Abstract: A control unit inquires each digital apparatus stored in a memory table in a memory about a power supply mode of the apparatus through an IEEE1394 serial bus. When a response indicates a power-on mode, corresponding icons 61-1 and 61-2 are normally displayed. When the response indicates a connection standby mode, a corresponding icon 61-3 is mesh-displayed. If there is no response, corresponding icons 61-4 and 61-5 are inversion-displayed. A connection detecting circuit 111 detects a bias voltage of an IEEE1394 serial bus 101 and outputs a detection signal to a main control circuit 122. On the basis of the input detection signal, the main control circuit 122 controls a power supplying circuit 117 so as to supply a standby electric power to a standby power supplying circuit 116.

Abstract: There is provided a replay apparatus including a skip function, which is initiated if a skip button is pressed, for stopping a replay operation to restart at the next content after skipping during the replay operation of one of a plurality of stored contents. The replay apparatus includes measuring means for measuring an elapsed time from a replay start time of a content and a time when the content is skipped, evaluating means for giving an evaluation value reflecting a preference of a user to the replayed content that is skipping based on the elapsed time, and creating means for creating preference information by registering the given evaluation value in association with the replayed content.

Abstract: Digital television broadcast signals are received and AV signals are reproduced in a common apparatus. A digital television signal is received and is separated into a compressed first video signal, a compressed first audio signal, and first copyright protection information. An AV signal is reproduced from a recording medium and is separated into a second compressed video signal, a second compressed audio signal, and second copyright protection information. The first signals and information are selected when a received operation command is a command to select the digital television broadcast channel, and the second signals and information are selected when the received operation command is a command to reproduce data. The selected signals and information are decoded to generate a decoded video signal, a decoded audio signal, and a copyright protection signal, and the copyright protection signal is added to the decoded signals to limit copying.

Abstract: Digital television broadcast signals are received and AV signals are reproduced in a common apparatus. A digital television signal is received and is separated into a compressed first video signal, a compressed first audio signal, and first copyright protection information. An AV signal is reproduced from a recording medium and is separated into a second compressed video signal, a second compressed audio signal, and second copyright protection information. The first signals and information are selected when a received operation command is a command to select the digital television broadcast channel, and the second signals and information are selected when the received operation command is a command to reproduce data. The selected signals and information are decoded to generate a decoded video signal, a decoded audio signal, and a copyright protection signal, and the copyright protection signal is added to the decoded signals to limit copying.

Abstract: Information distribution systems and information distribution methods are provided. In an information distribution system, header files of contents in accordance with a preference of a user of a data terminal are automatically selected, in advance, from a content distribution apparatus and are transmitted to the data terminal, so that probabilities that the header files of the contents have been already stored are very high when the user downloads the content of the body data. If the number of header files to be stored is more than a predetermined number, the most of the header files with respect to the contents of the body data to be downloaded will be in the data terminal. Therefore, on performing a downloading operation, the header files can be played immediately, then subsequently, the downloaded content of the body data are played, whereby the user can appreciate the content which the user desires to view and listen to without waiting time.

Abstract: A small-sized and low-cost receiving apparatus receives digital television broadcasts and reproduces DVD video discs. A receiving circuit receives a digital television broadcast wave via an antenna and supplies it to a demultiplexer (DMUX). A reproducing circuit reads a signal recorded on a DVD and supplies it to another demultiplexer (DMUX). Each demultiplexer separates the input signal into a video signal coded in a compressed form, an audio signal coded in a compressed form, and copyright protection information and supplies the separated signals to a switching circuit. A video signal decoding circuit decodes the video signal coded in the compressed form as received from the switching circuit. An audio signal decoding circuit decodes the audio signal coded in the compressed form as received from the switching circuit.

Abstract: A retrieval keyword analyzing system extracts an access sequence indicating a continuous access by a same requester based on a Web access log which relates first identification data indicating an access requester to second identification data indicating contents to be accessed. The Web access log relates second identification data indicating a retrieval system to a retrieval keyword input to the retrieval system by the requester. The analyzing system extracts the retrieval keyword from the Web access log, calculates a qualitative evaluation value of the access sequence and creates relation data between the retrieval keyword and the qualitative evaluation value.

Abstract: Additional information for copyright protection is added to a video signal (first information signal) and an audio signal (second information signal), which are associated with each other and are independently usable, in a video watermark information superimposition unit and an audio watermark information superimposition unit, respectively. The video signal and the audio signal having the additional information added are then output. In a receiving apparatus for receiving the video signal and the audio signal, copyright protection is performed on at least one of the video signal and the audio signal based on both the additional information added to the video signal and the additional information added to the audio signal.

Abstract: A transfer apparatus for transferring data which achieves balancing in profit and loss between a proprietor of copyright and a user includes an instruction section for providing an instruction of a transfer rate, a transfer control section for variably using one of various transfer control methods for data in response to the transfer rate of the instruction provided by the instruction section, and a billing control section for changing the transfer control method by the transfer control section in response to billing processing performed by a user of the transfer apparatus.

Abstract: A content, restored in an information processing apparatus, for replaying a content, such as a personal computer, is fed back to a drive device. The drive device detects an electronic watermark from the transferred restored content, and controls content outputting from the drive device. In this arrangement, an electronic watermark is reliably detected and content replay control is performed based on the detected electronic watermark in any type of coding including MPEG 2, MPEG-1, MPEG-4 regardless of type of coding or even if the content is encrypted.

Abstract: The present invention can reliably prevent the contents of a recording medium from being illegally copied but allow them to be copied only for the purpose of personal use. The invention takes out title identifying information and medium identifying information of a DVD loaded on a hard-disk-containing DVD player and transmits those pieces of information to management server along with the apparatus identifying information of the hard-disk-containing DVD player so as to enquire about copying prohibition flag for a copying operation and control copying of the recorded contents of the DVD according to the copying prohibition flag. Thus, the invention prohibits copying when the management server judges that copying of the contents of the DVD by means of the hard-disk-containing DVD player is illegal, whereas it allows copying when the management server judges that copying of the contents of the DVD by means of the hard-disk-containing DVD player is for the purpose of personal use.

Abstract: A data processing method enabling identification of a source of leakage of content data leaked from predetermined recording media, comprising playing back an object film to generate reproduction data, detecting correlation between identified content reproduced data and difference data read from a database in a correlation detection unit, deciding whether or not there is a difference caused by inherent variations in recording sensitivity on the basis of the correlation, and identifying from which of a plurality of legally copied films the object film was obtained from on the basis of the result of the decision.

Abstract: A digital watermark detection circuit detects a digital watermark inserted in an input signal. When the digital watermark detection circuit detects a digital watermark indicating the prohibition of duplication, a record controlling circuit controls a recording circuit and a recording drive to stop recording and prohibit recording to a recording medium for a predetermined time.

Abstract: A method of detecting a watermark embedded in a rotated video field is disclosed. The method entails correlating two video tiles in the rotated video field to find relative positions of a watermark. An estimation of an angle of rotation of the video field is performed based on the relative positions of the watermark. The angle of rotation in the rotated video field is estimated by selecting a pair of video tiles, determining a magnitude of a shift in one tile of the pair relative to the other, and calculating the angle of rotation based on the magnitude of the shift and a pre-known width of the video tiles. An expected watermark pattern is then rotated by the estimated angle of rotation, and the rotated expected watermark pattern is used as input to a Symmetric Phase Only Match Filter (SPOMF) system for watermark detection.

Abstract: The following operations are performed according to instructions from a CPU. The ID information of music information having a copyright that is recorded on a reproduction-side recording medium is detected by a first inherent information detection circuit. The ID information indicating the kind of a recording-side recording medium is detected by a second inherent information detection circuit. Based on information retrieved from a history memory, a judgment circuit judges whether the music information has already been copied to and recorded onto a recording medium of the same kind as the recording-side recording medium. If a judgment result is affirmative, the CPU prohibits the operation of copying and recording the music information recorded on the reproduction-side recording medium onto the recording-side recording medium.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a retrieving portion, a communicating portion, a controlling portion, and a storing portion. The retrieving portion retrieves, from an information signal, a detection signal for detecting digital watermark information. The communicating portion transmits the detection signal to another apparatus and receives a processed result for the digital watermark information detected from the detection signal. The controlling portion performs control so as to restrict processing of the information signal, based on the processed result. The storing portion stores the processed result in a manner capable of communicating with another apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a copy control technique using digital watermark information, which makes it possible to prevent a content from being erroneously subjected to a copy control process according to wrong copy control information at a content-to-content transition. Copy control information in the form of digital watermark information (WM) is embedded in a content to control copying of the content in accordance with the embedded copy control information. A content-to-content transition is detected by detecting a change in a content state such as a change in image luminance, or a change in copy control information associated with a content or is detected on the basis of a flag, a descriptor, or channel switching.

Abstract: In a recording mode, an image signal of a desired object is generated by an imaging unit such as a video camera, and the time difference between the hour of generation of the current image signal and the hour of generation of a preceding image signal is detected by a system controller. Then the image signal and predetermined data based on the result of detection of the time difference are recorded on a recording medium via an optical pickup section. In a reproduction mode, the predetermined data are read out from the recording medium together with the image signal representing the picture of the object, and a predetermined video effect is applied to the read image signal in accordance with the predetermined data.

Abstract: The present invention provides an additional-watermark embedding apparatus for embedding predetermined additional data into original data. The additional-watermark embedding apparatus includes an adder for summing the original data and the additional data, a first amplifier for amplifying the original data according to a predetermined non-linear input-output characteristic, a second amplifier for amplifying the summed data supplied from the adder according to a predetermined non-linear input-output characteristic, a subtractor for taking the difference between the amplified data obtained by the second amplifier and the amplified original data obtained by the first amplifier, and an embedder for embedding modified additional data which is obtained by modifying the waveform of the additional data according to the original data and which is supplied from the subtractor into the original data.

Abstract: A video recording/playback device comprising a video recording means having, at least, a first moving picture mode, a second moving picture mode and a first still picture mode and the device being able to record a video signal in selecting a mode among the above-mentioned 3 modes. The second moving picture mode is called a portrait mode and in this mode, in comparison with the first moving picture mode, the number of frames per second is made smaller and the number of bits allotted to a frame is made larger; thereby enough number of bits can be allotted to an frame, which makes it possible to obtain a high quality portrait with desirable expression.