The invention allows the user to store selected television broadcast programs while the user is simultaneously watching or reviewing another program. A preferred embodiment of the invention accepts television (TV) input streams in a multitude of analog and digital forms. The TV streams are converted to (MPEG) formatted stream for internal transfer and manipulation and are parsed and separated it into video and audio components. The components are stored in temporary buffers. Events are recorded that indicate the type of component that has been found, where it is located, and when it occurred. The program logic is notified that an event has occurred and the data is extracted from the buffers. The parser and event buffer decouple the CPU from having to parse the MPEG stream and from the real time nature of the data streams which allows for slower CPU and bus speeds and translate to lower system costs. The video and audio components are stored on a storage device and when the program is requested for display, the video and audio components are extracted from the storage device and reassembled into an MPEG stream which is sent to a decoder. The decoder converts the MPEG stream into TV output signals and delivers the TV output signals to a TV receiver. User control commands are accepted and sent through the system. These commands affect the flow of said MPEG stream and allow the user to view stored programs with at least the following functions: reverse, fast forward, play, pause, index, fast/slow reverse play, and fast/slow play.

Multimedia time warping system

A video recorder compatible receiver for receiving video data from a video recorder such as a video tape recorder ("VTR"). The receiver includes an error concealment circuit, a digital VTR port adapted for coupling to a VTR and/or a tuner module. The receiver receives digital video data from the VTR by either the digital VTR port or the tuner module. VTR commands may also be received from a VTR. Upon receiving a VTR command indicating that the VTR is operating in trick play mode or upon detecting video data that is indicative of VTR trick play operation, the error concealment circuit of the receiver disables normal play error concealment and enables trick play error concealment. The error concealment circuit may perform temporal and spatial filtering on the video data received from the VTR when trick play error concealment is enabled.

Digital video recorder compatible receiver with trick play image enhancement

The present disclosure pertains to an image-processing device and method that make it possible to suppress block noise. A βLUT_input calculator and a clip processor determine βLUT_input, which is a value inputted to an existing-β generator and an expanded-β generator. When the value of βLUT_input qp from the clip processor is 51 or less, the existing-β generator determines β using a LUT conforming to the HVEC standard, and supplies same to a filter process determination unit. When the value of βLUT_input qp from the clip processor is larger than 51, the expanded-β generator determines the expanded β and supplies same to the filter process determination part. This disclosure, for example, can be applied to an image processing device.

Image processing device and method

A steerable endoscope has an elongated body with a selectively steerable distal portion and an automatically controlled proximal portion. The endoscope body is inserted into a patient and the selectively steerable distal portion is used to select a desired path within the patient's body. When the endoscope body is advanced, an electronic motion controller operates the automatically controlled proximal portion to assume the selected curve of the selectively steerable distal portion. Another desired path is selected with the selectively steerable distal portion and the endoscope body is advanced again. As the endoscope body is further advanced, the selected curves propagate proximally along the endoscope body, and when the endoscope body is withdrawn proximally, the selected curves propagate distally along the endoscope body. This creates a serpentine motion in the endoscope body allowing it to negotiate tortuous curves along a desired path through or around and between organs within the body.

Steerable segmented endoscope and method of insertion

An image processing apparatus comprises a receiving device for receiving encoded image data which is encoded by using orthogonal transform in a predetermined block unit, an error detecting device for detecting a transmission error of the encoded image data, a correcting device for correcting the transmission error in the predetermined block unit, and a decoding device for decoding the encoded image data and outputting image data for reproducing an image. The image processing apparatus satisfactorily controls the amount of compressed data and prevents a deterioration of image quality even if any error occurs on a transmission path, thereby reproducing good image quality.

Image processing apparatus

In a digital video signal recording/reproducing apparatus for recording digital VCR video and audio signals by using a rotary cylinder, for a video signal with a frame frequency fN of 30 Hz or 29.97 Hz, the rotating frequency of the cylinder is set to 2.5 times fN. On the other hand, for a signal with a frame frequency fP of 25 Hz, the rotating frequency of the cylinder is set to 3.0 times fP. As a result, as long as the cylinder diameters are identical, the relative speed of the tape and the head is the same for video signals of either frame frequency fN or fP.

Digital video signal recording/reproducing apparatus

A video signal recording/reproducing apparatus which records pictures by compressing the video signal in multiple field units and reproduces an signal by the expansion process, and which continuously and repeatedly outputs each field of the reproduced television signal on the screen by use of a field detecting unit which operates to ensure that a reciprocal of a multiplication index of a desired reproducing speed is selected as a number of continuous reproductions of one field and also by use of a change-over unit for changing over the reproduced signal in field units.

Compressed video signal recording/variable-speed reproduction apparatus

An experimental digital VTR system is described. A modified DCT (discrete cosine transform) has been developed for this system that needs only one-half the number of multipliers of a conventional DCT, making the hardware scale smaller. A data quantity estimator controls the variable-length coding for completion within a synchronization block, keeping the picture quality high. Three stages of error correction correct more errors and make the probability of miscorrection lower. A high area packing density of 270 Mb/in/sup 2/ is brought about by the use of a low-noise head amplifier, optimized payback signal processing, high-performance magnetic heads and tapes, and a stable tracking to narrow tracks. >

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel1/30/1683/00044303.pdf

An experimental study for a home-use digital VTR

A method for receiving a broadcast includes the steps of receiving a digital signal obtained by multiplexing at least one program; selecting data corresponding to one program among the at least one program multiplexed in the digital signal, decoding the selected data; and selecting data corresponding to at least one program among the at least one program multi- plexed in the digital signal, and transmitting the selected data to an external device.

Broadcast receiver, transmission control unit and recording/reproducing apparatus

In a digital signal recording and reproducing apparatus, digital input data is transmitted in a transmission packet format and is recorded in a recording packet format. In a recording stage, an auxiliary signal generator (3) generates an auxiliary signal for special reproduction in the transmission packet format, and the digital and auxiliary signals are converted into respective recording packets by means of recording signal converters (5, 6). Recording means (9, 10) performs a specific recording process on the recording packets and an identification signal for identifying between the recording packets of the digital signal and of the auxiliary signal. While in a reproducing stage, reproduction signal processing means (14, 15) performs a specific reproduction process on the reproduction signal to thereby reconstruct the recording packets and the identification signal. A packet selector (16) detects the reconstructed identification signal to determine whether the recording packet is of the digital signal or of the auxiliary signal, and then the digital signal or auxiliary signal is reconstructed by a signal reconstructor (17) in the transmission format using the selected recording packet, whereby a high quality image output conforming to the transmission format used in the normal reproductions mode is also obtained during the special reproduction modes.

Akira Iketani

Papers

Digital video signal recording/reproducing apparatus

Compressed video signal recording/variable-speed reproduction apparatus

An experimental study for a home-use digital VTR

Broadcast receiver, transmission control unit and recording/reproducing apparatus

Digital signal recording and reproducing apparatus