ABSTRACT
First, take a look at Figure 8.1. If you think that television is complicated, well yes it is, but I wouldn’t say that it is any more difficult to understand than the workings of an analogue mixing console, for instance. Externally on a domestic set the controls are usually very simple, but that simplicity belies all the clever technology that is going on underneath. If I go through the various processes stage by stage then it shouldn’t seem so complicated after all; not exactly a painless learning procedure perhaps, but then learning never is. I should clarify the difference between a monitor and a receiver just in case it may cause confusion later on: a monitor takes video signals from a cable input from a camera or other video equipment. A receiver takes an input from an antenna which picks up video signals modulated onto a radio frequency carrier. In other
words, the only difference between the two is that a receiver has a device to tune in to whichever broadcast channel you want to watch and convert its modulated waveform into an ordinary video signal. There may be other differences arising from the different ways receivers and monitors are used but these are just details – important details maybe, but at least we should all be sure what we are talking about. In Figure 8.1, you will notice a dotted line. Below this is the circuitry necessary for a video monitor, while above the line is the additional circuitry you would typically find in a receiver. Below the dashed line is the circuitry which, besides the video and audio circuitry, makes the whole thing work. This is where I am going to start my explanation of monitors and receivers, and when you have finished reading this chapter, the whole of Figure 8.1 will be absolutely crystal clear. Really!
