A) Device used to correct for time base errors and stabilise the timing of the video output from a tape machine.

Machines like VHS players where a single pass of the video head represents many video lines are particularly susceptible to tape stretch, jitter, and speed variations which cause some recorded video lines to be shorter or longer than others. The TBC acts as a “rubber-band” storage device to line up each horizontal line at its proper location allowing for synchronous playback.

b) A device used to rectify any problems with a video signal’s sync pulses by generating a new clean time base and synchronising any other incoming video to this reference. The Digital Video Mixer includes two infinite window, full field TBCs.