U.S. Philips Corporation

Polygram Internat. Holding B.v.

Gerardus C Lokhoff

Abraham Hoogendoorn

Jan Dewolf

Yves-Francois Dehery

Gijsbrecht C Wirtz

Franciscus A Kneepkens

Gustavus L Van Eijck

Gerhard J Stoll

Yasuo Kato

Constant P Baggen

Rudolf Roth

Johannes J Roering

Wilhelmus P Raaymakers

Petrus H Arts

John F Sherry

G Theile

G Stoll

Y F Dehery

Recording apparatus for recording in a track on an optical information carrier a first channel signal representing a main information signal, a second channel signal representing a cue information signal and a third channel signal representing a sub information signal. The main information signal includes at least one programme item and the cue information signal includes for the at least one programme item an indication of its location on the track. The recording apparatus includes a unit for receiving the main information signal, the cue information signal and the sub information signal; a unit for encoding the main information signal providing the first channel signal; a unit for encoding the cue information signal, providing the second channel signal; a unit for encoding the sub information signal, providing the third channel signal carrying sub information packs in substantially non-interleaved form, by generating sub information packs, including data from the sub information signal plus data for error detection and correction thereof, in substantially non-interleaved form; and a unit for writing the first channel signal in a main information area of the track on the information carrier and for writing the second channel signal and the third channel signal in a lead-in area of the track preceding the main information area.

Transferring information via the lead-in area of an information carrier

An encoded digital signal having frames of different lengths is decoded to obtain a wideband digital signal. The decoder converts frames having information packets, where the number of packets in a frame is related to the sampling frequency of the wideband digital signal, the bitrate of the encoded digital signal, the number of bits in the information packets, and the number of samples of the wideband digital signal whose corresponding information is the encoded digital signal in the frame. A receiver for such a signal includes a decoder for converting the frames.

Decoder for decoding and encoded digital signal and a receiver

In a multitrack recording arrangement in which information may be recorded in or reproduced from a plurality of adjacent tracks simultaneously and in which the plurality of adjacent tracks are longitudinally partitioned into segments referred to as tape frames, each tape frame being formed of a plurality of laterally adjacent track segments referred to as track frames, each tape frame is assigned to one of a plurality of channels, one channel of information being recorded in each n-th tape frame.

Multitrack recording arrangement in which tape frames formed of

A receiver including an error masking unit for masking an error in a digital signal received by the receiver, and a transmission system including such a receiver. The transmission system includes a transmitter which sub-band codes a wide-band digital signal into sub-band signals having signal blocks containing a predetermined number of samples which the transmitter quantizes and combines with bit allocation information denoting how many bits each of the samples in the signal blocks are quantized by and scale factor information relating to scale factors for the signal blocks into a digital signal. That digital signal is error correction encoded and then applied to a transmission medium by the transmitter. The receiver receives a digital signal from the transmission medium which substantially corresponds to the digital signal applied to the transmission system by the transmitter and decodes that digital signal so as to produce a replica of the wide-band digital signal encoded by the transmitter. The error masking unit is used during decoding for error masking information having uncorrected errors. The error masking unit is capable of masking an uncorrected error pertaining to the quantized samples, the bit allocation information, the scale factor information and/or sync information included in the digital signal received by the receiver.

Receiver providing masking of an error in a digital signal, and a

Reproduction accuracy of, for example a digital stereo audio signal, is improved by transmitting sample data as sub-signals such as frequency subband signals. In one or more subbands, corresponding components such as left and right stereo channels are combined so that only one composite signal is transmitted per subband. An indicator signal is transmitted, indicating which subbands are combined. Scale factor signals for all subbands, and for the relative intensity of the respective subband signals which were combined, may also be transmitted. In the receiver a subband signal is derived for each channel from the composite signal, before synthesis of the full channel signals which will be reproduced.

Subband coded digital transmission system using some composite signals

Digital data is encoded in accordance with an error protection product code into C1 codewords and C2 codewords, and the codewords are stored on a plurality of parallel recording tracks of a record carrier. The code symbols of any particular C1 codeword are assigned to a segment of a single storage track. The number of code symbols in a C2 codeword are a multiple of the number of tracks, and are cyclically assigned to segments of all tracks and cross intersegment boundaries, the physical spacing between adjoining symbols of a C2 codeword being substantially uniform in both coordinate directions. The storage requirements of the coding apparatus are reduced if the number of symbols in each C2 codeword is an integral multiple of the number of tracks. The positions on the tracks of the symbols of any codeword have a 1:1 correspondence with the addresses of such symbols in the RAM for both the encoder and the decoder.

Multitrack record carrier having digital data reversibly stored thereon

Digital information recorded in a track (T.sub.a.i) on a tape-like magnetic record carrier (20) can be read out again when the record carrier is transported in a specific direction. The transport direction of the record carrier when the information is recorded may be similar or opposite to the direction in which the information is reproduced. This implies that as a function thereof a first or second equalization filter (F.sub.1, F.sub.2) is to be used during reproduction so as to realise a first or second filtering of the information that is read out. For this purpose, markers (M.sub.1, M.sub.2) are introduced on the record carrier (20) or the cassette (61). From these markers there may be derived whether the side being read out at a specific moment has been recorded in a transport direction similar or opposite to the transport direction during reproduction.

Reproducing device used with a record carrier containing two sides

A transmission channel may be utilized for a combination of wide-band signals and auxiliary signals, while still providing improved reproduction accuracy. Digital sub-signals or subband signals representing at least first and second data-reduced components are combined with at least one auxiliary digital signal in defined frame portions before transmission. The auxiliary signal may be user-discernible information such as third and fourth audio channels, so that a four channel surround sound signal is transmitted; or teletext or video or picture information may be provided. Sampling reduction and filtering into subbands may be applied to the auxiliary signal as well as to the first and second signal components.

Digital sub-band transmission system with transmission of an additional

Transmission system for transmitting and receiving, and subband encoding methods for generating for transmission, digital signals containing modulated bit allocation information; and record carriers containing such a signal. The transmission system include a transmitter which encodes in accordance with the subband encoding method a wide-band digital signal into subband signals which are each made up of successive signal blocks having a predetermined number of samples of that subband signal. The samples in the signal blocks of the subband signals are quantized to produce quantized samples in the signal blocks, and bit allocation information denoting how many bits the samples in the signal blocks are to be quantized by is generated. The bit allocation information (or a portion thereof) is modulated to obtain modulated bit allocation information. The quantized samples in the signal blocks and the modulated bit allocation information are included in a digital signal applied by the transmitter to a transmission medium. The transmission system also includes a receiver for receiving a replica of the digital signal applied to the transmission medium. The modulated bit allocation information is demodulated to obtain the bit allocation information. The quantized samples in the signal blocks and the bit allocation information are used to obtain replicated samples in the signal blocks which substantially correspond to the original samples in the signal blocks of the subband signals. The replicated samples are used to produce a replica of the original wide-band digital signal.

Encoding methods for generating a digital signal containing modulated

A digital recording and reproducing system, and record carrier for use with the system, in which frames and interframe gaps are recorded in a track on the record carrier. The record carrier has a plurality of longitudinally juxtaposed tracks which each comprises frames and interframe gaps alternating with one another longitudinally along that track. The interframe gaps of adjacent tracks are situated at substantially the same position, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the tracks, and adjacent interframe gaps have substantially the same lengths. In a first embodiment, the interframe gap directly following each frame in each track has substantially the same bit density as that frame. In a second embodiment, the interframe gaps in a track have varying lengths. The recording and reproducing system has recording device for recording the frames and interframe gaps on the record carrier, and a reproducing device for reading the frames from the track.

Record carrier with alternating frames and interframe gaps

Apparatus for encoding digital data in accordance with an error protection product code into C1 codeword and C2 codewords, and storing such codewords on a plurality of parallel recording tracks on a record carrier. The code symbols of a given C1 codeword are assigned to a segment of a single storage track. The number of code symbols in a C2 codeword are a multiple of the number of tracks, and are cyclically assigned to segments of all tracks and cross intersegment boundaries, the physical spacing between adjoining symbols of a C2 codeword being substantially uniform in both coordinate directions. The storage requirements of the coding apparatus can be reduced if the number of symbols in each C2 codeword is an integral multiple of the number of tracks. In both the encoder and decoder, the RAM for storing codewords is organized so that the addresses of the symbols of any codeword have a 1:1 correspondence with the positions of such symbols on the tracks.

Storage device for reversibly storing digital data on a multitrack

Systems, apparatus and methods for recording or reproducing from a re-recordable record carrier digital signals, representing a digital audio signal, containing information which results in concealment of a portion of a replica of the digital audio signal during its reproduction to prohibit audio distortions resulting from a boundary between two digital signals, wherein one of those digital signal is newly-recorded over a previously-recorded other digital signal. The concealment information can also be included in auxiliary signals recorded on reproduced from the record carrier along with the digital signals. In a recording apparatus, a digital signal including audio information (i.e., data-reduced samples of sub-band signals derived from sub-band coding a digital audio signal, and bit allocation information and scale factor information relating to the quantized samples) is provided with, via a signal processing unit, mutilated information or a concealment code (possibly included in an auxiliary signal instead) indicating that a portion of the replica of the digital audio signal is to be concealed during its reproduction, and then, recorded on a re-recordable record carrier. The reproducing apparatus acts, via a concealment control signal and a concealment unit, as a result of the mutilated information or the concealment code included in a digital signal (or auxiliary signal) read or received from a re-recordable record carrier, to conceal a portion of the replica of the digital audio signal during its reproduction. In embodiments in which concealment codes are used, a detector is included in the reproducing apparatus to detect the concealment code.

System, apparatus and methods for recording and/or reproducing on and/or

The transmission system includes a transmitter for transmitting a sub-band-coded signal which is accommodated in a second digital signal (FIG. 2) having frames which incorporate allocation information, scale factor information and samples. In order to perform an additional signal processing operation on the received signal at the receiver end, the bit allocation information is already adapted for this purpose at the transmitter end. A signal processing control signal indicating which type of additional signal processing operation will have to be performed may be transmitted along with the information.

Transmitter, receiver and record carrier in a digital transmission system

A multistation communication system accommodates one master station and a plurality of slave stations. The bus has a separate clock signal wire, a separate information bit group wire, and a separate indication signal wire. A first value of the indication signal identifies an actual information bit group as an address, a second value identifies them as data. Each address bit group has control bits next to operational address bits. A slave station may recognize one or more addresses as its own address; the associated control bits will then mandate the transfer direction. Furthermore, the slave station may recognize one particular operational address as an interface reset control signal.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Gerardus C Lokhoff