Sony Corporation

Tamihei Hiramatsu

Toshio Okada

Yoshiko Matsushita

Ryuji Suzuki

Yoshiyuki Sato

Akira Masuda

Isao Matsumoto

Shigeki Wakatani

Kazuyuki Morita

Tsunehiro Kashima

Tetsuzo Kano

Takashi Iwasa

Taiji Kitami

Hidetoshi Tsuda

Shunsuke Sakoda

The present invention provides a transmitting apparatus, a transmitting method, a receiving apparatus, a receiving method, and a transmitting and receiving system that allow the maximum waiting time for the beginning of a content to be shortened in a near-on-demand transmission. When the length of a content is denoted by L seconds, the number of channels on which the content is transmitted is denoted by K, and the beginning detecting time of the content on the reception side is denoted by &#x3bb;, if L satisfies the relation of &#x3bb;*(2) (where L and K are contents), the beginning detecting time &#x3bb; can be decreased to L/(2) against L/K as the conventional value. In reality, the transmission side divides L by the ratio of (2) and repeatedly transmits each divided portion (section) on a discrete channel. The reception side connects each divided-portion (section) transmitted on each channel through a buffer memory, with which the maximum waiting time of the minimum divided portion (section) placed at the beginning of the content is used.

Transmitting apparatus, transmitting method, receiving apparatus, receiving method, and transmitting and receiving system

The OD servers, encoders, NOD servers and CPUs supply voice data, character data and remote control data together with the control information. A transmitter modulates the control information and voice data, etc. by the QPSK modulation method. An infrared ray emitter outputs the modulated infrared ray depending on the modulated signal. A receiving apparatus reproduces acoustic signal from the modulated infrared ray and displays characters and also transmits the signal corresponding to the remote control data to the transmitting apparatus with the infrared ray. An infrared ray detector receives the modulated infrared ray output from the receiving apparatus. Thereby, with this system, the signal, required by the receiving side or suitable for the condition of the receiving side, supplied through many channels can be transmitted without any restriction on the wiring.

Transmitting apparatus and method, receiving apparatus and method, distribution medium and transmitting system

A regenerative load apparatus and a load test method are able to reduce a test cost required when a load testis effected on apparatus for supplying electric power to a load. The regenerative load apparatus includes a first load ( ) for transmitting supplied electric power at a current conversion ratio approximately inverse relative to that of a tested apparatus ( ) from an output side, a second load ( ) for consuming supplied electric power and a power supply ( ) for supplying electric power approximately equal to electric power consumed by the second load ( ) to the tested apparatus ( ), wherein electric power is diverged and supplied to the first load ( ) and the second load ( ) from the tested apparatus ( ) and the electric power transmitted from the first load ( ) is supplied to the tested apparatus ( ) in addition to the electric power from the power supply

Regenerative load apparatus and load test method

An apparatus for accumulating and supplying the information includes a unit for encoding the information signals having an overall length of L seconds at a speed of V bits per second where L&gt;0 and V&gt;0, a memory unit for repeatedly reading out the entire region of the memory unit at a speed of (N.times.V) bits per second, a decoding unit for decoding the read-out information signals for recovering N information signal strings so that, during such decoding, each of the N information signal strings is separated from one another by a time phase equal to L/N, and a unit for selecting one of the N information signal strings so that the original information signals are supplied at the speed of V bits per second with the overall length of L seconds. In this manner, it becomes possible to cope with increase in the number of users and picture or speech signals of long time duration.

Method and appartus for accumulating and supplying signals

A learning apparatus in which a memory contains a first plurality of data units and a second plurality of data units each of which is related to a unit of the first program. Switches are provided for switching between the first and second pluralities of data units and for switching between the units within the selected plurality. Reading means are provided for reading a designated unit of data from the memory, based on a signal from the operation switch, thus making it possible to access and reproduce any desired program or articles related to the program. In another embodiment, a control memory holds the addresses of the data units, and the reading means obtains the address of the selected data unit from the control memory and reads the data at that address. The apparatus is uniquely suited for audio teaching material, such as languages, but may be used with any information which may be organized into logically related units.

Learning apparatus

Individual training stations are able to record and play back a student's own pronunciations as well as to reproduce the recorded pronunciations of the fellow students and of prerecorded voice teaching aids by means of a digital memory and controller.

Language laboratory systems

A group education system including a first memory for storing an original sentence group, a second memory for storing a starting address, an end address of a sentence block of an original sentence group stored in the first memory, a control circuit for controlling the selection of a playback mode and the reading order of the sentence blocks of the original sentence group stored in the first memory and the change of the pause times thereof and a third memory for storing the reading order, the starting address, the end address and the altered pause times of the selected sentence block under the control of the control circuit. Accordingly, it becomes possible to form with ease a sentence group in which the playback mode and the reproducing order of the selected sentence block are selected and the pause times between the sentence blocks are changed.

Group education system

Markings on a tape cassette label and on its tape leader cooperate with an inspection system which senses the markings to automatically compare the actual characteristics of the tape marked on the tape leader such as, for example, length and type of magnetic powder, with the characteristics described on the cassette label. In the event that the tape type and label description disagree, an alarm or removing mechanism may be automatically actuated to remove the mislabelled cassette.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tamihei Hiramatsu