Abstract: A video image transmitting device, a video image receiving device, a video image recording device, a video image reproducing device, and a video image displaying device all having video signal processings such as a frame rate conversion (FRC) enable prevention of degradation of the video image reproduced by a video signal generated by superimposing first and second video signals on each other. The video image transmitting device (1) includes an editing device (2) for superimposing first and second video signals on each other according to video combining information, a video image encoding processing portion (3) and a video image composite information encoding processing portion (4) for encoding the output video signal from the editing device (2) and video combining information respectively, a multiplexing processing portion (5) for multiplexing the encoded data, and a transmitting portion (6) for transmitting the multiplexed data.

Abstract: It is an object to prevent the image quality deterioration of a moving image likely to include a plurality of the same consecutive images such as 2-3 or 2-2 pulldown video due to the motion-compensated frame rate conversion (FRC) processing. An image displaying device is provided with an FRC portion (10) for converting the number of frames in an input image signal by interpolating an image signal to which a motion compensation processing has been given between the frames in the input image signal, a pulldown detecting portion (14) for detecting whether the input image signal is an image signal to which pulldown conversion has been performed, and a controlling portion (15).

Abstract: The quality of moving picture image with a large moving amount is prevented from deterioration due to moving compensation type frame rate conversion (FRC) processing. The image display device is comprised of an FRC unit (10) that interpolates an image signal subjected to moving compensation processing between frames so as to convert the number of frames of the input image signal, a moving amount judging unit (14) that judges whether a moving amount of the input image signal between the frames is larger than a predetermined value or not, and a control unit (15). The FRC unit (10) is provided with a moving vector detecting unit (11e) that detects a moving vector between the frames of the input image signal, an interpolation vector evaluating unit (11f) that allocates an interpolation vector between the frames on the basis of the moving vector information and an interpolation frame generating unit (12d) that generates an interpolation frame from the interpolation vector.

Abstract: An image display device controls a screen luminance to an appropriate value in response to switching of a display mode, thereby displaying each of television broadcast program images and graphic user interface images (including an electronic program guide, and a variety of setting menus) in an easy-to-see and power-saving manner. The image display device switches between a mode of displaying the television image and a mode of displaying the graphic user interface image. In response to the mode switching instruction, the device controls variably luminance intensity of a backlight source, thereby providing a screen luminance appropriate for each mode.

Abstract: An audio-visual environment control system is provided for realizing control of an optimum audio-visual environment illumination in response to an atmosphere of a shot scene and a scene setting intended by an image creator. An image transmitting apparatus 10 is comprised of a data multiplexing portion 1 for multiplexing image data (V) and illumination control type information (C) indicative of a control type of the audio-visual environment illumination at the time of displaying each frames in the image data (V), and a transmitting portion 2 for modulating and transmitting the image data multiplexed with the illumination control type information (C).

Abstract: It is an object to prevent the image quality deterioration of a moving image likely to include a plurality of the same consecutive images such as a movie video image or a CG video image due to the motion-compensated frame rate conversion (FRC) processing. An image displaying device is provided with an FRC portion (10) for converting the number of frames in an input image signal by interpolating an image signal to which a motion compensation processing has been given between the frames in the input image signal, a controlling portion (14) for controlling each portion according to an image tone mode selected by a user.

Abstract: When a video signal type detecting section detects an interlace signal, an I/P conversion section subjects the interlace signal to I/P conversion, and the signal is supplied to an enhancing conversion section. In the enhancing conversion section, the image data is subjected to enhancing conversion, so that optical characteristics of a liquid crystal display panel is corrected. On this occasion, the degradation of the quality of a reproduced image due to the enhancement of unwanted changes (false signal), by causing the degree of the enhancing conversion of the image data having been subjected to the I/P conversion to be lower than the degree of the enhanced conversion of the image data inputted as the progressive signal.

Abstract: When receiving an interlaced video signal, an I/P conversion section converts the interlaced video signal into a progressive video signal by any of two or more I/P conversion methods. Further, an emphasis conversion section subjects the progressive video signal to emphasis conversion. Here, a control CPU controls the degree of emphasis conversion performed by the emphasis conversion section so as to be changed in accordance with which kind of conversion method among the two or more conversion methods is used for the conversion. This makes it possible to subject video data supplied to a liquid crystal display panel to emphasis conversion with a degree corresponding to the conversion method. As a result of this, it is possible to implement a liquid crystal display device which can realize both improvement in response speed of a liquid crystal display device and improvement in quality of video image displayed on the liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: An audio-visual environment control system is provided with a function to control illumination for optimum audio-visual environment in accordance with a scene situation of an displayed image. A data transmission device is comprised of a data multiplexing portion for multiplexing scene situation data indicating scene setting situations of each scene of image data, and a transmitting portion for modulating and transmitting the image data in which the scene situation data are multiplexed. A data receiving apparatus is comprised of a data separating portion 22 for separating the scene situation data from the received image data, a CPU 23 for controlling illumination light of an illuminating device 27 in accordance with the scene situation data, and an illumination control data generating portion 24.

Abstract: An emphasis converter 52 compares the image data of the current vertical period with the image data of the previous vertical period and controls the input image data to a liquid crystal display panel 4 based on the emphasis conversion parameters stored in tables of ROMs 3a to 3c so as to achieve accelerated drive. A microcomputer 38 is able to realize stable control of selecting emphasis conversion parameters by adding hysteresis to the detected temperature from a thermistor 37 even when the detected temperature fluctuates up and down crossing the temperature threshold.

Abstract: In an image displaying apparatus including a motion compensated rate converting (FRC) portion, deterioration of image quality is prevented in an image having a high-speed region and a low-speed region mixed. The FRC portion includes a motion vector detecting portion 11e and an interpolation frame generating portion 12b. The motion vector detecting portion 11e includes a first region detecting means 112e1 that detects a first region (high-speed region) including a motion amount equal to or greater than a first predetermined amount from an input image signal, a second region detecting means 112e2 that detects a second region (low-speed region) including a motion amount equal to or less than a second predetermined amount from the input image signal, and a third region detecting means 113e that detects a still region from an inter-frame difference of the input image signal.

Abstract: An image display device comprising a frame rate converting (FRC) portion can prevent image degradation at a screen boundary part attributed to the FRC processing when displaying an image obtained by combining a plurality of screens. The image display device comprises an FRC portion 10 for converting the number of frames of an input image signal by interpolating an image signal subjected to a motion compensation process between frames of the input image signal and a screen combining portion 13 for combining a plurality of screens. When displaying an image obtained by combining a plurality of screens, the screen combining portion 13 combines a plurality of screens by matching a motion detection block boundary when performing the motion compensation process by the FRC portion 10 with the respective screen boundaries of the plurality of screens.

Abstract: It is possible to control ambient illumination so as to be appropriate for an atmosphere of a scene to be imaged and shot setting intended by a video producer. A view environment control device includes a scene section detection processing unit (22) for a video to be displayed on a video display device (1) and a shot (atmosphere) estimation unit (23) of the video scene. The scene section detection processing unit (22) detects a video scene section and the shot (atmosphere) estimation unit (23) estimates the shot setting (atmosphere) by the illumination state of the shot where video is imaged and generates illumination control data appropriate for the scene, which is stored in (31). An illumination switching control unit (41) controls the illumination light of an illumination device (5) according to the illumination control data read from (31), thereby controlling the illumination appropriate for the video displayed on the video display device (1).

Abstract: Provided is an audio visual environment control system capable of realizing optimal audio-visual environment illumination control in accordance with the illumination condition upon shooting of a display image. A data transmission device comprises: a data multiplexing portion for multiplexing the shooting illumination data indicating the illumination condition at the shooting of each scene of video data on the video data, and a transmitting portion for modulating and transmitting the video data on which the shooting illumination data is multiplexed. A data receiving apparatus which receives the data comprises: a data separating portion 22 for separating the shooting illumination data from the video data, a CPU 23 for controlling the illuminating light of an illuminating device 27 in accordance with the illumination data, and an illumination control data generating portion 24.

Abstract: When a video signal type detecting section detects a video signal of PAL/SECAM (50 Hz) video signal, the input image data is subjected to enhancing conversion with a degree lower than the degree of enhancing conversion in the case of NTSC (60 Hz). With this, the response speed of liquid crystal is improved and an image noise on account of excessive enhancement is eliminated, so that the deterioration in image quality is prevented. As a result, the enhancing conversion with respect to the input image data is performed in such a manner as to compensate the optical characteristics of the liquid crystal display panel, and an image noise on account of excessive enhancing conversion with respect to PAL/SECAM (50 Hz) image data, and hence high-quality image display is realized.

Abstract: A backlight unit includes a fluorescent lamp to illuminate a liquid crystal panel, a reflection unit for causing the light from the fluorescent lamp to exit toward a certain direction, and a diffusion unit for diffusing the light from the fluorescent lamp and reflection unit, and reflectance or transmittance in the horizontal and vertical directions is controlled by applying a dot pattern that gradually increases densities from the central portion toward the peripheral portion to the reflection unit or diffusion unit, or by applying a dot pattern that gradually increased densities from the central portion toward the both ends in the longitudinal direction on the surface of the fluorescent tube of the fluorescent lamp. By doing this, brightness gradient is formed in the horizontal and vertical directions so that the brightness in the central portion of the liquid crystal panel is relatively higher than the brightness of the peripheral portion thereof.

Abstract: A flat panel display apparatus is provided which is capable of conducting a transition of a display unit between the landscape and portrait orientation at one step and rotating around the substantial central portion of said display unit. The flat panel display apparatus includes a thin flat display unit having a rectangular display screen thereon; a stand unit for supporting said display unit; and a horizontal rotary pin which is secured to the display unit on its rear side in the substantial center thereof and which holds said display unit so that display unit is rotatable by at least 90° relative to the stand unit and is characterized in that said display apparatus is provided with translational motion means which causes the translational motion of said display unit in a vertical direction in an interlocking manner with the rotation of said horizontal rotary pin secured to the display unit.

Abstract: To compensate for uneven brightness in the longitudinal direction of fluorescent lamps of a backlight unit and achieve a display screen with an even brightness, a reflection unit of the backlight unit, the fluorescent tube surface of the fluorescent lamps or a diffusion unit is used to either reduce the reflectance, transmittance, or radiation brightness of the high-voltage side of the fluorescent lamps or increase the reflectance, transmittance, or radiation brightness of the low-voltage side thereof so as to compensate for uneven brightness of the illumination light and thereby ensure an even brightness. For example, dot pattern regions D1, D2 and D3, i.e., the regions whose density increases in stages, are imparted to the portion of a reflection layer 13 of the backlight unit with a relatively high brightness.

Abstract: An edge detecting circuit detects whether a particular pixel belongs to an edge by determining whether the differential value of the pixel from the neighboring pixel is equal to or greater than a threshold. Based on the detection result, an emphasis converter stops OS drive when the image of a pixel area is regarded as an edge image in accordance with the detected result of the edge detecting circuit and implements OS drive when the image of a pixel area is not regarded as an edge image. In this way, the edge detecting circuit detects edge portions of the input video, whereby OS drive in the emphasis converter can be controlled so as to be turned on and off.

Abstract: A backlight unit includes a fluorescent lamp to illuminate a liquid crystal panel, a reflection unit for causing the light from the fluorescent lamp to exit toward a certain direction, and a diffusion unit for diffusing the light from the fluorescent lamp and reflection unit, and reflectance or transmittance in the horizontal and vertical directions is controlled by applying a dot pattern that gradually increases densities from the central portion toward the peripheral portion to the reflection unit or diffusion unit, or by applying a dot pattern that gradually increases densities from the central portion toward the both ends in the longitudinal direction on the surface of the fluorescent tube of the fluorescent lamp. By doing this, brightness gradient is formed in the horizontal and vertical directions so that the brightness in the central portion of the liquid crystal panel is relatively higher than the brightness of the peripheral portion thereof.