Abstract: The invention relates to a method of generating a left modified and a right modified audio signal for a stereo system from multichannel audio signals (XL, XR, XLS, XRS, and XC) with a left and a right channel and at least one further audio channel. According to the invention, the signal of the channel of highest energy is modified in a filter (1) with a transformation function in a first parallel branch (2) and is modified in a second filter (6) with a reverberation function in a second parallel branch (5), whereupon the modified signals are joined together in a summation unit (8).

Abstract: A filter device (1) includes a main filter unit (10), such as a 2-D comb filter, implemented in hardware, with an input for receiving a video signal (?) and an output for providing a filtered video signal (?1), a controllable temporal noise reduction unit (20) receiving the filtered video signal (?1) from the main filter unit (10), to perform a noise reduction operation on the filtered video signal (?1), and a unit (14, 30, 40) for detecting a very low amount of motion in a video image of the filtered video signal (?1) and for controlling the controllable temporal noise reduction unit (20) on the basis of the detected very low amount of motion, so as to enable the filter device (1) to reduce cross-luminance and/or cross-color as well when only a very low amount of motion is present in the signal.

Abstract: In a method of text improvement, image text in an image is detected (SW, Det), the image is scaled (Scal) to adjust first numbers of pixels per line and lines per image of the image to second numbers of pixels per line and lines per image that fit in with a display (D) on which the image is to be displayed, and the image is processed (Post-proc) in dependence on a result of the text detection.

Abstract: A method and device for recording information blocks on a record carrier is described. The device has control means 20 for recording and retrieving position data indicative of the position of the recorded information blocks. The control means include a mapping unit 31 for determining in which region the information block is recorded and a detection unit 32. The region is one of a number of consecutive regions constituting the recordable area. The mapping unit records a random signal unit in a unit location in a mapping area. The unit location indicates region, and the unit length of the random signal unit is smaller then the length of information block. The detection unit 32 detects the presence of the recorded random signal units in mapping area and so determines if a region contains at least one information block. The highest written address is found by detecting the highest written unit location in the mapping area, and subsequently searching region for the presence of recorded marks.

Abstract: In a method of locating problem areas in an image signal (I), a motion vector field (Df) is estimated for the image signal (I), and edges are detected in the motion vector field (Df). In a corresponding method of interpolating images between existing images (I), image parts are interpolated (MCI) in dependence upon a presence of edges; preferably, an order statistical filtering (med) is used at edges.

Abstract: Stereo echo cancellation is necessary to overcome the objections observed by, for example, teleconferencing, voice controlled video/audio apparatuses, etc. To improve the existing filters, an adaptive filter is used along with a signal processing device which obtain the coefficient updates in the transformed domain, reducing the required calculation complexity. Further, the filter includes circuitry for reducing the correlation between the input signals on the coefficient updates.

Abstract: A method of synchronizing visual information with audio playback includes the steps of selecting a desired audio file from a list stored in memory associated with a display device, sending a signal from the display device to a separate playback device to cause the separate playback device to start playing the desired audio file; and displaying visual information associated with the desired audio file on the display device in accordance with timestamp data such that the visual information is displayed synchronously with the playing of the desired audio file, wherein the commencement of playing the desired audio file and the commencement of the displaying step are a function of the signal from the display device.

Abstract: An audio signal processing device includes a signal supply for supplying speech and music signals via one or more input channels. The device further includes a signal separator for separating the speech and music signals. A first converter converts the music signals into desired virtual widened signals from one or more input channels. A signal combiner used to combine the speech signals with the widened music signals.

Abstract: A record carrier has substantially parallel tracks having first variations of a first physical parameter and second variations of a second physical parameter of the track. The first variations represent information recorded on the record carrier, this information being recoverable by a controllable type of data processing. A modulation pattern of the second variations represents a code for controlling the type of data processing. In respect of a code track that includes the modulation pattern, the modulation pattern in the left neighboring track is aligned to the modulation pattern in the right neighboring track. Thereby crosstalk due to the second variations is decreased, and at least two tracks have the same modulation pattern. The playback device has a demodulator (50) and a control unit (56) for retrieving the code from at least two tracks.

Abstract: A system for recommending television programs makes use of probabilistic calculations and a viewer profile to create a recommendation. The probabilistic calculations preferably are in the form of Bayesian classifier theory. Modifications to classical Bayesian classifier theory are proposed.

Abstract: A record carrier (1) has a servo track (4) indicating an information track (9) intended for recording information blocks represented by marks. The servo track (4) has a periodic variation of a physical parameter at a predetermined frequency and modulated parts for encoding position information at regular intervals. The modulated parts start with a bit sync element and are of a data type having a data bit element or of a word sync type having a word sync element. The bit sync element and the data bit element are modulated according to a same predetermined type of modulation of the periodic variation. The modulated parts further include modulated parts (40, 41) of an isolated bit sync type only having the bit sync element.

Abstract: A random number generating system operates to generate an output number bit sequence based on an entropy estimation of a true random number bit sequence, the randomness of the output number bit being an improvement of the randomness of the true random number bit sequence. A physical random number generator communicates the true random number bit sequence to an entropy estimator, which generates an estimation signal indicative of the randomness of the true random number bit sequence. The estimation signal is communicated to a decimator whereby, in accordance with estimation signal, the decimator generates the output number bit as a representation of a decimation of a mixing of the true random number bit sequence and the pseudo random number bit sequence, or as a representation of a decimation of the pseudo random number bit sequence when the pseudo random number bit sequence is generated as a function of the true random number bit sequence.

Abstract: The invention relates to a motion-compensated interpolation of a data-signal, which data-signal comprises successive images wherein each image comprises groups of pixels, in which motion vectors are generated (18), each motion vector corresponding to a group of pixels of one image, between a group of pixels of said one image and a second group of pixels of another image in the data-signal, and interpolated results are obtained (16) as a function of these motion vectors. In accordance with the present invention, the reliability of each motion vector corresponding to a particular group of pixels is estimated (20), weights are calculated as a function of the reliability of the motion vectors, and interpolated luminous intensities of groups of pixels are generated for an interpolated image by calculating, on the basis of these weights, weighted averages of the interpolated results.

Abstract: A method and device for adding or extracting a secondary information signal to/from a runlength-limited code sequence, includes detecting a polarity of a runlength at a first predetermined position of the runlength-limited code sequence and setting a parameter reflecting the degree of freedom that is present in the runlength-limited channel code, e.g., the selection of a merging bit pattern in the CD-standard, on the basis of the detected polarity so as to obtain a predetermined polarity of a runlength at a subsequent second predetermined position of the runlength-limited code sequence. The predetermined polarity then corresponds to a binary value of the secondary information. Thus, a side-channel with a small capacity is provided, which is positioned very close to the physical channel such that the secondary information is hard to be detected from the EFM bit stream. Therefore, the side-channel can be used as a hidden channel for copy protection purposes.

Abstract: When recording data on a record carrier of the DC content of the data recorded is important in order to allow accurate reproduction of the data. The Digital Sum Value represents the DC content; the Digital Sum Value can be controlled by replacing code words at the output of an encoder by code words that can never occur during encoding. The replacement code word has different parity than the code word it replaces. The resulting stream of code words is subsequent encoded using an NRZI coder, so that the change in parity resulting from replacement code word results in a change of polarity of the NRZI output. The replacement code word can thus be used to change the polarity of the NRZI output to keep the Digital Sum Value low.

Abstract: Noise reduction is an important feature in consumer television. This is realized by spatial, temporal or spatio-temporal filters. Spatial filters require pixels from within one image, while temporal filters require samples from two or more successive images. The spatio-temporal filter unit (100) integrates spatial and implicit motion-compensated temporal noise reduction in one filter. For the motion compensation, no motion vectors are required. The spatio-temporal filter unit (100) is provided with a sigma filter (112) having one filter kernel (107) designed to operate on the pixels from both a current image and from the output of the spatio-temporal filter unit, being a temporally recursive filtered image. The operation of the spatio-temporal filter unit (100) can be adjusted by varying the thresholds of the sigma filter (112) and the selection of pixels. The adjustments can be controlled by a motion estimator (222), a motion detector (224) and a noise estimator (220).

Abstract: In a interconnection assembly having two relays (R1, R2) for establishing a bi-directional wireless communication between two audio and/or video devices (4, 8) situated in different rooms (2, 3) in a building (1), a first one (4) of the two audio and/or video devices including a source (SAV) of audio and/or video electrical signals which can be controlled by means of a remote-control signal (6), the second (8) of the two audio and/or video devices including a receiver (TV2) and a remote control (TC) generating remote-control signals unable to pass through the walls of a building, one (R2) of the relays sending the remote-control information by radio link to the other relay (R1) which is able to return audio and/or video signals by radio link from the source (SAV) to the relay (R2), a coder (13) is provided for inserting a code in the remote-control information (9) and a decoder is provided (18) for decoding the coded remote-control information received by the relay (R1), comparing the code contained in the co

Abstract: A method and system for calculating a UME for each pixel in a frame of video data. A system for enhancing sharpness of a coded digital video signal representative a frame of block-based data is provided, comprising: a system for calculating a UME of each pixel in the frame in accordance with a frame type, wherein the calculating system includes: a mechanism that defines local spatial features in the frame; a mechanism that analyzes block-based motion estimation for the frame; a mechanism that detects a scene change in the frame; and a sharpness enhancer that improves sharpness to a decoded version of the digital video signal based on said UME.

Abstract: The present invention relates to magneto-optical recording technique whereby improved domain expansion reading is achieved. A mark region is recorded as a sub-mark portion and an adjacent sub-space portion, wherein the length of the sub-mark portion is set to be less than or equal to the length of the sub-space portion. Stray field variations due to different runlengths of the recording data can thus be equalized even for short channel bit lengths, while the resolution and/or power margin is improved.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for facilitating a subsequent choice of a motion vector from a plurality of candidate motion vectors in a motion estimation method, include receiving video image data from first, second and third consecutive groups (10, 20, 30) of image data. A first image part (12) of the first group of image data (10), a second image part (22) of the second group of image data (20), and a third image part (32) of the third group of image data (30) are identified, wherein the positions of the three image parts (12, 22, 32) correspond to a motion trajectory that is indicated by a candidate motion vector. A first error measure is then calculated by testing for differences between the first image part (12) and the third image part (32) and quantified as a first error measure. A second error measure is calculated by testing for differences between either the first image part (12) and the second image part (22) or the second image part and the third image part and quantified as a second error measure.