Sony Corporation

Toshimichi Hamada

Masashi Ohta

Koichi Chotoku

Taro Suito

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Takao Takahashi

Toshiya Akiba

Masami Tomita

Kyoko Fukuda

Koji Iijima

Katsunari Miyata

Tsuneo Sekiya

Yoichi Hirota

Kiyoshi Ikeda

Kiyoshi Ota

Hiromasa Naganuma

Hajime Nitta

Masashi Ota

Noboru Murabayashi

Naomasa Takahashi

Naohisa Arai

Makoto Tsukamoto

Masashi Ohia

There is a signal processing apparatus, including a gamma correction circuit that performs gamma correction on an input luminance signal and generates an output luminance signal, an output-to-input ratio calculation circuit that calculates a ratio of the output luminance signal to the input luminance signal as an output-to-input ratio of a luminance signal, and a color difference correction circuit that multiplies an input color difference signal by the output-to-input ratio of the luminance signal and generates an output color difference signal. As a result, by correcting the input color difference signal using the output-to-input ratio of the luminance signal, the output color difference signal in which color difference correction has been performed in view of influence of gamma correction can be generated.

Signal processing apparatus, signal processing method, and program

Disclosed is a video-signal recording and playback apparatus for recording or playing back a video signal, the video-signal recording and playback apparatus comprising: extracting means for extracting a static picture from a sequence of video signals with a predetermined timing; judgment means for forming a judgment as to whether or not a static picture extracted by the extracting means can be used as a representative picture; and setting means for setting the static picture as a representative picture in accordance with an outcome of a judgment formed by the judgment means.

Video-signal recording and playback apparatus, video-signal recording and playback method, and recording medium

There is provided an image recording device, including: a highly-gradating unit for highly-gradating an input image having a first gradation depth, thereby generating a high gradation image having a second gradation depth higher than the first gradation depth; an image quantizing unit for quantizing the high gradation image generated by the highly-gradating unit such that a quantization error is modulated into a band with relatively low sensitivity of human visual characteristics, thereby generating a recording target image having a third gradation depth lower than the second gradation depth; an encoding unit for encoding the recording target image generated by the quantizing unit; and a recording unit for recording the recording target image encoded by the encoding unit in a recording medium.

Image recording device, image recording method and program

An image processing apparatus includes: &#x394;&#x3a3; modulation means for applying, when predetermined signal processing is applied to a modulated image obtained by applying &#x394;&#x3a3; modulation to an image in a signal processing unit, the &#x394;&#x3a3; modulation to the image, wherein a frequency characteristic of noise shaping by the &#x394;&#x3a3; modulation is a characteristic opposite to a frequency characteristic of the predetermined signal processing.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer program

An information processing apparatus includes: a processing system performing processing on an original image; and a gradation conversion section having a gradation conversion function of receiving image data from the processing system, converting a number of bits of the image data, and expressing pseudo grayscales before the gradation conversion in a grayscale converted image, the gradation conversion section being capable of changing the gradation conversion function and performing conversion processing on the image, wherein the gradation conversion section adds and outputs a determination flag indicating whether the gradation conversion processing has been performed at the time of outputting the image data.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and communication system

Disclosed is a video-signal recording & playback apparatus and method for recording and playing back a video signal of a television-broadcast program and a recording medium for storing a computer-readable program for controlling the video-signal recording & playback apparatus. A video-signal recording & playback apparatus includes a detection element for detecting relevant information related to a program being recorded and a modification element for automatically modifying an algorithm of detecting a program-representing picture in dependence of the relevant information.

Video-signal recording and playback apparatus, video-signal recording and playback method and recording medium

A recording/reproducing device has an NTSC decoder which receives a video signal and outputs a video signal, an MPEG audio encoder which receives an audio signal and outputs an audio signal, and a synchronous control circuit which detects a synchronizing signal from the video signal input to the NTSC decoder and uses that signal to generate an output synchronizing signal that is different from the input synchronizing signal. The output synchronizing signal is used to output the video signal from the NTSC decoder. In the recording/reproducing device, the NTSC decoder and the MPEG audio encoder provide a delay to the input video signal and audio signal, respectively, and output the video signal and audio signal in accordance with the output synchronizing signal generated by the synchronous control circuit.

Data processing device and data recording method

In a signal record/playback apparatus and its method which performs the recording for recording a signal on the recording medium DISK and the playback for playing back the recorded signal from the recording medium DISK at the same time, the recording position and the playback position are set independently and arbitrarily. Record starting position information Pon the recording medium DISK for starting the recording is stored, playback starting position information Pon the recording medium DISK for starting the playback is stored, and the recording based on the record starting position information Pand the playback based on the playback starting position information Pare independently performed, so as to realize a signal record/playback apparatus and its method which can set the record starting position Pand the playback starting position Parbitrarily.

Signal record/playback apparatus and method featuring independent recording and playback processing

A system for recording an input video signal input to an A/D conversion processing section on a recording medium in accordance with a recording clock generated by a recording system synchronous control section, and for outputting the video signal recorded on the recording medium to outside in accordance with a reproducing system synchronous control section. When switching and outputting a recording video signal input to the A/D conversion processing section and a reproduction video signal recorded on the recording medium and then decoded and output by an MPEG AV decoder, the recording video signal is temporarily stored in a frame synchronizer, and the recording video signal stored in the frame synchronizer and the reproduction video signal decoded by the MPEG AV decoder are switched and output in accordance with a reproduction clock generated by the reproducing system synchronous control section.

Data recording/reproducing device

A moving picture recording and reproduction apparatus and method as well as a medium are disclosed by which, upon recording of a television program, representative pictures from which contents of a program can be grasped can be recorded. Frame pictures are extracted from moving pictures being recorded, and accuracy values with which a character is present in the frame pictures are calculated. Further, accuracy values with which the phase of a person is present in the frame pictures are calculated, and the levels of an audio signal corresponding to the frame pictures are detected. Then, evaluation values are calculated using results of the calculations and the detection, and a maximum one of the evaluation values is detected. Thereafter, the frame picture corresponding to the maximum evaluation value is reduced in size and recorded onto a recording medium so that it may be used as an index upon playing back of the recording medium.

Moving picture recording and reproduction apparatus and method as well as medium

To perform non-normal speed reproduction without preventing a user from understanding of the program content. The audio data which has been blocked into blocks of a predetermined time unit is stored in a buffer. Blocks having the level equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value are treated as silence data, and the block numbers are stored in a silence pointer buffer. A read out address generating unit does not read out blocks which is stored in the silence pointer buffer when the read out address buffer reads out audio data blocks from the buffer. The audio data from which silence data blocks have been excluded is subjected to connection processing in a waveform connection processing unit so that noise is not generated. A skip pattern generating unit controls a video data processing unit so that the video data is sent out with skipping some video data corresponding to blocks treated as silence block stored in the silence pointer buffer.

Apparatus and method for reproduction and distribution medium

A video signal recording/reproduction apparatus utilizes time division writing and reading to implement simultaneous recording and reproduction of different video signals to and from a common recording medium. In one operating mode, a first video signal being recorded and a second video signal being reproduced are simultaneously displayed in separate windows on a display. In other operating modes, two or more video signals are simultaneously recorded or reproduced to/from a common recording medium, and simultaneously displayed in separate windows.

Video signal recording/reproduction apparatus and method with multi-picture display

The invention provides an information processing apparatus and method as well as a providing medium by which a period for reproduction of reproduction data at fixed intervals can be calculated to reproduce the reproduction data in a fixed period. First, a TOC of reproduction data is read out and a frame number of the reproduction data is calculated. Then, a readout time within which the reproduction data for one frame are read out from a recording medium is calculated. Thereafter, a sum total of reading position movement times when the reproduction data for L frames are read out is calculated. Then, a sum total of reproduction processing waiting times when the reproduction data for the L frames are read out is calculated. Then, the sum totals of the readout times, reading position movement times and reproduction processing waiting times are added to calculate a total time. Finally, a reproduction data transfer period is calculated based on the total time, and reproduction of the reproduction data is performed at time intervals corresponding to the reproduction data transfer period.

Information processing apparatus and method as well as providing medium

A signal reproducing apparatus is disclosed with which time is not required from a moment at which a user has started a reproducing operation to a moment at which the user is able to actually confirm required information. An audio-and-video-signal reproducing apparatus incorporates a head for recording an audio and video signal recorded on a recording medium; a RAM on which the audio and video signal read by the head is temporarily stored; and a control circuit having a control function for controlling the head to read the audio and video signal recorded on the recording medium and controlling writing of the audio and video signal temporarily stored in the RAM.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Toshimichi Hamada