Thomson Licensing

Rca Thomson Licensing Corp.

Thomson Licensing S.a.

Thomas Licensing

Thomson Licensing Dtv

Magdy Megeid

Anton Werner Keller

Roger Dominik Bozzini

Severin Werner Engeli

Claudio Ghislini

Markus Inkamp

Robert Freudenmann

A method for a first electronic device having first and second antennas for communicating with a second device is disclosed. The method comprises determining which one of the first and second antennas of the first device is stimulated by an electromagnetic field generated by the second device; and transmitting one of first and second types of information according to which one of the first and second antennas is the determined antenna.

Information exchange for hand-held electronic devices

A letterbox detector includes a detection module configured to determine aspect ratio changes in an input signal. A transition module is configured to transition between a plurality of display modes associated with the aspect ratio changes. A first display mode to a second display mode transition is performed over a first period of time, and a second display mode to a first display mode is performed gradually over a second period of time, that is different from the first period of time. The letterbox detector may be included in digital and analog displays.

Method and apparatus for transitioning from a first display format to a second display format

A method is provided for enabling users to control an electronic apparatus such as a television signal receiver, multimedia device, and/or other device in an easy and convenient manner using a single key of a user input device. According to an exemplary embodiment, the method includes steps of enabling each of the plurality of modes to be displayed for a first time period in response to a first occurrence of a control signal, enabling one of the modes currently being displayed to be selected in response to a second occurrence of the control signal, and enabling each of a plurality of options associated with the selected mode to be displayed for a second time period in response to the second occurrence of the control signal.

Method for controlling electronic apparatus

A memory addressing method is suitable for systems performing data compression and/or expansion such as audio and/or video systems having a variable speed data reproduction capability. According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for processing a signal such as an audio or video signal in a signal reproduction device begins by receiving the signal. The received signal is processed in dependence upon a mode of operation of the signal reproduction device representing a speed at which the received signal is to be reproduced by the signal reproduction device. The received signal is speed converted and then stored in a memory of the signal reproduction device when the signal reproduction device is in a first mode of operation. The received signal is stored in the memory of the signal reproduction device without being speed converted when the signal reproduction device is in a second mode of operation. According to an embodiment, the first mode of operation represents that the received signal will be reproduced by the signal reproduction device at a speed greater than an input speed corresponding to the received signal. The second mode of operation represents that the received signal will be reproduced by the signal reproduction device at a speed less than or equal to an input speed corresponding to the received signal.

Memory addressing method suitable for systems having a variable speed data reproduction capability

An MPEG-4 based multimedia system in connection with a service provider therefore, and a remote communication device therefore, is presented. The interactive content based remote communication unit simplifies and reduces the number of steps and buttons required for receiving interactive service by the use of MPEG-4 encoded data. Additionally, new ways are disclosed for the data processing at the service provider side. Further, an improved way of exchanging data between the service provider (broadcaster, cable provider) and the customer (viewer) is presented. Still further, there is disclosed how digital equipment (server, set-top box, remote control unit and display) involved in the data processing can be optimized for the task of controlling the available channel bandwidth and displaying the data.

MPEG-4 remote communication device

The present invention provides a method and system for processing an audio signal. According to an exemplary method, an audio signal such as a digital voice signal is received and divided into one or more individual unit cycles. An audio speed conversion operation is enabled by repeating or removing one or more of the individual unit cycles. In particular, repeating one or more of the individual unit cycles decreases audio speed, and removing one or more of the individual unit cycles increases audio speed.

Method and system for enabling audio speed conversion

A signal processing method and apparatus provides a capability of storing a portion of an input signal representing a received program and accessing the stored information to provide a signal component representing a time-compressed version of the portion of the program during a playback mode of operation. When viewed, the time-compressed signal produced during playback provides the portion of the program in a fraction of the original time duration of the portion of the program. Playback occurs at a rate faster than the rate at which new data is stored and, as a result, there will be point in time at which the &ldquo;past&rdquo; signal produced during playback and the received signal, or original input video signal, coincide in time. This point in time is detected and the output signal is automatically switched back to the received program signal.

Apparatus and method for playing back a recorded video signal in a time compressed manner

A system for programming/controlling various audio/video devices coupled to one another via a bus structure, through the use of a single macro key utilizes an addressing structure. Each various audio/video device includes memory and a processor/controller for the memory and bus management. The memory is divided into master data memory and slave data memory depending on the role of the audio/video device. Data transfer over the bus only contains dummy numbers that are used as macro command addresses, with the macro data itself processed and stored in the various audio/video device. This eliminates the need to store the different commands of the various audio/video devices in the device chosen to initiate the macro. For each macro, one audio/video device is the master device while the remaining audio/video devices are slaves.

System and method for programming and transmitting macros for controlling audio/video devices

Dual action automatic sound level control

A full wave rectified AC mains supply voltage is produced from an AC mains supply voltage without low-pass filtering. The rectified voltage is developed in a winding of a flyback transformer. The winding of the flyback transformer is also coupled to a switching transistor that generates in the winding a first plurality of current pulses at a frequency that is higher than the frequency of the mains supply voltage. The current pulses energize a load circuit. A capacitor voltage is coupled via a second switching transistor to the winding to produce in the winding a second plurality of current pulses that energize the load circuit during a portion of the period of the mains supply voltage that does not occur in the vicinity of the peak of the mains supply voltage. When the second plurality of current pulses are generated, the mains supply voltage is decoupled from the first winding.

Switch mode power supply with reduced input current distortion

A pulse-width modulator controls a switching transistor. The switching transistor is coupled to a primary winding of a chopper transformer. The switching transistor and the primary winding are referenced to a nonisolated ground conductor. To initiate a standby mode of operation, a first on/off control signal that is referenced to an isolated ground conductor disables a horizontal oscillator that is energized from a secondary winding of the chopper transformer and that is also referenced to the isolated ground conductor. As a result, a decrease loading of circuit elements that are referenced to the isolated ground occurs. In the standby mode, current pulses in the primary winding are produced at a substantially higher frequency than in normal operation. A frequency detector referenced to the nonisolated ground generates a second on/off control signal that is referenced to the nonisolated ground in accordance with the frequency of the current pulses in the chopper transformer. In this way, the second on/off control signal is generated without the need for an additional isolation element other than the chopper transformer.

Switch mode power supply with standby mode operation

In a switch mode power supply, a full wave rectified AC mains supply voltage is produced from an AC mains supply voltage without low-pass filtering. The unfiltered rectified voltage is applied to a winding of a flyback transformer that is coupled to a switching transistor. A first plurality of current pulses are generated in the winding from the rectified voltage at a frequency that is higher than the frequency of the mains supply voltage and at peak amplitudes that vary in a manner to reduce a power factor. A second supply voltage is applied via a second switching transistor to the winding to produce in the winding a second plurality of current pulses that reduce a ripple component at an output of the power supply. The second plurality of current pulses are pulse-width modulated in a feed-forward manner during a period of the mains supply voltage in accordance with the mains supply voltage. An overload threshold point is also shifted to a higher value remotely from the peak of the mains voltage, in a feed-forward manner. This results in the power factor being less affected by load variations.

Switch mode power supply with feed-forward pulse limit control

In a switch mode power supply, a full wave rectified AC mains supply voltage is produced from an AC mains supply voltage without low-pass filtering. The unfiltered rectified voltage is applied to a winding of a flyback transformer that is coupled to a switching transistor. A first plurality of current pulses are generated in the winding from the rectified voltage at a frequency that is higher than the frequency of the mains supply voltage and at peak amplitudes that vary in accordance with the rectified voltage in a manner to increase a power factor. The rectified voltage is further rectified via a rectifier coupled in series with a resistor and a low-pass filter capacitor and produces current pulses in the capacitor. A voltage in the capacitor is coupled via a second switching transistor to the winding to produce in the winding a second plurality of current pulses that reduce a ripple component at an output of the power supply. The resistor increases the pulse-width and decreases the magnitude of the capacitor current pulses in a manner to reduce input harmonic contents and increase the power factor.

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Zurich, Switzerland

Magdy Megeid