Abstract: An image coder with a pre-record function includes a coding unit (11) which codes a motion-picture signal to generate closed GOPs or open GOPs, a buffer unit (14) in which at least one of the GOPs generated by the coding unit (11) is stored in a first-in first-out manner, a user I/F unit (12a) which receives instructions to start or stop capturing a moving picture, and a recording control unit (12b) which, before the user I/F unit (12a) receives an instruction to start capturing a moving picture, establishes a non-recording status and causes the coding unit (11) to start and continue coding the motion-picture signal so as to generate a GOP sequence including a closed GOP, and when the user I/F unit (12a) receives the instruction, switches from the non-recording status to a non-recording status and causes the coding unit (11) to generate a GOP sequence including only open GOPs.

Abstract: To provide a code amount estimating device which can perform, at high speed and with high precision, estimation of code amount obtained after arithmetic coding. The code amount estimating device includes a context index calculation unit which calculates a context index of a binary symbol included in binary data, and an estimate code amount calculation unit which calculates an estimate code amount for the binary data based on symbol occurrence probability information stored in association with the calculated context index and on a held probability interval range. The estimate code amount calculation unit estimates the code amount for the binary data according to code amount information indicating an association between (i) a combination of a binary symbol string including one or more binary symbols, symbol occurrence probability information, and a probability interval range and (ii) an estimate code amount for the binary symbol string.

Abstract: An image recording device includes: a reference clock generation generating a reference clock; a first compression unit generating first compressed image data by compressing a first picture that is included in pictures in the captured image and that is equivalent to image captured at the first frame rate; a second compression unit generating second compressed image data by compressing a second picture that is included in the pictures in the captured image except the first picture; a first timestamp generation unit generating a first timestamp indicating a time for presentation of the first picture with reference to the reference clock; a second timestamp generation unit generating a second timestamp indicating a time for presentation of the second picture with reference to the reference clock; a first assignment unit assigning the first timestamp to the first compressed image data; a second assignment unit assigning the second timestamp to the second compressed image data; and a recording unit recording, to t

Abstract: An image recording/reproducing device of this invention includes the following units. An image signal processing unit generates second captured image signals according to a second method. A first compression unit generates first compressed image data by compressing first image information that is image information included in the second captured image signals and that is equivalent to the first captured image. A second compression unit generates second compressed image data by compressing second image information that is image information included in the second captured image signals except at least a part of the image information included in the first image information. A recording unit creates first and second folders, records the first compressed is image data and first control information for reproducing the first compressed image data in association with the first folder, and records the second compressed image data in association with the second folder.

Abstract: An image recording/reproducing device of this invention includes the following units. An image signal processing unit generates second captured image signals according to a second method. A first compression unit generates first compressed image data by compressing first image information which is in the second captured image signals and equivalent to the first captured image. A second compression unit generates second compressed image data by compressing second image information which is in the second captured image signals except at least a part of the first image information. A recording unit creates first and second folders, and records the first compressed image data and a first playlist in association with the first folder and the second compressed image data in association with the second folder, so that parts of the first and second compressed image data captured during a same first time unit are recorded in association with each other.

Abstract: An optimal interpolation frame is achieved by estimating optimal motion vectors both for a coding process and an interpolation frame generating process. A video codec apparatus coding and decoding a video and generating an interpolation frame in the decoding includes a motion vector estimation unit calculating an evaluation value to evaluate a correlation between images using a calculating formula and estimates a motion vector using the evaluation value, a motion vector coding unit coding video data using the motion vector and outputs a coded stream, video decoding unit decoding the coded stream and outputs video frames generated by the decoding, a frame interpolation unit generating interpolation frame using the motion vector, a cost calculating formula selecting unit selecting the calculation method depending upon whether the coding by the motion vector coding unit or the generating an interpolation frame by the frame interpolation unit is being executed.

Abstract: When compression encoding processing of an image is performed in units of macroblocks using pipeline structure, application of the skip mode or the like according to MPEG4AVC to compression encode an encoding target block requires motion vectors and the like of adjacent blocks of the encoding target block. However, depending on the structure of the pipeline stages, the motion vectors and the like may not be determined. In such cases, the skip mode cannot be applied to compression encode the encoding target block. The present invention aims to solve this problem and (i) calculates all motion information candidates, of the encoding target block, corresponding to all motion information selectable by a previous block of the encoding target block, and (ii) selects, as the motion information of the encoding target block in the skip mode, the motion information corresponding to the motion information determined for the previous block.

Abstract: To provide a recording and reproducing apparatus that recovers contents having approximately the same quality as the original contents in a short time and requiring only light processing load, at the time of (a) moving the contents from the first recording medium to the second recording medium, (b) rewriting the contents in order to disable reproduction of the contents, (c) reconstructing the original contents by recovering the contents from the second recording medium to the first recording medium. The recording and reproducing apparatus includes a move processing unit 72a and a recovery processing unit 73a. The former records reconstruction information on the second recording medium in association with the second contents, the reconstruction information being used in reconstructing one or more parts of the contents that have been rewritten in order to disable reproduction of the contents at the time of moving the contents.

Abstract: An image coding device is provided that includes an image coding unit which codes image data, a binarization unit which binarizes the coded data, an intermediate buffer, an accumulated amount measuring unit which measures an amount of data in the intermediate buffer, and an I_PCM judging unit which compares the measured amount of data with a threshold. A buffer input selection unit is also provided which causes the intermediate buffer to accumulate next binary data when the amount of the data does not exceed the threshold and causes the intermediate buffer to accumulate next I_PCM data when the amount of the data exceeds the threshold. In addition, the device includes an arithmetic coding unit that arithmetically codes the binary data accumulated in the intermediate buffer and an output selection unit outputs the arithmetically coded data or the I_PCM data.

Abstract: The object is to provide an image coding apparatus capable of converting a frame rate without causing an increase of computation and coding amounts. An image coding apparatus 100 includes a frame managing unit 102 which outputs, for inputted image data, frame data and a pseudo-frame generation control signal for generating a pseudo frame, at a predetermined timing at which a frame rate of the inputted image data is changed, the pseudo frame having same image data as one of the frame data; a pseudo frame generating unit 105 which generates skip information indicating the pseudo frame, based on the pseudo-frame generation control signal, so as to output the generated skip information; a coding unit 103 which codes the frame data so as to output coded data; and a stream generating unit 104 which combines the coded data and the skip information in a predetermined order so as to output the combined data to a reproducing apparatus 110-side as stream data.

Abstract: A system which distributes information from an information distribution device to an information reception device on the basis of selection information indicating one or more pieces of sound information which is selected from a plurality of pieces of sound information. The information distribution device creates a composite sound data file in which a plurality of sound data files, including a sound data file which is real data of the selected sound information, are edited and composited to create a single sound content for the sound data file, and distributes the composite sound data file to the information reception device. Accordingly, the information distribution system enables a user to enjoy content constituted by desired information, with a simple reproducer.

Abstract: An image coding device is provided that includes an image coding unit which codes image data, a binarization unit which binarizes the coded data, an intermediate buffer, an accumulated amount measuring unit which measures an amount of data in the intermediate buffer, and an I_PCM judging unit which compares the measured amount of data with a threshold. A buffer input selection unit is also provided which causes the intermediate buffer to accumulate next binary data when the amount of the data does not exceed the threshold and causes the intermediate buffer to accumulate next I_PCM data when the amount of the data exceeds the threshold. In addition, the device includes an arithmetic coding unit that arithmetically codes the binary data accumulated in the intermediate buffer and an output selection unit outputs the arithmetically coded data or the I_PCM data.

Abstract: The coding apparatus according to the present invention is a coding apparatus which codes data regarding a moving picture, and includes: a DCT coefficient advanced-coding unit which performs advanced-coding on multivalued data representing a quantized DCT coefficient or a motion vector, so as to reduce the bit length of binary data obtained by binarizing the multivalued data; an advanced-coded coefficient/binary coefficient conversion unit which converts the advanced-coded data obtained by the DCT coefficient advanced-coding unit into the binary data; and an arithmetic coding unit which performs arithmetic coding on the binary data obtained by the advanced-coded coefficient/binary coefficient conversion unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a video encoding device in which a capacity of a binary data storing unit is small, a size of the video encoding device is small, a video signal can be processed in real time, and reduction in quality of images generated from the eventually obtained data can be prevented. The video encoding device according to the present invention includes: a video encoding unit which encodes a video signal; a binarization unit which binarizes an encoded value obtained from the video encoding unit; and an entropy encoding unit which subjects entropy encoding to binary data obtained from the binarization unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a content management device manages not to reproduce a part of contents in output source/destination concurrently, and manages to reproduce the whole contents in the original sequence continuously. A content management device is a device for managing reproduction of content from the first medium for which data corresponding to a part of the content output to the second medium. This device includes an outputting circuitry configured to output data corresponding to the part of the content, and a reproduction controller configured to disable reproduction of the part of the content recorded in the first medium when the outputting circuitry outputs the data corresponding to the part.

Abstract: The present invention provides a recording and reproducing apparatus by which a user can specify to which recording medium a portion of content is transferred, even when the portion of the content is transferred from a source recording medium to another recording medium. A recording and reproducing apparatus includes a destination information generator which generates destination information for specifying a destination to which a transfer portion of content is transferred, and a move processor which transfers the transfer part to a second recording medium, and records the destination information onto the first recording medium by associating the destination information with a remaining content made up of remaining portions in a first recording medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides a content management device that enables to reproduce a content with original quality even after the content has been converted to have lower quality to be moved, and further enables to notify a user of information regarding the moved content. The content management device includes: a communication unit connected to a communication pathway and configured to output a copy of recorded content received via a communication pathway for storing on an external medium; a content control unit configured to control the output of the recorded content and disable the reproduction of the recorded content when the copy is output; and a content information output unit configured to output externally attribute information comprising at least reproduction status information.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to create a status where the copyright protection and the improvement in userfriendliness can be concurrently realized. This can be realized by enabling a user to select the way how the digital video and audio data is made unavailable for playback. More specifically, whether the data is to be made unavailable for playback in an unrecoverable manner or in a recoverable manner may be determined depending on the deterioration level in data rate that is made at the time when the recorded digital video and audio data with which a copy-once signal is multiplexed is transmitted to another recording medium.

Abstract: According to a system in which information is distributed from an information distribution device to an information reception device on the basis of selection information indicating one or more pieces of sound information which is selected from plural pieces of sound information, the information distribution device creates a composite sound data file in which plural sound data files including a sound data file which is real data of the selected sound information are edited and composited to create a single sound contents, and distributes the composite sound data file to the information reception device.

Abstract: Representative picture extracting means extracts representative pictures from a coded input signal which consists of representative pictures, motion parameters for motion compensation which refers the representative picture, and reference relationships, and outputs a coded representative picture signal. The signal is decoded by a representative picture decoding means, and output as a decoded representative picture signal to a delay memory. On the other hand, representative picture reference relationship extracting means extracts reference relationship additional information, and outputs it to decoded signal output controlling means. The sequence of outputting the representative pictures is determined on the basis of the reference relationship additional information, and an output control signal is output to the delay memory. The delay memory outputs the decoded representative picture signal as a decoded output signal, on the basis of the output control signal.