PURPOSE: To obtain a contour compensating device in which the generation of a waveform distortion at the central part of a signal waveform after a contour compensation is not generated even when an impulse signal is inputted.

CONSTITUTION: A video signal delayed with delay circuits 12 and 13 is obtained. The video signal is differentiated by differentiation circuits 14 and 15 and the differentiation signal is decided by a code deciding circuit 21. A selective circuit 20 switches and outputs the video signal and the output signal of the delay circuit 13 according to the decision result from the code deciding circuit 21. An intermediate value selecting circuit 18 selects the video signal delayed for a prescribed time, the video signal contour-compensated by an adder 17 and the intermediate signal of the output signal of the selective circuit 20 and outputs the contour-compensated video signal.