Abstract: A main device receives program data provided through broadcasting, internally stores the received program data, and transfers the stored program data to a portable device. Herein, one program data is constituted by a plurality of program components (video, audio, closed caption, and the like). The main device assigns transfer priorities to each program component constituting one program data, and then discretely transfers the program components respectively in the direction of a time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities. By discretely transferring data, some of the program components may possibly be entirely transferred to the portable device even when data transfer is discontinued in a short time. Therefore, users can enjoy the entire program by playing-back the already-transferred program components.

Abstract: In a speculative recording device (1200a), a profile extracting unit (110) extracts a user profile (Pu) which indicates a preference of a user in viewing programs based on an operation by the user, a program list managing unit (106) acquires attributes (IP) of a program, a speculation selecting unit (111) selects a program to be speculatively recorded based on a user profile (Pu) and the attributes (IP) of the program, a storage managing unit (107) accumulates program data (DP), and a speculative recording managing unit (112) erases the program data (DP) accumulated in the storage managing unit (111) when necessary and records program data (DP) selected by the speculation selecting unit (111).

Abstract: A main device receives program data provided through broadcasting, internally stores the received program data, and transfers the stored program data to a portable device. Herein, one program data is constituted by a plurality of program components (video, audio, closed caption, and the like). The main device assigns transfer priorities to each program component constituting one program data, and then discretely transfers the program components respectively in the direction of a time axis in the order of the assigned transfer priorities. By discretely transferring data, some of the program components may possibly be entirely transferred to the portable device even when data transfer is discontinued in a short time. Therefore, users can enjoy the entire program by playing-back the already-transferred program components.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a service-extensible, completely new “safe service extension platform” in which false access by an execute form which implements a digital content providing service can be eliminated without the need to deny that a process which might cause the false access is included in the execute form. A safe service extension platform (SEP), in which services (S) are associated with an execute form (DE) and the services (S) are extended by changing or adding the execute form (DE), comprises a service-dependent API for extending the services, and the service extension from the execute form (DE) is carried out only by calling the service-dependent API.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a non-storage type broadcasting system for automatically providing the user with a presenter required for viewing a desired content with a viewer. In a non-storage type broadcasting system (100) for providing a user interface (B) unique to each (Sm) service (S), transmission means (110) sends out a control content (Cb), which implements the user interface (B), as part or whole of the content, and reception means (130) receives the sent control content (Cb) and activates the received control content to execute the user interface.

Abstract: A television receiver (100) acquires numerical quantity information which indicates the number of program-related information related to a television program from program list information acquired from a television signal (11) or the like, and displays the acquired numerical quantity information on a television display screen. When a user selects a television program whose program-related information is to be acquired, the television receiver (100) acquires a URL of program-related information from an address server (200) by utilizing the program identification code of the selected television program; acquires the program-related information from an information server (300) by utilizing the acquired URL; and displays the acquired program-related information so as to be superimposed, for example, upon a television picture.

Abstract: A receiving device includes: a receiving section for receiving first data including a plurality of data items; an accumulative storage section in which at least one of the plurality of data items is stored; a free space capacity acquiring section for acquiring a free space capacity of the accumulative storage section; an accumulation level determining section for determining a data item to be stored in the accumulative storage section; a data extraction section for extracting a data item from the first data based on the determination by the accumulation level determining section; and a data writing section for writing the data item extracted by the data extraction section in the accumulative storage section, wherein the accumulation level determining section includes a storage data determining section for determining the data item to be extracted from the first data based on predetermined parameters, and the parameters include at least the free space capacity.

Abstract: In a pay broadcasting system, data of a broadcast program is scrambled with a scramble key updated in a short period. The scramble key is encrypted with a first key assigned to the subscriber terminal. The first key is encrypted with a first master key set in the subscriber terminal. The security of a broadcast program stored for subsequent use in the subscriber terminal is enhanced as follows. A central station generates a second key-encrypted scramble key by encrypting the scramble key with a second key different from the first key and changeable in an interval shorter than a update interval of the first key; generates an encrypted second key by encrypting the second key with a second master key which has been commonly issued to subscriber terminals of the system; and broadcast the second key-encrypted scramble key and the encrypted second key together with the scrambled data of the program, the first key-encrypted scramble key and the encrypted first key in a multiplexed manner.

Abstract: There has been a demand for an inexpensive cumulative broadcasting service which does not skip some of data content, meta data and video and speech.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a recording device for hierarchical overwrite recording of video and/or audio data to a recording disc without an accompanying complicated mechanical operation. To achieve the object, a block generator generates blocks of a uniform size from data belonging to hierarchical layers produced by the hierarchical coding operation of a hierarchical encoder. A recording controller controls a recorder to record the blocks generated by the block generator in a linear consecutive sequence to the recording disc until the recording disc becomes full. After the recording disc becomes full, the recording controller selects lower layer blocks from the blocks generated by the block generator, selects higher layer blocks from the block sequence on the recording disc, and controls the recorder to record the selected lower layer blocks by overwriting them to the selected higher layer blocks in sequence starting from a block near the beginning of the block sequence.

Abstract: A tagged scene of a video stream transmitted from a first to second stations in television broadcasting system is collected while preventing the tags from being used for commercial cutting (i.e., indiscriminate tagged scene cutting). The first station generates for each scene a tag includes a category, a location for use in locating a beginning of the scene and a length. A second station obtains a desired category from the user. Detecting a tag in the video stream, if the category coincides with the desired category, the second station clips from the video stream a part of the length defined in the tag from a position located by using the location.

Abstract: There have been increasing requirements for a technique for storing and managing broadcasted contents more appropriately.

Abstract: An information abstracting method and apparatus for extracting and displaying keywords as an information abstract. Given a large number of character string data sets divided into prescribed units, the extracted keywords are significant and effective in describing a topic common to the plurality of units. The information abstracting apparatus comprises an input section for accepting an input of character string data divided into prescribed units, with each individual character represented by a character code, and an output section for displaying the result of information abstracting. Keywords contained in each of the prescribed units are extracted by a keyword extracting section from the character string input data from the input section. A score is calculated for each keyword by a score calculating section, so that a higher score is given to a keyword extracted from a larger number of units.

Abstract: The primary object of the invention is to extract and display keywords as an information abstract that are significant and effective in describing a topic common to a plurality of units, when a large number of character string data sets divided into prescribed units are given. The invention comprises an input section for accepting an input of character string data divided into prescribed units, with each individual character represented by a character code, and an output section for displaying the result of information abstracting. Keywords contained in each of the prescribed units are extracted by a keyword extracting section from the character string data input from the input section, a score is calculated for each keyword by a score calculating section so that a higher score is given to a keyword extracted from a lager number of units, and on the basis of the thus calculated scores, keywords are selected by an abstracting section and are output as an information abstract to the output section.

Abstract: A system of clipping a specified segment from a continuous medium with a raised precision in a terminal served be a digital broadcasting system. A plurality of continuous media is broadcast as a multiplexed stream, preferably as a transport stream of MPEG-2 standard. In the receiving terminal, a reference time (t) is generated. The start and end times Ts and Te of a specified segment of a specified medium are expressed in the reference time. The specified medium is downloaded during a period including the start time Ts and the end time Te to obtain a first portion of the continuous medium. Then, a second portion is clipped from the first portion such that the second portion starts with a data unit that has been received after the start time Ts and has a first header including a first minimum index and ends just before a data unit that has been received after the end time Te and has a second header including a second minimum index.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information transmission apparatus and method for an information transmission system where encrypted information comprised of a plurality of information units each hierarchically encrypted and multiplexed to each other is communicated between at least two parties, wherein the information is being encrypted for transmission. The information transmission system is constructed by a transmitting unit and a receiving unit.

Abstract: An information abstracting method and apparatus for extracting and displaying keywords as an information abstract. Given a large number of character string data sets divided into prescribed units, the extracted keywords are significant and effective in describing a topic common to the plurality of units. The information abstracting apparatus comprises an input section for accepting an input of character string data divided into prescribed units, with each individual character represented by a character code, and an output section for displaying the result of information abstracting. Keywords contained in each of the prescribed units are extracted by a keyword extracting section from the character string input data from the input section. A score is calculated for each keyword by a score calculating section, so that a higher score is given to a keyword extracted from a larger number of units.

Abstract: An information abstracting method and apparatus for extracting and displaying keywords as an information abstract. Given a large number of character string data sets divided into prescribed units, the extracted keywords are significant and effective in describing a topic common to the plurality of units. The information abstracting apparatus comprises an input section for accepting an input of character string data divided into prescribed units, with each individual character represented by a character code, and an output section for displaying the result of information abstracting. Keywords contained in each of the prescribed units are extracted by a keyword extracting section from the character string input data from the input section. A score is calculated for each keyword by a score calculating section, so that a higher score is given to a keyword extracted from a larger number of units.

Abstract: An information receiving apparatus and method are disclosed. According to such apparatus and method, a DTMF signal is received over a telephone line, and coordinate data corresponding to the received DTMF signal are obtained. A predetermined figure then is displayed in a position based upon the coordinate data.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to the provision of an input device for inputting coordinates that is natural to operate. In the present invention, coordinate input device outputs one- or higher-dimensional coordinates of an object placed in close proximity thereto or in contact therewith, and pressed or not-pressed information indicating whether said object is pressed or not pressed thereon. Cursor generating device accepts at its inputs the coordinates and the pressed or not-pressed information output from the coordinate input device, repositions the cursor in accordance with the input coordinates, and outputs an image with the external appearance of the cursor changed in accordance with the pressed or not-pressed information. Further, image generating device outputs a synthesized image synthesized by combining an image output from the cursor generating device and an image input at an image input terminal.