Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor (TFT) is disclosed comprising source and drain electrodes joined by a semiconductor channel layer, a gate insulating layer formed from at least two sublayers and a gate electrode. The method comprising the steps of forming the gate insulating layer by depositing a thin film sublayer using a thin film technique; and depositing a printed sublayer by printing, wherein the thin film sublayer is located adjacent the semiconductor channel layer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit of which the operating rate varies according to temperature, supply voltage and intrinsic quality of the transistors of the circuit, associated to a compensating circuit which comprises a constant current source (26) that produces a substantially constant current which is independent of temperature, supply voltage and intrinsic quality of the transistors of the circuit, a variable current source (28) producing a current that increases in an inverse proportion to temperature, supply voltage and intrinsic quality of the transistors of the circuit, and means for decreasing the operating rate of the circuit when the difference of the currents produced by the first and second sources increases.

Abstract: A method and device for recording video on a record carrier (11), e.g. an optical disc. The information is arranged according to a recording format, e.g. DVD-video, for being playable in standardized players. The video information is subdivided into cells and playback parameters for reproducing sequences of the cells are included in control information. The format prescribes that within the recording area the control information precedes the video information for playback functions of the recorded video. However for home recording it is preferable that a recording is made in one pass, i.e. the video is to be recorded directly at its final location. Therefore the recorder has a control unit (20) for performing the following steps: first creating a free area (12) by selecting a starting point (13) within the recording area different from the beginning of the recording area, thereafter recording the real-time information from the starting point (13), and recording the control information in said free area (12).

Abstract: An optical disc has a recording area for recording data encoded in optical marks at a recording density. The recording area has circular or spiral tracks provided with a servopattern including headers alternating with track portions. The headers contain position information encoded in preformed marks. The track portions include periodic characteristics, e.g. a wobble, to synchronize the data writing and reading operations. For reliably detecting the headers, the phase of the periodic characteristics include a phase jump at a predetermined distance before each header.

Abstract: Apparatus for reproducing information from a record carrier include a read head for reading marks representing the information, from a track on the disc shaped record carrier so as to provide an analog read signal. An A/D converter converts the analog read signal to a digital read signal with a specific clock frequency, in response to a control signal. A bit recovery unit retrieves a sequence of bits from the digital read signal, with a specific bit frequency. A generator unit derives the control signal, and includes a generator for deriving the specific bit frequency, and a velocity deriving unit for deriving from the digital read signal, the control signal which indicates the relative velocity of the read head with respect to the marks, so as to generate the specific clock frequency such that approximately N samples per bit are supplied by the A/D converter, irrespective of the relative velocity of the read head with respect to the marks.

Abstract: Various appliances linked up by a bus that can transmit video data form the system, and functionality modules themselves connected to the bus form certain appliances. A command enables to select functionality modules in various appliances at a time, to command the switch-on of these modules and to establish exchanges of data between these modules. A substantially virtual appliance may thus be formed by the combination of functionality modules that are found in separate appliances.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting scene changes (as distinct from shot cuts or edit points) in audio/video signals is disclosed, together with video recording and logging apparatus employing such detection. The means for detecting scene changes comprises a filtering arrangement (20) which receives and filters the audio soundtrack accompanying the video signal to periodically determine a background audio signal level. By comparison (24) of current and previously determined (22) background levels, a scene change (SC) is flagged when the current background audio level differs from a previous background level by more than a predetermined amount. A table of scene change locations may then be built up and stored with the video and audio data.

Abstract: In a system like a PC, the function of a graphics card is included with the monitor. A processor sends update signals to the monitor to modify image content. The graphics card processes the update signals and applies corrections to the updates to correct for physical imperfections of imaging process of the monitor. The graphic card writes the results into an image memory. The content of the image memory is used to drive the monitor.

Abstract: A recording arrangement (1) for receiving and recording a television signal (F) and for receiving an information signal (I) which contains television program information (FPI), for example, title information about future television programs. The recording arrangement (1) has a keyword detector (54) which derives at least one keyword characteristic of the fields of interest of the user from title information of a television program recorded by the recording arrangement (1). A selector (58) selects, from the title information of future television programs, which is contained in the television program information (FPI), the title information containing at least one detected keyword. Selected television programs can be displayed on a display device (3) or can be recorded automatically.

Abstract: A processing device comprises an instruction memory 120 for storing virtual machine instructions, such as Java byte codes. A processor 112 of the processing device comprises a predetermined microcontroller core 114 for executing native instructions from a predetermined set of microcontroller specific instructions. The native instructions differ from the virtual machine instructions. The processor 112 is of a type which may request re-feeding of a plurality of native instructions. For instance, the processor 112 may have a pipeline and/or instruction cache which after an interrupt need to be re-filled.

Abstract: In a speech transmission system, an input speech signal is applied to a speech encoder (12, 36) for encoding the input speech signal. The encoded speech signal is transmitted via a communication channel (10) to a speech decoder (30, 48).

Abstract: A flipflop has master and slave interconnected through a buffer. The master has its inverters located outside the signal path from input to output, as the buffer provides the driving capability required for both IDDQ-testing and operational use. This configuration enables IDDQ-testing without further circuitry added to the flipflop and reduces propagation delay in the signal path.

Abstract: In a transmission system comprising a transmitter (4) coupled via a transmission channel (10) to a receiver (6). The transmitter (4) comprises a channel encoder (14) for deriving encoded symbols from source symbols. The receiver (6) comprises a channel decoder (28) for reconstructing the source symbols from the signal received from the transmission channel (10).

Abstract: An encoding apparatus is provided for encoding a wideband digital signal, comprising an input (1) for receiving the wideband digital signal, a splitter unit (3) for splitting the wideband digital signal into a number of M sub signals and a formatting unit (7) for assembling digital information including said data reduced sub signals into a digital output signal having a format suitable for transmission or storage.

Abstract: A disc-like record carrier (1) is disclosed on which control information is recorded. The control information comprises diameter information which is indicative of the diameter of the record carrier.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer (1) has a multitude of chips (5), of which chips (5) each one of a given number of chips (5) is situated in one of a multitude of adjacent exposure fields (2), and further has process control modules (4) which are each arranged in an exposure field (2), namely each in place of at least one chip (5).

Abstract: A zero intermediate frequency radio device has an antenna for receiving a radio frequency signal, and a frequency down converter for down converting the received radio frequency signal to a zero intermediate frequency signal. The radio device further has controllable amplifier stages, controllable AC-coupling stages, controllable filter stages, and a received signal strength indicator. A signal resolving range of the received signal strength indicator is below a high dynamic range of the received radio frequency signal. The radio device further has an automatic gain controller. The automatic gain controller initially sets the gain of the Rx path of the radio device to a maximum of minimum gain, and then waits for DC-offsets in the Rx path to cancel. If, at maximum or minimum gain, a reading of the received signal strength indicator is within a particular range, the automatic gain controller sets the gain to the reading. Then, automatic gain control settles.

Abstract: Audio-centered information is stored on a unitary medium by using a Table-of-Contents (TOC) mechanism that specifies an actual configuration of various audio items on the medium. In particular, each one of a set of one or more Track Areas gets at least two mutually logically conforming Sub-TOCs assigned. This allows to retrieve any constituent Sub-TOC part from at least any correct copy of the Sub-TOCs. Furthermore, one or more Master-TOCs are provided for specifically pointing to each of the Sub-TOCs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for in vivo measurement of a periodically varying fluid flow in an object by means of magnetic resonance. The method includes a step for applying first and second additional magnetic field gradients in order to shift the phase of a reference magnetization, which phase shift relates to a net flow of the fluid during an interval between the application of the additional magnetic field gradients. According to the invention, near a phase of a period of the periodically varying fluid flow an excitation RF pulse is generated, the first additional gradient is applied and a first additional RF pulse is generated and near a corresponding phase of a second period of the periodically varying fluid flow a second additional RF pulse is generated and the second additional gradient is applied.

Abstract: The invention relates to a new method of reconstruction of tridimensional scenes. While conventional methods are often limited to the 3D reconstruction of the bounding volume of the concerned objects, the proposed method of recovery of a 3D geometric model from 2D views taken by one single camera, giving an information even about the parts which are hidden in each view, is implemented according to a first depth labeling step, implemented in a sub-system (11) and including initialization and projection sub-steps followed by a refinement process, and to a second reconstruction step, implemented in a sub-system (12). By means of a close cooperation of the 3D depth maps thus obtained for two views of a scene, a 3D model is identified and extracted.