Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Xing Inc.

Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha and Xing, Inc.

Osamu Nishimura

Yasuhiro Funahashi

Yuji Kiyohara

Yoshihiko Hibino

Yuichi Yasutomo

Kazunori Ikami

Hiroshi Nishikawa

Koichi Hayashi

Yasutada Aoyama

Norio Chaya

Hiroyuki Takada

In the karaoke system 1, a center 3 is connected to a plurality of karaoke terminals 5 by a coaxial cable 7. The center 3 divides the karaoke song data stored in the memory device 13 over several channels and transmits all the karaoke song data within a fixed time period in succession to the karaoke terminals 5 via the coaxial cable 7. This operation is performed regardless of whether or not a song is requested from one of the karaoke terminals 5. Whether the karaoke data transmitted in succession is data of a requested song is determined by the control portion 41 of a karaoke terminal 5. If so, karaoke performance processes are performed wherein the karaoke data is reproduced and the orchestral accompaniment and lyric image is outputted.

Data transmission system for distributing video and music data

In a karaoke system, a central terminal and a plurality of karaoke terminals are connected by a coaxial cable. A polling modem modulates a polling signal to a predetermined channel signal and transmits it to a karaoke terminal and also receives a response signal (signal for responding as to whether a song has been requested) transmitted from the karaoke terminal in response to the polling signal. When a song is requested, the data transmission control portion retrieves the karaoke song data of the requested song from the memory, modulates it via the data transmission modem into an alternating current signal that differs from the channel of the polling signal, and transmits it to the karaoke terminal.

Data transmission system

The clock demodulator 25 continually demodulates the clock signal of the control CPU 7 transmitted from the clock modulator 10 of the center S. The terminal control CPU 23 performs processes such as transmission and reception of data with the demodulated clock signal as a reference clock. The time required to synchronize the clocks of the CPUs 7 and 23 is eliminated. Transmission and reception of data is executed quickly as soon as right of transmission is transferred to a terminal.

Data transmission system having dedicated clock channel

A compact image karaoke device with only a small number of image disks which provides the impression of having a great many background images. Two players are provided for reading background images from image disks. Background images are selected from at least one image unit group corresponding to at least one image genre corresponding to selected song genre and are read by the two players and changed at random, for example, every 30 seconds. By editing the display of background images in this manner, a great number of background image series can be obtained for combinations of the background images. Images obtained and displayed corresponding particularly to the starting portion of the song are provided only on the number of images available. Therefore, even if a great number of songs are consecutively selected, a user will not feel as though the same images are being repeatedly shown.

Image karaoke device

When images of the image genre most suitable for the selected song are being reproduced (Yes in S14), the karaoke terminal picks up those image data from a channel over which they are transmitted. If images of that image genre are not being reproduced (No in S14), when the number of players presently playing is less than four (No in S19), a player that is not presently playing starts playing a video disk to reproduce images of that image genre in S20. When the number of players presently playing is equal to or greater than four, according to the image genre D and/or H reproducing status, a player that is not presently playing starts playing a video disk to reproduce images of image genre D or H that includes or is common to the most suitable image genre.

Karaoke control system for a plurality of karaoke devices

In a data transmission system, a center and a plurality of terminals are connected by a coaxial cable. The center is controlled by a server to transmit mode sense polling signals in succession every predetermined time (for example every 30 seconds) to all of the karaoke terminals connected to the center. The center determines whether each terminal is in a karaoke mode or not based on the mode response signal transmitted from each terminal in response to the mode sense polling signals. The center then transmits request polling signal only to terminals determined as being in the karaoke mode, confirms whether a request for a song has been made, and transmits karaoke data to those terminals that have a request.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Osamu Nishimura