JP2004328591A - Video-recording and reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video recorder and reproducer which determines the priority for each recorded data and checks out a free space on a recording medium for each program scheduled for timer recording, when recording of the program is started, and based on the decision results and the order of priorities, automatically ensures a space for storing image data on the recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: Prior to recording a program scheduled for a reserved video recording, it is checked whether there is a free space on the image data recording medium 104 sufficient for recording the program to be recorded. When there is insufficient free space for the program, the necessary free space to record the program is ensured, by deleting as many recorded data stored in the image data recording medium 104, as is necessary to solve the lack of vacancy by means of an automatic deleting section 111, in the order of lower priorities according to the order of priority of each recorded image data which are determined in advance by a program priority determining section 114, based on the ordering of priority inputted by the user. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a video recording / reproducing apparatus that receives a broadcasted program, and records and reproduces video and audio of the program on a recording medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The conventional video recording / reproducing apparatus obtains the free space of the recording medium at the recording start date and time of all the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit, and each reservation information is automatically erased by an automatic erasing unit. The first state that can be stored in the recording medium at least, the second state that can be stored in the recording medium only when automatic erasing by the automatic erasing unit is performed, or recording even when automatic erasing by the automatic erasing unit is performed. The capacity check unit determines which state is the third state that cannot be stored in the medium, and notifies the user at the time of reservation registration (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-165162 A (Page 3-7, FIG. 1)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional video recording / reproducing apparatus as described above, under the condition that the recording data of the reservation information whose storage period has passed is automatically erased, the free space of the recording medium at the recording start date and time is obtained and the determination result is given to the user. Despite the notification, if the free space is not sufficient, there is a problem that the user has to select and delete the recording data to be deleted.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and provides a priority for each recording data, obtains a free space of a recording medium at a recording start time for all recording reservation programs, and determines a determination result. It is an object of the present invention to provide a video recording / reproducing apparatus capable of automatically securing a capacity for storing image data in a recording medium based on priority.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention stores an image data obtained by receiving a video signal in a recording medium, and generates a video signal created based on the image data read from the recording medium. In the video recording / reproducing apparatus for outputting, a program information storage unit for storing program information including at least a broadcast start date and time, a broadcast time length, and a broadcast channel relating to at least one program, and the program information storage unit stored in the program information storage unit. The program information stored in the program information storage unit corresponding to a reserved program set by the user by receiving a reservation setting input for setting a program to be reserved for recording from at least one program. A reservation setting unit that sets the reservation information as the reservation information, and a reservation information storage unit that stores the reservation information set by the reservation setting unit Calculating the free space of the recording medium, and determining whether the free space of the recording medium is insufficient when a program specified by the respective pieces of reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit is recorded. A program priority determining unit that determines the storage priority of image data of each program recorded on the recording medium based on a predetermined criterion. And an automatic erasing unit for erasing the image data stored in the recording medium by the number necessary for resolving the shortage of the free space, in order from the storage priority lower order. I have.
[0007]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video recording / reproducing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the video recording / playback apparatus includes a CPU 101, a tuner 102, an MPEG encoder 103 serving as a compression processing unit, an image data recording medium 104 serving as a recording medium, an MPEG decoder 105 serving as a decompression processing unit, a display control unit 106, Combination switching unit 107, program information acquisition unit 108, program information storage unit 109, capacity inspection unit 110, automatic deletion unit 111, reservation setting unit 112, reservation information storage unit 113, program priority determination unit 114, recorded program information storage unit 115, a data bus 116, a priority input unit 117, and a recording medium control unit 118.
[0008]
Here, as the broadcast to be received, recorded, and reproduced by the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment, ground wave or BS analog broadcast is assumed. In addition, it is assumed that the analog broadcast includes program information on the broadcast program superimposed on a broadcast signal. The program information includes at least a broadcast start date, a broadcast time length, a broadcast channel, and detailed contents of the program relating to the program.
[0009]
As a modified example, a terrestrial or BS digital broadcast may be received and recorded and reproduced. In this case, at least the MPEG encoder 103 among the MPEG encoder 103 and the MPEG decoder 105 is omitted.
[0010]
The CPU 101 controls the entire video recording / playback apparatus. The tuner 102 receives a broadcast signal transmitted by wire or wirelessly. The MPEG encoder 103 creates image data by compressing a video signal included in the broadcast signal received by the tuner 102 by the MPEG method.
[0011]
The image data recording medium 104 stores the image data created by the MPEG encoder 103. Writing and reading of image data to and from the image data recording medium 104 are performed by the recording medium control unit 118. Here, in the present embodiment, a random access medium such as a DVD or a hard disk is assumed as the image data recording medium 104, but a tape-type recording medium may be used.
[0012]
The MPEG decoder 105 expands the image data read from the image data recording medium 104 by the recording medium control unit 118 and converts it into a video signal. The display control unit 106 combines a video signal for displaying a combined image based on input information. The video synthesis switching unit 107 selects one of the video signal output from the MPEG decoder 105 and the video signal output from the display control unit 106, or synthesizes both video signals (for example, superposition). ) To output to an external display device (not shown).
[0013]
The program information acquisition unit 108 extracts program information of a plurality of programs included in the broadcast signal received by the tuner 102 and provides the program information to the program information storage unit 109. The program information storage unit 109 stores the program information provided from the program information acquisition unit 108.
[0014]
The capacity checking unit 110 checks the free space of the image data recording medium 104 via the recording medium control unit 118. When a program reserved for recording is recorded, if the inspection result of the capacity inspection unit 110 indicates that the free space is insufficient, the image data stored in the image data recording medium 104 is deleted. Are deleted in ascending order of storage priority in a number necessary for resolving the shortage of free space. The detailed operation contents of the automatic erasing unit 111 will be described later.
[0015]
The reservation setting unit 112 receives an input for recording reservation (reservation setting input) from a user, and performs a setting process for recording reservation. The reservation setting unit 112 includes an operation unit and the like as necessary. Reservation program information relating to a program for which recording reservation has been set by the reservation setting unit 112 is stored in the reservation information storage unit 113 by the reservation setting unit 112. The reserved program information is obtained by adding predetermined information to the program information of the program specified by the reservation setting input among the plurality of program information stored in the program information storage unit 109. Note that the contents stored in the reservation information storage unit 113 are updated in accordance with recording of a reserved program (or completion of recording), addition, correction, and deletion of the reserved contents.
[0016]
The priority input unit 117 receives an input from the user regarding the priority of the recorded program, and includes an operation unit and the like as necessary. The priority is a criterion for determining which of the image data of the already recorded programs is to be deleted when the capacity of the recording data recording medium 104 is insufficient. For example, it is represented by a numerical value of 10 steps from 0 to 9 (priority 9 is the highest priority). The input priority is added to the program information of the program and stored in the reservation information storage unit 113 as a part of the reserved program information.
[0017]
The recorded program information storage unit 115 stores recorded program information on image data recorded based on each reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 113. The recorded program information is configured by adding at least a recording mode to information (broadcast start date, broadcast time length, broadcast channel, detailed contents and priority of the program) included in the reserved program information. The content stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115 is updated in accordance with the addition or deletion of the recorded content of the image data recording medium 104.
[0018]
Before the recording of the program corresponding to the reserved program information stored in the reserved information storage unit 113, the capacity checking unit 110 determines the data capacity of the image data of the program to be recorded by the corresponding reserved program information ( For example, the prediction is performed based on the broadcast time length, and the free space of the image data recording medium 104 is detected via the recording medium control unit 118. Then, the capacity checking unit 110 compares the predicted capacity of the image data of the recording target program with the free space of the image data recording medium 104, and determines whether there is free space necessary for recording the recording target program (free space is insufficient). Is checked, and the result is given to the automatic erasing unit 111. At this time, when it is determined that the free space is insufficient, information on how much space is insufficient may be provided from the capacity inspection unit 110 to the automatic deletion unit 111.
[0019]
The program priority determining unit 114 determines the storage priority of the image data of each program recorded on the image data recording medium 104 based on the recorded program information stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115. The storage priority determines whether any of the image data of the already recorded program is to be deleted when the free space of the image data recording medium 104 is insufficient at the time of recording the program reserved for recording. And is determined based on the priority included in the recorded program information of each recorded program stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115. For example, as a rule, the higher the priority of image data, the higher the storage priority is set, and for image data having the same priority, the image data having a shorter elapsed time from the completion of recording is set to a higher storage priority. Recognition of the elapsed time from the completion of the recording is performed based on, for example, the broadcast time of the program included in the recorded program information, the recording time information added to the image data at the time of recording on the image data recording medium 104, and the like. The content of the determined storage priority is updated as the content stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115 is updated by adding or deleting image data recorded on the image data recording medium 104.
[0020]
Then, the program priority determining unit 114 gives the automatic deletion unit 111 information on the order in which the image data should be deleted based on the determined storage priority. This detailed operation mode will be described later.
[0021]
Before the automatic erasing unit 111 records a program corresponding to the reserved program information stored in the reserved information storage unit 113, the inspection result given from the capacity inspection unit 110 indicates that the free space is insufficient. In this case, the image data stored in the image data recording medium 104 is recorded in the number necessary for resolving the shortage of the free space in the order from the lowest storage priority according to the information provided from the program priority determination unit 114. The data is erased through the medium control unit 118 to secure a free space required for recording the reserved program.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the video recording / playback apparatus will be described. First, the operation at the time of recording reservation will be described. For example, when an operation input for calling the function of recording reservation is performed on the reservation setting unit 112, the reservation setting unit 112 gives the program information stored in the program information storage unit 109 to the display control unit 106, and The display control unit 106 creates a combined video signal for displaying graphics (synthesized images) such as a program guide based on the program information and display control data. The composite video signal and the display control data are provided from the display control unit 106 to the video composition switching unit 107. Then, the video signal is output to an external display device via the video synthesis switching unit 107, and the display device displays graphics such as a program guide. Then, the user refers to the displayed program guide or the like, determines which of the plurality of programs included in the program guide or the like to make a recording reservation, and makes a recording reservation for the determined program. Is input to the reservation setting unit 112. Then, the reservation setting unit 112 adds predetermined information to the program information of the program specified by the reservation setting input from the program information of the plurality of programs stored in the program information storage unit 109, and Is stored in the reservation information storage unit 113, whereby the program reservation setting for recording reservation is performed. At this time, along with the input of the reservation setting input, the priority of the program corresponding to the reservation setting input is also input.
[0023]
Next, an operation at the time of recording of a reserved program set by the reservation setting input will be described. When the scheduled broadcast time of the program corresponding to the reserved program information stored in the reserved information storage unit 113 approaches, the capacity check unit 110 performs a capacity check before the scheduled broadcast time arrives. That is, at this timing, the capacity checking unit 110 predicts the data capacity of the image data of the program to be recorded based on the corresponding reserved program information (for example, the broadcast time length, etc.). The free space is detected via the recording medium control unit 118, and the predicted capacity of the image data of the program to be recorded is compared with the free capacity of the image data recording medium 104 to determine whether there is free space necessary for recording the program to be recorded. It checks whether or not there is insufficient free space and gives the result to the automatic erasing unit 111.
[0024]
If the result of the capacity check by the capacity check unit 110 indicates that the free capacity is sufficient, the recording processing of the reserved program is performed with the arrival of the scheduled broadcast time of the program. That is, the video signal of the reserved program included in the broadcast signal received by the tuner 102 is compressed by the MPEG encoder 103 to create image data, and the created image data is transmitted to the image data recording medium by the recording medium control unit 118. It is recorded on 104. Along with this, a process of storing the corresponding recorded program information by the recorded program information storage unit 115 is performed.
[0025]
If the result of the capacity check by the capacity check unit 110 indicates that the free space is insufficient, the automatic erasing unit 111 performs the erasing process of the already recorded image data prior to the scheduled broadcast time of the reserved program. This is performed via the recording medium control unit 118. That is, in this case, the automatic erasing unit 111 deletes the image data stored in the image data recording medium 104 according to the information given from the program priority determining unit 114 before the scheduled broadcast time of the reserved program arrives. As many as the number necessary for resolving the shortage, the storage priority is deleted through the recording medium control unit 118 in ascending order, thereby securing the free space required for recording the reserved program. At this time, it is assumed that the saving priority of the image data stored in the image data recording medium 104 has been determined by the program priority determining unit 114 prior to the erasing process by the automatic erasing unit 111. Then, when the free space is secured by the erasing process of the automatic erasing unit 111, the recording process of the reserved program is performed with the arrival of the scheduled broadcast time of the program.
[0026]
Here, as a specific mode in which the program priority determination unit 114 gives information on the order in which image data should be deleted to the automatic deletion unit 111, for example, the storage priority at that time The information about the image data having the lowest number is given from the program priority determination section 114 to the automatic deletion section 111. In this case, when one image data needs to be erased in order to secure the free space, the automatic erasing unit 111 erases the image data having the lowest storage priority at that point in time. When the automatic erasing unit 111 erases the image data having the lowest storage priority at that time, a new storage priority is newly added when the deletion of a plurality of image data is necessary to secure the free space while the operation for the Is given to the automatic erasure unit 111, and this operation is repeated until the erasure of the required number of image data is completed.
[0027]
As another mode, a mode in which the storage priority of all the image data recorded at that time is given from the program priority determination unit 114 to the automatic deletion unit 111 can be considered. In this case, the automatic erasing unit 111 erases the number of pieces of image data necessary for securing the free space at once from the one having the lowest storage priority according to the notified priority.
[0028]
Next, the operation of reproducing recorded image data will be described. For example, when a reproduction command input (not shown) indicating which of the image data stored in the image data recording medium 104 is to be reproduced is received, the image data corresponding to the reproduction command input is stored in the image data recording medium. The image data is read from the medium 104 by the recording medium control unit 118, and the read image data is converted into a video signal by a decompression process by the MPEG decoder 105. Then, the video signal is output to an external display device or the like via the video synthesis switching unit 107 and output as an image.
[0029]
As described above, in the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment, before recording a program reserved for recording, it is checked whether or not the free space required for recording the program to be recorded is in the image data recording medium 104. If the free space is insufficient, the automatic erasing unit 111 records the image data according to the storage priority of each recorded image data determined in advance by the program priority determining unit 114 based on the priority input in advance. The image data stored in the medium 104 is erased in ascending order of the storage priority in the number necessary to resolve the lack of free space. For this reason, when the free space of the image data recording medium 104 is insufficient during the execution of the recording of the scheduled recording program, the free space required for recording the scheduled recording program can be automatically secured. In addition, there is no need for the user himself to select and delete any of the already recorded image data in order to secure free space, and there is no occurrence of a recording error due to insufficient free space.
[0030]
Further, since the user can input the priority of the image data to be reserved for recording from the priority input unit 117, the user can freely determine the priority of the image data, that is, the storage priority according to his / her preference.
[0031]
Further, in the determination of the storage priority by the program priority determination unit 114, the storage priority is determined for the recording data having the same priority based on the elapsed time from the completion of the recording. The accuracy of the determination can be improved.
[0032]
Further, since the video signal of the program transmitted by analog broadcasting is compressed by the MPEG method and stored in the image data recording medium 104, the capacity of the image data recording medium 104 can be used efficiently, and the recording time can be reduced. Can be expanded.
[0033]
Furthermore, since the program information included in the broadcast signal is acquired and used for recording reservation or actual recording processing, the user does not need to input program information necessary for recording reservation and the like, which is convenient. Can be improved.
[0034]
Further, since a randomly accessible medium such as a DVD or a hard disk is used as the image data recording medium 104, it is possible to quickly access the image data recording medium 104 at the time of recording and reproducing the image data, and to execute a shortage of free space. In this case, the free space can be easily secured by erasing the image data.
[0035]
Embodiment 2 FIG.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a video recording / reproducing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment is substantially different from the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment in that the storage priority of the image data recorded on the image data recording medium 104 is determined. 2 are different from each other, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
[0036]
In the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the priority input unit 117 is deleted from the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and the recording tendency extraction unit 217 and the priority information storage unit 218 are replaced by It is newly provided.
[0037]
The recording tendency extraction unit 217 monitors the recorded program information stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115, investigates the tendency of the recorded program (recording tendency) for a plurality of classification items, and, based on the survey result, The priority of each classification item of the program is determined. The priority information storage unit 218 stores information on the priority for each classification item of the program determined by the recording tendency extraction unit 217. The program priority determining unit 114 determines the storage priority of each image data recorded on the image data recording medium 104 based on the information stored in the priority information storage unit 218.
[0038]
The operation of the video recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. 2 configured as described above will be described below. Also in the present embodiment, image data recorded based on each piece of reservation information stored in reservation information storage section 113 is stored in image data recording medium 104. Recorded program information of image data recorded on the image data recording medium 104 based on the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit 113 is input to the recorded program information storage unit 115 and stored. The recorded program information includes at least a broadcast start date and time, a broadcast time length, a broadcast channel, detailed contents of the program, and a recording mode.
[0039]
In the present embodiment, each piece of recorded program information stored in recorded program information storage section 115 is input to recording tendency extraction section 217. The recording tendency extraction unit 217 accumulates the history of the program information of the recorded programs, and creates a histogram for each of the three classification items of the genre, broadcast time, and broadcast channel of the recorded program. The genre of the program is included in the information on the detailed contents of the program.
[0040]
More specifically, a plurality of subclasses are provided for each classification item, and a histogram is created by counting how many times a program corresponding to each subclass of each classification item has been recorded. Is For example, as to the classification items of the broadcast channels, sub-categories are provided for the number of broadcast channels, and each time a program is recorded, the count value (histogram) of the sub-category corresponding to the broadcast channel of the recorded program is one. They are added one by one. Further, for example, for the category items of the genre of the program, sub-categories for the genre items such as news, sports, and movies are provided, and for the category items of the broadcast time, 24 hours are divided into a plurality of time zones, and A sub-classification is provided for each time zone.
[0041]
Then, the recording tendency extraction unit 217 determines the priority of each sub-category included in each classification item for each classification item based on the created histogram for each classification item. At this time, for example, the priority is determined so that the priority of the fine classification having a high recording frequency (histogram) becomes high. For example, when determining the priority of each sub-category included in the category item of the program genre, when the recording frequency of the movie program is higher than that of the news program, the priority of the sub-category corresponding to the news is determined. Are set so that the priority of the sub-category corresponding to the movie is higher. In a similar manner, the priority is also determined for each of the sub-categories of the broadcast channel classification items and for the broadcast time classification items.
[0042]
The priority determined in this way is represented by a numerical value (for example, 0 to 9), and the higher the numerical value, the higher the priority. Then, the priority of each sub-classification of each classification item determined in this way is made into a database and stored in the priority information storage unit 218.
[0043]
Each piece of recorded program information stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115 is input to the program priority determination unit 114. The program priority determining unit 114 recognizes information on a program (recorded program) recorded on the image data recording medium 104 based on the recorded program information, and the recorded program is classified into three categories: genre, broadcast channel, and broadcast time. Recognize which sub-classification the item belongs to for each classification item. Then, the program priority determination unit 114 determines the storage priority of the image data of the recorded program based on the priority of each sub-class included in each classification item stored in the priority information storage unit 218, As in the case of the first embodiment, information on the order in which image data should be deleted is given to the automatic deletion unit 111. The automatic erasing unit 111 erases image data as needed based on the given information, and secures free space.
[0044]
Here, the determination of the storage priority in the program priority determination unit 114 is performed in such a manner that the programs belonging to the higher priority sub-category in each classification item have the higher storage priority. At this time, for example, the priorities of the corresponding sub-categories in the three classification items of the recorded program are simply added, and the higher the added value, the higher the storage priority is determined. Is also good. Alternatively, the three classification items are weighted, and a value obtained by multiplying by a weight coefficient of the classification item corresponding to the priority of the corresponding sub-classification in the three classification items of the recorded program is added, and the added value is added. May be determined such that the higher the recording program, the higher the storage priority. In this case, the weight coefficient of each classification item may be changed by a user's weight setting input to the program priority determining unit 114 or the like.
[0045]
Other operations not described here are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0046]
As described above, the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment is substantially the same as the above-described first embodiment except for the effect related to the point that the storage priority is determined based on the priority set by the user. Effects can be obtained.
[0047]
In the present embodiment, the recording tendency extraction unit 217 stores the recorded program information and investigates the tendency of the recorded program (recording tendency), and the program priority determination unit 114 determines the image data recording medium based on the recording tendency. In order to determine the storage priority of the recorded program recorded in 104, even if the user does not set the priority for the determination of the storage priority, the determination of the storage priority is automatically performed by reflecting the user's preference. Can be done.
[0048]
Further, a plurality of sub-categories are provided for each of three classification items of a program genre, a broadcast channel, and a broadcast time, and the priorities of the sub-categories are determined according to the recording frequency and stored in the priority information storage unit 218. The program priority determination unit 114 determines the storage priority of the image data of the recorded program based on the priority of each sub-class included in each classification item stored in the priority information storage unit 218. The storage priority can be determined by accurately reflecting the user's preference.
[0049]
Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a video recording / playback apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment is substantially different from the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment in that the storage priority of the image data recorded on the image data recording medium 104 is determined. 2 are different from each other, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
[0050]
In the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the priority input section 117 is deleted from the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and a reproduction history storage section 317 is newly provided.
[0051]
In the present embodiment, the reproduction history storage unit 317 monitors the reproduction status of the image data of each program recorded on the image data recording medium 104 via the recording medium control unit 118, and stores the image data of each recorded program. The number of times of reproduction is grasped and stored in real time. Further, the reservation setting unit 112 receives the user's input of the scheduled number of times of reproduction of the recording reservation program along with the reception of the reservation setting input for recording reservation. The program priority determination unit 114 compares the number of times of reproduction of the image data of each recorded program stored in the reproduction history storage unit 317 with the corresponding number of scheduled reproductions received by the reservation setting unit 112, and The storage priority of the recorded program is determined based on the priority.
[0052]
The operation of the video recording / reproducing apparatus of FIG. 3 configured as described above will be described below. Also in the present embodiment, when a recording reservation is accepted, the program information stored in the program information storage unit 109 is output to the display control unit 106, and the display control unit 106 forms a program table from the program information. Are synthesized by the display control unit 106 and output to a display device (not shown) via the video synthesis switching unit 107, and the program guide is displayed. When the user selects a program to be reserved for recording from the displayed program table and performs a predetermined reservation setting input to the reservation setting unit 112, the reservation setting unit 112 stores the program information of the selected program in the program information. It is obtained from the unit 109 and set as the reserved program information. Then, the reservation setting unit 112 inputs and stores the input program information as reservation program information in the reservation information storage unit 113.
[0053]
At this time, in the present embodiment, an input by the user of the number of scheduled reproductions of the selected program is received by the reservation setting unit 112. The input scheduled number of times of reproduction is stored in the reservation information storage unit 113 as a part of the reservation program information.
[0054]
The image data recorded based on the respective reserved program information stored in the reserved information storage unit 113 is stored in the image data recording medium 104. The recorded program information of the image data recorded on the image data recording medium 104 based on the reserved program information stored in the reserved information storage unit 113 is input to the recorded program information storage unit 115 and stored. The recorded program information includes at least a broadcast start date and time, a broadcast time length, a broadcast channel, program details, a recording mode, and a scheduled number of times of reproduction.
[0055]
The reproduction history storage unit 317 stores the reproduction history (the number of times of reproduction) of the image data stored in the image data recording medium 104 reproduced by the user's reproduction command input in the recorded program information stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115. Is acquired and stored in accordance with the program information of the image data.
[0056]
Each piece of recorded program information stored in the recorded program information storage unit 115 is input to the program priority determination unit 114. The program priority determining unit 114 records image data based on the scheduled number of times of playback of each recorded program included in the input recorded program information and the number of times of playback of each recorded program stored in the playback history storage unit 317. The storage priority of the image data of each recorded program stored in the medium 104 is determined. More specifically, the program priority determining unit 114 compares the number of times of reproduction of each recorded image with the number of times of reproduction, extracts a recorded program having the number of times of reproduction exceeding the number of times of reproduction as a candidate to be deleted, and extracts the extracted program. For the erased program candidates, the storage priority is determined such that the higher the number of times of reproduction or the number of times the number of times of reproduction exceeds the scheduled number of reproductions, the lower the priority is, and the same as in the first embodiment. Then, information on the order in which the image data of the recorded program should be deleted is given to the automatic deletion unit 111. The automatic erasing unit 111 erases image data as necessary based on the given information, and secures a free space.
[0057]
At this time, if there is no recorded program having the number of times of reproduction exceeding the scheduled number of times of reproduction, all the recorded programs recorded on the image data recording medium 104 are reproduced with a large number of times of reproduction or with the number of times of reproduction scheduled to start. The storage priority is determined such that the smaller the difference obtained by subtracting the number is, the lower the priority is, and information on the order in which the image data of the recorded program should be deleted is given to the automatic deletion unit 111. It is.
[0058]
Other operations not described here are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0059]
As described above, the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present embodiment is substantially the same as the above-described first embodiment except for the effect related to the point that the storage priority is determined based on the priority set by the user. Effects can be obtained.
[0060]
Further, in the present embodiment, the storage priority of the recorded program recorded on the image data recording medium 104 is determined using the number of times of reproduction stored in the reproduction history storage unit 317. The storage priority can be determined appropriately and automatically.
[0061]
Further, the storage of the recorded program recorded on the image data recording medium 104 is performed based on the scheduled number of times of reproduction received along with the recording reservation by the user of each recorded program and the number of times of reproduction stored in the reproduction history storage unit 317. In order to determine the priority, the storage priority can be determined by effectively reflecting the user's intention regarding the number of times of reproduction.
[0062]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the video recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, whether the recording medium has sufficient free space for recording the program to be recorded prior to recording the program reserved for recording. It is checked whether or not the free space is insufficient. If the free space is insufficient, the automatic erasure unit saves the recorded image data on the recording medium according to the storage priority of each recorded image data determined in advance by the program priority determination unit based on a predetermined criterion. The stored image data is deleted in order from the one having the lowest storage priority in the number necessary for resolving the shortage of the free space. For this reason, when the free space of the recording medium becomes insufficient at the time of executing the recording of the scheduled recording program or the like, the free space required for recording the scheduled recording program can be automatically secured. There is no need for the user himself to select and delete any of the already recorded image data in order to secure free space, and no recording error occurs due to insufficient free space.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video recording / playback apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a video recording / playback apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a video recording / playback apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 CPU, 102 tuner, 103 MPEG encoder, 104 image data recording medium, 105 MPEG decoder, 106 display control unit, 107 video synthesis switching unit, 108 program information acquisition unit, 109 program information storage unit, 110 capacity inspection unit, 111 automatic Deletion unit, 112 reservation setting unit, 113 reservation information storage unit, 114 program priority determination unit, 115 recorded program information storage unit, 116 data bus, 117 priority input unit, 118 recording medium control unit, 217 recording tendency extraction unit, 218 Priority information storage section, 317 playback history storage section.

Claims (10)

In a video recording and reproducing apparatus for outputting a video signal created based on image data read from the recording medium while storing image data obtained by receiving the video signal in a recording medium,
A program information storage unit that stores program information including at least a broadcast start date and time, a broadcast time length, and a broadcast channel for at least one program;
Receiving a reservation setting input by a user for setting a program to be reserved for recording from among the at least one program stored in the program information storage unit, and the program corresponding to the reserved program set by the reservation setting input; A reservation setting unit that sets the program information stored in the information storage unit as reservation information;
A reservation information storage unit that stores the reservation information set by the reservation setting unit;
Calculate the free space of the recording medium, and determine whether the free space of the recording medium is insufficient when recording a program specified by each of the reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit. A capacity inspection unit to perform;
A program priority determination unit that determines the storage priority of image data of each program recorded on the recording medium based on a predetermined criterion,
When the inspection result of the capacity inspection unit indicates that the free space is insufficient, the image data stored in the recording medium is reduced in number by the number necessary for resolving the insufficient free space from the storage priority lower. An automatic erasing unit for sequentially erasing,
A video recording / playback device comprising: The video recording / reproducing device according to claim 1,
The image processing apparatus further includes a priority input unit that receives an input by a user of the priority of the image data recorded on the recording medium,
The video recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the program priority determining unit determines the storage priority using the priority received by the priority input unit as the predetermined reference. The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 2,
The video recording / reproducing device, wherein the program priority determining unit determines the storage priority for the image data having the same priority based on an elapsed time from the completion of recording. The video recording / reproducing device according to claim 1,
A recorded program information storage unit that stores recorded program information for image data recorded based on the respective reservation information stored in the reservation information storage unit;
A recording tendency extraction unit that detects a recording tendency of a user's program based on the recorded program information stored in the recorded program information storage unit;
Further comprising
The program information stored in the program information storage unit further includes a detailed content of the program,
The recorded program information includes at least a broadcast start date and time, a broadcast time length, a broadcast channel, detailed contents of the program and a recording mode,
The video recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the program priority determining unit determines the storage priority using the recording tendency detected by the recording tendency extracting unit as the predetermined reference. The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 4,
The recording tendency extracting unit detects the recording tendency for each of three classification items of a program genre, a broadcast time, and a broadcast channel based on the recorded program information,
The video priority determining unit determines the storage priority based on the recording tendency of at least one of the three classification items detected by the recording tendency extraction unit. Recording and playback device. The video recording / reproducing device according to claim 1,
A reproduction history storage unit that stores the number of reproductions of each of the image data stored in the recording medium for each of the image data,
The video recording and reproducing apparatus, wherein the program priority determining unit determines the storage priority using the number of times of reproduction of each of the image data stored in the reproduction history storage unit as the predetermined reference. The video recording / reproducing device according to claim 6,
The reservation setting unit receives an input of the scheduled number of times of reproduction of the reserved program by the user along with the reservation setting input,
The program priority determination unit compares the number of times of reproduction of each image data stored in the reproduction history storage unit with the corresponding number of times of reproduction accepted by the reservation setting unit, and compares the comparison result. A video recording / reproducing apparatus that determines the storage priority using the predetermined reference. The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A compression processing unit that creates image data by compressing a video signal obtained by receiving a broadcast,
A decompression processing unit that decompresses the image data read from the recording medium to create the video signal;
A video recording / playback apparatus further comprising: The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A video recording / reproducing apparatus, further comprising: a program information acquisition unit that extracts the program information included in a received broadcast signal and stores the program information in the program information storage unit. The video recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The video recording and reproducing apparatus, wherein the recording medium is a randomly accessible recording medium.

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