Sony Corporation

Masashi Ohta

Taro Suito

Toshiya Akiba

Masami Tomita

Takao Takahashi

Toshimichi Hamada

Koichi Chotoku

Katsunari Miyata

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Kyoko Fukuda

Naohisa Arai

Noboru Murabayashi

Koji Iijima

Tsuneo Sekiya

Kiyoshi Ota

Hajime Nitta

Yuji Sakai

Mamoru Tanaka

Masayoshi Miura

Makoto Mitsuno

Mitsunori Tanaka

A signal processing apparatus may include a decoder that decodes a compressed audio stream encoded by a predetermined codec, a signal processing unit that applies predetermined signal processing to an audio stream obtained by decoding the compressed audio stream with the decoder, a first acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information described in a header of the compressed audio stream and management information for contents including the compressed audio stream, a setting unit that discriminates, on the basis of the information, a type of the codec used for the encode of the compressed audio stream and sets a codec used for encode of the audio stream, and an encoder that encodes, in accordance with the setting by the setting unit, the audio stream subjected to the signal processing by the signal processing unit and outputs the audio stream to an external apparatus that has a decoder.

Signal processing apparatus, signal processing method, and computer program

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

An information processing apparatus capable of accurately detecting commercials included in a television broadcast. A commercial candidate section detector detects a commercial candidate section based on the characteristics of transitions between a program and a commercial and based on the characteristics of commercials. Transitional criteria include quiet sections, scene change points and changes in the audio multiplex mode. A commercial block detector detects a commercial block, which is composed of a plurality of commercial sections and is interposed between program portions, in conformity with the number of frames of the individual commercial candidate sections detected by the commercial candidate section detector, and then outputs to a switch a control signal based on the result of such commercial block detection.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and distribution media

By reducing the number of seek operations in an operation to play back a signal from a recording medium, the amount of data temporarily stored in a read buffer memory employed in a signal recording/playback apparatus is large enough to be output as a playback signal during a seek operation, allowing a continuous playback operation to be carried out. In order to reduce the number of seek operations, a signal is always recorded onto the recording medium in continuous free areas each having a size equal to or larger than a predetermined recording/playback time length which is typically set at 1 minute. If it is necessary to insert an additional signal having a length smaller than the predetermined recording/playback time length into a point of insertion in an area already occupied by an existing signal, a continuous free area with a size equal to or larger than the predetermined recording/playback time length is newly allocated to the additional signal. The additional signal is then recorded in the free area instead of being inserted into the point of insertion. Since the free area is larger in size than the length of the additional signal, the rest of the free area is filled up with a portion of the existing signal adjacent to the point of insertion.

Signal reproducing method and apparatus, signal recording/reproducing method and apparatus and signal recording medium

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

Signal reproducing method & apparatus, signal recording/reproducing method and apparatus and signal recording medium

Signal recording method and apparatus, signal recording / reproducing method and apparatus and signal recording medium

Signal recording method and apparatus, signal recording/reproducing method and appparatus and signal recording medium

A recording/reproducing device has an NTSC decoder which receives a video signal and outputs a video signal, an MPEG audio encoder which receives an audio signal and outputs an audio signal, and a synchronous control circuit which detects a synchronizing signal from the video signal input to the NTSC decoder and uses that signal to generate an output synchronizing signal that is different from the input synchronizing signal. The output synchronizing signal is used to output the video signal from the NTSC decoder. In the recording/reproducing device, the NTSC decoder and the MPEG audio encoder provide a delay to the input video signal and audio signal, respectively, and output the video signal and audio signal in accordance with the output synchronizing signal generated by the synchronous control circuit.

Data processing device and data recording method

Signal recording method & apparatus, signal recording / reproducing method & apparatus and signal recording medium

The invention provides a broadcast signal recording and playback apparatus and method which can detect a CM included in a television broadcast signal with certainty without an error. A CM candidate period detection section detects a CM using an audio mode signal outputted from a tuner, a sound absence discrimination output from a sound absence detection section and a scene change detection output from a scene change detection section as basic materials. A detection operation discrimination section limits operation of the CM candidate period detection section when it is known that the broadcast signal includes no CM or when the electric field is weak.

Broadcast signal recording and playback apparatus and method as well as recording medium

A video recording and playback apparatus and method by which accurate motion detection can be executed is disclosed. A noise reduction processing circuit performs noise reduction processing for video data inputted thereto from a switch and outputs resulting video data to a motion detection processing section and a video signal interpolation processing section. The motion detection processing section performs a motion detection process for the received video data and outputs a result of the motion detection to the video signal interpolation processing section. The video signal interpolation processing section performs an interpolation process for the video data inputted thereto from the noise reduction processing circuit based on the result of the motion detection received from the motion detection processing section and outputs resulting video data.

Video recording and playback apparatus and method

Recording method and apparatus for continuous playback of fragmented signals

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masashi Ohta