Abstract: A remote control device for consumer broadcast receivers, particularly television and radio receivers, is disclosed. In addition to the remote control features normally found on such a device, the device also contains a display on which advertisements, product and service offers, and other information (collectively, “display data”) may be shown to the user. The device receives such display data via a radio link from one of a plurality of central processing stations. The user of the device may interact with such display data (for example, to purchase an advertised good), and the device may send back details of such interactions to a central processing station, which in turn may initiate a transaction with the appropriate sponsoring party.

Abstract: A mobile telephone network is configured to transmit information, such as TV network scheduling, which can be received by receivers “eavesdropping” on the system. A mobile telephone can be configured to receive only, avoiding the battery drain which results from its transceiver needing to periodically handshake with the network transceiver.

Abstract: An incomplete/partly corrupted media file is delivered ‘in the clear’; in addition, a delta file is delivered to users meeting access control criteria which, when combined with the incomplete/partly corrupted parts allows a complete and uncorrupted version of the media file to be re-constructed. The method allows, in one implementation, a secure music purchase system to operate over digital radio: for example, the start of a song when played over the radio is usually deliberately talked over and the end cut short to prevent listeners being able to record a complete copy. With the present system, this practice can continue, but listeners can also purchase the missing or corrupted sections to enable them to possess a complete and uncorrupted version for playback.

Abstract: The present invention contemplates applying a form of emulation to the domain of communications baseband stack design, in which baseband stack resource requirements, capabilities and behaviour are modelled and described. and the resultant description input to software comprising a virtual machine layer optimised for a communications DSP in order to generate an emulation of the baseband stack. The virtual machine layer is not custom written for a specific task but is instead pre-fabricated as a general purpose layer designed to de-couple low MIPS control code from having to interface directly with high MIPS baseband processing algorithms.

Abstract: An encoder for encoding digital streaming media at a studio site, in which the encoder is a software encoder which uses an IP based protocol to communicate with a remote, central multiplexer. Because the encoder is a software encoder, it is significantly cheaper than conventional, dedicated hardware; the encoder can typically run on a PC or industrial PC. As an IP based protocol is used, the present invention is cheaper to implement than STI over G703/4 or a WG1/2 bus. Similarly, handling reconfiguration data is possible over IP and the software of the encoder also leads to increased reconfigurability. Placing the encoder at the studio site also eliminates the conventional need for extra codes in a central multiplexing paradigm, further reducing cost and increasing quality.

Abstract: This invention relates to alternative, synthesisable trend-following strategy, based on a rolling, delta-spliced lookback straddle. This operates like a conventional lookback straddle, except that the time to expiry, rather than monotonically running down to zero, is reset where possible to that of a ‘younger’ straddle, provided that the delta of the two straddles does not differ by more than a specified amount. It is more computationally efficient than prior art approaches; further, it does not lead to positions being prematurely liquidated.

Abstract: A scheduler is used to schedule execution of tasks by ‘engines’ that perform high resource functions as requested by ‘executive’ control code, the scheduler using its knowledge of the likelihood of engine request state transitions. The likelihood of engine request state transitions describes the likely sequence of engines which executives will impose: the scheduler can at run-time in effect, as the start of a time slice, look-forward in time to discern a number of possible schedules (i.e. sequence of future engines), assess the merits of each possible schedule using pre-defined parameters (e.g. memory and power utilisation), then apply the schedule which is most appropriate given those parameters. The process repeats at the start of the next time slice. The scheduler therefore operates as a predictive scheduler. The present invention is particularly effective in addressing the ‘multi-mode problem”: dynamically balancing the requirements of multiple communications stacks operating concurrently.

Abstract: A remote control device for consumer broadcast receivers, particularly television and radio receivers, is disclosed. In addition to the remote control features normally found on such a device, the device also contains a display on which advertisements, product and service offers, and other information (collectively, “display data”) may be shown to the user. The device receives such display data via a radio link from one of a plurality of central processing stations. The user of the device may interact with such display data (for example, to purchase an advertised good), and the device may send back details of such interactions to a central processing station, which in turn may initiate a transaction with the appropriate sponsoring party.

Abstract: Many compressed audio or video frames contain silence (if audio), or a blank image (if video); these essentially information content free (e.g. silent if audio or blank if video) frames can be both detected whilst still in compressed form and then used to carry the additional data. In an MPEG implementation, subbands associated with silent frames are rendered digitally silent and then used to carry PAD (Programme Associated Data).

Abstract: An incomplete/partly corrupted media file is delivered ‘in the clear’; in addition, a delta file is delivered to users meeting access control criteria which, when combined with the incomplete/partly corrupted parts allows a complete and uncorrupted version of the media file to be re-constructed. The method allows, in one implementation, a secure music purchase system to operate over digital radio: for example, the start of a song when played over the radio is usually deliberately talked over and the end cut short to prevent listeners being able to record a complete copy. With the present system, this practice can continue, but listeners can also purchase the missing or corrupted sections to enable them to possess a complete and uncorrupted version for playback.

Abstract: An MPEG 1 layer II encoder can be programmed to add a data payload to a frame. It uses a conventional Musicam pyshoacoustic model to apply a sub-band resolution parameter that is constant across a window of a given number of samples. The encoder is further programmed to apply a sub-band resolution algorithm that generates a more accurate set of resolution parameters that vary across at least part of a given window, the difference between the constant parameter and the variable resolution parameters for the same window being indicative of bits which can be overwritten with the data payload.

Abstract: Compressed signals contain amplitude data (for example, scale factors in an MPEG frame) which can be examined to enable a decision to be taken on whether the signal contains information or not (e.g. silence in the case of audio or no image in the case of video).

Abstract: Many compressed audio or video frames contain silence (if audio), or a blank image (if video); these essentially information content free (e.g. silent if audio or blank if video) frames can be both detected whilst still in compressed form and then used to carry the additional data. In an MPEG implementation, subbands associated with silent frames are rendered digitally silent and then used to carry PAD (Programme Associated Data).

Abstract: A remote control interface has a Bluetooth transceiver 11 for receiving commands from a Bluetooth enabled device such as a mobile phone 2, an infra-red transmitter 12, and a processor 14 for converting received commands from the phone into transmitted infra-red codes for controlling a TV or the like 10.

Abstract: A programmable single-chip device, comprising a programmable gate array (PGA) section, a DSP core and a RISC core. The device is ideal for prototyping and deploying low-to-moderate volume implementations of high-bandwidth algorithms, which have processing requirements split between front-end, high iteration, low-numeric-agility, “wide” loadings, middle-end, moderate iteration, high-numerical-precision loadings and back-end, low-iteration, highly conditional loadings, without the commensurate problems inherent in the custom ASIC, joint FPGA/DSP/RISC (or even direct compilation to FPGA) solutions.

Abstract: An incomplete/partly corrupted media file is delivered “in the clear”; in addition, a delta file is delivered to users meeting access control criteria which, when combined with the incomplete/partly corrupted parts allows a complete and uncorrupted version of the media file to be re-constructed. The method allows, in one implementation, a secure music purchase system to operate over digital radio: for example, the start of a song when played over the radio is usually deliberately talked over and the end cut short to prevent listeners being able to record a complete copy. With the present system, this practice can continue, but listeners can also purchase the missing or corrupted sections to enable them to possess a complete and uncorrupted version for playback.

Abstract: Electronic tokens are distributed without charge to a device (e.g. a digital radio) controlled by a consumer. The tokens are (a) distributed together with an enternainment media stream decoded by the device and (b) can be used by the consumer as payment for the item when sufficient token have been collected in the device but are not restricted to being redeemable only against that item.

Abstract: A method of User broadcasting data using wireless communication in which the data is extracted from a source SQL database and broadcast to a receiving device programmed to reconstruct the data into a SQL database.

Abstract: An encoder for encoding digital streaming media at a studio site, in which the encoder is a software encoder which uses an IP based protocol to communicate with a remote, central multiplexer. Because the encoder is a software encoder, it is significantly cheaper than conventional, dedicated hardware; the encoder can typically run on a PC or industrial PC. As an IP based protocol is used, the present invention is cheaper to implement than STI over G703/4 or a WG1/2 bus. Similarly, handling reconfiguration data is possible over IP and the software of the encoder also leads to increased reconfigurability. Placing the encoder at the studio site also eliminates the conventional need for extra codes in a central multiplexing paradigm, further reducing cost and increasing quality.

Abstract: A mobile telephone network is configured to transmit information, such as TV network scheduling, which can be received by receivers “eavesdropping” on the system. A mobile telephone can be configured to receive only, avoiding the battery drain which results from its transceiver needing to periodically handshake with the network transceiver.