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Technology

 

Review Essays of Academic, Professional & Technical Books in the Humanities & Sciences

 

Television & Video Engineering

Standard Handbook of  Video and Television Engineering, 4th Edition by Jerry Whitaker and Blair Benson (McGraw-Hill) Completely updated with more than 50% new material, including new chapters on video networking and digital television systems in the USA and Europe. Since its publication in February of 2000, the Standard Handbook of  Video and Television Engineering has becomes its field's standard reference, the one book every engineer and technician in broadcasting needs to own. By carefully tracking the field's movement from monolithic broadcast stations into a complex web of smaller stations and video producers, this book has stayed relevant while its competition has fallen by the wayside.
This new edition features over 50% new material, most crucially multiple chapters on video networking technologies, new digital television and data broadcast standards (for both the
US and Europe ), and updates on every aspect of video and broadcast equipment and protocols.
Within the last few years, the professional video industry in general and television in partic­ular have experienced a period of explosive growth. Dramatic advancements in computer sys­tems, imaging, display, and compression schemes have all vastly reshaped the technical landscape of the television medium. The products of a decade of work by scientists and engineers around the world are on the air. The transition from analog to digital television continues to accelerate. Numerous other advancements relating to the capture, processing, storage, transmission, and reception of video signals are rolling out at a record pace.These changes give rise to the fourth edition of the Standard Handbook of  Video and Television Engineering. This handbook continues the rich tradition of past offerings, which stretch back to the beginning of color television. The new edition is the lat­est publication in a series of major books dealing with video and television technology to be offered by McGraw-Hill.

The Standard Handbook of  Video and Television Engineeringexamines the technologies of pro­fessional video for a wide range of applications. The underlying technologies of both conven­tional (analog) and digital television systems are examined, and extensive examples are provided of typical uses. New developmental efforts also are explained and the benefits of the work are outlined.

This publication is directed toward technical and engineering personnel involved in the design, specification, installation, and maintenance of broadcast television systems and non­broadcast professional imaging systems. The basic principles of analog and digital video are dis­cussed, with emphasis on how the underlying technologies influence the ultimate applications. Extensive references are provided to aid in understanding the material presented.

Because of the rapidly changing nature of professional video in general, and digital television in particular, McGraw-Hill and the Editor-in-Chief have established an Internet site to support this book (www.tvhandbook.com). Visitors can find news articles, revised chapters, new chapters, background information, and links to video related organizations.

Extensive changes have been made in this fourth edition, primary among them are the scope and organization of the handbook. Every effort has been made to preserve the value and utility of the previous edition while providing a huge amount of new information in an easy-to-use format. A CD-ROM has been included to provide readers a level of background information unprecedented in the history of this publication.

The practical limitations of page count in a book of this size makes it impossible to include all of the information that an editor might wish. Such is the case in the 4th edition of the Standard Handbook of Video and Television Engineering. In order to greatly expand sections relating to video production systems and digital television, material relating to RF engineering has not been included in the current printed version. Instead, the following chapters from the previous (3rd) edition are provided in electronic (Adobe Acrobat) form.

  • Frequency Bands and Propagation
  • Television Transmission Systems
  • Television Transmitting Antennas
  • Television Receivers and Cable/Satellite Distribution Systems
  • Video Signal Measurement and Analysis
  • Standards and Practices

Previous editions of this handbook examined conventional television systems in great detail. In recognition of the widespread deployment of digital television worldwide, much of the detailed data relating to the NTSC, PAL, and SECAM systems has not been repeated in the 4th edition in order to make room for new material. Because of the high quality of the classic mate­rial and the continuing need for it albeit on a less-frequent basis a number of important chap­ters have been scanned from the 2nd edition and made available to readers in the form of the accompanying CD-ROM.

Organizational Changes in the 4th Edition

In any large handbook, finding the information that a reader needs can be a major undertaking. The sheer size of a 1300-plus page book makes finding a specific table, reference, or tutorial section a challenge. For this reason, the 4th edition of this handbook has been organized into  essentially thirteen separate "books." The section titles listed in the Table of Contents outline the scope of the handbook and each section is self-contained. The section introductions include the following information:

  • A detailed Table of Contents
  • Listing of background material provided on the CD-ROM (as appropriate)
  • Complete listing of references cited in the section
  • Index of figures and tables provided in the section
  • Subject index for the section

It is the goal of this approach to make the book easier to use, and more useful on the job. In addition, a master subject index is provided at the end of the book.

Readers are encouraged to explore the CD-ROM and Web site for background information, and new and updated chapters. Taken together, the printed book, CD-ROM, and Web site repre­sent the most complete reference volume on video and television engineering ever published.

The field of science encompassed by professional video is broad and exciting. It is an area of growing importance to market segments of all types and of course to the public. It is the intent of the Standard Handbook of Video and Television Engineering to bring these diverse con­cepts and technologies together in an understandable form.

Contributors: Oktay Alkin, Edward W Allen, Fred Baumgartner, Terrence M. Baun, Oded Ben-Dov, K. Blair Benson, Carl Bentz, H. Neal Bertram, Michael Betts, James E. Blecksmith, B. W. Bomar, W Lyle Brewer, J. A. Chambers, Michael W Dahlgren, William Daniel, Gene DeSantis, L. E. Donovan, Steve Epstein, Donald G. Fink, Joseph F. Fisher, Susan A. R. Garrod, J. J. Gibson, Charles P. Ginsburg, Peter Gloeggler, James E. Goldman, Beverley R. Gooch, Marl Grossman, John Hartnett, Cecil Harrison, R. A. Hedler, Douglas J. Hennessy, L. H. Hoke, Jr., Robert Jull, Scott Johnson, Charles A. Kase, Karl Kinast, J. D. Knox, Charles J. Kuca, Anthony H. Lind, Kenneth G. Lisk, L. L. Maninger. Kishore Manghnani. D. E. Manners. Donald C. McCroskey. Renville H. McMann. D. Stevens McVoy. James Michene.r W. G. Miller. R. A. Momberger. Robert A. Morris. Chandy Nilakantan. John Norgard. C. Robert Paulson. R. J. Peffer. Robert H. Perry. Skip Pizzi. Ken Polhmann, Krishna Praba, Dalton H. Pritchard, Wilbur L. Pritchard, Bruce Rayner, J. D. Robbins, Alan R. Robertson, Ulrich L. Rohde, Richard Rudman, Donald L. Say, Sol Sherr, Joseph L. Stern, Robert A. Surette, Peter D. Symes, S. Tantaratana, Ernest J. Tarnai, Laurence J. Thorpe, John T. Wilner, Carlton Winkler, Fred Wylie, J. G. Zahnen, and Rodger E. Ziemer

Additional updates relating to video engineering in general, and this book in particular, can be found at the Standard Handbook of Video and Television Engineering web site: www.tvhandbook.com

The tvhandbook.com web site supports the professional video community with news, updates, and product information relating to the broadcast, post production, and business/industrial appli­cations of digital video.

Check the site regularly for news, updated chapters, and special events related to video engi­neering. The technologies encompassed by the Standard Handbook of Video and Television Engineering are changing rapidly, with new standards proposed and adopted each month. Chang­ing market conditions and regulatory issues are adding to the rapid flow of news and information in this area.

Specific services found at www.tvhandbook.com include:

  • Video Technology News. News reports and technical articles on the latest developments in digital television, both in the U.S. and around the world. Check in at least once a month to see what's happening in the fast-moving area of digital television.
  • Television Handbook Resource Center. Check for the latest information on professional and broadcast video systems. The Resource Center provides updates on implementation and standardization efforts, plus links to related web sites.
  • tvhandbook.com Update Port. Updated material for the Standard Handbook of Video and Television Engineering is posted on the site each month. Material available includes updated sections and chapters in areas of rapidly advancing technologies.
  • tvhandbook.com Book Store. Check to find the latest books on digital video and audio tech­nologies. You can also place secure orders using our on-line bookstore.

In addition to the resources outlined above, detailed information is available on other books in the McGraw-Hill Video/Audio Series.  

Contents: Contributors Preface Section 1: Light, Vision, and Photometry Chapter 1.1: Light and the Visual Mechanism Chapter 1.2: Photometric Quantities Section 2: Color Vision, Representation, and Reproduction Chapter 2.1: Principles of Color Vision Chapter 2.2: The CIE Color System Chapter 2.3: Application of Visual Properties Chapter 2.4: Essential Video System Characteristics Chapter 2.5: Space and Time Components of Video Signals Section 3: Optical Components and Systems Chapter 3.1: Geometric Optics Chapter 3.2: Fundamental Optical Elements Section 4: Digital Coding and Signal Processing Chapter 4.1: Analog/Digital Signal Conversion Chapter 4.2: Digital Filters Chapter 4.3: Digital Modulation Chapter 4.4: Digital Video Sampling Chapter 4.5: DSP Devices and Systems Section 5: Electron Optics and Deflection Chapter 5.1: Electron Optics Chapter 5.2: Electrostatic Deflection Chapter 5.3: Electromagnetic Deflection Chapter 5.4: Distortion Correction Circuits Section 6: Video Cameras Chapter 6.1: Camera Tubes Chapter 6.2: Camera Operating Principles Chapter 6.3: CCD Devices Chapter 6.4: Camera Design Trends Section 7: Monochrome and Color Image Display Devices Chapter 7.1: CRT Display Devices Chapter 7.2: Projection Display Systems Chapter 7.3: Flat Panel Displays Section 8: Video Recording Systems Chapter 8.1: Properties of Magnetic Materials Chapter 8.2: Video Recording Fundamentals Chapter 8.3: Magnetic Tape Chapter 8.4: Video Tape Recording Chapter 8.5: Video Server Systems Chapter 8.6: DVD Devices and Systems Section 9: Production Standards, Equipment, and System Design Chapter 9.1: Production Standards for High-Definition Video Chapter 9.2: DTV-Related Raster-Scanning Standards Chapter 9.3: Production Format Considerations Chapter 9.4: Production Facility Design Chapter 9.5: Digital System Architectures Chapter 9.6: Sync Generation and Distribution Chapter 9.7: Video Signal Distribution Chapter 9.8: Video Signal Processing Chapter 9.9: Switching Systems for Signal Routing and Distribution Chapter 9.10: Video Production Switching Chapter 9.11: Studio Communications Chapter 9.12: Staging and Lighting Chapter 9.13: Facility Infrastructure Issues Chapter 9.14: Fiber Optic Devices and Systems Chapter 9.15: Equipment Rack Enclosures and Devices Chapter 9.16: Wiring Practices Chapter 9.17: UPS Power Systems Chapter 9.18: Disaster Planning and Recovery for Broadcast Facilities Section 10: Film for Video Applications Chapter 10.1: Motion Picture Film Chapter 10.2: Film/Video Equipment Section 11: Compression Technologies for Video and Audio Chapter 11.1: The Principles of Video Compression Chapter 11.2: JPEG Video Compression System Chapter 11.3: MPEG Video Compression Systems Chapter 11.4: ATSC DTV System Video Compression Guidelines Chapter 11.5: Compression System Constraints and Performance Issues Chapter 11.6: Audio Compression Systems Section 12: Networking Principles, Protocols, and Systems Chapter 12.1: Network Concepts Chapter 12.2: Serial Digital Video Systems Chapter 12.3: Video Networking Systems Chapter 12.4: AES/EBU Interface Protocol Section 13: Digital Television Transmission Systems Chapter 13.1: The ATSC DTV System Chapter 13.2: DTV Service Multiplex and Transport Systems Chapter 13.3: DTV Audio Encoding and Decoding
Chapter 13.4: DTV Program and System Information Protocol Chapter 13.5: DTV Closed Captioning Chapter 13.6: DTV Data Broadcasting Chapter 13.7: Media and Metadata Management Chapter 13.8: Interactive Television Chapter 13.9: The DVB Standard
Subject Index About the Editors On the CD-ROM

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