Picture-in-picture
Encyclopedia
Picture in Picture is a feature of some television
receivers and similar devices. One program
(channel) is displayed on the full TV screen at the same time as one or more other programs are displayed in inset windows. Sound is usually from the main program only.
Picture in Picture requires two independent tuner
s or signal sources to supply the large and the small picture. Two-tuner PiP TVs have a second tuner built in, but a single-tuner PiP TV requires an external signal source, which may be an external tuner, VCR, DVD player
, or a cable box
. Picture in Picture is often used to watch one program while waiting for another to start, or advertisements to finish.
digital framestore device was used to insert a close-up picture of the Olympic flame
during the opening ceremony.
In 1980, NEC introduced its "Popvision" television (CV-20T74P) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPghCfOew7M in Japan with a rudimentary picture-aside-picture feature: a separate 6" (15 cm) CRT and tuner complemented the set's main 20" (50 cm) screen. It was pricey: its ¥298,000 MSRP was equal to about $1,200 (at $1 = ¥250 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/EXJPUS.txt), and $1,200 in 1980 had the approximate buying power of $3,000 in 2007 http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl.
An early consumer implementation of Picture-In-Picture was the Multivision
set-top box; it was not a commercial success. Later PiP became available as a feature of advanced television receivers.
The Blu-ray Disc
and HD DVD
specifications included picture in picture, allowing viewers to see, say, the director's comment on a film they are watching. All of the Blu-ray Disc
titles in 2006 and 2007 that had a PiP track used two separate HD encodings with one of the HD encodings including a hard coded PiP track. Starting in 2008 Blu-ray Disc titles started being released that use one HD and one SD video track which can be combined together with a Bonus View or BD-Live player. This method uses less disc space allowing for PiP to be more easily added to a title. Several studios have released Bonus View PiP Blu-ray Disc titles in 2008 such as Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Resident Evil: Extinction
, V for Vendetta
, and War.
, and the sound from the other being sent to headphones
.
page (if available).
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
receivers and similar devices. One program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
(channel) is displayed on the full TV screen at the same time as one or more other programs are displayed in inset windows. Sound is usually from the main program only.
Picture in Picture requires two independent tuner
Tuner
Tuner may refer to someone or something which adjusts or configures a mechanical, electronic, or musical device.- Electronic :* Antenna tuner, a device to adjust the resonance frequency of an antenna or transmission line...
s or signal sources to supply the large and the small picture. Two-tuner PiP TVs have a second tuner built in, but a single-tuner PiP TV requires an external signal source, which may be an external tuner, VCR, DVD player
DVD player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive...
, or a cable box
Cable box
The term cable box can refer to:* Cable box an electronic device that controls cable television in individual homes.* Cable box a box located outside a residence that connects cable television....
. Picture in Picture is often used to watch one program while waiting for another to start, or advertisements to finish.
History
Adding a picture into an existing picture was done long before affordable PiP was available on consumer products. The first PiP was seen on the televised coverage of the 1976 Montreal Olympics where a QuantelQuantel
Quantel is a company based in the United Kingdom and founded in 1973 that designs and manufactures digital production equipment for the broadcast television, video production and motion picture industries...
digital framestore device was used to insert a close-up picture of the Olympic flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
during the opening ceremony.
In 1980, NEC introduced its "Popvision" television (CV-20T74P) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPghCfOew7M in Japan with a rudimentary picture-aside-picture feature: a separate 6" (15 cm) CRT and tuner complemented the set's main 20" (50 cm) screen. It was pricey: its ¥298,000 MSRP was equal to about $1,200 (at $1 = ¥250 http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/EXJPUS.txt), and $1,200 in 1980 had the approximate buying power of $3,000 in 2007 http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl.
An early consumer implementation of Picture-In-Picture was the Multivision
Multivision
Multi-Vision UK are the UK's premier TV aerial and satellite installation specialists, they also install CCTV security systems and have been installing for the past 25 years....
set-top box; it was not a commercial success. Later PiP became available as a feature of advanced television receivers.
The Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
and HD DVD
HD DVD
HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
specifications included picture in picture, allowing viewers to see, say, the director's comment on a film they are watching. All of the Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
titles in 2006 and 2007 that had a PiP track used two separate HD encodings with one of the HD encodings including a hard coded PiP track. Starting in 2008 Blu-ray Disc titles started being released that use one HD and one SD video track which can be combined together with a Bonus View or BD-Live player. This method uses less disc space allowing for PiP to be more easily added to a title. Several studios have released Bonus View PiP Blu-ray Disc titles in 2008 such as Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Extinction is a Canadian-British 2007 science fiction action horror film also categorized as a doomsday and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series, which is based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil...
, V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
, and War.
Picture and Picture
Picture and Picture (PAP, P&P) (commonly referred to as PBP - Picture by Picture) is a related feature showing two programs side-by-side on the screen, with the sound from one program being played through the speakersLoudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
, and the sound from the other being sent to headphones
Headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user's ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable Media Player. They are also known as stereophones, headsets or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear...
.
Picture and Text
A somewhat similar function is called Picture and Text (PAT). With it the screen is divided in two, one for the TV program and one for a teletextTeletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
page (if available).