Abstract: A user interface system comprises a server having a scene description converting device for converting scene description containing input user interaction into converted scene description while leaving parts containing the user interaction and a scene description decoding device for decoding converted scene description into decoded scene description, a remote terminal having a scene description decoding device for decoding scene description and converted scene description sent from the server and a display device for displaying decoded scenes and a user input device for receiving user input according to this display, and a display terminal for displaying decoded scenes sent from the server. Thus, decoding can be enabled at terminals having inferior decoding capabilities and display capabilities.

Abstract: A digital signal multiplexing device packetizes one or more bitstreams of digital signals to form packets and multiplexes the respective bitstreams on the packet basis to produce plural degree-one multiplexed streams which are received. The digital signal multiplexing device also sets the sequence of time-divisional multiplexing of the packets as interleaving patterns repeated at a pre-set period. The digital signal multiplexing device time-divisionally multiplexes the degree-one multiplexed streams on the packet basis to generate a degree-two multiplexed stream.

Abstract: A multiplexing apparatus and method, a transmitting apparatus and method, and a recording medium arranged to prevent a delay of one of multiplexing scheduling processing and multiplexing processing in accordance with a schedule obtained by the multiplexing scheduling processing from influencing the other of these processings. A scheduler calculates schedule information on the basis of access unit information from an encoder and stores the calculated schedule information by supplying it to an intermediate buffer. If some additional data is to be multiplexed, the scheduler also calculates the additional data and stores the calculated additional data by supplying it to an intermediate buffer. A bit stream multiplexer reads out schedule information from the schedule information intermediate buffer, selects data designated by the schedule information from an elementary stream from the encoder and from additional data stored in the additional data intermediate buffer, and outputs the data as a multiplexed stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus including: moving image data storing means for storing moving image data; degree of importance setting means for setting the degree of importance of the moving image data; thinning-out means for thinning out the moving image data on the basis of the degree of importance and, thereby, generating thinned-out data; and transmitting means for transmitting the thinned-out data to another information processing apparatus.

Abstract: A scene description generating apparatus and method, an object extracting method, and a recording medium extract an object from an input image. Positional information on the extracted object is output. Based on the positional information, scene description information about a placement position of the object in a scene is generated. When the object is deformed, reference to the positional information is made, and the scene description information is generated in which the object deformation is reflected. Accordingly, the object is placed at a desirable position in the scene.

Abstract: According to the present invention, when a terrestrial digital broadcasting is carried out by applying an OFDM modulation to transport steams of MPEG-2 Systems, the plural transport streams subject to a connected transmission is divided into groups and these transport streams are coordinated. Then, a broadcasting station generates a connected transmission descriptor for coordinating the plural transport steams subject to the connected transmission and describes the generated connected transmission descriptor in an NIT to multiplex the transport streams.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus including: moving image data storing means for storing moving image data; degree of importance setting means for setting degree of importance of the moving image data; thinning-out means for thinning out the moving image data on the basis of the degree of importance and thereby generating thinned-out data; and transmitting means for transmitting the thinned-out data to another information processing apparatus.

Abstract: A system for seamlessly splicing two encoded video streams. In one implementation of the system, one or more coding parameters are extracted from the first and/or second encoded streams and one or more parameters of the first and/or second encoded streams are changed in accordance with the extracted parameter(s) in order to effectuate seamless splicing. In another implementation, the coding parameters applied to the first encoded stream are referenced when encoding the second stream such that the resulting second encoded stream can be seamlessly spliced with the first encoded stream.

Abstract: A broadcasting station (10) transmits a program of a continuous sequence of events as a transport stream so as to be received by at least a receiver (100). The broadcasting station (10) provides the transport stream with link information showing the links between the transport stream it transmits in its own service area (10a) and the programs being transmitted in adjacent service areas (20a). With this arrangement, the receiver (100) can receive the program it is receiving continuously in an adjacent service area (20a) by referring to the link information if it moves from the original service area (10a) into the adjacent service area (20a).

Abstract: A document is sent from a document server to a relay server in response to a document request from a client. A script is then extracted from the document and is separately stored in a script cache. Then, a script calling portion in the document is substituted with a portion for calling the script stored in the script cache. Then, the resulting document is sent to the client. With this arrangement, when the script in the document is called by the client, it is executed by a script execution device of the relay server.

Abstract: A video signal compressing method and a video signal compressing apparatus for compressing a video signal for a system in which for a synchronism between a plurality of compressed signals must be maintained. A presentation time stamp and/or a decode time stamp are multiplexed in a stream for transmission in which a video signal is compressed to generate a compressed signal. The following are generated as access unit information (AUI) for use in multiplexing the compressed data of the video signal: a picture size value, a picture type value, a repeat first field value, and a flag indicating the occurrence of a big picture.

Abstract: A digital signal multiplexing method and apparatus in which plural degree-one multiplexed streams produced on time-divisionally multiplexing a bitstream of one or more digital signals are received and are time-divisionally multiplexed to generate a degree two multiplexed stream. Specifically, plural degree-one multiplexed streams are received, and the received degree-one multiplexed streams are time-divisionally multiplexed based on a repetitive pattern associated with the bitrate of the respective degree-one multiplexed streams to generate a degree two multiplexed stream. The time reference value attached to the degree two multiplexed stream is corrected based on the reference clocks not synchronized with the system clocks of the degree-one multiplexed streams. A pre-set volume of the dummy data is multiplexed if the corrected time reference value becomes larger than the time reference value attached to the degree-one multiplexed streams.

Abstract: A system for seamlessly splicing two encoded video streams. In one implementation of the system, one or more coding parameters are extracted from the first and/or second encoded streams and one or more parameters of the first and/or second encoded streams are changed in accordance with the extracted parameter(s) in order to effectuate seamless splicing. In another implementation, the coding parameters applied to the first encoded stream are referenced when encoding the second stream such that the resulting second encoded stream can be seamlessly spliced with the first encoded stream.

Abstract: A user interface system includes a server which includes a scene description converter for converting an input scene description into scene description data having a hierarchical structure, based on an identifier that indicates a division unit for dividing the input scene description, in accordance with hierarchical information. A scene description delivering unit delivers the scene description having the hierarchical structure to a decoding terminal through a transmission medium/recording medium. A scene description storage device stores the scene description.

Abstract: A user interface system comprises a server having a scene description converting device for converting scene description containing input user interaction into converted scene description while leaving parts containing the user interaction and a scene description decoding device for decoding converted scene description into decoded scene description, a remote terminal having a scene description decoding device for decoding scene description and converted scene description sent from the server and a display device for displaying decoded scenes and a user input device for receiving user input according to this display, and a display terminal for displaying decoded scenes sent from the server. Thus, decoding can be enabled at terminals having inferior decoding capabilities and display capabilities.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a scene description that conforms to the state of a transmission line or the processing ability of a receiving side can be transmitted. Consequently, occurrence of a drawback such as unexpected missing of part of a scene that is unintended to a transmitting side is avoided. Even when a transmission rate is changed, signals are decoded according to a scene construction that conforms to the resultant transmission rate. A change in information needed to decode signals is explicitly reported to the receiving side. This relieves the receiving side of the necessity of sampling the information, which is needed to decode signals, from the signals. A data transmission system consists mainly of a server that transmits a scene description which describes the structure of multimedia data to be used to construct a scene, and a receiving terminal that constructs the scene according to the scene description.

Abstract: A transmission system is a data delivery system which includes a server for transmitting ES data and a receiving terminal for receiving the transmitted data. The server includes a conversion controller for determining elementary streams (ES's) and a scene description to be transmitted based on transmission priority levels and display priority levels, in accordance with the state of a transmission path and/or a request from the receiving terminal. The server also includes an ES processor and a scene description processor.

Abstract: A special playback controller receives a special playback request from a user. A data storage unit stores data. In response to the special playback request received by the special playback controller, a data converter converts the data stored in the data storage unit into special playback data according to the type of special playback operation. The special playback data converted by the data converter is transmitted to a decoding terminal via a multiplexer, a transmitter, and a communication line, thereby enabling the decoding terminal to perform the special playback operation.

Abstract: A special playback request made by a user is input into a special playback controller. Transmission data to be transmitted to a decoding terminal based on the special playback request and insertion data to be transmitted together with the transmission data are read from a data storage unit. Used bits of the read transmission data and insertion data which occupy a vbv buffer are detected by a vbv delay detector. A stuffing insertion unit adds extra data to the read insertion data based on the detected used bits so as to adjust the data size of the insertion data. The resulting transmission data and the insertion data are selectively output by a switch based on the type of special playback operation indicated in the special playback request. The output transmission data and the insertion data are then transmitted to the decoding terminal.

Abstract: A data distribution system includes a server apparatus and a decoding terminal. In the server apparatus, the access unit information of data to be transmitted is read from a data storage unit in accordance with a trick play request. The access unit information is converted for a trick play in a data conversion unit. The data to be transmitted is converted in a multiplexing unit into trick play data in accordance with the access unit information having been converted. Then, the trick play data is transmitted from the server apparatus to the decoding terminal.