Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing, for example, stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The stereo audio signals are coded into sub(band) signals. Corresponding sub(band) signals of the stereo audio signals may be processed to obtain composite sub(band) signals, which are recorded on a record carrier. To identify whether corresponding sub(band) signals have been processed or not, a mode indicator control signal, indicating whether a corresponding sub signal of the at least two signal components have or have not been processed into a composite sub-signal, is also being recorded on the record carrier.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing for example stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The transmission signals are arranged in consecutive frames, each frame including a plurality of information packets, and each information packet including N bits. The number of information packets in a frame is determined by the ratio of the product of the transmission bit-rate and the number of samples represented in the frame, to the product of the number of bits in a packet and the sampling frequency. The transmission signals are recorded in a record carrier, or are transmitted in real time. In a digital stereo audio signal embodiment, the samples may be sub-band encoded or transform encoded. The transmission signal may include an indicator signal indicating a combination of certain samples, or scale factor signals for specific components of the sampled signal.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing for example stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The transmission signals are arranged in consecutive frames, each frame including a plurality of information packets, and each information packet including N bits. The number of information packets in a frame is determined by the ratio of the product of the transmission bit-rate and the number of samples represented in the frame, to the product of the number of bits in a packet and the sampling frequency. The transmission signals are recorded in a record carrier, or are transmitted in real time. In a digital stereo audio signal embodiment, the samples may be sub-band encoded or transform encoded. The transmission signal may include an indicator signal indicating a combination of certain samples, or scale factor signals for specific components of the sampled signal.

Abstract: Audio systems using a digital audio interface between a sender and a receiver are known. Due to the digital revolution, it is very easy to make copies of copyright protected work. By using a bi-directional control bus in the audio interface, it is made possible to send audio signals with a standard quality to “normal” receivers audio, and higher quality audio to receivers which are authorized to receive higher quality audio.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing for example stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The transmission signals are arranged in consecutive frames, each frame including a plurality of information packets, and each information packet including N bits. The number of information packets in a frame is determined by the ratio of the product of the transmission bit-rate and the number of samples represented in the frame, to the product of the number of bits in a packet and the sampling frequency. The transmission signals are recorded in a record carrier, or are transmitted in real time. In a digital stereo audio signal embodiment, the samples may be sub-band encoded or transform encoded. The transmission signal may include an indicator signal indicating a combination of certain samples, or scale factor signals for specific components of the sampled signal.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing for example stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The transmission signals are arranged in consecutive frames, each frame including a plurality of information packets, and each information packet including N bits. The number of information packets in a frame is determined by the ratio of the product of the transmission bit-rate and the number of samples represented in the frame, to the product of the number of bits in a packet and the sampling frequency. The transmission signals are recorded in a record carrier, or are transmitted in real time. In a digital stereo audio signal embodiment, the samples may be sub-band encoded or transform encoded. The transmission signal may include an indicator signal indicating a combination of certain samples, or scale factor signals for specific components of the sampled signal.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing for example stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The transmission signals are arranged in consecutive frames, each frame including a plurality of information packets, and each information packet including N bits. The number of information packets in a frame is determined by the ratio of the product of the transmission bitrate and the number of samples represented in the frame, to the product of the number of bits in a packet and the sampling frequency. The transmission signals are recorded in a record carrier, or are transmitted in real time. In a digital stereo audio signal embodiment the samples may be subband encoded or transform encoded. The transmission signal may include an indicator signal indicating a combination of certain samples, or scale factor signals for specific components of the sampled Signal.

Abstract: Recording apparatus for recording in a track on an optical information carrier a first channel signal representing a main information signal, a second channel signal representing a cue information signal and a third channel signal representing a sub information signal. The main information signal includes at least one programme item and the cue information signal includes for the at least one programme item an indication of its location on the track.

Abstract: An encoded digital signal having frames of different lengths is decoded to obtain a wideband digital signal. The decoder converts frames having information packets, where the number of packets in a frame is related to the sampling frequency of the wideband digital signal, the bitrate of the encoded digital signal, the number of bits in the information packets, and the number of samples of the wideband digital signal whose corresponding information is the encoded digital signal in the frame. A receiver for such a signal includes a decoder for converting the frames.

Abstract: In a multitrack recording arrangement in which information may be recorded in or reproduced from a plurality of adjacent tracks simultaneously and in which the plurality of adjacent tracks are longitudinally partitioned into segments referred to as tape frames, each tape frame being formed of a plurality of laterally adjacent track segments referred to as track frames, each tape frame is assigned to one of a plurality of channels, one channel of information being recorded in each n-th tape frame.

Abstract: A receiver including an error masking unit for masking an error in a digital signal received by the receiver, and a transmission system including such a receiver. The transmission system includes a transmitter which sub-band codes a wide-band digital signal into sub-band signals having signal blocks containing a predetermined number of samples which the transmitter quantizes and combines with bit allocation information denoting how many bits each of the samples in the signal blocks are quantized by and scale factor information relating to scale factors for the signal blocks into a digital signal. That digital signal is error correction encoded and then applied to a transmission medium by the transmitter. The receiver receives a digital signal from the transmission medium which substantially corresponds to the digital signal applied to the transmission system by the transmitter and decodes that digital signal so as to produce a replica of the wide-band digital signal encoded by the transmitter.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of, for example a digital stereo audio signal, is improved by transmitting sample data as sub-signals such as frequency subband signals. In one or more subbands, corresponding components such as left and right stereo channels are combined so that only one composite signal is transmitted per subband. An indicator signal is transmitted, indicating which subbands are combined. Scale factor signals for all subbands, and for the relative intensity of the respective subband signals which were combined, may also be transmitted. In the receiver a subband signal is derived for each channel from the composite signal, before synthesis of the full channel signals which will be reproduced.

Abstract: Digital data is encoded in accordance with an error protection product code into C1 codewords and C2 codewords, and the codewords are stored on a plurality of parallel recording tracks of a record carrier. The code symbols of any particular C1 codeword are assigned to a segment of a single storage track. The number of code symbols in a C2 codeword are a multiple of the number of tracks, and are cyclically assigned to segments of all tracks and cross intersegment boundaries, the physical spacing between adjoining symbols of a C2 codeword being substantially uniform in both coordinate directions. The storage requirements of the coding apparatus are reduced if the number of symbols in each C2 codeword is an integral multiple of the number of tracks. The positions on the tracks of the symbols of any codeword have a 1:1 correspondence with the addresses of such symbols in the RAM for both the encoder and the decoder.

Abstract: Digital information recorded in a track (T.sub.a.i) on a tape-like magnetic record carrier (20) can be read out again when the record carrier is transported in a specific direction. The transport direction of the record carrier when the information is recorded may be similar or opposite to the direction in which the information is reproduced. This implies that as a function thereof a first or second equalization filter (F.sub.1, F.sub.2) is to be used during reproduction so as to realise a first or second filtering of the information that is read out. For this purpose, markers (M.sub.1, M.sub.2) are introduced on the record carrier (20) or the cassette (61). From these markers there may be derived whether the side being read out at a specific moment has been recorded in a transport direction similar or opposite to the transport direction during reproduction.

Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of, for example a digital stereo audio signal, is improved by transmitting sample data as sub-signals such as frequency subband signals. In one or more subbands, corresponding components such as left and right stereo channels are combined so that only one composite signal is transmitted per subband. An indicator signal is transmitted, indicating which subbands are combined. Scale factor signals for all subbands, and for the relative intensity of the respective subband signals which were combined, may also be transmitted. In the receiver a subband signal is derived for each channel from the composite signal, before synthesis of the full channel signals which will be reproduced.

Abstract: A transmission channel may be utilized for a combination of wide-band signals and auxiliary signals, while still providing improved reproduction accuracy. Digital sub-signals or subband signals representing at least first and second data-reduced components are combined with at least one auxiliary digital signal in defined frame portions before transmission. The auxiliary signal may be user-discernible information such as third and fourth audio channels, so that a four channel surround sound signal is transmitted; or teletext or video or picture information may be provided. Sampling reduction and filtering into subbands may be applied to the auxiliary signal as well as to the first and second signal components.

Abstract: Transmission system for transmitting and receiving, and subband encoding methods for generating for transmission, digital signals containing modulated bit allocation information; and record carriers containing such a signal. The transmission system include a transmitter which encodes in accordance with the subband encoding method a wide-band digital signal into subband signals which are each made up of successive signal blocks having a predetermined number of samples of that subband signal. The samples in the signal blocks of the subband signals are quantized to produce quantized samples in the signal blocks, and bit allocation information denoting how many bits the samples in the signal blocks are to be quantized by is generated. The bit allocation information (or a portion thereof) is modulated to obtain modulated bit allocation information.

Abstract: A digital recording and reproducing system, and record carrier for use with the system, in which frames and interframe gaps are recorded in a track on the record carrier. The record carrier has a plurality of longitudinally juxtaposed tracks which each comprises frames and interframe gaps alternating with one another longitudinally along that track. The interframe gaps of adjacent tracks are situated at substantially the same position, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the tracks, and adjacent interframe gaps have substantially the same lengths. In a first embodiment, the interframe gap directly following each frame in each track has substantially the same bit density as that frame. In a second embodiment, the interframe gaps in a track have varying lengths. The recording and reproducing system has recording device for recording the frames and interframe gaps on the record carrier, and a reproducing device for reading the frames from the track.

Abstract: Apparatus for encoding digital data in accordance with an error protection product code into C1 codeword and C2 codewords, and storing such codewords on a plurality of parallel recording tracks on a record carrier. The code symbols of a given C1 codeword are assigned to a segment of a single storage track. The number of code symbols in a C2 codeword are a multiple of the number of tracks, and are cyclically assigned to segments of all tracks and cross intersegment boundaries, the physical spacing between adjoining symbols of a C2 codeword being substantially uniform in both coordinate directions. The storage requirements of the coding apparatus can be reduced if the number of symbols in each C2 codeword is an integral multiple of the number of tracks. In both the encoder and decoder, the RAM for storing codewords is organized so that the addresses of the symbols of any codeword have a 1:1 correspondence with the positions of such symbols on the tracks.

Abstract: Systems, apparatus and methods for recording or reproducing from a re-recordable record carrier digital signals, representing a digital audio signal, containing information which results in concealment of a portion of a replica of the digital audio signal during its reproduction to prohibit audio distortions resulting from a boundary between two digital signals, wherein one of those digital signal is newly-recorded over a previously-recorded other digital signal. The concealment information can also be included in auxiliary signals recorded on reproduced from the record carrier along with the digital signals. In a recording apparatus, a digital signal including audio information (i.e.