Abstract: A signal processing apparatus may include a decoder that decodes a compressed audio stream encoded by a predetermined codec, a signal processing unit that applies predetermined signal processing to an audio stream obtained by decoding the compressed audio stream with the decoder, a first acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information described in a header of the compressed audio stream and management information for contents including the compressed audio stream, a setting unit that discriminates, on the basis of the information, a type of the codec used for the encode of the compressed audio stream and sets a codec used for encode of the audio stream, and an encoder that encodes, in accordance with the setting by the setting unit, the audio stream subjected to the signal processing by the signal processing unit and outputs the audio stream to an external apparatus that has a decoder.

Abstract: A data recording and reproducing apparatus is adapted to receive audio data created by encoding an original sound signal and to decode the audio data into the original sound signal to thereby reproduce the original sound signal. The data recording and reproducing apparatus includes a data storage unit operable to store the audio data; a feature point information creation unit operable to create information about feature points by extracting information about characteristics of sound indicated by the original sound signal from the stored audio data and to create feature point information based on the extracted information; and an altered-speed reproduction unit operable to reproduce the original sound signal at an altered speed by decoding the audio data and thinning out the decoded audio data based on the feature point information.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus may include a decoder that decodes a compressed audio stream encoded by a predetermined codec, a signal processing unit that applies predetermined signal processing to an audio stream obtained by decoding the compressed audio stream with the decoder, a first acquisition unit that acquires at least one of information described in a header of the compressed audio stream and management information for contents including the compressed audio stream, a setting unit that discriminates, on the basis of the information, a type of the codec used for the encode of the compressed audio stream and sets a codec used for encode of the audio stream, and an encoder that encodes, in accordance with the setting by the setting unit, the audio stream subjected to the signal processing by the signal processing unit and outputs the audio stream to an external apparatus that has a decoder.

Abstract: A data recording and reproducing apparatus is adapted to receive audio data created by encoding an original sound signal and to decode the audio data into the original sound signal to thereby reproduce the original sound signal. The data recording and reproducing apparatus includes a data storage unit operable to store the audio data; a feature point information creation unit operable to create information about feature points by extracting information about characteristics of sound indicated by the original sound signal from the stored audio data and to create feature point information based on the extracted information; and an altered-speed reproduction unit operable to reproduce the original sound signal at an altered speed by decoding the audio data and thinning out the decoded audio data based on the feature point information.

Abstract: A data recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus. The apparatus may include one or more buffer memories, a recorder, a controller, and/or a reproducing unit. Continuous picture and/or speech data may be stored, recorded, and/or reproduced. The size of a recording unit may be controlled such that it corresponds to the amount of picture and/or speech data recorded by the recorder.

Abstract: In this invention, in recording, onto a disc, data continuously reproduced such as picture data or speech data, etc., minimum continuous recording unit Ba is set. Picture data, etc. is divided into minimum continuous recording units Ba to record such divided data, on real time basis, into space areas existing in a distributed manner on the disc.

Abstract: In recording, onto a disc, data continuously reproduced such as picture data or speech data, etc., minimum continuous recording unit Ba is set. Picture data, etc. is divided into minimum continuous recording units Ba to record such divided data, on real time basis, into space areas existing in a distributed manner on the disc. Ba is expressed as follows: Ba=[Ri×Ro×{(N−1)×Tr+N×Tj}]/(Ri−Ro) Ri: input rate to buffer memory, Ro: output rate from the buffer memory, N: total number of continuous reproduction data simultaneously recorded and reproduced in carrying out reproduction, Tj: maximum seek time of reproduction head, and Tr: minimum read time from the disc.

Abstract: In a recording/reproducing or transmitting/receiving device for compressed data the temporal size of a processing block during the compression process is rendered variable responsive to larger amplitude changes in the input signals. The device includes power calculating circuits for calculating the masking effect on a processing block based on amplitude changes in the waveform on the time axis of various frequency bands of the processing block and based on the power of a processing block(s) other than the subject processing block. A primary block size decision circuit and a block size correction circuit are utilized to determine the temporal size of the subject processing block.

Abstract: A device for recording and/or reproducing or transmitting and/or receiving compressed data includes decoding circuits 31 to 33 for performing expansion during the compression process is disclosed. An error produced during the compression process is calculated by an input/output error calculating circuit 41 from the input data and data compressed by adaptive bit allocation encoding circuits 22 to 24 and expanded by the decoding circuits 31 to 33, and bit allocation is again calculated on the basis of the error produced during the compression process, with the input data remaining as it is. The bit allocation re-calculated in this manner is quantized by the encoding circuits 22 to 24. Besides, data annulling the error produced during the compression process is formulated by the input/output error calculating circuit 41 and summed to the input signals for subsequent quantization.

Abstract: Digital audio data of at least two channels are orthogonal-transformed by orthogonal transform for effecting bit compaction. If, when the time length and window shape of the orthogonal transform block is changed, the correlation between channels is found to be high to a certain extent, the time lengths of the orthogonal transform blocks in each channel is selected to be equal to suppress the difference in sound quality between channels to improve a fixed sound image position feeling and hence a high sound quality. This allows to produce a high sound quality for the same bit rate. A lower bit rate may be used for producing the equivalent sound quality. A method for determining the time length of a processing block which is psychoacoustically more desirable processing block may be provided to enable high efficiency compaction and expansion with a psycho-acoustically optimum sound quality.

Abstract: A method for encoding audio signals includes dividing input audio signals into a two-dimensional block of time and frequency and quantizing the two-dimensional blocks based upon bit allocation as determined for each of the two-dimensional blocks. Scale factors are calculated indicating characteristics of signal components for each of the plural two-dimensional blocks, and bit allocations are determined for a pre-set one of the two-dimensional blocks based upon the scale factor of the pre-set two-dimensional block and plural scale factors of plural ones of the two-dimensional blocks neighboring to said pre-set two-dimensional block on the frequency axis.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for recording, reproducing, transmitting and/or receiving compressed data, and a recording medium therefor, utilize frequency dividing filters for dividing the frequency range of digital signals into plural frequency bands, orthogonal transform circuits for producing signal components in plural two-dimensional blocks along time and frequency, an adaptive bit allocation and encoding circuit for quantizing and compressing the information for each two-dimensional block and a bit allocation and calculating circuit. When recording the information together with information compressing parameters for each two-dimensional block, the information compressing parameters for at least two two-dimensional blocks are recorded collectively to avoid complicacy in the structure of the sampling frequency signal generating circuits or the like otherwise caused in case of providing plural sampling frequencies as well as to prevent an increase in hardware scale.