time base corrector (Video) (TBC)

A Time Base Corrector (TBC) is a video component that stores, manipulates, and outputs digital video images. TBCs can store multiple video lines and modify them in many parameters, such as voltage levels for the whitelevel and black level, chrominance, time reference, and line synchronization.

With a Time Base Corrector, video parameters can be synchronized and defective video signals can be corrected, e.g. an unstable line synchronization pulse can be replaced by another one.

Time Base Correctors work with full frame or half frame, they store the corresponding video image and feed it back into the video signal precisely with line and frame synchronization. Synchronization plays a decisive role when mixing video signals from other feed recorders in order to avoid temporal image shifts and jitter in the display.

TBCs are available as stand-alone devices for professional applications, but also as built-in components in video recorders.