Abstract: MPEG encoder 3 generates VOBUs from broadcast waves and writes them to HDD 5. Record controlling unit 10 controls MPEG encoder 3 and HDD 5 to repeatedly perform this writing process for achieving a continuous recording function. Record controlling unit 10 also judges if there are points of time at which, by a broadcast station, (i) a service period is switched to an out-of-service period, and (ii) an out-of-service period is switched to a service period. Record controlling unit 10 suspends the writing to the HDD 5 at a point of time at which a service period is switched to an out-of service period, and resumes the writing to the HDD 5 at a point of time at which an out-of-service period is switched to a service period.

Abstract: In a usual state, information concerning all stores where a user is registered as a member (a list of stores where the user is registered as a member) is listed on an electronic paper of a membership card. When the user who carries the membership card enters one store where the user is registered as a member, the membership card recognizes the entering into the store and thereby switches automatically the displayed contents on the electronic paper into information concerning that store. When the user passes through the exit of the store, the displayed contents on the electronic paper is returned to the listing display of all stores. Even a single card has the functions of a large number of cards and is valid to all the stores. This avoids the necessity that the user should carry a large number of cards.

Abstract: The present invention provides a picture element driving circuit of an active matrix display device, with a configuration of no through-holes, including two or more FETs. A display device of the present invention has a structure in which a first field-effect transistor and a second field-effect transistor are provided, insulation films of the first and second field-effect transistor are formed on the same layer, and semiconductors used as channels of the two field-effect transistors are formed on both surfaces of the insulation film, respectively. The display device has an electric circuit of a structure in which one of source/drain electrodes of the first field-effect transistor is used as a gate electrode of the second field-effect transistor.

Abstract: A display arranged with, in a matrix way, signal lines for providing brightness information to each of pixels, and scanning lines for selecting, in a predetermined cycle, pixels to be provided with brightness information; intake of the brightness information to each of the pixels being executed by intake of signal voltage of the signal lines via thin-film transistors in each of said pixels, in selecting the scanning lines connected with each of the pixels; and having pixels of n-lines and m-rows, by which the brightness information taken into each of the pixels is retained by capacity thereof, even after the scanning lines connected with each of the pixels become a non-selection state, wherein each of the pixels of each line is provided with at least one semiconductor layer that is common between each of the pixels, and the semiconductor layer is formed in parallel to said signal lines.

Abstract: There is provided a method of forming a silicon dioxide film, which comprises repeating a step of depositing a silicon layer on a silicon substrate to form a silicon dioxide film of a predetermined thickness, and which makes it possible to suitably select the surface roughness of the silicon dioxide film that is formed and the rate of growth of the silicon film that is deposited. According to the method of forming the silicon dioxide film that is proposed above, it comprises a step of depositing any one of polysilicon, epitaxial silicon or amorphous silicon on the silicon substrate or on the silicon dioxide film formed on the silicon substrate by the thermal oxidation treatment to form a silicon film, and a step of thermally oxidizing the silicon film to convert it into a silicon dioxide film, the step of deposition and the step of thermal oxidation being repeated a plural number of times.

Abstract: Disclosed is a recording apparatus for recording a plurality of audio-visual contents stored in a HD to a writable DVD. A drive controller copies at least one of the contents stored in the HD to the DVD. If the available capacity of the DVD left after the copying falls short to copy a remaining content, the remaining content is re-encoded prior to being recorded in the DVD. The bit rate to be allocated to the remaining content upon re-encoding is calculated from the available capacity of the DVD and the reproduction time of the remaining content to be re-encoded.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to prevent degradation of an organic semiconductor film caused in forming an alignment layer and to inexpensively provide a liquid crystal display device with a high-performance organic thin film transistor. According to the invention, in a liquid crystal display device that includes: a thin film transistor substrate having such members as a thin film transistor composed of a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, source/drain electrodes, and a semiconductor layer, a line, and a pixel electrode; and an opposing substrate supporting a liquid crystal layer between the thin film transistor substrate and the opposing substrate, no alignment layer having a function of controlling alignment of molecules in the liquid crystal layer is interposed between the semiconductor layer and the liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a content management apparatus which prevents illegal duplication of content, and simplifies user's backuping and restoring the content.

Abstract: When receiving a record presetting from the record presetting unit 8, the detection unit 10 compares the received record presetting with a record presetting that has been received earlier, to detect, if time periods indicated by the record presettings overlap, an overlapping time portion and one or more non-overlapping time portion. The detection unit 10 then newly generates record presettings in one-to-one correspondence with the overlapping and non-overlapping time portions. The recording unit 11 performs a recording operation with reference to the record presettings newly generated by the detection unit 10. Thus, the recording unit 11 can perform a recording operation as described by the original record presettings, which indicate the time periods that overlap. The generation unit 12 generates, on a storage medium, Cell information for each of the original record presettings, and appends user information to the Cell information.

Abstract: The present invention provides a thin film transistor comprising a drain electrode and a source electrode separated by a channel region formed over a contact portion with an amorphous silicon layer and wherein an impurity from the channel region is removed and a remaining impurity is diffused into the contact portion to form a contact layer wherein the contact layer has a second resistance at least lower than the first resistance.

Abstract: An active matrix display device using a thin film transistor as a switching element in the displaying portion or driving portion is characterized in that said thin film transistor includes an insulating substrate on which a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor layer, a drain electrode, a source electrode and a passivation film are successively laminated. The thin film transistor is further characterized such that the surface portion of the semiconductor layer on the side of the passivation film is porous, which enables the device to be stably driven with a low off-current even in the case of disposing an organic passivation film and a picture element electrode on the thin film transistor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a thin film transistor comprising a drain electrode and a source electrode separated by a channel region formed over a contact portion with an amorphous silicon layer and wherein an impurity from the channel region is removed and a remaining impurity is diffused into the contact portion to form a contact layer wherein the contact layer has a second resistance at least lower than the first resistance.

Abstract: A memory card that makes it possible to select the service provided by changing an adapter instead of having selection switches on the outer appearance of the card. The memory card is capable of executing one of a plurality of applications that correspond to individual services and comprises: an adapter that designates one of the services; a main card body to which the adapter is removably connected; an interface for an external device; a memory unit that stores information of the plurality of applications; a detection unit that detects whether or not an adapter is connected to the main card body; and a CPU or LSI that executes the selected application based on the detection signal to provide the service to the external device.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device such as a display device, ID tag, sensor or the like at low cost by using a bottom contact type organic TFT as a switching element. In the present invention, the semiconductor layer of the bottom contact type organic TFT is formed of a polycrystalline material, and the taper width of each of the source and drain electrodes of the TFT in the direction of the channel length is smaller than the average particle size of semiconductor crystals grown on the source and drain electrodes. Alternatively, the side on the channel side of each of the source and drain electrodes of the bottom contact type organic TFT is formed so as to be convex upward with respect to the substrate surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a contactless card reader (300) that prevents information stored in a contactless card from being illegally utilized, without imposing too many loads on a holder of the contactless card. The contactless card reader includes: a flat antenna for communicating with the contactless card; an angle sensor (405) for detecting an angle of the antenna with respect to a horizontal plane; and a card reading unit (302) that executes processing of reading the information stored in the contactless card, and the card reading unit executes the reading processing only in the case where the angle detected by the angle sensor is within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A reproduction apparatus that, when a same content is recorded in the HDD 1 and the SD card 102, allows the user to reproduce the content in one of the recording mediums to a certain viewing position and resume the reproduction of the content in the other recording medium from the certain viewing position (resume position), without causing the user to view a portion of the content redundantly. When the SD card 102 is inserted into the reproduction apparatus, the resume information of the HDD 1 and the SD card 102 is updated to synchronize the viewing position of the HDD 1 with the viewing position of the SD card 102, allowing the user to resume reproduction from the viewing position indicated by the updated resume information and saving the user from viewing a portion redundantly.

Abstract: A disc drive device optimally controls a speed for reading RTR-format data, such as video and audio, recorded on a DVD-format disc, thereby enabling real-time playback without interruption. In the disc drive device, information added to each sector is used for determining whether data is RTR-format data. When an error occurs at high-speed reading of RTR-format data and therefore the reading speed is changed to a low speed, the reading speed is so controlled as to be kept at the low speed for reading the following RTR-format data. Thus, for RTR-format data, overhead due to repetitive acceleration and deceleration processes can be avoided, and reading can be carried out without interfering with real-time playback. For normal data, reading can be carried out in a manner similar to that in the background art.

Abstract: An inline electron holograph method for observing a specimen with a transmission electron microscope having an electron gun, a collimating lens system, two spaced objective lenses, a biprism, and an imaging means comprises the steps of: with the first objective lens forming a virtual image of a portion of the specimen; with the second objective lens focussing the virtual image at an intermediate image plane to form an intermediate image; and projecting the intermediate image onto the imaging means.

Abstract: The IC card is capable of providing a plurality of services to an external device on one card, and comprises: a interface for the external device; a switch disposed on the IC card and that selects a service; a memory unit recording a information corresponding to a plurality of services and having a plurality areas each storing different information from another areas in security level; a CPU reading/writing information from/to the memory unit based on the service selected by the switch, and provides the selected service to the external device by way of the interface; a security level judgment unit judging the security level on an access status by the application to the memory areas; and a display unit displaying a kind of selected service or a security level of the service.

Abstract: A memory card reading/writing apparatus, access method, program and storage medium thereof, that have a psychological security function, or in other words a mild security function and that make it possible to perform various kinds of management of the memory card even when the memory card is lost. In the memory card reading/writing apparatus of this invention, an apparatus-user-information-acquisition unit acquires apparatus-user information from a memory unit that stores apparatus-user information that identifies the user of the memory card reading/writing apparatus. Also, a memory-card-user-information-acquisition unit acquires the main-memory-card-user information from the memory card that identifies the main user of the memory card. A user-information-comparison unit compares the two kinds of information, and outputs a comparison result. An output unit outputs specific output based on the comparison result.