PURPOSE: To obtain a character position for a video signal which can display an easily observable title even if a tile to be newly superimposed title is superimposed to an original title when plural titles exist.

CONSTITUTION: A level comparator 2 detects a character component in a brightness video signal and outputs a character component detecting signal. A switch 5 switches its contact to the side of voltage outputted from an optional voltage generating circuit 6 only in the input period of the character component detecting signal and sets up the brightness level of the character component to an intermediate level. The character component detecting signal is A/D converted and the digital signal is written in a memory 7, read out from the memory 7 after the lapse of a fixed time and then D/A converted. A switch 10 switches its contact to the side of voltage outputted from an optional voltage generating circuit 11 only in the input period of the character component detecting signal from a D/A converter 9. Consequently a title is newly superimposed to the brightness video signal obtained by setting up the brightness level of the original character component inputted from the switch 5.