Abstract: An external equipment controlling apparatus includes: a connecting unit, connected to an external equipment via an interface to input/receive data into/from the external equipment, the external equipment to which audio data is input and which performs an acoustic process to a sound corresponding to the audio data and causes a speaker to emit the sound; an audio data outputting unit, operable to generate the audio data, and operable to output the audio data to the external equipment; an identification information acquiring unit, configured to acquire identification information for specifying the external equipment from the external equipment; a program acquiring unit, configured to acquire a control program corresponding to the external equipment specified by the identification information from a server via a network; a video data outputting unit, operable to generate video data for displaying a setting screen for setting the acoustic process on a displaying unit, and operable to output the video data to the d

Abstract: Before a host computer transmits image forming data to a CD-R drive, the CD-R drive transmits information of an image forming condition preset in the CD-R drive to the computer. The host computer generates, based on stored original image data, image forming data adapted to the image forming condition on the basis of the information of the image forming condition and transmits the generated image forming data to the CD-R drive. The CD-R drive forms a visual image according to the preset image forming condition on the basis of the transmitted image forming data.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical disk system having at least: an optical disk including, on a substrate having pre-pits, an image-recording layer capable of drawing an image by irradiating a laser light; and a reading device which reads information included in the pre-pits by a return light of the laser light when the laser light having a wavelength of in a range of 630 to 680 nm is irradiated to the pre-pit of the optical disk. The pre-pits have a shortest pit length in a range from 0.6 to 0.9 ?m being formed on the substrate. The invention further provides an optical disk recording apparatus, an image drawing method and an optical disk which utilize the optical disk system.

Abstract: When an optical disk image forming device forms an image on an optical disk, the image forming device reads information of kinds of coloring matters used in an image forming area from information described in an information area of the optical disk. Then, the optical disk image forming device reads from a table laser power strength information corresponding to the information of the kinds of the coloring matters and a maximum linear velocity (Nx) at the time of forming the image and applies a laser beam having this laser power strength to form the image on the image forming area of the optical disk. Thus, since the discoloration of the coloring matter in the image forming area is always saturated, the image having a constant contrast can be formed on the image forming area of the optical disk.

Abstract: A drawing pulse generating unit of an optical disk recording apparatus judges a bit stream of main data contained in a bit stream signal of frame-formatted data, and generates pulse signals DOTX 1 and DOTX 2 based upon the judgment, and then, outputs the generated pulse signals DOTX 1 and DOTX 2 to the gate circuit. In a time period during which a signal level of the pulse signal DOTX 1 is an “H” level, the gate circuit supplies a bit stream signal of the frame-formatted data to a laser driver. In a time period during which a signal level of the pulse signal DOTX 1 is an “L” level, the gate circuit supplies a bit stream signal indicative of an erase level to the laser driver. The laser driver controls an optical pickup so that a laser light having strength indicative of the bit stream signal is irradiated.

Abstract: An LPF performs low-pass filtering for a light reception signal responsive to return light received by an optical pickup. A comparator makes a comparison between the level of the signal output from the LPF and a predetermined threshold value and outputs a high or low pulse signal MIR. A system control section determines the pulse signal MIR for each predetermined dot region. If the pulse signal MIR output from the comparator is high, the system control section writes “1” into buffer memory; if the pulse signal MIR is low, the system control section writes “0” into the buffer memory. The pixel string data recorded in the buffer memory is transferred to a host and an image responsive to pixel string data is displayed on a display.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical disc on which a visible image can be formed by irradiation of laser light, which comprises a logo area on which visible information is indicated, a pre-pit signal area, and an image forming area on which a visible image can be formed by irradiation of laser light; and an image forming method of forming a visible image by irradiation of laser light on an optical disc, the method including detecting a pre-pit signal from a pre-pit signal area formed on the optical disc, and forming the visible image based on the result of the detection, wherein the optical disc is the optical disc of an aspect of the invention.

Abstract: An optical disk is equipped with a predetermined mark. A frequency generator outputs an FG pulse of frequency corresponding to the rotational speed of a spindle motor used for rotationally driving the optical disk. The edge of the FG pulse detected by an edge detection section is counted by an FG counter. An angle counter measures the duration of a time from appearance of an edge of the FG pulse until a point in time when the mark affixed to the optical disk 1 is detected. A count value of the FG counter, which has been acquired at the point in time when the mark is detected, and a count value of the angle counter are saved. In a case where a visible image is rendered, encoding of a visible image to be rendered is started when the count value of the FG counter and the count value of the angle counter have become equal to the respective saved values.

Abstract: An external equipment controlling apparatus includes: a connecting unit, connected to an external equipment via an interface to input/receive data into/from the external equipment, the external equipment to which audio data is input and which performs an acoustic process to a sound corresponding to the audio data and causes a speaker to emit the sound; an audio data outputting unit, operable to generate the audio data, and operable to output the audio data to the external equipment; an identification information acquiring unit, configured to acquire identification information for specifying the external equipment from the external equipment; a program acquiring unit, configured to acquire a control program corresponding to the external equipment specified by the identification information from a server via a network; a video data outputting unit, operable to generate video data for displaying a setting screen for setting the acoustic process on a displaying unit, and operable to output the video data to the d

Abstract: A system control unit writes image data received from a host apparatus into a first storage regions. Next, the system control unit produces duplication data from the image data written in the first storage region, and then, writes these produced duplication data into a second storage regions. Furthermore, the system control unit furthermore produces duplication data from the image data written in the second storage region, and writes these produced duplication data into a third storage region. As a result, 1 piece of the image data and 2 pieces of the duplication data can be prepared on a buffer memory. The optical disk drawing apparatus draws an image on a drawing layer of an optical disk by employing these image data and duplication data.

Abstract: In the optical disk drawing apparatus of the present invention, an automatic adjusting area where the drawing operation is not carried out is provided in the optical disk, laser light is irradiated onto the formed automatic adjusting area so as to control the focus servo gain, so that a stable focus servo control can be carried out.

Abstract: When an image is formed on an optical disk, an optical disk image forming device reads information written in an information area of the optical disk. When a reflection preventing process is applied to an image forming area of the optical disk, the optical disk image forming device corrects at least one of a laser power or a focus gain in accordance with information about the image forming area written in the information area. Thus, the optical disk image forming device can form the image with a clear brightness and a good visibility on the image forming area of the optical disk without allowing a rainbow-color to appear or a face or a background to be reflected due to the interference of light.

Abstract: An optical disk image drawing method includes: rotating the optical disk by a spindle motor; reading a predetermined information recorded on a track of a data recording layer; detecting a predetermined position on the track based on the read predetermined information; measuring a position of the spindle motor in a rotating direction using the detected predetermined position as a reference position; changing a focus position of the laser beam to the image drawing layer; starting forming the visible image on the image drawing layer from a predetermined position of the spindle motor in the rotating direction relative to the reference position based on the measured position of the spindle motor in the rotating direction; and sequentially moving an optical pick-up in the radial direction synchronously with the rotation of the spindle motor to proceed to form the visible image.

Abstract: An optical pickup is opposed to an inner-radius portion of an optical disc that is set, and pits (a modulation signal) are read by applying laser light for a DVD to the inner-radius portion. The read-out modulation signal is decoded by inputting it to a CD decoder. If decoded disc information includes particular verification data, the optical disc is judged to be a legitimate optical disc of a particular type and formation of a visible image on the label surface is permitted.

Abstract: An optical disk image drawing method includes: rotating the optical disk by a spindle motor; reading a predetermined information recorded on a track of a data recording layer; detecting a predetermined position on the track based on the read predetermined information; measuring a position of the spindle motor in a rotating direction using the detected predetermined position as a reference position; changing a focus position of the laser beam to the image drawing layer; starting forming the visible image on the image drawing layer from a predetermined position of the spindle motor in the rotating direction relative to the reference position based on the measured position of the spindle motor in the rotating direction; and sequentially moving an optical pick-up in the radial direction synchronously with the rotation of the spindle motor to proceed to form the visible image.

Abstract: An optical disk image forming apparatus that forms an image on an optical disk, comprises: an optical disk drive that includes a rotating unit for rotating an optical disk and a laser light irradiating unit being movable in a radial direction of the optical disk; and a control unit that sets a plurality of pixel areas on the optical disk, allocates predetermined writing densities to the plurality of pixel areas, respectively, and controls the optical disk drive to irradiate the laser light onto each pixel area according to the allocated writing densities. When the allocated writing density is a halftone writing density, the control unit corrects the halftone writing density so as to be lighter darker than the allocated writing density.

Abstract: When “buffer under run” (BUR) occurs during recording of a visible image on an optical disk, recording operation is interrupted. As in the case of type A, when BUR1 occurs after data have been transferred through an integral multiple of one revolution, data are recorded continuously from a reference angle position without host device discarding data. As in the case of type B, when BUR2 occurs after data have been transferred in a value which is other than the integral multiple of one revolution, data corresponding to a duration from the position where BUR occurs to the start of the next revolution are discarded, data are continuously recorded from the reference angle position. Thereby, rendering can be spliced in a visually-smooth manner.

Abstract: When an optical disk image forming device forms an image on an optical disk, the image forming device reads information of kinds of coloring matters used in an image forming area from information described in an information area of the optical disk. Then, the optical disk image forming device reads from a table laser power strength information corresponding to the information of the kinds of the coloring matters and a maximum linear velocity (Nx) at the time of forming the image and applies a laser beam having this laser power strength to form the image on the image forming area of the optical disk. Thus, since the discoloration of the coloring matter in the image forming area is always saturated, the image having a constant contrast can be formed on the image forming area of the optical disk.

Abstract: A pertinent amount of Image data of an image to be drawn on a surface of an optical disc is intermittently transmitted from a computer to an optical disc image drawing apparatus. The optical disc image drawing apparatus stores the transmitted image in a buffer memory and successively reads the stored image data in a constant speed to performing the drawing operation on the surface of the optical disc. The computer counts the total amount of image data of transmission is completed and calculates a drawing radial position, which corresponds to the counted total amount with a currently drawing radial position. The computer displays a picture of the drawing image on a display so that the currently drawing radial position calculated above can be visually recognized.

Abstract: An optical pickup is opposed to an inner-radius portion of an optical disc that is set, and pits (a modulation signal) are read by applying laser light for a DVD to the inner-radius portion. The read-out modulation signal is decoded by inputting it to a CD decoder. If decoded disc information includes particular verification data, the optical disc is judged to be a legitimate optical disc of a particular type and formation of a visible image on the label surface is permitted.