Abstract: Total management information includes time zone information (TM_ZONE) indicating a time difference between a world standard time (Greenwich Mean Time) and a standard time in a predetermined location, wherein the data management information includes recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at a time of recoding the data, indicating a time difference between the world standard time (Greenwich Mean Time) and a standard time in a location where the data has been recorded; and data recording time information (REC_TM) indicating a recording time when the data has been recorded, and wherein the reproduction apparatus further includes a unit for specifying a local time in a location where the data recording time has been recorded, while the data is reproduced, in accordance with the data recording time information (REC_TM), the time zone information (TM_ZONE), and the recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at the data recording time.

Abstract: Data management information includes: recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at a time of recording data, indicating a time difference between the world standard time (Greenwich Mean Time) and a standard time in a location where the data of the group data for managing the data management information; first data recording time information indicating a recording time of data first recorded on the data group; and second data recording time information indicating a recording time of data last recorded on the data group, and wherein the reproduction apparatus further includes a unit for specifying respective local recording times in locations where the first recorded data and the last recorded data has been recorded, respectively, while the data is reproduced, in accordance with the first and second data recording time information, the time zone information (TM_ZONE), and the recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at the data recording time.

Abstract: A reproduction apparatus includes a specifying unit for specifying a local recording time in a location where the data first or last recorded on the data group has been recorded while the data is reproduced, and wherein the specifying means calculates, by (REC_TM)?(TM_ZONE)+(REC_TM_ZONE), a recording time at the local time of the data first recorded on the data group in accordance with the first data recording time information (REC_TM), the time zone information (TM_ZONE) and the recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at the data recording time; and a recording time at the local time of the data last recorded on the data group in accordance with the second data recording time information (REC_TM), the time zone information (TM_ZONE) and the recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at the data recording time, respectively.

Abstract: Arrangements including a specifying unit for specifying a local recording time in a location where the data has been recorded, in accordance with in accordance with the data recording time information (REC_TM), the time zone information (TM_ZONE), and the recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at the data recording time, and wherein the specifying means specifies the local recording time in the location where the data has been recorded, at only a case where the flag indicates that the recording time zone information (REC_TM_ZONE) at the data recording time specifies the time difference from the world standard time (Greenwich Mean Time) in the location where the data has been recorded.

Abstract: A conventional coding method has a problem that, for frame-by-frame reverse playback, data must be once decoded in a forward direction and thus a larger volume of data must be processed and a larger volume of memory is required. By recoding a forward predicted picture and a backward predicted picture for a frame in a bit stream, the bit stream can be played back reversely frame by frame easily. By the use of this method for multi-viewpoint video coding, a device that can play back pictures while varying the viewpoint in real time is realized.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image coding apparatus and an image coding program that execute quantization control so that a generating bit is made close to a target bit. The image coding apparatus according to the present invention includes a generated bit measurement unit, a target bit setting unit, a residual bit computing unit for computing a residual value between the generated bit and the target bit, a remaining video buffer capacity measurement unit, and a quantization parameter computing unit for computing a quantization parameter to set the same to the quantization unit. The quantization parameter computing unit computes a quantization parameter for next image data to be encoded on the basis of at least one of the residual value computed and the remaining video buffer capacity measured.

Abstract: In the motion search in the inter-frame prediction coding, parameters necessary for the motion search, such as sample-point spacing and sample-point number in the step search, are controlled using a unit for calculating the complexity of an image and a unit for estimating the movement amount of the image. This configuration makes it possible to provide the scheme for searching for the high-speed and high-accuracy motion vector, and the image coding device for performing this motion search.

Abstract: A technique for improving a compression rate without needing new determination information (encoding flag information) is provided. For compression of each area to be encoded, based on a skip mode (a process which does not compress information of the area to be encoded, but copies previous information of the area to be encoded), it is determined whether an existing predicted image generated by an existing encoding standard is used, or an interpolation predicted image newly generated by executing move searching between decoded images is used.

Abstract: In methods in which coding is performed by switching, per area, between a predicted image generated by an existing coding standard and an image newly generated by performing motion estimation between decoded images, it is necessary to further provide determination information as to which image is to be used, which may in some cases result in compression efficiency that is inferior to those of conventional standards depending on the input video. By determining whether a predicted image generated by an existing coding standard is to be used or an image newly generated by performing motion estimation between decoded images is to be used based on coding information within the frame to be coded or within a previously coded frame, the need for such determination information is obviated to improve compression efficiency.

Abstract: The open/close body drive device is capable of restarting a brushless motor, without using magnetic pole sensors, so as to securely drive an open/close body in an arbitrary direction when any of the magnetic pole sensors has failed. When a CPU (1) detects an abnormal logic as a detection pattern of the magnetic pole sensors (9), the CPU (1) determines that the sensor has failed and temporarily stops drive of a DC brushless motor (5), and a motor drive unit (4) generates a phase switching signal to prolong one of electric connection patterns for performing sensorless drive when restarting the DC brushless motor (5).

Abstract: The open/close body drive device is capable of restarting a brushless motor, without using magnetic pole sensors, so as to securely drive an open/close body in an arbitrary direction when any of the magnetic pole sensors has failed. When a CPU (1) detects an abnormal logic as a detection pattern of the magnetic pole sensors (9), the CPU (1) determines that the sensor has failed and temporarily stops drive of a DC brushless motor (5), and a motor drive unit (4) generates a phase switching signal to prolong one of electric connection patterns for performing sensorless drive when restarting the DC brushless motor (5).

Abstract: In an image encoding/decoding device of the present invention, the prediction direction in a target block, i.e., a block which becomes the target of the intra-frame prediction processing, is estimated by taking advantage of pre-encoded blocks which are adjacent to the target block. First, as edge information on decoded images on the adjacent blocks, intensities and angles of the edges are calculated. Next, of the degrees of likelihood calculated with respect to each prediction direction by taking advantage of this edge information and, e.g., a neural network, the prediction direction whose degree of likelihood is the highest is employed as the prediction direction in the target block. Also, a variable-length code table is dynamically created based on the estimated result, which allows a significant reduction in the prediction-direction representing code amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image encoding/decoding technique that is capable of achieving the higher compression efficiency. An image encoding method comprises: an intra prediction step which performs intra prediction on a block basis to generate a predicted image; a subtraction step which calculates the difference in prediction between the predicted image generated by the intra prediction step and an original image; a frequency conversion step which performs frequency conversion processing for the difference in prediction; a quantization step which subjects the output of the frequency conversion step to quantization processing; and a variable-length encoding step which subjects the output of the quantization step to variable-length encoding processing; wherein the intra prediction encoding step predicts a target pixel to be encoded by use of pixel values of two reference pixels between which the target pixel to be encoded is located.

Abstract: In the intra-screen predictive coding according to the H.264/AVC, adjacent encoded pixels are used to perform prediction of a target block, so that the prediction needs to be performed by referencing spatially-separate pixels. As such, the prediction accuracy is not always sufficient. Adjacent pixels are always used to perform the intra-screen predictive coding and decoding. In the coding, the difference value (prediction residue) between the adjacent pixels is calculated in a certain direction (predicting direction) and encoded with the predicting direction. In the coding of each block, adjacent pixels may have not been encoded yet. In that case, the difference value between adjacent pixels in an original image is encoded. On the other hand, in the decoding, processing to add a value produced by decoding the previous pixel value and the prediction residue is repeated in a predicting direction to obtain a decoded image.

Abstract: A conventional coding method has a problem that for frame-by-frame reverse playback, data must be once decoded in a forward direction and thus a larger volume of data must be processed and a larger volume of memory is required. By recoding a forward predicted picture and a backward predicted picture for a frame in a bit stream, the bit stream can be played back reversely frame by frame easily. By the use of this method for multi-viewpoint video coding, a device that can play back pictures while varying the viewpoint in real time is realized.

Abstract: An image coding and decoding apparatus includes functions, in which an image of every block including either an entire input image or an image divided from the input image is compressed, a Radon transform is applied to the compressed image to generate a coefficient, the generated coefficient is transformed in a frequency, and the frequency transformed coefficient is quantized to generate coding data to generate a coding stream, in the encoding, and an inverse quantization is applied to a coding coefficient included in the coding stream to generate a coefficient, an inverse frequency transform is applied to the generated coefficient, an inverse Radon transform is applied to the inversed frequency transformed coefficient to generate a decompress image, an expand process is applied to the decompression image to decode a residual component, and a predicted image is synthesized with the residual component to generate a reconstructed image, in the decoding.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for recording motion picture with higher compression efficiency. The method comprising the steps of: performing block-based motion search for an input picture to calculate a motion vector of each block; setting up blocks having a similar motion vector as a similar motion area, the similar motion vector included in calculated motion vectors; calculating a representative motion vector by use of a motion vector provided by each block included in the set similar motion area; selecting which of the calculated representative motion vector or the motion vector provided by each block is to be used, for each block; and generating encoded data by use of the motion vector selected based on the result of the selection and a prediction picture of each block generated using the motion vector.

Abstract: On an information registering equipment, content of interest rendered by media, such as a video image of interest distributed by TV broadcasting is captured and displayed. Position/area on the image are defined with a mouse or the like to obtain the target position/area. Information to identify the content is obtained from the TV tuner. Reference information is obtained through input means or by retrieval from the server for reference information. The obtained information specifics are transmitted to an information search equipment that in turn stores then into its database. An information viewing equipment obtains the target position/area and information to identify the content of interest and transmits the thus obtained data to the information search equipment. The information search equipment matches that data with each data record in the database and transmits reference information to the information viewing equipment on which the reference information is displayed.

Abstract: An image processor includes a motion vector acquisition section for acquiring and outputting an image motion vector in pixel or a predetermined block unit from plural frames included in an input image signal; and a frame interpolation section for generating an interpolated frame by using the motion vector provided by the motion vector acquisition section and for combining the interpolated frame with a frame of the input image signal, thereby composing a signal of a new frame sequence. The motion vector acquisition section includes a first motion vector acquisition section acquiring a motion vector by matching process and a second motion vector acquisition section acquiring a motion vector based on a relative misalignment of a predetermined edge component between two temporally successive frames in a specific area of an input image signal's frame.

Abstract: A decoding method for a motion picture, for reducing coding bits of coded data, and for preventing a decoded picture from deterioration in picture quality thereof, comprises a step for receiving information relating to motion search, a step for conducting the motion search with using a reference picture to be memorized and the information relating to said motion search, and a step for producing a prediction picture from the motion vector, which is obtained with said motion search, and the reference picture to be recoded. Also, a coding process is conducted for producing a flag indicating of conduction of motion search on a decoding side, corresponding to that decoding process.