View Full Version : Chroma phase error makes weatherman into a Smurf


wa2ise
09-19-2014, 09:21 PM
http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=184372&stc=1&d=1411179669
Found this in a youtube blooper reel. Looks like the chroma subcarrier from the camera looking at the weatherman ended up 180 degrees out of phase compared to the weather map graphics. 180 degree phase shift will make yellow bananas look blue, and flesh tone ends up looking like a Smurf, or someone from that movie Aviator.

walterbeers
09-20-2014, 06:37 AM
I remember seeing something like that but it only showed up with their video game console. (Probably over 25 years ago) I worked on a Sears color console, The picture on the TV was normal, but when you hooked up the video game unit, colors were inverted. (Red football field, blue people, etc.). I don't remember what game unit it was, but it wasn't an Atari or Intellivision. Might have been a Magnavox Odyssey or some other make. What was weird was that the video game worked ok on other sets, but not on the Sears. Never did figure it out.

dr.ido
09-20-2014, 02:45 PM
There seems to be some combinations of game console/home computer and TV that just don't work right. Over the years I had a couple of different Rank Arena (NEC) 14" sets (forget the model number, delta gun CRT, VHF only tuner) - when connected to any Atari 800 computer the usually blue background on the default text mode would be purple and the default orange would be green. Both sets were fine with broadcast and the output from VCRs and other game systems. The Atari 800s produced correct colors on ever other TV I ever used them with.

I never really looked into the cause. At the time I was just happy to have any working color set and computer to play with. It's not like Atari graphics could be considered realistic, so incorrect colors was still better than B&W.