TV Tech Books: "Video Demystified" & "Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms

[jtbell]

Thanks to a recently resuscitated thread on "software NTSC decoding" I've found out about Keith Jack's "Video Demystified" book. I've gotten interested interested in TV technology lately as a result of switching from broadcast analog (NTSC) to digital (ATSC) TV and HDTV.

I looked up "Video Demystified" on amazon.com, and they offer to bundle it with Poynton's "Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms and Interfaces". Has anybody used this book, or can suggest others along these lines?

I might try writing some programs to play around with this stuff, so I'm definitely interested in technical details.

 

[chroot]

Poynton's book was really not all that interesting to me. It seemed mostly to be a book about the 100 million different competing HDTV standards, and seemed better suited as a reference than as a book to learn from.

In my opinion, Jack's book is really all you need for a very thorough introduction to analog and digital video. It's not exceedingly formal, is rather conversational, and is very broad.

Keep in mind that Jack's book does not really discuss software per se; it discusses digital algorithms. Jack often presents them as they would be implemented in hardware, though it should not be too much of a stretch to imagine implementing them in software.

You might even want to consider learning Verilog and using one of the free Verilog simulators (like cver) to simulate the digital hardware structures discussed in Jack's book, rather than translating them into a software paradigm.

- Warren

 

[ravenprp]

Both "Video Demystified" and "Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms" are highly recommended books for anyone looking to delve into the technical aspects of TV technology. Keith Jack's "Video Demystified" is a comprehensive guide that covers everything from the basics of video signals to more advanced topics such as compression and digital video formats. It is a great resource for anyone looking to understand the inner workings of TV technology.

Poynton's "Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms" is also a valuable resource, focusing specifically on the algorithms and interfaces used in digital video and HDTV. This book provides a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of digital video and HDTV, making it a great companion to "Video Demystified".

If you are planning on writing programs to experiment with TV technology, these books will be invaluable resources. They will provide you with a solid foundation of knowledge and technical details to help you understand and work with TV technology. I highly recommend considering the bundled offer on Amazon, as these two books complement each other well and will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of TV technology. Good luck with your exploration of TV technology!