Pioneer Electronic Corporation

Pioneer Video Corporation

Sumio Hosaka

Yoshiaki Moriyama

Kouichi Ono

Junichi Yoshio

Satoru Nomura

Shoichi Katagiri

Youichirou Tsuda

Hisao Matsuoka

Hiroshi Fujii

Masahiko Miyashita

Tatsuyuki Miyazawa

Takao Yamada

Hiroyuki Hirano

Yoshiki Furuta

Toshiji Daito

Takumi Jinguji

Atsushi Kimura

Toshiyuki Amaya

Hiroshi Horii

Hiroshi Itoh

A recording medium playing apparatus allows an arbitrary and easy selection and reproduction of each information piece of a recording medium carrying a plurality of information pieces which variously represent a scene on the same time axis position during reproduction of information. In the recording medium playing apparatus for playing a recording medium on which same-time information groups each formed by a plurality of information pieces of the same time position are recorded, reproducing means for reproducing information of the recording medium reproduces information of the recording medium by arbitrarily selecting each information piece of the recording medium based on a command for reproducing each same-time information group.

Recording medium playing apparatus for reproducing same time information

A karaoke reproducing apparatus is equipped a measure for easily checking whether a music piece selected by the user has correctly been accepted or not. The apparatus has a memory in which music title name information of each of the music pieces recorded on a recording medium has previously been stored. When one of the plurality of music pieces is selected by an operation, the music title name information of the selected music piece is soon displayed by characters. The apparatus also has memory means in which music piece classification information of each of the music pieces recorded on the recording medium has previously been stored. An item content selection command to designate the contents of at least one of a plurality of different items included in the music piece classification information is generated in accordance with an operation. The music piece corresponding to the contents of at least one item indicated by the item content selection command is searched for by using the information from the memory means.

Sound reproducing apparatus which utilizes data stored on a recording

Karaoke reproducing apparatus which utilizes data stored on a recording

A method of recording compressed and coded data is designed to improve the speed and ease of random accessing, and to reduce the buffer capacity and facilitate control and editing in the reproducing system. The method comprises the steps of compressing and coding video signals for every predetermined number of frames with the amount of codes per predetermined number of frames being constant; storing the predetermined number of frames of compressed and coded video signals into at least one video packet; storing the video packet in a pack having a time slot corresponding to the predetermined number of frames (preferably at the end of the pack); and recording the video signals on the recording medium in a pack stream containing such packs, with the relation between the size of the pack and the size of the logical block of the recording medium being set to 1:n (n: an integer) and the relation between the size of the pack and the size of the physical block of the recording medium being set to 2:m (m: an integer).

Compressed data recording method using integral logical block size and

A synchronizing system with a simple structure accomplishes synchronous reproduction without complicating a control circuit for synchronizing video and audio signals with each other. The number of unit audio data blocks to be put in one pack is set in such a way that the difference between the presentation start times for the stream of video data and the stream of audio data in one pack in a predetermined pack period becomes a predetermined value, and the pack carries positional information of the pack in the predetermined pack period to the pack. In a reproducing apparatus, the difference between presentation start times for video signals and audio signals in each pack is acquired by referring to positional information (AAU sequence number) in a stream of packs, transferred by the above transmission method, and at least one of the presentation start times for video signals and audio signals in the stream of packs is controlled so that the difference between the presentation start times coincides with the difference between the presentation start times corresponding to the positional information.

Synchronizing system for time-divided video and audio signals

A karaoke reproducing apparatus for recording singing sound together with karaoke play sound, has a facility of printing information on the recorded musical program. The karaoke reproducing apparatus has a memory which contains previously stored recorded music information including at least the title, songwriter's name, and composer's name for each of musical programs recorded on the recording medium. In response to a recording start command, the recorded music information corresponding to a musical program selected by an operation is read from the memory, and output to a printer. Since recorded music information can be printed on a printed member such as a label and preserved as a record when singing sound is recorded together with karaoke play sound, the label, if adhered to a recording medium on which the sound is recorded, allows the user to readily know the recorded contents afterward. According to another aspect of the invention, a karaoke reproducing apparatus has a memory which contains copy right information on each of musical programs recorded on a recording medium. For a recording prohibited musical program, its karaoke play music can be prevented from being recorded so as to appropriately protect the copy right thereof.

Karaoke reproducing apparatus

A karaoke reproducing apparatus which allows a user to specify one vocal part or both vocal parts of two parts when one piece of music selected from a plurality of pieces of music by the user is a multi-audio type, reproduces only instrumental accompaniment (karaoke) when both parts are specified, and reproduces the vocal sounds of an unspecified one of the two parts together with the instrumental accompaniment when only one part is specified.

Method and apparatus of recording and reproducing picture information on a recording medium. In addition to a coded information signal, subcodes together with identification codes for identifying the coding system of the subcodes are recorded in a first recording area of a recording medium and the identification codes and content discrimination codes for indicating contents of information included in the subcode using the coding system indicated by the identification code are recorded in a second recording area of the recording medium. It is further characterized that the identification code and the content discrimination information recorded in the second recording area are displayed at the time of the playback of the recording medium.

Method and apparatus for recording and reproducing picture information

Method and apparatus of recording and reproducing picture information on a recording medium. In addition to video format signal and a coded information signal, graphic codes including picture information are recorded on the recording medium, by inserting the graphic codes as a subcode of the coded information signal. At the time of reproduction, a signal according to the graphic codes is mixed with the video format signal. When the recording medium is played back, a portion of the video format signal corresponding to a predetermined period of the video format signal read-out from the recording medium is written in a memory, and the signal according to the graphic code is mixed with a still picture video format signal which is produced by repeatedly reading the stored content of the memory.

Method and apparatus of recording and reproducing picture information on a recording medium. In addition to a coded information signal, subcodes together with an identification code for identifying the coding system of the subcodes are recorded in a first recording area of a recording medium. The subcodes are preferably graphic codes including picture information and character codes having predetermined bit patterns, and are decoded in accordance with the identification code at the time of the playback of the recording medium.

Method and apparatus of recording and reproducing picture information

Method of recording and reproducing picture information and a recording medium on which the picture information is recorded by the method, and an apparatus for playing such a recording medium. In addition to video format signal and a coded information signal, graphic codes including picture information are recorded on the recording medium correspondingly to playback sections of the video format signal, the graphic codes being inserted as the subcode of the coded information signal. At the time of playback of the recording medium, a video signal according to the graphic codes corresponding to the playback section of the video format signal is generated each time one playback section of the video format signal is played back. Preferably, presence or absence of the graphic codes is displayed each time one playback section of the video format signal is played back.

Playback method for use in an apparatus for playing a recording medium having a lead-in area, a first area in which only a coded information signal is recorded, and a second area in which a video format signal and a coded information signal are recorded by using a multiplexing operation. The method is characterized by the operations of reading information recorded in the lead-in area in response to a command, moving an information reading point of the pickup to the first area of the recording medium when subcode picture presence information, which indicates that a graphic code including picture information is inserted in a subcode of the coded information signal, is detected from information recovered from the lead-in area, and reproducing information of the first area preferentially to other areas of the recording medium.

Playback method for use in a recording medium playing apparatus using

A method and an apparatus for transmitting a video signal. A two-dimensional picture formed by the video signal is divided into a plurality of extracting periods, frames, fields, and areas. A first signal portion represents a moving area. The plurality of areas for each unit extracting period corresponding to successive N (N being a natural number) frames of the video signal. An extracted video signal is formed by extracting from one field the first signal portion in a moving area, and from another field second signal portions representing nonmoving areas. A position identification signal which indicates the position of the moving area formed by the first signal portion are transmitted in combination.

Method and apparatus for transmitting video information

A method of recording N-channel video signals and M-channel audio signals (N, M being natural numbers) includes the steps of periodically extracting the video signal for one unit period, thereby thinning out the video signal, for each of the N-channel video signals, in turn combining the extracted video signals by a time division multiplexing operation. The method also includes the step of coding each of the M-channel audio signals to form M code trains, compressing in time each of the M code trains by a factor of 1/M or less and dividing each of the M code trains into a plurality of blocks, successively combining each block from the M code trains by a time division multiplexing operation. The video and audio signal obtained by the above multiplex operations are recorded on a single recording medium.

Method of recording and reproducing multi-channel information on and

A timing signal generator for use in a system reproducing video format signals such as a video disc player, the timing signals being used to control a still-with-sound (SWS) processor operating with the video disc player. The timing signal generator includes a synchronizing signal separator circuit for extracting the vertical and composite synchronizing signals from the reproduced video signal. The extracted vertical synchronizing signal is input to a phase-locked loop which produces a system clock synchronized to the vertical synchronizing signal. A horizontal synchronizing circuit receives the system clock signal and the composite synchronizing signal to produce a timing signal in phase with the system clock within the horizontal period. A vertical synchronizing circuit receives the extracted vertical synchronizing signal and the output of the horizontal synchronizing circuit to produce a timing signal synchronous with the system clock within the vertical period. A timing signal generating circuit produces timing signals for the SWS processor from the timing signals produced by the horizontal and vertical synchronizing circuits. In addition, a synchronous lock detecting circuit connected to a suitable display, produces signals indicating synchronism of the extracted vertical synchronizing signals with the timing signal produced by the vertical synchronizing circuit of the timing signal generator.

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Tokorozawa, Japan

Sumio Hosaka