Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a central recorder in an interactive broadcast television network environment are disclosed. A broadcast center records and stores incoming content as it is received from local, regional and/or national broadcasters to facilitate time shifting of content for clients, and to provide an efficient mechanism for the distribution and/or redistribution of content. Content may be distributed or redistributed to one or more of client terminals, to the originating broadcaster, to a parent network, to an interactive television service, or to other third parties with an interest in receiving the content.

Abstract: A digital magnetic recording/reproducing device for recording or reproducing plural sorts of audio data, and a recording/reproducing method therefor. The digital magnetic recording/reproducing device includes an analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converter for converting an audio analog signal into digital data or vice versa, a formatter/deformatter for converting a format of the audio signal and the data grouped to be stored in the recording sectors of the magnetic tape, a recording selection unit for transmitting the input audio signal to the A/D converter or formatter according to the type of the audio signal, and a reproduction selection unit for transmitting the data reproduced from the magnetic tape to the D/A converter or deformatter. The output data from the A/D converter and the output data from the formatter are recorded on the different recording sectors of the magnetic tape.

Abstract: A system and method of playing recorded content on a DVD player employs software instructions on a DVD storage medium to control a DVD-Video player to make pseudo-random selections of content items from the DVD storage medium. Each content item may include an individual video sequence or a string of video sequences. Each content item is associated with a respective identification codes, such that each content item is associated with a corresponding identification code that is different from the identification codes of other content items. The DVD player controller is controlled to select, by pseudo-random selection or generation, at least one of the identification codes from the plurality of identification codes. The DVD player controller may be controlled to perform that pseudo-random selection or generation with software stored on (and read from) the DVD storage medium.

Abstract: An information recording medium on which are recorded substantial data and reproduce control information for reproducing the substantial data, wherein the reproduce control information includes first reproduce control information required for reproducing the substantial data in all available reproduce patterns, and second reproduce control information required for reproducing the substantial data in a portion of the available reproduce patterns.

Abstract: When recording or reproduction of data is to be performed, initially, recording or reproduction of data is performed from a position on a disk where data recording or reproduction becomes possible with a command being issued, followed by recording or reproduction of data corresponding to the subsequent positions. Thereafter, recording or reproduction of data corresponding to each position of a part on the disk where data recording or reproduction has not been performed is performed. Thereby, deterioration of recording/reproduction execution time due to a rotation wait which is caused by a command over-head or a retrial due to an error is reduced, whereby the recording/reproduction execution time can be reduced.

Abstract: An electronic camera includes a CCD imager. When a motion image recording mode is selected, the depression of a shutter button creates a plurality of screens of image signals based on camera signals outputted from the CCD imager. A system controller calculates an optimal compression ratio for compressing the image signal to a target size and sets optimal compression ratio to an image compression circuit. The image compression circuit compresses a current image signal obtained following a preceding image signal with this optimal compression ratio. Such compression process creates a plurality of screens of a compressed image signals, whereby a write control circuit records the plurality of screens of the compressed image signals to a memory card.

Abstract: An information record medium (1) is provided with: an audio information recording area on which a plurality of audio information (210) which are different in recording method are recorded; and a control information recording area on which control information (211) required to reproduce the plurality of audio information recorded on the audio information recording area is recorded. The control information recorded on the control information recording area includes a plurality of first division information for identifying first division units (260) respectively so as to divide each of the plurality of audio information recorded on the audio information recording area by the first division units respectively. The first division information, which indicates that the audio information divided by the first division units belongs to a same first division unit, is provided for each of the plurality of audio information same in content and different in recording method.

Abstract: An apparatus for, a method of, and a computer program product for processing location information associated with an image of picture-taking, in a wide range of usage, inputs the location information associated with the image of picture-taking, and converts the input location information to a plurality of signals in different representation forms.

Abstract: An electronic album according to the present invention includes an image data selecting section for selecting image data to be titled, a picture-taking information capturing section for capturing a plurality of picture-taking information items about the image data selected by the image data selecting section, and a picture-taking information interpreting section for performing a logical operation for the picture-taking information items captured by the picture-taking information capturing section to interpret all contents of the picture-taking information items and predict what type of scene corresponds to the image data.

Abstract: In order to match up individual recordings in a sequence (150) of recordings with corresponding items in a sequence (151) of separately-stored auxiliary data items concerning those recordings, both the recordings and auxiliary data are time-stamped, though from different clocks. The process of subsequently matching up the recordings and auxiliary data involves matching the pattern of timestamps.

Abstract: A transfer rate controller, has input means of inputting a picture or sound stream; packet rate adjusting means of controlling a transfer rate of the stream by adjusting an interval between packets respectively belonging to each frames of the inputted stream; and output means of outputting the stream outputted from the packet rate adjusting means.

Abstract: A disk player includes a system controller. The system controller creates marked-playback-start-position specifying data every time a user presses a playback position marking key of an operation unit to mark a playback start position. If the user presses a menu screen display key of the operation unit to instruct the display of a marked-playback-start-position selection-menu screen, the system controller displays an image corresponding to each playback start position on the marked start position menu screen. If title playback is stopped or paused, the system controller creates stop position specifying data for specifying a stop position and stores the data in a RAM. The system controller displays a stop position menu screen including stop-position-related information based on the stop position specifying data.

Abstract: A recording timing setting apparatus for setting a recording start timing for recording first recording information onto a recording medium on which second recording information is previously recorded and on which a plurality of synchronization signals are recorded in advance. The second recording information includes a plurality of information units each including synchronization information. The recording timing setting apparatus includes: a first detecting device for detecting the plurality of synchronization signals; a second detecting device for detecting the synchronization information included in the second recording information; a generating device for generating a timing signal for predicting the detection timings of the plurality of synchronization signals, on the basis of the synchronization information detected by the second detecting device; and a timing control device for setting the recording start timing by using the timing signal.

Abstract: A data processor comprises a data compression encoder which operates to compression encode source data into compression encoded data having a variable compressed data rate, a multiplexer coupled to the data compression encoder and arranged in operation to concatenate the compressed data and ancillary data into a concatenated data stream, and a control processor coupled to the multiplexer and arranged in operation to control the multiplexer whereby a combined data rate of the concatenated data stream is less than or equal to a pre-determined maximum. The data processor finds application with a compression encoder which operates in accordance with an MPEG-type encoding algorithm. The source data may be representative of video signals or audio signals, and the ancillary data may be descriptive metadata.

Abstract: Often, during an event, such as a movie, play, concert, opera, etc., viewers of the event attempt to illicitly record the event. Such illicit recording attempts may be interfered with by using emitters that emit radiation that interferes with recording and/or operation of the recording devices. For example, infrared emitters may be used to saturate an event viewing area. The infrared, while non-visible to human viewers, is received and recorded by recorders using charge-coupled devices (CCDs), such as conventional digital cameras, movie cameras, television cameras, telescopes, etc. Other radiation can be emitted based on the type of recorder with which one desires to interfere. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, emitters may also be used to send commands to recorders, such as stop, rewind, eject, etc., to interfere with operation of the recorders.

Abstract: The user selects a program to record using a video recorder. The user programs the video recorder with the date, time, and channel of the selected program. The video recorder receives a start signal generated externally, and activates, recording the selected program.

Abstract: It becomes possible to generate an index information used as an auxiliary upon edition on a recording medium where video information is recorded to record it on a recording medium, and to select a picture matched with a desired condition from the video information recorded on the recording medium to generate the index picture information. The controller 35 reads a time code of a mark-in point from a cassette attached memory 16, reproduces the picture of the mark-in point matched with the desired condition as an index picture and supplies the reproduced signal from a video signal compression coding/decoding unit 40 to an index generating unit 40. The index generating unit 40 compresses and reduces the index picture and arranges a plurality of pictures in one frame, thereby generating an index picture information. The index generating unit 40 outputs the index pictures to record them on the video tape 27.

Abstract: A multi controller according to the present invention comprise first operating means for generating a control signal in association with a declination operation in plural directions, second operating means for generating a control signal in association with a rotation operation in a circular arc, and third operating means for generating a control signal in association with a shifting operation in front and back. Depending on the mode which is being executed, the control signal generated by the same operating means controls various operations.

Abstract: A digital data recording control system reads music data from a CD and records (i.e., copies) the music data onto an SD card. The CD also stores an ISRC that specifies the content of the CD, that is, the music data present on the CD. The digital data recording control system includes: a recording number information storage unit for associating the ISRC with a number of times the music data has been recorded onto an SD card; a limit information storage unit for storing information showing a limit on a number of times the music data is permitted to be recorded; and a record judging unit for: (1) having a digital data reading unit read the ISRC from the CD and, if a number of times associated with the read ISRC is lower than the limit, read the music data from the CD; and (2) having a recording unit convert the read music data into an MP3 format and record the converted music data onto the SD card.

Abstract: A number of outer parities to be added to an audio data is changed responsive to a ratio of frame frequencies of a video signal (e.g. 24 Hz or 30 Hz) before the data is recorded. Comparing with a first format, a recording bit rate is increased in a second format. Audio 4 channels (audio sectors 5-8) are additionally recorded maintaining a video data format (video sectors 1, 2) of the first format and an audio data format (audio sectors 1-4) of the first format.