JP2001045425A - Recorder, reproducing device and program recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorder and a reproducing device that joints of divided broadcast program parts are inconspicuous at reproduction in the case of receiving a plurality of broadcast programs that are broadcast for a plurality of the number of times and recording them with divisions. SOLUTION: The recorder is provided with a turner 1 that receives data and information corresponding to an absolute time, a transport decoder 3 that calculates the absolute time when a broadcasting station transmits a detected PCR on the basis of the information corresponding to the absolute time, a reservation information management section 9 that generates a reservation schedule on which a schedule on the basis of the absolute time is described, and a video/audio recording section 10 that decides a timing when the division recording of a division video recording program is started and finished by utilizing the reservation schedule and the calculated absolute time and records the recorded program through divisions in the case of recording the same program through divisions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording a broadcast program in digital broadcasting using MPEG, and a reproducing apparatus for reproducing the recorded program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Digital broadcasting using MPEG2 has increased the number of broadcasting channels and diversified the broadcasting format of programs. Some programs are broadcast only once in a predetermined broadcast time zone, while other programs are broadcast a plurality of times of the same program. A typical example of the latter is NVOD (Near Video On Dema).
nd, pseudo video on demand). NVOD
Is a program in which the same program is started, for example, on several channels every 30 minutes with a time lag, so that the program can be viewed from the beginning at any time. Conventionally, one program is recorded in one broadcast, even if it is repeatedly broadcast several times.

By the way, we have disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-1996.
20 proposed a recording apparatus that receives the same program repeatedly broadcasted by NVOD or the like, receives the broadcast a plurality of times, and divides the broadcast into a plurality of broadcasts. In order to connect a part of a program divided into a plurality of times at the time of recording or reproduction, a seam of a video is connected using a clock. In the earlier application, the reservation input means
Make a reservation by specifying the program you want to record. Then, the recording schedule means creates a recording schedule for recording the reserved program. When creating a recording schedule, it is determined from the EPG information whether the reserved program is a program that is broadcast only once or a program that is broadcast multiple times by NVOD or the like. Then, a time zone for recording a program broadcast only once is determined. Then, a schedule is created so as to record a part of the program broadcasted a plurality of times during the idle time. The information for combining or reproducing the divided and recorded portions as one program is the reproduction order, time information, or offset information from the program start time of the divided program portions. These pieces of information are generated at the time of recording using a clock included in the recording device. According to the earlier application, compared to the method of recording one program in one broadcast, a program that is broadcast a plurality of times in the idle time of a program that is broadcast only once is recorded. The time until recording is completed can be reduced.

[0004]

This time, a method different from the method according to the prior application, that is, a method of dividing and recording a program broadcasted a plurality of times using a clock of a recording device is proposed. That is, the present invention provides a recording apparatus and a reproducing apparatus in which, when a program broadcasted a plurality of times is received and divided into a plurality of broadcasts and recorded, the joints of the divided parts are not noticeable at the time of reproduction. The purpose is to do so.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first present invention (corresponding to claim 1) uses an MPEG method.
The data transmitted using the transport packet of the transport stream and the PCR (Program)
receiving means for receiving the absolute time correspondence information for associating the count value of the “m Clock Reference” with the absolute time, and calculating the absolute time when the broadcast station transmits the detected PCR based on the absolute time correspondence information. PCR time calculation means, a reservation schedule input means for inputting a reservation schedule describing a schedule based on absolute time, and the same program broadcasted a plurality of times.
When at least two or more broadcasts are received and recorded in a plurality of times, the start and end times of the divided recording of the divided recorded program are determined by the reservation schedule of the program and the PCR time calculating means. Recording means for determining using the calculated absolute time and performing divisional recording.

Further, a second aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 2)
Comprises a current time calculating means for calculating a current absolute time from an absolute time when the broadcast station transmits the PCR, based on a signal oscillated by the PCR and an oscillator phase-locked, and the recording means comprises: The recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that timings for starting division recording and ending division recording of the divided recording program are determined using a current absolute time.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 3)
Wherein the absolute time correspondence information is an absolute time when the PCR count value is zero.
Alternatively, the recording apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention.

Further, a fourth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 4)
The recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the absolute time correspondence information is transmitted as a private packet of an MPEG2 transport stream.

A fifth invention (corresponding to claim 5)
The reservation schedule input means determines a schedule timing based on the absolute time by a GOP (G
The recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein the recording is performed in units of "loops of pictures".

A sixth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 6)
The recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein the reservation schedule input means determines a schedule timing based on the absolute time irrespective of a GOP unit. .

A seventh aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 7)
The recording device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, wherein the recording means records extra at least a part of the adjacent portions when recording the divided portion of the divided recorded program.

An eighth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 8).
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the recording apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the recording unit holds information for identifying the information of the extra part.

The ninth invention (corresponding to claim 9)
Is characterized by comprising a reproducing means for switching to another divided portion at the boundary of the GOP when reproducing a divided recorded program recorded by the recording apparatus according to the seventh or eighth aspect of the present invention. It is a playback device.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 10), a series of numbers are associated with data transmitted using a transport packet of an MPEG transport stream and a GOP of the data. Receiving means for receiving GOP serial number information, reservation schedule input means for inputting a reservation schedule describing a schedule based on absolute time, and the same program broadcasted a plurality of times;
When at least two or more broadcasts are received and recorded in a plurality of times, the start and end of divided recording of the divided recorded program are determined by the reservation schedule of the program and the GOP serial number information. And a recording means for making a decision using and recording separately.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 11), the GOP serial number information is added to a user area provided for each GOP of the elementary stream. Is a recording device according to the present invention.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 12), the GOP serial number information is a series of numbers assigned to GOPs sequentially transmitted from the start of channel broadcasting. A tenth or eleventh recording apparatus according to the present invention.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 13), the GOP serial number information is a series of GOPs attached to GOPs sequentially transmitted from the start of broadcast of a program to the end of broadcast of the program. No. 10 or 1 characterized by being a number
1 is a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 14), the recording means determines the start and end of divided recording of the divided recorded program by a GOP.
The recording apparatus according to any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects, wherein the recording is performed in units.

In a fifteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 15), the recording means determines the start and end of divided recording of the divided recorded program by the G
The recording apparatus according to any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects of the present invention, wherein the recording is performed for each frame constituting the OP.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 16), the recording means sets the value of the PCR relative to the value of the PCR at the start of the program when dividing and recording the divided recorded program. Value, and PTS (Pres
5th, 14th, or 15th aspect of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the value of (entation time stamp) is also changed.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 17), the reproducing means sets the value of the PCR relative to the value of the PCR at the start of the program when reproducing the divided recorded program. A ninth aspect of the present invention is the playback apparatus according to the ninth aspect, wherein the value is changed to a value and the value of the PTS is changed accordingly.

An eighteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 18) provides all or a part of the functions of each means constituting the recording apparatus or the reproducing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventeenth aspects of the present invention. A program recording medium storing a program to be executed by a computer.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) First, a first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a recording apparatus according to the present embodiment.

The recording device includes a tuner 1, a descrambler 2, a transport decoder 3, an AV decoder 4, an EP
G processing unit 5, program information storage unit 6, reservation input unit 7, reservation information storage unit 8, reservation information management unit 9, video / audio recording unit 10
Consists of

The tuner 1 is means for receiving and demodulating a broadcast wave transmitted from a broadcasting station. Descrambler 2
Is a means for decoding the scramble applied to the demodulated data. The transport decoder 3 is means for separating the decoded data. The AV decoder 4
This is means for expanding the separated data. The EPG processing unit 5 is means for extracting EPG information. The program information storage unit 6 is means for storing program information such as a program ID, a program name, a channel, a broadcast start time, and a broadcast end time for each program. The reservation input section 7 is a means for reserving a program to be recorded. The reservation information storage unit 8 is a means for storing program information on a reserved program. The reservation information management unit 9 is a means for creating and managing a reservation schedule for recording from the program information stored in the reservation information storage unit 8. The video / audio recording unit 10 is means for recording a program according to a reservation schedule managed by the reservation information management unit 9. That is, the video / audio recording unit 10 divides and records a program for which a reservation schedule is set to divide and record.

In MPEG2, in order to obtain random accessibility and high coding efficiency, a frame is divided into I (Intr
a) Frame, P (Predictive coded) frame, B (B
idirectionally predictive coded) frames. An I frame is a frame to be encoded without referring to data of another frame.
On the other hand, the P frame is encoded with reference to the past I or P frame. The B frame is encoded with reference to past and future I or P frames. That is, an I-frame does not require another frame to decode. Also, P frames require past I or P frames to decode. B frames also require past and future I or P frames to decode. I-frames are inserted periodically to enable random access to frames. As described above, the frame group structure including one I frame is referred to as a GOP (Grou
p of Pictures). Usually GOP is
It is composed of about 15 frames that are continuous in time series. FIG. 2 shows a conceptual diagram when video data is sent. FIG. 2 shows a case in which 30 frames of video are transmitted per second, and a GOP is composed of 15 frames. Therefore, it can be seen that it takes 0.5 seconds to send data of one GOP.

The transport packet of the MPEG-2 transport stream has a maximum length of 100 ms.
A PCR is sent from the broadcasting station every time. The PCR is described in the header of the transport packet. The PCR is information for setting and configuring an STC (reference synchronization information) serving as a time reference to a value intended by a broadcasting station (encoder side) when decoding video or audio. In FIG. 2, a PCR is sent from the broadcast station every 100 ms. In the case of MEPG2, the encoder of the broadcasting station is provided with a counter having a frequency of 27 MHz,
The count value of this counter is sent as PCR. This count value is represented by 42 bits. Therefore, the cycle of the counter is 26.5 hours, and the counter starts counting from zero every 26.5 hours.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the recording apparatus of FIG.
In FIG. 3, the transport decoder 3 incorporates a PLL circuit as shown in FIG. The PLL circuit includes a phase comparator 16, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCXO) 15, and a counter 14, and is a means for synchronizing with the PCR of the broadcasting station. The transport decoder 3 sets the counter value of the PCR created by the broadcasting station by this PLL circuit to ST.
Reproduce as C. And AV based on this STC
The decoder 4 expands data.

When recording data as a transport packet, the recording device adds a PTS if the transport packet has an access unit. PTS is time management information of reproduction output. When reproducing data, when the STC matches the PTS, the access unit is reproduced and output. The PTS represents a value measured with a clock of 90 KHz in a 33-bit length.

Data transmitted from a broadcasting station is multiplexed and transmitted as a transport packet. Although the transport packet is multiplexed, individual data can be identified by a PID, which is information for identifying data, added to the transport packet. By using a private packet to which a PID different from video data and audio data is assigned,
Additional information can also be sent.

The tuner 1 of the present embodiment is an example of the receiving means of the present invention, and the transport decoder 3 of the present embodiment is an example of the PCR time calculating means of the present invention.
The reservation input unit 7, the reservation information storage unit 8, and the reservation information management unit 9 of the present embodiment are examples of the reservation schedule input unit of the present invention, and the video / audio recording unit 10 of the present embodiment is the recording of the present invention. The transport decoder 3 is an example of the present time calculating means of the present invention, and the video / audio recording unit 10 of the present embodiment is an example of the reproducing means of the present invention.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, the operation of the broadcast station will be described. On the broadcast station side, S, such as video data, audio data, and EPG information,
In addition to the I (Service Information) information, the absolute time at which the count value of the PCR becomes zero is transmitted as the absolute time correspondence information using a private packet. For example, it is 1 when the count value of PCR becomes zero.
If it was 6:00 on July 1, 999, 199
The information of 6:00 on July 1, 1997 is transmitted as a private packet. This absolute time correspondence information is transmitted at intervals of several seconds. This absolute time correspondence information is stored in P
It is used to associate the CR count value with the absolute time determined by the broadcasting station.

Next, the operation of the recording apparatus will be described. The tuner 1 receives and demodulates a broadcast wave. Then, the descrambler 2 decodes the scramble of the demodulated data and outputs it to the transport decoder 3. The transport decoder 3 separates the scrambled data.

The EPG processing unit 5 extracts EPG information,
The extracted EPG information is stored in the program information storage unit 6. The EPG information includes information such as a program ID, a program name, a channel, a broadcast start time, a broadcast end time, a detailed description of the program, a genre to which the program belongs, a cast, and the like. The program information storage unit 6 stores such information. Among them, the program ID, program name, channel, broadcast start time, and broadcast end time are summarized in FIG. In FIG. 5, it can be seen that the same program E is broadcast in the broadcasts with the program ID 200 and the program ID 202.

Next, the reservation input section 7 reserves a program to be recorded. The reservation input unit 7 displays a list of programs to be broadcast from the EPG information stored in the EPG information storage unit 6. The user selects a program to be reserved with reference to the list of programs. The user only has to select the program he / she wants to view, and does not have to specify the time period during which the program is broadcast. The reservation information input unit 7 refers to the EPG information shown in FIG. 5 stored in the program information storage unit 6 and the list of reserved programs stored in the reservation information storage unit 8 so that the user can make a reservation. When the user selects a program to check, it is checked whether the actually selected program can be reserved. For example, the selected program is broadcast only once,
It may be broadcast in the same time zone as a reserved program.
If a reserved program with an overlapping broadcast time zone is broadcast only once and these two programs are not included in the same transponder, either one of the two programs cannot be recorded. In such a case, the reservation input section 7
A warning message is issued to the user that the selected program cannot be reserved, and the reservation of the selected program is invalidated. As described above, the reservation input section 7 reserves a program after checking whether the program selected by the user can be reserved.

The program reserved by the reservation input section 7 is stored in the reservation information storage section 8. FIG. 6 shows a reserved program. In FIG. 6, it can be seen that the programs with the program IDs 200 and 202 are reserved. The program with the program ID 200 has a program name of program E, and 9
It is broadcast during the time period from 0:00 to 10:00.
The program with the program ID 202 has a program name of program E and is broadcast on the channel 300 from 10:30 to 11:20. Program ID 200 and program ID 20
The two programs are the same program. That is, program E is
It is a program that is broadcast repeatedly. Although other programs are also reserved in FIG. 6, the purpose of the present embodiment is to divide and record the same program, so that it is omitted from FIG.

The reservation information management unit 9 creates a reservation schedule from the information of FIG. 6 stored in the reservation information storage unit 8. First, the reservation information management unit 9 creates a reservation schedule for a program broadcast only once. Then, a reservation schedule for a program to be broadcasted a plurality of times is created. That is, a time zone not assigned to the reservation schedule of a program broadcast only once is used for recording a program broadcasted a plurality of times. For this reason, in the case of a program that is broadcast a plurality of times, the program that is broadcast a plurality of times may be received and the program may be divided and recorded during an idle time for recording a program that is broadcast only once. For example, assume that a program F is reserved as a program broadcast only once as shown in FIG. Then, for the program E broadcasted a plurality of times, the free time for recording the program F is found and recorded. In the situation as shown in FIG. 8, the reservation information management section 9 divides and records the program E.
FIG. 7A shows a reservation schedule created by the reservation information management unit 9. FIG. 7A shows a reservation schedule for a program E broadcasted a plurality of times. From this figure, it is understood that the program E is divided into two and recorded. That is, from 9:40:30 to 10: 00: 00: 00
A part of the program E is recorded up to the second, and the remaining part is recorded from 10:30:11 to 11:10:30. If these two divided parts are combined, the entire program E will be recorded. As described above, the reservation schedule of the program to be divided and recorded is created by designating the recording start and end times by absolute time so that each divided portion is not duplicated or missing.

Next, the operation of recording the program E which is divided and recorded according to the reservation schedule shown in FIG. 7A will be described.

The tuner 1 receives and demodulates a broadcast wave transmitted from a broadcast station. The descrambler 2 decodes the scramble of the demodulated data. The descrambled data is separated by the transport decoder 3. The transport decoder 3 is provided in the PL shown in FIG.
The L circuit synchronizes the PCR and the PLL sent from the broadcast station at intervals of at most 100 ms.

The transport decoder 3 is a PC
When a private packet describing absolute time correspondence information indicating an absolute time when the count value of R is zero is transmitted, the absolute time correspondence information is separated. Then, when the PCR is described in the transport packet, the transport decoder 3 calculates the absolute time when the PCR is transmitted using the absolute time correspondence information. That is, since the frequency of the counter for generating the PCR value is 27 MHz and the absolute time when the count value of the counter is zero is known, P
The absolute time when the CR was sent can be calculated. Further, the current absolute time is calculated using the absolute time when the PCR is transmitted and the STC signal calibrated by the PLL circuit of the transport decoder 4. The transport decoder 4 sequentially notifies the video / audio recording unit 10 of the current absolute time thus obtained. The video / audio recording unit 10 compares the current absolute time with the reservation schedule created by the reservation information management unit 9 and determines the timing to start and end recording. That is, the video / audio recording unit 10 determines the timing to start and end the recording based on the time synchronized with the clock at the broadcasting station. However, when the transport decoder 4 outputs data to the video / audio recording unit 10 or when the video / audio recording unit 10 records data, the data is stored in a buffer, and a delay occurs depending on the device configuration. Sometimes. When a time measurement error becomes a problem due to such a delay, for example, the following may be performed. That is, when the transport packet arrives at the transport decoder 4, the transport packet is given the current absolute time. Then, the transport decoder 4
The transport packet is associated with the current absolute time of the transport packet, and the associated current absolute time and the transport packet are stored in the video / audio recording unit 1.
Output to 0. The video / audio recording unit 10 uses the current absolute time associated with the transport packet,
The timing of division recording start and division recording end is determined. In this way, the effect of delay caused by storing data in the buffer can be avoided. Compared to the case where the timing to start and end the recording is determined using a clock that is not synchronized with the clock of the broadcasting station, divided recording with higher accuracy can be performed.

More specifically, the video / audio recording unit 10 determines the timing to start recording as follows. That is, when the current absolute time calculated and calculated as described above is near the recording start time of the reservation schedule, recording is started in GOP units. The current absolute time when the recording of the first GOP is started is equal to or earlier than the recording start time of the reservation schedule, and the current absolute time when the recording of the first GOP is completed is the recording start time of the reservation schedule. Be equal to or later than the time. The video / audio recording unit 10 determines the recording start timing in this way. Further, the video / audio recording unit 10 determines the timing to end the recording as follows. That is, when the current absolute time calculated as described above is near the recording end time of the reservation schedule, the recording is terminated in GOP units. The current absolute time at the start of recording the last GOP is equal to or earlier than the recording end time of the reservation schedule, and the current absolute time at the end of recording the last GOP is the recording end time of the reservation schedule. Be equal to or later than the time. The video / audio recording unit 10 determines the recording end timing in this way. In other words, when the recording is divided at such a timing, each of the divided portions has a somewhat overlapping portion. The overlapped portion is reproduced so as not to overlap at the time of reproduction. The reproduction of the program that has been divided and recorded will be described later. Then, the video / audio recording unit 10 converts the current absolute time at which recording is started and recording is completed for each of the divided and recorded portions into an elapsed time from the program broadcast start time,
The recording start and recording end times converted into the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time are recorded in pairs with each of the divided portions. The conversion from the program broadcast start time to the elapsed time is shown in FIG.
By referring to the program broadcast start time from the program information stored in the reservation information storage section 8 as shown in FIG.

For example, the video / audio recording unit 10 performs recording in GOP units according to the reservation schedule shown in FIG. However, the recording start and end timings are determined as described above. The current absolute time obtained from the PCR, the absolute time correspondence information and the STC is 10:40:03
At 0 seconds, the video / audio recording unit 10
Recording starts at 00. The current absolute time obtained from the PCR, the absolute time correspondence information, and the STC is 10:00:00.
At the second, the video / audio recording unit 10 sets the channel 30
The recording at 0 ends. Then, at 10:30, the video / audio recording unit 10 starts recording another portion of the program E on the channel 300. When the current absolute time reaches 11:10:30, the video / audio recording unit 10 ends the recording on the channel 300.

The data divided and recorded by the video / audio recording unit 10 according to the reservation schedule shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 shows the recording start and recording end times represented by the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time. FIG. 9A shows the program I
D17 broadcast and program I
The part 18 divided and recorded by the broadcast of D202 is shown. Around 40 minutes and 30 seconds from the start of the program, there is a boundary between the parts recorded separately. FIG. 9B shows details in the vicinity of the boundary.

In FIG. 9 (b), the part 17 divided and recorded by the broadcast of the program ID 200 is accurately divided and recorded with a time elapsed from the program broadcast start time of 40 minutes and 29.9 seconds. I have. In addition, in the part 18 divided and recorded by the broadcast of the program ID 202, the divided recording is completed with the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time being 40 minutes and 30.4 seconds. Therefore, the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time is 4
GOPs including 0 minutes and 30 seconds are recorded in duplicate. The division recording start time and the division recording end time represented by the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time are recorded in pairs with the parts recorded by the video / audio recording unit 10 as described above. . As described above, a GOP is composed of 15 frames, and it takes 0.5 seconds to transfer or display one GOP. Therefore, GO at the start of divided recording
With P as the first GOP sent at the start of the program broadcast, the number of the GOP can be counted. Similarly, it is possible to count the GOP transmitted at the start of the program broadcast, which is the GOP at the end of the divisional recording, and which GOP is the top GOP. For example, in (b) of FIG.
The part 17 divided and recorded by the broadcast of 00 is 4861
Recording from the GOP. Also, the program ID 202
Also, the recording of the portion 18 divided and recorded by the broadcast is ended at the 4861th GOP. Therefore, it can be seen that the 4861th GOP from the start of the program broadcast is recorded in duplicate.

Next, the operation at the time of reproduction will be described. At the time of reproduction, the video / audio recording unit 10 functions as the reproduction means of the present invention. First, since there is a portion recorded overlappingly at the boundary between the portions recorded in a divided manner, it is necessary to reproduce the portion so as not to overlap. For this purpose, it is only necessary to use information indicating the division recording start time and the division recording end time by the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time. By using this information, it is possible to know the GOP recorded in duplicate. That is, at the time of reproduction, a GOP transmitted from the program broadcast start time can be numbered from the recording start and recording end times represented by the elapsed time, as shown in FIG. 9B. In FIG. 9B, 486
Since the first GOP is recorded in duplicate, it may be prevented from being reproduced twice, that is, the 4861-th GOP.
When the OP is reproduced, the reproduction is performed by changing to the 4862th GOP. The program reproduced by the video / audio recording unit 10 is separated by the transport decoder 3 and decompressed by the AV decoder 4, then the video is displayed on a monitor, and the audio is output from a speaker.

As described above, since the recording start time and the recording end time represented by the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time are recorded in pair with each of the dividedly recorded parts, the duplicated recorded parts are recorded. It can be detected and therefore reproduced without duplication.

As apparent from FIGS. 9 (a) and 7 (a), in the divisional recording of the program E, the latter half of the program is divided and recorded first, and then the former half of the program is divided and recorded. Divided recording. Therefore, the PCR value is smaller in the latter half of the program than in the first half of the program, and the PCR value is discontinuous at the joint between the latter half and the former half of the program. Therefore, there is a possibility that consistency with the PTS may not be obtained when the boundary portion is reproduced. So the video /
The audio recording unit 10 performs a process of changing the value of the PCR during reproduction. That is, the PCR is replaced so as to take a relative value from the PCR at the start of the program, the PTS is obtained from the replaced PCR value, and the PTS value is also replaced. By doing so, it is possible to reproduce a program that has been divided and recorded as one program so that joints obtained by dividing the program are inconspicuous.

As described above, when the same program broadcasted a plurality of times is received a plurality of times and divided and recorded, the absolute time is obtained from the absolute time correspondence information transmitted from the broadcasting station and the PCR, and the absolute time and the STC are obtained. By obtaining the current absolute time and performing divisional recording in GOP units using the current absolute time, it is possible to reproduce the data such that the joints are not conspicuous.

It should be noted that the absolute time correspondence information of the present invention is not limited to the absolute time when the count value of the PCR in this embodiment is zero. PCR count value is 100, 1
In short, 000, 20000, etc., it is only necessary to be absolute time when the PCR takes a predetermined count value.

Further, in the present embodiment, the current absolute time synchronized with the clock at the broadcasting station is calculated from the absolute time correspondence information, the PCR and the PLL synchronization circuit, and the recording / reproduction is performed using the current absolute time. I went, but not limited to this. The absolute time when the broadcasting station transmits the PCR may be calculated from the absolute time correspondence information and the PCR, and recording and reproduction may be performed using the absolute time. However, the joints of the boundaries recorded separately are somewhat noticeable during reproduction. That is, the PCR is transmitted from the broadcast station at intervals of at most 100 ms. That is, since the absolute time can be known only at intervals of a maximum of 100 ms, the absolute time obtained from the PCR has an error of a maximum of about 100 ms. Therefore, GOPs may be duplicated or missing as compared with the method using the current absolute time as in the present embodiment.

Further, in the present embodiment, the divided recording is
Although the operation was performed in OP units, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be performed in frame units. In this case, the GOP
It is only necessary to replace the processing in units with the processing in units of frames. That is, the timing of recording start and recording end is determined in frame units instead of in GOP units in the present embodiment. Further, in order to reproduce the overlapping portion so as not to be duplicated at the time of reproduction, the G in the present embodiment is used.
Instead of examining the overlapping part in OP units, it is sufficient to examine in frame units.

Further, in the present embodiment, the divided recording is
The recording is performed on an OP basis, and the divided recording start time and the divided recording end time are represented by the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time, and the elapsed time is recorded in pairs with the divided recording portion, but is not limited thereto. The divided recording start time and the divided recording end time may be recorded as absolute times. In this case, the EPG
It is necessary to convert the divided recording start time and the divided recording end time into the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time with reference to the information. Alternatively, a representative time may be assigned to each GOP, and each divided GOP and each representative time may be recorded as a pair during divided recording. In this case, the representative time recorded as a pair with each GOP may be the current absolute time or the elapsed time from the program broadcast start time. These are also effective when processing is performed on a frame basis. That is, when division recording is performed in frame units, the division recording start time and division recording end time may be recorded as absolute times. Also, a representative time is assigned to each frame,
At the time of division recording, each frame and each representative time may be recorded as a pair. For a specific method of assigning the representative time assigned to each GOP or each frame, for example, the average value of the absolute times of the two boundary portions of the GOP or the frame is calculated as GO
The representative value of P may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the timing of division recording is determined using the absolute time correspondence information and the current absolute time obtained from the PCR and STC, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The timing of division recording may be determined without using the STC. For example, the transport decoder 3 performs proportional calculation from two adjacent PCRs and the absolute time correspondence information,
Compute the current absolute time of each piece of data. In the proportional calculation, the current absolute time may be allocated according to the number of transport packets, or when calculating the current absolute time corresponding to each part of the data, the current absolute time is allocated according to the byte length of the data. Is also good.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the divisional recording is performed, the parts recorded in the divisional recording are overlapped and recorded. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the timing of program broadcast start or program broadcast end coincides with the boundary of the GOP, the G corresponding to the recording start time and the recording end time indicated in the reservation schedule
The same effect can be obtained by starting or completing divided recording at the boundary of the OP.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the reservation information created by the reservation information management unit 9 is described using the absolute time, but is not limited to this. If the absolute time correspondence information is used, P
Since the CR count value and the absolute time can be associated with each other, the recording start and end times may be represented by the PCR count value as shown in FIG. 7B.

Further, in the present embodiment, the program is divided and recorded in the first half and the second half.
In other words, it is only necessary to divide the data into an arbitrary number, such as four, and record it.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which a series of numbers is assigned to GOPs and management is performed using these numbers.

The configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, the operation of the broadcast station will be described. The broadcasting station provides a user area for each GOP, and writes GOP serial number information in which a series of numbers are associated with the user area. GO
The P serial number information indicates that the program starts broadcasting and the first transmitted GOP is number 1 and the second transmitted GOP is number 2
And the number n is given to the nth GOP. That is, GOPs are numbered for each program.

The operation of the video / audio recording unit 10 up to divisional recording is the same as in the first embodiment.

The operation when the video / audio recording unit 10 performs divided recording will be described.

The video / audio recording unit 10 determines the recording start and recording end timings according to the clock of the recording device, the reservation schedule as shown in FIG. 7A, and the GOP serial number information. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the timing to start and end the recording is determined using a clock different from the clock of the broadcasting station and the GOP serial number information. .

The recording start and recording end timings are determined as follows. That is, division recording is performed in GOP
Perform in units. Then, when the clock of the recording apparatus approaches the division recording start time or division recording end time of the reservation schedule of the program to be divided and recorded, the video / audio recording unit 10 checks the reservation schedule, and starts recording or ending the recording. It is checked whether the recording portion is continuous with the already recorded divided recording portion. If they are continuous, the GOP is added to the GOP of the continuous divisional recording portion that has already been recorded and the GOP serial number information is checked. This GO
The recording start and recording end timings are determined based on the P serial number information so that the GOPs are not duplicated or missing. In this way, the recording of the recording device does not exactly match the reference clock when broadcasting the program, so that the recording can be divided so that the joints are not noticeable.

The above is described in more detail.
The reservation schedule is as shown in FIG. 7A, and the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 8 is shown in FIG.
Consider the case where Referring to these two pieces of information, it is understood that the divisional recording related to the program ID 200 starts recording 40 minutes and 30 seconds after the start of program broadcasting, and ends recording one hour after the start of program broadcasting. In addition, it can be seen that the division recording related to the program ID 202 starts recording from the start of program broadcasting and ends recording 40 minutes and 30 seconds after the start of program broadcasting. Therefore, 40 minutes from the start of program broadcasting
In 30 minutes, the program is recorded in two parts.
First, when the time approaches 9:40:30 with the clock of the recording device, the video / audio recording unit 10 sets the program ID 200
It is checked whether or not there is a divided record which is continuously connected to the divided record of the program and has already been recorded. In this case, the part that is continuously connected to the program with the program ID 200 is the program I
Although it is the division recording of D202, the division recording of the program ID 202 has not been performed yet. That is, the divided recording portion that is continuously connected to the divided recording portion of the program ID 200 to be recorded is not recorded yet. Therefore, the video / audio recording unit 10 starts the division recording of the program ID 200 when the clock of the recording device reaches 9:40:30, and ends the division recording when the clock of the recording device reaches 10:00. However,
Division recording is performed in GOP units. GOP serial number information
Since it is attached to the user area provided in the GOP, it is recorded simultaneously with divisional recording.

Next, when 10:30 is approaching, the video / audio recording unit 10 starts preparing to divide and record the program ID 202. That is, the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 8 and the reservation information management unit 9 hold whether or not there is a division record that is continuously connected to the program division record of the program ID 202 and has already been recorded. Find out by comparing with the booking schedule you have. In this case, the divisional recording of the program with the program ID 200 is continuously connected, and the program with the program ID 200 has already been recorded. That is, if the divided recording portion of the program ID 200 is connected after the divided recording portion of the program ID 202, it is understood that the program becomes one program in a time series. Therefore, the video / audio recording unit 10 sets the GO of the divided recording portion of the program ID 200.
Check the P serial number information. The serial number information given to the GOP of the divided recording portion of the program ID 200 is Y, Y + 1, Y + 2,.
.., Z-1, Z. Then, the program ID
In the divisional recording 202, the divisional recording starts when the clock of the recording device is around 10:30 and the GOP
It is determined that recording starts from the GOP whose serial number information is 1. The timing for ending the divided recording is determined so as to end when the GOP serial number information has been recorded up to the GOP of Y-1. In this way, the program E can be divided and recorded without duplication or omission.

According to the present embodiment, even if the clock of the recording device has a slight error with respect to the clock used by the broadcasting station for broadcasting the program, the program is divided and recorded without duplication or omission. You can do it.

Note that the serial number information in the present embodiment is not limited to information in which GOPs are numbered in units of programs. It may be a series of numbers assigned to GOPs sequentially transmitted from the start of broadcasting of the channel. In this case, the broadcasting station shall transmit the absolute time at the time of transmitting the first GOP using a private packet. The recording device can know the absolute time when the first GOP is transmitted from the private packet.
OP serial number information can be known. Therefore, it is possible to sequentially number GOPs sequentially sent from the start of program broadcasting. This number is the same as the serial number information described in the present embodiment, that is, the number assigned to the GOP sequentially transmitted from the start of the broadcast of the program to the end of the broadcast of the program. Therefore, similarly to the present embodiment, divisional recording can be performed without duplication or omission.

Further, in the present embodiment, the timing at which the divisional recording is started and ended is determined using the clock of the recording apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As in the first embodiment, the timing for starting divided recording and ending divided recording may be determined using the current absolute time based on PCR. However, even if the GOP serial number information is a series of numbers assigned to GOPs sequentially transmitted from the start of the broadcast of the program to the end of the broadcast of the program, the GOP serial number information is added to the GOPs sequentially transmitted from the start of the broadcast of the channel. It may be a series of numbers given. If the GOP serial number information is a series of numbers assigned to GOPs sequentially transmitted from the start of broadcasting of the channel, the GOP number at the start of the program can be known from the current absolute time based on PCR. Even if the absolute time when the GOP is first transmitted is not transmitted as a private packet, division recording can be performed without duplication or loss.

Further, in the present embodiment, the divided recording is
Although it has been described that the processing is performed in OP units, the present invention is not limited to this. G
Division recording may be performed in units of frames constituting the OP. In this case, the GOP is divided and recorded in the middle. Therefore, if the serial number information of the GOP divided on the way and the number of the frame from the beginning of the GOP divided on the way are recorded, another divided part continuous with the divided part is recorded. Can be recorded without duplication or omission.

Further, all or a part of the functions of each means constituting the recording apparatus or the reproducing apparatus of the present invention may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software by a computer program. .

Further, the present invention also includes a program recording medium which stores a program for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of each means constituting the recording apparatus or the reproducing apparatus of the present invention. Belong.

[0077]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, even if the same program broadcasted a plurality of times is received a plurality of times and divided and recorded, the recording can be performed so that the divided joints are not noticeable. Equipment can be provided.

Further, the present invention can provide a recording apparatus and a reproducing apparatus that can reproduce the same program broadcasted a plurality of times, without receiving the divided joints, even if the same program is received and recorded a plurality of times. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording apparatus according to first and second embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a concept of transmitting video data according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the concept of a recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a PLL circuit built in the transport decoder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of EPG information stored in a program information storage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of reservation information stored in a reservation information storage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of a reservation schedule based on an absolute time created by the reservation information management unit in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Showing an example of a reservation schedule based on a PCR count value created by a reservation information management unit in the embodiment

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a situation in which division recording is performed in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 (a) is a diagram showing a temporal relationship of a portion divided and recorded by using an elapsed time from a program broadcast start time according to the first embodiment of the present invention; and (b) a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state of a joint between portions recorded separately according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 tuner 2 descrambler 3 transport decoder 4 AV decoder 5 EPG processing unit 6 program information storage unit 7 reservation input unit 8 reservation information storage unit 9 reservation information management unit 10 video / audio recording unit 11 antenna 12 monitor 13 speaker 14 counter 15 Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCXO) 16 Phase Comparator 17 Part Divided and Recorded by Broadcasting Program ID 200 18 Part Divided and Recorded by Broadcasting Program ID 202

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Iizuka 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Hideaki Takechi 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Takuya Nishimura 1006 Odaka Kadoma, Kadoma City Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 1006, Kadoma, Kamon, Fumonma Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.F-term (reference) UA39

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A method according to claim 1, wherein data transmitted by using a transport packet of an MPEG transport stream and a PCR (Program Clock Referrer) are transmitted.
ence) for receiving the absolute time correspondence information for associating the count value with the absolute time, and a PCR for calculating, based on the absolute time correspondence information, an absolute time when the broadcast station transmits the detected PCR. Time calculation means; reservation schedule input means for inputting a reservation schedule in which a schedule based on absolute time is described; dividing the same program broadcasted a plurality of times into a plurality of broadcasts by receiving at least two or more broadcasts; When recording the divided recording program, the division recording start and division recording end timing of the divided recording program are determined using the reservation schedule of the program and the absolute time calculated by the PCR time calculation means, and the division recording is performed. A recording apparatus comprising: recording means. 2. A current time calculating means for calculating a current absolute time from an absolute time when a broadcast station transmits the PCR based on a signal oscillated by an oscillator phase-locked with the PCR, the recording means comprising: 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus uses the current absolute time to determine the start and end of divided recording of the divided recorded program. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the absolute time correspondence information is an absolute time when the count value of the PCR is zero. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the absolute time correspondence information is sent as a private packet of an MPEG2 transport stream. 5. The recording according to claim 1, wherein the reservation schedule input unit determines a schedule timing based on the absolute time on a GOP (Group of Pictures) basis. apparatus. 6. The reservation schedule input means determines a schedule timing based on the absolute time irrespective of a GOP unit.
5. The recording device according to any one of 4. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when recording the divided portion of the divided recorded program, the recording means additionally records at least a part adjacent thereto. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said recording means holds information for identifying information of said extra part. 9. When reproducing a divided recorded program recorded by the recording apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, the GOP
A reproducing device for changing over to another divided portion at the boundary of. 10. A data transmitted using a transport packet of an MPEG transport stream and a GO which associates a series of numbers with a GOP of the data.
Receiving means for receiving P-serial number information; reservation schedule inputting means for inputting a reservation schedule describing a schedule based on absolute time; receiving at least two or more broadcasts of the same program broadcasted a plurality of times When recording a plurality of recordings, the start and end times of the divided recording of the divided recorded program are determined by using the reservation schedule of the program and the GOP serial number information. A recording apparatus comprising: 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the GOP serial number information is added to a user area provided for each GOP of the elementary stream. 12. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the GOP serial number information is a series of numbers assigned to GOPs sequentially transmitted from the start of channel broadcasting. 13. The GOP serial number information is a GOP sequentially transmitted from the start of broadcast of a program to the end of broadcast of the program.
The recording device according to claim 10, wherein the recording device is a series of numbers assigned to the recording device. 14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said recording means determines the timing of starting and ending the divisional recording of the divisionally recorded program on a GOP basis.
3. The recording device according to any one of 3. 15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said recording means determines the start timing and end timing of the divided recording image of the divided recording program for each frame constituting the GOP. The recording device according to any one of the above. 16. The recording means, when dividing and recording the divided recorded program, stores a PCR value in the PC at the start of the program.
RTS is replaced by the relative value, and PTS
(Presentation Time Stamp)
15. The value of (5) is also changed.
Or the recording device according to 15. 17. The reproducing means, when reproducing the divided recorded program, sets the value of the PCR to the PC at the start of the program.
10. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the value of PTS is changed to a relative value from the value of R, and the value of PTS is changed accordingly. 18. A program for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the functions of each means constituting the recording apparatus or the reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 and stored therein. Program recording medium to be executed.