Yamaha Corporation

Emi Ito

Kanehisa Tsurumi

Yuichi Murai

A karaoke apparatus is constructed for producing karaoke accompaniments of requested songs while switching picture items of different types displayed on a monitor. In the karaoke apparatus, a sound source block works in an operating period when a requested song is present for producing the karaoke accompaniment, and does not work in a non-operating period when a requested song is absent. A picture source block provides picture items of different types suitable for use in either of the operating period and the non-operating period. A picture mixing block provides a plurality of transition modes selectively adaptable when a preceding picture item is switched to a succeeding picture item along a passage of the operating period and the non-operating period. A control block selects one of the transition modes according to the type of the preceding picture item and the type of the succeeding picture item for enabling the picture mixing block to connect the preceding picture item to the succeeding picture item by the selected transition mode.

Apparatus for switching picture items of different types by suitable transition modes

A karaoke network system includes a host computer and a plurality of karaoke stations connected to the host computer via a communication line. When a new karaoke station is added to the karaoke network system or when a system program to be used by each of the karaoke stations is upgraded, a new system program is distributed from the host computer to the specified karaoke stations, Each of the karaoke stations has a first storage device for storing the new system program received from the host computer, and a second storage device that stores a system program currently executed to operate each of the karaoke stations. After rebooting each of the karaoke stations and thereafter, each of the karaoke stations is operated with the newest system program.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Emi Ito