HK1030085B - Information recorder and information recording method - Google Patents

Description

Information recording apparatus and information recording method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an information recording apparatus and an information recording method, and further relates to a recording medium.

Background

In a conventional video system, when editing recorded AV information (audio-visual data), the following procedure is performed. That is, a reproducing apparatus for reproducing recorded AV information and a recording apparatus for recording the AV information reproduced by the reproducing apparatus are provided, and a necessary portion is recorded while the reproducing apparatus reproduces the AV information. For example, when a digest version of certain AV information is to be generated, the procedure as described above can be performed. That is, as shown in fig. 21, when a new video file is generated that connects a part of the 1 st video file having the 1 st video data and a part of the 2 nd video file having the 2 nd video data together, it is necessary to perform a copy process on the part of the 2 nd video file while copying the part of the 1 st video file.

In the conventional Mini Disc (MD) standard, audio information is not recorded in a physically continuous manner on a track, but is recorded discretely in a certain number of recording units on a track. In order to convert such discrete information into a series of information, a management table for linking the discrete information is prepared, and the discrete information is accessed and reproduced in the order written in the management table, thereby enabling continuous sound reproduction.

However, in the above-described conventional video system, 2 recorders are inevitably required when editing recorded AV information. In addition, since editing must be performed after the copying process, an additional area for copying and recording AV information is necessary.

In the conventional MD standard, when the linked data is data recorded in a certain amount of units and the management table of the MD is rewritten by assigning only 1 to the optical disc and the data recorded on the optical disc, the original management table must be rewritten, and thus the link information becomes unique information. Therefore, in order to edit data, it is necessary to perform a copy process as in the conventional video system. In particular, although there is no problem in the case where data editing is rarely required, such as MD, when AV information is handled, it is considered that a user urgently needs to generate a digest version of certain AV information.

In addition, in the conventional file system, only the sharing of the file is performed, but a part of the file cannot be shared.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for editing AV information easily, and more particularly, to provide an information recording apparatus, an information recording method, and a recording medium which can edit AV information easily without copying the AV information itself and without requiring an additional data recording area.

Disclosure of the invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and according to a 1 st aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording apparatus for recording main information on a recording medium, comprising: having a recording section for recording main information on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided; and

a control section for generating an initial file storing link information constituted by arranging address information of unit recording areas in which the main information is recorded from the recording section in order after the recording section records the main information on the recording medium, and for generating a virtual file storing link information constituted by arranging address information stored in the unit recording areas in order by editing the initial file in accordance with an instruction of a user.

In the information recording apparatus, when the recording unit records the main information, the control unit generates the initial file, and edits the initial file to generate the virtual file. Therefore, since the virtual file storing the edited link information is provided and at least a part of the main information can be accessed from a plurality of files, the main information editing such as generation of a digest version of the main information can be performed, and thus 2 recorders are not required, and since only the files are managed, an additional area for copying and recording the main information is not required.

According to the 2 nd aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st aspect of the present invention is characterized in that: the control unit edits the initial file and/or the virtual file in accordance with an instruction from a user to generate a virtual file. Therefore, the virtual file can be edited not only from the original file but also from the virtual file.

According to the 3 rd aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording apparatus for recording main information on a recording medium, characterized in that: having a recording section for recording main information on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided; and

and a control section for generating a file storing link information constituted by arranging address information sequentially in the form of logical addresses from unit recording areas in which the main information is recorded from the recording section, after the main information is recorded in the recording medium by the recording section.

In the information recording apparatus, the file is generated when the recording unit records the main information. Therefore, by editing the file to generate a new file, editing and reproduction of, for example, a digest version of the main information can be performed, so that 2 video recorders are not required, and an additional area for copying and recording the main information is not required.

According to the 4 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 3 rd aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the control unit edits the initial file in accordance with an instruction from a user to generate a new file, that is, a virtual file, and edits the existing initial file and/or virtual file in accordance with the instruction from the user to generate a new virtual file. Therefore, by holding the virtual file, it is possible to edit the main information, for example, to create a summary version of the main information.

According to the 5 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the virtual file has at least a part of the address data stored on the file serving as the editing source.

According to the 6 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the control unit generates a new file from the plurality of files when the virtual file is generated. Therefore, it is possible to edit from a plurality of files and generate 1 new file.

According to the 7 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: when any existing file is deleted, the control section deletes the file, and when a part of any existing file is deleted, the control section deletes one or more address information of the file from the file. In this way, deletion can be performed by deleting only 1 or more address information of the file from the file.

According to the 8 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording system according to the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the control unit generates a link count table for managing the number of file references for each unit recording area obtained by dividing the recording area of the recording medium into a plurality of units, and updates the generated link count table or information in the link count table read from the recording medium by editing and/or deleting the file. Therefore, by holding the link count table, it is possible to manage each unit recording area, and perform processing such as opening the unit recording area with the reference count of 0 as a recordable area.

According to the 9 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 8 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the unit recording area whose number of times of reference in the link count table is 0 is used as a recordable area, and when an initial file itself or a part of the initial file, which is a file generated when main information is recorded, is deleted, the control unit updates the number of times of reference in the unit recording area corresponding to a deletion target in the link count table to 0, and when a virtual file itself or a part of the virtual file, which is a file generated by editing an existing file, is deleted, the control unit decreases the number of times of reference in the unit recording area corresponding to the deletion target in the link count table. Therefore, it is possible to perform processing necessary when distinguishing the initial file and the virtual file and performing the deletion processing with the virtual file as the lower hierarchy of the initial file.

According to the 10 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 9 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: when an original file itself or a part of the original file is deleted, another virtual file that refers to a unit recording area corresponding to the deletion target is modified. Therefore, by correcting the other virtual file, it is possible to prevent an influence on the other virtual file that refers to the unit recording area corresponding to the deletion target due to deletion.

According to the 11 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 8 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the unit recording area having a reference count of 0 in the link count table is used as a recordable area, and when all or a part of a certain file is deleted, the control unit reduces the reference count of the unit recording area corresponding to the deletion target in the link count table, regardless of whether the file is an initial file generated when main information is recorded or a virtual file generated by editing an existing file. Therefore, it is possible to perform necessary processing in the erasing processing for processing the original file and the virtual file in the same hierarchy.

According to the 12 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: when an instruction to rewrite all or a part of an existing file is given, the control unit generates a new file related to the rewritten main information and corrects or deletes the link information in the existing file. Therefore, processing required when rewriting processing is performed can be performed.

According to the 13 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the control unit generates a header collection file for storing address information of the file, and corrects the header collection file according to the generation and deletion of the file.

By holding the title set file, each file can be managed, and link information of each file can be accessed quickly.

According to the 14 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 13 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the information recording device writes the file information generated, corrected, and deleted, the information of the link count table, and the information of the title set file into a recording medium at a predetermined timing. Therefore, when reproducing the recorded main information, the file information, the information of the link count table, and the information of the title aggregate file can be read from the recording medium, and the main information can be reproduced based on these information.

According to the 15 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to claim 14 of the present invention, wherein: the information recording device reads file information written in a recording medium by the information recording device, information of a link count table, and information of a title set file from the recording medium, and stores the read information in a storage unit provided in the information recording device. Therefore, processing such as reproduction of main information can be performed based on the file information, information of the link count table, and information of the title aggregate file stored in the storage unit.

According to the 16 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the control unit controls the reproduction unit to reproduce the main information based on the link information stored in the file when a user instructs to reproduce a certain file.

According to the 17 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the control unit records information on a file in a unit recording area, the information being related to a reproduction start frame and a reproduction end frame when the file is reproduced; and when the user instructs to reproduce the file, the control section controls the reproduction section to reproduce the main information based on the reproduction start frame and the reproduction end frame stored in the file. Therefore, even when recording and reproduction are performed for each unit recording area, editing can be performed from an arbitrary position (frame).

According to the 18 th aspect of the present invention, the information recording apparatus according to the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 th or 4 th aspect of the present invention, characterized in that: the information recording apparatus records and reproduces main information for each unit recording area obtained by dividing a recording area of a recording medium into a plurality of areas, and records and/or reproduces the main information based on a relational expression of (Be-Bd) Ts > BdTw, Ts ═ C/Be, and Be > Bd, assuming that a minimum transmission rate to the recording medium is Be, a reproduction bit rate of the main information is Bd, a time until the 1 st real data is acquired after the maximum transfer distance of the recording medium is transferred is Tw, and a capacity of the unit recording area is C. In this information recording apparatus, the data amount of (Be-Bd) Ts is stored during Ts according to the above relational expression. Since the amount of data stored is larger than the amount of data BdTw reproduced during the time Tw required until the 1 st real data is obtained after the maximum transition distance of the recording medium is transferred, stable recording and reproduction can be performed without interruption of reproduced data or recorded data even when the data is transferred from the inner end to the outer end of the recording medium.

According to a 19 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording method for recording main information on a recording medium, characterized by: a preparation step of preparing link information constituted by sequentially arranging address information subordinate to unit recording areas into which main information is recorded, when the main information is recorded on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which the recording area of the recording medium is divided; recording the generated link information on a recording medium.

Since a new file is prepared by editing the link information, it is possible to prepare a main information digest and copy the main information digest, thereby eliminating the need to use 2 video recorders. Further, an area for recording a duplicate of the master information does not need to be secured.

According to the 20 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording method for recording main information on a recording medium, characterized in that: a preparation step of preparing link information constituted by sequentially arranging address information subordinate to unit recording areas into which main information is recorded, when the main information is recorded on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which the recording area of the recording medium is divided; a preparation step of editing the existing link information according to the instruction of the user, arranging the address information subordinate to the unit recording area in sequence to form the link information, and generating new link information different from the link information of the previous step; and a step of recording the generated link information on a recording medium.

The plurality of link information may access at least a portion of the main information by using the new link information. Thus, for example, by editing the master information, it is possible to prepare a master information digest and copy the master information digest, thereby eliminating the need to use 2 video recorders. Further, an area for recording a duplicate of the master information does not need to be secured.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an information recording, reproducing and editing apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a memory in the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the management information table.

Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an optical disc data format.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram specifically showing the structure of the management information table.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of recording.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of editing.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation performed when deleting in units of titles in the 1 st deletion method.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation when a part of a title is deleted in the 1 st deletion method.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation performed when deleting in units of titles in the 2 nd deletion method.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation when a part of a title is deleted in the 2 nd deletion method.

Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of each title file for explaining the operation of the information recording, reproducing and editing apparatus.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of the management information table in the case of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation in the rewrite processing.

Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of each title file for explaining the operation of the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus in the rewriting process.

Fig. 16 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the guarantee of the seamless property of the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus.

Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a change in buffer capacity at the time of recording.

Fig. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a change in the buffer capacity during regeneration.

Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of a management information table for explaining other functions of the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus.

Fig. 20 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the management information table.

Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an editing method of a conventional video system.

Best mode for carrying out the invention

As shown in fig. 1, an information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a as an information recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording signal processing unit 10, a head drive circuit 12, a magnetic head 14, an optical head (read sensor) 16, a spindle motor 18, a servo unit 20, a reproduction signal processing unit 22, a monitoring unit 24, a buffer storage unit 26, a system controller 28, an external instruction unit 30, and a memory 32.

The information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a is capable of recording AV information (audio-visual data) as main information on a magneto-optical disc (hereinafter, simply referred to as "optical disc") 40 as a recording medium, reproducing the AV information recorded on the magneto-optical disc 40, and editing the AV information.

The recording signal processing unit 10 encodes AV information inputted from the outside, adds an error correction code, digitally modulates the encoded AV information, and the like. The head drive circuit 12 drives the head 14 based on a signal transmitted from the recording signal processing unit 10 through the buffer storage unit 26. The magnetic head 14 magnetizes a recording film of the optical disk 40 and is used for recording AV information. The optical head 16 includes a semiconductor laser, and emits laser light from the semiconductor laser during recording, and receives reflected light from the optical head 16 after the semiconductor laser emits light to the optical disk 40 during reproduction. The magnetic head 14 and the optical head 16 constitute an optical head 17.

The spindle motor 18 drives and rotates the optical disk 40 at a predetermined rotation speed, and the servo unit 20 performs servo control such as focus servo, tracking servo, spindle servo, and spiral servo while controlling the rotation speed of the spindle motor 18. The reproduced signal processing section 22 performs digital demodulation, error correction processing, decoding, and the like on the signal read out from the buffer memory section 26. The monitor 24 outputs the signal processed by the reproduction signal processing unit 22 as video and audio.

When recording AV information on the optical disc 40 or reproducing AV information recorded on the optical disc 40, the buffer storage unit 26 temporarily stores the AV information. Further, the system controller 28 performs overall control of the system. That is, the operations of the respective units of the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a are controlled. The external instruction unit 30 is used for various operations by the user.

As shown in fig. 2, the memory 32 includes a program storage unit 34 and a management information table storage unit 36. The program storage unit 34 stores an application program for managing the operation of the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a. Specifically, a program for performing the operation of the flowcharts shown in fig. 6 to 11 is stored. The management information table storage unit 36 stores a management information table described later.

The head drive unit 12, the optical head 17, the servo unit 20, and the like function as a recording unit, and the system controller 28 functions as a control unit.

The data format of the optical disc 40 is explained below.

The main data area of the optical disc 40 is composed of N blocks called containers 100, as shown in fig. 4. The container 100 is a data block having a predetermined number of bits, and preferably has a data capacity of several seconds during recording and reproduction. N is a natural number of 1 or more. The container 100 corresponds to a unit recording area. When the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a records, reproduces, or edits AV information on the optical disk 40, the processing is performed on a container-by-container basis. The innermost circumference of the optical disc 40 is provided with a management area for recording the management information table.

Next, a data structure of the management information table will be described.

As shown in fig. 3, the management information table includes a Title Set File (Title Set File)202, a Title File (Title File)204, and a Link Count table (Link Count File) 206.

The title set file 202 is used for managing title files and is composed of header information and start addresses of the title files. For example, in the "Title 0 descriptor (Title 0 descriptor)" of the Title set file in fig. 5, the start address of the Title file 204-1 is stored. Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a specific example of the management information table.

The title file 204 stores link information related to the title file, specifically, header information and address information of the start position of the container of the optical disc 40 (hereinafter, simply referred to as "container address information") in this order as shown in fig. 5. For example, address information of the first sector of the container is stored. The address information is specified as a logical address. The address information is information for reproducing AV information, and the address information of each container is added to the structure in the order of reproduction. That is, information on the reproduction order (link) of the container 100 is stored as link information. The title file corresponds to the file mentioned above and in the claims.

For example, in the title file 204-1, the container numbers are indicated in the order of C2 → C4 → C5, and the reproduction order is specified. In the header file 204-1 of fig. 5, "pointer 0" indicates address information of the container C4. In this way, links of containers are specified for each title file, and one AV program is constituted for each title file. In addition, in the header information, header name information, information of the original file or the virtual file, and the like are stored. The initial file and the virtual file will be described later. A plurality of the title files may be held for one title aggregate file 202.

The container managed by the title file may be repeated within one title file or between title files. For example, in FIG. 5, container 4 may be referenced from both title file 204-1 and title file 204-2, which corresponds to the case where the container is repeated between title files. In addition, in a certain title file, after a certain container is indicated, the container may be indicated again.

The title file is divided into an initial file that is created and created when AV information is recorded and a virtual file that is created and created by editing processing described later.

The link count table 206 indicates the number of times each title file refers to each container, and when the number of times is 0, it indicates that the container can be recorded. In fig. 5, containers C1 and C3 correspond to such containers. The number of times of reference is 0, and examples thereof include a case where AV information is not recorded in the container from the beginning, and a case where a user performs a deletion operation. The operation when the delete operation is performed will be described later. When the number of references is 1 or more, it means that the container is referenced by at least any one of the title files and the program is constituted by the container, so that it is not recordable. For example, in fig. 5, the container C4 is referenced by two title files, so the number of references is 2. .

As described above, the management information table can manage the reproduction order of each container and reproduce video and/or audio required by the user.

When the optical disc on which the management information table is recorded is loaded into the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a, the management information table is read at the beginning and stored in the memory 32.

The operation of the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a having the above-described configuration will be described below.

First, a case where AV information is recorded on the optical disc 40 will be described with reference to fig. 6 and the like. As the recorded AV information, various AV information can be considered, and for example, AV information of a broadcast program can be cited.

First, when the user instructs the external instruction unit 30 to record a video (S10), the system controller 28 refers to the link count table 206 stored in the memory 32 and secures a writable area (S11). That is, the container with the number of times of use of 0 is indexed in the link count table 206. When the optical disk 40 is loaded into the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a, the information in the management information table stored in the optical disk 40 is read out and stored in the memory 32. Since the management information table is not stored in a so-called blank disc in which no recording is performed, recording can be performed in order from the 1 st container in this case. That is, in the case of the blank disc, when the information of the management information table cannot be read from the optical disc 40, the link count table in which the number of references of all containers is 0 is held in the memory 32. Meanwhile, a title set file in which no data is stored is also held in the memory 32. Then, the recordable containers are sequentially recorded (S12).

At the time of recording, the following recording process is performed. That is, the AV information sent from the outside is encoded, added with an error correction code, digitally modulated, and the like by the recording signal processing section 10, and written into the buffer memory section 26. The buffer storage unit 26 performs a buffering process so that AV information can be recorded on the optical disc 40 in units of containers. That is, the recording/reproducing rate (corresponding to the reading rate from the buffer storage unit 26) for the optical disk 40 is set to a rate higher than the transfer rate (corresponding to the writing rate to the buffer storage unit 26) of the AV information, and the AV information is continuously written into the buffer storage unit 26, while the AV information is intermittently read from the buffer storage unit 26. Then, the AV information is input to the head drive circuit 12, and the AV information is recorded on the optical disk 40 in units of containers by the magnetic head 14 and the optical head 16.

At this time, since the recordable container is searched for with reference to the link count table 206 in step S11, the servo unit 20 is controlled so as to record AV information in a container with reference number 0.

When the user instructs the end of the recording (S13), the recording process is ended (S14). Then, the link count table is updated, the title file is generated, and the title set file is updated (S15).

That is, in the link count table 206, the number of references of a container in which a new record is made 1.

Further, a new header file is generated, header information of the header file is generated based on the contents (for example, the title name) instructed from the external instruction unit 30 by the user, and information of the start address of the recorded container is sequentially added as a Pointer (Pointer). A special symbol is embedded as a last pointer to the last container so that the last container can be identified. The title file generated by performing the recording process is an initial file. The information for indicating that the title file is the original file is preferably written in header information of the title file. The step of generating the initial file corresponds to "a step of generating link information constituted by sequentially adding address information for reproduction to a recording area of the recording medium when the main information is recorded".

In addition, in the title set file, the start address of the new title file is stored as a "title n descriptor".

For example, when the containers C1 to C10 with the number of references of 0 are recorded, as shown in fig. 12, the containers C1 to C10 are written as link information into newly generated title files (assuming that the files are "0 th title file"). The 0 th title file in fig. 12 is an initial file. At the time of generating only the 0 th title file, the number of references of the containers C1 to C10 in the link count table is 1.

When the end of recording is instructed at a middle position of a certain container, recording is performed on a container-by-container basis in this embodiment, and therefore, even after the end of recording is instructed, recording is performed for some time.

The title file generated by the recording, the updated title set file, and the information on the link count table, that is, the information on the management information table, are written in the management area of the innermost portion of the disc in response to the pickup instruction of the optical disc. The step of writing the header file information corresponds to "a step of recording link information on a recording medium". In the blank disc, the title set file and the link count table are also written in the management area in a new form. When the management information table is recorded on a certain disc, 1 title set file is sufficient, but a plurality of the title set files may be provided.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since recording is performed on a container-by-container basis, when recording is finished at a position in the middle of a container, it is necessary to fill (Padding) the remaining area of the container. In the above description, the processing of step S15 may be performed not after recording but during recording.

The following describes operations performed when editing AV information recorded on the optical disc 40, with reference to fig. 7. For example, such editing processing can be performed when a digest version is generated from AV information in which a certain program is recorded.

First, the user selects 1 stored title file via the external instruction unit 30 (S20). For example, a list of title files is displayed on the monitoring unit 24 based on the management information table stored in the memory 32, and the user selects an arbitrary title file by the external instruction unit 30. When the list of the title files is displayed, the system controller 28 reads out information (for example, title names) stored in the header information of the title files from the memory 32 and displays the information on the monitor 24.

Then, the user indicates an editing start position (S21). Specifically, it is conceivable to perform an instruction operation at the time of a desired editing start position while reproducing AV information based on link information of the selected title file. The instruction is performed by the external instruction unit 30. Next, the user indicates an editing end position (S23). Specifically, it is also conceivable to perform an instruction operation at the time of the required editing end position while reproducing AV information from the selected title file. The edit start position and the edit end position may be indicated by the time and the data amount from the start position of the recording area. When reproducing AV information, if an instruction for the edit start time or the edit end time is given at an intermediate position of a certain container, the container corresponding to the time may be included, and on the other hand, at the edit start time, the container next to the container corresponding to the time may be edited, and at the edit end time, the container immediately before the container corresponding to the time may be edited.

Next, the user confirms whether or not another part is edited in the same title file (S23). When the user edits other parts within the same title file as well, the process returns to step S21. When the other part is not edited in the same title file, the user confirms whether or not the other title file is edited (S24), and when the other title file is edited, the process returns to the step S20. That is, not only editing within the same title file but also editing between a plurality of title files can be performed. On the other hand, when other title files are not edited in step S24, the link count table is updated, the title file is generated, and the title set file is updated (S25).

That is, for the link count table, the number of references of the container referenced by the new title file is increased by 1. In the new header file, when a container is referred to a plurality of times, the number of times of reference of the container is incremented by a value corresponding to the number of times of reference.

Further, a new title file is generated in the memory 32, header information of the title file is generated based on the contents (for example, title name) instructed by the user from the external instruction unit 30, and address information of the edited container is sequentially added as a pointer. The address information of the container may be selected from the information stored in the title file selected in step S20. That is, the editing apparatus is configured by at least a part of a series of address information stored in a title file as an editing source. A special symbol is embedded as a last pointer to the address information of the last container so that the last container can be identified.

In addition, in the title set file, the start address of the new title file is stored as a "title n descriptor".

The processing shown in the flowchart of fig. 7 is basically controlled by the system control unit 28 according to a program stored in the memory 32.

For example, in the example of fig. 12. The 1 st title file is generated by the following processing. That is, the 0 th title file is selected, the editing is instructed to start at the position of the container C3 (S21), the editing is instructed to end at the position of the container C5 (S22), and the process returns from step S23 to step S21 again to edit the containers C8 to C10, and the containers C8 to C10 are instructed. Then, in step S24, since other title files are not edited any more, the flow proceeds to step S25. At the time when the 0 th title file and the 1 st title file are generated, the number of references of the containers C3 to C5 and containers C8 to C10 is made 2 in the link count table.

In the example of fig. 12, the 2 nd title file is generated by the following processing. That is, first, the 0 th title file is selected (S20), and the containers C1 to C2 are instructed (S21, S22). Next, in order to edit the 1 st title file, the process returns from steps S23, S24 to step S20, this time, the 1 st title file is selected. Then, the containers C8 to C10 are instructed (S21, S22), and the process proceeds to steps S23, S24, and S25. When the 0 th title file, the 1 st title file, and the 2 nd title file are generated, the number of references of the containers C1 to C5 is set to 2, and the number of references of the containers C8 to C10 is set to 3 in the link count table. In the above description, when editing the containers C8 to C10 of the 2 nd title file, editing is performed from the 1 st title file, but editing may be performed from the 0 th title file.

The 1 st title file and the 2 nd title file in fig. 12 described above are virtual files. The information indicating that the title file is a virtual file is preferably written in header information of each title file. The step of generating the virtual file corresponds to "a step of editing existing link information to generate new link information different from the link information, that is, link information constituted by sequentially adding address information for reproduction to a recording area of the recording medium".

The update of the link count table or the update of the title set file in step S25 may be performed sequentially during the editing process. In addition, in the present embodiment, the unit of editing is in units of containers.

In fig. 12, address information is sequentially linked to continuous containers in the 0 th header file as an initial file, but there is a case where the containers linked by the address information are discretely recorded in spite of the initial file. In fig. 12, it can be said that the link information for linking the record packets of the discrete records is arranged in a plurality of types.

Unlike the above, if the original reproduction order can be discarded when editing AV information, the address information of the title file can be updated in the newly edited reproduction order. That is, the existing title file is replaced with the title file of the new link information. At this time, if a container which does not need to be regenerated is generated in a new regeneration order, the number of references of the link count table of the container is reduced by 1. In the above manner, virtual editing is performed.

The information of the title file, the updated title set file, and the link count table generated by the editing as described above is written in the management area of the innermost portion of the optical disk in accordance with the disk pickup instruction. The step of writing the information of the title file corresponds to a "step of recording link information on a recording medium". In an optical disk in which a title set file and a link count table are not recorded at the time of loading the optical disk, the title set file and the link count table are also written in the management area in a new form.

The following describes operations performed when reproducing AV information recorded on the optical disc 40.

First, the user selects 1 title file to be played back from among the stored title files by the external instruction unit 30. For example, a list of title files is displayed on the monitoring unit 24 based on the management information table stored in the memory 32, and the user selects an arbitrary title file by the external instruction unit 30.

Then, the information for selecting a certain title file by the external instruction section 30 is transmitted to the system controller 28, and the system controller 28 controls the servo section 20 so as to access a predetermined container based on the container address information stored in the selected title file. The servo unit 20 controls the optical head 16, the spindle motor 18, and the like. Then, the optical head 16 irradiates laser light and receives reflected light from the recording surface of the optical disc 40, thereby reading AV information recorded on the optical disc 40. For example, in the example of fig. 12, when the 1 st title file is selected, AV information is read out in the order of containers C3, C4, and C5, and further read out in the order of C8, C9, and C10. When there is no instruction from the external instruction unit 30 to reproduce a certain title file, the title file located at the head of the title set file can be reproduced. For example, in the case of fig. 5, the container can be accessed from top to bottom in the order of pointer 0, pointer 1, pointer 2 … according to the address information in the title file 204-1 of title 0.

The read AV information is temporarily stored in the buffer storage unit 26. In this case, the writing speed of the writing buffer 26 and the reading speed of the reading from the buffer 26 are opposite to those in the recording. That is, while data is intermittently written to the buffer storage unit 26 at a speed at which recording and reproduction are performed on the optical disk 40 (corresponding to a writing speed of the write buffer storage unit 26), AV information is read at a transfer rate of the AV information (corresponding to a speed at which reading from the buffer storage unit 26) according to the AV information.

Next, the AV information read from the buffer storage unit 26 is subjected to digital demodulation, error correction, decoding, and other processes by the reproduced signal processing unit 22, and then output from the monitoring unit 24.

The following describes deletion of a title file or a part of a title file.

Basically, 2 methods can be considered as the deletion method. The deletion method 1 is to distinguish an initial file and a virtual file, and to take the virtual file as a lower hierarchy of the initial file, and when the initial file is deleted, a part referred to in the virtual file is also deleted. On the other hand, the 2 nd deletion method is a method in which the original file and the virtual file are processed in the same hierarchy, and even if the original file is deleted, the part referred to in the virtual file is not deleted.

First, the 1 st deletion method is explained. Deletion in units of titles will be described first with reference to fig. 8.

First, the user selects 1 stored title file by the external instruction unit 30 and instructs deletion thereof (S30). For example, a list of title files is displayed on the monitoring unit 24 based on the management information table stored in the memory 32, and the user selects an arbitrary title file and instructs it to be deleted by the external instruction unit 30. When the list of the title files is displayed, the system controller 28 reads out information (for example, title names) stored in the header information of the title files from the memory 32 and displays the information on the monitor 24.

Then, it is judged whether the selected title file is an initial file or a virtual file (S31). Since information indicating whether a file is an original file or a virtual file is stored in the header information of the header file, the determination can be made based on the information. This determination is made by the system controller 28. If the file is an initial file, the process proceeds to step S32, and if the file is a virtual file, the process proceeds to step S36.

In step S32, the specified title file is deleted from the memory 32.

Next, the title set file 202 is corrected (S33). That is, information on the title file that is the object of deletion is deleted.

Then, the link count table 206 is corrected (S34). That is, the number of references to the container referred to by the deleted title file is made 0, and these areas are opened as recordable areas.

Next, the title file of the virtual file that refers to any part of the deleted title file is corrected or deleted (S35). That is, when a certain title file refers to only a container referred to by the title file of the deletion object, the title file is deleted, and when a certain title file refers not only to the container referred to by the title file of the deletion object but also to other containers, the content of the title file is subjected to the correction processing.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S31 that it is a virtual file, the process proceeds to step S36, and the designated title file is deleted from the storage 32.

Then, the title set file 202 is corrected (S37). That is, information on the title file that is the object of deletion is deleted.

Next, the link count table 206 is corrected (S38). That is, the number of references of the container referred to by the deleted title file is reduced by 1. And when a certain container is referred to by the deleted title file a plurality of times, the number of references corresponding to the number is subtracted. The same processing is performed in step S53 below.

The specific processing will now be described by taking the case of fig. 12 as an example. In FIG. 12, the 3 rd title file is an initial file referring to the containers C11-C13. And the 4 th title file is a virtual file that refers to the containers C7-C13. The containers C7 to C10 are containers in which the 0 th title file is edited, and the containers C8 to C13 are containers in which the 3 rd title file is edited. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing states of the title aggregate file, the title file, and the link count table in the state of fig. 12. The link count table in fig. 13 indicates the state when the 0 th title file is stored in the 2 nd title file.

Here, when the 0 th title file is deleted, since the 0 th title file is an initial file, the flow proceeds to step S32, and the 0 th title file is deleted from the memory 32 (S32). Then, the information of the 0 th title file is corrected so as to be deleted from the title set file 202 (S33). In the chain count table, the containers C1-C10Number of referencesBecomes 0 (S34). Next, in the process of step S35, the 1 st title file and the 2 nd title file are deleted from the memory 32, and the address information of the containers C7 to C10 is deleted for the 4 th title file, and is changed to the address information of the containers C11 to C13. The 3 rd title file remains as it is.

When the 1 st title file is deleted, the process proceeds to step S36, where the 1 st title file is deleted from the memory 32, because the 1 st title file is a virtual file. Then, the information of the 1 st title file is corrected so as to be deleted from the title set file 202 (S37). In the chain count table, containers C3-C15 andof containers C8-C10Number of referencesMinus 1 (S38).

When the 3 rd title file is deleted, the link information of the 4 th title file may be revised to containers C7 through C10.

Hereinafter, a case where a part of the title file is deleted by the above-described deletion method 1 will be described with reference to fig. 9 and the like. That is, in this case, a certain title file is not deleted entirely, but a part of the title file is deleted. In this case, substantially the same processing as that in the case of deleting the title files as described above is performed, but the difference is that the correction processing of the title set file is not performed.

First, the user selects 1 stored title file and instructs the deletion area through the external instruction unit 30 (S40). For example, a list of title files is displayed on the monitoring unit 24 based on the management information table stored in the memory 32, and the user selects an arbitrary title file by the external instruction unit 30 and instructs the start point to the end point of the deletion position. As a method of indicating the position from the start point to the end point of the deletion position, a method of indicating the start point position and the end point position while reproducing AV information, a method of indicating the position according to the time and the data amount from the start position of the recording area, and the like can be considered. When the list of the title files is displayed, the system controller 28 reads out information (for example, title names) stored in the header information of the title files from the memory 32 and displays the information on the monitor 24.

Then, it is judged whether the selected title file is an initial file or a virtual file (S41). Since information indicating whether a file is an original file or a virtual file is stored in the header information of the header file, the determination can be made based on the information. This determination is made by the system controller 28. If the file is an initial file, the process proceeds to step S42, and if the file is a virtual file, the process proceeds to step S45.

In step S42, the specified title file is corrected. That is, the address information of the container corresponding to the area to be deleted is deleted.

Next, the link count table 206 is corrected (S43). That is, the number of references of the container corresponding to the area to be deleted is set to 0, and the areas are opened as recordable areas.

Then, the title file of the virtual file that refers to an arbitrary portion of the area to be deleted is corrected or deleted (S44). That is, when a certain title file refers to only a container corresponding to the' area to be deleted, the title file is deleted, and when a certain title file refers to not only a container corresponding to the area to be deleted but also another container, the content of the title file is corrected.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S41 that the file is a virtual file, the process proceeds to step S46, and the designated title file is corrected. That is, the address information of the container corresponding to the area to be deleted is deleted.

Next, the link count table 206 is corrected (S46). That is, the number of references of the container corresponding to the area of the deletion object is reduced by 1. And when a certain container is referred to by the area of the deletion object a plurality of times, the number of references equivalent to the number is subtracted. The same processing is performed in step S62 below.

The specific processing will now be described by taking the case of fig. 12 as an example.

Here, when the areas of the containers C3 and C4 of the 0 th title file are deleted, since the 0 th title file is an initial file, the flow proceeds to step S42, and the 0 th title file is corrected (S42). That is, the address information of containers C3 and C4 is deleted so that the address information of container C2 is followed by the address information of container C5. Then, in the linked count table, of containers C3, C4Number of referencesBecomes 0 (S43). Next, in the process of step S44, the address information of the container C2, C3 is deleted from the above-described 1 st title file, and the address information of the container C5 is located at the start position. In containers C3-C for the 0 th title fileWhen deleting 5, since all address information of the 1 st title file is also deleted, the 1 st title file is also deleted.

When the containers C3 and C4 of the 1 st title file are deleted, the 1 st title file is a virtual file, and therefore the process proceeds to step S45, where the address information of the containers C2 and C3 is deleted from the 1 st title file, and the address information of the container C5 is positioned at the start position. Then, in the linked count table, the containers C3, C4Number of referencesMinus 1 (S46).

The deletion method 2 is explained below. Deletion in units of titles will be described first with reference to fig. 10.

First, the user selects 1 stored title file by the external instruction unit 30 and instructs deletion thereof (S50). In this case, as in step S30 or step S40, for example, a list of title files is displayed on the monitoring unit 24 based on the management information table stored in the memory 32, and the user selects an arbitrary title file and instructs it to delete the selected title file by the external instruction unit 30. When the list of the title files is displayed, the system controller 28 reads out information (for example, title names) stored in the header information of the title files from the memory 32 and displays the information on the monitor 24.

Then, the specified title file is deleted from the memory 32 (S51).

Next, the title set file 202 is corrected (S52). That is, information on the title file that is the object of deletion is deleted.

Then, the link count table 206 is corrected (S53). That is, the number of references of the container referred to by the deleted title file is reduced by 1. As a result, the container in which the number of times of reference is 0 is opened as a recordable area.

In addition, in the 2 nd deletion method, since the original file and the virtual file are handled in the same hierarchy, the original file and the virtual file are not distinguished from each other.

The specific processing will now be described by taking the case of fig. 12 as an example.

Here, when, for example, the 0 th title file is selected and the 0 th title file is deleted, the 0 th title file is deleted from the memory 32 (S51). Then, the information of the 0 th title file is corrected so as to be deleted from the title set file 202 (S51). Next, the process proceeds to the step of sorting the containers C1-C10 in the chain count tableNumber of referencesAnd a process of subtracting 1 (S53). Therefore, in a state of being recorded from the 0 th title file to the 4 th title file as shown in fig. 12, for example, if the 0 th title file is deleted, the number of references of the containers C1 to C5 becomes 1 from 2, the number of references of the container C6 becomes 0, the number of references of the container C7 becomes 1 from 2, and the number of references of the containers C8 to C10 becomes 2 from 3, for example.

Hereinafter, a case where a part of the title file is deleted by the above-described deletion method 2 will be described with reference to fig. 11 and the like. That is, in this case, a certain title file is not deleted entirely, but a part of the title file is deleted.

In this case, the same processing as that in the case of deleting the entire title file is performed, but the difference is that the correction processing of the title set file is not performed.

That is, first, the user selects 1 stored title file and instructs the deletion area through the external instruction unit 30 (S60). For example, a list of title files is displayed on the monitoring unit 24 based on the management information table stored in the memory 32, and the user selects an arbitrary title file by the external instruction unit 30 and instructs the start point to the end point of the deletion position. As a method of indicating from the start point to the end point of the deletion position, a method of indicating the start point position and the end point position while reproducing AV information, or a method of indicating based on the time and the data amount from the start position of the recording area can be considered.

Then, the specified title file is corrected (S61). That is, the number of references of the container referred to by the deleted title file is reduced by 1. As a result, the container in which the number of times of reference is 0 is opened as a recordable area.

The specific processing will now be described by taking the case of fig. 12 as an example.

Here, when the areas of the containers C3 and C4 of the 0 th title file are deleted, the 0 th title file is corrected (S61). That is, the address information of containers C3 and C4 is deleted so that the address information of container C2 is followed by the address information of container C5. Then, in the linked count table, of containers C3, C4Number of referencesMinus 1 (S62). That is, in the state of FIG. 12, the number of times of reference of the containers C3, C4 is changed from 2 to 1

The contents of the management information table changed by the deletion described above are written in the management area of the innermost circumference of the disc in accordance with the pickup instruction of the optical disc.

As a result of deletion in the manner described above, the container in which the number of references becomes 0 can be recorded. Further, as described above, by managing the number of references of each file by setting the link count table, it is possible to manage the empty container and smoothly record the empty container.

In addition, unlike the above, in the case where deletion and rewriting of recording are performed simultaneously for a container in which AV information has been recorded, processing is performed as follows.

That is, as shown in fig. 14, the user selects 1 stored title file by the external instruction unit 30 and instructs to perform the rewriting recording (S70). In this case, since the rewriting is performed, the selected title file should be the selected initial file. In addition, the recording start position may be selected so that the header file can be rewritten from a middle position.

Then, recording is performed (S71). If the recording start position is not specified, the linked 1 st container is recorded in the title file. After that, the containers are recorded in the order indicated by the link information of the title file.

When the user instructs the end of recording (S72), the recording is ended (S73).

Then, a title file related to newly recorded AV information is generated, and the title file to be overwritten is corrected or deleted (S74). Further, update of the title set file is performed, and correction or deletion of the virtual file that refers to the rewritten portion is performed (S74).

A specific process is explained with reference to fig. 15. In fig. 15, the 0 th title file is an initial file, and links containers C1 to C10. The 1 st title file is obtained by editing the 0 th title file, and references the containers C6 to C8.

In this state, it is assumed that rewriting of the 0 th title file is instructed (S70). Further, at the time of rewriting, it is assumed that rewriting is also instructed from the position of the container C3. Then, it is assumed that the recording is instructed in order from the container C3 and the recording is ended at the position of the container C6.

Newly recorded AV information is recorded in the containers C3 to C6, and a 2 nd title file, which is a new title file, is generated (S74). The address information, which is the link information of the 2 nd title file, is stored in the containers C3 to C6. A special symbol indicating the last pointer is embedded at the pointer position of the address information of the container C6.

On the other hand, since the containers C3 to C6 are overwritten in the 0 th title file, the address information of the containers C3 to C6 is deleted so that the address information of the container C7 is positioned behind the address information of the container C2. Further, as a new 2 nd title file is generated, information of the 2 nd title file is written into the title set file 202 and updated. For the 1 st title file, since the AV information of the referenced container C6 is rewritten, the address information of the container C6 is deleted, and thus the address information of the container C7 is made the start address. That is, it is possible to prevent the specification of newly recorded AV information from being inserted in existing link information.

When rewriting is made to container C10, since container C2 is the last container in the 0 th title file, a special symbol indicating the last pointer is embedded at the pointer position of the address information of this container C2. In this case, however, for the 1 st title file, since all the containers referred to are overwritten, the 1 st title file is deleted.

When rewriting new AV information on pointers located at scattered positions among pointers of existing title files, the pointers of the rewritten positions should be filled. That is, by sequentially raising the non-overwritten pointers to the upper order, a continuous pointer group is formed, and a special symbol indicating the last pointer is embedded behind the pointer group, thereby recomposing a title file. That is, as in the case of fig. 15, for example, when container C3, C5, and C7 are rewritten in this order, the address information of container C4 is added to the 0 th title file and is followed by the address information of container C2.

The pointers to the title files described above may also be used as a schedule. That is, in order to set the recording time of AV information in a container to a predetermined time, it is only necessary to detect a pointer when performing operations such as fast forward, rewind, and time search. For example, when the recording time of 1 container is 2 seconds, only 5 pointers need to be detected to search for a position 10 seconds later.

In addition, when the recording time in the container is within 1 second, the time at the time of recording/reproducing may be displayed. That is, when the time display is performed every 1 second at the time of recording and reproduction, for example, when the recording time in the container is 1 second, the time can be 1 second every 1 pointer is detected. And when the recording time in the container is 0.5 seconds, every 2 pointers are detected, it can be counted as 1 second.

In the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a, the following processing is performed to ensure seamless performance during recording and reproduction.

That is, when the minimum transmission rate of the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus a is Be, the reproduction bit rate of AV information is Bd, the worst value of the transition (seek) time is Tj, the worst value of the rotational waiting time of the optical disk 40 is Tr, the estimated time for impact prevention and the like is Tp, the maximum time for error correction processing of read video/audio data is Te, and the capacity of the container is C, the recording and reproduction of the video/audio data are performed so as to satisfy (Be-Bd) Ts > Bd Tw. That is, the product of (Be-Bd) and Ts should Be greater than the product of Bd and Tw. Wherein Ts ═ C/Be, Tw ═ Tj + Tr + Tp + Te, Be > Bd.

Here, Tj is the maximum value of the time required for the transfer between the inner circumference side end and the outer circumference side end of the recordable area of the optical disc' 40. The distance between the inner circumference side end and the outer circumference side end of the recordable area is the maximum transfer distance of the recording medium. The above-mentioned impact prevention is preset as a time during which recording and reproduction are not possible due to the movement of the optical head 17 when the optical head 17 receives an impact, and Tp is an estimated time preset including such impact prevention. In addition, regarding Te described above, since ECC & EDC processing for adding ECC and EDC to real data, that is, data read from the optical disc 40 after transfer is necessary before actually acquiring data at the time of storage in the buffer storage portion' 26, the worst value (Te) of the group delay time in the ECC & EDC processing is set as one factor of Tw described above. Tw is a time period from the maximum transfer distance of the optical disc 40 to the 1 st real data acquisition.

Here, at the time of recording and reproduction, processing is performed based on the worst value Tj of the transition (seek) time, the worst value Tr of the rotational latency time, the estimated time Tp of the impact prevention or the like, the maximum time Te of error correction processing for the read video/audio data, the reproduction bit rate Bd, and the block capacity C.

That is, at the time of recording, AV information is written into the buffer storage unit 26 at the bit rate Bd. At the same time, the bit rate Be is read from the buffer memory 26 and transferred to the head drive circuit 12 (see fig. 16). When recording is performed on the optical disk 40, recording is performed continuously for each container capacity C. The AV playback module in fig. 16 may include the recording signal processing unit 10 or the reproduction signal processing unit 12 in fig. 1.

Here, since the relational expression Be > Bd holds as described above, when a plurality of containers are continuously recordable, the buffer capacity changes during the period Ts in which AV information is written in any of the containers, as shown between AB, BC, and EF in fig. 17. Although the buffer capacity appears to rise first and then fall between AB, BC, and EF in fig. 17, this is only schematically shown, and actually, writing into the buffer memory unit 26 and reading from the buffer memory unit 26 are performed simultaneously. That is, since Be > Bd, all the AV information of the data amount written in the buffer storage unit 26 is recorded on the optical disc 40 during the period Ts.

On the other hand, when a plurality of containers cannot be recorded continuously, the optical head 17 can be moved to a recordable container across the container which cannot be recorded. At the time of the transfer, although writing to the buffer storage unit 26 can be performed, it is needless to say that writing to the optical disk 40 cannot be performed. Here, since the above-described relational expression Tw ═ Tj + Tr + Tp + Te is provided, the time required until the 1 st real data is acquired after the optical head 17 is moved to any area on the recordable area of the optical disc 40 does not exceed Tw. That is, the maximum value of the transition time is Tw. Further, since there is a relationship of (Be-Bd) × Ts > Bd × Tw, even if the transfer operation is performed while the writing of AV information to the optical disc 40 is stopped during the period Tw, all the AV information stored during the period Tw can Be written into the container to Be transferred during the period Ts. That is, BdTw on the right side of the above-described relational expression is the amount of data stored in the buffer storage unit 26 during the transition time, and (Be-Bd) × Ts on the left side indicates the difference between the amount of data output from the buffer storage unit 26 and the amount of data input to the buffer storage unit 26 during the period Ts, and since (Be-Bd) < Bd × Tw, the above-described case is used. The left side (Be-Bd) Ts of the above relational expression is deformed and rewritten to (1-Bd/Be) × C, and Bd < Be, so 1-Bd/Be < 1, and BdTw is always smaller than C, so that the data amount corresponding to Bd × Tw can Be recorded in the container. The buffer capacity during the above-described transfer changes as shown between CDs in fig. 17, and the buffer capacity during the period Ts after the transfer changes as shown between DE. During this recording, there are a period Ts during which recording is performed on the optical disc 40, a period (< Tw) during which the recording position of the optical disc 40 is shifted, and a period (< Ts) during which data stored in the buffer storage unit 26 is written during the shifting.

The optical disc 40 on which the AV information is recorded as described above has a data format that satisfies the above-described relational expression (Be-Bd) × Ts > Bd × Tw.

On the other hand, at the time of reproduction, AV information is read from the optical disc' 40 at the bit rate Be and written into the buffer memory section 26. At the same time as the writing, the data is transferred from the buffer memory unit 26 to the reproduced signal processing unit 22 (see fig. 16) at the bit rate Bd. In this case, a threshold value as shown in fig. 18 is set in advance. The threshold may Be set to the amount of data stored in the buffer storage unit 26 during the period Ts (i.e., (Be-Bd) × Ts).

When the remaining amount of the data amount in the buffer storage unit 26 is equal to or less than the threshold value, the AV information is output from the buffer storage unit 26 to the reproduced signal processing unit 22, and the AV information is read from the optical disc' 40 at the bit rate Be. That is, since the remaining amount of the data amount in the buffer storage unit 26 is equal to or less than the threshold value at the time a, the time B, and the time D in fig. 18, the AV information is read at the bit rate Be. That is, in fig. 18, during the period Ts between AB, BC, and DE, data in the optical disk 40 is written into the buffer memory 26 and read out from the buffer memory 26 at the same time. On the other hand, although the buffer capacity appears to rise first and then fall between AB, BC, and DE in fig. 18, this is only a schematic representation, and actually, writing into the buffer storage unit 26 and reading from the buffer storage unit 26 are performed simultaneously, and after the period Ts, the data amount of (Be-Bd) × Ts can Be stored.

On the other hand, when the remaining amount of the data amount in the buffer storage unit 26 exceeds the threshold value, the AV information is output from the buffer storage unit 26 to the reproduced signal processing unit 22, but the reading from the optical disk 40 is stopped. That is, if the amount of data exceeding (Be-Bd) × Ts is stored in the buffer storage unit 26, the maximum amount transferred from the buffer storage unit 26 even if the transition is performed is BdTw, the amount of data required for reproduction is not insufficient as long as the requirement of (Be-Bd) × Ts > Bd × Tw is satisfied. Further, since the reading is stopped as described above, the capacity of the buffer memory 26 can be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, at time C, time E, and time F, since the remaining data amount in the buffer storage unit 26 exceeds the threshold value, the remaining data amount is outputted only from the buffer storage unit 26 in the period between CDs and the period Ts between EF and FG. Fig. 18 shows a case where the reproduction position is shifted between CDs. The maximum transfer time between the CDs is Tw.That is, when it is regenerated, as shown in FIG. 18, it is stored During a period Ts during which reading from the optical disk 40 is being performed and a period during which the reproduction position of the optical disk 40 is shifted Any one of (m) < Tw.

As is apparent from fig. 18, if the transition time, i.e., the time after the transition until the 1 st real data is acquired, is equal to or less than Tw, the amount of data equal to or greater than (Be-Bd) × Ts is always secured in the buffer memory unit 26, and therefore, the reproduced data output from the buffer memory unit 26 is always secured in the period Tw. As described above, since the transition time does not exceed Tw, interruption of the reproduction data does not occur during reproduction. That is, as can Be seen from fig. 18, the amount of data of (Be-Bd) × Ts is stored in the buffer storage unit 26 during the period Ts, but since this (Be-Bd) × Ts is larger than Bd × Tw, the amount of data to Be output during the period Tw is sufficient.

The maximum value of the remaining data amount in the buffer storage unit 26 is2*(Be-Bd)*TsThe buffer memory 26 must have a capacity that can store this amount of data. That is, if the remaining amount of data is set to be at the time of interruption of the period Ts, that is, when the data is processed in a predetermined unit capacity(Be-Bd)*TsThen, since the reading from the optical disk 40 is further performed, the remaining data amount is2*(Be-Bd)*Ts。

As described above, the seamless performance of recording and reproduction between arbitrary containers can be ensured, and the seamless performance of the virtual editing can also be ensured.

As described above, when recording and reproduction are performed on a container-by-container basis, the seamless performance during recording and reproduction can be ensured, but the editing unit must be limited to container-by-container basis. Therefore, to enable editing from any point, it is conceivable to expand the description as follows.

That is, as shown in fig. 19, a pointer table is provided in the header information of each title file, and information of a start frame (playback start frame) and an end frame (playback end frame) relating to each pointer can be written in the pointer table.

That is, in the mth header file of fig. 19, the start frame is 4 for the container indicated by the pointer 0. For the container indicated by pointer 1, the start frame is 2 and the end frame is 6. When the container Cn is regenerated based on the address information of the pointer 0, this means that the regeneration is performed from the 4 th frame of the container Cn. When the container Cn +2 is regenerated based on the address information of the pointer 1, it indicates that the frame is regenerated from the 2 nd frame to the 6 th frame of the container Cn + 2. In the flowchart of fig. 7, this indicates that the 4 th frame of the container Cn is the editing start position and the last frame is the editing end position, and that the 2 nd frame of the container Cn +2 is the editing start position and the 6 th frame is the editing end position.

In this case, since the reproduction timing is determined for each data, frames other than the editing frame of the container are not displayed for the editing time. For example, the pointer 0 of the m-th header file in fig. 19 is decoded but not displayed from the 1 st frame to the 3 rd frame, and the display of AV information is started at the timing of the 4 th frame. That is, the pointer table is always used to control the timing of display, and from this point of view, although the data processing is in a seamless state, the seamless nature between links cannot be ensured.

In this manner, editing can be performed with an arbitrary frame, and thus it is possible to prevent unnecessary display of AV information unnecessary for the user or omission of display of necessary AV information.

In the above example, the case where the pointer table is provided in units of frames has been described, but the time stamp information or the number of bytes from the head of the container may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the description has been given of recording, reproducing, editing, and storing the address information of the link destination container in the title file in units of containers, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and other methods may be employed.

That is, the start position and the end position of the link target may be stored in order. That is, as shown in fig. 20, information of the start position and the end position is sequentially stored in each title file. The information of the start position and the end position may be stored in the form of a logical address, for example, in the corresponding sector. Therefore, when a title file is generated or corrected in recording, editing, deleting, or reproducing as shown in fig. 6 to 11, the start position and the end position can be stored in the title file. At this time, the link count table stores the number of references to each sector. That is, in this case, the sector is a unit recording area.

As described above, the title file may store the start position and the data amount from the start position, instead of the start position and the end position of the link destination. In this case, the link count table also stores the number of references to each sector. In both cases, the same processing as that in the case of container-by-container processing described above is performed except for the predetermined method of the link destination.

The above-described effect of enabling editing at an arbitrary position is obtained when the start position and the end position of the link destination are stored in the title file or when the start position and the data amount from the start position of the link destination are stored. However, the seamless property of recording and reproduction cannot be ensured. That is, since the unit capacity for continuous recording is not defined as in the case of the above-described container, the above-described relational expression cannot be satisfied, and therefore, the seamless property cannot be ensured.

As described above, according to the information recording/reproducing/editing apparatus of each of the above embodiments, when AV information is recorded, a title file storing link information is generated, and when AV information is edited, the title file is edited to store another title file storing another link information. That is, since each title file can share a part of the file, when generating data of the digest version or the time-shortened version, it is not necessary to use 2 recorders as in the past, and an additional area for copying and recording AV information is not necessary. Further, by storing the initial file or the virtual file as described above, it is possible to enjoy reproduction in various modes such as the entire reproduction mode, the digest mode, and the time reduction mode.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above case, the management information table is rewritten as the optical disc 40 is removed, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the management information table may be rewritten every time various kinds of processing such as recording are finished. Further, a new title file may be generated every time recording is started.

In the above description, the information of the management information table is recorded in the management area provided on the innermost circumference of the optical disc 40, but the information may be recorded in any position of the optical disc 40, or may be recorded in the user area, that is, the data area. That is, in the present embodiment, the data size of the management information table can be changed by the number of header files, the number of pointers in the header file, or the like, and therefore the size of the management area for storing the management information table cannot be specified. Therefore, a management area for the data amount of the user area that can be located in the optical disc 40 is secured, and the information of the management information table is stored so that when the management area is full or the remaining capacity thereof is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the unused area of the user area can be secured as a new management area. Alternatively, the capacity size of the management area may be set in advance, and if the capacity exceeds the capacity for recording a new title file, the new title file cannot be generated and recorded without deleting the existing title file.

In the above embodiment, the example has been described with the AV information as the main information, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and only video information or only audio information may be used.

Industrial applicability of the invention

As described above, according to the information recording apparatus and the information recording method of the present invention, since the main information editing such as the generation of the digest version of the main information can be performed by providing the file (initial file) generated when the main information is recorded and the file (virtual file) generated by editing the file, and accessing at least a part of the main information from a plurality of files, the reproduction apparatus and the recording apparatus are not required, and only the file is managed, and therefore, an additional area for copying and recording the main information is not required.

Further, according to the recording medium of the present invention, it is possible to reproduce in other modes such as the entire reproduction mode and the digest mode by reproducing from a file (initial file) generated when recording the main information and a file (virtual file) generated by editing the file. Further, since management is performed in the file format, the recording area of the recording medium can be effectively used.

Claims (20)

1. An information recording apparatus for recording main information on a recording medium, characterized in that: having a recording section for recording main information on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided; and

a control section for generating an initial file storing link information constituted by arranging address information of unit recording areas in which the main information is recorded from the recording section in order after the recording section records the main information on the recording medium, and for generating a virtual file storing link information constituted by arranging address information stored in the unit recording areas in order by editing the initial file in accordance with an instruction of a user.

2. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: the control unit edits the initial file and/or the virtual file in accordance with an instruction from a user to generate a virtual file.

3. An information recording apparatus for recording main information on a recording medium, characterized in that: having a recording section for recording main information on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which a recording area of the recording medium is divided; and

and a control section for generating a file storing link information constituted by arranging address information sequentially in the form of logical addresses from unit recording areas in which the main information is recorded from the recording section, after the main information is recorded in the recording medium by the recording section.

4. The information recording apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: the control unit edits the initial file in accordance with an instruction from a user to generate a new file, that is, a virtual file, and edits the existing initial file and/or virtual file in accordance with the instruction from the user to generate a new virtual file.

5. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that: the virtual file has at least a part of the address data stored on the file serving as the editing source.

6. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that: the control unit generates a new file from the plurality of files when the virtual file is generated.

7. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: when any existing file is deleted, the control section deletes the file, and when a part of any existing file is deleted, the control section deletes one or more address information of the file from the file.

8. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: the control unit generates a link count table for managing the number of file references for each unit recording area obtained by dividing the recording area of the recording medium into a plurality of units, and updates the generated link count table or information in the link count table read from the recording medium by editing and/or deleting the file.

9. The information recording apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that: the unit recording area whose number of times of reference in the link count table is 0 is used as a recordable area, and when an initial file itself or a part of the initial file, which is a file generated when main information is recorded, is deleted, the control unit updates the number of times of reference in the unit recording area corresponding to a deletion target in the link count table to 0, and when a virtual file itself or a part of the virtual file, which is a file generated by editing an existing file, is deleted, the control unit decreases the number of times of reference in the unit recording area corresponding to the deletion target in the link count table.

10. The information recording apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that: when an original file itself or a part of the original file is deleted, another virtual file that refers to a unit recording area corresponding to the deletion target is modified.

11. The information recording apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that: the unit recording area having a reference count of 0 in the link count table is used as a recordable area, and when all or a part of a certain file is deleted, the control unit reduces the reference count of the unit recording area corresponding to the deletion target in the link count table, regardless of whether the file is an initial file generated when main information is recorded or a virtual file generated by editing an existing file.

12. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: when an instruction to rewrite all or a part of an existing file is given, the control unit generates a new file related to the rewritten main information and corrects or deletes the link information in the existing file.

13. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: the control unit generates a header collection file for storing address information of the file, and corrects the header collection file according to the generation and deletion of the file.

14. The information recording apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that: the information recording device writes the file information generated, corrected, and deleted, the information of the link count table, and the information of the title set file into a recording medium at a predetermined timing.

15. The information recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein: the information recording device reads file information written in a recording medium by the information recording device, information of a link count table, and information of a title set file from the recording medium, and stores the read information in a storage unit provided in the information recording device.

16. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, characterized in that:

the control unit controls the reproduction unit to reproduce the main information based on the link information stored in the file when a user instructs to reproduce a certain file.

17. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, characterized in that:

the control unit records information on a file in a unit recording area, the information being related to a reproduction start frame and a reproduction end frame when the file is reproduced; and when the user instructs to reproduce the file, the control section controls the reproduction section to reproduce the main information based on the reproduction start frame and the reproduction end frame stored in the file.

18. An information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, characterized in that: the information recording apparatus records and reproduces main information for each unit recording area obtained by dividing a recording area of a recording medium into a plurality of areas, and records and/or reproduces the main information based on a relational expression of (Be-Bd) Ts > BdTw, Ts ═ C/Be, and Be > Bd, assuming that a minimum transmission rate to the recording medium is Be, a reproduction bit rate of the main information is Bd, a time until the 1 st real data is acquired after the maximum transfer distance of the recording medium is transferred is Tw, and a capacity of the unit recording area is C.

19. An information recording method for recording main information on a recording medium, characterized by: a preparation step of preparing link information constituted by sequentially arranging address information subordinate to unit recording areas into which main information is recorded, when the main information is recorded on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which the recording area of the recording medium is divided;

recording the generated link information on a recording medium.

20. An information recording method for recording main information on a recording medium, characterized by: a preparation step of preparing link information constituted by sequentially arranging address information subordinate to unit recording areas into which main information is recorded, when the main information is recorded on a recording medium, wherein the main information is recorded in each of a plurality of unit recording areas into which the recording area of the recording medium is divided;

a preparation step of editing the existing link information according to the instruction of the user, arranging the address information subordinate to the unit recording area in sequence to form the link information, and generating new link information different from the link information of the previous step; and

recording the generated link information on a recording medium.