Sony Corporation

Hisayoshi Moriwaki

Akira Ogino

Yuji Kimura

Nozomu Ikeda

Kenji Nakano

Takashi Kohashi

Takao Takahashi

Masashi Nakamura

Ichiro Hamada

Keiichiro Shimada

Sunao Furui

Yoichiro Sako

Hajime Inoue

Kenzo Akagiri

Kentaro Odaka

Noriyuki Yamamoto

Yuichi Kojima

Iwao Yamamoto

Shigeyuki Yoneyama

Takayuki Sasaki

Minoru Morio

Takeo Morinaga

Koichi Oyama

Hiroyuki Yasui

Hideki Fukasawa

Hidemichi Shirai

Hiromi Takano

Elements necessary for a digital television receiver are structured as a plurality of digital signal processing blocks and a host operation processing block. The blocks are connected through a general-purpose bus. Command for controlling the operations of the blocks and data of streams are transferred through the bus. Thus, by replacing only blocks, various types of digital television broadcasts that differ in carrier waves, modulating systems, and compressing systems can be handled. Consequently, the developing efficiency of a television receiver is improved. In addition, when a new service is started, by adding hardware for the service, the service can be easily handled.

Method and apparatus for digital signal processing

Elements necessary for a digital television receiver are structured as blocks that are a plurality of digital signal processing blocks and a host arithmetic operation processing block. The blocks are connected through a general-purpose bus. Commands for controlling operations of the blocks and data of streams are transferred through the bus. An extension plug-in card for a new service can be attached and detached to/from the bus. The extension plug-in card has hardware that accomplishes an extension function and a script for commands of the hardware. When the extension plug-in card is attached to the bus through an interface, the script for the commands is automatically uploaded to the host arithmetic operation processing block side. The host arithmetic operation processing block can operate the extension plug-in card corresponding to the transferred script for the commands.

Method and apparatus for digital signal processing and method of providing extension function

Elements necessary for a digital television receiver are structured as a plurality of digital signal processing blocks and a host arithmetic operation processing block. The blocks are connected through a general purpose bus. Commands for controlling operations of the blocks and data of a stream are transferred through the bus. When an encryption encoder/decode is disposed in each block, contents transferred through the bus can be protected. When an encryption encoder/decode circuit is disposed in an interface to which an extension plug-in card is attached, contents that are output from the interface can be protected.

A method of superimposing additional information on a video signal, transmitting it, and detecting the additional information from the transmitted video signal. The additional information is synchronized with a sync signal in the video signal, and generated in N (N&#x2267;1) unit intervals of one field of the video signal. Some predetermined unit intervals of the additional information generated in N (N&#x2267;1) unit intervals of one field of the video signal, are phase-inverted. The additional information is identified by detecting the information in unit intervals based on the sync signal in the video signal, and detecting that information in some predetermined unit intervals is inverted. The additional information is identified by detecting the information in unit intervals, and integrating the detection results with the information in inverted predetermined unit intervals inverted.

Method and device of superimposing an additional information signal on a video signal and detecting said additional information from said video signal

An image signal to be outputted is divided into two areas or a first area and a second area. In an electronic watermarking information forming section (WM forming section), a spectrum spread signal (electronic watermarking information) is formed as the first additional information so as to be superposed on the first area of the image signal. The spectrum spread signal is superposed on the first area of the image signal by an electronic watermarking information superposing section (WM superposing section). Moreover, in the case where the image signal is recorded on a recording medium, for example, the second additional information is newly superposed on the second area of the image signal. Thus, deterioration of the information signal is suppressed at minimum, and first and second additional information are superposed on the information signal to be capable of transmitting the information signal.

Additional information superposing method, information signal copy control method, information signal output device and information signal recording device

A transport stream is received and recorded, and the recorded transport stream is reproduced normally. A cycle timer generates a time stamp based on a clock generated by means of a clock generation circuit that is independent of the system clock generated by means of a built-in PLL of an AV decoder, a receiver adds the time stamp to a TS packet, and the TS packet is recorded in a hard disk. On the other hand, a transmitter supplies the TS packet read out from the hard disk to the AV decoder by way of a switch, MVLink-IC, DEMUX, and FIFO memory at the timing so that the time interval between adjacent TS packets is coincident with that of the time when it was received based on the time stamp added to the TS packet.

Data processing apparatus, data processing method, and recording medium

An additional information transmission method for transmitting an information signal and additional information in the form of an electronic watermark. The electronic watermark information is generated and superimposed on the information signal for transmission so as to form a superimposition/non-superimposition pattern corresponding to first additional information and transmitting second additional information on the information signal such that one value of one-bit information is expressed by a period in which electronic watermark information is superimposed on the information signal and other values of one-bit information are expressed by a period in which the electronic watermark information is not superimposed.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TRANSMISSION METHOD, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TRANSMISSION SYSTEM, INFORMATION SIGNAL OUTPUT APPARATUS, INFORMATION SIGNAL PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION SIGNAL RECORDING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION SIGNAL RECORDING MEDIUM

Visual influence on the reproduced image by the spectrum spread additional information signal can be controlled on the reproduced image by sequentially changing the level of the spectrum spread additional information signal with the predetermined pattern in each chip section on the occasion of superimposing, on the video signal, the spectrum spread additional information signal in which the additional information such as duplication preventing control information and copy right information, etc. is spectrum spread.

Method and apparatus for superimposing a level changed spectrum spread additional information signal on a video signal

Video signals are converted into one or more blocks for each predetermined unit amount of data, and a Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) process is performed in the blocks a convert the video signal from a time-base area signal to a DCT coefficient in a frequency area for data compression. One chip of a spread spectrum signal is allocated to each block of the video signal or to each of a plurality of blocks, and additional information is superimposed on the video signal at a constant level corresponding to the chip value for transmission. A video signal on which the additional information consisting of the spread spectrum signal transmitted has been superimposed is received, and from this received signal, a DC component of the DCT coefficient is extracted. Inverse spread spectrum processing is performed for the DC component of the DCT coefficient extracted to detect the additional information.

Additional information signal superimposing and detecting system, additional information superimposing and detecting method, and additional information signal detecting method and apparatus therefor

In an SS additional information detecting unit, detection of a correlation between an image signal Si superimposed with a copying preventive control signal which is spectrum-spread and a PN code series is carried out at every vertical section. In the case where a correlation value between the copying preventive control signal which is superimposed on the image signal Si and is spectrum-spread and a PN code for inverse spreading does not exceed a predetermined threshold value, the correlation value calculated at every vertical section is added. The copying preventive control signal which is spectrum-spread and is superimposed on the image signal is detected by changing the threshold value of whether the correlation between the copying preventive control signal which is superimposed on the image signal Si and is spectrum-spread and the PN code for inverse spreading is established in accordance with a number of vertical sections constituting an object of detecting the correlation. Thereby, the spectrum spread signal can be detected even in the case where the spectrum spread signal is deteriorated.

Method and apparatus of detecting spectrum spread signal

When a spectrally spread additional information signal, obtained by spectrum spreading additional information such as an anti-duplication control signal or copyright information, is superimposed on a video signal, the level of the spectrally spread additional information signal is controlled according to the scatter of pixel values in each block comprising plural pixels. The sensitivity of detecting additional information from the spectrally spread additional information signal is therefore improved, and the visual effect of the spectrally spread additional information signal on a reproduced image is suppressed.

Method of adding information to video signal and information adding device

Disclosed herein are an additional information superposition method and a video signal outputting apparatus, wherein the additional information superposition method for superposing additional information spectrum spread with spread codes synchronized with a vertical synchronizing signal on a second video signal for forming an image of an aspect ratio of N:n which is to be converted into and outputted as a first video signal for forming an image of another aspect ratio of M:m, comprising the steps of setting a size of a unit block before conversion in the second video signal based on a size of a unit block after conversion to which one chip of spread codes for despreading determined in advance is allocated and contents of a conversion process into the first video signal, and superposing the additional information spectrum spread with the spread codes of one chip allocated for each unit block before conversion having the set size in such a manner as to allow the additional information to be extracted from the first video signal.

Additional information superposition method and video signal outputting apparatus

A method and apparatus for detecting spectrum spread signals by reducing the correlation between the main information signal and the spread signal as much as possible, whereby the detection of a spectrum spread signal is made easier. From an input signal, in which a spectrum spread signal obtained by spectrum spreading an additional information signal has been superimposed on a main information signal, the spectrum spread signal is detected. Using a level adjusting circuit, the gain of the input signal, mainly the main information signal is controlled to reduce the change in the main information signal, or the input signal is sliced at a predetermined level by a slicing circuit to fetch a signal at a predetermined level or lower. A spectrum spread signal detecting unit performs an inverse spectrum spread on an input signal in which the change in the main information signal is reduced, or an input signal with the major portion of the main information signal removed to thereby detect the additional information spectrum spread signal.

Method and apparatus for detecting spectrum spread signals

An additional information signal is superimposed on a video signal at a very low level so that it does not stand out on the reproduced image. Spectral spreading code sequences are generated corresponding to different predetermined parts of the video signal. Bit information signals of the additional information signal made up of plural bits are spectrally spread by the spreading codes to generate spectrally spread bit information signals corresponding to the plural bits. The spectrally spread bit information signals are superimposed on corresponding different predetermined parts of the video signal. Because high priority bit information signals of the spectrally spread additional information signal are superimposed on high priority parts of the video signal, high priority information in the additional information can be protected even if the video signal is modified.

Method and device for superimposing additional information on a video signal

A method of superimposing additional information on a video signal, transmitting it, and detecting the additional information from the transmitted video signal. The additional information is synchronized with a sync signal in the video signal, and generated in N(N&gE;1) unit intervals of one field of the video signal. Some predetermined unit intervals of the additional information generated in N(N&gE;1) unit intervals of one field of the video signal, are phase-inverted. The additional information is identified by detecting the information in unit intervals based on the sync signal in the video signal, and detecting that information in some predetermined unit intervals is inverted. The additional information is identified by detecting the information in unit intervals, and integrating the detection results with the information in inverted predetermined unit intervals inverted.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hisayoshi Moriwaki