Sony 950, 930, 900 manual Software

9	Pedestal/Master black
	It is the black level. If the pedestal level is too high, the
	whole picture will become a little bit white.

Prism block for color separation

A prism block that breaks down sunlight into red, green, and blue - the three element colors for a video image - is an essential component for a CCD camera.

Skin tone DTL

Skin tone DTL is a function that changes the DTL value by color. It was originally designed to make an announcer’s face more lustrous by reducing the DTL on his/her face. It is also a useful function for intentionally emphasizing certain scenes such as the surface of a lawn.

System conversion

In addition to HD output, NTSC and PAL outputs are also necessary for HD cameras. For that, the CCU uses a down converter.

Vertical image enhancement (V DTL) Vertical image enhancement is performed by enhancing the difference between vertical picture elements using a 2H delay line.

White balance

White balance is used to compensate for the color temperature of the subject for photography. Contrarily, a sunset scene can be taken even in the daytime by using the white balance adjustment.

White clip/Black clip

The range between black level and the maximum white level is fixed in video signal standards. The white clip and black clip are the circuits used to prevent video signals from exceeding this range.

White shading correction

Because irregular shading happens during light-to- current inversion in a CCD, sensitivity becomes uneven on the screen. It is not so conspicuous for a one-chip camera, but for a three-chip camera sometimes the color may not be completely the same depending on the portion of the screen. White shading correction is used to avoid this phenomenon that is also called modulation shading.

9-2.Software

Software plays an important role in cameras today. It is not too strong to say that a camera without software is just like a body without a brain. Usually, software is integrated into switches for internal setting or for communications with other devices. The following are some technical terms we frequently use in this field.

Auto black balance (ABB)

Auto black balance automatically adjusts the black level to prevent coloring other than black, which occurs while the lens is closed. Sometimes, black set is also carried out at the same time. Some CCD cameras use APR (Automatic Pixel Restoration) to perform auto black balance for convenience.

Auto Iris

Auto iris is a function that automatically controls the aperture (lens opening) based on the mean or the peak value of video signals.

Auto set up

Auto set up is a function for camera automatic adjustment which can be divided into Auto White Balance (AWB), Auto Tracing White (ATW), Auto Black Balance (ABB), Level Auto Setup, Auto White Shading, Auto Black Shading, etc.

Auto tracing white (ATW)

It is a convenient function for low-end or consumer type cameras, which automatically keeps adjusting the white balance during shooting. However, most of the cameras used for broadcast applications do not adopt this method because the white balance is not very precise and the ongoing changing of color temperature is not usually a variable to consider because scenes are staged and controlled.

Auto white balance (AWB)

Auto white balance automatically adjusts color temperature when shooting a white subject.

Auto white shading/Auto black shading

Both of them automatically adjust the shading. Auto black shading is simply carried out when the lens is closed. However, in the strict sense of the word, a complete white subject for photography is needed for auto white shading, in which there are two modes - one keeps each of the R/G/B waves flat and the other matches them to the G-channel.

File system

Increasing camera functions also expands the number of its setting items. In order to improve the operability and make it easy, setting and correction information are stored in the files in the camera, while the reference and scene files are stored on a memory card.

Lens file

Lenses of the cameras for broadcasting use are often changed to meet different shooting environments. Since each lens has its own characteristic, individual settings and adjustments have to be done every time the lens is changed. In order to improve the operability, a lens file is developed to store the setting data that can be recalled so to skip over the process of setting and adjustment to save time.

Level auto set up

Level auto set up is a function that automatically keeps adjusting the camera to a standard setting, e.g. automatically adjusting gamma, knee, etc.

Pattern auto iris

Pattern auto iris is used to emphasize auto iris on certain portions of the screen, e.g. granting priority to the center portion, cutting the upper portion, or emphasizing the center.

Reference file

A reference file is a place to store setting data for normal status that varies depending on the user’s individual settings. The data is also the target value for “level auto set up” including not only the analog control data but also the digital file data for switch settings.

HDC-900/950/930 Series Product Information Manual Chapter 9 Glossary – Terms and Definitions 175