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Data processing device and method, recording medium, and program

This invention relates to a data processing device and method, a recording medium, and a program, and particularly to a data processing device and method, a recording medium, and a program which enable provision of images of various image qualities.

Recently, provision of chargeable program broadcasting services such as cable television broadcast and digital satellite broadcast has become popular in Japan, too.

In the chargeable program broadcasting services, in general, accounting is carried out in accordance with available programs or in accordance with actually viewed programs. If the quality of images as programs can be changed in accordance with the viewing fee paid by users, better services can be provided.

In view of the foregoing status of the art, it is an object of the present invention to enable provision of images of various qualities.

A data processing device according to the present invention comprises improvement information generating means for generating improvement information for improving the quality of data and embedding means for embedding the improvement information into the data.

The improvement information generating means may generate a prediction coefficient used for predicting a prediction value of quality-improved data obtained by improving the quality of the data, as the improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may generate the prediction coefficient for each predetermined class.

The improvement information generating means may comprise class tap constructing means for constructing a class tap used for finding the class of target teacher data of teacher data to be a teacher, by using learner data to be a learner, classifying means for carrying out classification for finding the class of the target teacher data on the basis of the class tap, prediction tap constructing means for constructing a prediction tap used together with the prediction coefficient for predicting the target teacher data, by using the learner data; and prediction coefficient operation means for finding the prediction coefficient for each class by using the teacher data and the prediction tap.

The improvement information generating means may generate a plurality of types of improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may generate prediction coefficients for different number of classes as the plurality of types of improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may generate a plurality of types of prediction coefficients found by using learner data or teacher data of different qualities, as the plurality of types of improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may generate at least the prediction coefficient and information for carrying out linear interpolation, as the plurality of types of improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may generate a plurality of types of prediction coefficients found by using class taps or prediction taps of different structures, as the plurality of types of improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may generate a plurality of types of prediction coefficients found by carrying out classification by different methods, as the plurality of types of improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may generate, as the improvement information, a class code expressing the class of the data, used for predicting the prediction value of the quality-improved data obtained by improving the quality of the data.

The improvement information generating means may comprise prediction tap constructing means for constructing a prediction tap used for predicting target teacher data of teacher data to be a teacher, by using learner data to be a learner; prediction coefficient storage means for storing a prediction coefficient for each class code found by learning, predictive operation means for finding a prediction value of the target teacher data by using the prediction tap and the prediction coefficient, and class code detecting means for detecting the class code of a prediction coefficient that minimizes the prediction value of the target teacher data. The improvement information generating means may output the class code detected by the class code detecting means, as the improvement information.

The improvement information generating means may comprise class tap constructing means for generating a class tap used for finding the class of target teacher data of teacher data to be a teacher, by using the teacher data, and classifying means for carrying out classification for finding the class of the target teacher data on the basis of the class tap. The improvement information generating means may output a class code corresponding to the class found by the classification means, as the improvement information.

The embedding means may embed the improvement information into the data so that the data and the improvement information can be restored, by using the bias of energy held by the data.

The embedding means may embed the improvement information into the data by carrying out spectrum spreading.

The embedding means may embed the improvement information into the data by changing one or more bits of the data to the improvement information.