HK1022981B - Recording / reproducing method, recording and reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Recording/reproducing method and recording and reproducing apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to recording and/or reproducing audio and/or video data using a rewritable recording medium, and more particularly, to a recording medium for storing and efficiently processing still images and adding additional audio data thereto, and a recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus therefor.

Background

Fig. 1 shows a structure of association of various information of a dynamic image with dynamic image data when recording/reproducing audio and/or video data on a recordable and/or rewritable recording medium, particularly a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), and more precisely, it shows a relationship between program chain (PGC) information 11 for logically processing data, dynamic image information 12 composed of Video Object (VOB) information, and a dynamic image data file 13 in which actually compressed audio/video (a/V) data is recorded in VOB units.

First, a description is made of terms used throughout the specification. It is assumed that animation (movie) is recorded in the first and second parts, the entire movie is a program chain (PGC) and the first and second parts are programs. Moreover, each program is defined by being further divided into several units called sub-units. The information in each cell can define, in whole or in part, a Video Object (VOB). In this case each cell is used as a basic access cell in the reproduction process, and the program and PGC are only information of the relation between a large number of cells.

In addition, since the data is actually subdivided into video object units (VOBUs) and recorded in the moving picture data file, VOB information is composed of various information related to the VOBU data, i.e., VOBU #1, VOBU #2. Here, the VOB data serves as a random access unit of the disc recording/reproducing apparatus. In the case of MPEG (moving picture experts group) video, VOBUs are built on a single GOP (picture group) basis and audio data corresponding to video data is collected, that is, a/V data is multiplexed into sectors to constitute one VOBU.

The data format shown in fig. 1 relates to a dynamic image, wherein the actual data unit VOB comprises dynamic image data for a fixed period of time. The synchronization or encoding of the a/V signal is performed in units of VOBs. However, in the case of a still image, each VOB constitutes one still image. When VOBs are specified in the cell structure, there must be one cell for each still image. Thus, as more still images are recorded, more information is added.

Generally, a data error may occur if data is recorded a predetermined number of times on a recordable disc. Therefore, the number of times of rewriting data on the disk is limited. All information is stored in the memory of the controller to control the system for the purpose of limiting the number of recordings and the number of quick accesses to data. However, as described above, in the case of a still image, if the amount of information increases, more time is required to read out the information. Moreover, the amount of information that can be stored in a memory of a defined size is limited. Therefore, it is impossible to record a large-capacity still image.

Disclosure of Invention

To solve the above problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a recording medium which efficiently stores large-capacity still image information by grouping large-capacity still images and storing information for the still image grouping.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a recording medium for setting and storing still picture grouping information in the recording order of a recorded bit stream, the still picture grouping information being composed of video information of still pictures and video and audio information of the still pictures having initial audio data added thereto.

It is a third object of the present invention to provide a recording medium which records additional audio data added to still picture data and stores additional audio grouping information for grouping the recorded additional audio data to manage them.

It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a method of recording still picture grouping information for grouping a large capacity of still pictures to manage it and reproduction-related unit information, and reproducing the still pictures based on the recorded information.

It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide a method for recording still picture grouping information and reproduction-related unit information, and reproducing a still picture or a still picture having initial audio data added thereto, the still picture grouping information being composed of video information of the still picture and video and audio information of the still picture having the initial audio data added thereto.

It is a sixth object of the present invention to provide a method of recording still picture grouping information, additional audio grouping information to be recorded later, and reproduction-related unit information, and reproducing a still picture, a still picture having initial audio data added thereto, or a still picture having additional audio data added thereto, based on the recorded information.

It is a seventh object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which records still picture grouping information for grouping and managing a large capacity of still pictures, additional audio grouping information which is separated from the still picture grouping information and is recorded later, and reproduction-related unit information, and reproduces a still picture, a still picture having initial audio data added thereto, or a still picture having additional audio data added thereto, based on the recorded information.

To achieve these objects, there is provided a recording medium including a first area having a large amount of still image data, a second area having a large amount of additional audio data added to the still image data, and a third area having information representing a relation between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of recording and/or reproducing audio and/or video data on a recordable and/or rewritable recording medium, comprising (a) recording a plurality of still images; (b) grouping a plurality of still pictures within a predetermined maximum number of groups, and recording still picture group information and reproduction-related playback information; (c) after recording a plurality of still images, recording additional audio data added to a desired still image in a separate area; and (d) recording additional audio grouping information for grouping the additional audio data within a predetermined maximum number of groups to manage the additional audio data at a grouping level, and recording information representing the additional audio data corresponding to the desired still picture, the information being included in the still picture grouping information.

The method according to the present invention may further comprise the steps of (e) reading out still picture grouping information to be reproduced based on the playback information; (f) calculating the position of a desired still image based on the read still image grouping information and reproducing still image data located at the calculated position; and (g) if information representing the additional audio packets exists in the read-out still picture packet information, calculating a position of the additional audio data of the corresponding still picture based on the additional audio packet information and reproducing the additional audio data.

In a reproducing method of a recording medium including a first area having data for a large number of still images, a second area having data for a large number of additional audio data added to the still images, and a third area having information representing a relationship between the still image data of the first area and the additional audio data of the second area, the reproducing method includes the step of reproducing the still image data of the first area and the additional audio data added to the still image data based on the relationship information of the third area.

The apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording processor for signal-processing a large amount of still image data of a first area to be recorded on a recording medium and signal-processing a large amount of additional audio data added to the still image data to be recorded in a second area, and a controller for generating link information representing a link between the still image data of the first area and the additional audio data of the second area and playback information related to a reproduction order and controlling it to be recorded in a third area.

In addition, the apparatus may further include a playback processor for signal-processing the still image data of the first area to be reproduced and the additional audio data added to the still image data based on the information of the third area.

Specifically, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording method of recording still image information and additional audio information thereof to a recording medium, the method comprising the steps of: recording still image data to a first area of the recording medium; recording additional audio data of the still image to a second area of the recording medium; and recording, to a third area of the recording medium, contact information representing a mutual relationship between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area; wherein the first area further contains initial audio data recorded together with the still image; the information of the third area further includes still image packet information managed for the still image data packet of the first area and additional audio packet information managed for the additional audio data packet of the second area.

In the above-described recording method, the still image grouping information further includes still image general information and still image grouping information for grouping the still image data into a plurality of groups.

In the above-described recording method, the still image general information includes information relating to the number of kinds of still image grouping information.

In the above-described recording method, the still image grouping information further includes general information of the still image group and position information of each still image belonging to the group.

In the above-described recording method, the general information of the still image group includes identification information of the still image group.

In the above-described recording method, the still image position information includes size information of the video portion.

In the above-described recording method, the additional audio grouping information further includes additional audio general information and additional audio group information for grouping the additional audio data into a plurality of groups.

In the above-described recording method, the additional audio general information includes information related to the number of kinds of additional audio packet information.

In the above-described recording method, the additional audio group information further includes general information of the additional audio group and additional audio data information belonging to the group.

In the above-described recording method, the general information of each additional audio group further includes identification information of the additional audio group.

In the above-described recording method, the general information of each additional audio group further includes additional audio start position information and additional audio group number information.

In the recording method described above, the respective additional audio data information further includes size information and playback time information of the additional audio data.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproducing method of reproducing still image information and additional audio information thereof from a recording medium, the recording medium being divided into a first area having still image data, a second area having the additional audio data of the still image, and a third area having information indicating an interconnection between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area, the first area further containing initial audio data recorded together with the still image, the information of the third area further containing still image grouping information for grouping management of the still image data of the first area and additional audio grouping information for grouping management of the additional audio data of the second area, the method comprising the steps of: reading the information of the third area which is mutually related; reproducing the still picture data of the first area and the additional audio data of the second area based on the information.

In the above-described reproducing method, the position of the initial audio data is obtained by adding the calculated position of the still image and the size of the video portion of the desired still image.

In the above-described reproducing method, the still image grouping information further includes still image general information and still image grouping information for grouping the still image data into a plurality of groups.

In the above-described reproducing method, the still image general information includes information related to the number of kinds of still image grouping information.

In the above-described reproducing method, the still image grouping information further includes general information of the still image group and position information of each still image belonging to the group.

In the above-described reproducing method, the still image group general information includes identification information of the still image group.

In the above-described reproducing method, the still image position information includes size information of the video portion.

In the above-described reproducing method, the position of the still image is obtained by adding the start position of the still image packet in the read-out still image information and the data size before the desired still image.

In the above-described reproducing method, the additional audio packet information further includes additional audio general information and additional audio group information for dividing the additional audio data into a plurality of groups.

In the above-described reproducing method, the additional audio general information includes information related to the number of kinds of additional audio packet information.

In the above-described reproducing method, the additional audio group information further includes general information of the additional audio group and additional audio data information belonging to the group.

In the above-described reproducing method, the general information of each additional audio group further includes identification information of the additional audio group.

In the above-described reproducing method, the general information of each additional audio group further includes additional audio start position information and additional audio group number information.

In the above-described reproducing method, the respective additional audio data information further includes size information and playback time information of the additional audio data.

In the above-described reproducing method, the position of the additional audio data is obtained by adding a start position of the additional audio packet and a data size before the additional audio data in the audio packet information.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio-video data recording and reproducing apparatus including an optical pickup, a radio frequency amplifier, a digital signal processor, an audio-video codec, a system controller for integrally controlling the apparatus, and a servo, the audio-video data recording and reproducing apparatus including an optical pickup, a radio frequency amplifier, a digital signal processor, an audio-video codec, and a servo, wherein when recording audio-video data including static image information, the audio-video codec compression-encodes the audio-video data applied externally in a predetermined compression manner and provides size information of the compressed data; the digital signal processor receives the audio and video data provided by the audio and video coding and decoding device, adds additional data processed by an error correcting code, and modulates the additional data by adopting a preset modulation mode; the radio frequency amplifier converts electrical data provided from the digital signal processor into an RF signal; the optical pick-up drives the recording medium and records the radio frequency signal provided by the radio frequency amplifier; the system controller controls a plurality of still image data and additional audio data of still images to be recorded on a first area and a second area on the recording medium, respectively, and recording information indicating an interrelation between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area on a third area of the recording medium, the first area further contains initial audio data recorded together with a still image, the information of the third area further contains still image packet information managed for the still image data packet of the first area and additional audio packet information managed for the additional audio data packet of the second area, the servo mechanism receives a signal necessary for servo control from the system controller, an optical pickup picking up an optical signal from the recording medium and extracting data from the optical signal when reproducing the audio-video data; the radio frequency amplifier converts an optical signal provided from the optical pickup into an RF signal and extracts a servo signal and a modulation signal that perform a servo operation; the digital signal processor demodulates the modulated data provided by the radio frequency amplifier in a modulation scheme used during modulation, performs an error correction process to correct errors, and removes additional data; the audio and video codec decodes the compressed data provided from the digital signal processor and outputs the decoded data; the system controller reads information stored on a third area of the recording medium indicating an interconnection between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area, and reproduces the still image data of the first area and the additional audio data of the second area based on the information, and the servo receives signals necessary for servo control from the radio frequency amplifier and the system controller.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing device, the still image grouping information further includes still image general information and still image group information for grouping the still image data into a plurality of groups.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing device, the still picture general information includes information relating to the number of kinds of still picture grouping information.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing device, the still image grouping information further contains general information of the still image group and position information of the still images belonging to the group.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and playback apparatus, the general information of the still image group includes identification information of the still image packet.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, the still picture position information includes size information of the video portion.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, the position of the still picture is obtained by adding the start position of the still picture packet in the read-out still picture information and the data size before the desired still picture.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, the additional audio grouping information further includes additional audio general information and additional audio group information for grouping the additional audio data into a plurality of groups.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, the additional audio general information includes information relating to the number of kinds of additional audio packet information.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, said each additional audio group information further contains general information of the additional audio group and each additional audio data information belonging to the group.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and playback apparatus, the general information of each of the additional audio groups further includes identification information of the additional audio group.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, the general information of each of the additional audio groups further includes additional audio start position information and additional audio group number information.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, each additional audio data information further includes size information and reproduction time information of the additional audio data.

In the above-described audio-visual data recording and reproducing apparatus, the position of the additional audio data is obtained by adding the start position of the additional audio packet and the data size before the additional audio data in the audio packet information.

Drawings

The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the connected structure of various information and data in a dynamic image;

fig. 2 shows an example of the overall information structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the relationship between various information in a still image and still image data in accordance with the present invention;

fig. 4 is a block diagram of a recording/reproducing apparatus according to the present invention;

fig. 5 shows a relationship between still picture data and still picture grouping information according to the present invention;

fig. 6 illustrates a relationship between additional audio data added to still picture data and additional audio packet information according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a relationship between element information and still picture grouping information;

fig. 8 shows a relationship among unit information, still picture packet information, and additional audio packet information;

fig. 9 illustrates a structure of still picture grouping information according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a table showing an example of specific contents of general information for the still picture packet shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 illustrates the structure of a mapping table for the still image shown in FIG. 9;

fig. 12 is a table showing an example of specific contents of video mapping in the mapping table shown in fig. 11;

FIG. 13 is a table showing an example of the specific contents of an initial audio map associated with the video map shown in FIG. 12;

fig. 14 illustrates a structure of still picture & additional audio packet information according to the present invention;

fig. 15 is a table showing an example of specific contents of general information for the still image & additional audio data shown in fig. 14;

fig. 16 illustrates a structure of a mapping table for the still image & additional audio data shown in fig. 14;

fig. 17 is a table showing an example of concrete contents of a mapping table for the still image & additional audio data shown in fig. 16;

FIG. 18 is a table showing an example of the concrete contents of the cell information for the still images shown in FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating a method for recording still images according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recording additional audio data after recording a still image according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method for reproducing a still image according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 22A and 22B are flowcharts illustrating a method for reproducing a still image according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a recording medium storing information for still images, and a recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus thereof will be described.

Fig. 2 shows an example of an overall information structure according to the present invention, in which information consisting of PGC information, dynamic image information, and static image information is recorded in an information file or information area.

Here, the PGC general information includes information such as the number of programs in the PGC. The program general information includes information such as the number of program units. The cell information specifies VOBs in the case of a moving picture as shown in fig. 1, and specifies not VOBs but VOB groups of still pictures (simply referred to as "still picture packs" for convenience) in the case of still pictures as shown in fig. 3. Since the moving picture information has been described with reference to fig. 1, a description thereof will be omitted and only the still picture information according to the present invention will be described. The still picture general information includes information related to the number of kinds of the still picture grouping information, and the additional audio general information for the still picture includes information related to the number of kinds of the additional audio grouping information.

Fig. 3 shows a connected structure of various information in the still image and the still image data. In other words, in a still picture recorded in units of VOBs in a data file, a large number of VOBs for the still picture are managed by still picture packs, and the cell information contained in the PGC information 21 specifies not single VOB information but still picture pack information (GVOB). Also, audio data may be recorded in addition to the still image. Audio data is continuously recorded after a still picture is recorded, thereby reducing a search time of a reproduction head during reproduction. The audio data recorded together with the still images is referred to as initial audio data, which is contained in the still image packet. In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the still image may represent not only a still image having only a video portion but also a still image having both an initial audio portion and a video portion. By managing the still pictures in a manner of grouping the still pictures, the amount of unit information and still picture information can be reduced. For example, still picture grouping general information is formed by absorbing a video encoding attribute or an initial audio encoding attribute in a still picture grouping and stored as common information. For each static image, its position in the static image data file must be indicated. In the case where the still images are not divided into many groups, the start positions of the respective still images must be marked. However, in the case where the still images are grouped, the start position at which the grouping of the relevant still images starts to be recorded in the file is stored in the still image grouping general information, and then only the size of each still image is recorded as the information for each still image. Since the number of information representing the size of the still picture data, such as the number of bytes, is generally smaller than the number of information representing the position in the file, the overall number of information is reduced.

After recording the still image and the initial audio data onto the still image file 23, the user can add separate additional audio data to the desired still image. At this time, only the additional audio data is collected and recorded in a separate area in the additional audio data file 24 or the still image file 23 together with the original audio data that is being held. The additional audio data is also managed by being grouped in the same grouping manner as in the still image data, and the concept herein is the same as that in the still image data. In other words, a large amount of additional audio data having the same attribute, such as an audio coding attribute, is grouped into additional audio packets (simply referred to as "GAOB"), and then additional audio packet general information is recorded as common information. For each additional audio data AOB, only size information is recorded. The additional audio packet general information contains the start position of audio data in each additional audio packet (GAOB). The linking information for the additional audio data added to a specific still picture, which is indicated by the thick arrow in fig. 3, appears in the still picture grouping information GVOB #1, GVOB #2. In other words, the additional audio packet identification information for specifying the additional audio data existing in the still picture packet information and the additional audio identification information in the associated additional audio packet are contained in the still picture packet information.

In order to locate the recording position of a specific still image in a still image packet, the start position of the still image packet data contained in the general information of the still image packet is increased to the size of the data before the still image to be located. Also, in order to search for a recording position of specific additional audio data, the start position of additional audio packet data contained in the additional audio packet general information is increased to the size of data before the additional audio data to be located.

In the case of still image packets, the video part and the audio part are continuously recorded in one file or space. Thus, video information and audio information each containing its size are also recorded in the bitstream order in which the video data and the original audio data were actually recorded. In the case of additional audio packets, there is only additional audio data. So that only the additional audio information is recorded in the bitstream order in which the additional audio data is actually recorded.

Thus, as shown in fig. 3, there are a still picture file 23 to which initial audio data is added, an additional audio data file 24 to which still pictures are added, and an information file containing PGC information 21 and still picture information 22 having still picture packet information (GVOB) and additional audio packet information (GAOB). However, the additional audio data may also be recorded in a separate area of the still image file 23, instead of the additional audio data file 24. The still image file 23 may be designated as a first area, the additional audio data file 24 may be designated as a second area, and the information file containing the PGC information 21 and the still image information 22 may be designated as a third area as one logical area.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a recording/reproducing apparatus for performing the present invention. Functions of apparatuses for recording/reproducing a/V (audio/video) data using recordable and rewritable discs are largely divided into recording and reproducing.

During recording, the AV codec 110 compression-encodes an a/V signal applied from the outside in a predetermined compression mode and provides size information of the compressed data. A Digital Signal Processor (DSP)120 receives the a/V data supplied from the AV codec 110, adds additional data for ECC (error correction code) processing thereto, and performs modulation using a predetermined modulation pattern. The radio frequency amplifier (RF AMP)130 converts the electrical data provided by the DSP 120 into an RF signal. Pickup 140 drives the disk and records the RF signal provided by RF amp 130, using the actuator for focusing and tracking. The servo 150 receives information necessary for servo control from the system controller 160 and stably performs a servo function. The system controller 160 controls the entire system through an interface with a user to control recording of a still image on a disc and recording of separate information for the recorded still image. The still picture data is managed at the grouping level by constructing still picture grouping information for each still picture information, the still picture grouping information including size information of the still picture data, size information of the initial audio data, playback time information of the initial audio data, and the like, and position information of each still picture, which are arranged in the recording order of the recorded still picture and audio data. When additional audio data is added to the still image, the added additional audio data is recorded in a file different from the still image file, or in the same file as the still image file but with a recording area different from that of the still image. The additional audio data is managed at a packet level by constructing additional audio packet information for the recorded additional audio data information, the additional audio packet information including size information of the additional audio data, playback time information of the additional audio data, etc., and position information of each additional audio packet. The information for each still image includes information representing additional audio data added.

Unit information on the reproduction order is also recorded as the above information. The unit information includes information representing a recorded still picture packet so that the recorded still picture and audio data can be reproduced.

During playback, the pickup 140 picks up an optical signal from a disk on which data is stored and extracts the data from the optical signal. The RF AMP 130 converts the optical signal into an RF signal and extracts a servo signal and a modulation signal for performing a servo function. The DSP 120 demodulates the modulated data provided by the RF AMP 130 according to the modulation mode applied during modulation, performs ECC processing to correct errors and remove added data. The servo unit 150 receives information necessary for servo control from the RF AMP 130 and the system controller 160 and stably performs a servo function. The AV codec 110 decodes the compressed a/V data provided from the DSP 120 and outputs an a/V signal. In performing a user interface such as a key input process of a user, the system controller 160 controls the entire system to reproduce data (only still images, still images + initial audio data, or still images + additional audio data) requested by the user using the unit information and the still image grouping information stored on the disk.

In other words, in order to reproduce a specific still image and audio data, still image packet information having a still image to be reproduced is obtained from unit information, such as information of the size of the still image data and information for the data size and the playback time of the original audio data, if any, from the still image packet information, so that only necessary data is reproduced. In addition, if additional audio data is added to the still picture, the desired additional audio data is reproduced using information for the data size or the playback time of the additional audio data from the additional audio packet information to which the still picture packet information is directed.

In addition, if the still picture information which is actually deleted is read out from the still picture grouping information, the corresponding still picture and original audio data are not reproduced, so that it appears to the user that the data does not exist although the data actually exists. Also, if the added additional audio data is actually deleted, it is not reproduced.

Here, the a/V codec 110, the DSP 120, the RF AMP 130, and the pickup 140, which operate during recording, may be referred to as a recording processor. Also, the pickup 140, the RF AMP 130, the DSP 120, and the a/V codec 110, which operate during reproduction, may be referred to as a reproduction processor.

Fig. 5 shows the relationship between the still image data and the still image grouping information, in which information for a large number of still images (e.g., 64 at maximum) having the same attribute is recorded in each still image Grouping (GVOB) information 201. The determined number of still images forming each still image group is limited to the maximum number of still images. Each still picture grouping information 202 includes still picture grouping general information and information for individual still pictures, and is information for still picture data 203 composed of a video part and a video or audio part arranged in a sequence of a recorded bit stream. The still picture packet general information contains the start address of the corresponding still picture packet.

In addition, as the information of each still image, the still image information having the initial audio data exists in the form of mapping information composed of video part information for the video part and audio part information for the audio part. Here the video map and the audio map for the still image have the same identification information. If the still picture information consists of only video parts, it exists in the form of a map with only video part information. In the still picture grouping information 202, there is actual deletion information for actually deleting the still picture and adding the original audio data thereto. Here, the still picture data is recorded in VOB.

Fig. 6 shows a relationship between additional audio data added to a still image according to current information and additional audio packet information, in which additional audio packet (GAOB) information 211 includes information for additional audio data recorded in units of a large number of still image packets. The additional audio packet information 212 has additional audio packet general information containing a start address of a corresponding additional audio packet and an Audio Map (AMAP) following the additional audio data sequence. Information for additional audio data 213 composed of the additional audio part of the still picture is recorded in the respective additional audio maps, which includes size information of the additional audio data. Also, the additional audio packet information 212 includes actual deletion information for actually deleting the respective second audio parts.

Fig. 7 shows the relationship between the unit information (which is also referred to as playback information) and the still picture grouping information, where the unit is a logical unit associated with the flag of the reproduction order. The unit information includes still picture group identification information (GVOB _ ID), still picture reproduction START identification information (START VOB _ ID) and still picture reproduction END identification information (END VOB _ ID) of the corresponding still picture group. The unit information may correspond to all still picture groups or to some still picture groups to be reproduced.

The additional audio data is stored in a separate area from the still image data, i.e., in a different file from the still image data file, or in the same file but in a different area from the still image data.

For example, in the case where the additional audio data is stored in a separate file from the still image data, as shown in fig. 7, GVOB #1, #2, and #3 having the still image data constitute one file. Also, as shown in fig. 8, GAVOB #1, #2, and #3 having the additional audio data constitute one file. Thus, the still image or additional audio data is accessed using the respective file information during recording/reproducing of the actual still image or additional audio data.

Alternatively, in the case where the additional audio data and the still image data are stored in the same file, GVOB #1, #2 and #3 and GAOB #1, #2 and #3 as shown in fig. 5 and fig. 6 constitute a file. In constructing a file in this manner, the respective GVOB and GAOB are mixed in the order of recording, for example, in the order of GVOB #1, GVOB #2, GAOB #1, GVOB #3, GAOB #2, and GAOB #3. Otherwise, GVOB and GAOB are arranged in series with each other in each batch to constitute a file.

Fig. 8 shows a relationship among the unit information, still picture grouping information, and additional audio grouping information for specifying the additional audio data required to be recorded in the additional audio grouping of the individual areas and the initial audio data added as audio data to the still picture. The unit information includes still picture group identification information (GVOB _ ID), still picture reproduction START identification information (START VOB _ ID) and still picture reproduction END identification information (END VOB _ ID) in the corresponding still picture group. The video part information in the information for the still picture packet GVOB #1 may have information for specifying the additional audio data added to the still picture, i.e., the additional audio packet identification information and the additional audio identification information in the corresponding additional audio packet. For example, the additional audio packet identification information GAOB # j and the identification information #2 representing that the additional audio data is the second audio map in GAOB # j exist in the video part information of the still picture #2 for the still picture packet GVOB # i.

Fig. 9 illustrates a structure of still picture grouping information according to the present invention, which includes still picture grouping general information and a still picture mapping table, and may further include attribute information for the still picture such as picture size or video coding mode.

Fig. 10 is a table showing an example of the detailed contents of the general information of the still picture packet shown in fig. 9, which includes a GVOB _ ID representing information for specifying the still picture packet in the still picture file, a GVOB _ S _ ADR representing the start address of the first still picture data of the corresponding still picture packet in the still picture file, a GVOB _ Ns representing the number of still pictures in the still picture packet, a GVOB _ Ds representing the number of still pictures actually deleted in the corresponding VOB packet, and the like. If the GVOB _ Ds and GVOB _ Ns are equal, the VOB packet can be deleted from the file. If the GVOB _ Ds is not stored explicitly, it is checked whether all the static pictures in the corresponding static picture group are in an actually deleted state which is then actually deletable. In addition, the identification information GVOB _ ID may be explicitly recorded as unique information for each still picture group in the still picture file, or may be represented schematically in the order of the still picture groups, i.e., #1, #2.

Fig. 11 illustrates the structure of the static image map shown in fig. 15. There are two types of mapping: one is a video map VMAP for the video part and the other is an audio map AMAP for the initial audio part added to the still image. The order of mapping is the same as that of the bit stream data recorded in the still image file shown in fig. 5. Thus, in the case of a still image having only video data, there is only a video map. In the case of a still image having initial audio data in addition to a video portion, both the video map and the audio map are recorded and are actually treated as one map to which the same identification information is applied.

Fig. 12 is a table showing an example of the concrete contents of the video MAP in the mapping table shown in fig. 11, containing MAP _ TY representing the corresponding MAP type and represented by binary "0" at the time of video mapping for the video part, VOB _ ID representing the identification information for the video part and varying in the range of 1 to 64 in the preferred embodiment. In addition, VOB _ ID can be explicitly or schematically represented in recording order, i.e., in the order of #1, #2, #3.

In addition, the video map includes: v _ DELETE of binary value, which represents deletion or non-deletion of the VOB, i.e., if the value is "0" representing that the VOB is not deleted and "1" representing that the VOB is actually deleted; v _ PART _ SZ representing the size of the video PART; GAOB _ ID, which is identification information of an additional audio packet, is a numerical value that exists if the still picture has additional audio data, and is "0" if the still picture has no additional audio data; the AOB _ ID, which is identification information of additional audio data in the additional audio packet when the still picture has additional audio data, has a value of "0" when the still picture has no additional audio data.

Here, VOB _ ID and V _ PART _ SZ can be regarded as still picture position information, and GAOB _ ID and AOB _ ID can be regarded as additional audio contact information.

Fig. 13 is a table showing an example of specific contents of an initial audio MAP, containing MAP _ TY representing the type of the corresponding MAP and represented by a binary value "1" in the case of an audio MAP of an audio PART, a _ PBTM representing the playback time of the audio PART, and a _ PART _ SZ representing the size of the audio PART.

Fig. 14 illustrates a structure of additional audio packet information for a still picture according to the present invention, including additional audio general information and an additional audio map for a still picture. In addition, additional audio attribute information for the still image is also included.

Fig. 15 is a table showing an example of the detailed contents of the additional audio general information for still images shown in fig. 14, containing GAOB _ ID representing identification information for additional audio packets in an additional audio file, GAOB _ S _ ADR representing the start address of the first additional audio data of the corresponding additional audio packet in the additional audio file, and GAOB _ Ns representing the number of additional audio parts contained in the additional audio packets. The GAOB _ ID may be explicitly or schematically represented in recording order.

Fig. 16 illustrates the structure of an additional audio mapping table consisting of n additional audio maps for the additional audio part shown in fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a table showing an example of the detailed contents of the additional audio mapping table for the still image shown in fig. 16, containing AOB _ ID representing identification information for a specific audio PART in the additional audio packet and varying in the range of 1 to 64 in the preferred embodiment, a _ PBTM representing the playback time of the additional audio data, and a _ PART _ SZ representing the size, e.g., the number of sectors, of the additional audio data. Here, the AOB _ ID may be clearly or schematically represented in a recording order, i.e., #1, #2, #3.

Fig. 18 is a table showing an example of the detailed contents of the cell information for still pictures shown in fig. 7 and 8, including S _ GVOB _ ID representing identification information for still picture grouping, S _ VOB _ ID representing identification information of a still picture for which reproduction is started, and E _ VOB _ ID representing identification information of a still picture for which reproduction is ended.

Fig. 19A and 19B illustrate a flowchart of a method for recording a still image, i.e., a method for recording a still image and initial audio data, according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, it is determined whether a still image or a still image and initial audio data are to be recorded (step S101). Still picture grouping information is generated, an identification for one still picture group is assigned, the number of still pictures in the still picture group is set to "0" and the start address of the still picture group in the still picture file is recorded (step S102). It is then determined whether a recording start signal of the still image is input by the user (step S103). If a recording start signal is input, the still picture is recorded in the still picture file, identification information for the still picture is assigned to the still picture grouping information, the number of still pictures in the still picture grouping is increased by 1 and size information of the still picture is recorded in the video map (step S104).

It is determined whether the mode set by the user is used for recording the still image and the initial audio data (S105). If so, the audio data for the still picture is recorded on the still picture file after the corresponding still picture and the audio size information is recorded in the audio map in the still picture grouping information (step S106).

It is determined whether the number of recorded still images is sufficient to constitute information (e.g., a maximum of 64) for still image grouping (step S107). If the still picture grouping information is completed, the process returns to step S102 to generate another still picture grouping information. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S103 to determine whether the user inputs a recording start signal of the still image.

If the mode set by the user is used only for recording still images at step S105, step S106 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S107 to record the next still image. If the recording start signal of the still image is not input by the user at step S103, it is determined whether to terminate the recording (step S108). If it is determined that the recording is terminated, the unit information is recorded and the process ends (step S109). Here, the unit information is generated for each still picture group so as to generate the unit information for all still pictures to be reproduced.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a method for recording additional audio data after recording a still image according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, additional audio packet information is generated, identification information for additional audio packets is assigned, the number of additional audio parts in the additional audio packets is set to "0" and the start address of the audio packets is recorded in the additional audio file (S201).

It is then determined whether the user inputs a recording start signal of the additional audio data (step S202). If the recording start signal is input, a specific still image to which additional audio data is added, which is requested by the user, is specified (step S203). Additional audio data is recorded in the additional audio file, identification information of the additional audio data in the audio map for the additional audio packet information is assigned, the number of additional audio parts in the additional audio packet is increased by 1, and size information of the additional audio data in the audio map is recorded (step S204). Although the case where the additional audio data is recorded in a file other than the still image has been described here, the additional audio data may be recorded in a different area in the same file as the still image.

The identification information of the still image packet for the predetermined still image and the identification information for the still image are read out and the information for the still image, that is, the identification information of the additional audio packet for the additional audio part and the identification information for the additional audio data are recorded in the video map of the predetermined still image (step S205).

It is then determined whether the number of additional audio parts in the additional audio packet reaches N, i.e., is sufficient to constitute one packet (step S206). If so, the process proceeds to step S201 to generate another additional audio packet information. Otherwise, it is determined whether the user inputs a recording start signal of the additional audio data (step S202). If the recording start signal of the additional audio data is not input by the user at step S202, the procedure is terminated.

The step of designating a specific still image (step S203) here may precede the step of determining whether the user has input a recording start signal of additional audio data (step S202).

Fig. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method for reproducing a still image, that is, a method for reproducing a still image and adding initial audio data thereto, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 21, PGC information and cell information are read out (step S301). Identification information for a still picture group to be reproduced, playback start identification information, and playback end identification information are read out from the unit information to read the still picture group information pointed to by the unit (step S302). Video map information for a video portion corresponding to the playback start identification information in the read still picture grouping information is obtained to read out the size of the video portion, or in the case where the still picture has the original audio data, the video map information and the audio map information are obtained to read out the size of the video portion and the size of the audio portion (step S303).

The position of the desired still image is calculated from the read video part information and the video data located at the calculated position is read out and decoded to reproduce the still image (step S304). Here, the position of the desired still image is obtained by adding the start position of the still image packet and the size data before the desired still image. When the still image is reproduced, it is determined whether the initial audio data is added to the still image (step S305). If so, the initial audio data is read out and decoded to reproduce the initial audio data (step S306). Here, the read-out position of the initial audio data is obtained by adding the calculated position of the still image to the size of the video portion of the still image. The unit information is used to check whether all the still images belonging to one unit are reproduced, and then it is determined whether there is a still image to be reproduced next (step S307). If so, information for the video portion of the still image to be reproduced next is read out (step S303). Otherwise, the procedure terminates. This procedure is repeated when there are a large number of unit information sequences.

Here, the step of determining whether or not the initial audio data is added to the still picture (step S305) may be performed directly after the step of reading out the still picture grouping information (step S302). This is because it can be determined that the initial audio data is added to the still picture when the audio map for the audio part is subsequently added to the video map for the video part based on the still picture grouping information.

Fig. 22A and 22B illustrate a flowchart representing a method for reproducing a still image according to another embodiment of the present invention, i.e., a method for reproducing a still image, a still image having initial audio data, or a still image having additional audio data. Referring to fig. 22A, cell information is read out from PGC information (step S401), and then still picture grouping information pointed to by a cell to be reproduced is read out (step S402). Information for the start position of the still picture group is read from the read still picture group information, and the position of the desired still picture is calculated (step S403). Here, the position of the desired still image is obtained by adding the start position of the still image packet and the size data before the desired still image. The video data is read out and decoded based on the position information of the desired still picture to reproduce the still picture (step S404).

It is then checked whether additional audio data is present in the still picture grouping information (step S405). If not, it is checked whether there is initial audio data (step S406). Here, the additional audio data for the video portion of the desired still image to be reproduced, which appears in the mapping information, may be determined using the identification information for the additional audio packets and the identification information for the additional audio data. The occurrence of the initial audio data can be known by determining whether there is audio information (audio map) in the map of the desired still image to be reproduced.

If there is initial audio data at step S406, a readout position of the initial audio data is calculated (step S407). Here, the read-out position of the initial audio data is obtained by adding the calculated position of the still image and the video portion size of the still image. The initial audio data is read out based on the calculated position information of the still picture and decoded to reproduce the initial audio data (step S408), and the process proceeds to step S411 as shown in fig. 22B.

If the additional audio data is present at step S405, that is, if the read-out identification information for the additional audio packet and the identification information for the additional audio data assigned to the still picture are not "0", the start position of the additional audio packet is read out from the additional audio packet information to calculate the position of the required additional audio data (step S409 in fig. 22B). The position of the required additional audio data is obtained by adding the start position of the additional audio packet and the size of the additional audio data preceding the additional audio data having the identification information for the required additional audio data in the additional audio packet.

The additional audio data is read out according to the calculated position information for the desired additional audio data and decoded to reproduce the additional audio data (step S410). Then, it is determined whether there is a still image to be reproduced next (step S411). If so, the process returns to step S403. Otherwise, the routine is terminated (step S411). In the case of reproducing a large number of cells, the entire procedure is repeated.

Alternatively, instead of the step S405 of determining whether there is additional audio data and the step S406 of determining whether there is initial audio data, the still picture grouping information read out at the step S402 is first applied to determine whether the still picture to be reproduced is a video-only still picture, a still picture with initial audio data added thereto, or a still picture with additional audio data added thereto. If the still image has only a video portion, steps S403 and S404 are performed. If the still picture has the initial audio data, steps S403, S404, S407, and S408 are performed. If the still picture has additional audio data, steps S403, S404, S409, S410 and S411 are performed.

Also, according to another aspect of the present invention, before reproduction, a reproduction mode is set through an interface with a user to determine whether only a still image is to be reproduced, or both the still image and the initial audio data are to be reproduced, or both the still image and the additional audio data are to be reproduced.

As described above, according to the present invention, a large capacity of still images, initial audio data added thereto, and additional audio data can be recorded using a minimum amount of information. During reproduction, data can be displayed and edited in units of still images. Also, the audio data recorded after the additional audio data processing may be utilized.

In addition, a video map and/or an audio map for a still image are formed in the recording order of the bit stream, thereby allowing efficient management of information.

Claims (41)

1. A recording method of recording still picture information and additional audio information thereof to a recording medium, the method comprising the steps of:

recording still image data to a first area of the recording medium;

recording additional audio data of the still image to a second area of the recording medium;

and recording, to a third area of the recording medium, contact information representing a mutual relationship between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area;

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the first area further contains initial audio data recorded together with the still image;

the information of the third area further includes still image packet information managed for the still image data packet of the first area and additional audio packet information managed for the additional audio data packet of the second area.

2. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the still image grouping information further includes still image general information and still image grouping information for grouping the still image data into a plurality of groups.

3. The recording method according to claim 2, wherein the still image general information includes information relating to the number of kinds of the still image grouping information.

4. The recording method according to claim 2, wherein the still image grouping information further includes general information of the group of still images and position information of each still image belonging to the group.

5. The recording method according to claim 4, wherein the general information of the set of still images includes identification information of the set of still images.

6. The recording method according to claim 4, wherein the still picture position information includes size information of the video portion.

7. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the additional audio grouping information further includes additional audio general information and additional audio group information for grouping the additional audio data into a plurality of groups.

8. The recording method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the additional audio general information includes information related to the number of kinds of the additional audio packet information.

9. The recording method according to claim 7, wherein each additional audio set information further includes general information of the additional audio set and each additional audio data information belonging to the set.

10. The recording method according to claim 9, wherein the general information of each additional audio group further includes identification information of the additional audio group.

11. The recording method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the general information of each additional audio group further includes additional audio start position information and additional audio group number information.

12. The recording method according to claim 9, wherein each of the additional audio data information further includes size information and playback time information of the additional audio data.

13. A reproducing method of reproducing still picture information and additional audio information thereof from a recording medium, the recording medium being divided into a first area having still picture data, a second area having additional audio data of the above-mentioned still picture, and a third area having information indicating an interconnection between the still picture data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area, the first area further containing initial audio data recorded together with the still picture, the information of the third area further containing still picture grouping information for grouping management of the still picture data of the first area and additional audio grouping information for grouping management of the additional audio data of the second area, the method comprising the steps of:

reading the information of the third area which is mutually related;

reproducing the still image data of the first area and the additional audio data of the second area according to the information.

14. The reproduction method of claim 13, wherein the position of the initial audio data is obtained by adding the calculated position of the still picture and the size of the video portion of the desired still picture.

15. The reproducing method of claim 13, wherein the still picture grouping information further includes still picture general information and still picture grouping information for grouping the still picture data into a plurality of groups.

16. The reproducing method of claim 15, wherein the still picture general information includes information related to the number of kinds of the still picture grouping information.

17. The reproducing method of claim 15, wherein each still picture grouping information further includes general information of the group of still pictures and position information of each still picture belonging to the group.

18. The reproducing method of claim 17, wherein said still image group general information includes identification information of the still image group.

19. The reproducing method of claim 17, wherein said still picture position information includes size information of the video part.

20. The reproducing method of claim 17, wherein the position of the still picture is obtained by adding a start position of a still picture group in the read-out still picture information and a data size before a desired still picture.

21. The reproducing method of claim 13, wherein the additional audio grouping information further includes additional audio general information and additional audio group information for grouping the additional audio data into a plurality of groups.

22. The reproducing method of claim 21, wherein the additional audio general information includes information related to the number of kinds of the additional audio packet information.

23. The reproducing method of claim 21, wherein each additional audio set information further includes general information of the additional audio set and each additional audio data information belonging to the set.

24. The reproducing method of claim 23, wherein the general information of each additional audio group further includes identification information of the additional audio group.

25. The reproducing method of claim 23, wherein the general information of each additional audio group further includes additional audio start position information and additional audio group number information.

26. The reproducing method of claim 23, wherein each of the additional audio data information further includes size information and playback time information of the additional audio data.

27. The reproduction method according to claim 23, wherein the position of the additional audio data is obtained by adding a start position of the additional audio packet in the audio packet information and a data size before the additional audio data.

28. An audio-video data recording and reproducing apparatus containing still picture information, the audio-video data recording and reproducing apparatus comprising an optical pickup, a radio frequency amplifier, a digital signal processor, an audio-video codec, a system controller for integrally controlling the apparatus, and a servo mechanism,

when recording the audio and video data containing the static image information, the audio and video coding and decoding device adopts a preset compression mode to compress and code the externally applied audio and video data and provides the size information of the compressed data; the digital signal processor receives the audio and video data provided by the audio and video coding and decoding device, adds additional data processed by an error correcting code, and modulates the additional data by adopting a preset modulation mode; the radio frequency amplifier converts electrical data provided from the digital signal processor into an RF signal; the optical pick-up drives the recording medium and records the radio frequency signal provided by the radio frequency amplifier; the system controller controls a plurality of still image data and additional audio data of still images to be recorded on a first area and a second area, respectively, on the recording medium, and records information indicating an interrelation between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area on a third area of the recording medium, the first area further containing initial audio data recorded together with the still images, the information of the third area further containing still image packet information for packet management of the still image data of the first area and additional audio packet information for packet management of the additional audio data of the second area, the servo mechanism receiving a signal necessary for servo control from the system controller,

an optical pickup picking up an optical signal from the recording medium and extracting data from the optical signal when reproducing the audio-video data; the radio frequency amplifier converts an optical signal provided from the optical pickup into an RF signal and extracts a servo signal and a modulation signal that perform a servo operation; the digital signal processor demodulates the modulated data provided by the radio frequency amplifier in a modulation scheme used during modulation, performs an error correction process to correct errors, and removes additional data; the audio and video codec decodes the compressed data provided from the digital signal processor and outputs the decoded data; the system controller reads information stored on a third area of the recording medium indicating an interconnection between the still image data in the first area and the additional audio data in the second area, and reproduces the still image data of the first area and the additional audio data of the second area based on the information, and the servo receives signals necessary for servo control from the radio frequency amplifier and the system controller.

29. The audio-visual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said still picture grouping information further includes still picture general information and still picture group information for each of said still picture data divided into a plurality of groups.

30. The audio-visual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the still picture general information includes information relating to the number of kinds of still picture grouping information.

31. The audio-visual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 29, wherein each of the still image group information further contains general information of the still image group and position information of each of the still images belonging to the group.

32. The audio-visual data recording and playback device of claim 31, characterized in that the general information of the group of still images includes identification information of the group of still images.

33. An audiovisual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 31, characterized in that said still picture position information comprises size information of the video portion.

34. An audio-visual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the position of the still picture is obtained by adding a start position of a still picture packet in the read-out still picture information and a data size before a desired still picture.

35. The av data recording and playback apparatus of claim 28, wherein the additional audio grouping information further includes additional audio general information and additional audio group information for grouping the additional audio data into a plurality of groups.

36. An audiovisual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 35, characterized in that said additional audio general information includes information related to the number of kinds of additional audio packet information.

37. An audiovisual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 35, characterized in that each additional audio group information further contains general information of the additional audio group and each additional audio data information belonging to the group.

38. An audiovisual data recording and playback device according to claim 37, characterized in that the general information of each additional audio group further includes identification information of the additional audio group.

39. An audiovisual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 37, characterized in that said general information of each additional audio group further comprises additional audio start position information and additional audio group number information.

40. An audiovisual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 37, characterized in that each additional audio data information further includes size information and playback time information of the additional audio data.

41. The audio-visual data recording and playback apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the position of the additional audio data is obtained by adding a start position of the additional audio packet in the audio packet information and a data size before the additional audio data.