 20,833 us step resolution, as a result of the 48 kHz 
>sampliung clock. MLS delay measurement is trivial using the Analog 
>Precision test-set.

>Cheers,
>Magnus


------------------------------



------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 15:05:23 -0800
From: Frederick Bray <[email protected]>
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
    <[email protected]>
Cc: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Measuring TV delays
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=us-ascii

We have noticed the same problem on some channels with Charter here in southern 
Calif.  As noted, there can be a problem with recordings as a result.

F. W. Bray

Sent from my CP/M phone!

On Jan 2, 2014, at 9:48, Joe Leikhim <[email protected]> wrote:

> Here in Orlando, Brighthouse seems to have a delay of some 10's of seconds 
> for program material while the cable box through some magic of the internet 
> seems to be on time. As a result, the last seconds of some recorded programs 
> are lost. 


------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2014 16:31:02 -0700
From: "Gregory Muir" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: [time-nuts] Update on my previous note regarding NBS
    television    timing reference experiment
Message-ID: <13B252DFE48B4CCEB57547F602DEE962@D32K5JC1>
Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="iso-8859-1"

I did a little digging and managed to find a paper on the original television 
time experiment which was authored by David Howe of NBS, now head of the Time 
and Frequency Metrology Group at NIST.  It can be found at 
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F3092613_Nationwide_Precise_Time_and_Frequency_Distribution_Utilizing_an_Active_Code_within_Network_Television_Broadcasts%2Ffile%2F9fcfd5089a1d534c56.pdf&ei=Ze_FUsrXJ-LsyQGY0oHYCw&usg=AFQjCNGw2wK-8_RYN98R_72AlRLcm2BAUA&bvm=bv.58187178,d.aWc(Google
 cached - whew!).

I stand corrected in my assumption that the timing signal was not related to 
the VITS interval in the video signal.  They actually were inserting the signal 
on line 1.  At the time Mr. Howe was involved in the development of the 
hardware that was deployed in the field for the experiment.   He stated that 
the received code provided unambiguous time to 12 hours, with a resolution of 1 
nanosecond and long-term stability of 10 nanoseconds for 10-second averaging.

It's rather odd as to why I can't remember the sordid details off the top of my 
head regarding a project that took place 42 years ago....

Greg

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2014 20:58:08 -0500
From: Chuck Harris <[email protected]>
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
    <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Update on my previous note regarding NBS
    television timing reference experiment
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

I had one of the remote units for this system many years ago.  I scrapped
the unit and used the cute little 5" Sony Trinitron TV for many years...
I think I still have all of the PCB's that did the line extraction, and
phase locking...

-Chuck Harris

Gregory Muir wrote:
> I did a little digging and managed to find a paper on the original television 
> time
> experiment which was authored by David Howe of NBS, now head of the Time and
> Frequency Metrology Group at NIST.  It can be found at
> http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F3092613_Nationwide_Precise_Time_and_Frequency_Distribution_Utilizing_an_Active_Code_within_Network_Television_Broadcasts%2Ffile%2F9fcfd5089a1d534c56.pdf&ei=Ze_FUsrXJ-LsyQGY0oHYCw&usg=AFQjCNGw2wK-8_RYN98R_72AlRLcm2BAUA&bvm=bv.58187178,d.aWc
> (Google cached - whew!).
>
> I stand corrected in my assumption that the timing signal was not related to 
> the
> VITS interval in the video signal.  They actually were inserting the signal on
> line 1.  At the time Mr. Howe was involved in the development of the hardware 
> that
> was deployed in the field for the experiment.   He stated that the received 
> code
> provided unambiguous time to 12 hours, with a resolution of 1 nanosecond and
> long-term stability of 10 nanoseconds for 10-second averaging.
>
> It's rather odd as to why I can't remember the sordid details off the top of 
> my
> head regarding a project that took place 42 years ago....
>
> Greg _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list --
> [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to
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> instructions there.
>


------------------------------

Message: 5
Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2014 07:23:06 +0000 (GMT)
From: Robert Atkinson <[email protected]>
To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
    <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Update on my previous note regarding NBS
    television    timing reference experiment
Message-ID:
    <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Here in the UK we had a version of this for nearly 40 years. It was called 
Ceefax or TeleText. Chunky graphics with the time, weather and lots of other 
information. it was also used for closed captioning. see < 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletext?> It was the best generally available 
time source for years. 
?
Robert G8RPI.


________________________________
From: Gregory Muir <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] 
Sent: Thursday, 2 January 2014, 23:31
Subject: [time-nuts] Update on my previous note regarding NBS television    
timing reference experiment
  

I did a little digging and managed to find a paper on the original television 
time experiment which was authored by David Howe of NBS, now head of the Time 
and Frequency Metrology Group at NIST.? It can be found at 
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F3092613_Nationwide_Precise_Time_and_Frequency_Distribution_Utilizing_an_Active_Code_within_Network_Television_Broadcasts%2Ffile%2F9fcfd5089a1d534c56.pdf&ei=Ze_FUsrXJ-LsyQGY0oHYCw&usg=AFQjCNGw2wK-8_RYN98R_72AlRLcm2BAUA&bvm=bv.58187178,d.aWc(Google
 cached - whew!).

I stand corrected in my assumption that the timing signal was not related to 
the VITS interval in the video signal.? They actually were inserting the signal 
on line 1.? At the time Mr. Howe was involved in the development of the 
hardware that was deployed in the field for the experiment.?  He stated that 
the received code provided unambiguous time to 12 hours, with a resolution of 1 
nanosecond and long-term stability of 10 nanoseconds for 10-second averaging.

It's rather odd as to why I can't remember the sordid details off the top of my 
head regarding a project that took place 42 years ago....

Greg
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------------------------------

Message: 6
Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2014 09:04:10 -0000
From: "David J Taylor" <[email protected]>
To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement"
    <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Measuring TV delays
Message-ID: <D41F2731B4234019BFEBABADB9D940BA@Alta>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
    reply-type=original

From: Chris Albertson

When they broadcast "live" TV like from a sports vent I wonder if the time
code generated by the camera is preserved?  But then even if it were the
time might have been set manually to match the display on the camera
operator's cell phone.

Same for scenes with clacks in the background.  Do you trust them to be
on-time?   They might even have ben intentionally set wrong to hide the
transmit delay.
=================================

Can't comment on the camera time-code, Chris, but I would hope it was 
centralised rather than being off the operator's phone!

The clocks I mentioned, F1 races, do appear to be accurate (observations 
partially from being present at the event), and certainly /not/ skewed to 
compensate for broadcast delay.  Other times are when you see "behind the 
scenes" and a control-room clock is visible.  Usually these are centrally 
synced, and can give a fair impression of the broadcast delays.

All this from UK television observations - and the programs don't have a 
"bleep offensive content delay" - no nanny state here!  (Others may differ 
in that view - <G>)  I recall what Alan Jones once called Michael Schumacher 
on live TV, and the adjective was edited out on the repeat broadcast.

Cheers,
David
-- 
SatSignal Software - Quality software written to your requirements
Web: http://www.satsignal.eu/
Email: [email protected] 



------------------------------

Message: 7
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2014 13:28:04 +0100
From: Magnus Danielson <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Measuring TV delays
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Bill,

On 02/01/14 20:33, Bill Hawkins wrote:
> IIRC, the reason why NTSC has an almost 30 fps rate is that early
> vacuum tube TV sets could develop heater-cathode leakage that
> would put a black "hum bar" in the picture. Almost 30 allows the
> bar to move through the picture in a 60 Hz power distribution
> system. Seems like Europe would have had that problem.
>
> No need for it now, but it's like the QWERTY keyboard . . .

Wouln't help that much, since the power-grids 60 Hz vary over more 
frequency, than the 1/1.001 offset gives, which is about 59.94 Hz, and 
over the coarse of a day it varies more than 60 mHz.

Cheers,
Magnus


------------------------------

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