SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003

• Abstract:

  To cope with the change requests for bit-allocations and align with the ITU-R Rec.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 30-Nov-2003
• ICS: 33.160.25 - Television receivers
• ICS: 33.170 - Television and radio broadcasting
• 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 ETS 300 294 ed.2 (1996-05) - Television systems; 625-line television Wide Screen Signalling (WSS)

SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 is the Slovenian adoption of ETS 300 294 Edition 2, published by SIST as a European Telecommunication Standard for 625-line television Wide Screen Signalling (WSS). It specifies how WSS is coded and inserted into 625-line PAL and SECAM television signals so broadcasters and receiver makers can signal aspect ratio, subtitle position, camera or film mode, enhanced television services, and surround sound.

What does SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 specify?

SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 specifies the WSS signal for 625-line PAL and SECAM systems when broadcasters need wide screen signalling. It covers the transmitted signal, the coding of the information bits, and the way that coded information is incorporated into the television line structure.

The document is organized into these main parts:

Part	What it covers
Clause 1	Scope
Clause 2	Normative references
Clause 3	Definitions, symbols and abbreviations
Clause 4	Requirements for line code and information content
Annex A	Rules of operation for receiver display formats and subtitling
Annex B	Recommendations for filtering and response time

The scope states that the WSS information includes aspect ratio range and position, subtitle position, camera or film mode, EDTV-related signalling, and surround sound. Some bits are reserved for future use. In practice, that means the standard is aimed at the broadcaster-to-receiver signalling path, not at describing the whole television system.

What are the key requirements of SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003?

SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 defines both the physical line code and the meaning of the transmitted bits. The most important requirements are in Clause 4, with operational guidance in Annex A and recommendations in Annex B.

How is the WSS signal placed and coded?

Clause 4.1 says the signalling bits are sent as a data burst in the first part of line 23, and that line 23 is occupied by WSS in every frame. This matters because encoders have to place the burst in the correct line and receivers have to look there.

Clause 4.1 also defines the coding method: a fixed clock, a defined pulse shape, a defined signal amplitude, and bi-phase coding. The preamble contains a run-in and a start code. In practice, these rules give decoder designers a stable timing and framing reference so the signal can be recovered reliably.

How many bits does the signal carry?

Clause 4.1 and 4.2 define 14 bits in total, with 13 data bits and one bit used for error detection. The document uses odd parity for the first three data bits in the first group.

This matters because the bit budget is tight. Broadcasters need to fill the bits with the right service information, and receiver logic needs to check the parity bit before acting on the signalling.

What information do the data groups carry?

Clause 4.2 divides the data into four groups:

• Group 1 carries the aspect ratio label and letterbox position.
• Group 2 carries enhanced-service information such as film mode, colour coding, helper signalling, and one reserved bit.
• Group 3 carries subtitle signalling, including whether subtitles are within teletext and the subtitling mode.
• Group 4 carries surround sound information and two reserved bits.

The aspect ratio group is the core of the standard. It tells the receiver whether the programme is signalled as 4:3, 14:9, 16:9, or wider than 16:9, and whether a letterbox image is centred, top-aligned, or in full format. In practice, this is what allows a receiver to choose the right display shape automatically.

What does the standard say about enhanced services and subtitles?

Clause 4.2.2 defines a film bit, a colour coding bit, and a helper bit. The film bit distinguishes camera mode from film mode, and the document links film mode to EBU Recommendation R62 for field dominance. The colour coding bit distinguishes standard coding from Motion Adaptive Colour Plus. The helper bit is only used in defined letterbox situations with a reduced active image area.

Clause 4.2.3 covers subtitles. One bit says whether subtitles are carried within teletext, and two bits describe whether open subtitles are in the active image area or out of it. This matters because a receiver may need to preserve subtitle readability while also choosing a wide-screen display mode.

What does Clause 4 say about surround sound and reserved bits?

Clause 4.2.4 adds a surround sound bit and reserves the remaining bits for future standardization. Those reserved bits are not available for private applications.

This is important for implementers because it limits what may be carried in the WSS payload and prevents local extensions from breaking interoperability.

What do the informative annexes add?

Annex A gives minimum receiver display behavior for 16:9 sets. It describes how a receiver should handle 4:3 pictures, 14:9 and 16:9 letterbox pictures, and wider-than-16:9 material. It also notes that the viewer should be able to override the automatic display choice.

Annex A also stresses subtitle handling in letterboxed pictures and says wide-screen programmes should also carry subtitles through teletext. In practice, that supports both 4:3 and 16:9 viewing without losing subtitle information.

Annex B recommends low-pass pre-filtering before decoding and a fast response to changes in received signalling information. For engineering teams, that is guidance on decoder robustness and user-visible switching behavior.

What terms does SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 define?

• Letterbox operation - A picture format wider than 4:3 that uses black lines to fit the image into a 4:3 transmission format.
• WSS - Wide Screen Signalling, the signalling method defined by the standard.
• TXT - Teletext, used in the document for subtitle-related signalling and operation.
• Aspect ratio - The picture shape used to label and signal the displayed or transmitted image format.
• Camera mode - The default production mode for the film bit, used when the content is not signalled as film.
• Film mode - The alternative mode signalled for film-originated content, with field dominance linked to EBU Recommendation R62.
• Helper bit - A bit that signals whether a modulated helper signal is present in certain letterbox cases.

Who uses SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003?

SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 is used by broadcasters, television receiver manufacturers, and decoder designers working with 625-line PAL and SECAM services. It is also relevant to test laboratories and quality teams that verify aspect-ratio switching, subtitle signaling, and surround-sound flags.

For buyers and integrators, the standard helps determine whether a television or decoder can interpret WSS correctly and switch display formats automatically. For broadcast engineers, it defines what must be inserted into the signal and where.

What changed in SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 from the previous edition?

SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 is identified as the second edition of ETS 300 294. The history lists a first edition from November 1994 and a second edition from May 1996.

Which standards are used with SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003?

The only normative reference named in the standard is EBU Recommendation R62 (1990), Recommendation dominant field for 625-line 50 Hz processing. Clause 4 uses it for the field-dominance rule associated with film mode.

What does the SIST ETS 300 294 E2:2003 document contain?

The document contains the WSS line-code rules, the data-bit structure, and the meaning of each signalling group. It also includes tables for aspect-ratio coding, film and colour coding, helper signalling, subtitling, and surround sound.

Figures illustrate the position of the status-bit burst, the bi-phase-L coding example, and subtitling examples for letterbox pictures. Annex A provides receiver-operation guidance for display formats and subtitle handling, while Annex B gives implementation recommendations for filtering and response time.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2003
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Television systems; 625-line television Wide Screen Signalling (WSS)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ETS 300 294 Edition 2
ICS:
33.160.25 Televizijski sprejemniki Television receivers
33.170 Televizijska in radijska Television and radio
difuzija broadcasting
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN ETS 300 294
TELECOMMUNICATION May 1996
STANDARD Second Edition
Source: EBU/CENELEC/ETSI JTC Reference: RE/JTC-WSS
ICS: 33.020
wide screen, signalling, analogue, TV
Key words:
Television Systems;
625-line television
Wide Screen Signalling (WSS)
ETSI
European Telecommunications Standards Institute
ETSI Secretariat
Postal address: F-06921 Sophia Antipolis CEDEX - FRANCE
Office address: 650 Route des Lucioles - Sophia Antipolis - Valbonne - FRANCE
X.400: c=fr, a=atlas, p=etsi, s=secretariat - Internet: [e-mail]
Tel.: [phone] - Fax: [phone]
Copyright Notification: No part may be reproduced except as authorized by written permission. The copyright and the
*
foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media.
© European Telecommunications Standards Institute 1996.
© European Broadcasting Union 1996.
All rights reserved.
Page 2
ETS 300 294: May 1996
Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation and publication of this document, errors in content,
typographical or otherwise, may occur. If you have comments concerning its accuracy, please write to "ETSI
Editing and Committee Support Dept." at the address shown on the title page.

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ETS 300 294: May 1996
Contents
Foreword.5
Introduction .5
1 Scope .7
2 Normative references.7
3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations .7
3.1 Definitions .7
3.2 Symbols and abbreviations.7
4 Requirements .8
4.1 Line code.8
4.1.1 Position.8
4.1.2 Clock frequency.8
4.1.3 Pulse shape.9
4.1.4 Signal amplitude .9
4.1.5 Modulation coding .9
4.1.6 Preamble .10
4.1.7 Data bits .10
4.1.8 Odd parity bit .10
4.2 Information content of data bits.12
4.2.1 Data group 1.12
4.2.1.1 Aspect ratio.12
4.2.2 Data group 2, enhanced services.13
4.2.2.1 Film bit .13
4.2.2.2 Colour coding bit.13
4.2.2.3 Helper bit.13
4.2.2.4 Bit b .14
4.2.3 Data group 3, subtitles.14
4.2.3.1 Subtitles within teletext bit.14
4.2.3.2 Subtitling mode .14
4.2.4 Data group 4, others.15
4.2.4.1 Surround sound bit.15
4.2.4.2 Bit b and b .15
12 13
Annex A (informative): Rules of operation.16
A.1 Receiver display formats .16
A.2 Subtitling.17
A.3 Procedure in absence of signalling.17
Annex B (informative): Recommendations.18
B.1 Low pass pre-filtering .18
B.2 Response time on a change in the received signalling information .18
History.19

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ETS 300 294: May 1996
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ETS 300 294: May 1996
Foreword
This European Telecommunication Standard (ETS) has been produced by the Joint Technical Committee
(JTC) of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Comité Européen de Normalisation ELECtrotechnique
(CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
NOTE: The EBU/ETSI JTC was established in 1990 to co-ordinate the drafting of ETSs in the
specific field of broadcasting and related fields. Since 1995 the JTC 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 organisations 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
Case Postale 67
CH-1218 GRAND SACONNEX (Geneva)
Switzerland
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Proposed transposition dates
Date of latest announcement of this ETS (doa): 3 months after ETSI publication
Date of latest publication of new National Standard 6 months after doa
or endorsement of this ETS (dop/e):
6 months after doa
Date of withdrawal of any conflicting National Standard (dow):
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.
This ETS permits the later allocation of additional switching information, related to the introduction of
enhanced television services.
This ETS is applicable for 625-line PAL and SECAM television systems, but there is potential to adopt it to
other standards as well.
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ETS 300 294: May 1996
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ETS 300 294: May 1996
1 Scope
This European Telecommunication Standard (ETS) 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.
This ETS specifies the transmitted signal. Annex A gives the rules of operation for the minimum
requirements for receiver display formats as well as for subtitling.
2 Normative references
This ETS incorporates by dated and undated reference, provisions from other publications. These
normative references are cited at the appropriate places in the text and the publications are listed
hereafter. For dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of any of these publications
apply to this ETS only when incorporated in it by amendment or revision. For undated references the latest
edition of the publication referred to applies.
[1] EBU Recommendation R62 (1990): "Recommendation dominant field for
625-line 50 Hz processing".
3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of this ETS, the following definition applies:
letterbox operation: Is the use of a pic
...