Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processing device includes a receiver, a search controller and a request transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive an activation request relative to a first device from a requesting device connected to a first network. The first device is connected to a second network. The search controller is configured to search for a second device in an activated state among a plurality of devices connected to the second network based on device state information indicative of a state of each of the devices. The request transmitter is configured to request the searched second device to transmit the activation request to the first device.

Abstract: The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer's iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image playback apparatus which plays back data stream stored in a recording medium while decoding it, the apparatus includes a reading section which reads the data stream from the recording medium, a separation section which separates the data stream read by the reading section into audio data and video data, a memory including a first memory region allocated therein which temporarily stores the audio data output from the separation section and a second memory region allocated therein which temporarily stores the video data output from the separation section.

Abstract: An authoring apparatus includes: a storage module configured to store a plurality of face images while being correlated with time stamp information pieces; a display processing module configured to process the face images; a chapter generating module configured to generate chapter information for setting a chapter in the video data based on a selected time stamp information piece when one of the face images being displayed as the list is selected as a selected face image; a menu screen data generating module configured to generate menu screen data to be used for displaying a menu screen in which the selected face image is used as a button to jump to the chapter where the selected face image appears; and a converting module configured to generate converted data to be written on an optical disc, the converted data including the video data and the menu screen data.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image playback apparatus which plays back data stream stored in a recording medium while decoding it, the apparatus includes a reading section which reads the data stream from the recording medium, a separation section which separates the data stream read by the reading section into audio data and video data, a memory including a first memory region allocated therein which temporarily stores the audio data output from the separation section and a second memory region allocated therein which temporarily stores the video data output from the separation section.

Abstract: A digital still camera records a photographer's biological information on a photographic image reliably and protects the copyright of photographic images without affecting processing, and in a manner transparent to operation, at the time of photographing a subject. Biological information (iris information) that is registered beforehand by the photographer is recorded as personal data on an ID card. If an image is taken in a state in which the ID card bearing the recorded personal data has been inserted into the apparatus, iris information that has been sensed by an iris sensor is checked when a power supply is turned on. If the two compared items of iris information match, the personal data is added onto the image of the photographed subject.

Abstract: The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer's iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata.

Abstract: The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer's iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image communication method for transmitting image data between a first terminal and a second terminal via a network, the method includes performing a bidirectional image communication including a transmission of first image data from the first terminal to the second terminal and a transmission of second image data from the second terminal to the first terminal, performing a notification to stop either transmission of the first image data or the second image data from one to the other of the first terminal and the second terminal, and stopping either transmission of the first image data or the second image data depending on the notification to perform a one-way image communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a digital still camera that records a photographer's biological information on a photographic image reliably and protects the copyright of photographic images without affecting processing, and in a manner transparent to operation, at the time of photography of a subject. Biological information (iris information) that is registered beforehand by the photographer is recorded as personal data on an ID card. If an image is taken in a state in which the ID card bearing the recorded personal data has been inserted into the apparatus, iris information that has been sensed by an iris sensor is checked when a power supply is turned on. If the two compared items of iris information match, the personal data is added onto the image of the photographed subject.

Abstract: The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer's iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata.

Abstract: A focus detecting device includes a defocus amount detecting circuit for detecting an amount of defocus obtained at each of a plurality of focus areas disposed within an image plane, a selecting circuit for, on the basis of amounts of defocus detected respectively at the plurality of focus areas, dividing the plurality of focus areas into a plurality of groups and selecting a focus area capturing a target object from among the plurality of groups, a posture sensor for detecting a posture of an apparatus, a weighting circuit for, on the basis of positions of the plurality of focus areas within the image plane, dividing the plurality of focus areas into a plurality of groups and respectively weighting the plurality of groups, the weighting circuit making grouping of the plurality of focus areas differently according to the posture of the apparatus, and a deciding circuit for deciding at least one focus area from among the plurality of focus areas by adding a result of weighting made by the weighting circuit to

Abstract: In a camera capable of setting an auto-bracketing photo-taking mode of photographing on a plurality of frames of a film continuously with a photo-taking exposure value changed automatically and stepwise, when the auto-bracketing photo-taking mode is set, photographing is performed with a predetermined standard exposure value on both of a start frame and an end frame of a continuous photo-taking in the auto-bracketing photo-taking mode, and photographing is performed with an exposure value different from the predetermined standard exposure value on a frame between the start frame and the end frame, so that the start frame and the end frame of the continuous photo-taking in the auto-bracketing photo-taking mode can be made to be photo-taking frames with the same exposure condition.