Television transmission system including encoder and decoder compatible with current television standards having a 4:3 aspect ratio

Claim 1

A system for processing a television signal containing wide aspect ratio information compatible with a standard television signal containing image information having an aspect ratio less than that of said compatible television signal, said system comprising: means for providing a widescreen television signal having an image aspect ratio greater than said standard aspect ratio, said widescreen television signal (a) occupying a frequency spectrum including a first carrier modulated with first image information defining a first modulation band, and (b) containing vacated spatial areas along upper and lower edges of an image defined by lines remaining after lines are separated from groups of a prescribed number of successive lines within an image scanning interval, said separated lines being inserted into said vacated spatial areas; means for temporally expanding active image portions of said separated lines; means for modulating a second carrier with said time expanded portions of said separated lines to produce a second modulation band disposed in an upper portion of said frequency spectrum, said second modulation band subject to being suppressed in a standard television receiver for processing a standard aspect ratio television signal; means for modulating said first carrier with nonactive portions of said separated lines and with said remaining lines so that said first modulation band is within a passband of said standard receiver for processing by said standard receiver as said standard television signal; means for modulating a third carrier with audio information; and means for combining said modulated first, second and third carriers for transmission.

Claim 2

A system for processing a television signal containing wide aspect ratio information compatible with a standard television signal containing image information having an aspect ratio less than that of said compatible television signal, said system comprising: means for providing a widescreen television signal having an image aspect ratio greater than said standard aspect ratio, said widescreen television signal (a) occupying a frequency spectrum including a first carrier modulated with first image information defining a first modulation band, and (b) containing vacated spatial areas along upper and lower edges of an image defined by lines remaining after lines are separated from groups of a prescribed number of successive lines within an image scanning interval, said separated lines being inserted into said vacated spatial areas; means for temporally expanding active image portions of said separated lines; means for modulating a second carrier with said time expanded portions of said separated lines to produce a second modulation band disposed in an upper portion of said frequency spectrum, said second modulation band subject to being suppressed in a standard television receiver for processing a standard aspect ratio television signal; means for modulating said first carrier with nonactive portions of said separated lines and with said remaining lines so that said first modulation band is within a passband of said standard receiver for processing by said standard receiver as said standard television signal; means for modulating a third carrier with audio information; and means for combining said modulated first, second and third carriers for transmission.

Claim 6

A system for receiving a widescreen television signal having an image aspect ratio greater than that of a standard television signal image, said widescreen television signal containing vacated spatial areas along supper and lower edges of an image defined by lines remaining after lines are separated from groups of a prescribed number of successive lines within an image scanning interval, said separated lines being inserted into said vacated spatial areas; said system comprising: first means for demodulating a first carrier modulated with image information defining a first modulation band within an image frequency spectrum; second means for demodulating a second carrier modulated with image information defining a second modulation band within an upper portion of said image frequency spectrum, said second modulation band including information representative of said separated lines; means for temporally compressing said information representative of said separated lines from said second demodulating means; and means for combining output signals from said temporal compressing means and from said first demodulating means for providing an output image signal.

Claim 7

A system for receiving a widescreen television signal having an image aspect ratio greater than that of a standard television signal image, said widescreen television signal containing vacated spatial areas along supper and lower edges of an image defined by lines remaining after lines are separated from groups of a prescribed number of successive lines within an image scanning interval, said separated lines being inserted into said vacated spatial areas; said system comprising: first means for demodulating a first carrier modulated with image information defining a first modulation band within an image frequency spectrum; second means for demodulating a second carrier modulated with image information defining a second modulation band within an upper portion of said image frequency spectrum, said second modulation band including information representative of said separated lines; means for temporally compressing said information representative of said separated lines from said second demodulating means; and means for combining output signals from said temporal compressing means and from said first demodulating means for providing an output image signal.