Abstract: An audiovisual encoding system using a multipass video encoder and a plurality of one-pass audio encoders. The number of audio encoders used by the system is equal to the number of audio tracks to be encoded divided by the number of passes required for the video encoding rounded up to the nearest integer, if necessary. The system allows the video encoder and audio encoders to be used at the same time so that the encoding of the video is completed at the same time as the encoding of all audio tracks is completed, using the minimum number of audio encoders.

Abstract: In a system wherein video data and audio data are reproduced in a non-presentation mode of sub-picture data, control information having an effect process command is transferred to a system CPU before the video data is transferred to a decoder section. After the reproduction of the video data and the audio data selected in association with the video data, e.g. English audio data, is started, sub-picture data, e.g. an English caption, is forcibly presented at a predetermined timing under the effect process command. After a predetermined time period, the presentation of the sub-picture data is disabled by the effect process command.

Abstract: A table a management region on the disc contains a disc identifier that represents the type of the data recording format of the disc, a number-of-disc-sides identifier that represents whether the disc is a single-sided disc or a double-sided disc, and a disc side identifier that represents whether the reproducing disc is side A or side B of a double-sided disc. A disc identifier 4 that represents the type of the data recording format of the file is recorded in a file (n) table including management information of the file. A reproducing apparatus reads the disc identifiers and from the table and the file (n) table and determines whether or not the disc and the file are reproducible. In addition, the reproducing apparatus reads the number-of-disc-sides identifier from the table and determines whether or not the disc is a double-sided disc or a single-sided disc. When the disc is a double-sided disc, the reproducing apparatus determines whether the reproducing side is side A or side B.

Abstract: A method and system in which a user manually changes the quality of portions of video frames after the frames have been previously encoded. Regions of one or more frames of video are selected to have an increased quality, a decreased quality, or a quality which should not be altered. After the regions are defined by a user, the frame of video is digitally re-encoded and inserted into the digitally encoded data stream in place of the previously encoded data. In order to easily remove a previously encoded frame from the data steam and replace it with a newly encoded frame having regions of quality defined by the user, it is preferable to have the newly encoded frame consume the same number of bits as the previously encoded frame. Accordingly, if the user desires a region of a frame to have an increased quality, the extra bits necessary to provide the increased quality must be taken from other areas of the frame. This is accomplished by an automatic process which is transparent to the user.

Abstract: When a toner image formed on the belt is transported to the transport path of the image recording medium, the image recording medium is caused to abut the belt by the rollers and so that the toner image on the belt is transferred to the image recording medium. Also, the belt heated by the heat roller heats the image recording medium and thermally fixes the toner image to the image recording medium. Thus, thermal fixation is simultaneously achieved with transfer of the image to the image recording medium.

Abstract: A sub-picture packet is encoded using a packet header containing a time stamp, sub-picture data containing compressed pixel data, one or more display control sequences, and a sub-picture unit header. The time stamp indicates the playback start time of the sub-picture packet. The display control sequence defines the order of display of the sub-picture data. The sub-picture unit header indicates the size of the sub-picture packet and the location of the display control sequence. The encoded sub-picture packet is decoded, and displayed based on the display control sequence.

Abstract: A table a management region on the disc contains a disc identifier that represents the type of the data recording format of the disc, a number-of-disc-sides identifier that represents whether the disc is a single-sided disc or a double-sided disc, and a disc side identifier that represents whether the reproducing disc is side A or side B of a double-sided disc. A disc identifier 4 that represents the type of the data recording format of the file is recorded in a file (n) table including management information of the file. A reproducing apparatus reads the disc identifiers from the table and the file (n) table and determines whether or not the disc and the file are reproducible. In addition, the reproducing apparatus reads the number-of-disc-sides identifier from the table and determines whether or not the disc is a double-sided disc or a single-sided disc. When the disc is a double-sided disc, the reproducing apparatus determines whether the reproducing side is side A or side B.

Abstract: A bit train of a plurality of continuous pixels is compressed according to a new run-length compression scheme. In this run-length compression scheme, the run information of one unit of compression includes run-length information indicating the continuous number of the same pixel data blocks, or the number of pixels followed, and pixel data having a two-bit configuration for discriminating three or more colors of the pixels.

Abstract: In a system wherein video data and audio data are reproduced in a non-presentation mode of sub-picture data, control information having an effect process command is transferred to a system CPU before the video data is transferred to a decoder section. After the reproduction of the video data and the audio data selected in association with the video data, e.g. English audio data, is started, sub-picture data, e.g. an English caption, is forcibly presented at a predetermined timing under the effect process command. After a predetermined time period, the presentation of the sub-picture data is disabled by the effect process command.

Abstract: A method and system in which a user manually changes the quality of specific time periods of encoded video. After the automatic encoding of video into a compressed digital format, a person editing the encoded video reviews the quality of the video and manually indicates that the quality of specific time periods of the video is to be altered. As the digital storage medium such as an optical disc which stores the encoded video has a finite storage capacity, the total number of bits for the encoded video and the quality of the video is limited. Consequently, in order to increase the quality for one time period, bits must be taken from other time periods. After the editor assigns the qualities to different time periods, a percentage of bits is removed from the time sequences and placed into a bit pool. The new number of bits for the various time periods are calculated using an exponential function and the bits in the bit pool are proportionally distributed to the video frames.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an aperture electrode member formed of a polyimide insulating sheet of preferably 25 .mu.m thickness, control electrodes of preferably 1 .mu.m thickness formed on the upper surface of the insulating sheet, and five apertures each of which has an aperture diameter of preferably 40 .mu.m formed in each control electrode. The apertures are designed to penetrate through the aperture electrode. By providing a plurality of small apertures, the toner can be highly controlled with low voltage. Therefore, an image can be formed with high image quality and at a high speed.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus having aperture electrode body formed with a plurality of apertures through which toners pass to deposit onto an image receiving member. The aperture electrode body includes an insulative substrate having the apertures and control electrodes formed over the insulative substrate and each surrounding each aperture. The aperture electrode body has a nature of bending due to difference in thermal expansion coefficient of the insulative substrate and the control electrodes. To provide uniform bending, dummy electrodes are formed over the insulative substrate. The dummy electrodes includes a first set of dummy electrodes positioned at upstream side of the control electrodes with respect to a running direction of the image receiving member. The dummy electrode also includes a second set of dummy electrodes positioned beside the extreme end of the control electrode in the array direction of the apertures.

Abstract: A table of a management region on the disc, contains a disc identifier that represents the type of the data recording format of the disc, a number-of-disc-sides identifier that represents whether the disc is a single-sided disc or a double-sided disc, and a disc side identifier that represents whether the reproducing disc is side A or side B of a double-sided disc. A disc identifier that represents the type of the data recording format of the file is recorded in a file (n) table including management information of the file. A reproducing apparatus reads the disc identifiers from the table and the file (n) table and determines whether or not the disc and the file are reproducible. In addition, the reproducing apparatus reads the number-of-disc-sides identifier from the table and determines whether or not the disc is a double-sided disc or a single-sided disc. When the disc is a double-sided disc, the reproducing apparatus determines whether the reproducing side is side A or side B.

Abstract: A table a management region on the disc contains a disc identifier that represents the type of the data recording format of the disc, a number-of-disc-sides identifier that represents whether the disc is a single-sided disc or a double-sided disc, and a disc side identifier that represents whether the reproducing disc is side A or side B of a double-sided disc. A disc identifier that represents the type of the data recording format of the file is recorded in a file (n) table including management information of the file. A reproducing apparatus reads the disc identifiers from the table and the file (n) table and determines whether or not the disc and the file are reproducible. In addition, the reproducing apparatus reads the number-of-disc-sides identifier from the table and determines whether or not the disc is a double-sided disc or a single-sided disc. When the disc is a double-sided disc, the reproducing apparatus determines whether the reproducing side is side A or side B.

Abstract: A method and system for re-encoding frames of a digital video stream in which selected areas are designated to have increased or reduced image quality, i.e., decreased or increased quantization levels, respectively, as compared to a previously run automatic encoding process, but without changing the previously calculated bit length of the stream. A set of macroblocks at a time are re-encoded, the number of resulting bits is calculated and the deviation from an estimated number of bits is calculated, either set-by-set or cumulatively. Based on the accuracy of the estimate and the remaining number of sets of macroblocks to re-encode, a correction factor for the quantization level of the next set of macroblocks is chosen from a lookup table. The correction factor is added to the quantization level of the next set of macroblocks and the results stored as the new quantization level of the set.

Abstract: A system and method for determining quantization level versus bit-rate characteristics of raw video signals in video frames during a pre-encoding phase for video technologies such as MPEG and MPEG-2. During a pre-encoding phase, various quantization levels are assigned to various parts of a frame, and the frame is then pre-encoded to determine a bit-rate for each quantization level used in the pre-encoding phase. Depending on the embodiment, quantization levels are assigned in one of many ways: checkerboard style, block style or any other distribution that avoids statistical anomalies. The method and system repeat the pre-encoding for plural frames, recording all quantization level versus bit-rate statistics on a frame by frame basis. These statistics are then used during encoding or re-encoding of a digital video to control the number of bits allocated to one segment of the digital video as compared to another segment, based on a target quality and target storage size for each segment.

Abstract: A one-chip fuzzy processing apparatus is constituted by integrating a grade calculation circuit for obtaining the grades of IF part membership functions corresponding to a variable value, a THEN part membership function generator for generating THEN part membership functions, a combining circuit for modifying the THEN part membership functions, and combining the modified membership functions, and a defuzzify circuit for defuzzifying the output from the combining circuit. The combining circuit includes a circuit for obtaining a minimum value of grades of the IF part membership functions for each fuzzy rule, a circuit for comparing an obtained minimum value with a THEN part membership function for each fuzzy rule to cut a peak of the THEN part membership function, and a maximum processor for combining the THEN part membership functions by obtaining a maximum value of the modified THEN part membership functions.

Abstract: An insulating layer of an aperture electrode provided in a recording apparatus is formed of polyimide which is liable to be negatively electrified through frictional contact with toner when the toner is negatively chargeable. Further, a charge member which can be charged in the same polarity as the toner is placed on the aperture electrode so as to surround the opening portions of the aperture electrode. With this structure, a recording operation of high image quality can be performed using a low voltage while preventing the deposition of the toner at the control electrodes of the aperture electrode so that the recording operation can be stably performed at all times.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus having an aperture electrode and an electrically conductive opposing electrode. The aperture electrode selectively allows toners to pass. A sheet is backed by the opposing electrode, and the toner passing through the aperture electrode is attracted onto the sheet. A gap is provided between the aperture electrode and the opposing electrode by using a pair of spacers. The gap distance is greater than a minimum level to avoid puncture. The spacers are mounted on non aperture portions of the aperture electrode for supporting axially end portions of the opposing electrode or are mounted on the opposing electrode.

Abstract: The pulse width modulation circuit in the image forming apparatus of the invention comprises a discriminate circuit, an on-time control circuit, and an amplification circuit. The discriminate circuit determines whether an imaging potential or a non-imaging potential is applied to adjoining control electrodes. The on-time control circuit controls an applying time of the imaging potential to the control electrodes according to a result determined by the discriminate circuit, that is, according to the kind of potential applied to adjoining control electrodes. The amplification circuit amplifies the output from the on-time control circuit to a suitable control voltage which is sent to the control electrode. Therefore, it is possible to pass a predetermined amount of the toner particles through the desired aperture, even if the voltage applied by each control electrode is different.