Abstract: A LCD display device for receiving encrypted video data and for decrypting the video data such that a signal is not provided “in the clear” before receipt by the display device. The video data is encrypted within a row of video and decrypted at the display. Alternatively the rows are encrypted by altering the time sequence of display of each row.

Abstract: A digital receiver (e.g., an ATV or HDTV receiver) which receives digital signals (e.g., ATV or HDTV signals), and which includes an equalizer for equalizing multipath channels having known co-channel interference (e.g., co-channel NTSC interference) present therein. A co-channel interference rejection filter is inserted in the digital receiver upstream of the equalizer, and the equalizer is modified in such a manner that it will not attempt to equalize the co-channel interference. Thus, co-channel interference cancellation is done primarily by the rejection filter, while multipath equalization (correction) is the exclusive function of the equalizer. This leads to better co-channel performance than that which can be obtained by relying on the equalizer alone to perform both functions. The co-channel interference rejection filter is preferably a multi-tap filter having fixed filter coefficients which are designed to optimize cancellation of the known co-channel interference.

Abstract: Decoding method and device with which it is proposed, in order to reduce the switching time from one among n input digital video bitstreams corresponding to n programs to another one, to use under the supervision of control means (30) including a control unit (31) and a switch (32), while a selected digital video bitstream is presented for decoding and display, (n-1) buffers (22, 23) for the (n-1) extra bitstreams, these extra buffers being dimensioned so that they always comprise at least an intra frame, and preferably the most recent one, of each incoming extra bitstream. In a simpler embodiment where the next program switched to is one up or one down, only one or two extra buffers are necessary, subject to the knowledge of an information on how the incoming programs may be accessed, i.e. according to some defined order.

Abstract: The invention relates to an image sequence coding method comprising, after a segmentation of the images into partitions with associated labels, the main steps of coding the contours of the regions sent in intra-frame mode, generating a compensated partition, and computing from said compensated partition and the current one an error partition that is then coded. While reducing the computational load, this method, that allows to transmit information about a time-varying partition with the help of the motion of the pixels, is preferably carried out by means of an encoding sub-assembly coprising an intra coding device (181), a compensating device (182), and an inter coding device (183) extracting and coding partition errors defined by an extraction of error regions where compensated and current labels are different.

Abstract: A device and method for synchronizing a series of data packets in a bitstream using a histogram which accumulates a count of occurrences of a particular synchronization pattern at a given location in each packet and identifies the start of a data packet based on the count of such occurrences stored in the histogram.

Abstract: An electronic watermarking scheme is proposed that can significantly increase the security of copy protection mechanisms. The watermarking methods works at high level in the hierarchy of the (MPEG) source signal. This ensures that the watermark is easily detectable, but difficult to erase without significant transcoding effort. Such transcoding is considered a difficult and expensive task that may furthermore lead to loss of quality or increase in bit rate.

Abstract: A system encodes an input video signal by subjecting the input video signal to noise reduction to obtain a noise-reduced signal, and encoding a difference between the noise-reduced signal and a prediction signal to produce an encoded signal. The system then decodes the encoded signal to obtain the prediction signal. In the system, the noise-reduction step comprises arithmetically combining the input video signal with the prediction signal.

Abstract: In a data carrier (46) for contactless uses having at least one component 1) and at least one transmission device (2) for the contactless uses the card body (14) has dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of a card body of a card-shaped data carrier for contact-bound uses in accordance with the standard ISO 7810, and the card body (14) has a recess (17) which terminates in a body main surface (15), in which recess the component (31) has been mounted, which recess is situated in the card body (14) of the card-shaped data carrier (46) at a position which corresponds to the position of a contact surface, comprising contacts, on a card-shaped data carrier for contact-bound uses in accordance with the standard ISO 7816-2, and the component connecting contacts (55, 56) of the component (31) have been connected in an electrically conductive manner to transmission-device connecting contacts (4, 5) of a transmission device (2) incorporated in the card body (14) before the component (31) is mounted in the recess (1

Abstract: An arrangement and method is disclosed for transmitting data items to a receiver for selective display on said receiver. The data items may collectively constitute an electronic television program guide or a database of products and services for electronic shopping purposes. By transmitting auxiliary presentation and navigation information, the information provider may determine how a receiver displays the data items and how the receiver needs to respond to user actions. Sometimes, however, it is desirable for a receiver to respond in a setmaker-defined manner, even if navigation and presentation data are provided by the setmaker. In order to solve possible conflicts between the information provider's interests and the setmaker industries' interests, the transmission includes a copyright bit which allows an information provider to indicate explicitly whether or not a receiver is allowed to ignore the transmitted presentation and/or navigation data.

Abstract: A system for transmitting a plurality of data items from a transmitter to one or more receivers. Each data item (Di) is identified by a unique number (i) within a given range. According to the invention, a field (F) comprising both ends (k.sub.1,k.sub.2) of the given range is also transmitted. This allows a receiver to check whether all data items have been received and to check which data item(s) is (are) missing, if any. The invention may generally be used in systems delivering data items to multimedia stations. The invention is particularly suitable for transmitting electronic program guide information in a television broadcast system.

Abstract: A device for deriving an ancillary signal from a compressed digital video signal (e.g. MPEG), wherein the ancillary signal includes selected parts of the main signal, for example, the DC coefficients of I-pictures, or the unscrambled parts, which parts can be used for display in a (multi-) picture-in-picture television receiver, or as an "appetizer" in order to encourage the user to pay a subscription fee, is described. The ancillary signal can separately be recorded in digital video recorders so as to assist the user in finding the beginning of a scrambled program on tape. The ancillary signal can also be generated at the transmitter end and transmitted at a low bit rate. A decoder for decoding such an ancillary signal is considerably simpler and less expensive than a full-spec MPEG decoder. A decoding method is also described.

Abstract: An MPEG decoder includes a dual-speed variable length decoder (VLD) in which a code length determining portion in a feedback loop of the VLD, which loop also includes a barrel shifter and an adder-accumulator, is formed of two length tables, a high speed first length table for producing a code length determination within one clock cycle for the non-DC discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients and a slower speed second code length table which produces a code length determination generally in two or more clock cycles. A DCT coefficient run length decoder receives DCT coefficient codewords from the VLD consisting of level/run pairs and is configured for decoding any level/run pair in one clock cycle. By concentrating decoding speed on the variable length DCT coefficients which constitute much of the data in an MPEG data stream, sufficient decoding speed is obtained to handle MPEG-2 video as proposed for high definition television (HDTV).

Abstract: Presently most MPEG video decoders use 16 Mbit of external memory. This memory capacity is almost completely occupied by the video decoding process in case of 625 line/50 Hz systems. Also the communication speed to the external memory is rather high. In future decoders, additional functions will be added to the video decoder, a need for free memory space and communication bandwidth will come up soon. Memory bandwidth becomes available with the application of synchronous dynamic random access memories (SDRAM) although high memory bandwidths lead to high operating frequencies. In order to release some memory capacity, a modification in the video decoding process is proposed by which 1 up to 3 Mbit of memory capacity can be saved. This modification has no big impact on the memory communication bandwidth. In order to keep the speed requirements in the variable length decoding within practical limits, a 2 step video decoding approach is proposed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for coding segmented pictures, and to corresponding decoding method and system. In the coding system, a first sub-system defines the time evolution of said segmented pictures, or partitions, and a second one encodes both contours and textures of the regions of the successive partitions. The time evolution definition leads to a partition tree (PT) from which regions are extracted during an analysis step (AS) in order to form a decision tree (DT). A decision operation allows to select during a choice step (CS) distinct regions R.sub.S from various levels of said partition tree, in order to construct an optimal final partition (BFP) and, simultaneously, to choose the coding technique (BCT) that is the best one for each region of said optimal partition. Reciprocally the decoding method and system comprise means for defining the coding strategy chosen for each of said regions and decoding correspondingly the coded information.

Abstract: In a method of data reduction of a luminance and/or chrominance signal of a digital picture signal by means of fractal image coding, in which method each image of the luminance/chrominance signal is divided into range blocks of n.times.

Abstract: In an image source for multimedia applications such as networked computer games, a graphics engine (16) generates pixel images one line at a time using a scan-line algorithm and supplies the generated scan lines to an encoder (18) where they are buffered. The encoder codes the buffered pixel data as macroblocks of, for example 16.times.16 pixels according to MPEG or similar standards. When the graphics engine has sent sufficient scan lines for a first macroblock to the encoder, it sends a signal (FLAG) on receipt of which the encoder begins coding the pixel data as a macroblock in a line of macroblocks whilst continuing to receive scan lines from the graphics engine (16). To increase encoder efficiency, the graphics engine specifies to the encoder global (GMV) and macroblock (BMV) motion vectors for substantially all or selected ones of the macroblocks of an image respectively.

Abstract: A variable length decoder for decoding an input digital data stream which includes a plurality of variable length code words which are coded in accordance with any of a plurality of different coding standards. The variable length decoder includes an input circuit which receives the input digital data stream and produces a decoding window that includes a leading word aligned bit stream, and a decoding circuit which is configurable into any selected one of a plurality of different decoding configurations, depending upon which coding standard the input digital data stream is coded in accordance with, the decoding circuit being coupled to the leading word aligned bit stream for decoding the length and value of each code word in the input digital data stream.

Abstract: Fractal image coding of single images or image sequences is described, which yields an improvement of the encoding result as well as a reduction of computations, whereineach image is divided into range blocks which do not overlap and jointly comprise the complete image contents,range regions are generated, each comprising a range block which is smaller than the range region concerned, and the rest of the range region is filled up with a predetermined signal value,domain regions are generated having the same size as the range regions and comprise parts of the image contents, preferably also in a transformed form,the image data of the range regions and the domain regions are subjected to a Fourier transform,a conjugate-complex signal is formed from one of the two transformed signals and multiplied by the other signal,this product is normalized at a predetermined amplitude,the normalized signal is subjected to an inverse Fourier transform,for each range region, the maximum value of this retransformed signal is d

Abstract: A variable length decoder with adaptive acceleration in processing of an encoded input bit stream which includes an input section which receives the input bit stream and provides a decoding window that includes a sequence of bits which include one or more code words to be decoded at an output thereof. A code word length decoding section determines the combined length of a combination of two or more code words received from the input section in response to a first value of a control signal and generates a combined length signal representative of the determined combined length, and determines the length of an individual code word received from the input section in response to a second value of the control signal, and generates an individual code word length signal representative of the determined length of the individual code word.

Abstract: A microblock-level partitioned digital HDTV video decoder for decoding a bit stream consisting of a series of macroblocks of digital video data which are coded in accordance with an MPEG or other predetermined digital compression code. The decoder includes a bit stream parser for identifying boundaries between the macroblocks and producing macroblock boundary information indicative of the identified boundaries, a bit stream formatter for combining the macroblock boundary information with the bit stream to produce a combined bit stream having successive multi-bit portions, a rate buffer for storing and sequentially outputting the successive multi-bit portions, first and second FIFO memories, and a FIFO controller for alternately write enabling the first and second FIFO memories in response to the macroblock boundary information. The FIFO memories thereby alternately store the successive macroblocks in the combined bit stream sequentially outputted from the rate buffer.