Sony Corporation

Norio Ebihara

Noboru Asamizuya

Yasumasa Kodama

Satoshi Yoneya

Tetsuro Kato

Takayuki Sasaki

Hiroyuki Kita

Haruyuki Karibe

Masaaki Kagawa

Masakatsu Kaburagi

Yoshihito Ohsawa

Kiyoshi Inoue

Kenji Mori

Yoshiyuki Nakamura

Mitsushige Tatami

Tsutomu Takamori

Kaichi Tatsuzawa

Nobuchika Momochi

Atsushi Hasebe

Satoru Kusaka

Yoshiyuki Sekine

A matrix switcher selectively seizes plural compressed pictures and converts P-frames in a GOP into I-frames while modifying prediction data of B-frames in the GOP. A decoder expands the compressed pictures into original pictures. An input buffer memory converts the picture signals into component signals while converting the transfer rate. A picture processing unit performs various picture signal processing operations on the picture signals. An encoder encodes the processed picture signals for compression. An output buffer memory converts the transfer rate of sent-out data which are compressed processed signals. A controller controls processing operations by the matrix switcher, decoder, input buffer memory, picture processing unit, encoder and the output buffer memory. The compressed pictures processed by inter-frame compression can be switched smoothly. Moreover, picture processing can be performed on a wide gamut of pictures from still pictures to moving pictures, free-format pictures, pictures not dependent on transfer rate and on scalable-format pictures.

Picture signal processing apparatus

A hardware configuration suited for a digital video and audio signal broadcast system such as a near-video on-demand apparatus (NVOD apparatus) includes a compilation unit, a play-out unit, a transmission unit, and a subscriber unit. The compilation unit stores several weeks to several months worth of the video and audio signals obtained by reproducing, compressing, encoding, and editing the broadcast stock according to a long term broadcast schedule of several weeks to several months. The play-out unit stores the video and audio signals stored in the compilation unit for several days to several weeks according to a broadcast schedule of several days to several weeks, reproduces the video and audio signals which become necessary for the real time broadcast, and adds a time difference to these video and audio signals distributed to a plurality of channels. The transmission unit transmits the plurality of channels worth of the video and audio signals given the time difference at the play-out unit to a subscriber unit.

Video and audio signal editing and transmitting apparatus and method of same

A data transmission apparatus comprising: data supplying unit for storing a plurality of types of data and simultaneously transmitting the plurality of types of data to a plurality of selected channels respectively; switching unit for outputting the plurality of types of data outputted from the data supplying unit to the selected different channels respectively; data storage unit for storing the data outputted from the selected channels after rearranging the data in a predetermined order; and data outputting unit for simultaneously outputting the data stored in the data storage unit from the plurality of channels after shifting the data by a certain amount.

Data transmission apparatus

A near video-on-demand (NVOD) system and method for incorporating and/or updating a commercial (CM) or promotion video program or the like in a video program. The NVOD system may include a controller, a high-speed digital reproducing device for reproducing at a high rate a plurality of video-on-demand system recording data divided from digital data of a main program and recorded at discrete areas, an additional information program data server for reproducing data of an additional information program such as data of a CM video program, a promotion video program, or like, a buffer device for selectively writing the video-on-demand system recording data from the high-speed digital reproducing device and reading the video-on-demand system recording data, and matrix switcher for selectively outputting main program data from the buffer device and additional information data from the additional information program data server, and sequentially transmitting the main program data with the additional information data incorporated at M locations therein to a number of channels.

Near video-on-demand system and broadcasting method therefor

The image data transmission apparatus for transmitting image data signal to a plurality of end devices corresponding to the request from each end device, divides the input image data signal into a plurality of unit image data to subsequently store it on the recording medium, controls operation of the plural storing means so that the unit image data for each end device is read out by time division from the recording region in each storing means which is different from each other corresponding to requests from each end device, combines the unit image data for each end device which is read out from each storing means by each end device to form image data signal for each end device, and transmits it to each correspond end device.

Image data transmission apparatus using time slots

On-demand data transmission by dividing input data into blocks and each

In a video system red, green, and blue color signals, which correspond to an output video signal, are offset-sampled and thereafter supplied to a switching circuit. The offset-sampled color signals reproduced from VTRs are supplied to the switching circuit. The offset-sampled color signals selected by the switching circuit are supplied to a special effect applying apparatus, and the processed color signals are supplied to the switching circuit. The offset-sampled color signals selected by the switching circuit are decoded by way of interpolation processing to obtain the output video signals.

Video signal transmission apparatus and video system for transmitting

An image out put system including an image printer 53 for printing images on a lenticular lens sheet 16 and a computer for controlling the image printer 53, while a plurality of images are being superimposition printed on the lenticular lens sheet 16, by making the size and the feed for each pixel smaller in the first direction so as to superimpose pixels when printing, or by narrowing the shape of each pixel in this first direction and then reducing the feed for each pixel by the portion by which each of the pixels have been narrowed. It is possible to make the number of pixels per unit length of the first direction large.

Image output apparatus

A first recording/reproducing unit 1, a second recording/reproducing unit 2 and a third recording/reproducing unit 3 are interconnected by a routing switch 4 to which is connected a bit rate converter 5 having first to third bit rate converting circuits 10 to 12 enabling data exchange between the recording/reproducing units 1 to 3. When the transmitting VTR and the receiving VTR are decided, the routing switch 4 transmits data from the transmitting VTR to the bit rate converter 5 where the bit rate of the data is changed to the bit rate handled by the receiving VTR before the data is supplied to the receiving VTR. Data exchange may be made between VTRs having different data bit rates.

Send-out convertors for a recording/reproducing system

An editing apparatus for editing digital video signals employs a number of video recording and/or reproduction devices, a signal processing mechanism, and a switching mechanism, wherein the number of transfer lines and the area occupied by the associated connectors is decreased by converting parallel signals into serial format.

Editing apparatus employing serial to parallel converters and parallel

A semiconductor memory includes an input buffer means for storing inputted data, an output buffer means for storing the data and for outputting the data and a storage means for storing the data outputted from the input buffer means and for transferring the data to the output buffer means. The input buffer means includes a plurality of memories having equal capacity. The output buffer means also includes a plurality of memories having equal capacity. The memory means have memory capacity of a divisor of memory capacity per line of the storage means. In addition, the semiconductor memory can also include a dividing means for dividing image data outputted from said input buffer into smaller data units to be written on said storage means and a recombining means for said smaller data units outputted from said storage means to supply to said output buffer means.

Semiconductor memory with divided readout from storage

A video memory, for use with a video tape recorder, a television receiver of the like to process a picture, is simplified and can achieve the functions of a time base corrector, a noise reducer and a comb filter, so as to considerably improve the quality of a video picture. A frequency converting circuit for use with the video memory includes a comparator for comparing first and second address signals and an address correction circuit connected to receive an output signal from the comparator. When a crossing occurs between the first and second address signals, the sequential order in which an address signal is supplied to the memory is switched by the address correcting circuit, to thereby derive a continuous output signal from the memory.

Video memory

A video signal reproducing apparatus having a driving mechanism for driving a magnetic tape on which a video signal is recorded as succeeding video tracks and a transducing head device for reproducing the video signal from the succeeding video tracks mounted on a cylindrical drum around which the magnetic tape is wrapped, the transducing head device having a bimorph plate and a transducing head mounted thereon is disclosed. The apparatus includes a field memory for memorizing one field and two field previous video signals of the reproduced video signal, a comparator for comparing a field identification signal of a reference signal with that of the reproduced video signal, a selector for selectively deriving one of the one field and two field previous video signals in response to an output signal of the comparator, and adding circuit for adding at least two succeeding horizontal line signals of the reproduced video signal and for generating an averaging video signal, a detector for detecting the movement of the reproduced video signal in response to the reproduced video signal and the output signal of the memory, a weighting circuit for generating a weighting signal corresponding to the output signal of the detector, a circuit for weighting the output signals of the adding circuit and the driving circuit in response to the weighting signal and a circuit for combining the weighted output with the averaging video signal.

Skip field color recording apparatus

A recursive noise reduction system for a television system uses the spatial correlation in a frame difference signal derived by element-by-element subtraction of an incoming video signal from corresponding picture elements of a relatively noise-free stored video signal to redue noise in a video signal. The spatial correlation is used to suppress the components of the frame difference signal which are due to frame-to-frame changes in the video resulting from motion in the scene, thus producing a signal which contains substantially only the noise in the incoming video. The noise signal thus derived is subtracted from the incoming video signal to produce a noise-reduced output signal for display or recording. The noise-reduced output signal and the incoming video are added together in varying proportions according to the amount of scene-to-scene motion detected and the sum is stored for use in subsequent treatment of new incoming video.

Noise reduction system for video signals

A method of and apparatus for reducing the noise of an input signal, such as a composite video signal. An orthogonal transform of the input signal is derived, this orthogonal transform having n transformed signal components. At least some of these signal components are suppressed if their respective signal levels are less than a threshold level. Preferably, the n transformed signal components correspond to different portions of the input signal; and those components representing the higher frequency portions are suppressed if their signal levels are less than the threshold level. Following this signal suppression, the n transformed signal components are reconverted into substantially the input signal, less the suppressed components.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Norio Ebihara