Abstract: Picture image data having high image quality is recorded in a disk-shaped recording medium such as a hard disk and a removable disk. A recording apparatus is arranged by a first unit for recording image data with respect to a disk-shaped recording medium in which an outer peripheral sided region thereof is recordable/reproduceable at a higher rate than that of an inner peripheral sided region thereof, and a second unit for designating an attribute of image data recorded in the disk-shaped recording medium. When the second unit designates image data having a large data amount per unit time, the first unit records the image data having the large data amount per unit time in the inner peripheral sided region of the disk-shaped recording medium, whereas when the second unit designates image data having a small data amount per unit time, the first unit records the image data having the small data amount per unit time in the inner peripheral sided region of the disk-shaped recording medium.

Abstract: In order to obtain a high-quality image when an encoded stream which is encoded using MPEG is played back at variable speed, a stream conversion apparatus is provided which converts an arrangement of DCT coefficients of a source encoded stream into an arrangement suitable for variable-speed playback. Specifically, a header part is separated from an elementary stream of MPEG, and DCT coefficients arranged from a low order of a spatial frequency to a high order are extracted by zigzag scan at intervals of a plurality of DCT blocks which form a macro block. These DCT coefficients are rearranged from a low order to a high order across a plurality of DCT blocks. The DCT coefficients rearranged in this manner are packed into a stream, and the separated header part is added, forming a converted elementary stream. This converted elementary stream is recorded.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus according to the invention involves unloading a magnetic tape after the tape is positioned to one of its unloading regions which is located approximately in the middle of a lengthwise tape area where user data have been recorded. Such unloading regions are located at predetermined intervals along the magnetic tape. Through designation of an operation mode, the apparatus of the invention also permits selecting one of two unloading regions to which the magnetic tape is positioned before being unloaded. One of the two regions is located approximately in the middle of the user data-packed tape area, the other region designated by a host device. This manner of unloading allows the inventive apparatus to access desired locations on the magnetic tape at a significantly higher speed than conventional devices.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus operates to process input signal samples representative of at least part of a color video image to produce legal color signal samples representative of a legal color version of the image.

Abstract: A disk drive for recording information on and reproducing information from a hard disk drive. The CPU of a host device controls the maximum allowable number of retries, or the maximum period of time allowed for retries, performed by the disk drive when an error occurs in a seek, record, or reproduce operation.

Abstract: Left and right video cameras 18L and 18R are disposed on both sides of a front video camera 18M. Solid-pictorial video signals used upon signal transmission are generated by using video signals outputted from the left and right video cameras with respect to a video signal outputted from the front video camera. The left and right video cameras make use of simplified video cameras and are cameras with no zoom functions or the like. The video signals obtained from the left and right video cameras are used as signals for forming a solid picture. In the present example, only solid information with respect to a main picture is transmitted as a video signal to reduce the amount of transmission. Since a motion-compensated DCT encode process using the front video signal as a reference picture is performed to extract only the video signal having the solid information from the left and right video signals. Since the simplified video cameras can be utilized, solid-pictorial video signals can be generated at low cost.

Abstract: A signal transmission method applicable to prevention of modification or alteration of the playback mode information, such as copying management information or charging information. The playback mode information form a terminal 15P is data-converted for ciphering by a playback mode information appendage circuit 14 in a header appendage circuit 13 responsive to the key information from a terminal 15K and the resulting information comprised of the data and the playback mode information is outputted. The reproducing side effects data conversion on the ciphered playback mode information for deciphering, by a playback mode information detection circuit 26 in a header separation circuit 25, using the key information from a terminal 27K, for taking out the original playback mode information at a terminal 27P.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus processes input pixel data and outputs the processed pixel data as output pixel data. The image processing apparatus includes an input-reliability calculation section for calculating an input reliability indicating the reliability of the input pixel data; an output-reliability calculation section for calculating an output reliability indicating the reliability of the output pixel data; a motion-amount detecting section for detecting the motion amount of the input pixel data; a motion-amount-reliability calculation section for calculating a motion-amount reliability indicating the reliability of the motion amount; a compensation section for compensating for the output reliability according to the motion-amount reliability; and a processing section for processing the input pixel data according to the input reliability and the output reliability compensated for, and for outputting the output pixel data. The image processing apparatus effectively reduces noise.

Abstract: A coding preprocessing section supplies, to a CPU 6, a statistic quantity (index data) indicating characteristics of source video data to be coded. The CPU 6 calculates a coding difficulty indicating difficulty in coding the video data, and calculates a target quantity of codes allocated of each picture of the video data, on the basis of the coding difficulty. By feeding forward the calculated target quantity of codes to an encoder 4, the CPU 6 can carry out coding processing in real time without carrying out encode processing twice as in conventional two-pass encode processing. In addition, since the target quantity of codes corresponding to the coding difficulty of the video data is calculated, optimum coding corresponding to the pattern of the video data can be realized.

Abstract: An edit data creation apparatus and method creates edit data specifying editing contents to arbitrarily combine edit materials. Positions of the edit materials are moved on the edit data. Adjustments are made to an end point of a first adjacent edit material upstream of the relevant edit material, and to a start point of a second adjacent edit material downstream of the relevant edit material according to the amount of movement of their respective edit materials. As a result, even if the edit materials are moved, it is possible to maintain the continuity between the adjacent edit materials on both sides and the moved edit material.

Abstract: An arithmetic processing device, an object-to-object communication method and a robot, such as an entertainment robot, in which software suited to a current robot configuration is set. The software is changed corresponding to the configuration based on a comparison result of information corresponding to a component detection result stored for each configuration and a component detection result associated with the current configuration. Objects are connected so that data can be exchanged based on the connection data.

Abstract: The deterioration of an error characteristic obtained at a point where a transfer method is changed is suppressed. A first adder calculates a SM value obtained when the state 00 is changed to the state 00, and outputs it to a comparator. A second adder calculates a SM value obtained when the state 01 is changed to the state 00, and outputs it to the comparator. The comparator compares the SM values, selects a path having the larger likelihood, and outputs to a register having a set and a reset. An ACS controller detects a condition in which the state transition of fixed information TAB1 is uniquely determined, and outputs a reset signal to the register having a set and a reset, which stores the SM value of that state, to set the value of the register to zero. The ACS controller 85 also outputs set signals to registers having sets and resets, which store the SM values of the states other than the state 00 of the fixed information TAB1, to set them to the maximum value.

Abstract: A light-incorporated video camera incorporating a video light integrally in a video camera, includes: a video light input switch for instructing turn-on of the video light; and a timer; wherein the video light turned on by instruction from the video light input switch is automatically turned off after the elapse of a time set on the timer. If a switch key of the video camera is operated before the time set on the timer expires, the timer is initialized to continue the turn-on state of the video light. In this video camera, preferably, the switch key is a record/stop switch key of the video camera, the video light is a tungsten halogen lamp, and the timer is a five-minute timer.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus measures the position of a vehicle based on position information and performing route guiding based on map information.

Abstract: A method of reading multimedia information which is capable of realizing optimal data access in consideration of the type and content of data to be accessed and the relationship to other data during access. The method involves reading first and second information from a storage medium, multiplexed with each other, where response time guarantee is of relatively higher importance for the first information and reliability is of relatively higher importance for the second information. Management of the read time is performed on both the first and second information. A plurality of processing methods are pre-defined as error countermeasure methods for the case where an error occurs in information read out when reading the first or second information in units of predetermined amounts. When reading information, one of the plurality of error countermeasure processing methods is selected and set for use.

Abstract: A processor apparatus which reduces an overhead at the time of switching processing modules and efficiently performs desired processing at a high speed, wherein desired processing is performed by prefetching a series of instructions by a main program prefetcher, pre-decoding the same by a pre-decoder, and supplying the same to a decoder and execution unit via a multiplexer. When an instruction to execute a macro command is detected in the pre-decoder, the instructions of the macro command are prefetched by a macro program prefetcher and pre-decoded in the pre-decoder. As a result, when branching to a macro command, the instructions of the macro command can be immediately supplied to an execution unit only by switching the multiplexer.

Abstract: Video data formatting apparatus and method in which an input signal is converted (transcoded) into an intermediate compressed video signal, where the intermediate compressed video signal has a GOP format in which each GOP contains fewer pictures than a GOP associated with the input video signal. A metadata signal which indicates data defining coding decisions is derived from the input video signal. A data quantity allocation is generated to control the transcoding into the intermediate video signal, whereby each picture of the intermediate video signal is transcoded so as not to exceed a respective data quantity allocation.

Abstract: Editing apparatus for editing source video and/or audio material stored on a storage medium to generate an edited material sequence of clips from the source material, comprises: means for defining source files on the storage medium containing data representing the source material to be edited; and means for defining an output file on the storage medium for each edited material sequence, each output file comprising addressing information defining a sequence of storage locations on the storage medium of data within the source files representing the one or more clips of source material forming that edited material sequence.

Abstract: A signal editing device includes a dividing device for dividing a digital signal into processing blocks as processing units and a processing device for processing the digital signal independently in units of the processing blocks.