Abstract: A data distribution system can select paths easily with flexibility when paths are generated. In the data distribution system, a management device includes a node bandwidth information acquisition unit to acquire and hold information on data transmission-enabled bandwidth of each of the plurality of nodes on the network; a content rate acquisition unit to acquire and hold a bandwidth for content to be distributed; a bandwidth splitting information acquisition unit to acquire and hold bandwidth splitting information, which is a splitting ratio to split the content to be distributed into a plurality of bandwidths; and a connection destination decision unit to determine a connection destination of the content to be distributed, which is split based on the bandwidth split information being held in the bandwidth splitting information acquisition unit.

Abstract: A high quality image is achieved by reducing the occurrence of combing noise in a synthesized image having an inserted image of a different frame frequency. A feature amount of a screen produced by an input interlace-scanned video signal is extracted, a film mode on a screen-by-screen basis from the feature amount extracted is detected, the input interlace-scanned video signal to be a synthesized image is decided from a local area in the screen, and the film mode detection is controlled not to output the film mode detection result, based on the decision result.

Abstract: A group management device determines a priority level that represents priority order of allowing a participating terminal to preferentially participate in a group, to which the group management device belongs, based on information relating the participating terminal and information relating to terminals that are managed by the group management device only in a case where the group management device receives information relating to the participating terminal, which has transmitted a participation request to the group, to which the group management device belongs. Based on the determined priority level, the group management device determines whether to transmit the participation request to another group management device and whether to reply to the participating terminal.

Abstract: A combing artifacts detection apparatus includes a feature-value calculating unit that calculates a feature value from an input image; a film-mode detecting unit that detects a film mode by using the feature value; and a pixel-difference calculating unit that calculates a pixel difference between fields by using 2:3 pulldown sequence detection information and input-image combination information that are results of the film mode detection. The apparatus also includes a luminance-variation determining unit that determines luminance variation based on a calculation result of the pixel-difference calculating unit; a combing artifacts-candidate detecting unit that detects a combing artifacts candidate per line based on a determination result of the luminance-variation determining unit; and a combing artifacts determining unit that determines whether a combing artifacts occurs for each image based on a detection result of the combing artifacts-candidate detecting unit.

Abstract: Provided is an input device for a billiard game comprising: a simulative ball provided as an object to be shot by a player; a link portion having a ball axis on which the simulative ball is mounted; a support portion for movably supporting the link portion; and a sensor for outputting a signal that corresponds to an operation of the link portion, wherein at least either one of rotational motion of the simulative ball around an axle of a ball axis and linear motion of the simulative ball in a predetermined range along an axial direction of the ball axis is permitted.

Abstract: A moving-image similarity determination device includes an acquiring unit that acquires a frame included in moving image data obtained by encoding a moving image including a plurality of images, the frame corresponding to an individual image of the plurality of images; a calculating unit that calculates a feature value indicating complexity of an original image of the frame based on a data amount of the frame acquired by the acquiring unit and on a quantization step used upon encoding; an accumulating unit that accumulates the feature value calculated for each image by the calculating unit; and a determining unit that that determines whether two moving images are similar to each other by comparing the feature values accumulated by the accumulating unit.

Abstract: In a multicast distribution system in which terminal devices on a distribution path are hierarchically grouped, a first terminal device which has detected a loss of a receiving packet transmits to a second terminal device located upstream of the first terminal device a retransmission request for a packet retransmission to the first terminal device and a third terminal device which receives a packet first in a group located downstream of a group to which the first terminal device belongs. The second terminal device which has received the retransmission request transmits a retransmission packet to both the first and third terminal devices.

Abstract: In a video signal processing device that generates an interpolated frame between original-image frames formed by an existing video signal, a frame interpolation unit generates pixel interpolation information indicating for each pixel a process in which a pixel forming the interpolated frame is generated. Next, an enhancement-filter-coefficient adjusting unit determines for each pixel a level of enhancement to be applied to the pixel forming the interpolated frame by using pixel interpolation information, and adjusts for each pixel a coefficient of an enhancement filter according to a determined level. An enhancement-filter applying unit then applies the enhancement filter of which coefficient is adjusted for each pixel, to each pixel forming the interpolated frame.

Abstract: As a result of performing a comparing and determining process of determining the relationship among the distribution data band of the data distributed in real time in a local group, the incoming data band to the local group, and the outgoing data band from the local group, the increase/decrease management and the connection management of each terminal device in the local group are performed. The comparing and determining process compares, for example, a sum of the total sum of the terminal possessed transfer bands and the incoming data band from other groups to the local group with a sum of the value obtained by multiplying the distribution data band in the local group by the number of terminal devices in the local group, the outgoing data band from the local group, and a predetermined determination margin.

Abstract: An encoding method for encoding a sequence of image frames, the encoding method includes the steps of: selecting an image frame to be deleted from the plurality of image frames; detecting motion vectors between a pair of image frames that are either previous to and next to the selected image frames; deleting the selected image frame if the detected motion vectors meet a predetermined condition; and encoding remainder of the image frames in which any of the image frames has been deleted by the deleting step.

Abstract: In a pixel interpolation apparatus for interpolating pixels, an edge pixel detection unit detects edge pixels constituting an edge among pixels on lines positioned above/below the interpolation pixel. A continuous edge detection unit detects edge pixels in which two pixels or more consecutively line up among edge pixels detected by the edge pixel detection unit as a continuous edge. A continuous edge pair detection unit determines the combination of the continuous edges detected on each of the lines above and below the interpolation pixel among the continuous edges detected by the continuous edge detection unit. An edge direction determination unit determines the edge direction of the interpolation pixel on the basis of the positional relation of one set of continuous edges determined by the continuous edge pair detection unit. An interpolation pixel calculation unit calculates an interpolation pixel using the edge direction determined by the edge direction determination unit.

Abstract: A data distribution system can select paths easily with flexibility when paths are generated. In the data distribution system, a management device includes a node bandwidth information acquisition unit to acquire and hold information on data transmission-enabled bandwidth of each of the plurality of nodes on the network; a content rate acquisition unit to acquire and hold a bandwidth for content to be distributed; a bandwidth splitting information acquisition unit to acquire and hold bandwidth splitting information, which is a splitting ratio to split the content to be distributed into a plurality of bandwidths; and a connection destination decision unit to determine a connection destination of the content to be distributed, which is split based on the bandwidth split information being held in the bandwidth splitting information acquisition unit.

Abstract: A high quality image is achieved by reducing the occurrence of combing noise in a synthesized image having an inserted image of a different frame frequency. A feature amount of a screen produced by an input interlace-scanned video signal is extracted, a film mode on a screen-by-screen basis from the feature amount extracted is detected, the input interlace-scanned video signal to be a synthesized image is decided from a local area in the screen, and the film mode detection is controlled not to output the film mode detection result, based on the decision result.

Abstract: A first feature value calculator calculates a feature value of an entire screen, and a second feature value calculator calculates a feature value of only an image area designated by designation data stored in a designation data storage. An interpolation determiner outputs a control signal indicative of interpolation-ON if the two feature values are matched or outputs a control signal indicative of interpolation-OFF if not. A center area interpolator uses a motion vector output from a motion estimator to generate an interpolated image within an image area. Side area interpolator performs process of interpolating a side area of the screen on interpolation-ON and stops the process of interpolating a side area of the screen on interpolation-OFF. Therefore, on interpolation-ON, an interpolated frame interpolating the entire screen is output. On interpolation-OFF, an interpolated frame interpolating only the designated image area is output.

Abstract: According to an aspect of an embodiment, a method for reproducing moving pictures upon receiving simulcast first bit stream and second bit stream, the method comprising: receiving the first bit stream and the second bit stream simultaneously; decoding the first bit stream into a first moving picture comprising a first series of frames; decoding the second bit stream into a second moving picture a second series of frames; detecting an error in the first bit stream which disturbs reproduction of a particular frame from the first bit stream; and correcting the error in the first bit stream by supplementing correction data generated from data indicative of a difference between adjacent frames in the second moving picture, the correction data being used to reproduce a frame to replace the particular frame on the basis of a immediately preceding frame in the first picture.

Abstract: A motion vector is searched for each block of the current video frame by using a previous average motion vector within a screen as a reference motion vector, and whether or not interpolation is effective is determined by using the obtained motion vector. If the interpolation is determined to be effective, an interpolation frame is generated between the current video frame and a preceding video frame by using the obtained motion vector.

Abstract: Provided is an input device for a billiard game comprising: a simulative ball provided as an object to be shot by a player; a link portion having a ball axis on which the simulative ball is mounted; a support portion for movably supporting the link portion; and a sensor for outputting a signal that corresponds to an operation of the link portion, wherein at least either one of rotational motion of the simulative ball around an axle of a ball axis and linear motion of the simulative ball in a predetermined range along an axial direction of the ball axis is permitted.

Abstract: An encoding method, which achieves encoding efficiency, and good picture quality encoding even when there exists a picture in which a scene change occurs within an interlaced frame, is provided. A moving pictures encoding method treats a frame of interlaced image input signals as a picture, and performs prediction and encoding for this picture in macro-block units from a picture of both a forward picture, which is temporally in the past, and a backward picture, which is in the future.

Abstract: By providing an encoded image analysis unit for analyzing an amount of features of images for one screen of inputted encoded image signals, a decoding/regeneration unit for generating regenerative image signals by decoding the encoded image signals and a regenerative image correction unit for correcting the regenerative image signals generated by the decoding/regeneration unit on the basis of the amount of features analyzed by the encoded image analysis unit, an image signal processing device for performing a decoding process, a correction process and the like in order to quickly follow a rapid scene change and clearly display images, its image signal processing method and its image signal processing program product can be provided.

Abstract: A film determining unit determines whether input image data are originated from a film source. A controller determines a strength at which noise is to be eliminated from the image data based on the result of determination made by the film determining unit. A noise eliminating unit eliminates noise from the image data based on the strength determined by the controller. Specifically, when image data are originated from film-recorded images, the noise elimination strength is decreased so that film grains included in the image data are preserved.