SIST EN 300 294 V1.4.1:2003

• Abstract:

  The former EACEM Project Team 1.4 (Data Services) prepared some changes, corrections and additions. The details are given in document J23d06, submitted to the 23rd meeting of JTC Broadcast.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 30-Nov-2003
• ICS: 33.160.25 - Television receivers
• Technical Committee: SS EIT - Technical Board for the electrotechnical, information technology and telecommunications fields
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 01-Dec-2003
• Due Date: 01-Dec-2003
• Completion Date: 01-Dec-2003
• Ref Project: ETSI EN 300 294 V1.4.1 (2003-04) - Television systems; 625-line television Wide Screen Signalling (WSS)

Overview

SIST EN 300 294 V1.4.1:2003 specifies the standard for Wide Screen Signalling (WSS) in 625-line television systems using PAL and SECAM formats. Developed in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), CENELEC, and ETSI, this standard facilitates the effective transmission and decoding of wide screen (16:9 aspect ratio) video content in European broadcast environments.

WSS is critical for informing television receivers about the aspect ratio and related features of transmitted video signals, allowing for automated adjustment of display formats. This ensures content is displayed correctly-whether broadcast in traditional 4:3, letterbox, or modern 16:9 formats-with minimal manual intervention. The standard addresses not only the technical structure for embedding this information but also operational guidelines, subtitling, and provisions for copyright signaling.

Key Topics

• Wide Screen Signalling (WSS):
  Encodes essential information about video aspect ratio, subtitle positioning, and enhanced television services within the TV signal.
• 625-line Systems:
  Focuses on PAL and SECAM systems prevalent in Europe, supporting the transition from standard to wide screen broadcasting.
• Automatic Aspect Ratio Switching:
  Enables TVs to automatically detect and adjust to the correct aspect ratio, improving viewer experience and content compatibility.
• Subtitling and Teletext Support:
  Details methods for conveying subtitle information and the importance of Teletext for accessibility.
• Enhanced and Future Services:
  Includes reserved bits and guidelines supporting the potential for adding new services or data in future implementations.
• Copyright and Copy Control:
  Mechanisms to signal copyright status and copying restrictions within the received signal.

Applications

• Broadcast Television:
  Broadcasters use the WSS standard to embed signaling data into the video signal, ensuring content is displayed with correct aspect ratio and additional features on compatible receivers.
• Consumer Electronics:
  Television receivers, set-top boxes, and other AV equipment decode WSS data to automatically adjust screen formats (e.g., switching between 4:3 and 16:9), subtitle display, and audio settings (such as surround sound).
• Content Delivery and Accessibility:
  The standard supports flexible subtitling and Teletext integration, making content more accessible for audiences with special requirements.
• Transition to Enhanced TV Services:
  By specifying reserved signaling capacity, the standard can adapt to future broadcast requirements, supporting the evolution to digital services and new features without disrupting established infrastructures.

Practical Benefits:

• Maintains backward compatibility with older receivers
• Reduces the requirement for manual adjustments on consumer devices
• Ensures consistent and professional presentation across diverse broadcast environments
• Facilitates accurate copyright management and legal compliance for content providers

Related Standards

• EN 300 294:
  The European Norm which serves as the base document for SIST EN 300 294, harmonizing WSS signaling across member states.
• EBU Recommendation R62:
  Specifies dominant field usage in 625-line, 50 Hz video processing, referenced within the WSS standard for compatibility.
• ETSI EN 300 Series:
  Broader collection of standards for television systems and broadcast technology within Europe.
• IEC 33.160.25:
  International Classification for Standards related to television receivers, reflecting similar frameworks for TV system compatibility.

By implementing SIST EN 300 294 V1.4.1:2003, broadcasters, manufacturers, and service providers can ensure seamless delivery and display of wide screen television content, supporting a more dynamic and user-friendly viewing experience across the PAL and SECAM broadcasting landscape.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2003
7HOHYL]LMVNLVLVWHPL±6LJQDOL]DFLMD:66SULãLURNR]DVORQVNLYUVWLþQLWHOHYL]LML
Television systems; 625-line television Wide Screen Signalling (WSS)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 300 294 Version 1.4.1
ICS:
33.160.25 Televizijski sprejemniki Television receivers
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

European Standard (Telecommunications series)

Television systems;
625-line television
Wide Screen Signalling (WSS)
European Broadcasting Union Union Européenne de Radio-Télévision
EBU·UER
2 ETSI EN 300 294 V1.4.1 (2003-04)

Reference
REN/JTC-WSS-3
Keywords
analogue, signalling, TV, wide screen
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3 ETSI EN 300 294 V1.4.1 (2003-04)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights.4
Foreword.4
Introduction .4
1 Scope.5
2 References.5
3 Definition, symbols and abbreviations.5
3.1 Definition.5
3.2 Symbols.5
3.3 Abbreviations.6
4 Requirements.6
4.1 Line code.6
4.1.1 Position.6
4.1.2 Clock frequency.7
4.1.3 Pulse shape.7
4.1.4 Signal amplitude.7
4.1.5 Modulation coding.7
4.1.6 Preamble.8
4.1.7 Data bits.8
4.1.8 Odd parity bit.8
4.2 Information content of data bits .10
4.2.1 Data group 1 .10
4.2.1.1 Aspect ratio.10
4.2.2 Data group 2, enhanced services.11
4.2.2.1 Film bit.11
4.2.2.2 Colour coding bit .11
4.2.2.3 Helper bit.11
4.2.2.4 Bit b .11
4.2.3 Data group 3, subtitles .12
4.2.3.1 Subtitles within Teletext bit .12
4.2.3.2 Subtitling mode.12
4.2.4 Data group 4, others.12
4.2.4.1 Surround sound bit .12
4.2.4.2 Copyright information.13
Annex A (informative): Rules of operation .14
A.1 Receiver display formats.14
A.2 Subtitling.14
A.3 Procedure in absence of signalling.15
Annex B (informative): Recommendations.16
B.1 Low pass pre-filtering .16
B.2 Response time on a change in the received signalling information .16
Annex C (informative): Guidelines .17
C.1 Copyright information.17
Annex D (informative): Future use of bit 7 .18
History .20

ETSI
4 ETSI EN 300 294 V1.4.1 (2003-04)
Intellectual Property Rights
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (http://webapp.etsi.org/IPR/home.asp).
All published ETSI deliverables shall include information which directs the reader to the above source of information.
Foreword
This European Standard (Telecommunications series) has been produced by Joint Technical Committee (JTC)
Broadcast of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Comité Européen de Normalisation ELECtrotechnique
(CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
NOTE: The EBU/ETSI JTC Broadcast was established in 1990 to co-ordinate the drafting of standards in the
specific field of broadcasting and related fields. Since 1995 the JTC Broadcast became a tripartite body
by including in the Memorandum of Understanding also CENELEC, which is responsible for the
standardization of radio and television receivers. The EBU is a professional association of broadcasting
organizations whose work includes the co-ordination of its members' activities in the technical, legal,
programme-making and programme-exchange domains. The EBU has active members in about
60 countries in the European broadcasting area; its headquarters is in Geneva.
European Broadcasting Union
CH-1218 GRAND SACONNEX (Geneva)
Switzerland
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
National transposition dates
Date of adoption of this EN: 11 April 2003
Date of latest announcement of this EN (doa): 31 July 2003
Date of latest publication of new National Standard
or endorsement of this EN (dop/e): 31 January 2004
Date of withdrawal of any conflicting National Standard (dow): 31 January 2004

Introduction
For a smooth introduction of new television services with a 16:9 display aspect ratio in PAL and SECAM standards, it
is necessary to signal the aspect ratio used together with some switching information to the television receiver. The
receiver should be capable of reacting automatically to this information by displaying the video information in a
specified aspect ratio. This signalling is to be considered separately from the type of system used, but it should allow
transmission of system related switching information as well.
The present document permits the later allocation of additional switching information, related to the introduction of
enhanced television services.
The present document is applicable for 625-line PAL and SECAM television systems, but there is potential to adopt it
to other standards as well.
ETSI
5 ETSI EN 300 294 V1.4.1 (2003-04)
1 Scope
The present document is applicable to 625-line PAL and SECAM systems in use, in case, where wide screen signalling
is required by the broadcasters.
It specifies the wide screen signalling information, the coding and the way of incorporating the coded information into a
625-line system.
The wide screen signalling information contains information on the aspect ratio range of the transmitted signal and its
position, on the position of the subtitles and on the camera/film mode. Furthermore signalling for EDTV and for
surround sound is included. Some bits are reserved for future use.
The present document specifies the transmitted signal. Annex A gives the rules of operation for the minimum
requirements for receiver display formats as well as for subtitling. Annex B gives recommendations. Annex C gives a
guideline for copyright information. Annex D describes how the one remaining unused bit can be used to convey
multi-bit information.
2 References
The following documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of the present
document.
• References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific.
• For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
• For a non-specific reference, the latest version applies.
Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found at
http://docbox.etsi.org/Reference.
[1] EBU Recommendation R62 (1998): "Recommended dominant field for 625-line 50-Hz video
processing".
3 Definition, symbols and abbreviations
3.1 Definition
For the purposes of the present document, the following definition applies:
letterbox operation: use of a picture format with an aspect ratio greater than 1,33, in such a way that empty (black)
lines are added to conform to a 4:3 transmission format
3.2 Symbols
For the purposes of the present document, the following symbols apply:
a aspect ratio
F clock frequency
s
0 falling sync edge
h
T data bit period
d
T sampling period
s
ETSI
6 ETSI EN 300 294 V1.4.1 (2003-04)
3.3 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following abbreviations apply:
EDTV Enhanced Definition TeleVision
LSB Least Significant Bit
MSB Most Significant Bit
NRZ Non-Return-to-Zero
PAL Phase Alternation Line (Colour TV-System)
SECAM SequentiellE Couleur Avec Memoire (French Colour-TV System)
WSS Wide Screen Signalling
4 Requirements
4.1 Line code
The following clauses specify the line code of the Wide Screen Signalling (WSS).
4.1.1 Position
The signalling bits shall be transmitted as a data burst in the first part of line 23.
The position of the beginning of the Wide Screen Signalling bits shall be 11,0 ± 0,25 μs from 0h of the horizontal sync,
as indicated in figure 1. This figure is intended to illustrate the position of the signalling bits in line 23. For the purpose
of commonality between PAL and SECAM, the colour burst and chrominance sub-carrier are not shown.
Peak white level
500 mV ± 5 %
h
Sync.
level
1,5 µs
10,5 µs
11,0 µs 27 ,4 µ s (n o te)
±0,25 µs
3 8,4 µ s
42 ,5 µs
NOTE: For optimum decoder performance, it is recommended that this period is free from other signals.

Figure 1: Position of status bit signalling in line 23
In each frame line 23 shall be occupied with the WSS.
ETSI
7 ETSI EN 300 294 V1.4.1 (2003-04)
4.1.2 Clock frequency
-4
The clock frequency shall be: Fs = 5 MHz (± 1 × 10 );
The period shall be: Ts = 200 ns.
4.1.3 Pulse shape
The pulse shaping function h(τ) shall be approximately a sine square:
 
 2 πτ π
h()τ ≈ sin  +  ||τ ≤T

S
TT22
 
 2 s
0 els
...