Picture-in-picture

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Picture in Picture (PiP) allows one to watch more than one TV program (channel) at the same time on television sets or other devices. With PiP feature of TV, one program will be displayed on the entire TV screen, and another program or programs will be displayed in individual smaller squares on the screen.

Picture in Picture is a function of the TV that requires two independent tuners to supply the large and the small picture. Two-tuner PiP TVs have a second tuner built in for this purpose, single tuner PiP TVs however require the use of an 'external tuner' to provide the second signal. VCRs, DVD recorders, and cable boxes with composite video outputs are often used for this purpose. However, Picture in Picture can also be used on a player for the purpose of watching a recording while using the secondary frame to show the viewer that desired broadcast programming is on.

One of the early attempts at commercial Picture-In-Picture was the Multivision set-top box. The unit was available for consumers to purchase, for integration into existing entertainment centers. Multivision, however, was not a commercial success.

Adding a picture into an existing picture has existed long before it was first generated on consumer products. The first PiP was seen on the televised coverage of the 1976 Montreal Olympics where a Quantel digital framestore device was used to insert a close up picture of the flame during the opening ceremony.