JP2003242068A - Recording / reproducing apparatus and recording / reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a recording / reproducing apparatus and a recording / reproducing method capable of successively downloading contents by a simple operation while confirming desired contents from a pre-organized content in a content distribution. An audio device includes a communication unit that communicates with a network, a storage unit that stores downloaded perceptual information, a reproducing unit that reproduces perceptual information, and an input unit that inputs operation information. A memory card (recording medium) 16 for recording the organized perceptual information of the fragment and the location information for downloading the complete perceptual information of the perceptual information of the fragment; and a reading means for reading the information of the memory card 16 32 and control means 33 for controlling each means. The control means 33 reproduces the perceived information of the fragments in the order of knitting, and also, when receiving a download instruction from the user at each reproduction, also reads the location information. At this time, control is performed to obtain complete perceptual information of the perceptual information of the fragment and store it in the storage unit 31.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus and a recording / reproducing method for recording / reproducing contents such as music, video and images, and more particularly to efficiently downloading organized contents having a communication function from a network. The present invention relates to a possible recording / reproducing apparatus and recording / reproducing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a content sales form in which a content produced by a creator is converted into a digital signal, stored in a recording medium, and stored in a case for sale. The content recorded on the recording medium may be a single content or a pre-organized content may be recorded as necessary. For example, for audio, there are "single" discs that contain up to four songs, and "album" discs that contain more songs, and for visual images, there are single contents such as movies. ,
Content that contains multiple still images is produced and sold.

In recent years, with the development of communication technology, a system has been put into practical use for providing online distribution of contents into digital data by using communication lines such as the Internet and cable television, and services have been provided.
When a content distributor provides a service via the Internet, the user uses his or her personal computer to specify and access the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the Web provided by the content distributor, and download the content. Go to the page to perform the predetermined operation, and download the data of the desired content. The user can enjoy the downloaded content by playing back on a personal computer or a portable device connectable to the personal computer. For example, in audio, a hit single song download service is provided as a music distribution service.

On the other hand, conventionally, there are known a recording medium capable of downloading predetermined information by a simple operation and a method, and a recording device for recording information on the recording medium.

For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-250633, an AUX data area and an AUX-TOC are recorded on a disc.
UR of the Internet homepage where an area is provided and download data is provided in AUX-TOC
There is disclosed a recording medium and a recording device which store L and record information obtained by accessing a home page by this URL as download data in an AUX data area.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-148638, a communication means for connecting to the Internet, a means for a user to select and input a URL of information desired by the user, and a content of a URL designated by the user by the input means are acquired. Data acquisition means and UR input by the input means
L and storage means for storing the content acquired by the data acquisition means, the user reads the URL when the user copies the URL and instructs the start of the autopilot,
An autopilot device and method for downloading the content is disclosed.

On the computer, pages frequently visited on the browser are registered in "favorites", URLs for the pages are recorded in the recording medium together with page names, and from the next time, "favorites" are selected and connected by page name. The "Favorites" or "Bookmarks" function is used in the browser.

[0008]

However, in such a conventional method of recording and selling contents on a recording medium, in the case of pre-organized contents, it is rare that the consumer is satisfied with each of the elements. . If there are many unsatisfied elements that are played back after purchase, there is a problem that the sense of loss is great. In addition, since it is recorded on a recording medium in advance and then sold, there is a problem in that only the elemental content desired by each consumer can be recorded from the organized content, and a sales format for obtaining a corresponding price cannot be obtained.

Further, although there is a service for obtaining a single content such as a "hit song" in online distribution using a communication line, elements can be selected and downloaded from organized content such as an album according to a user's wish. There is no delivery service. In addition, there is a problem that the profit of the service is not paid because the single content is downloaded.

On the other hand, in the device disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-250633, at the time of downloading, the user intentionally loads a recording medium on which a URL desired to be downloaded is recorded in a corresponding terminal or operates a predetermined URL by a key. There was a problem that there were a lot of operations up to downloading, such as selecting.

Further, in the device described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-148638, the user cannot connect to the service unless the user has previously recognized the URL of the Web provided by the content distributor. In particular, when it is applied to download of organized content, it is necessary to recognize and input all URLs of the content to be downloaded. In addition, since the user pastes the URL on the clipboard, a display means is indispensable. That is, it is necessary for the user to recognize the URL for the desired information, select it, and input it to a predetermined position. Further, a display device for recognizing the URL and a user interface for selecting the URL and inputting it at a predetermined position are required.

Further, the "favorite" and "bookmark" functions used on the computer also select the page to which the user wants to connect, as described above.

Further, in a content recording / reproducing apparatus for performing pre-reproduction of the content to be downloaded and automatically connecting to a predetermined network destination programmed in advance by the instruction of the user to download the predetermined content, the user The recording / playback of the content for controlling the preliminary playback according to the presence / absence of the owned content has not been performed. Therefore, there is a problem that the user cannot efficiently select the desired content. In addition, there is a problem that even a service that commercially downloads content cannot accurately present the content that the user desires.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and in the content distribution, it is possible to sequentially download the contents organized in advance by a simple operation while confirming the contents desired by the user in the composition order. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus and a recording / reproducing method.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus and a recording / reproducing method capable of downloading predetermined information by a simple operation or method.

[0016]

A recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention comprises a communication means for communicating with a network for downloading content, a storage means for accumulating the downloaded content, and a recording / reproducing means for recording / reproducing the content. And a recording / reproducing apparatus including an input unit for inputting operation information and a control unit for controlling each unit, and stores location information, which is location information for downloading the entire content from the fragmented content. A recording medium for recording and a reading unit for reading information on the recording medium are provided, the communication unit communicates with a download destination of the content based on the location information, and the control unit fragments in order of the organization. While playing back the content, each time there was a download instruction from the user Can is characterized in that the location information to obtain the contents of the entire performing downloading based performs control to store in the storage means.

The recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention thus constructed is capable of confirming a favorite content while selectively reproducing the organized content and selectively automatically accessing the content on the network to download information. Is possible. As a result, it is possible to realize a recording / reproducing device that is highly convenient for the user.

Further, the recording medium records organized data by combining the organized fragmented contents and location information for downloading the complete fragmented contents, and the organized contents are recorded. Can be used as a recording medium for automatically accessing the content on the network while sequentially reproducing. In particular, the content provider distributes the recording medium to the user, arranges the complete content at a predetermined location, and the user reproduces the recording medium using the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, which is convenient. It is possible to realize high content distribution.

The recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention inputs a communication means for communicating with a network for downloading a content, an accumulating means for accumulating the downloaded content, a recording / reproducing means for recording / reproducing the content, and operation information. In a recording / reproducing apparatus comprising input means for controlling the above-mentioned means and control means for controlling each means, a main information recording area for recording contents as main information, and an information source identification for acquiring the main information from a predetermined communication environment A recording medium having an identification information recording area for prerecording information and a sub information recording area for prerecording sub information having the same attribute as the main information is provided, and the control means is configured to store the main information corresponding to the sub information. When there is, the main information is reproduced, when there is no main information corresponding to the sub information, the sub information is reproduced, and the information source identification is performed. It is characterized by performing control for selecting acquires the main information in accordance with distribution.

The recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above can confirm the presence / absence of main information for the content while enjoying the content and enjoy the reproduction, and
If there is no main information, the main information can be obtained by a simple operation.

Further, the control means does not reproduce the main information when there is main information corresponding to the sub information, and reproduces the sub information only when there is no main information corresponding to the sub information. In addition, by controlling to selectively acquire the main information according to the information source identification information, while playing the content, it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of the main information for the content and enjoy the playback, and when there is no main information. The main information can be obtained with a simple operation.

Furthermore, by providing a user interface that allows the user to select the acquisition of the main information, the user can reproduce only the sub information that he / she does not own from among the many pieces of sub information in a short time. While, and
When the main information is needed, the main information can be obtained by an easy operation.

In the recording medium, the downloaded content is recorded in the main information recording area, and the URL for downloading is recorded in the identification information recording area.
By recording the content to be preliminarily reproduced at the time of download in the sub information recording area, the sub information can be reproduced, and when the main information is necessary, the main information can be obtained by an easy operation. .

Further, it is provided with a table means for collectively storing the location information of the downloaded contents as a table, and the control means searches the table means by using the location information obtained through the reading means as a key and stores it in the storage means. By searching whether or not there is downloaded content, the content that has not been downloaded is narrowed down and reproduced from the organized content, so that it is possible to download efficiently in a short time. In addition, it is possible to further improve efficiency by using location information for searching.
As a result, it is possible to realize a recording / reproducing device that is highly convenient for the user.

Further, more preferably, the content may be perceptual information such as music, video and images.

Further, the recording / reproducing method of the present invention is location information for downloading the entire content from the organized fragmented content in the recording / reproducing method of downloading the content and storing the downloaded content. Recording location information on a recording medium; reading location information for downloading recorded on the recording medium; downloading content by communication means based on the read location information; and downloading. Storing the stored content in the storage means.

As a result, it becomes possible to automatically download by omitting the input operation of the location information by the user.

In the downloading step, the fragment contents are reproduced in the order of organization, and when the user gives a download instruction, the content is downloaded based on the location information and reproduced in the order of organization. It becomes possible to automatically download by omitting the input operation of the location information of the user. In addition, it becomes possible to automatically download the organized content by a simple operation.

When downloading based on the location information, if the contents of the organization have already been downloaded, the content is skipped without being reproduced, and only the fragment contents that have not been downloaded are reproduced in the order of organization. By doing so, the contents that have not been downloaded from the organized contents are narrowed down and reproduced, so that it is possible to provide a method for efficiently downloading in a short time. In addition, it is possible to further improve the efficiency by using the location information for the search.

Further, the method further comprises the steps of storing together the location information of the downloaded contents as a table, and the step of searching with the location information as a key whether there is any downloaded content in the storage means. , It becomes possible to search for the presence or absence of content download.

By using the recording / reproducing apparatus and method, the service side can expect that the user can collectively download a plurality of organized contents, so that the number of downloads can be increased and the profit can be improved. Since the user can confirm and download the desired content from the organized content, a highly convenient content download system can be realized.

[0032]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a recording / reproducing apparatus and a recording / reproducing method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of a recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As a recording / playback device,
This is an example applied to an audio device.

In FIG. 1, an audio apparatus (recording / reproducing apparatus) includes a CPU 11 for controlling each block according to a control program code, a ROM 12 for storing a control program code describing the operation of the audio apparatus, and a control program on the ROM 12 during operation. RA where the code is expanded
M13, hard disk drive (HDD) that stores audio data downloaded from the Internet
14, a memory card slot 15 for reading data of the inserted memory card 16 (recording medium), a modem 17 for converting a telephone line analog signal obtained through the modem terminal 18 into a digital signal and connecting to the Internet, an analog telephone line modular jack Modem terminal 18, which connects
A compression decoder 19 that demodulates the compressed audio data to convert it into uncompressed audio data, a DA converter 20 that converts a digital signal of the uncompressed audio data into an analog signal, and a DA converter 20 that drives the analog signal of the uncompressed audio into a speaker. An amplifier 21 for amplifying to a level, a speaker connected via a speaker cable, a speaker terminal 22 for outputting an amplified analog signal of uncompressed audio, a reproduction start key 23 for starting music reproduction, a reproduction stop for stopping music reproduction It comprises a key 24, a music download key 25 for instructing the download of music data from the Internet, and a bus 26 for connecting each unit. Further, although not shown in the drawing, a display unit including a liquid crystal display device (LCD) having a dot matrix structure, an LCD driver, and the like is provided.

The HDD 14 constitutes a storage means 31 for storing the downloaded perceptual information (content).
The storage unit 31 is not limited to a hard disk drive (HDD), and may be a disk device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) and an MO (Magneto Optical), or a V device.
It may be a TR (Video Tape Recorder) or a combination of these.

The card slot 15 constitutes a reading means 32 for reading a combination of organized piecewise sensory information and location information for downloading a complete piece of said piecewise sensory information. The inserted memory card 16 is connected to a card IF / control circuit (not shown) via the card slot 15,
The data recorded in 1 is read out by the control of the CPU 11 and is output to the decoder 19 by compression.

CPU 11, ROM 12 and RAM 13
Constitutes a control means 33 for controlling the present audio device as a whole. The control means 33 performs acquisition control to acquire complete pieces of perceptual information of the fragment from the location to be downloaded according to the user's download instruction and store the information in the storage means 31.

The CPU 11 controls the entire apparatus including the execution of the audio recording / reproducing process, and the accumulating means 3
1, controlling the operation of the reading means 32, the communication means 34, and the reproducing means 35. The CPU 11 has a ROM 12 and a RAM 13
And electrically rewritable non-volatile memory EEPR
OM (electrically erasable programmable ROM) and Fl
It has an ash ROM and stores various data such as programs, communication control data, and identification codes of audio devices.

The modem 17 and the modem terminal 18 constitute a communication means 34 for communicating with the network where the sensory information is downloaded based on the location information.

The compression decoder 19, the DA converter 20,
The amplifier 21 and the speaker terminal 22 together constitute a reproducing means 35 (recording / reproducing means) for reproducing the perceptual information.

A group of input keys such as a reproduction start key 23, a reproduction stop key 24, a music download key 25, and a cursor movement key constitute an input means 36 for the user to operate the perceptual reproduction device.

In the present embodiment, the audio data downloaded from the Internet is configured to be stored in the HDD 14. However, if the recording medium is a writable recording medium, MO disk, CD-R disk, CD-RW disk, memory stick. (Registered trademark), compact flash (registered trademark) (CF), or the like, each drive may be provided to record externally.

The memory card 16 has a card slot 15
It is an external storage device that can be attached to and detached from, for example, an SRAM (Stat
ic RAM) Compact Flash (CF) consisting of a flash memory that does not require power backup, smart media, memory stick, and an ultra-compact hard disk drive of the same size as Compact Flash, or a PC Card Type II ( HDD). Further, the composition music data string recorded in the memory card 16 is the MO disk, the CD-R disk, the CD.
The recording medium may be downloaded from the Internet and stored in a recording medium inside the audio device such as a HDD, as well as other external recording media such as an RW disc, a memory stick, and a CF.

The compression decoder 19 is, for example, MP3 (MPEG
-1 Audio Layer3) compression method is used, but other AT
RAC3 (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding 3)
(Registered trademark), WMA (Windows Media Audio) (registered trademark), and of course, the audio player itself stores uncompressed audio data in the HDD 14 or the card 16, and does not perform compression decoding processing. I do not care.

FIG. 2 shows the data structure of the composition data string recorded in the memory card 16, and the data structure of the memory card in which the audio composition data, each sample audio data, and the URL sequence for accessing the download are stored. Indicates.

In FIG. 2, audio information includes location URL data 51 for obtaining full audio data from the Internet, and location URL.
2 includes elements such as sample audio data 52 made up of fragments of full audio data placed on the disk, and is arranged and recorded in the order of organization shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the composition music data string recorded in the memory card 16 is a sample audio data block in which the organized sample audio data 52 are collected, and its full audio data is transmitted from the Internet. Location UR to get
The storage area is divided into a URL data block storing the L data 51, and the storage areas are arranged in the order of the composition music.

The operation of the recording / reproducing apparatus configured as described above will be described below.

The memory card 16 in which the information of the audio device 10 is written is inserted into the memory card slot 15 for content reproduction. The device for recording contents on the memory card 16 is a host device that handles contents having various recording methods such as a PC (personal computer), STB (set top box) and home server in addition to the audio device 10. A device with unique characteristics is used. Therefore, the audio device 10
Is provided with an encoder / decoder corresponding to each system so that various contents can be handled. In addition to the memory card slot 15 dedicated to the memory card 16,
It is possible to interface with various memory cards via a general-purpose adapter such as a PCMCIA card adapter, a USB adapter, or a floppy (registered trademark) disk adapter.

The memory card 16 is connected to the card IF / control circuit via the memory card slot 15, and the data recorded in the memory card 16 is transferred to the CPU 11
Read by control.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the recording / reproducing process of the audio apparatus 10, and S in the figure shows each step of the flow.

In the present embodiment, the program code stored in the ROM 12 of the control means 33 is equipped with an acquisition means for downloading full audio data from the Internet.

When the reproduction start key 23 is pressed by the user, the control means 33 executes the following series of processing.

First, in step S1, the sample audio data is started to be transferred to the reproducing means 35 through the card slot 15 which is the reading means 32.

The order of the audio data to be reproduced depends on the composition of the music in the memory card. For example, in the case of the composition of the music of FIG. 2, the first is "aaa" and the second is "bbb".
The sample audio data of the title is played back. The reproducing means 35 immediately starts decoding and reproducing according to the input sample audio data.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not the reproduction of the current sample audio data is completed. When playback of the current sample audio data ends,
Go to step S6, or step S6 during playback.
Go to 3. The reproduction end of the current sample audio data is determined by the reproduction means 35 recognizing the audio data end code of each sample audio data, and the control means 33 receiving the reproduction end notification from the reproduction means 35.

In step S3, it is determined whether or not the download key 25 is pressed by the user. If the download key 25 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S4, and if not, the process returns to step S2. The download key 25 is pressed when the user wants to download the full audio data of the currently played song.

In step S4, the full audio data to be reproduced is accessed through the communication means 34 via the Internet based on the download URL information of the currently reproduced music read from the reading means 32. For example, in the case of the composition order of the songs in FIG. 2, the download URL is “aa
If the sample audio data of the title "a" is being reproduced, "http: www. xxx. co. jp /
Access to the address "xxx / aaa".

In step S5, the accessed full audio data is downloaded to the storage means 31. This download is performed by the acquisition means in the control means 33. At the time of downloading, billing and mutual authentication processing for downloading between the company providing the download service of the song and the user are also performed.

In step S6, it is determined whether or not there is a song organized next to the song currently being reproduced in the memory card 16. If there is the next song, the process returns to step S1. End the flow. The end of reproduction of the composition music sequence is determined by recognizing the data end code of the composition data of the memory card.

By executing the above series of processing,
When the user presses the reproduction start key 23, the reading means 32
According to the order of the organized songs of the memory card inserted in
Sample audio data can be played and auditioned in order. In addition, if the user wants to download while playing back or listening to the music, by simply pressing the download button, it is possible to connect to the full audio data on the Internet of the song being listened to and download while organizing. It becomes possible to reproduce the sample audio data in the order of the songs.

Second Embodiment The second embodiment is the ROM 1 in the control means 33 of FIG.
The program code stored in 2 has not only an acquisition unit that downloads full audio data from the Internet but also a search unit that searches the HDD 14 for designated full audio data. Further, the accumulating means 31 has a table means for collectively accumulating location URL data on the Internet, which has downloaded the full audio data of all the accumulated music pieces, and is associated with each full audio data at once. .

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a recording / reproducing process of the audio apparatus according to the second embodiment.
When the reproduction start key 23 is pressed by the user, the control means 33 executes the following series of processing.

First, in step S11, the searching means in the control means 33 determines whether or not there is the already downloaded full audio data in the storage means 31 based on the location URL data 51 read by the reading means 32. Search for. This search is performed by matching the location URL data read from the reading means 32 with the URL stored in the table means in the storing means 31.
Further, the order of the searched music is according to the composition of the music in the memory card. For example, in the case of the composition order of the music of FIG.
URL of the song "aa", that is, "http: // www
w. xxxx. co. jp / xxx / aaa ”, followed by“ bbb ”if the second, that is,“ http: // www
w. xxxx. co. A search is performed using "jp / xxx / bbb" as a keyword.

In step S12, the above step S11 is performed.
It is determined whether or not there is the full audio data based on the processing result of (1). Full audio data storage means 31
If not, the process proceeds to S13, and if the full audio data is in the storage means 31, the process proceeds to S18.

In step S13, the sample audio data is started to be transferred to the reproducing means 35 through the reading means 32. The audio data to be reproduced is the same as in step S above.
The sample audio data retrieved in 11 is reproduced. The reproducing means 35 immediately starts decoding and reproducing according to the input sample audio data.

In step S14, it is determined whether or not the reproduction of the current sample audio data is completed. When the reproduction of the current sample audio data is completed, the process proceeds to step S18, and the current sample audio data is being reproduced. Sometimes the process proceeds to step S15. When the reproduction of the current sample audio data ends, the reproduction means 35
Recognizes the audio data end code of each sample audio data, and the control means 33 receives the reproduction end notification from the reproducing means 35 to make a judgment.

In step S15, it is determined whether the download key 25 is pressed by the user. If the download key 25 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S16, and if not, the process returns to step S14. The download key 25 is pressed when the user wants to download the full audio data of the currently played song.

In step S16, the full audio data to be reproduced is accessed through the communication means 34 via the Internet based on the download URL information of the currently reproduced music read from the reading means 32. The download URL is, for example, "a" in the order of composition of the songs in FIG.
If the sample audio data of the title "aa" is being reproduced, "http: // www. xxx. co.
Access to the address "jp / xxx / aaa".

In step S17, the above step S16
The full audio data accessed in step 3 is downloaded to the storage means 31. This download is control means 33
It is performed by the acquisition means inside. When downloading, the U downloaded to the table means of the storage means 31
Set the RL. In addition, accounting and mutual authentication processing for downloading between the company providing the music download service and the user are also performed.

In step S18, it is determined whether or not there is a song organized next to the song currently being reproduced in the memory card 16, and when there is a song next to the song currently being reproduced, the above step S11 is performed. If there is no song next to the song that is currently being played, this flow ends. The end of the reproduction of the composition music sequence is determined by recognizing the data end code of the composition music data of the memory card 16.

Here, a unique music ID is assigned and recorded to each sample audio data degree in the memory card 16, and the storage means 31 collectively stores the music IDs of full audio data of all the stored music. As a table means for storing the data, the retrieval is performed by uniquely associating each full audio data with the song ID data read from the reading means 32 and the song ID data stored in the table means in the storing hand 31. Alternatively, the search may be performed.

In the above series of processing, when the user presses the reproduction start key 23, only in the case of the music which is not stored in the storage means in accordance with the order of the organized music of the memory card inserted in the reading means 32, Sample audio data can be played and auditioned. In addition, if the user wants to download while playing back or listening to the music, by simply pressing the download button, it is possible to connect to the full audio data on the Internet of the song being listened to and download while organizing. It becomes possible to reproduce the sample audio data in the order of the songs.

As described above, the audio device 10 of the present embodiment has the communication means 34 for communicating with the network.
And a storage means 3 for storing the downloaded perceptual information
1, reproduction means 35 for reproducing the perceptual information, input means 36 for inputting operation information, organized piecewise piece of sense information, and location information for downloading complete piece of sense information of the piece of sense information. Is provided with a memory card (recording medium) 16 for recording the information, a reading means 32 for reading the information of the memory card 16, and a control means 33 for controlling each means, and the control means 33 reproduces the perceptual information of the fragments in the order of organization. At the same time, when there is a download instruction from the user at each reproduction, the download is performed based on the location information to obtain the complete perceptual information of the perceptual information of the fragment, and the control is performed to store it in the storage means 31. , While listening to the organized perceptual information in sequence, confirm the desired perceptual information and selectively automatically access the perceptual information on the network to download the information. It is possible to over-de. Further, it is possible to automatically download by omitting the input operation of the location information by the user. As a result, a system that is highly convenient for the user can be realized.

As a result, from the service side, the user can collectively download a plurality of pieces from the perceptual information of the organization, so that the number of downloads can be increased and the profit can be improved. Since the user can confirm and download the desired perceptual information from the perceptual information of the organization, a highly convenient perceptual information download system can be realized.

The recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to the audio device as described above, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to an information processing device using a personal computer for perceptual information such as video and images.

Further, the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment may be incorporated as a data communication function of a portable information terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a personal computer, or an audio device.

Further, the types of the respective circuit parts constituting the recording / reproducing apparatus, the types of data stored in the storage means, etc. are not limited to those in the above-mentioned embodiment. Further, the table means and the search means in the control means need only be functionally separated, and need not be divided into two in terms of hardware.

In each of the above embodiments, the name of the perceptual information recording / reproducing apparatus is used, but this is for convenience of description. For example, the recording / reproducing apparatus, the card reproducing apparatus for reproducing only, and the recording only for recording. It may be a card recording device. Further, it may be an apparatus which records and reproduces only video data and only audio data among the video and audio data.

The memory card has ATRAC3,
Any storage medium compressed by various compression methods such as MP3, TwinVQ, and AAC may be used,
As such a recording medium, for example, SRAM (Static
It can be applied to all compact flash (CF), such as RAM) cards and flash memories that do not require power backup, smart media, and memory sticks.

In each of the above embodiments, the recording medium may be any device as long as it can record data. In particular, if a high-speed accessible HDD with high data transfer speed and random access performance is used as a recording medium, it is possible to instantly search for a desired program from programs recorded for a long time and immediately use it. Become. Further, a recording device other than the HDD such as a magneto-optical disk may be used, and the same effect can be obtained.

Furthermore, the types, numbers, and connection methods of the respective circuit units, such as the receiving unit and the buffer, which constitute the recording / reproducing apparatus, are not limited to those in the above-described embodiments.

[0083]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in content distribution, a record which can be sequentially downloaded by a simple operation while confirming the content desired by the user from the previously organized content in the order of composition. A reproducing apparatus and a recording / reproducing method can be realized.

In particular, it is possible to confirm desired contents while sequentially reproducing the organized contents and selectively automatically access the contents on the network to download the information, thus omitting the operation of inputting the location information by the user. It can be downloaded automatically.

Therefore, from the service side, it is possible for the user to collectively download a plurality of contents of the organization, so that the number of downloads increases and the profit can be improved. Since the user can confirm and download the desired content from the organized content, a highly convenient content download system can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a recording / reproducing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a data structure of a composition data string recorded in a memory card of the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a recording / reproducing process of the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a recording / reproducing process of a recording / reproducing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 audio device (recording / reproducing device) 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 hard disk drive (HDD) 15 memory card slot 16 memory card (recording medium) 17 modem 18 modem terminal 19 compression decoder 20 DA converter 21 amplifier 22 speaker terminal 23 playback start Key 24 Playback stop key 25 Song download key 26 Bus 31 Storage means 32 Reading means 33 Control means (table means, search means) 34 Communication means 35 Playback means (recording / playback means) 36 Input means 51 Obtaining full audio data from the Internet Location URL data 52 for sample audio data consisting of fragments of full audio data placed at the location URL

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5C053 FA28 LA06 LA15                 5C064 BA07 BB05 BC10 BC18 BC23                       BC25 BD02 BD08 BD09 BD14                 5D044 AB05 AB07 BC01 BC04 CC04                       DE14 DE48 DE53 DE57 EF05                       FG18 GK08

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A communication means for communicating with a network for downloading content, a storage means for storing downloaded content, a recording / reproducing means for recording / reproducing the content, an input means for inputting operation information, and In a recording / reproducing apparatus including control means for controlling each means, a recording medium for recording location information, which is location information for downloading the entire content from organized content, and information of the recording medium are recorded. And a reading means for reading, the communication means communicates with a download destination of the content based on the location information, the control means reproduces the fragment content in the order of the organization, When there is a download instruction of And then download to obtain the contents of the entire recording and reproducing apparatus and performs control to store in the storage means. 2. Communication means for communicating with a network for downloading content, storage means for storing downloaded content, recording / reproducing means for recording / reproducing content, input means for inputting operation information, and In a recording / reproducing apparatus including control means for controlling each means, a main information recording area for recording content as main information, and an identification for previously recording information source identification information for obtaining the main information from a predetermined communication environment A recording medium having an information recording area and a sub-information recording area in which sub-information having the same attribute with respect to the main information is recorded in advance, wherein the control means, when there is main information corresponding to the sub-information, When there is no main information corresponding to the sub information, the sub information is reproduced, and the sub information is reproduced according to the information source identification information. Recording and reproducing apparatus and performs control to select retrieve information. 3. The control means does not reproduce the main information when there is main information corresponding to the sub information, and reproduces the sub information only when there is no main information corresponding to the sub information. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: controlling to selectively acquire the main information according to the information source identification information. 4. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a user interface that allows a user to select acquisition of the main information. 5. The recording medium records downloaded content in the main information recording area, and a U for downloading in the identification information recording area.
3. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein RL is recorded, and the sub-information recording area is recorded with a content for preliminary reproduction upon download. 6. The apparatus further comprises table means for collectively storing the location information of the downloaded contents as a table, wherein the control means searches the table means by using the location information obtained through the reading means as a key and stores the accumulated information. 2. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording / reproducing apparatus is searched for whether or not there is downloaded content in the means. 7. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content is perceptual information such as music, video, and images. 8. A recording / reproducing method for downloading a content and storing the downloaded content, wherein location information, which is location information for downloading the entire content from the organized content, is recorded on a recording medium. A step of reading the location information for download recorded in the recording medium; a step of downloading the content through the communication means based on the read location information; and a step of saving the downloaded content in the storage means. A recording / reproducing method comprising: 9. In the downloading step, the fragment contents are reproduced in the order of composition, and when the user gives a download instruction, the pieces of content are reproduced in the order of composition while downloading based on the location information. The recording / reproducing method according to claim 7. 10. When downloading based on the location information, if the content of the organization has already been downloaded, the content is skipped without being reproduced, and only the fragment contents that have not been downloaded are reproduced in the order of organization. The recording / reproducing method according to claim 8, which is performed. 11. The method further comprises a step of collectively storing location information of downloaded contents as a table, and a step of searching with the location information as a key whether or not there is any content downloaded to the storage means. 8. The recording / reproducing method according to claim 7, wherein. 12. The content according to claim 7, wherein the content is perceptual information such as music, video and images.
1. The recording / reproducing method according to any one of 1.