HK1023840A - Portable karaoke set - Google Patents

Description

Portable kara OK device

The present invention relates to a music playback apparatus, and more particularly, to a portable karaoke apparatus that plays music while displaying corresponding graphics and lyrics.

Karaoke singing has become a popular activity in various hierarchies. A so-called karaoke device is a device that plays back popular songs and allows the user to sing along with the music and against a microphone and mix its voice with the music. To prompt the singer, the karaoke apparatus displays the lyrics of the song on the screen. When each word of lyrics is to be sung, the lyrics often highlight or otherwise prompt the singer. The graphic or video image may also be displayed along with the lyrics.

The existing karaoke apparatus has some limitations in its operation. For example, existing karaoke devices store data on only one storage medium, either a memory incorporated into the device or a memory that is removable from the device. In addition, the data on the media is not user programmable, thus limiting the user's options in obtaining and changing the songs and program data stored on the media.

Due to the practical nature of the karaoke system, portability is a key factor for effective use by users. Past systems were large and bulky. While it is sometimes convenient to use high quality external devices such as displays and magnification systems, it is often more desirable that the device be easily portable without cables and external devices.

In general, it is desirable to provide a karaoke machine that is portable in the manner of use. It is therefore desirable for a portable karaoke device to be free of the disadvantages of existing systems.

The portable karaoke apparatus provided by the present invention is more portable than existing systems. It can be operated as a portable device or connected to a conventional external device for use.

In embodiments of the present invention, songs and program data may be stored at and retrieved from different signal sources, including integrated memory and removable storage media. The karaoke apparatus reads data from any one of the media and converts the data into audio and video signals. The video signal may be displayed on an internal display or an external display incorporated in the device. The video signal may include a graphic image stored on a storage medium or a video image from an external source. The sound signal may be output to conventional means such as a speaker or headphones or transmitted wirelessly by radio frequency. The karaoke may be controlled by a portable keyboard embedded in the device, or by a remote control device.

In another embodiment of the invention, the removable storage medium is programmable to allow a user to program new data on the removable storage medium or edit existing data. Data may be downloaded from various sources, such as personal computers and the internet, for storage on removable storage media. Music data may be stored in a compressed format, such as MIDI data, which is widely used in the industry for storing and manipulating data. Formats such as LZW or others may also be used as the compressed format.

In another embodiment, program data such as game programs may be stored in an internal memory or on a removable storage medium. The control of the karaoke apparatus processor is converted into a program according to the user's command.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. In these figures, like reference numerals refer to like parts.

Fig. 1A is a front view of the portable karaoke apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a rear view of the portable karaoke apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the front and rear major components of a printed circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the functionality of the karaoke apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a karaoke apparatus of the present invention, representatively connected to a digital system for programming the karaoke apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the main program of the karaoke apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a subroutine for downloading data to the karaoke apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a subroutine for editing data in a tape cartridge;

fig. 8A is a flowchart of a subroutine for playing songs displayed on the internal display unit;

fig. 8B is a flowchart of a subroutine of playing songs displayed on the external display unit;

FIG. 9A is a view on the external display screen just after initialization of the karaoke;

FIG. 9B is a view on the internal display screen immediately after the initialization of the karaoke;

FIG. 10A is a diagram of an external display screen during display of a cassette tape operating menu;

FIG. 10B is a view of the internal display screen during display of the cassette tape action menu;

FIG. 11A is a diagram of an external display screen at the beginning of a song;

FIG. 11B is a diagram of an external display screen during the playing of a song;

FIG. 12A is a diagram of an internal display screen at the beginning of a song;

FIG. 12B is a view on the internal display screen when the user begins singing;

FIG. 12C is a diagram of an internal display screen during playback of a song;

detailed description of the specific embodiments

Fig. 1A and 1B are front and rear views respectively showing a portable karaoke apparatus of the present invention. The karaoke apparatus is disposed within a conveniently sized housing for easy transport by a user. In this particular embodiment it is substantially rectangular, although other shapes and sizes may be preferred. The size and shape is designed for ease of use and aesthetic appeal.

An internal display 110 is attached to the top of the karaoke device 100. In operation of the karaoke apparatus 100, it is used to display images and lyrics to the user. In this particular embodiment, the internal display 110 is a black and white Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) having a 122 x 32 pixel resolution. It includes an 8051 compatible microcontroller having an 8-bit data bus, an address bus and control signals for read and write operations, and control signals for read and write operations. Of course, a real type of display screen may also be preferably used. The advantage of the LCD display of this particular embodiment is that it uses less power, thus extending the life of the battery beyond that of a low efficiency display. However, as technology improves, other displays now known or later developed are more advanced and contemplated for use with the present invention. In this particular embodiment, the internal display 110 primarily displays lyrics and other textual information; however, in other embodiments, the internal display 110 may display graphics and video images as well.

The karaoke apparatus 100 also has a keyboard 120. The keypad 120 provides an input means for a user to send control commands to the karaoke apparatus 100. Keyboard 120 is preferably a set of keys that perform general functions such as playing songs, pause, stop, song number selection, key control, speed control, volume control, game control, and menu selection. A remote control receiver 125 is also included. Remote control receiver 125 allows a user to enter similar commands from a remote control device, not shown, having a similar set of keys.

A removable memory interface 130 is also provided in the karaoke apparatus 100. The removable memory interface 130 allows a magnetic tape cartridge to be inserted into the karaoke apparatus 100. Although referred to herein as a magnetic tape cartridge, the magnetic tape cartridge 135 may be any removable non-volatile memory capable of storing digital data. The cassette tape 135 stores song data including sound data, lyrics, timing information, and graphic image data. It may also store program data such as game programs and the like. Tape cartridge 135 in this particular embodiment is an integrated circuit tape cartridge, although other storage media such as compact disk, DVD disk, computer diskette, and the like may also be used. The cartridge 135 is preferably programmable to allow a user to store new data or edit existing data. The data on the cartridge 135 is preferably compressed to store more data. While certain compression methods are known to be more suitable for certain applications, any of a number of compression methods including lossless and lossy types can be used.

Although the design is portable, the karaoke apparatus 100 has some input/output ports for connecting to external devices. These input/output ports include a sound output port 140, a headphone output port 142, two microphone input ports 144, a video port 146, a video input port 150, and a power supply port 155. Each of these is a standard connector for connecting various external devices as is well known in the art. Although any number of microphone ports are possible, this particular embodiment has two separate microphone input ports 144 to allow two singers to have microphones. The contrast adjuster 157 allows a user to adjust the contrast of the internal display 110.

An antenna 160 is also provided. The antenna 160 allows sound signals to be broadcast at FM frequencies that can be received by an external FM receiver. The design of FM antennas is well known in the art and any suitable antenna design may be used.

The communication port 162 downloads data to the karaoke apparatus 100. In this particular embodiment, the communication port 162 is an RS-232 interface, details of which may be found, for example, in the EIA-232 specification, as is well known in the art. In alternative embodiments, a universal serial bus is used, although other serial and connected ports may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Power may be supplied from the power port 155 or a battery, not shown. A three-position power/display selector switch 165 is provided to allow the user to turn the karaoke apparatus 100 on and off and display using the internal display device 110 or the external display device.

Fig. 2 shows a printed circuit board with various components used to manufacture the karaoke apparatus 100. The processor 210 is a main controller of the karaoke apparatus 100 and controls all other modules according to a program and an input of a user. Also, processor 210 may be any general purpose microprocessor, with this particular embodiment utilizing a 16-bit microprocessor. Other microprocessors, both known and recently developed, may also be preferably used. Details of the other components shown in fig. 2 will be functionally described below in conjunction with fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the interaction of the various elements of the karaoke apparatus 100. The processor 210 controls the operation of the karaoke apparatus 100 by executing programs stored in the memory 220. Receiving user commands from the keypad 120 or a remote control receiver. The main function of the processor 210 is to convert song data into various portions of the music it contains, the lyrics of the corresponding music, the graphical images and their playback and timing information for display. In this particular embodiment, the song data is compressed to enable more data to be stored in a given storage area. The processor 210 may also decompress the sound data, although decompression is aided by hardware in some embodiments. The processor 210 may execute programs such as game programs and the like stored on the magnetic tape cartridge according to the user's request.

The karaoke apparatus 100 has two modes for displaying video images. In the internal mode, lyrics are displayed on the internal display 110. The processing order relies on timing information in the song data to determine when to display the lyrics. In the external mode, the processor outputs the lyrics at the video output port 146 for display on an external display (not shown), such as a television set. Graphical images from song data, or video images from the video input port 150, may be combined with the lyrics and displayed on an external display. In other embodiments, the same information may be output on both types of displays.

The memory 220 is connected to the processor 210. It is composed of ROM and RAM two devices. When the karaoke apparatus 100 is turned on, a main program executed by the processor 210 is stored in the ROM device. The memory 220 also stores song data including music data, lyric timing information, and graphic images. Specifically, song data is compressed in order to save space. The processor 210 retrieves song data from the memory 220 as needed. Other programs, such as game programs, may also be stored in the memory 220.

Song data and program data may also be stored in the cartridge 135. In a particular embodiment, the cartridge 135 is an integrated circuit memory module that may be inserted into the removable memory interface 130. This allows users to purchase songs, programs and/or graphic cassettes with karaoke devices for their users. The data in the cartridge 135 is similar to the data stored in the memory 220. In one aspect of the invention, processor 210 may retrieve song data, graphical images or program data from either memory 220 or cartridge 135. If a cartridge is found in removable cartridge interface 130, processor 210 may automatically select to retrieve data from cartridge 135, or the user may make a selection whether processor 210 extracts data from memory 220 or from cartridge 135.

The cartridge 135 is preferably programmable. I.e., the user may store new data on the cartridge 135 or edit existing data. Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary system for downloading data stored on a tape cartridge 135. The digital system 400 is connected to the karaoke apparatus 100 by a cable 410. The communication port 162 provides a connector and an information exchange protocol for performing data exchange. In a particular embodiment, the communication port 162 is a universal serial port found on personal computers. In alternative embodiments, this may be an RS232 interface, an IRDA interface, an RF interface, or various other communication interfaces, serial and parallel interfaces. The digital system 400 also has a communication port to which a cable 410 is connected.

Fig. 4 depicts a system that simply downloads in a direct connection, but many switches and systems may be installed between the digital system 400 and the karaoke apparatus 100. Digital system 400 may be, for example, a personal computer of a well-known type, a data downloading set-top box device specifically designed for karaoke apparatus 100, or a computer or other device connected to the internet that allows data to be downloaded from the internet to cartridge 135. Additionally, digital system 420 may be used to edit data on cartridge 135 using communication port 162, as will be described below with reference to FIG. 7.

Referring again to fig. 3, the sound module 240 is connected to the processor 210. Processor 210 retrieves song data from a memory and outputs the audio portion in MIDI format to sound module 240. The sound module 240 transforms the MIDI information into a stereo signal that can be played with a conventional sound system. The sound module 240 may be, for example, YAMAHA (YAMAHA) or other compatible wave analog fortune teller. It uses an internal or external wave analog operation table to generate 16-bit stereo sound, as is well known in the industry. Operating simply at a 44.1KHZ sampling rate, the sound module outputs very high quality sound. Of course, other methods of transforming MIDI information into stereo sound may be implemented, or formats other than MIDI may be used, depending on the application.

A trick generator 250 is connected to the output of the processor sound module 240. It may also be connected to a microphone input port 144, or other acoustic input device, through which it may be connected to one or more microphones (not shown). In some embodiments, a microphone (not shown) may be contained within the housing of the karaoke device 100. The trick generator 250 receives sound data from the microphone and combines sound effects such as reverberation, and the like. The processor 210 controls the amount of reverberation, reverberation and volume according to the user's command. The trick generator 250 also mixes the output of the sound module 240 with the transformed sound data and outputs the mixed sound through the sound output port 140, the headphone output port 142 and/or the radio frequency transmitter 245. In this particular embodiment, the radio frequency transmitter 245 is an FM transmitter so that it frequency modulates the acoustic signal and transmits it via the antenna 160.

Processor 210 in conjunction with video overlay and display module 270 performs video processing of the graphics images and video images. Video overlay and display module 270 receives lyric data and graphic image data from process 210 and video signals from video input port 150. It converts the lyric data into characters and generates a display with a specific font. The characters are superimposed on the graphic image or video signal and output at the video output port 146. Of course, if operating in the internal display mode, the characters are displayed on the internal display at this time. In a particular embodiment, the video overlay and display module 270 is a yamaha or compatible graphics processor and Rohm video overlay and encoder. It outputs an analog RGB video signal, although any other analog or digital video format may be used, such as YUV, etc.

FIG. 5 is a high level flow chart of a main routine executed by processor 210 whenever karaoke device 100 is turned on. When karaoke device 100 is initially turned on, main program 500 automatically begins execution at step 510. At step 510, the various components of the karaoke apparatus 100, including the processor 210, the sound module 240, the video overlay and display unit 270, the internal display 110, and the trick play generator 250, are initialized. At step 510, the processor 210 checks the position of the power/display selection switch 165 to determine whether to operate the internal or external display mode.

After the initialization step 510, the processor 210 proceeds to step 520. At step 520, processor 210 waits for a command to be input by the user. Commands may be entered via the keypad 220 or the remote control receiver 125. Exemplary commands include, for example, "show cartridge operations," "play songs," "increase volume," "decrease volume," "jump forward," "jump backward," "stop," program songs "(i.e., pre-selection of a series of songs to be played), and various other commands recognizable to those skilled in the art. If no command is input, the processor 210 stalls at step 520 until a command is input. When processor 210 detects a command, then main program 500 proceeds to step 530.

At step 530, the processor 210 determines whether the command is a cassette tape command or a song command. If it is a command for a cartridge operation, then at step 535 the processor 210 outputs a menu on the selected display unit. The menu includes a selection of operations that the user can request to operate the cartridge 135. Exemplary menu selections include "download", "run cartridge program", "edit cartridge", and "exit cartridge menu". At this step, the processor 210 waits until the user selects one of the menu choices. When a selection is selected, the processor proceeds to the appropriate step based on the selection. For example, if the user selects "download," the processor 210 proceeds to step 540 (described below with reference to FIG. 6). If the user selects "go to cartridge program", then the processor 210 proceeds to step 545 and executes the program stored on the cartridge. This program may be, for example, a game program. Also, if the user selects "edit cartridge", then the processor proceeds to step 550 (described below with reference to FIG. 7). Finally, if the user selects "exit cartridge menu", then the processor 210 will return to step 520 to await another user's command.

Referring again to step 530, if the input is not a cartridge command, the process 210 proceeds to step 560. At step 560, it is determined whether the command is a command to play a song or a command to set parameters of the karaoke apparatus 110. If it is a command to play a song, processor 210 proceeds to step 565 where it checks if it is in an external or internal display mode. If the internal display mode is selected, the processor 210 proceeds to step 570 (described below with reference to FIG. 8A). If it is the external display mode, then step 575 (described below with reference to FIG. 8B) is performed. After performing either step 570 or 580, then the processor 210 returns to step 520 where it waits for another user's command.

Referring again to step 560, if there are no other commands to play the song, then processor 210 performs step 580. At step 580, the user may adjust some parameters. For example, the user can adjust the volume or keys and tempo controls for songs, and the user can program the order in which some songs are played, control the display of lyrics on the display, and other operations. After each command is completed, processor 210 returns to step 520 where it waits for the next command. If the user programs a series of songs, then at step 520, the command to play the next song is automatically input by the processor 210 rather than the user.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing in more detail step 540 where song or program data is downloaded to cartridge 135 via communication port 162. When the processor 210 recognizes the user's command to download data, it proceeds to step 610 where it prompts the user to confirm whether the download is intended. If the user responds that he does not intend, the procedure is ended. Otherwise, the processor 210 proceeds to step 620.

At step 620, the processor determines whether the download operation is legitimate. If the download operation is illegal, for example, cartridge 135 is incompatible, the identification information stored on cartridge 135 is invalid, or cartridge 135 is write-protected, or is a read-only storage medium. If it is illegal, the karaoke apparatus 100 displays information of illegal operation and terminates the program in step 630. If the operation is legitimate, the data package is downloaded. The packet may include a header, a data field, and a trailer, although some embodiments may include different fields. The header includes information about, for example, the size of the data, whether it is compressed, the number of padding bits at the end of the data, and the like. The data field includes actual data and the trailer includes information such as error detection or error detection information.

At step 640, the data is downloaded to the processor 210. From the header information, processor 210 may determine whether there is sufficient space in cartridge 135 to store the data in the data field at step 645. If there is not enough space, then information regarding the cartridge space is displayed on the selected screen in step 650. Then, in step 660, a message of the operation failure and the end procedure are displayed.

Referring again to step 645, if there is not sufficient storage space for the entire packet, then in step 665 the data fields are downloaded in removable cartridge 135. After all the data is downloaded, the method determines that the download is successfully completed, step 670. This may be accomplished using various well-known error detection techniques, such as parity, CRC (cyclic redundancy check), and the like. The error detection information may be included in the tail field. If an error is found, then the processor 210 proceeds to step 660 where an error message is displayed and the download step 540 is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the download is successfully completed, then a message confirming a successful download is displayed in step 680, and the download step 540 ends.

Although not shown, step 670 may be augmented to include error checking in addition to error checking. Many error checking methods are known and any suitable method may be included in step 670.

FIG. 7 shows a more detailed scenario of the cartridge editing step 550. At step 700, the processor waits for an edit command from the user. If the command is a display status command, then at step 720, cartridge information such as cartridge ID, capacity, table of contents and other related information is displayed on the display that has been selected. After the information is displayed, then the program returns to the input selection step 700 to wait for another command. If the input command is a cartridge edit command, then the program proceeds to 720 where the editing of the cartridge is completed. This may also be accomplished by downloading some or all of the cartridge's new data at communication port 162. The editing commands include downloading a new data item, deleting a data item, and deleting the cartridge contents. When the editing step 720 is completed, then the program returns again to step 700 to await further selections. The program remains in the editing step 550 until the user decides to exit, at which point step 730 is performed, which ends step 550.

FIG. 8 is a more detailed flow chart showing step 570 where a song is played in such a way that the lyrics are displayed on internal display 110. In step 810, proceeding to the first step after the play song command, processor 210 determines the location of the song in memory and starts a timer count. The song data may be placed in memory 220 or in cartridge 135. A timer is used by the processor 210 to determine when to output the lyrics.

At step 820, the processor 210 recovers the song data and decompresses. From the decompressed song data, the processor 210 extracts the music data and outputs it to the sound module 240 in the MIDI format. It also extracts the lyric data and passes it to the internal display 110 for display. The timer is used to determine at what point in the song the lyrics are displayed and lightened. The processor 210 continues to output music and lyrics until it is detected that the user has entered a command (step 830), or it is detected that the end of the song has been reached (step 840).

If the user has entered a command, such as pressing a key on keypad 120 or a remote control device, processor 210 then determines whether the command is one that indicates that the song should be paused. The song stop command includes "stop", "go to next information track", and the like. At step 850, the key is checked to see if it is a key to the stall command, and if so, step 570 ends. If the command is not a stop command, then it is likely to be a parameter set command such as volume control, pause, key change, speed control, and the like. At step 860, whatever the command is, it is executed, and the song then continues to the end, or until another key is pressed. At the end of the song or the stop command input, step 570 ends.

Fig. 8 shows details of step 575 where the song is played while the lyrics and image are displayed on an external display unit, such as a television. First, at step 870, processor 210 finds the location of the song in memory and starts a timer. Again, song data may be found in memory 220 or in cartridge 135. The graphic image data may also be stored on the memory 220 or the cassette tape 135.

At step 875, processor 210 retrieves the song data and decompresses it. From the decompressed song data, the processor 210 extracts the music data and outputs it to the sound module 240 in the MIDI format. It also extracts lyric data and passes to the video overlay and display module 270. The timer is used to determine at what point in the music the lyrics are displayed and lightened. The processor 210 continues to output music and lyrics until it is detected that the user has entered a command (step 887), or that the end point of the song has been reached (step 895).

Step 880 determines whether there is video output at video output port 150. If there is video output, the video output is mixed with the lyric data at video overlay and display module 270, and the combined image is output at video output 146. If there are no video images at video input 150, then the images from the memory 220 or the graphics images on cassette tape 135 are decompressed. At video overlay and display module 270, the graphics image and lyrics are overlaid, and the combined image is output at video output 146. This data is output until any one key is pressed or the song ends.

Processor 210 specifies the various user inputs in a manner similar to steps 830 through 860 of fig. 8, and in the same state of steps 887 through 895, step 575 ends.

Fig. 9A is a diagram describing how an external display screen is displayed immediately after the initialization step 510 in fig. 5 is performed. The screen in this state is maintained until the user inputs a command. Of course, different screen designs and content may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The area marked with a on the screen displays product information about the karaoke apparatus 100. For example, it may include a registered or trademark of a company that manufactures the karaoke apparatus 100. The area marked B on the screen displays the result of the current command executed by step 520 and the area marked C on the screen may display the name of the product or a prompt for various alternative command inputs. In this particular embodiment, the name of the product and the prompt for command entry are alternately displayed in field C.

Fig. 9B shows a diagram of the internal display 110 after initialization. Here, areas B and C include the same information as described in relation to fig. 9A, but are displayed with area B in the area to the right of the internal display, and area C fills the rest of the screen. The internal display 110 solution is simpler than the external display since in this particular embodiment a black and white LCD display is used and therefore there is no color and high definition of the external display. However, a high definition color screen may be used as the internal display 110, and the arrangement described for the external display in FIG. 9A and other discussion figures below may be more appropriate.

10A and 10B are diagrams of how the internal and external displays behave during the main program 500 operation to display the cartridge menu, for example, at step 535 of FIG. 5. Here, as shown in each screen, menu selections are displayed. As described in relation to fig. 9A, the registration of the company is displayed in area a of the external display. Of course, other commands may also be displayed on the screen as menu selections if other cassette editing commands are executed in alternative embodiments.

Fig. 11A-11B are views of the external display appearance during the entire song playing period. In the background region, a graphic image or a video image is displayed on the entire screen. The areas shown in white in the figure are superimposed on top of the graphics or video image. Further, the area a displays the registration of the company. Area B shows the result of the last command of step 520.

Fig. 11A is a diagram of an external display at the beginning of playing a song. In the area D, the title of the song is displayed. Region E displays the name of the contributor to the song, such as the artist name, the manufacturer, or the author of the song. This information is not available after the song starts and is replaced with the content shown in fig. 11B.

Fig. 11B is a diagram of an external display during the playing of a song. The field F is information for displaying a prompt to the singer when the singing is started. The area G displays lyrics. It is often the case that the lyrics will brighten when they are going to sing.

Fig. 12A to 12C are external views of the internal display 110 when a song is played. FIG. 12B shows the result of the execution of the last command of step 520. Fig. 12A shows that at the start of playing a song, the title of the song is displayed in the area marked D. Fig. 12B shows the time at which singing starts, a cue displayed in area F, and lyrics with highlighted characters displayed in area G. When a song is played, as shown in fig. 12C, the cue to start singing is absent, and lyrics and lightened lyrics are shown throughout the area G.

Of course, this screen is merely illustrative. Any aesthetically pleasing or functional screen configuration may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, as modifications to the screen technology will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, other screen configurations having more visual effects and including graphical images as backgrounds on the internal display 110 may be drawn and preferably used.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Any modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (32)

1. A music playback apparatus includes:

a fixed memory;

a programmable memory, wherein data is stored in the fixed memory and the programmable memory;

a processing unit for generating image and sound signals from the data;

a display unit for displaying an image; and

and a sound output unit outputting a sound signal.

2. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data includes one or more data groups consisting of audio data, voice data, sound data, program data, game program data, text data, lyric data and graphic data.

3. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said programmable memory is a memory which is removable by a user

4. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said programmable memory is an integrated circuit module.

5. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication port connected to the programmable memory; and

a programming device connected to the communication port, wherein the programmable memory is programmable with the programming device.

6. Music reproducing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the programming means is a set of devices consisting of a personal computer, a set-top box and an internet modem.

7. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communication port is a set of devices consisting of a universal serial bus interface, an RS232 interface, a serial interface, a parallel interface, an IRDA, and an RF interface.

8. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fixed memory stores program data for controlling the operation of said processing unit.

9. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image generated by said processing unit comprises a graphic image.

10. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said processing unit generates a graphic image from data stored in said fixed memory.

11. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said processing unit generates a graphic image from data stored in said programmable memory.

12. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image generated by said processing unit includes text.

13. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image generated by said processing unit includes text superimposed on the graphic image.

14. A music playback apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a video input for receiving video images, whereby the images include video images from video.

15. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said processing unit generates text and said image includes text superimposed on a video image from the video input.

16. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data is compressed.

17. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a decompression block for decompressing the data.

18. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a headphone connector to connect the headphones to the audio output;

a speaker connector connecting the speaker to the audio output;

a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the audio signal to an external speaker.

19. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said transmitter is operated as an FM transmitter.

20. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said audio signal is substantially simultaneously outputted at least at two of said headphone connector, said speaker connector and said transmitter.

21. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display unit is physically included in a housing accommodating said processing unit.

22. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said display unit is an LCD display device.

23. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising:

a video port for outputting an image; and an external display unit displaying the image.

24. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a keyboard for receiving a user's instruction.

25. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a remote control receiver for receiving a user's instruction.

26. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is portable.

27. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data is downloaded from the internet and stored on a programmable memory.

28. A music reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data includes program data, and the processing unit executes the program data from the programmable memory.

29. A karaoke apparatus includes:

a memory to store data;

a microphone input connected to a microphone;

a processor for generating an audio signal from data stored in the memory;

a mixer that mixes a music signal with a signal from a microphone input to form a mixed audio signal; and a transmitter for transmitting the mixed audio signal using radio frequency.

30. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising:

a first memory incorporated within the karaoke apparatus; and a second memory removably connected to the karaoke apparatus, wherein the processor may generate the audio signal from data of the first memory or the second memory.

31. The music reproducing apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising a remote control sensor for receiving a user command from the remote control device.

32. A music playback apparatus includes:

a memory to store data;

a microphone input connected to a microphone;

a processor for generating an audio signal from data stored on the memory;

a mixer that mixes a music signal with a signal from a microphone input to form a mixed audio signal;

a transmitter for transmitting the mixed audio signal using radio frequency;

a first memory incorporated within the karaoke apparatus; and a second memory removably connected to the karaoke apparatus, wherein the processor may generate the audio signal from data of the first memory or the second memory.