Abstract: A backlight device, where expense reduction is promoted by standardizing lengths of LED boards to one type. The backlight device includes: a light guide plate; and LED boards which are arranged facing end surfaces of side surface portions of the light guide plate and on which LEDs introducing light to the light guide plate are mounted, wherein lengths of long sides of the LED boards arranged on long sides facing end surfaces in a long side direction of the light guide plate and lengths of long sides of the LED boards arranged on short sides facing end surfaces in a short side direction of the light guide plate are all the same.

Abstract: A min-sum processing unit executes, on input data, check node processing for each row of a check matrix and variable node processing for each column of the check matrix. When the decoded result involves an error, a detection unit detects a bit of a low degree of reliability from the decoded result. An identifying unit identifies a row and a column of a low degree of reliability in the check matrix on the basis of the bit of the low degree of reliability detected. The min-sum processing unit executes, on the decoded result, check node processing on the row identified as well as variable node processing on the column identified.

Abstract: In an optical disk including at least a rewritable phase change material and comprising a recording layer having a reflectivity of more than 15%, an address output value as an address pit signal component occupying in a reproduced signal in a non recording state is prescribed to be 0.18 though 0.27 or a numerical aperture of an address pit signal occupying in a reproduced signal in a non recording state is prescribed to be more than 0.3.

Abstract: A first differential value is acquired between first current data and first previous data in an i number (i being a natural number) of sampling periods before the current data. A second differential value is acquired between second current data and second previous data in a j number (j being a natural number) of sampling periods before the current data. Both first data and both second data are of a first and a second digital audio signal, respectively, having a sound level of a digital stereo audio signal in the left and right channels, respectively. A first and a second correction coefficient are acquired by adding the first and second differential values at a first and a second ratio, respectively. The first signal is corrected by multiplying the first signal by the first correction coefficient. The second signal is corrected by multiplying the second signal by the second correction coefficient.

Abstract: An optical disk drive device includes: a tray provided with an outer disk tray on which an optical disk is mounted; an electrode provided on the outer disk tray; an electrostatic capacitance sensor unit configured to sense electrostatic capacitance between the electrode and an optical disk mounted in proximity to the electrode; a storage unit configured to store a table that identifies electrostatic capacitance between each of different types of optical disks and the electrode occurring when the optical disk is mounted in proximity to the electrode; and a determination unit configured to determine the type of the optical disk mounted on the tray, based on a sensor result obtained by the electrostatic capacitance sensor unit and the table.

Abstract: A sound pickup device is designed for an imaging apparatus including an objective lens and a camera casing. The sound pickup device includes first and second microphone holders fixed to the camera casing and each having an inner wall surface neighboring and facing a surface of the camera casing. First and second microphone units are held by the first and second microphone holders, respectively. The first and second microphone holders are located at left and right sides of the camera casing respectively while being separated from each other in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the objective lens. The aforesaid surface of the camera casing forms a sound reflecting surface which reflects incoming sound. Each of the first and second microphone units has a sound pickup surface facing the sound reflecting surface to pick up the sound reflected by the sound reflecting surface.

Abstract: An information recording medium in which bottoms of a guide groove and a pit array formed on a disc substrate are allocated on a same flat plane and shaped in flat. Further, in a transition area from a pit array to a guide groove or from a guide groove to a pit array, the information recording medium is provided with an intermediate area composed of a pit array of which height changes from a height between a bottom and a side of a groove to another height between the bottom and a side of the pit array.

Abstract: In a reproduction apparatus, for reproducing an original signal conveyed as main data by a data medium such as a recording disk or broadcasting system, with medium protection data which are specific to the data medium being conveyed together with the main data, the apparatus includes a section for generating apparatus protection data which are specific to the reproduction apparatus, a section for combining the apparatus protection data with the medium protection data to define a protection level, and a section for applying the protection level to restrict reproduction of the original signal, with stepwise variations in restriction occurring in accordance with changes in protection level. The medium protection data may include information for specifying restricted reproduction of portions of the original signal, such as by producing degraded resolution within specified regions of specified frames of a video signal.

Abstract: There is provided an optical disc reproducing method capable of reproducing a non-finalized DVD+R. When a seek operation is performed from a present address on the non-finalized DVD+R to an outer circumferential side target address, the outer circumferential direction total jump number of tracks is calculated from a difference between the present address and the target address. When a first condition is satisfied in which the present address is in an inner circumferential zone, the target address is in a second outer circumferential zone, and the outer circumferential direction total jump number is 701 to 2500, the jump number of tracks is set to 340 smaller than the outer circumferential direction total jump number, and a traverse seek using a moving mechanism to move an optical pickup in a radius direction by 340 is performed.

Abstract: An optical disc has a data layer including a data-layer substrate made of a transparent material and a data-layer reflection film formed on an upper side of the data-layer substrate, a display layer including a display-layer substrate having a display pattern and a display-layer reflection film formed on a lower side of the display-layer substrate, and an intermediate layer made of a transparent material provided between an upper side of the data layer and a lower side of the display layer. The data- and display-layer reflection films exhibit specific reflectivity to allow the display pattern to be visible from a lower side of the data-layer substrate through the data-layer reflection film.

Abstract: A focus search is performed for an optical disc. A focus drive voltage is output for moving an objective lens in a thickness direction of an optical disc. An average value of focus drive voltages is acquired and recorded while the optical disc is rotating at least one time in an in-focus condition in which a laser beam emitted via the objective lens is in focus to a data layer of the optical disc. A closest-position voltage is set based on the average value, the closest-position voltage being a focus drive voltage at which the objective lens is moved closest to the optical disc in a focus search that is performed after the average value has been recorded. The focus search is performed by moving the objective lens between a specific starting position and a position corresponding to the closest-position voltage.

Abstract: A light source device includes excitation light sources integrated into a module and each emitting excitation light. A beam splitter optical system splits the excitation light from the excitation light sources into first, second, and third portions. A first fluorescent member emits red light in response to the first portion of the excitation light through fluorescence. A second fluorescent member emits green light in response to the second portion of the excitation light through fluorescence. A third fluorescent member emits blue light in response to the third portion of the excitation light through fluorescence. A combining optical system combines the red light, the green light, and the blue light.

Abstract: An electronic appliance has a video camera for picking up an image of a user of the electronic appliance. The user's image is displayed on a display of the electronic appliance. To adjust the size of the user's image on the display, a measurement zone having a first area is defined on the display. The user holds his or her hand so that the hand is displayed on the measurement zone. A control information determination unit or a CPU generates information indicative of the ratio of the area of the hand in the measurement zone to the area of the measurement zone. According to the generated information, the CPU controls an image adjuster that optimizes the size and position of the user's image on the display.

Abstract: A video-audio processing method includes acquiring encoded audio data, decoding the acquired encoded audio data and thereby creating audio data; causing an audio output unit to output the created audio data, capturing a video image of an object in synchronization with an output of the audio data by the audio output unit and thereby creating first video data, encoding the created first video data and thereby creating first encoded video data, holding the first encoded video data, and multiplexing the encoded audio data and the first encoded video data and thereby creating a first stream.

Abstract: A transmission frame generating device includes an encoding processor 210 encoding upper-layer information to be transmitted by a given encoding procedure to generate a bit string of transmission data, a frame generator 211 adding a synchronous word to the bit string of transmission data to generate a transmission frame by, a synchronous upper-layer information storage unit 213 storing synchronous upper-layer information that allows a synchronous bit string, which is to be used together with the synchronous word for establishing synchronization, to be generated in the bit string 21 of transmission data encoded and generated by the encoding procedure and an upper-layer data processor employing the synchronous upper-layer information as the upper-layer information.

Abstract: A motion vector detection unit 2 detects a motion vector necessary when generating interpolation pixel data. Data holding/selection unit 311, 312 selects pixel data within an actual frame to generate interpolation pixel data. An averaging unit 318 generates interpolation pixel data. An inverse gamma correction unit is arranged between the data holding/selection unit 311, 312 and the averaging unit 318 and a gamma correction unit 319 is arranged in the subsequent stage of the averaging unit 318.