Abstract: There is provided a serial compressed bus interface having a reduced pin count. The interface includes a serial-to-parallel converter having a single serial data input line adapted to receive time-division multiplexed serial data from a plurality of data sources. Enable logic is adapted to input at least one data valid signal that identifies each of a plurality of data consumers for which the time-division multiplexed serial data is valid.

Abstract: Hacking of a class of Set-Top Boxes known as Integrated Receiver-Decoders (IRDs) used to receive satellite broadcasts for display on television sets is prevented by use of connections to the reprogramming enable pin of a flash memory. If a user attempts to reprogram the boot sector of the flash memory in order to obtain free service via privacy, the set-top box is destroyed. The invention relates to the design and manufacture of IRDs that are resistant to hacking via unauthorized reprogramming.

Abstract: A wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitter includes a power amplifier and a predistorter for injecting a distortion signal into an RF signal prior to amplification for use in linearizing the power amplifier; wherein the predistorter includes a phase shifter operating at less than twice a carrier frequency of the RF signal.

Abstract: A method for verifying that a source device is authorized to communicate otherwise protected content to a sink device in a conditional access system using identification codes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing a photonic bandgap structure on a slot-type microwave device which is produced on a metallized substrate. According to the invention, periodically-spaced patterns are formed on the surface of the aforementioned substrate opposite the surface comprising the slot. The invention is suitable for slot-type antennas.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a FINLINE type microwave band-pass filter comprising a waveguide provided with an insulating substrate placed in an E plane of the guide and comprising on at least one of the surfaces, conductive inserts electrically connected to the internal surfaces of the guide which support the substrate and which determine by their dimensions and their positioning on the substrate a Chebyshev type filter response curve. The filter includes at least one cavity in perpendicular short circuit to the substrate, the positioning and the dimensions of the cavity determining a transmission zero on the filter response curve for attenuating the frequencies situated around this zero. Such a filter is used in particular in transmission terminals operating in the Ka band.

Abstract: The method is applicable to a receiver (1) of signals corresponding to packets of digital data transmitted in bursts, which comprises an analogue pickup subassembly (3) connected to a digital processing subassembly (8) by means for converting analogue signals into digital signals (7). Gain adjustment means (5) act on the amplification means (5) in order to alter the power of signals supplied to the conversion means. The method provides a preadjustment of the gain, in the absence of a burst, for detecting the arrival of signals even if they are weak, and an adjustment of the gain as a function of a power value of the signal determined from burst start symbols, as obtained after conversion. This adjustment is dependent on the recognition of symbols scheduled at the start of a burst, it is carried out during a time scheduled for a symbol otherwise left unexploited by the method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a microwave filter comprising a coaxial structure, consisting of a tubular outer conductor and an inner bar conductor. According to the invention, the inner bar conductor extends in an axial direction inside the outer tube and, together with said tube, forms a series of concentric slots in the axial direction thereby defining successive coaxial line segments with low characteristic impedance and coaxial line segments with high characteristic impedance. The aforementioned concentric slots are produced in a synthetic foam block.

Abstract: The process is characterized in that, the zoomed image being defined by its horizontal and vertical homothety ratio with respect to the coded image, it performs the following steps: calculation of the horizontal and vertical sizes of an initial display rectangle from which would be obtained the sizes of the target display rectangle as defined by the profile and level information by applying the horizontal and vertical homothety ratios, storage in the display_horizontal_size and display_vertical_size fields of an MPEG2 video data stream of the horizontal and vertical sizes of the initial display rectangle.

Abstract: Stream recording assumes e.g. a settop box to be connected to a DVD Streamer. The connection is e.g. of IEEE 1394 type using interfaces including transmitting and receiving firmware. Stream Data include one or more Stream Objects which each can be stored as a Program Stream as described in ISO/IEC 13818-1, Systems. The invention allows to realise Access Units in such DVD Streamer. Each Stream Object contains its own Access Unit data. A trickplay mode, e.g. fast forward, is performed by selecting the desired Access Units which are derived from a mapping list with incremental application packet arrival times.

Abstract: A port cover for covering a port formed in a host device, the port cover includes a bottom portion, a plurality of side portions, and couplers to attach the sides to a host device, where said couplers attach on either side of the port.

Abstract: A television monitor display with video signal processing comprises a source (SM) of a video display signal (Y) including a sync component (S). A video processor (U1) is coupled to process the video display signal (Y). A sync separator (SS) is coupled to generate separated synchronizing signals (Sy) from the sync component (S) of the video display signal (Y). A video amplifier (100) is coupled to the sync separator (SS) and the video processor (U1) and generates an output video signal (Ys+) wherein a sync component (S+) of the output video signal is increased in amplitude in accordance with the separate synchronizing signals (Sy) coupled to the video amplifier (100).

Abstract: Video data are transmitted to a receiver. A language menu is displayed from which a user selects a language that can be different from the original language broadcast with the video data. Video data identification information and language identification information corresponding to the language selected from the menu is derived and transmitted to e.g. an Internet server. The identification information is used to select an audio translation data set from several audio translation data sets stored in said server, wherein each of said several audio translation data sets includes a language translation of original audio data related to said video data. The selected audio translation data set is sent to the receiver and reproduced synchronously together with said video data.

Abstract: The invention relates to a Reed-Solomon decoder and to a method of soft decision decoding of Reed-Solomon codes, wherein a syndrome polynomial, an erasure polynomial, and a modified syndrome polynomial are computed on-the-fly in parallel by iteratively updating coefficients of these polynomials.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a method of positioning antennas with sectorization in a data transmission system. The method makes it possible to search, by successive approximations, for the sector of each antenna allowing optimal reception of the information. The search step is repetitive.

Abstract: The invention relates to a receiver 1 of signals and proposes to remedy a non-linearity problem in an amplifier 70 of an integrated tuner 7.A linearity compensation circuit 8 is inserted upline from the tuner 7.The compensation circuit 8 presents a characteristic that is the inverse of the characteristic of the low-noise amplifier 708 in order to compensate for the linearity defect.

Abstract: The invention deals with a physical layer circuit for the IEEE1394 bus. Considered is a scenario where two clusters of 1394 devices are linked to each other by means of a wireless bridge. The devices of one cluster shall communicate with devices of the other cluster without being bridge aware. Under this scenario there are two different types of 1394 devices existing in each cluster. One device is a bridge portal and will have the bridge functionality. All the other 1394 devices in the cluster will not have the bridge functionality. As the device having the bridge functionality needs to have a specific buffer memory for buffering node-ID packets, usually there are two different types of physical layer circuits required for the different types of 1394 devices. The invention deals with the problem of how it can be realized to use in both different types of 1394 devices the same type of physical layer circuit. The invention solves the problem by means of configuration means in the physical layer circuit.

Abstract: A communication installation for communal reception of digital television and/or of multimedia data, which receives a plurality of signals emanating from separate sources. The installation of the invention comprises a network linking a multiplicity of descrambler/decoder devices, available to the users of the community, to a local server capable of demodulating the signals received so as to despatch them over the network in the form of a stream of packets of common modulation, with software applications allowing the descrambling/decoding of the signals. Thus, off-the-shelf descrambler/decoder devices of similar designs can process the various signals received.

Abstract: A projection display with a common light source sharing system for improved illumination uniformity is described. The common light source is coupled through a light-dividing prism to multiple integrators. Each integrator is coupled to one or more imaging devices that project image tiles to form a larger composite tiled image.

Abstract: A digital data storage medium comprises data in the form of particles which are spectrally coded. The particles generally have the same size and shape. The particles are spectrally coded by tailoring metal species to have specific absorption signature. The size, shape and metal species are selected to increase storage density.