Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Akino Inoue

Toshio Oka

Toshimasa Takaki

Hitoshi Kato

Masaki Sato

Satoshi Kageyu

Satoshi Senga

Shugo Horikami

Shinji Nojima

Masaki Sohma

Atsushi Ando

Daisaku Komiya

Tsutomu Uenoyama

Kensuke Maruya

Kazunori Yamada

Isao Hoshino

Kazuaki Yamaguchi

Etsumi Kanaya

Motohiro Misawa

A video and audio reproducing apparatus is provided with a re-synchronization controlling portion () for carrying out operation control with respect to re-synchronization of video and audio which are transmitted via an IP network, wherein the delay times of video data and audio data are controlled by the video delay controlling portion () and audio delay controlling portion (), respectively, thereby carrying out re-synchronization. At this time, the re-synchronization controlling portion () judges re-synchronization timing on the basis of the audio level of audio data, encoding video type of video data, data transmission status and user operation, etc., and at the same time, judges the priority for which mode of the video priority mode or the audio priority mode the re-synchronization is carried out, on the basis of a fluctuation in the arrival time of audio data, data transmission status, contents of video data and audio data and user operation, etc. And, the delay amount for synchronization is determined by executing a prescribed re-synchronization algorithm at the re-synchronization timing to control the video delay controlling portion () and the audio delay controlling portion (), wherein disturbances in video and audio can be mitigated when carrying out re-synchronization.

Video/audio synchronizing apparatus

In a moving picture data structure having a structure comprising I pictures (intraframe coded image) and P pictures (interframe forward predictive coded image), a P' picture of a forward predictive coded image of a picture immediately preceding an I picture and the I picture is placed following the I picture. If an error occurs during the I picture transmission, the P&#x2032; picture can be used to recover from the error.

Moving picture transmission apparatus, moving picture reception apparatus, and moving picture data record medium

A system is arranged by a service providing apparatusfor storing a plurality of contents dataand capable of transmitting the contents data via network interfacesand a communication path; and also a service relaying apparatusfor producing compressed moving picture data having a high image quality from still picture data, and capable of transmitting the compressed moving picture data via network interfacesand another communication pathto a reproducing terminal. As a result, desirable contents data can be displayed by the reproducing terminal which owns a capability of displaying the compressed moving picture data, but does not own such a capability of displaying the desirable contents data.

Information providing apparatus

A method of presenting, at a client terminal, a video program stored in a server linked with the client terminal via transmission path of a limited transmission band width. Each frame of the video program comprises a basic data portion and at least one level of quality supplement data portions. In the method, in response to one of play control commands from a user, the client terminal determines a start position in the video program according to the issued play control command. The play control commands includes a play, a stop, a head search, a jump forward and a jump backward command. In response to the issued play command, the terminal obtains and uses the basic data portions for playing the video program. In response to the stop command, the terminal obtains the quality supplement data portions for the last displayed frame and uses them for displaying a quality-enhanced version of the last displayed frame.

Client/server multimedia presentation system

The invention provides a television meeting unit that is capable of displaying a picture smoothly on a middle participation terminal. To realize such television meeting unit, the multicast meeting unit is provided with a picture coding means for coding an input picture, a picture transmission means for transmitting the coded picture by mean of multicast, a picture receiving means for receiving the transmitted coded picture, a picture decoding means for decoding the received picture, a picture display means for displaying the decoded picture, a middle participation notice means for notifying middle participation in a meeting, and a middle participation terminal detection means for detecting the middle participation notice and for transmitting it to the picture coding means. The picture coding means, upon receiving the middle participation notice from the middle participation terminal detection means, changes the coding format to the in-frame coding format.

Multicast meeting unit and multicast meeting program

In a moving picture data structure having a structure comprising I pictures (intraframe coded image) and P pictures (interframe forward predictive coded image), a P&prime; picture of a forward predictive coded image of a picture immediately preceding an I picture and the I picture is placed following the I picture. If an error occurs during the I picture transmission, the P&prime; picture can be used to recover from the error.

A video transmitting apparatus having a plurality of transmission medium for transmitting multiplexed video information, a plurality of video information receiving units each connected to a corresponding transmission medium to receive specific video information on the corresponding transmission medium, a video displaying unit for displaying video information, a switcher for connecting the video displaying unit to any one of the video information receiving units to supply video information to the video displaying unit, and a video display requesting unit for communicating with each of the video information receiving units and the switcher to request to display specific video information on the video displaying unit by giving instructions to a relevant video information receiving unit which can receive the specific video information and the switcher.

Video transmitting apparatus

A picture transmission system capable of establishing arbitrary picture connections with picture inputting units exceeding in number channel resources of a transmission medium for multiplexing and transmitting video information taken through the picture inputting units. A picture sending state storage unit provided corresponding to each of the picture inputting units virtually retains channel resources whose number equals the number of picture outputting units to which the picture inputting units are in connection. For picture connection switching from one picture outputting unit to a different picture inputting unit, the picture sending state storage unit gives its channel resource to the different picture inputting unit. The system is provided with a picture connection managing unit for controlling the picture connections between the picture inputting units and the picture outputting units. The picture connection managing unit accepts a picture connection request to perform the centralized management of channel resources of the transmission medium to allow dynamic channel resource allocation. Under control of the picture connection managing unit, the picture connection between the picture inputting unit and the picture outputting unit takes place through an allocated channel resource.

Picture transmission system

A video monitor system comprises a transmitting medium, video cameras, monitors, VTR, monitor terminals, a control portion and a transmitting medium having channels of video signals and a data channel coupling these units. The video monitor receives a request of a desired camera and a desired monitor and supplies the data indicative the request. The control portion receives the data indicative of the request and determines one of channels and operates the desired camera and desired monitor thorough the determined one of channels to display a video signal on the desired monitor. The VTR records one of video signals from a desired video camera through determined one of channels. A priority is judged to control one video camera which are requested to be operated by two monitor control terminals at the same time. A diagnostic function for detecting a defect and a location in the transmitting medium and a sequential operation function are also provided. The control portion operates in two modes which can be alternately executed by storing conditional data of two modes. An integrated video monitor system having two video monitor systems mentioned above and a center monitor for displaying a video signal from either of one of video camera of either of the monitor systems is also disclosed.

Video monitor system

A bi-directional video signal transmission system is equipped with transmission lines having coupled upsteam and downstream segments. With the entire band of a RF signal being taken as a modulation frequency band, an image signal modulated to a frequency band and RF-multiplexed in the upstream segment is introduced into the downstream segment at the modulated frequency and is then branched to demodulate the same frequency band, thereby obtain one video signal transmission channel. In response to a request by a subscriber, a channel management section assigns and releases the transmission channels and further outputs a control command whereby a transceiver control section performs switching-control of the transmission frequencies to transceiver units.

Video network system with computer LAN

In an apparatus for detecting a focusing error of an objective lens, a light beam reflected from an optical disk passes the objective lens and is reflected from a beam splitter. The reflected light beam is incident on a cylindrical lens so that the light beam is converged in one direction by the cylindrical lens. The converged light beam is incident on first and second triangular prisms so that it is divided into two beams and the two beams are guided into different directions and form beam spots on photo-detectors, respectively. In the respective triangular prism, light rays of the light beam pass through different optical paths. Thus, an aberration is applied to the light beam from the prisms. Accordingly, the shape of each beam spot on the photo-detector is changed in accordance with a focusing error.

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Tokyo, Japan

Akino Inoue