Abstract: An error may be detected and corrected from among a plurality of data values retrieved from a compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM). As a stream of data values which have been retrieved from the CD-ROM are retransmitted by an appropriate DMA device, two different error detection schemes are simultaneously applied to identical copies of the retrieved data. The retrieved data is then evaluated to determine in which format data has been stored on the CD-ROM. A condition value which has been generated by the algorithm corresponding to the determined format of data on the CD-ROM is then evaluated to determine the probability of an error condition in the retrieved data. The two error detection schemes may differ solely in the location of the data values which are evaluated for errors.

Abstract: Linked game controllers coupled to a single input port of a computer game are configured such that all controllers may be active at the same time. One controller is coupled to an input port on the computer game which has both a parallel-bit interface and a bit-serial interface. This controller provides information on its own control function via the parallel interface and information derived from each of the linked controllers via the serial interface. Each of the controllers includes a flag bit, in the provided information, that indicates whether the controller is the last controller in the sequence of linked controllers. The computer game stores data values provided by the parallel interface and then shifts values provided by the serial interface into an internal register until one of the flag bits, indicating the last controller in the sequence, has been shifted. The shifted data is then separated into different control functions which are then provided to the computer game apparatus.

Abstract: An audio channel system provides an analog signal corresponding to a sound waveform in a computer system. The audio channel system includes a plurality of audio channels. Each audio channel contains a predetermined number of audio data samples for producing a particular sound waveform. A plurality of volume bits define a volume level of each audio data sample to be played. An audio processor processes the sound waveforms of each audio channel. The audio processor acts as a shared processing element which receives the audio data samples from each audio channel. The audio processor divides the audio data samples into a plurality of data such that the plurality of data for each audio data sample is pipelined through the audio processor in a serial manner. The plurality of data for each audio data sample for each audio channel is in various processing stages at any given time.

Abstract: An improved method for processing a sector of data read from a CD-ROM which has been encoded using a cross-interleaved Reed Solomon (CIRS) code is time linear in the number of errors in the sector. The improved method iteratively processes the data values from the sector, which appear in each of the sets of cross-interleaved sequences, through an error detection/correction algorithm. In the first pass, a syndrome is generated for each sequence in each set. If the syndrome indicates that the sequence either contains no errors or an undetectable number of errors, the sequence is marked as being error-free. If a sequence contains a correctable error, the error is corrected and the sequence is marked as being error-free. If the syndrome indicates that the sequence contains a number of errors which may be detected but not corrected the sequence is marked as containing errors. After the first pass the improved method only calculates an error syndrome for the sequences which are marked as containing errors.

Abstract: A process performed in a data processing system includes receiving an input selecting one of the plurality of multimedia presentations to be relocated from the first memory to the second memory, scanning the linked data structures of the selected multimedia presentation to recognize a plurality of resources corresponding to the selected multimedia presentation, and generating a list of names and locations within the selected multimedia presentation corresponding to the identified plurality of resources. The process also includes renaming the names on the generated list, changing the names of the identified plurality of resources in the selected multimedia presentation to the new names on the generated list, and moving the selected multimedia presentation and the resources identified on the generated list to the second memory.

Abstract: A binary to unary decoder for a video digital to analog converter is cascadeable in both a horizontal and a vertical direction. Video data is transmitted from a video data source and received by a plurality of unary decoders which convert the video data to a corresponding number of unary digits having comparable value. The unary decoders are arranged in a number of cascaded levels. A plurality of cascaded unary block drivers receive the unary digits and transit unary output digits to a video data bus. The plurality of unary block drivers are arranged in a number of tiers having a predetermined number of individual unary block drivers. The predetermined number of cascaded unary block drivers are enabled based upon the numerical value of the video data.

Abstract: A system for transferring interleaved data objects in mass storage devices into separate destinations in a system memory is described. The method includes the steps of determining for each of the data objects a destination address and a size; one time seeking of a data object from a location of the mass storage means; transferring data from the data object into the destination address, wherein the data has a size equal to the size for the data object; and repeating the transferring step for subsequent data objects.

Abstract: A bus arbitration system is capable of granting access to an expansion bus to devices following two-wire bus arbitration protocol or a three-wire bus arbitration protocol. The bus arbitration system receives a plurality of bus request signals from a plurality of devices. Each bus request signal is made up of one or more coded pulses and has a predetermined priority. A priority encoder receives the bus request signal and assigns a priority level to each bus request signal. An arbiter determines and stores in memory which bus request signal has a highest priority and whether the device follows two-wire bus arbitration protocol or a three-wire bus arbitration protocol. The expansion bus grants access to the bus to the device having the highest priority once a previous device if any, has relinquished the bus.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for generating a digital data word representative of the position of a switch element which is selectively engageable with one of a plurality of driver conductors which are utilized for conducting actuating signals from a source to a data display system of the type having a plurality of display elements for visually indicating alphanumeric data. The display elements have visually perceptible and imperceptible data indicating states and are characterized by a lagging response to either the application or interruption of the actuating signal wherein a turn-on or turn-off transition interval elapses during a change from one state to the other with the preexisting state of the display element appearing to an observer to remain unchanged during the transition interval. The actuating signals are periodically applied during a load energizing interval through one or more of the driver conductors and are interrupted during a sampling interval.