Sony Broadcast & Professional Research Laboratories

About: Sony Broadcast & Professional Research Laboratories is a company organization based out in Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Signal & Image processing. The organization has 38708 authors who have published 63864 publications receiving 865637 citations.

Apparatus and method for executing a game program having advertisements therein

Abstract: A game system which is operable to update advertisements that are displayed when a game program is executed. The system stores a game program in a memory, receives (i.e., downloads), at predetermined times of operation, for example, on each new day the game program is executed or each time the game program is executed, updated advertising data that relates to at least one advertisement, stores the received advertising data in the memory, executes the game program stored in the memory, and outputs during the execution of the game program display data which corresponds to the stored advertisement data in accordance with the game program code. Further, instead of downloading new advertisements, plural advertisements may be prestored with the game program and only advertisement selection codes are downloaded to update the advertisements that are displayed when the game program is executed.

Internet switch box, system and method for internet telephony

Abstract: An Internet switch box connects between a telephone set and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) line, the latter of which is used both for PSTN telephone conversations and for connection to an Internet service provider (ISP). The switch box contains hardware and embedded software for establishing a connection to an ISP and for Internet telephony. When two users, each having an Internet switch box connected to the telephone set, wish to have an Internet telephony conversation, one calls the other over the PSTN. When they agree to an Internet telephony conversation, they signal their Internet switch boxes, by pressing either buttons on the switch boxes or certain keys on the telephone keypads, to switch to Internet telephony. The switch boxes disconnect the PSTN call and connect to their ISPs. Once the switch boxes are on the Internet, they contact each other through a server which supplies Internet protocol (IP) addresses of switch boxes, and the users continue their conversation by Internet telephony. The users can also prearrange to call each other solely by Internet telephony, in which case they do not need to talk to each other over the PSTN.

Methods and apparatus for associating descriptive data with digital image files

Abstract: Methods and systems for labeling digital image data generated by digital imaging devices, such as digital cameras and camcorders, with descriptive information are disclosed. In one embodiment, a menu of descriptive terms is displayed to the user of the digital imaging device. The user chooses one or more of the descriptive terms and the user's choices are associated with the digital image data. The descriptive terms may be used, for example, to generate a file name or may be later displayed with the digital image. In another embodiment, the digital imaging device accepts audio input such as, for example, the user speaking descriptive labels into a microphone. Using speech processing techniques, descriptive terms are extracted from the audio input and associated with the digital image data. In yet another embodiment, the digital imaging device accepts information from a location determination device, such as a GPS system. The location information may be used to determine alphanumeric location labels that can then be associated with the digital image data.

Zoom lens and imaging device

Abstract: Provided are a zoom lens where the imaging angle of field at a wide angle end used for a video camera and a digital still camera includes a wide angle of field of 60 - 100 degrees, that has a magnification ratio of 3 to 6 times, that has a front lens element with a small diameter which makes the zoom lens more compact, and that has high image forming performance, and an imaging device with the zoom lens. A zoom lens (20) whose magnification is varied by varying the distance between lens groups, where the lens groups are composed of a first lens group (GR1) having positive refractive power, a second lens group (GR2) having negative refractive power, a 3rd lens group (GR3) having positive refractive power, and a final group (GRR) provided at a position nearest to an image surface and having negative refractive power, arranged in that order from the object side, the first lens group (GR1) is constructed from a single positive powered lens (G1), and the zoom lens satisfies (1) 0.5 40, where Ymax is the maximum image height on an image surface, FW, the focal length at a wide angle end of the entire lens system, and VdG1, the Abbe number at the d line of the first lens group (GR1).

Radio communication system, radio communication apparatus, radio communication method, and computer program

Abstract: An autonomously dispersed type wireless network is suitably formed with communication stations avoiding collision of beacons transmitted one to another In the event that the range of reach of airwaves change and a receivable state is created and beacons collide, a communication station changes the beacon transmission position of itself in response to receiving a beacon from another station at a timing immediately prior to transmission to its own beacon Also, in the event that beacon collision is exposed due to emergence of a new communication which can perform reception from two systems out of airwave range of each other, the newly-participating station requests one of the communication stations of which the beacons are colliding to change the beacon transmission timing