Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Vlsi Engineering Corp.

Yoshito Nejime

Masao Hotta

Takashi Hasegawa

Koichi A Ono

Hiroshi Ikeda

Toshihiko Shimizu

Kimiya Yamaashi

Yasuhiro Akiyama

Nobuo Hataoka

Juichi Morikawa

Nobuhiro Sekimoto

Yukio Kumagai

Yuichiro Nakaya

Etsuji Yamamoto

Junichi Kimura

Kenji Maio

Toshiyuki Aritsuka

Haru Ando

Noboru Kojima

Toshiro Kamiuchi

Yasunori Kawauchi

Tadashi Takamiya

Junichi Matsuda

Kenzi Maio

Kouji Noguchi

Toshikazu Takahashi

A broadcasting method and a broadcast signal receiving apparatus is provided wherein auxiliary information, such as video and audio data for supplementing broadcast information presented through a broadcasting network in an interlocked manner can be watched and listened to by the viewer. Broadcast information received from a broadcasting network is temporarily stored in a storage means of a broadcast signal receiving apparatus and a recording medium for storing auxiliary information used as a supplement to the broadcast information is mounted on the broadcast signal receiving apparatus. The broadcast information and the auxiliary information are then played back in an interlocked manner with a predetermined timing. As a result, a function to present information which cannot be accommodated in a broadcast frame and a parental function can be implemented.

Broadcasting method and broadcast signal receiving apparatus

A broadcasting method and a broadcast signal receiving apparatus is provided wherein auxiliary information, such as video and audio data, for supplementing broadcast information presented through a broadcasting network in an interlocked manner can be watched and listed to by the viewer. Broadcast information received from a broadcasting network is temporarily stored in a storage means of a broadcast signal receiving apparatus and a recording medium for storing auxiliary information used as a supplement to the broadcast information is mounted on the broadcast signal receiving apparatus. The broadcast information and the auxiliary information are then played back in an interlocked manner with a predetermined timing. As a result, a function to present information which can not be accommodated in a broadcast frame and a parental function can be implemented.

Broadcasting method and broadcast signal receiver apparatus

A user-requested command with both visual and hearing information is indicated. Additionally, with a user friendly method, the user understands what content to input. The user-requested command is expressed in the form of a template sentence. Template part in the template sentence is vocalized, and a slot area in the template sentence is expressed using a sound or voice. The user inputs his or her voice to be input to the slot area.

Method and system for acquiring information with voice input

An image coding method includes the steps of storing a reference image which is a decoded image of an image previously coded based on a first prediction image synthesized by performing motion compensation, estimating motion vectors based on a comparison of an input image to be coded and the reference image, and synthesizing a second prediction image by performing motion compensation using the motion vectors and the reference image. A rounding method used for pixel value interpolation in performing the motion compensation for synthesizing the first prediction image is one of a positive rounding method and a negative rounding method, and a rounding method used for pixel value interpolation in performing the motion compensation for synthesizing the second prediction image is a different one of the positive rounding method and the negative rounding method.

Image coding method

A method of displaying program-related information while the user views a program video mainly and a broadcasting program displaying device to implement the method without making the user's operation complicated and confusing. A picture plane is constructed by two picture planes having a television picture plane (picture plane ) for displaying the program video which is outputted from a broadcasting program displaying device and further a property state picture plane as another picture plane (picture plane ). The program video is displayed to the picture plane and an operation picture plane of the broadcasting program displaying device and the program related-information are displayed to the picture plane A broadcasting program displaying device for two-screen construction has functions for display, recording, replay, reservation recording, and the like in response to an instruction from a device which the user operates.

Broadcasting program displaying device for receiving and displaying a program video and property information

Motion information for an object and background information are broadcast-transmitted on a transmitting side. On a receiving side, the motion information and the background information are received, and one of a plurality of character models previously stored is selected. A character image is generated using the selected mode and the received motion information. The character image and the received background image are synthesized and displayed on one screen. The viewer can select a character of his or her own liking, and can view the broadcast-transmitted program as a program in which the particular character appears.

Television broadcast transmitter/receiver and method of transmitting/receiving a television broadcast

Broadcasting program displaying system and program displaying device for receiving and displaying a program video and property information

Making use of a digital acoustic signal processing apparatus arranged by employing memory device for storing a digital acoustic signal, acoustic frequency feature enhancing device for enhancing an acoustic frequency feature, and low-speed sound reproducing device for changing a speed of the stored voice to reproduce this voice as a low speed into a hearing aid and an appliance with an acoustic output, a hearing function difficulty due to an age is aided in utilization of audio output appliances such as a hearing aid, television receiver, and a telephone receiver. After the voice has been stored in the memory device, a process for enhancing the frequency characteristic in order to fit the frequency characteristic to the individual hearing characteristic and the voice reproducing environment is carried out and thereafter represented to the user. The user can repeatedly listen the voice stored in the memory device with employment of control device for controlling the voice reproducing operation. Furthermore, since a process for expanding a time scale during a sound reproducing operation is carried out, the voice can be represented at the low speed. Since the voice whose frequency characteristic has been enhanced can be represented at the low speed in order that either an individual hearing ability, or an apparatus is fitted to a using environment, hearing articulation can be improved with respect to such a hearing, the frequency resolution and the time resolution are simultaneously deteriorated.

Digital voice processing apparatus providing frequency characteristic processing and/or time scale expansion

A communication device having an automatic answering telephone function which can record a message spoken by a sender in a record/reproduction part when there is an incoming signal in an automatic answering mode and also which can interlacedly reproduce only head parts of messages when the received message is to be reproduced. The communication device, which further has a speech processing part for changing a speech rate while keeping a speech pitch constant, can reproduce a recorded message at a speech rate designated by a user and can transmit a rate-changed speech message.

Communication device

Digital acoustic signal processing apparatus

The speed of an input speech is changed without any change of the pitch of the input speech. Raw data of a speech are stored so that the speed of the speech can be modulated continuously on the basis of the raw data of the speech. In the speech speed conversion method, a speech speed conversion process for the input speech is carried out in a period designated when speech speed conversion is needed, which the speech speed conversion is not carried out in the other period. Further, in the speech speed conversion apparatus having a unit for inputting a speech, a speech speed conversion unit for changing the speed of the input speech, and a unit for supplying the output of the speech speed conversion unit as an output speech to listener's ears, the apparatus further includes a speech speed conversion switch, and a unit for outputting a speech while changing the speech speed of the input speech in a period in which the speech speed conversion switch is turned on, but for outputting a speech without any change of the input speech in the other period in which the speech speed conversion switch is turned off.

Audio signal storing apparatus having a function for converting speech

The present invention relates to a method of generating sounds by a graphical user interface (GUI) used on information processing apparatuses and computers and, more particularly, to a method of acoustically expressing image information to enable visually disabled people having difficulty in using GUI to operate apparatuses with GUI, and an apparatus for carrying out the method. A specific sound is assigned before hand to an object displayed in a drawing space on a display screen or the like, and the object is expressed acoustically by generating the sound by a sound generating device for a period of time corresponding to the length of the outline of the object, the travel of the object or the ratio of change in size of the object.

Method of acoustically expressing image information

A method and an apparatus for detecting and extending controllably temporal gaps in a speech in dependence on power thereof for the purpose of aiding an auditory sense organ. A temporal gap detecting facility for detecting temporal gaps in the input speech signal and a temporal gap extension facility for extending the temporal gap by repetitive addition thereof are provided, wherein the number of repetition is selected to be proportional to power of the input speech signal at a time point immediately preceding to the temporal gap. Alternatively, the temporal gap extension facility adds repeatedly to the temporal gap a part thereof exclusive of start and end parts.

Method and apparatus for detecting and extending temporal gaps in speech

A digital signal processor for processing various types of signals, such as an image signal and an audio signal, a basic signal processing part, a programmable logic part, and a bus for connecting these parts together. Circuit configuration data is transferred to the programmable logic part from an external memory through a data input/output line and the bus under control of the basic signal processing part. The circuit configuration data corresponds to the types of signal processing that is to be performed, and several different types of signal processings can be performed successively.

Programmable digital signal processor for performing a plurality of

A pipelined A/D converter which minimizes differential non-linearity by preventing mismatching between converting stages. The A/D converter includes a plurality of converting stages connected in a cascade form wherein each of the converting stages includes an ADC unit for converting an analog input into a digital output. The digital outputs from said converting stages form a conversion output. Each preceding converting stage except a last converting stage further includes an amplifier for deriving and amplifying a conversion residue representing a quantization error resulting from the conversion performed by the preceding converting stage based on the digital output outputted by the ADC unit of the preceding converting stage and the analog input inputted to the preceding converting stage. The amplified conversion residue from the preceding converting stage is supplied as an analog input to a succeeding converting stage. A connector is provided for connecting the amplifier of the preceding converting stage to a node in the ADC unit of the succeeding converting stage. The node provides a base voltage to the ADC unit of the succeeding converting stage.

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Koganei, Japan

Yoshito Nejime