Multivision (television technology)

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MultiVision was one of the earliest implementations of PIP (picture-in-picture) television available for purchase by users, pioneered by engineer George Schnurle III and sold by the San Jose, California-based company Multivision Products Inc. [1]

Picture-in-picture (PiP) is a feature of some television receivers and similar devices. One program (channel) is displayed on the full TV screen at the same time as one or more other programs are displayed in inset windows. Sound is usually from the main program only.

Television Telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images

Television (TV), sometimes shortened to tele or telly, is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting moving images in monochrome, or in color, and in two or three dimensions and sound. The term can refer to a television set, a television program, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, entertainment and news.

San Jose, California City in California, United States

San Jose, officially the City of San José, is the economic, cultural and political center of Silicon Valley, and the largest city in Northern California. With an estimated 2017 population of 1,035,317, it is the third-most populous city in California and the tenth-most populous in United States. Located in the center of the Santa Clara Valley, on the southern shore of San Francisco Bay, San Jose covers an area of 179.97 square miles (466.1 km2). San Jose is the county seat of Santa Clara County, the most affluent county in California and one of the most affluent counties in the United States. San Jose is the most populous city in both the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area, which contain 7.7 million and 8.7 million people respectively.

The original MultiVision model was a box that measured 17 inches (43 cm) by 10.5 inches (27 cm) and was 3 inches (7.6 cm) high. It required a VCR to operate and used its own tuner and the VCR to display two television channels. The television antenna was plugged into the MultiVision unit, which was then plugged into the television receiver's antenna input. [2] The program selected on the MultiVision tuner was displayed in a small window inserted into the main TV picture at a position selected by the user. It also functioned as a switching device to connect additional peripherals (such as a laserdisc player) and offered audio outputs to connect external speakers and provide stereo sound. For monaural broadcasts and VHS tapes, the device could provide synthesized stereo audio.

Videocassette recorder

A videocassette recorder, VCR, or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the recording. Use of a VCR to record a television program to play back at a more convenient time is commonly referred to as timeshifting. VCRs can also play back prerecorded tapes. In the 1980s and 1990s, prerecorded videotapes were widely available for purchase and rental, and blank tapes were sold to make recordings.

Tuner (radio) frequency selection subsystem for a radio receiver

A tuner is a subsystem that receives radio frequency (RF) transmissions like radio broadcasts and converts the selected carrier frequency and its associated bandwidth into a fixed frequency that is suitable for further processing, usually because a lower frequency is used on the output. Broadcast FM/AM transmissions usually feed this intermediate frequency (IF) directly into a demodulator that convert the radio signal into audio-frequency signals that can be fed into an amplifier to drive a loudspeaker.

VHS Consumer-level analog video tape recording and cassette form factor standard

VHS is a standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes. Developed by Victor Company of Japan (JVC) in the early 1970s, it was released in Japan on September 9, 1976 and in the United States on August 23, 1977.

MultiVision 1.1 DVC "Digital" A/V controller front and rear views, with remote and manual Multivision11-1680x1050.jpg
MultiVision 1.1 DVC "Digital" A/V controller front and rear views, with remote and manual

The MultiVision 3.1 model was an unusually shaped device, similar in size to the original, that lacked any form of controls on the device itself. It used its own two tuners and/or a VCR and/or other devices to display two video sources at once. The tunerless MultiVision 1.1 model looked virtually identical to the 3.1 except in rear view, and featured 4 composite, plus left and right audio input sets, plus switchable external audio and video processor loops. Both provided composite and left and right audio outputs for TV input.

On the 1.1 and 3.1 models, the audio could be set in sync to either the main source or the PIP or selected independently. The 1.1 model's remote had 12 color-coded buttons, 4 each for the main picture, PIP picture, and audio, and like the 3.1's remote included other buttons for swapping main and inset picture, PIP on/off, PIP size, PIP position, audio sync on or off, mute, and more. Their remotes featured angled output ends, which facilitated accurate button selection whilst reclined.

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Composite video analog video transmission

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RCA connector Electrical connecter

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DVD player device playing DVD discs

A DVD player is a device that plays DVD discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. Some DVD players will also play audio CDs. DVD players are connected to a television to watch the DVD content, which could be a movie, a recorded TV show, or other content.

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Monaural sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position

Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or stereo, which uses two separate audio channels to reproduce sound from two microphones on the right and left side, which is reproduced with two separate loudspeakers to give a sense of the direction of sound sources. In mono, only one loudspeaker is necessary, but, when played through multiple loudspeakers or headphones, identical signals are fed to each speaker, resulting in the perception of one-channel sound "imaging" in one sonic space between the speakers. Monaural recordings, like stereo ones, typically use multiple microphones fed into multiple channels on a recording console, but each channel is "panned" to the center. In the final stage, the various center-panned signal paths are usually mixed down to two identical tracks, which, because they are identical, are perceived upon playback as representing a single unified signal at a single place in the soundstage. In some cases, multitrack sources are mixed to a one-track tape, thus becoming one signal. In the mastering stage, particularly in the days of mono records, the one- or two-track mono master tape was then transferred to a one-track lathe intended to be used in the pressing of a monophonic record. Today, however, monaural recordings are usually mastered to be played on stereo and multi-track formats, yet retain their center-panned mono soundstage characteristics.

Composite monitor

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Combo television unit

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Colortrak

Colortrak was a trademark used on several RCA color televisions throughout the 1970s to the 1990s. After the RCA Corporation was acquired by General Electric in 1986, GE sold the RCA consumer electronics line to Thomson SA. RCA televisions with the Colortrak branding were mid-range models; in comparison to the low-end XL-100 chassis or high-end Dimensia or Colortrak 2000 chassis in consumer sets. RCA discontinued use of the Colortrak brand, replacing with the Entertainment Series designation by 2001. Some models like this with the design quirks mentioned below have also been marketed under the GE name as both RCA and GE's brand names are marketed by Thomson SA.

Broadcast reference monitor

A video monitor also called a broadcast monitor, broadcast video monitor, broadcast reference monitor or just reference monitor, is a display device similar to a television set, used to monitor the output of a video-generating device, such as playout from a video server, IRD, video camera, VCR, or DVD player. It may or may not have professional audio monitoring capability. Unlike a television set, a video monitor has no tuner (television) and, as such, is unable independently to tune into an over-the-air broadcast like a television receiver. One common use of video monitors is in television stations, television studios, production trucks and in outside broadcast vehicles, where broadcast engineers use them for confidence checking of analog signal and digital signals throughout the system.

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An audio/video receiver (AVR) is a consumer electronics component used in a home theater. Its purpose is to receive audio and video signals from a number of sources, and to process them to drive loudspeakers and displays such as a television, monitor or video projector. Inputs may come from a satellite receiver, radio, DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players, VCRs or video game consoles. The AVR source selection and settings such as volume, are typically set by a remote controller.

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Netgear's Digital Entertainer line of products are digital media players that can pull multimedia content from home computers to the typical audio/video entertainment center. There are three products in the line, the EVA700, the HD EVA8000 and the current EVA9150 Digital Entertainer Elite. All support high definition video, the EVA700 via component output up to 1080i and the EVA8000/EVA9000 up to 1080p with both component and HDMI connectors. All models support audio, video, image and streaming audio and video formats and can be networked via wired and wireless Ethernet. The EVA700 is Intel Viiv certified.

Analog passthrough is a feature found on some digital-to-analog television converter boxes. Boxes without analog passthrough only allow digital TV to be viewed on older, analog-only TVs. Those with analog passthrough allow both digital and analog television to be viewed on older TVs.

Dimensia was RCA's brand name for their high-end models of television systems and their components produced from 1984 to 1989, with variations continuing into the early 1990s, superseded by the ProScan model line. After RCA was acquired by General Electric in 1986, GE sold the RCA consumer electronics line to Thomson SA which continued the Dimensia line. They are significant for their wide array of advanced features and for being the first television receiver systems to feature a built in computer, somewhat of an early incarnation of a smart TV, but without internet access. In 1985, RCA released the Digital Command Component System, a fully integrated audio system that permitted the full functionality of Dimensia audio components without a Dimensia monitor. The name "Dimensia" actually dates back to the early 1970s when RCA used the term for an enhanced spatial stereo effect which they called "Dimensia IV". The tagline for the Dimensia was The Next Dimension in Sight and Sound.

Audio connectors and video connectors are electrical or optical connectors for carrying audio and video signals. Audio interfaces and video interfaces define physical parameters and interpretation of signals. For digital audio and digital video, this can be thought of as defining the physical layer, data link layer, and most or all of the application layer. For analog audio and analog video these functions are all represented in a single signal specification like NTSC or the direct speaker-driving signal of analog audio. Physical characteristics of the electrical or optical equipment includes the types and numbers of wires required, voltages, frequencies, optical intensity, and the physical design of the connectors. Any data link layer details define how application data is encapsulated. Application layer details define the actual audio or video format being transmitted, often incorporating a codecs not specific to the interface, such as PCM, MPEG-2, or the DTS Coherent Acoustics codec. In some cases, the application layer is left open; for example, HDMI contains an Ethernet channel for general data transmission.

Various accessories for the PlayStation 2 video game console have been produced by Sony, as well as third parties. These include controllers, audio and video input devices like microphones and video cameras, and cables for better sound and picture quality.

References

  1. ↑ What's New in Consumer Electronics; Double Vision For Just $280, New York Times 17 January 1988
  2. ↑ Video; Now, An Add-on To Update Your Cherished Old Console, New York Times 10 May 1987
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