Abstract: Videotext data or data transmitted through a telephone network is displayed by: receiving and decoding the data by a receiver/decoder device disposed in a television receiver, a video cassette recorder, or connected to the television receiver or the video cassette recorder; transmitting the data from the television receiver or the video cassette recorder to a control device for the television receiver or the video cassette recorder; and, receiving and displaying the data on a display device of the control device. The data may be displayed on a tactile sensitive screen of the control device, for example liquid crystal or plasma displays. The television receiver or the video cassette recorder may be programmed responsive to tactile stimulation of the screen.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an arrangement for a multiple light path, which may be used for a wireless optical audio and/or video communication system.Known systems use a direct wireless infrared connection. It has been found that such a connection is not reliable enough. It is the object of this invention to realise a reliable infrared connection between different devices. This is realised by a two path connection. A first path is realised by a wireless connection and a second path is realised by a transmission at least partially through an optical fiber. Furthermore this invention presents a special lens and a special photo light emitting diode for the realisation of the two path infrared connection.The invention can used e.g. for the connection between a television set and a video cassette recorder.

Abstract: Many devices (in particular white goods or brown goods) in a household may contain a clock. Some systems allow connection of such devices and their related clocks to a common bus or network. The commands for controlling the clocks are in general limited to reading or writing a given time or to broadcasting the time of a given clock to one dedicated device or to the entire system or to a part of the system. In such known systems it is not specified in which manner a clock should react if it receives the time broadcast by another clock. It is possible to initialize all clocks to a given time, but due to tolerances in the different clocks, so achieved synchronization will not be maintained. Regular broadcasting by a special device master clock has the disadvantage of introducing one device with different capabilities. In case there are several master clocks, conflicts may occur and the advantages of a high precision clock will fade away if a lower precision master clock overrides it.

Abstract: A device such as a pay TV decoder, a television receiver, a VCR or a remote control is automatically customized with information such as channel, frequency, and/or remote control codes that is stored in memory in a smart card. The smart card transmits the information to the device via a smart card reader. The information is transmitted to the device in response to the smart card being coupled to the smart card reader. Customization by smart card facilitates efficient production of devices such as pay TV decoders because all devices can be identical during manufacturing and customized easily after manufacturing. For example, a cable TV operator can customize each pay TV decoder with channel allocation information appropriate for the site of the decoder by using a smart card.

Abstract: A lens having a variable index of refraction and a point of symmetry is fabricated from a plurality of substantially identically shaped parts. Each of the parts is pyramidal in configuration and has a base and a plurality of sides extending from the base to an apex. Each of the parts has a coefficient of refraction which varies from the base to the apex.

Abstract: Motion vectors resulting from block matching are corrected for periodic structures by taking a more reliable vector from an edge of a moving object containing the periodic structure. This is done by calculating and comparing different error combinations to identify periodic structures and replacing a current motion vector with one of an adjacent pixel block either from the block to the left or from the block above, which ever yields the smaller error in the current block, or by taking a combination (e.g., mean) of both vectors. Advantageously, artifacts such as phase reversal of information in interpolated fields due to the presence of an erroneous vector in a periodic structure are reduced and very little additional processing is required after the block matching itself.

Abstract: A radio frequency converter includes a plurality of signal paths for simultaneously processing two RF signals in the same band but with different polarizations, each of which includes a mixer and an oscillator. A common resonator is connected to the frequency control terminal of each of the oscillators and the oscillators work in a push-push configuration.

Abstract: This invention concerns a television receiver equipped with speakers fitted in a particular manner. The television receiver includes at least one speaker located at the bottom of a cavity in the outer surface of the case of said television receiver, this cavity being located in at least one of the faces of said case, said bottom and said speaker being oriented so that the sound from said speaker radiates at least partially towards the front of said television receiver, and said bottom of said cavity being close to the rear face of said case.

Abstract: In an array of a liquid crystal display device having data lines and row select lines, a pair of conductors are provided in a direction transverse to that of the row select lines at opposite sides of the display device. The conductors are capacitively coupled to the row select lines. An amplifier is responsive to a signal generated in one of the conductors from capacitively coupled disturbance signals developed in the row select lines. The amplifier develops an output signal at the other conductor that is also capacitively coupled to the row select lines in a manner that tends to reduce the disturbance signals.

Abstract: A shift register for scanning a liquid crystal display includes cascaded stages. A given stage is formed with an input transistor switch that is responsive to an output pulse of a stage upstream in the chain of the cascaded stages. An output pulse of the given stage is produced in a pull-up transistor of a push-pull amplifier. A pull-down transistor is responsive to a control signal that tracks a variation of a threshold voltage of the pull-down transistor. A difference between the control signal and the threshold voltage is maintained small in a manner to reduce a change in a conductivity of the pull-down transistor when a drift in the threshold voltage of the pull-down transistor occurs.

Abstract: A video display driver applies a video signal to column electrodes of a liquid crystal display. The display driver includes a reference ramp generator and column data line drivers. A reference ramp signal is combined with the video signal and applied to an input of a comparator. The comparator controls a first transistor that couples a data ramp signal to a given column of pixels. The first transistor at least partially initializes a voltage developed in the given column of pixels prior to an instant when the data ramp signal begins upramping. A second transistor that is coupled in parallel with the first transistor insures that the column voltage is fully initialized.

Abstract: A video display driver applies a video signal to pixels arranged in columns and rows of a liquid crystal display. A given column or data line driver includes a field effect transistor that operates as a comparator. The comparator is responsive to the video signal and to a reference ramp signal. A triggering voltage of the comparator is automatically and periodically adjusted. A drain voltage of the transistor that is equal to a threshold voltage of the transistor is developed in a stray capacitance, during the automatic adjustment period. A pulse signal, is coupled via the capacitance to increase the drain voltage. The drain voltage is applied to a gate electrode of a second field effect transistor that applies a data ramp voltage to the pixels. The pulse signal provides a small amount of drive in the second transistor.

Abstract: A television receiver has a switched mode power supply controller, which may be deflection synchronized, which produces pulses in a power transformer. To power the controller during startup, before the internal power supply has started, a storage capacitor on the power supply input of the controller is coupled through a current limiting resistance to a rectified voltage from the AC mains so as to charge the storage capacitor during first polarity phases of the AC mains. The current limiting resistance includes a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element which increases its impedance as it heats, to reduce power dissipation after initial connection of the television receiver to AC mains. In addition, a diode is coupled in a current path to the storage capacitor to charge the capacitor to the same polarity during opposite polarity phases of the AC mains.

Abstract: A video display driver applies a video signal to column electrodes of a liquid crystal display. The display driver includes a reference ramp generator and column data line drivers. Each data line driver includes a switching arrangement coupled to a first capacitance for storing a portion of the video signal in the first capacitance. A first terminal of the first capacitance is coupled to the reference ramp generator for combining a reference ramp signal with the stored video signal and for applying the combined signal to an input of a comparator. The comparator controls a transistor that couples a data ramp signal to a given column of the pixels. The reference ramp generator is coupled to the input of the comparator in a non-switched manner such that no switching transistor is interposed in a signal path between the reference ramp generator and the input of the comparator.

Abstract: Program related data contained in the broadcast signal of an advertisement for a future television show are evaluated and compared with the current TV set tuning when a LEARN button on a remote control is pressed. A VCR tunes to the present TV channel and stores the program related data for the future television show. The apparatus also ensures that a program to be recorded will start and end at the right time and that broadcast advertisements will be skipped during recording, are disclosed.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes first and second transparent substrates spaced from one another and having facing surfaces with a liquid crystal material between the facing surfaces. A transparent electrode overlays the facing surface of one substrate. The facing surface of the other substrate supports: (a) a matrix of pixel electrodes (b) a plurality of data lines extending in a first direction, (c) a plurality of select lines extending in a second direction and crossing the data lines at crossover points, (d) a plurality of solid state switching devices for electrically connecting the data lines to the pixel electrodes. The pixel electrodes lay in a first plane while the data lines and the select lines lay in at least one other plane spaced from the first plane. A conductive transparent shield extends between the first plane and the other plane.

Abstract: Normally, speed control is carried out by police using radar and camera. The speed of a car can also be recorded in a tachograph. According to the invention car speed is controlled and/or limited using driver-specific smart-cards and millimeter wave communications. When a car (13) enters the sector of a new transmitter (11), its card reader receives a signal telling the reader to consider the time information (t.sub.1) received from the transmitter as a starting time. When the car exits this first sector and penetrates the perimeter of a second transmitter (12), the reader receives over the air a second time information (t.sub.2) and other information (v.sub.1, d.sub.1) from which the speed is calculated and recorded within the card reader. The police can check the recorded information by inserting a special card into the reader.

Abstract: An appearance of a double image around moving objects may be reduced or removed by generating motion compensated 100 Hz fields with the objects in correct positions. When, however, the results of this technique are applied to motion compensated upconversion, objects or parts of the picture which fall outside the range of measurable velocities appear on the upconverted display with a very strong double image, resulting from the display of information in the wrong temporal position generated by uncompensated or `fallback processing`. The subjective strength of the double image may be reduced by low pass filtering in a horizontal direction the components in the new fields of the upconverted signal which cause this double image.

Abstract: An antenna system for receiving radiowaves includes a Lundeburg-type lens which reflects radiowaves to a focal point of the lens. A helical primary feed is located in the proximity of the focal point. Electronic circuitry for processing the radiowaves in a desired manner and the primary feed are supported in a hollow support structure in the proximity of the focal point.

Abstract: In a switch mode power supply of a video apparatus, a capacitor develops a supply voltage that is coupled to a main current conducting electrode of a driver transistor. The driver transistor drives a switching power transistor. An arrangement charges the charging capacitor when the video apparatus operates in standby mode. A delay circuit introduces a delay time between a time when the capacitor begins to be charged and the time when a switching control signal is applied to the driver transistor for operation in a run mode. Consequently, the capacitor develops sufficient voltage that insures sufficient base current to turn on the power transistor in to saturation prior to the time the switching control signal is applied to the driver transistor. Thus, a possible damage to the power transistor is prevented.