Why Mintron camera using 10 bit DSP but everybody else used only 8~9 bit DSP. what's good about it

Q: Why Mintron camera using 10 bit DSP but everybody else used only 8~9 bit DSP. what's good about it.

A: NTSC /PAL video need about 8 bit data resolution to present all the necessary gray scale and color rendering. however as technology of TV set, monitor unit and tape recorder is advanced so fast. Nowadays HDTV can expressed an video of 10 bit resolution, S-VHS and DV recorder and DVD also surpassed NTSC/PAL spec. But actually this is not the reason why Mintron have to spend big investment in a 10 bit DSP.

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The reason why Mintron spend big money to develop a 10 bit DSP and a 10 bit CDS/AGC/AD converter IC is not for the reason stated above. instead it is to deal with a more serious issue that only very high end studio camera will have to put it into consideration- the Gamma correction.

Gamma correction is the essential technology to create excellent image quality. As most of the CRT tube have 1/0.45=2.22 gamma curve and LCD panel have even worse gamma curve as 1/0.3-3.33 hence if a perfect linear video signal is sent to a CRT for image display , the end result will be a very bad image with 80% of lumens contain be squeezed into 30% of the gray scale. in another words every thing look dull and dark, and totally unlike the way human will see. To overcome this natural physic of every CRT tube, a video must be Gamma corrected before sent to a CRT. i.e. the dark zone must be exaggerated base on a gamma curve of 0.45 hence 2.22 X0.45 will yield a true 1:1 image on the CRT screen.

During Gamma correction process, DSP will need 2 to 10 times more information or in another word 2 to 4 more bit of data so that to provide enough detail information for later process. the perfect way to do Gamma correction is to input 12bit and yield 8 bit after process. with extra 4 more bit ( 12-8 = 4 bit ) DSP will be able to create a perfect image.

Unfortunately nowadays all the the CCD maker can only offer DSP in 9 bit DSP for CCTV industry which will provide only 1bit more information or 2 times more gray scale. the result is that the dark zone of the image will lost it detail in gray scale and color rendering.

Mintron intended to be as industrial leader choose to design it's own M-88128 DSP in 10 bit and M88020 CDS/AGC/AD also in 10 bit so as to provide 4 times more gray scale information or 2 bit more data. The result is a very brilliant image with 4 times more gray scale and color rendering. This excellent feature is one of the major foundation to create 60 db S/N, 7:1 times more dynamic range and 3 times higher sensitivity. this is why Mintron camera can out performed all other competitor including famous Japanese firm such as S company and P company.

Will Mintron stop here, No ! Under developing Mintron is planning to use it's 4th generation DSP and CDS chip by winter of 2001. the new M-89 DSP and CDS will have astonishing 12 bit of resolution, it's a technology that is only being using on top end studio camera cost $300,000 per set or more for TV broadcasting. With 12 bit data ,Gamma correction circuit will have extra 4 bit of information or 16 times more gray scale. This extra 16 time more gray scale will be more enough to create seamless grayscale curve that is far beyond that human eye can discriminate.