Abstract: A playback apparatus includes: a first acquiring unit acquiring sound content data; a second acquiring unit acquiring additional information corresponding to the sound content data acquired by the first acquiring unit; and a signal processor performing signal processing on the sound content data acquired by the first acquiring unit on the basis of the additional information acquired by the second acquiring unit and for outputting the processed sound content data.

Abstract: A control apparatus for controlling an event in accordance with the playback of playback data includes a playback processor performing playback processing on the playback data, an acquisition unit acquiring playback section information associated with the playback data to specify a target playback section of the playback data, an end time point specifying unit specifying an end time point of the event in relation to the playback data on the basis of the playback section information, a time period specifying unit specifying a time period from the start to the end of the event, a start time point specifying unit specifying a start time point of the event on the basis of the end time point and the time period, and a controller controlling the event to be started at the start time point of the event by monitoring a playback status of the playback data.

Abstract: An apparatus of playing back an audio signal includes storage means for dividing exercise tempos of a user into a plurality of groups and storing digital audio data concerning music pieces, the digital audio data being associated with the plurality of groups; a playback circuit that plays back the digital audio data; detecting means for detecting an exercise tempo of the user; and a control circuit that reads out the digital audio data from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit. The control circuit determines which group, among the plurality of groups, the exercise tempo detected by the detecting means belongs to, and reads out the digital audio data concerning a music piece associated with the determined group from the storage means to supply the readout digital audio data to the playback circuit.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a magnetoresistive sensor device, which can be manufactured at a high yield and a low cost, is excellent in magnetoresistance characteristics and is reliable can be provided. The magnetoresistive sensor device comprises a substrate, a signal processing circuit formed on the substrate, a flattening film for flattening the signal processing circuit, a silicon nitride film formed on the flattened signal processing circuit, and magnetoresistive sensor elements formed on the silicone nitride film, in which the flattening film is preferably a spin-on-glass (SOG) film.

Abstract: An audio/visual (AV) content providing system is disclosed. The AV content providing system provides AV contents to audiences who exist in a closed space. The AV content providing system has an audio information obtainment section, an AV content database, an attribute index, a selection section. The audience information obtainment section obtains information that represents audiences who exist in the closed space and information that represents the relationships of the audiences. The AV content database contains one or a plurality of AV contents. The attribute index is correlated with an AV content contained in the AV content database and that describes attributes of the AV content. The selection section collates the information that represents the audiences and the information that represents the relationships of the audiences, and the attribute index and selects an AV content that is provided to the audiences from the AV content database according to the collated result.

Abstract: State information of a user is detected via a biometric information sensor (21) and so on and the state information is accumulated in a nonvolatile memory (14) by associating it with a content ID of content that is being used. A recommendation request including the state information detected at that time via the biometric information sensor (21) and so on and a predetermined extraction condition is generated and transmitted. Provided information transmitted in response to the recommendation request is received and is provided to the user. When an information provision request is received, information to be provided is extracted from the information stored in the nonvolatile memory (14) based on the state information and extraction condition included in the received information provision request and the extracted information is transmitted to a requesting source.

Abstract: An apparatus that allows a musical piece to be recomposed by reflecting, for example, the mood, preference, and ambient environment of a listening user in the musical piece in real time. The apparatus includes a rhythm master unit and a rhythm slave unit. The rhythm master unit generates synchronization signals containing a signal having a period corresponding to a measure of a musical piece and a signal having a period corresponding to a beat of the musical piece and also generates musical-piece recomposition information in synchronization with the synchronization signals. The rhythm slave unit recomposes musical-piece data of input music content in accordance with the synchronization signals and the musical-piece recomposition information, generates output musical-piece data, and outputs the musical-piece data to the rhythm slave unit.

Abstract: Content is selected on the basis of changes of a walking tempo. The walking tempo is detected (S5). In a state determination process (S7), it is determined whether the walking tempo tends to increase, be constant, or decrease. A walking tempo corrective coefficient is calculated on the basis of the determined result and a corrective walking tempo is calculated with the walking tempo corrective coefficient (S9). It is determined whether or not music is changed on the basis of the corrective walking tempo rather than the actually detected walking tempo (S11). When music is changed, relevant music content is searched. Controls are performed in such a manner that when the walking tempo is decreasing, the foregoing state is kept for a while, when the walking tempo is increasing, music is quickly selected according to the increase of the walking tempo, and when the walking tempo is stable, music is not selected.

Abstract: When the temperature of a plasma display panel falls outside a predetermined temperature range or when the time during which the plasma display panel is used exceeds a predetermined time, the largest potential difference between one row electrode and the other row electrode is reduced in a second half of a reset step.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a release material and a release agent, which can be produced by directly coating onto a substrate without requiring the application of an undercoating material even when using a permeable substrate such as paper, which have excellent releasability even when the amount of silicone used is small, have a low change in peel strength over time, have a high residual adhesion ratio of an adhesive tape, seal and the like after release from a release material, and have writability or printability to a release surface. A release material and a release agent are provided, wherein the release layer contains a neutralized resin obtained from a neutralization reaction of an emulsion copolymer of a monomer composition containing from 5 to 80 mass % of an unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer with a basic substance, and a silicone emulsion and/or a silicone dispersion.

Abstract: Provided is a device for playing audio with improved convenience, wherein music can be played such that oneness with the actions of the user can be obtained at all times, without giving the user any unnaturalness whatsoever such as unpleasant sensations. After starting playing of music data through such as an audio signal output processing unit 31, action tempo of the user is detected by an exercise information analyzing circuit 23, based on detection output from an exercise information sensor 24, and in the event that the difference between the detected action tempo of the user and the tempo of the music data being played is not a predetermined range, music data with a tempo of which the difference as to the action tempo of the user is within the predetermined range is searched by searching means such as a music playing data generating device unit 22, and a control unit 10 changes the music data to be played so as to play this searched music data.

Abstract: Provided is a process in which a polycrystalline silicon ingot improved in life time characteristics, which are correlated with the conversion efficiency of solar wafers, is inexpensively produced by the ordinary-pressure hydrogen-atmosphere melting method. In the process, the generation of oxygen and impurities in the silicon melt is inhibited and light-element impurities are removed through reaction or crystallization. Fine crystal grains can be grown at a high rate, and a high-purity polycrystalline silicon ingot having a crystal structure reduced in crystal defect can be grown. A silicon raw material is melted in an atmosphere of 100% hydrogen at ordinary pressure or an elevated pressure to prepare a silicon melt and simultaneously dissolve hydrogen in the silicon melt. The silicon melt containing hydrogen dissolved therein is solidified.

Abstract: A straightening plate provided in its central part with a gas exhaust opening is disposed under a face plate serving as a heating plate. A temperature-reducing purge ring is disposed between the face plate and the straightening plate. The temperature-reducing purge ring has an outside diameter substantially equal to that of the straightening plate and is provided in its inner circumference with plural gas jetting holes. The temperature-reducing purge ring is disposed close to the face plate such that a thin gap is formed between the temperature-reducing purge ring and the face plate. When a cooling gas is jetted radially inward through the gas jetting holes of the temperature-reducing purge ring, a vacuum is created between the lower surface of the face plate and the upper surface of the temperature-reducing purge ring.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided which is capable of easily reconstructing (arranging) a piece of music depending on, for example, a feeling of a user listening to the piece of music. First acquisition means acquires data of a specific music content to be played back, from a music content data storage unit in which data of a plurality of music contents are stored. Second acquisition means acquires attribute information associated with the music content in units of music constituent elements from an attribute information storage unit. Third acquisition means acquires arrangement information associated with the music content and associated with the music construction information. In accordance with an arrangement request command issued by the user, the data of the music content being output as audio playback output data is reconstructed on the basis of the music construction information acquired by the second acquisition means and the arrangement information acquired by the third acquisition means.

Abstract: When a sustain discharge corresponding to the display light is repeatedly produced by applying a drive pulse to a PDP which includes a fluorescent layer in the discharge cells, the drive pulse waveform is adjusted in accordance with the total number of sustain discharges. Furthermore, an auxiliary pulse of the same polarity as that of the sustain pulse is applied to the column electrodes in a period from after the application of a final scan pulse in the address process until the application of a leading sustain pulse. A period from the final sustain pulse until the time of the application of the leading pixel data pulse which is applied first in the write address process of the one subfield of the subsequent frame is made 1 millisecond (msec) or more.

Abstract: Audio content data is used in various modes as materials to easily create a new high-quality audio content. Multiple pieces of audio content data used as material data are prepared in advance in a material data storage device 31. Additional data is added to each piece of the material data and is stored in a material database storage device 32. A controlling unit 10 extracts necessary material data from the material data storage device 31 on the basis of at least one of external information received by a receiving unit 20 and rule information stored in a restructuring rule database storage device 33 in accordance with the additional data to compose a new music piece from the extracted material data.

Abstract: An audio signal reproducing apparatus includes a storage unit for storing digital audio data of music pieces each having a tempo corresponding to either a first tempo or a second tempo, the second tempo being different from the first tempo, if a walking tempo of a user is either the first tempo or the second tempo, a reproducing circuit for reproducing the digital audio data, a detecting unit for detecting the walking tempos of the user, a calculating circuit for calculating a change in the walking tempo detected by the detecting unit, and a control circuit for retrieving the digital audio data from the storage unit in accordance with the walking tempo detected by the detecting unit and sending the retrieved digital audio data to the reproducing circuit.

Abstract: It is made possible to appreciate a material such as a single musical composition, a single video, and the like in various states. There is provided an optical head 31 for reading out contents data such as a musical composition, a video, and the like, metadata for arranging the contents data, and information for specifying the contents data from a CD-R 11 to which they are recorded. There is provided a circuit 35 for outputting the contents data read out by the optical head and data arranged by the metadata together.

Abstract: A driving method in which, when a sustain discharge is caused only at each discharge cell set in on-mode by applying a sustain pulse to each row electrode pair of a plasma display panel, the electric field between row electrodes of each row electrode pair can be intensified by applying an auxiliary pulse to each column electrode of the plasma display panel together with the sustain pulse.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a magnetoresistive sensor device, which can be manufactured at a high yield and a low cost, is excellent in magnetoresistance characteristics and is reliable can be provided. The magnetoresistive sensor device comprises a substrate, a signal processing circuit formed on the substrate, a flattening film for flattening the signal processing circuit, a silicon nitride film formed on the flattened signal processing circuit, and magnetoresistive sensor elements formed on the silicone nitride film, in which the flattening film is preferably a spin-on-glass (SOG) film.