Evaluation of high-definition television for remote task performance

Technical Report · Wed Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6435535· OSTI ID:6435535

Draper, J. V.; Fujita, Y.; Herndon, J. N.

High-definition television (HDTV) transmits a video image with more than twice the number (1125 for HDTV to 525 for standard-resolution TV) of horizontal scan lines that standard-resolution TV provides. The improvement in picture quality (compared to standard-resolution TV) that the extra scan lines provide is impressive. Objects in the HDTV picture have more sharply defined edges, better contrast, and more accurate reproduction of shading and color patterns than do those in the standard-resolution TV picture. Because the TV viewing system is a key component for teleoperator performance, an improvement in TV picture quality could mean an improvement in the speed and accuracy with which teleoperators perform tasks. This report describes three experiments designed to evaluate the impact of HDTV on the performance of typical remote tasks. The performance of HDTV was compared to that of standard-resolution, monochromatic TV and standard-resolution, stereoscopic, monochromatic TV in the context of judgment of depth in a televised scene, visual inspection of an object, and performance of a typical remote handling task. The results of the three experiments show that in some areas HDTV can lead to improvement in teleoperator performance. Observers inspecting a small object for a flaw were more accurate with HDTV than with either of the standard-resolution systems. High resolution is critical for detection of small-scale flaws of the type in the experiment (a scratch on a glass bottle). These experiments provided an evaluation of HDTV television for use in tasks that must be routinely performed to remotely maintain a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility. 5 refs., 7 figs., 9 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6435535
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-10303; ON: DE87009784
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DEFECTS
DETECTION
EQUIPMENT
EVALUATION
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PERFORMANCE TESTING
REMOTE HANDLING
REMOTE HANDLING EQUIPMENT
REMOTE VIEWING EQUIPMENT
STANDARDS
TELEVISION
TESTING