Abstract: An ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) VSB (Vestigial Sideband) receiver includes a carrier tracking loop (CTL) for processing a received ATSC VSB signal and a CTL lock detector. The CTL lock detector includes an averaging filter for averaging the down-converted received ATSC VSB signal to provide a DC offset, an estimator for providing an estimate of the DC offset, and a comparator for providing a lock signal as a function of a comparison between the estimate of the DC offset and the DC offset, wherein the lock signal is representative of either a locked condition or an unlocked condition of the CTL.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a planar antenna carried by a substrate comprising a slot in the form of a closed curve dimensioned to operate at a given frequency, supplied by a feeder line intersecting the slot at a point known as an excitation point, characterized in that at least two short circuits in parallel on the slot are positioned with respect to the excitation point so as to match the impedance to the excitation point and/or the polarization of the antenna.

Abstract: A method and a system for identifying a copy of an image sequence which is presented on a screen. At least one identifier distinct from the image sequence can be projected through the screen such that the identifier is displayed using visible light along with the image sequence. The identifier can be presented at periodic intervals and can define a theater location, a date and/or a time. A color and/or an illumination of at least a portion of the image sequence presentation can be measured. Based on the measured illumination and/or color, a projection brightness and/or color can be determined for the identifier. Also, a location on the screen through which the identifier should be projected can be determined.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing an antenna comprising a conductive wire, formed by a wire, made of a conductive material, whose path has a helical shape. In accordance with the invention, such a method is characterized in that a print is formed in relief on one side of an element of an electrically insulating material such that the helical shape is generated by depositing the conductive material in this print.

Abstract: The invention can be used to play back an audiovisual or audio document received in a first encoding format within a local area network. A first device plays back the document in the received format, then a user decides to play back the document on a device having a second encoding format. Playback is first stopped on the first device and the document is stored. The user starts playing back the document on the second device at the moment at which playback of it was stopped on the first device. Depending on the decoding means of the second device, the document is transcoded from the first encoding format to the second encoding format. The invention also relates to a management device for issuing storage and transcoding requests so that a document played back from a first device can be transferred to a second device regardless of the capabilities for playing back encoded documents on the first and second devices.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a portable optical disk drive having a power save mode for reducing the energy consumption. It is an object of the invention to propose an improved solution for a power save mode. This object is achieved by a method for driving an optical disk drive in a power save mode having the steps of: receiving an indication to start power save mode turning off a servo driver of the optical disk drive after that, turning off a photodetector of the optical disk drive awaiting an indication to stop power save mode turning on said photodetector after that, turning on said servo driver.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device in a communication network, the device comprising a component for obtaining a permanent identifier of the devices connected to the network and a component for establishing an association table between the permanent identifier of a device and a temporary identifier of the device in the network. The component for establishing the association table is adapted to read the permanent identifier of a device, the reading sequence of the permanent identifiers on the devices being based on a parameter pertaining to the device performing the reading. The invention also concerns a corresponding method.

Abstract: A process for converting the format of an image sequence wherein, for a coded pixel group to be converted, if the mode of coding used is of the inter type with no residue, the conversion is performed by a copy of a converted pixel group of a preceding image linked by the motion vector associated with said coded pixel group.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for reducing the effect of column memory. The method includes the steps of activating one of a plurality of row electrodes, selectively applying a video input signal to a plurality of column electrodes, and setting at least one of the plurality of column electrodes to a substantially constant voltage prior to activating a subsequent row electrode. In one arrangement, the substantially constant voltage can correlate to a flat field. The method can also include repeating the steps of activating one of the plurality of row electrodes step, selectively applying the video input signal step, and setting at least one of the plurality of column electrodes to the substantially constant voltage step in which the steps can be performed in a liquid crystal on silicon imager.

Abstract: An apparatus, system and method for detecting ink errors in optical disk printing are provided. The apparatus, system and method include a sensor mount structure and a plurality of optical sensors mounted on the mount structure and in registration with a print table. A controller selectively activates the optical sensors in accordance with a relative motion between the optical sensors and the printing station such that the optical sensors each scan an assigned region of the print table to detect ink outside of an area where an object to be printed is placed.

Abstract: The invention is a method and remote control apparatus for controlling an electronic device that is capable of indicating a low battery state without the need for cooperation with the electronic device. In one aspect, the invention is a remote control apparatus for controlling an electronic device comprising: a power supply having a voltage; and means to activate an indicator, wherein the activation means activates the indicator in the first way when the voltage is at or above a predefined threshold and the activation means activates the indicator in the second way when the voltage is below a predefined threshold.

Abstract: Electromagnetic deflection unit for colour cathode-ray tubes, including a pair of frame deflection coils and a pair of line deflection coils, at least one of these two pairs of coils having the shape of a saddle, each saddle-shaped deflection coil having a rear bundle placed on the side facing the electron gun and a front bundle placed on the side facing the screen, two lateral harnesses of conductors connecting the front bundle to the rear bundle, each lateral harness being characterized in that the external edge of the said lateral harness lies in a radial angular position close to 0° at the rear of the coil and in a radial angular position greater than 5° at the front of the coil, so as to minimize the trapezoid differential error between the red and blue beams.

Abstract: Today the storage of audiovisual (AV) data on storage media employs standardized coding schemes, e.g. MPEG-2. End user devices for AV presentation, like disc players, contain dedicated decoders implemented in hardware, which are able to decode data streams complying with the respective standard. The efficiency of this decoding methodology relies on the standardization of appropriate coding schemes. Proprietary coding schemes may be more efficient by being adapted to the content, or may be used for content protection or optional features. Using reconfigurable decoder hardware, storing the configuration data for the actual decoder on the same storage medium as the AV data, and downloading the data to configure the player can be used to implement proprietary coding schemes. Such schemes require appropriate player hardware, suitable to execute a downloaded decoder under real-time conditions, and a standardized format to store the decoder configuration data.

Abstract: The invention relates to a recording or reproduction apparatus for optical recording media having means for increasing the resolution of a digital-to-analog converter (DA), such as, for example, a digital-to-analog converter (DA) which is provided in the servo regulating circuit of a recording or reproduction apparatus and has a smaller bit width than its digital data source (DD). In order to increase the resolution or precision of the digital-to-analog converter (DA), a method and a circuit arrangement are provided by means of which less significant bits (L) of the digital data source (DD) are quantized and the quantization result is added to the value of more significant bits (H) of the digital data source (DD) with the exception of the maximum value of the more significant bits (H) for the purpose of increasing the resolution of the output signal of the digital-to-analog converter (DA).

Abstract: The method includes segmentation of the video image into image blocks, movement estimation per image block in order to obtain a field of movement vectors. It is characterized in that it includes a stage of reassignment of a vector to a block by selecting one movement vector from among N predominant vectors belonging to the field of vectors. The applications relate to movement estimation, for example, by image-block matching.

Abstract: The method of the invention generates an address signal for addressing columns or rows of a PDP. In the case of addressing a column, for example, the method comprises the following steps. For a phase T1, a DC voltage V1 is applied across the terminals of a solenoid L, so that the latter stores energy, and applies a voltage A across the terminals of a selected column. During a phase T2, some of the energy stored in the solenoid L is discharged into the column until the voltage across the terminals of the column becomes about zero. During a phase T3, an approximately zero voltage is maintained across the terminals of the column. According to one embodiment the selection of the column(s) during this phase is modifiable. During a phase T4, the solenoid L is charged with current stored in a capacitor until the voltage across the terminals of the column is zero.

Abstract: The DVD Stream Recording standard defines application packets as the logically smallest units created from the input data stream during recording. Usually the conversion from a point on the time axis to a corresponding application packet is realized by using a mapping list available in the navigation data. However, depending on the target time and a Stream Object selected, the match found can vary significantly. The invention allows editing a recorded stream of application packets with higher precision. The stream comprises at least a first application packet having a first arrival time stamp and a subsequent second application packet having a second arrival time stamp. For editing the recorded stream a discrete time is input that is a start time or an end time and has a value between the first arrival time stamp and the second arrival time stamp. The discrete time is mapped onto the first or the second arrival time stamp, and the recorded stream is edited correspondingly.

Abstract: The invention relates to an antenna system comprising a first type of antenna and second and third antennas of a second type. The first to third antennas are slots which are excited by longitudinal radiation and are placed on the same edge of the same substrate. The first antenna is placed between the second and third antennas. This system is particularly suitable for integration in a PCMCIA card.

Abstract: A symmetric key management process in a communication network comprising a source device furnished with a source of data to be broadcast over the network and at least one receiver device intended to receive the broadcast data. The process comprises: determining and securely transmitting a first symmetric key to a receiver device; the receiver device encrypting the first symmetric key using a second symmetric key and transmitting it to the source device; and the source device recovering and storing it. Before transmitting the data to at least one reception device, the source device encrypts these data with the aid of the first symmetric key, then it transmits these encrypted data, accompanied by the first encrypted symmetric key, to at least one receiver device. The receiver device decrypts the first symmetric key with the aid of the second key which it possesses, then it decrypts the encrypted data with the aid of the first symmetric key thus recovered.

Abstract: A video decoder system operates in different configurations to request and acquire information using one or more communication links and different communication protocols. A method for acquiring information requested by a User via a program guide selection involves retrieving access data from memory. The access data is retrieved in response to a User selection made from options shown on a displayed program guide. A data identifier is derived from program map data associating the data identifier and the User selection. Information is identified in an input signal in response to the access data using the identifier. The identified information is retrieved from the input signal to produce a retrieved information output and the retrieved information is formatted for display. The decoder may establish a Request communication link with a first device using the access data.