Sony Corporation

Sony Group Corporation

Tomohiro Koyata

Hiroshi Mizuno

Ryohei Yasuda

Taro Konno

Shinji Isozaki

James Richard Milne

Yoichiro Sako

Hiroshi Yamaguchi

Gregory Carlsson

Junichi Aramaki

Yoshiyuki Takaku

Tonni Sandager Larsen

Tetsuya Hiroe

Motohiko Akiyama

Takahiro Hirai

Akifumi Matsushita

Akira Oba

Gousuke Izawa

A method of assessing at least one of audio and video HDMI performance capabilities of an AV system including one or more sources and one or more sinks, interconnected in a first configuration comprises using an app running on a smart device, wirelessly connected to the AV system, to present audio and/or video performance capability information for each source and sink to a user of the system, based on EDID information received by the smart device from each source and sink. In one embodiment, the app also presents a determination of maximum theoretical data handling capacity of the AV system in the first configuration; runs a test to assess actual data handling capacity of the AC system in the first configuration; and presents one or more results of the test to the user.

HDMI system speed test

An audio network box is provided as a master for a networked speaker system. The audio box can be configured with different combinations of modules to provide functionality as may be desired by an end user. The modules may include a power over Ethernet module, a wireless communication module/access point (AP) module, and an analog speaker module.

Networked speaker system with audio network box

A network terminal apparatus includes: a communication section communicating with a server apparatus communicable through a network; a reproduction section reproducing and outputting content data; a request processing section performing a management structure requesting process for requesting a server apparatus communicable through the communication section to provide management structure information indicating a management structure for distributed content, a content selecting process for selecting an item of content data based on the management structure information acquired by the management structure requesting process, and a content requesting process for requesting a server apparatus identified as a distributor based on the management structure information to distribute the item of content data selected by the content selecting process without intervention of an operation performed by a user; and a reproduction controlling section causing the reproduction section to reproduce the item of content data transmitted from the server apparatus according to the content requesting process.

Network terminal apparatus and method of requesting distribution

Disclosed herein are a digital signal processing apparatus, a digital signal processing method, an information center, and a data delivery system capable of judging reliably whether digital signals such as music data recorded on a storage medium have been legally purchased by a customer from a legitimate vendor so that only when the digital signals are judged to be legitimately purchased data will a new service be offered to the customer.

Digital signal processing apparatus, digital signal processing method, information center, and data delivery system

A digital signal processing apparatus, a digital signal processing method, an information center, and a data delivery system are capable of judging reliably whether digital signals such as music data signals recorded on a storage medium have been legally purchased by a customer from a legitimate vendor, so that only when the digital signals are judged to be legitimately purchased data, will a new service be offered to the customer.

A server system in the form of an automatic vending machine is disposed in a store. A distributor has a main server. A reproducing and connecting device is disposed in a home. The server system and the main server are connected through a bi-directional dedicated line and whole music information (music data and additional information) is transmitted therebetween. The main serverand the reproducing and connecting device are connected through the Internet. Additional information of music information is transferred from the main server to the reproducing and connecting device. The user searches for a song that he or she will buy corresponding to the additional information and decides to buy the selected song. In the store, the user can record a song that he or she has decided to buy corresponding to buying information to a record medium.

Communication system, communication apparatus, communication method, record medium, and program

Based on user identification data transmitted together with a compressed data from a portable reproducing apparatus, if an apparatus recognizes that a user who purchased and downloaded the compressed data is the same as a user who owns the apparatus, the audio apparatus stores and holds the compressed data after reproducing the signal from the compressed data by the decoder unit and the data processing unit. Alternatively, if it recognizes that the user who purchased and downloaded the compressed data is not the same as the user who owns the apparatus, it removes the compressed data after reproducing the signal from the compressed data by the decoder unit and the data processing unit.

Signal reproducing system

A data distribution system that includes a distribution center apparatus for dividing digital content data into segments of multiple frequency bands, and converting the segments of digital content data into encoded data having compressed blocks, each block having a predetermined length unit and constituted by at least bit distribution information, normalized data and quantized data. The encoded data is transmitted so as to superimpose, if an empty portion exists in each of the blocks, a part or all of an identifier for identifying a provider of the digital content data onto the empty portion.

Data distribution system, terminal apparatus, distribution center apparatus, high-efficiency encoding method, high-efficiency encoding apparatus, encoded data decoding method, encoded data decoding apparatus, data transmission method, data transmission apparatus, sub information attaching method, sub information attaching apparatus, and recording medium

A digital signal of which input data has been segmented as block each having a predetermined data amount and highly efficiently encoded along with an adjacent block is decoded, edited, and then highly efficiently encoded. A delay that takes place in such signal processes is compensated. Thus, part of a digital signal that has been highly efficiently encoded digital signal can be edited.

Digital signal processing apparatus and digital signal processing method

Digital signal processing apparatus and digital processing method

An encoding apparatus for highly efficiently encoding an input digital signal includes a band dividing means, an encoding means, a normalization processing means for normalizing a signal component of each block encoded by the encoding means and generating a normalization signal, a quantization coefficient calculating means, a bit allocating means for deciding the number of allocated bits for each block corresponding to the quantization coefficients calculated by the quantization coefficient calculating means, a normalization information changing means for gradually changing the normalization information generated by the normalization processing means corresponding to a user's operation on a time base, and an encoded data generating means.

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

Reproducing method and apparatus for reproducing highly efficiently encoded data from a record medium composed of spectrum data and scale factor data determines if address of changed highly efficient encoded data and stores it. The method and apparatus determines whether or not the address of highly efficient encoded data whose scale factor data is changed corresponding to the operating mechanism and stores it in a memory store apart from the write address by a predetermined distance. By partly changing the scale factor values and filtering process is accomplished.

Reproducing apparatus and reproducing method

The invention provides a character information copying system, a recording apparatus, and a recording method in which characters can be easily copied onto a recording medium by copying and pasting character information such as titles of music pieces, singer names, and the like opened on a computer communication network and by transmitting it to the recording apparatus via an interface.

Character information copying system, recording apparatus, and recording method

A dubbing system has a reproducing apparatus, a recording apparatus, and a terminal apparatus connected with a bus line. Data reproduced by the reproducing apparatus is recorded to a recording medium of the recording apparatus. A first contents list of a recording medium of the reproducing apparatus and a second contents list of a recording medium of the recording apparatus are displayed as windows on a display unit. A program name of a program to be recorded to the recording apparatus is selected on the first contents list. The selected program name is moved to the second contents list by a cursor so as to select the program to be recorded, thereby causing corresponding data reproduced by the reproducing apparatus to be recorded on the recording medium of the recording apparatus.

Dubbing system, controlling apparatus thereof, and dubbing method

The present invention is an editing apparatus and an editing method for allowing the user to designate a desired portion of a particular program recorded as a highly efficient encoded digital signal on a record medium, reproducing the portion designated by the user, changing normalization information contained in the reproduced digital signal, performing a sound field process for the digital signal, and recoding the resultant signal to the record medium, wherein the record position of the program is edited corresponding to the designated portion.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tomohiro Koyata