Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, a self-checkout apparatus comprises a structural body including a first photographing unit which is provided with a first photographing window at the front part thereof. The first photographing unit has a photographing area in front of the first photographing window through which the first photographing unit photographs a computer readable symbol located within the photographing area. The apparatus also comprises a portable second photographing unit configured to photograph the computer readable symbol and a cradle, arranged at a position adjacent to one side of the structural body, on which the second photographing unit is placed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a first noise removing part which performs color noise removing process for a first color image signal having a predefined color space, a transforming part which transforms the first color image signal subjected to the color noise removing process by the first noise removing part into a second color image signal having a color space including a luminance signal and a color difference signal, and a second noise removing part which performs color noise removing process for the second color image signal.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a conversion unit converting a first color image signal including a predetermined color space into a second color image signal including a color space having a luminance signal and a color difference signal; a color determination section determining a color of each pixel of the first color image signal or the second color image signal; and a noise removal unit performing a noise removal process by changing a noise removal strength with respect to the color difference signal in accordance with the color determined by the color determination section.

Abstract: An arithmetic unit which includes: a data supply section which supplies floating-point type object data to which a sign is to be added and condition data which includes a condition under which the sign is added; a sign data generating section which extracts the condition included in the condition data and generates sign data for adding the sign to the object data on the basis of the extracted condition; and an integer arithmetic operation section which performs an integer arithmetic operation while treating the object data as integer type data so as to add the sign to the object data on the basis of the sign data and the object data.

Abstract: An audio signal playback apparatus includes a bitstream parser configured to perform bitstream parsing on each frame of a compressed audio signal and to analyze the start address of a next frame, a frame information table configured to store the frame information so as to be associated with an entry number, an address information table configured to store the entry number of the frame information table and the start address so as to be associated with a frame number, and a signal playback unit configured to generate a playback signal on the basis of the frame information stored in the frame information table. When special playback is performed, the signal playback unit refers to the address information table and, when frame information corresponding to a designated frame number is stored in the frame information table, acquires the frame information from the frame information table.

Abstract: In an apparatus for producing duplicate tapes by transmitting signals reproduced by a master VTR to a plurality of duplicating VTRs for simultaneous recording on respective tapes in the latter; control signals from a bidirectional remote control unit are modulated with a first modulating frequency and are transmitted over a bidirectional control signal line to the duplicating VTRs. If a response is required from one of the duplicating VTRs, response signals from such duplicating VTR are modulated with a second modulating frequency different from the first modulating frequency and, during a pause in signal transmission from the remote control unit, the modulated response signals are transmitted to the remote control unit over the bidirectional control signal line.