Configuring The Active Format Description And Pan-Scan Parameters - evertz 7710ARC Series Manual

7700 MultiFrame Manual
7710ARC Series - SD Aspect Ratio Converter

7.4.3. Configuring The Active Format Description And Pan-Scan Parameters

SMPTE standard 2016 is a four-part document that standardizes Active Format Description and Pan-Scan
coding.
Active Format Description (AFD) is a 4-bit code that describes a video picture in terms of the aspect ratio
and other characteristics of the image within the frame. 4:3, 14:9 and 16:9 aspect ratio images are each
defined by a specific AFD code. When non-standard aspect ratios are used, a special AFD code is
accompanied by Bar data that describes the size and location of the bars that fill out the area of the video
outside the image. AFD and Bar Data are intended to be broadcasted with the video signal that they
describe. AFD information is intended to guide DTV receivers and/or intermediate professional video
equipment regarding the display of the video of one aspect ratio on a display of another aspect ratio. Bar
Data information is used to signal the precise unused areas of active video when the image does not
completely fill the picture area, in particular, widescreen cinema material carried letterboxed in a frame
with bars at the top and bottom. Hence, AFD codes are only designed to describe the common aspect
ratio configurations including full frame, 4:3, 14:9 and 16:9 crop, letterbox and pillarbox modes
encountered in a broadcast plant. AFD codes cannot be used to describe anamorphic or stretched image
configurations. SMPTE has standardized the carriage of AFD codes and Bar data in the vertical ancillary
data space in the SMPTE 2016-1 and 2016-3 standards.
Pan-Scan information is a set of data that is intended to guide professional video equipment in extracting
an image to be presented in an aspect ratio that is different from that in which the material was produced
or distributed. Independent parameters are provided for pan (horizontal offset), tilt (vertical offset), vertical
size, horizontal size and output aspect ratio. More than one set of Pan-Scan parameters may be defined
for a video signal, and up to eight Pan-Scan data sets may be carried in each Pan-Scan ancillary data
packet. Each Pan-Scan data set is labeled by a Data Set identification code. The intended use of the
Data Set ID is to signal a unique pan-scan version. SMPTE has standardized the carriage of Pan-Scan
data in the vertical ancillary (VANC) data space in the SMPTE 2016-2 and 2016-4 standards.
The SMPTE 2016 Setup menus are used to configure how the ARC Series modules will handle AFD, Bar
and Pan-Scan ancillary data. Table 7-6 shows the items available in the SMPTE 2016 Setup menu.
Sections 7.4.3.1 to 7.4.3.8 provide detailed information about each of the menu items.
7710ARC-31
Revision 1.1