Abstract: To provide an intra prediction apparatus which can circumvent a hazard problem and improve the time reduction effect. An intra prediction apparatus 11 performs intra predictions of a picture. The intra predictions include: second intra predictions of respective second blocks (blocks) which are obtained by dividing a first pixel block; and a first intra prediction of the first block (macroblock) which constitutes the picture. The intra prediction apparatus 11 includes: an intra prediction unit (a prediction unit 113, an orthogonal transform and quantization unit 115, an inverse orthogonal transform and inverse quantization unit 116, and an adder 117) which performs the intra predictions; and a control unit 119 which controls the intra prediction unit to perform in parallel the intra prediction of the macroblock and the intra predictions of the respective pixel blocks.

Abstract: An intra prediction apparatus includes: a candidate narrowing-down unit which narrows down, from a plurality of intra prediction directions, an intra prediction direction candidate which is applied to a block of multiple pixels that constitutes a video in accordance with a characteristic of the video; and an intra prediction execution unit which executes intra prediction in the intra prediction direction narrowed down by said candidate narrowing-down unit. Through this, computational load can be lightened while contributing to improvement in picture quality and encoding efficiency.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a scene change in a compressed moving-picture detects the scene change even if frame structure images and field structure images exist together. The apparatus includes an image structure judging portion for judging the image structure of an inputted compressed moving-picture, a feature quantity extracting portion for extracting a feature quantity based on top and bottom double data in vertical direction of the image with respect to a field structure image when the judgment result of the image structure judging portion is a frame structure image, a data memory for storing the data extracted by the feature quantity extracting portion, an extracted data comparing portion for comparing the extracted data and calculating the quantity of variation of a picture, and a scene change judging portion for judging a scene change by the use of the quantity of variation calculated by the extracted data comparing portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit for charging an image bearing member, an image forming unit for forming a toner image on the image bearing member that has been charged, and a cleaning unit for contacting the image bearing member to clean the surface of the image bearing member. In the apparatus, a ratio of a period wherein the image bearing member is moved without being charged to a period wherein the image bearing member is moved while being charged, is controlled to be a predetermined value or greater.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus which includes: an image bearing member; a transfer member that transfers a toner image formed on the image bearing member to a transfer material; and a cleaning member that is brought into abutment against the image bearing member to remove toner remaining on the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred onto the transfer material, and in which toner prepared by a polymerizing method is used for formation of the toner image, a degree of compaction C of the toner is set to be within a range of 10 to 30%.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention is composed by an image bearing member that bears a toner image; an intermediate transferring material that contacts with the image bearing member; a transferring unit that transfers a toner image on the image bearing member to the intermediate transferring material at a transferring position; a bias applying unit that applies a bias to a power supply portion of the transferring unit during a period in which transfer is performed by the transferring unit; a cleaning unit that contacts with the image bearing member and cleans the surface of the image bearing member; a toner supplying unit that, when an image is not being formed, passes a toner image for supply that is formed on the image bearing member through the transferring position to supply the toner image for supply to the cleaning unit; and a switching unit that switches from a state in which the power supply portion is electrically connected to the bias applying unit to a state in which a resistance v

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit for charging an image bearing member, an image forming unit for forming a toner image on the image bearing member that has been charged, and a cleaning unit for contacting the image bearing member to clean the surface of the image bearing member. In the apparatus, a ratio of a period wherein the image bearing member is moved without being charged to a period wherein the image bearing member is moved while being charged, is controlled to be a predetermined value or greater.

Abstract: Picture quality loss is minimized and buffer underflow and overflow are prevented when extracting and recombining a plurality of consecutive scenes from an MPEG stream. The smallest number of pictures (equivalent at most to 1 second) that must be re-encoded so that the scene can be independently reproduced is detected to identify the re-encoding target picture. Then the picture type (I, P, B) after the pictures are re-encoded is determined. Buffer fullness is calculated, and the code allocation to the re-encoding range is calculated from buffer fullness and target picture count. The code allocation to each target picture is then calculated, and the target pictures are re-encoded and connected.

Abstract: A reproduction equipment converts an identification code of the reproduction equipment into a plurality of signal sequences using a correspondence table and embeds the obtained plurality of signal sequences in AV signals as a digital watermark. A reproduction equipment specifying equipment compares correlation values of the AV signals, containing the digital watermark embedded therein with all signal sequences contained in a correspondence table. A comparison of the correlation values with a previously set threshold value determines the embedded signal sequences and the identification code of the reproduction equipment which may be extracted.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a tape media compressed motion picture data reader for reading out compressed motion picture data from tape media, random access media, a compressed motion picture data transfer device for transferring compressed motion picture data from the tape media compressed motion picture data reader to the random access media, and a data comparator for comparing data between consecutive frames, whereby a frame accompanied by a scene change is detected by using the result of comparison.