Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

Warner R T Ten Kate

Edwin A Montie

Robert Lambourne

Astrid M F Dobbelaar

Frank Uittenbogaard

Astrid Dobbelaar

Ronaldus H T Oosterhout

The invention relates to an apparatus for reproducing programs, comprising storage means for storing a plurality of stored programs, for example, a television receiver comprising or controlling a video recorder. The apparatus comprises scheduling means for composing a personal reproduction schedule of a subset of said plurality of stored programs, in accordance with a user profile. If the apparatus is also capable of receiving broadcast programs, the scheduling means are adapted to include said broadcast programs in the reproduction schedule. A user-selectable virtual channel may be provided for easy inspection and execution of the reproduction schedule.

Apparatus and method for selecting, scheduling, and reproducing programs while accounting for scheduling gaps

The invention relates to a method of coding a document for presentation on a presentation apparatus, comprising a step of defining a body section which specifies a structure of said document in terms of document elements, for example chapters and paragraphs. The method according to the invention also comprises a step of defining a time section including a time constraint which acts upon document elements in the structure section, and a step of linking the time section with the structure section to establish the coding of the document. The time section describes the temporal behavior of the document elements in the body section.

Method of coding a document

A coded presentation comprises a number of sub-presentations, each comprising a number of presentation elements. A presentation element is an elementary part that is to be presented and comprises text, audio, video or an image. A sub-presentation has an interface that provides a reference for the presentation elements in that sub-presentation. This reference can relate to timing aspects and to locations aspects relevant during play out, and to a priority as to whether or not the sub-presentation is to be played out.

Method for coding a presentation utilizing a sub-presentation having an independent play-out specification

An encoding apparatus is provided for encoding a wideband digital signal, comprising an input for receiving the wideband digital signal, a splitter unit for splitting the wideband digital signal into a number of M sub signals and a formatting unit for assembling digital information including said data reduced sub signals into a digital output signal having a format suitable for transmission or storage. During a repeated encoding and decoding of a wideband digital signal in a subband encoding/decoding system or a transform encoding/decoding system, signal degradation may occur. In order to avoid this, the apparatus further comprises a variable delay unit coupled between the input and the splitter unit, for realizing a delay, the length of which is controlled by a control signal, and a control signal generator unit for generating said control signal.

Repeated decoding and encoding in subband encoder/decoders

The invention relates to an apparatus for receiving programs from a plurality of channels, comprising a tuner for tuning to any of the plurality of channels, and an electronic program guide (EPG) for presenting a schedule of the programs. The apparatus comprises virtual channel means for creating a user selectable virtual channel for reproducing selected programs from various genuine channels. The virtual channel means are adapted to control the tuner to tune to a channel currently broadcasting a selected program. When a user selects the virtual channel, the apparatus takes care of automatically switching between the genuine channels broadcasting the programs viewed on the virtual channel. As a consequence, the user can view the desired programs by simply selecting the virtual channel.

Apparatus and method for rescheduling program conflicts in a virtual channel scheduling gap

An encoding apparatus is provided for encoding a wideband digital signal, including an input for receiving the wideband digital signal, a splitter unit for splitting the wideband digital signal into a number of M sub signals, a data reduction unit for data reducing the sub signals and a formatting unit for assembling digital information including the data reduced sub signals into a digital output signal having a format suitable for transmission or storage. During a repeated encoding and decoding of a wideband digital signal in a subband encoding/decoding system or a transform encoding/decoding system, signal degradation may occur. In order to avoid this, the apparatus further including a variable delay unit coupled between the input and the splitter for realizing a delay, the length of which is controlled by a control signal, and a control signal generator unit for generating the control signal.

A method of navigating through television programs is disclosed. A television receiver displays a mosaic image with sub-images representing the available programs. The receiver further receives an electronic program guide with program descriptions. Upon activating a &ldquo;theme&rdquo; button ( ), the viewer can enter a desired program type, e.g. &ldquo;movie&rdquo;. In response thereto, the brightness of the sub-images representing programs that are not desired is reduced. The user is thus assisted in navigating through programs he is interested in, while maintaining the mosaic structure he is familiar with, and without losing the association between channels and their positions on the mosaic screen.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Warner R T Ten Kate