Device for reproducing picture signals in letter-box format

Claim 1

Apparatus for recording/reproducing television signals transmitted in the letter-box format whereby a 16:9 aspect ratio picture is sandwiched between black areas disposed at the top and bottom portions of the display, and wherein auxiliary items of information can be modulated onto a color sub-carrier of said television signal, said apparatus having a chrominance channel and comprising; an adaptive filter means, comb filter means and a chrominance decoder means for separating said television signal into a chrominance component and a luminance component for NTSC and PAL signals; means for demodulating said auxiliary information items from said color sub-carrier; and means for applying said auxiliary demodulated auxiliary information to said luminance channel during scanning of said black areas, said chrominance decoder including means for sampling said color sub-carrier at twice the frequency of said color sub-carrier to provide a color sub-carrier oscillation having a phase angle corresponding to the modulation phase angle of said color sub-carrier.