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Kramer Electronics Ltd.
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1
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of this Kramer Electronics format interface. Since 1981, Kramer has been
dedicated to the development and manufacture of high quality video/audio equipment. The Kramer line has
become an integral part of many of the best production and presentation facilities around the world. In recent
years, Kramer has redesigned and upgraded most of the line, making the best even better. Kramer’s line of
professional video/audio electronics is one of the most versatile and complete available, and is a true leader in
terms of quality, workmanship, price/performance ratio and innovation. In addition to the Kramer line of high
quality format interfaces, such as the one you have just purchased, Kramer also offers a full line of high quality
distribution amplifiers, switchers, processors, controllers and computer-related products.
This manual includes configuration, operation and option information for the following products from the
Kramer line of format interfaces. All these interfaces are similar in operation and features.
FC-10 - Composite-YC Transcoder
FC-4042 - RGB Component Transcoder
FC-10D - Composite-YC Comb Filter/Transcoder
FC-4043 - CV/YC Component Transcoder
FC-19 - RGB Decoder
FC-4044 - Multistandard Decoder
FC-4041C - Genlock Component Encoder
FC-4208 - Balanced Audio Transcoder
1.1
A Word on Format Interfaces
There are several video signal formats: Composite, Y/C, YUV (Y, R-Y, B-Y), RGB (S) analog and digital.
Component analog video formats (YUV and RGB) are unmodulated signals, where the signal level represents
the signal intensity, (e.g., 1 Volt of “Y” signal represents a maximum white level). Converting from YUV to
RGB and vice versa does not involve modulation, and needs mainly an accurate matrix system. Composite
video and Y/C (Super Video) contains chrominance (color) information, which is a modulated signal using the
color subcarrier (3.58MHz in NTSC, 4.43MHz in PAL) as the carrier signal. Converting between Composite
video and Y/C (and vice versa) involves adding or separating the color information from the luminance
information. To convert from Composite and Y/C to Component video, a color encoder or color decoder is
needed, with very complicated circuitry. The color encoder receives the component signal, and must create a
chrominance signal by extracting the blue and red information from the component video signal and by
modulating this information using the color subcarrier signal. The color decoder performs the opposite: it
removes the color subcarrier and extracts the color difference signals to create the video “components”.
The following format interfaces are described in this manual:
Video Decoders - used to decode (convert) a composite video signal to Y/C and to decode a composite
or Y/C signal to RGBS and/or Y, R-Y, B-Y.
Video Encoders - used to create a chrominance signal from video components, e.g., to convert RGBS
and/or Y, R-Y, and B-Y signals to composite video and Y/C.
Video Transcoders - are bi-directional converters operating simultaneously in different directions, such
as converting from RGBS to Y, R-Y, and B-Y in both directions in the same machine, going from
composite to Y/C, bi-directionally or performing color decoding and encoding in the same machine at
the same time.
Audio Transcoders - used in audio and video production studios for converting from unbalanced low-
level audio to balanced high-level audio, bi-directionally.