Abstract: Disclosed is a lighting control method and a lighting control device for a light source having LEDs, and a lighting device and includes acquiring the number of LEDs and a control curve for controlling changes in brightness and color of the light emitted from each LED over time, the control curve defines the same brightness cycle and color cycle for each LED, the brightness cycle indicates a brightness period and a brightness curve of the change in brightness over time within each period, determining a time offset on the control curve according to the number of LEDs and the brightness change period, determining the starting timings of the remaining LEDs on the control curve according to the starting timing of the first LED and the time offset, and controlling each LED from the starting timing on the control curve, to emit light according to the brightness and color determined.

Abstract: A data bus can supply power from a first power source to a sink device. The data bus is coupled to a second power source. An electrical current from the second power source supplements an electrical current on the data bus if the voltage on the data bus decreases to less than a threshold value.

Abstract: It is disclosed a microsieve comprising two layers, wherein the first layer is a membrane layer having a plurality of micropores contained therein and a thickness of about 10 ?m to about 100 ?m, and the second layer is a membrane support layer having a plurality of openings contained therein and a thickness of about 100 ?m to about 500 ?m, wherein the openings are larger in diameter than the micropores, and wherein at least one of the membrane layer or membrane support layer is formed of a SU-8 photoresist material.

Abstract: A method and device for storing an interactive television program for playback at a later point in time, wherein said interactive television program comprises at least one interactive television application. The applications are transmitted inside modules (11, 12) through a data carousel (2) within a transport stream (20). The method comprises receiving the transport stream, parsing the stream for application modules and storing them as a storage stream on a storage medium (31). The storage stream is stored separate from said transport stream (20). The data or object carousel is recorded outside the Transport Stream and recorded like a stream, preferably as a single file. This file is a sequence of modules with some header information preceding the modules making playback faster as the information needed to obtain the objects from a module is located directly in the header of that module. Furthermore, the solution according to the invention solution is platform independent.

Abstract: A method (1) of transmitting interactive television, whereby interactive television applications are transmitted inside application-modules. These modules are transmitted in a broadcast stream. Recording systems cannot decide which modules are to be recorded. Therefore storage related information of said modules is signalled in the broadcast stream. Module identification information related is implemented in the Application Information Table (AIT) and/or in the Download Information Indication (DII) message. Thus information is included in the broadcast stream concerning categories stating whether application modules are mandatory, optional or forbidden to record. Alternatively properties of a module are chosen from Code/Data/Both and/or Fixed/Variable. Recording systems use this information do decide if application modules are to be recorded or disregarded. Alternatively, application module identification information is transmitted in said broadcast stream.

Abstract: A data bus can supply power from a first power source to a sink device. The data bus is coupled to a second power source. An electrical current from the second power source supplements an electrical current on the data bus if the voltage on the data bus decreases to less than a threshold value.

Abstract: In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for establishing connection between a first local area network and a second local area network. The first local area network includes a first device and a second device. The second local area network includes a third device. The method comprises establishing a security connection between the third device and the first device; detecting a status of the second device; creating a virtual device based on the second device; and establishing connection between the second device and the third device via the virtual device.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus for playing back a program, and the program is being broadcast. Firstly, receiving a request on the program being broadcast for playing back a section of the program in non-real-time mode from a subscriber; acquiring a corresponding internet address according to information in the broadcast signal of the program; and obtaining the section according to the internet address for playing back; and finally, playing back the section. The request includes one of the following commands: pause, fast winding, fast rewinding, rewinding, and playing back at designated non-real time point. During the broadcast of a program, the present invention obtaining a section of the program in a non-real time mode by acquiring an internet address corresponding to the program and in the stream media form.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for broadcasting television programs, in particular to a method and apparatus for inserting an advertisement into a broadcast television program. An object of the invention is to provide a method for inserting an advertisement segment into a television program of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) channel, the method comprises the steps of: receiving a request from a user that asks for viewing the television program; monitoring the viewing behavior of the user toward the IPTV channel according to an advertisement policy of the IPTV channel, the advertisement policy comprising providing an advertisement segment based on the user's viewing behavior on the IPTV channel; determining whether the monitored viewing behavior matches the advertisement policy; if the monitored viewing behavior matches the advertisement policy, inserting the advertisement segment into the television program.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to synchronize multiple UPnP content directory services without using CDS tracking or content synchronization service is disclosed. The method may include discovering mediaservers coupled to a network, comparing respective metadata fields from the discovered mediaservers, updating the metadata fields based on the comparison. A control point gets metadata of media objects that need to be synchronized. The control point invokes a comparemetadata action to ascertain the differences in the objects, upon acquiring the difference between the metadata parameters of a sync object in a first CDS with sync pairing object in a second CDS the control point invokes appropriate UPnP actions to ensure the two objects are synced.

Abstract: A storage device includes a housing having a cavity formed therein which contains a storage unit. A USB cable is electrically connected between a USB plug located outside of the cavity of the housing and the storage unit located in the cavity. A USB cable stress relief mount includes a first USB cable clamp formed in the housing. A second USB cable clamp is formed in the housing and is opposed to the first USB cable clamp. A third USB cable clamp is formed in the housing. The third USB cable clamp is positioned at an angle with the first and second USB cable clamps. The USB cable extends between, and is secured by, the first, second and third USB cable clamps.

Abstract: An extracting apparatus (200) is arranged to extract a certain version of an object from an interactive application associated with a digital program, the extracting apparatus (200) comprises a receiving means (210) for receiving information regarding the version of the objet, an obtaining means (220) for obtaining a version type from the information, the version type indicating the certain version of the object is a replacement version, the replacement version is to replace a preceding version of the object stored on a storage medium, and a processing means (230) for processing the certain version of the object independency on the version type.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for generating a digital program having at least one interactive application, said interactive application is based of at least one data object, said method comprises: first, receiving setting on the sharing characteristic of said data object, then generating a corresponding interactive application according to said setting, finally, associating the generated interactive application with said digital program. The setting of said sharing characteristic includes “sharable” and “non-sharable”. The present invention adds a sharing characteristic parameter to each data object in an interactive application at the transmitting end, so that corresponding processing could be easily performed at the receiving end according to the sharing characteristic of each data object.

Abstract: An activating apparatus (300) is arranged to conditionally activate an interactive application associated with a digital program. The activating apparatus (300) has a receiving means (310) for receiving program information of the digital program and application information regarding the interactive application, a detecting means (320) for detecting a program mode of the digital program, the program mode indicating how the digital program is being run, and an obtaining means (330) for obtaining an activating parameter from the application information, the activating parameter indicating the interactive application has at least two mutually different portions, at least one of the at least two portions is conditionally be executed in dependency on the application including an the program mode. with the program mode.

Abstract: A method of recording an MPEG compliant transport stream selected by a user on a storage media. The method comprising: receiving the transport stream, the transport stream comprising transport stream packets; removing stuffing bytes from each transport stream packet in the transport stream containing stuffing bytes; recording all transport stream packets on the storage media; and recording an entry in a program information file on the storage media indicating that stuffing bytes were removed from the transport stream.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved method for storing/replaying a specific program from a MPEG-2 multiple program transport stream. When storing, the method discards a related transport packet of the non-user-selected program and inserts a null packet at the corresponding discarding position, and the effective load of this null packet contains a number which indicates the number of continuously discarded packets at this position; when replaying, if the effective load of a null packet contains a specific numerical value, the method adds some null packets beside this null packet, the number of the added null packets being equal to that the specific numerical value minus one.

Abstract: A method (49, 55) of handling fonts in a recorder or a playback-recorder for interactive television. Fonts are stored on a recordable storage medium (220), wherein the fonts are part of a downloaded interactive television application. When recording, the downloaded fonts are stored separate from the application, preferably in a font library on the recordable storage medium, which preferably is a removable medium, preferably an optical storage medium. Each font is only stored in one copy, even when a plurality of applications on the storage medium need that font for running. When playing back the application from the storage medium, indicating information is provided on which fonts form the storage medium in the font library are required for playback of said application from said storage medium. Thus multiple storage of fonts is prevented, minimising needed storage space on the storage medium.

Abstract: A system and method for performing read retry operations with respect to an erroneously read data sector is disclosed. The system and method use estimates of bit error rates determined during previous attempts to read data from the sector to determine an optimal distance and direction to move a read transducer for a subsequent read retry of the erroneously data sector.

Abstract: A method and device for storing an interactive television program for playback at a later point in time, wherein said interactive television program comprises at least one interactive television application. The applications are transmitted inside modules (11, 12) through a data carousel (2) within a transport stream (20). The method comprises receiving the transport stream, parsing the stream for application modules and storing them as a storage stream on a storage medium (31). The storage stream is stored separate from said transport stream (20). The data or object carousel is recorded outside the Transport Stream and recorded like a stream, preferably as a single file. This file is a sequence of modules with some header information preceding the modules making playback faster as the information needed to obtain the objects from a module is located directly in the header of that module. Furthermore, the solution according to the invention solution is platform independent.