Sony Corporation

Koichi Chotoku

Masashi Ohta

Toshimichi Hamada

Taro Suito

Takao Takahashi

Toshiya Akiba

Masami Tomita

Katsunari Miyata

Toshiyuki Katsumoto

Takashi Karimoto

Takeshi Yamauchi

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Hiroshi Okuda

Kenji Ogawa

Noboru Murabayashi

Kensuke Ohnuma

Shinichiro Sugai

Kensuke Oonuma

An information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a program may provide that information to be processed by an application program recorded on a recording medium can be taken over and used by an application program recorded on a different recording medium. The application program serving as a content, a first root certificate issued to the application program, and a second root certificate issued before the first root certificate is issued to the application program may be recorded on the recording medium. The information processing apparatus, which executes the application program, creates, in the memory, a first folder for storing data to be processed by the application program, the first folder associated with the first root certificate; and copies data stored in a second folder, the second folder associated with the second root certificate, to the first folder in a case where the second folder exists in the memory.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and recording medium

Disclosed is a video-signal recording and playback apparatus for recording or playing back a video signal, the video-signal recording and playback apparatus comprising: extracting means for extracting a static picture from a sequence of video signals with a predetermined timing; judgment means for forming a judgment as to whether or not a static picture extracted by the extracting means can be used as a representative picture; and setting means for setting the static picture as a representative picture in accordance with an outcome of a judgment formed by the judgment means.

Video-signal recording and playback apparatus, video-signal recording and playback method, and recording medium

There is disclosed a method for generating data for a recording medium. The method includes receiving original content data representing a plurality of still images and identifying a first subset of the still images to be recorded with copy-protection and a second subset of the still images to be recorded without copy-protection. The method also includes converting data representing the first subset into moving image data and copy-protecting the moving image data. The method also includes generating new content data, the new content data including the copy-protected moving image data and data representing the second subset.

Recording medium, method for manufacturing the same and apparatus for reproducing the same

Disclosed is a video-signal recording & playback apparatus and method for recording and playing back a video signal of a television-broadcast program and a recording medium for storing a computer-readable program for controlling the video-signal recording & playback apparatus. A video-signal recording & playback apparatus includes a detection element for detecting relevant information related to a program being recorded and a modification element for automatically modifying an algorithm of detecting a program-representing picture in dependence of the relevant information.

Video-signal recording and playback apparatus, video-signal recording and playback method and recording medium

A video-signal recording and playback apparatus for recording and playing back a video signal of a television-broadcast program include a recording mechanism for recording a video signal onto an information-recording medium; an extracting mechanism for extracting a representative picture from a video signal to be recorded; an attaching mechanism for attaching an evaluation value to a representative picture extracted by the extracting mechanism; a preserving mechanism for preserving a representative picture extracted by the extracting mechanism in the information-recording medium; and a thinning mechanism for carrying out a thinning process on a number of representative pictures preserved by the preserving mechanism in the information-recording medium on the basis of the evaluation value attached by the attaching mechanism.

An image recording and playback apparatus and method and a recording medium by which a representative picture of image data recorded on a hard disk can be searched out and displayed rapidly are disclosed. An inputted AV signal is recorded on a hard disk, and a comparison table produced based on GOP numbers of an inputted image signal and recorded positions on the hard disk at which the top data of GOPs of the GOP numbers is recorded is recorded on another hard disk. Another table produced based on GOP numbers of GOPs in each of which an intra-picture necessary to play back a corresponding representative picture is included and the distances between the intra-pictures and the corresponding representative pictures included in the GOPs of the GOP numbers is recorded on a further hard disk.

Image recording apparatus and method, image playback apparatus and method, and recording medium

In a signal record/playback apparatus and its method which performs the recording for recording a signal on the recording medium DISK and the playback for playing back the recorded signal from the recording medium DISK at the same time, the recording position and the playback position are set independently and arbitrarily. Record starting position information Pon the recording medium DISK for starting the recording is stored, playback starting position information Pon the recording medium DISK for starting the playback is stored, and the recording based on the record starting position information Pand the playback based on the playback starting position information Pare independently performed, so as to realize a signal record/playback apparatus and its method which can set the record starting position Pand the playback starting position Parbitrarily.

Signal record/playback apparatus and method featuring independent recording and playback processing

A moving picture recording and reproduction apparatus and method as well as a medium are disclosed by which, upon recording of a television program, representative pictures from which contents of a program can be grasped can be recorded. Frame pictures are extracted from moving pictures being recorded, and accuracy values with which a character is present in the frame pictures are calculated. Further, accuracy values with which the phase of a person is present in the frame pictures are calculated, and the levels of an audio signal corresponding to the frame pictures are detected. Then, evaluation values are calculated using results of the calculations and the detection, and a maximum one of the evaluation values is detected. Thereafter, the frame picture corresponding to the maximum evaluation value is reduced in size and recorded onto a recording medium so that it may be used as an index upon playing back of the recording medium.

Moving picture recording and reproduction apparatus and method as well as medium

To perform non-normal speed reproduction without preventing a user from understanding of the program content. The audio data which has been blocked into blocks of a predetermined time unit is stored in a buffer. Blocks having the level equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value are treated as silence data, and the block numbers are stored in a silence pointer buffer. A read out address generating unit does not read out blocks which is stored in the silence pointer buffer when the read out address buffer reads out audio data blocks from the buffer. The audio data from which silence data blocks have been excluded is subjected to connection processing in a waveform connection processing unit so that noise is not generated. A skip pattern generating unit controls a video data processing unit so that the video data is sent out with skipping some video data corresponding to blocks treated as silence block stored in the silence pointer buffer.

Apparatus and method for reproduction and distribution medium

A video signal recording/reproduction apparatus utilizes time division writing and reading to implement simultaneous recording and reproduction of different video signals to and from a common recording medium. In one operating mode, a first video signal being recorded and a second video signal being reproduced are simultaneously displayed in separate windows on a display. In other operating modes, two or more video signals are simultaneously recorded or reproduced to/from a common recording medium, and simultaneously displayed in separate windows.

Video signal recording/reproduction apparatus and method with multi-picture display

The invention provides an information processing apparatus and method as well as a providing medium by which a period for reproduction of reproduction data at fixed intervals can be calculated to reproduce the reproduction data in a fixed period. First, a TOC of reproduction data is read out and a frame number of the reproduction data is calculated. Then, a readout time within which the reproduction data for one frame are read out from a recording medium is calculated. Thereafter, a sum total of reading position movement times when the reproduction data for L frames are read out is calculated. Then, a sum total of reproduction processing waiting times when the reproduction data for the L frames are read out is calculated. Then, the sum totals of the readout times, reading position movement times and reproduction processing waiting times are added to calculate a total time. Finally, a reproduction data transfer period is calculated based on the total time, and reproduction of the reproduction data is performed at time intervals corresponding to the reproduction data transfer period.

Information processing apparatus and method as well as providing medium

A signal reproducing apparatus is disclosed with which time is not required from a moment at which a user has started a reproducing operation to a moment at which the user is able to actually confirm required information. An audio-and-video-signal reproducing apparatus incorporates a head for recording an audio and video signal recorded on a recording medium; a RAM on which the audio and video signal read by the head is temporarily stored; and a control circuit having a control function for controlling the head to read the audio and video signal recorded on the recording medium and controlling writing of the audio and video signal temporarily stored in the RAM.

Apparatus and method of reproducing audio/video signal from recording medium with reduced or eliminated initial delay

A signal recorder/reproducer comprising an integrated buffer memory having a memory area for a recording system and a memory area for a reproduction system, the allocation of the memory areas being variable, and a system controller to control, via a recording control signal input unit or reproduction control signal input unit , the allocation of the memory areas in the integrated buffer memory depending upon which is designated by the user, a recording or reproduction mode.

Signal recording/reproducing apparatus and method

A signal recorder/reproducer comprising an integrated buffer memory,having a memory area for a recording system and a memory area for a reproduction system, the allocation of the memory areas being variable, and a system controller,to control, via a recording control signal input unit,or reproduction control signal input unit,, the allocation of the memory areas in the integrated buffer memory,depending upon which is designated by the user, a recording or reproduction mode.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Koichi Chotoku