Sony Corporation

Osamu Shimoyoshi

Kyoya Tsutsui

Kenzo Akagiri

Hiroshi Suzuki

Makoto Mitsuno

Hiroyuki Honma

Toshihiro Morita

Mito Sonohara

Satoshi Miyazaki

Takahiro Watanabe

Hideyuki Ono

Miki Abe

Toshio Ohkouchi

Kiyoshi Aida

Yoshinori Utsumi

Yoshiaki Oikawa

Rie Usukura

Mikiko Sakurai

Kyota Tsutsui

An information processing method is disclosed for use with an information processing apparatus for acquiring data and executing signal processing on the data. The method includes the steps of: acquiring information necessary for executing the signal processing on the data; determining whether a certain parameter included in the information acquired in the information acquiring step is changed; if the parameter is found changed in the determining step, then controlling recording of setting information for the signal processing; discarding execution status settings of a signal processing program called up to execute the signal processing; calling up again the signal processing program; initializing, using the changed parameter, the signal processing program called up in the program calling step; reading out the setting information of which the recording was controlled in the setting information recording controlling step; and resetting the signal processing program based on the setting information read out in the setting information reading step.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

An information processing apparatus is disclosed which includes: a signal processing executing device for executing signal processing on data that has been acquired; a recording device for temporarily recording the data and information so that either the data or the information may be transmitted and received by the signal processing executing device, the information being necessary for the signal processing executing device to execute the signal processing on the data; and a data controlling device for controlling a destination to which to output the data after acquiring the data and the information and determining whether to execute signal processing. When determining that the signal processing is to be executed, the data controlling device writes the data and the information to the recording device. The signal processing executing device acquires either the data or the information from the recording device in order to execute the signal processing on the data.

A client terminal searches for servers on a home network when a song-data playback application is started up. When the client terminal receives a response from a server which was in connection therewith at the preceding operation, the client terminal establishes a preferential connection with the server and stops a process of searching for the servers. The client terminal obtains a list of album names and song data from the connected server so as to display the list, and plays back song data selected by a user by streaming.

Content playback apparatus, server connection method, and recording medium

To make it possible to provide high-quality music signal regardless of the advertising voice superimposing position, an encrypted pure music signal input through a transmission medium and an unencrypted advertising voice signal are separated by a signal string separation section. A signal transform and combining section decodes the encrypted pure music signal and combines the decoded music signal with the advertising voice signal into a resultant signal of the music and advertising voice signals, then outputs the resultant signal to a code string combining section, which then combines the encrypted pure music signal and the resultant signal of the music and advertising voice signals and supplies the result to a recording section for recording the result on a magneto-optic disc.

Information recording and reproducing system and method and distribution medium

A first audio signal is generated from a number of stereo input channels (such as a left and a right channel). A signal level that corresponds to one of the plurality of input channels and another signal level from another of the plurality of input channels are determined. A second audio signal is selected on the basis of the signal levels such that the second audio signal is selected from the group consisting of the one input channel, the other input channel, and a signal generated from the number of input channels that is different than the first audio signal. The first audio signal and the selected second audio signal are separately coded.

Differential stereo using two coding techniques

The first codec-based dummy string generator generates a first code-cbased dummy string in a first code string conforming to a first format based on the first coding method. The second codec encoder generates a second code string having been encoded with a higher efficiency than the first code string and conforming to a second format different from the first format. The code string generator generates a synthetic code string by embedding the second codec-based code string generated by the second codec encode block in a blank area formed in the first code string based on the first codec-based dummy string generated by the first code dummy string generator

Encoding apparatus and method, recording medium, and decoding apparatus and method

A first codec-based warning message generator generates a warning message by a first. A first codec-based silent fixed pattern generator generates a first codec-based silent fixed pattern. A second codec encode block encodes an input signal by a second codec. A code string generator generates a synthetic code string by synthesizing outputs from the above components in an encoding frame having a predetermined length being a unit of encoding.

An information recording apparatus which, while enabling reproduction by an old standard accommodating reproducing device, reduces the effect of the quantization error produced on decoding at the time of encoding and decoding which realizes a multiple channel system by new standard expansion. The apparatus includes an adaptive channel conversion circuit for multiplying signals of a L or R channel with a first coefficient, multiplying signals of the other channel with a second coefficient, mixing signals of the channel multiplied with the first coefficient with signals of the channel multiplied with the second coefficient for each of the L and R channels, and for generating (L&plus;R)/2 and (L&minus;R)/2 from the L and R channels existing after the channel mixing. The apparatus also includes a first encoding circuit for encoding (L&plus;R)/2 with A-codec and a second encoding circuit for encoding (L&minus;R)/2 signal with B-codec.

Encoding method and apparatus and recording medium

A code transform apparatus performs fast data transform by enabling intercode data transform. The code transform apparatus includes a code-string decomposing unit for inputting a first code string obtained by coding a spectral signal which has been transformed with a first block length after a time-series information signal had been divided into a first band group. A signal-component decoding unit decodes the input first code string into a spectral signal. A spectral-signal transform unit transforms the decoded spectral signal into a spectral signal which is transformed with a second block length after being divided into a second band group. A signal-component coding unit and a code-string generating unit code the transformed spectral signal into a second code string.

Information coding method and apparatus, code transform method and apparatus, code transform control method and apparatus, information recording method and apparatus, and program providing medium

In case codes of old and new standards are recorded on the same recording medium, it is desirable that the signals of the old standard can be reproduced by an old standard accommodating reproducing device, while both signals can be reproduced by the new standard accommodating reproducing device such as to avoid lowering of the signal quality. To this end, if multi-channel signals are recorded in terms of a frame the size of which cannot be controlled, a second encoding circuit encodes signals of a channel reproduced by the old standard accommodating reproducing device, while a first encoding circuit encodes the signals of a channel reproduced by an old standard accommodating reproducing device with a number of bits smaller than the maximum number of bits that can be allocated to that frame. A codestring generating circuit arrays a codestring encoded by the second encoding circuit in a void area of a frame provided by encoding in the first encoding circuit.

Information encoding method and apparatus, information decoding method and apparatus and information recording medium

An encoding method and apparatus and a decodings method and apparatus in which the encoded information is decreased in volume and in which the encoding and decoding operations are performed with a smaller processing volume and a smaller buffer memory capacity. The apparatus includes a low range signal splitting circuit for separating low-range side signal components from L and R channel signals converted by a transform circuit into spectral signal components, and a channel synthesis circuit for synthesizing (L&plus;R) channel signal components from the L and R channel spectral signal components. The apparatus also includes a high range signal separating circuit for separating the high range side signal components from the (L&plus;R) channel signal components, a signal component encoding circuit for compression-encoding low-range side signal components and a signal component encoding circuit for compression-encoding the normalization coefficient information obtained on normalization of the (L&plus;R) channel high-range signal components.

Encoding method and apparatus, decoding method and apparatus and recording medium

A method and apparatus for encoding input digital data by high-efficiency encoding, a method for transmitting the encoded information and a method and apparatus for reproducing and decoding the transmitted information, are disclosed. For encoding, an input signal is forward orthogonal transformed into spectral signals using a windowing function for forward orthogonal transform having a shape A. For decoding, the spectral signals are inverse orthogonal transformed using a windowing function having a shape B different from the shape A. The degree of concentration of the energy of the spectral distribution may be raised and efficient encoding may be achieved even in case of modified DCT (MDCT) wherein the windowing function needs to satisfy a pre-set constraint.

Method and apparatus for encoding the information, method and apparatus

Coding of a high efficiency is achieved without increasing the scale of a code train transform table. Quantization spectra are divided into groups, and when two quantization spectra in any group are both equal to 0, they are coded into 0. If the two quantization spectra are not equal to 0, for example, the values (-2, 3) of the individual quantization spectra are coded into corresponding values (1101, 1110) and 1 is added to the top (or start) of the code train.

Audio coding method

Signal encoding method and apparatus using selected predetermined code

A method and apparatus for high efficiency encoding of digital data whereby input digital data may be encoded by so-called high efficiency encoding. The high efficiency device includes a signal component encoding circuit including in turn a bandwidth storage circuit 62 for holding the information on the playback band of a previous block, that is the information on the bandwidth of bit allocation performed in the previous block, or the value of the number of the playback encoding units, and a control circuit 63 for deciding the number of playback encoding units of the current block based upon the playback band information, that is the value of the number of the playback encoding units, in the previous block, held by the bandwidth storage circuit 62. Since the stable playback bandwidth is maintained, and there is no risk of the playback band being frequently changed from one block to another, the harsh sounding noise otherwise produced by the appearance and disappearance of high-range side signals is not produced, so that deterioration in the perceived sound quality may be suppressed to a minimum with an insufficient bit rate.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Osamu Shimoyoshi