Thomson Licensing

Thomson Licensing S.a.

Thomson Consumer Electronics Inc.

Karl Francis Horlander

Timothy W Saeger

Robert H Miller

Keith Reynolds Wehmeyer

Nathaniel H Ersoz

Michael Francis Kvintus, Jr

Robert Howard Miller

Michael Francis Kvintus

Todd J Christopher

Eric Douglas Romesburg

David J Duffield

Harold Blatter

Paul Dean Filliman

Eric Stephen Carlsgaard

Michael Joseph McLane

Joseph Craig Engle

John H Furrey

Rick Wayne Miller

Harold Rhea McKee

A record and replay apparatus comprises a transducing unit for reproducing a digital signal from a medium. A control unit controls a reproduction mode of the apparatus. A decoding is coupled to the transducing unit for decoding the digital signal and deriving therefrom a signal indicative of a specific picture type. The reproduction mode has a first period of reproduction at a normal play speed and a second period of reproduction at a speed greater than the play speed. The first and second periods alternating with the first period initiated responsive to the signal indicative of a specific picture type. In a further arrangement a first transducing unit records an MPEG signal. A control unit generates a signal, indicating an intra coded frame occurrence in the MPEG bit stream, which is recorded by a second transducing unit together with a servo reference signal.

Digital recorder with trick play operation

Video image information is received in a signal including conditional access information. The conditional access information is associated with one of a plurality of picture resolution formats for recording, reproducing and displaying the video image information. The conditional access information in the received signal is decoded. A format for at least one of recording, reproducing and displaying the video image information is adaptively selected in response to the decoded conditional access information. The video image information is then processed using the selected format. The conditional access information may further include information indicating a predetermined time period during which reproduction of recorded video image information is permitted.

Adaptive video image information processing system

Method and apparatus for automatically enhancing the foliage display of a color signal includes providing the color signal in multiplexed form having alternating first and second components, the first component being substantially aligned with a flesh tone color space axis, the second component being substantialy aligned with a green tone color space axis. A de-multiplexing unit separates the first and second components to provide a first de-multiplexed component substantially aligned with the flesh tone axis and a second de-multiplexed component substantially aligned with the green tone axis. A processing unit generates from the de-multiplexed components a green tone enhancement control signal for increasing green tone contrast of the color signal; and a modifying unit modifies the magnitude of the multiplexed color signal by applying the multiplexed color signal and the green tone enhancement control signal to a multiplier to provide a modified multiplexed output signal at an output having enhanced foliage contrast. In an examplary embodiment, the green enhancement control signal and a flesh tone enhancement control signal are applied to a common multiplier thereby advantageously providing both flesh tone and foliage enhancement with an absolute minimum of circuitry for the combined functions.

Method and apparatus for enhancing green contrast of a color video signal

A method for operating a video processing system by receiving initial copyright information from a first source, storing the initial copyright information, receiving updated copyright information from a second source, and updating the stored copyright information in response to the updated copyright information. For example in one embodiment of the present invention, the initial copyright information for a program is received from an electronic program guide and updated copyright information is received along with the selected program. The video processing system may be programmed to operate in a first operating mode in response to the initial copyright information and the operating mode of the video processing system may be switched to a second operating mode in response to the updated copyright information.

System and method for interfacing multiple electronic devices

A system and method for eliminating absent or poor quality video sections from a video recording, such as a second generation of video recording. Synchronizing pulses associated with a video signal to be recorded are analyzed to determine whether a video signal is present and, further, to determine whether the video signal is not distorted (i.e., non-trick play mode). A recording device is selectively paused in response to the absence of a valid video signal or the presence of a video signal that is distorted, of poor quality or otherwise not worth recording.

Method and apparatus for video recording from previous recorded video

A signal processing method and apparatus in which a horizontal and/or vertical synchronizing signal related to a received video signal is monitored to determine if a relatively large change has occurred in the respective vertical and/or horizontal time period such that a change in video signal source may have occurred. Upon the detection of such a change, the operation of a phase lock loop (PLL) such as horizontal phase lock loop (HPLL) and/or vertical phase lock loop (VPLL) circuit is adapted as appropriate.

Method and apparatus for detecting change in video source material

A method for operating a video recording apparatus in one of a digital recording mode and an analog recording mode. The method involves recording a digital video bit stream in the digital recording mode and switching to the analog recording mode for recording the corresponding analog video signal in response to a fault condition. For example, the fault conditions may occur in response to improper copyright information, an analog recording media being loaded into the video recording apparatus or the digital video bit stream being absent while the video recording apparatus operates in the digital recording mode. The fault condition may be indicated to a user and switching to a different mode, such as the analog recording mode, may occur in response to receiving a user initiated command responsive to the indicated fault condition.

System and method for recording analog and digital signals, and for error recovery in recording

A method for scheduling events between first and second video processing devices coupled together wherein each device having at least one event timer for storing a scheduled event. The method involves programming first event information into the first device, comparing the first event information to each event previously scheduled in the first device for determining conflicts therebetween, sending a message representing the first event information to the second device, comparing the first event information to each event previously scheduled in the second device for determining conflicts therebetween. A user may be provided with information regarding conflicts and may be notified that a password is required for the first event and the respective event timer is enabled in response to receiving the password entered into the first device.

A system comprising a first device including a controller and a lock manager, a second device coupled to the first device by a bus, and a third device coupled to the first and second devices by the bus. The controller and the lock manager of the first device operate to establish an exclusive communication relationship between the first device and one of the second or third devices.

Device interoperability

A communication data format conveys digital ancillary data in a vertical blanking interval of a video signal. The format employs a reference symbol including a plurality of digital pulses for indicating the start of the ancillary data and also includes a header byte following the reference symbol. The header byte contains an identifier identifying a destination service for a payload of the ancillary data or an address identifying a destination of the payload. The format also conveys multiple payload bytes, following the reference symbol in which individual bits have a period substantially comprising, a first integral multiple of a first clock period associated with a first data format, and a different second integral multiple of a second clock period associated with a second data format.

System and data format for communicating data between a video decoder and a peripheral device

Method for arbitrating for access to a control channel in a data bus

Automatic letterbox detection

A circuit for compressing and expanding video color component data comprises a FIFO line memory and a delay circuit. A timing circuit generates control signals for writing data into the line memory and for reading data from the line memory to compress and expand the data. The delay circuit matches the data compressed or expanded in the FIFO line memory to luminance data which is similarly compressed or expanded. A switching network selectively establishes a first signal path in which the line memory precedes the delay circuit for implementing the data expansion and a second signal path in which the delay circuit precedes the line memory for implementing the data compression. The switching network is controlled according to selected display formats requiring compression or expansion, for example by a microprocessor.

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Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

Karl Francis Horlander