Abstract: A video apparatus includes a histogram modification means circuit for matching at least luminance signals (Y) for separate pixels to prescribed values. The histogram modification circuit has a first memory (3) with a first look-up table for correcting the video luminance signals (Y), and a second memory (4) with a second look-up table (4) for correcting the color-difference signals (U and V). The values within the second look-up table (4) are derived from the values in the first look-up table (3). Preferably, in order to obtain a distribution of a rounding-off error over a pixel's neighbor, each of the channels for the luminance (Y) and color-difference signals (U and V) includes a closed lsb (least significant bit) correction loop (14, 14′) with a quantizer (15, 15′) and a pixel memory (16, 16′), the input of the lsb correction loop being formed by the corrected luminance and corrected color-difference signals, respectively.

Abstract: A virtual PTZ camera is described which forms a virtual image using multiple cameras whose fields of view overlap. Images from the cameras are merged by transforming to a common surface and property-blending overlapping regions to smooth transitions due to differences in image formation of common portions of a scene. To achieve high speed, the images may be merged to a common planar surface or set of surfaces so that transforms can be linear. Image information alone may be used to calculate the transforms from common feature points located in the images so that there is no need for three-dimensional geometric information about the cameras.

Abstract: The behavior of a consumer electronics system is modeled by a plurality of dynamically changing system elements, such as, system states or variables. Preferably, the system is voice controlled. Instead of representing all system elements, like times-span and whether or not a command has been recognized, individually to the user, one appearance is chosen which represents actual values of a plurality of the system elements. The appearance is chosen from a plurality of different visual and/or auditive appearances of one object. Preferably, the object is an anthropomorphic character. The chosen appearance is presented to the user.

Abstract: In a method and arrangement for installing or updating a large number of television receivers in, e.g., hotels, one of the television receivers (1) is manually programmed. The data is then downloaded from the television receiver into a remote control unit (3) by modulating a conventional status LED (17) of the television receiver. In accordance with the invention, the status LED is of a type which emits visible light (171) as well as infrared light (172). The modulated infrared light beam (172) is detected by an infrared detector (34) of the remote control device and stored (35) therein. The data stored in the remote control unit is subsequently uploaded to other television receivers using the conventional infrared channel (33,15).

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for validating recommendations generated by a television program recommender using programmed viewing agents. A viewing agent is programmed with a set of rules that characterize the viewing preferences of a modeled viewer. During a training phase, the programmed rules of a viewing agent are applied to a set of training programs to obtain an agent viewing history. The method and apparatus estimates the required size of the viewing history to provide a given level of accuracy. The viewing agents can be programmed to introduce one or more random shows into the viewing history, or to change the preferences of the viewing agent over time, thereby allowing the television program recommender validator to evaluate how the program recommender processes such non-stationaries.

Abstract: An audio speaker for incorporation into garments, upholstery, etc., has a diaphragm (10) and connecting wires (18) or switch (48), and a concave cover (20 or 44) made of a heat-molded textile having a ceramic textile covering. The speaker is attached by stitching (16) to an aperture (12) in a piece of conventional textile (14), for easy incorporation into a garment. The speaker may be sewn into the hood of a sports garment, or may be attached by the switch to a conducting area within a concave area of a garment such as a dress.

Abstract: An electroacoustic transducer (1) has a membrane (19), which has a membrane axis (5) and a ring-shaped pleats area (22), the pleats area (22) being provided with a multitude of pleats (26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 38, 39, 40), in which diametrically opposed pleats are embodied differently with regard to at least one of the pleat parameters.

Abstract: A method and ballast for driving a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp include generating a very high frequency driving signal for the HID lamp, generating a low frequency modulating signal, amplitude modulating the driving signal with the modulating signal at a predetermined low initial modulation level, measuring a lamp voltage across the HID lamp, determining a standard deviation of the lamp voltage, comparing the standard deviation with a predetermined minimum level, if the standard deviation is above the predetermined minimum level, incrementally increasing the modulation level and repeating the amplitude modulating step, the measuring step, the determining step and the comparing step, and if the standard deviation is below the predetermined minimum level, maintaining the amplitude modulation at the determined level.

Abstract: In a method of interpolating a color sample in a signal (RGBin) having alternately colored samples, the missing color sample is interpolated in dependence upon neighboring color samples (G1, G2, G3, G4) of the same color (G) as the color sample to be interpolated, and a differently colored sample (R/B) from the same location as the color sample to be interpolated.

Abstract: A plurality of programs is displayed on screen in a grid of cells. When program in a particular column of cells is pointed to by a cursor, the programs in neighboring columns are shifted to improve the time-alignment of the programs in the row of the cursor.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing for example stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The transmission signals are arranged in consecutive frames, each frame including a plurality of information packets, and each information packet including N bits. The number of information packets in a frame is determined by the ratio of the product of the transmission bit-rate and the number of samples represented in the frame, to the product of the number of bits in a packet and the sampling frequency. The transmission signals are recorded in a record carrier, or are transmitted in real time. In a digital stereo audio signal embodiment, the samples may be sub-band encoded or transform encoded. The transmission signal may include an indicator signal indicating a combination of certain samples, or scale factor signals for specific components of the sampled signal.

Abstract: A high-quality signal, for example, a unity-bit coded (DSD) audio signal having a 2.822 MHz bit rate (fs1) is converted to a lower sample rate (fs3) PCM signal by a sample rate converter (102). The watermark is embedded at the lower sample rate by a conventional watermark embedder (101) which is capable of handling signals at this lower rate. The watermark (WM) is not otherwise available. It is subsequently retrieved by subtracting (103) the unwatermarked signal from the watermarked signal, and up-sampled (104) to an intermediate sampling rate (fs2). The DSD signal is converted (110) to a PCM signal at said intermediate sample rate. The retrieved watermark is then added (107) to the PCM signal and the watermarked PCM signal is back-converted (120) to a unity-bit coded DSD signal. The arrangement preferably includes a compensation circuit (105) which compensates the information signal X′ for any (e.g.

Abstract: An audio system includes a circuit (12) for processing an audio signal, this circuit (12) having an input (20) for receiving the audio signal and an output (26) for supplying an output signal. The circuit (12) further includes a harmonics generator (22) coupled to the input (20) for generating harmonics of the audio signal, and an adding circuit (24) coupled to the input (20) as well as to the harmonics generator (22) for supplying a sum of the audio signal and the generated harmonics to the output (26). The harmonics generator (22) is embodied so as to limit the amplitude of the generated harmonics.

Abstract: A display device (506) is driven in a number of sub-fields. Each of the sub-fields is for outputting a respective illumination level by the display device. In each sub-field, a pixel of the displayed image may emit an amount of light corresponding to the particular sub-field, depending on whether it is switched on or not. A required intensity level of the pixel is realized by selecting an appropriate combination of sub-fields in which the pixel is switched on. A selection is made from the possible intensity levels that can be generated by all possible combinations of sub-fields. This selection contains those intensity levels that can be generated by sub-fields that are temporally close together, thus causing that the light of a pixel is emitted during a relatively short period. The image display unit (300) has a look-up table (306) for storing the combinations of sub-fields for the respective selected intensity levels.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for correcting the color of objects appearing in a video image. The apparatus comprises: 1) a frame buffer for receiving and storing a first video frame from an incoming baseband video signal; 2) a memory for storing known pixel data corresponding to a plurality of known icons, the known pixel data comprising true color data values associated with the plurality of known icons; and 3) a color correction controller for comparing captured pixel data from the stored first video frame with the known pixel data stored in the memory and detecting a first actual image of a first known icon appearing in the stored first video frame. The color correction controller also compares a first true color data value associated with the first known icon and a first actual color data value associated with a first actual color in the first actual image of the first known icon.

Abstract: An spot position indication signal (A) is generated by an address generator (4). A deflection current (Ih,Iv) for deflecting an electron beam spot in one direction in a raster scanned cathode ray tube (2) has a shape for obtaining an approximate linear scan in the one direction. The address generator (4) supplies an spot position indication signal (A) which is related to the spot position if: the spot position indication signal (A) is a linear function in time: A(t)=A0+dA.t, and two predetermined (desired) addresses (A1,A2) occur at two selected levels (I1,I2) of the deflection current to which belong two positions on the picture tube screen.

Abstract: Most watermarking schemes are not resistant to geometric distortions of a watermarked image, because such manipulations destroy the correlation between the original watermark and the watermark in the manipulated image. In order to restore the correlation, a suspect image (Q) is analyzed (6) for the presence of a repeated data pattern. If such a pattern is found, it is concluded that the image has been watermarked by “tiling” a small-sized watermark pattern over the extent of the image. The actual detection of whether the watermark is a given watermark W is subsequently performed by determining the periodicity of the pattern found in the suspect image, and processing (9) the suspect image so as to match the periodicity of the processed image with the given periodicity of the watermark to be detected. If the suspect image indeed includes the given watermark W, the geometric manipulation is thereby undone and a conventional watermark detector (3) will signify this accordingly.

Abstract: In an apparatus (1) having a housing (2) with a first housing wall (4) and having a printed circuit board (8) which extends parallel to the first housing wall (4), an electroacoustic transducer (10) is mounted on the printed circuit board (8) with the aid of a holder (14), the holder (14) being mounted so as to be movable transversely with respect to the printed circuit board (8) and a spring device (17) being provided to urge the holder (14) together with the transducer (10) towards the first housing wall (4) under a spring load, and a part of the holder (14), at the same time, forming a sealing device(15), which guarantees a nominal isolation between the front (11) and the rear (120 of the transducer (10).

Abstract: A circuit for providing a variable amount of bass control on an input signal dependent on a signal level of the input signal includes a high-pass filter, a variable impedance shunt connected to the output of the high-pass filter, and a signal level detector for controlling the variable impedance shunt. Depending on the signal level, the variable impedance shunt varies the Q value of the high-pass filter so that at low signal levels, the Q value is at its maximum while at high signal values, the Q value is lowered.

Abstract: In a receiver, a frequency-synthesis circuit (SYNTH) generates a stepped-frequency signal (Ssf) having a frequency which can be varied in steps. A synchronization circuit (LOOP) synchronizes a tuning oscillator (LO) with the stepped-frequency signal (Ssf). It provides an integer frequency-relationship between the stepped-frequency signal (Ssf) and the tuning oscillator (LO). That is, if the stepped-frequency signal (Ssf) has a frequency Fsf, the tuning oscillator (LO) will operate at a frequency Flo=N·Fsf, N being an integer or an integer fraction.