JPH07249263A - Copy system for contents information of information signal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To copy also contents information which is not reproduced as an audio/video signal at the time of copying an audio/video signal. CONSTITUTION:Contents information of video software is already written in an IC memory 2a incorporated in a video cassette 2. When all AV signals reproduced from a VTR 1 are copied, after the VTR 1 transmits all IC data in the IC memory 2a to video recording VTR (not shown in the figure), reproduces all AV signals from a tape and transmits it to the video recording VTR. After the video recording VTR records all received AV signals, writes all received IC data in its own IC memory.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system in which a plurality of electronic devices are connected by a bus capable of mixing control signals and information signals such as a P1394 serial bus. The present invention relates to a technique for copying information (hereinafter referred to as “content information”) regarding the content of an information signal held on a medium onto a storage medium of another electronic device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional analog VTR, content information of video software is recorded outside a vertical blanking portion of a video signal or an audio / video signal range of a magnetic tape. In addition, a digital VTR (hereinafter referred to as “digital VTR”) that records and reproduces an analog video signal by highly efficient encoding.
That), it is considered to write the content information of the video software to the storage element incorporated in the video cassette.

The content information of such video software is written in when the video software for sale is produced.
Some users can write freely. The former includes chapters and TOCs (Table Of Content).
s) and position information on the magnetic tape corresponding to the corresponding page (time code in analog VTR, absolute track number in digital VTR, etc.)
In the latter, there is information indicating the recording date and time and the position of the user-specified checkpoint such as an index on the magnetic tape.

By using these contents information, it is possible to deal with various applications such as displaying the contents information for confirming the contents of the video software and performing a search using the table of contents. .

[0005]

Since the content information of these video software is not reproduced as an audio / video signal, it is not copied at the time of dubbing. Therefore, the duplicated video software cannot support various applications that the original video software supported.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to copy content information that is not reproduced as an information signal when the information signal is copied.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a first storage medium for transmitting an information signal stored in a first storage medium to a second storage medium for duplication. And transmitting the content information of the information signal stored in the third storage medium associated with the first storage medium to the second storage medium or the fourth storage medium associated with the second storage medium. Characterized by copying.

Here, the first storage medium and the third storage medium are, for example, magnetic tapes, and the second storage medium and the fourth storage medium are, for example, IC memories incorporated in a container of the magnetic tapes. Is. The information signal is, for example, a digital video signal or an analog video signal.

The transmission of the content information is performed before or after the transmission of the information signal by a dedicated data communication different from the transmission of the information signal. Then, the content information may be transmitted entirely or a desired part may be transmitted.

Further, the transmission of the content information is not limited to dedicated data communication, but may be transmitted in packets together with the digital video signal as incidental data of the information signal, for example, incidental data of the digital video signal.

[0011]

According to the present invention, when the information signal is duplicated, the content information is duplicated together with the information signal.

[0012]

1 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of a digital VTR used in an information signal duplication system according to the present invention.
The digital VTR 1 is a highly efficient coded digital video signal (hereinafter simply referred to as "digital video signal") for a video cassette 2 provided with an IC memory 2a.
It also has the function of recording and reproducing digital audio signals.

A digital VTR is used for the IC memory 2a.
Various data generated by a software maker or a user is written / read from the data processing unit 4 of No. 1 through an IC interface (hereinafter referred to as “IC I / F”) 3. These data are a structure for each event, and the event name, absolute track number, and other information are collected in a lump, and a plurality of them are linked. An event is, for example, a chapter transition, a date transition, an index, or the like.

The data processing unit 4 is connected to an audio / video signal processing unit 5, an operation / display unit 6 which is a man-machine interface, and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication I / F") 7 for the P1394 serial bus. Has been done. This data processing unit 4 is a digital VTR.
1 Control the overall operation.

The audio / video signal processing unit 5 encodes an analog video signal and an analog audio signal input from the outside into a digital video signal and a digital audio signal, and stores them in the video cassette 2 through a magnetic head (not shown). Supply to magnetic tape. Also, the digital video signal and the digital audio signal reproduced from the magnetic tape are decoded into an analog video signal and an analog audio signal and output to the outside. Further, the data related to the video signal and the audio signal generated by the data processing unit 4 is recorded on the magnetic tape together with the digital video signal and the digital audio signal as the video accompanying data and the audio accompanying data, and these data recorded on the magnetic tape are recorded. And reproduces the accompanying data of and outputs it to the data processing unit 4. Regarding such accompanying data, for example, Nikkei Electronics Books “Data Compression and Digital Modulation”, pp. 141-142
(October 1, 1993, Nikkei BP, Inc.), it will not be described in detail here.

The communication I / F 7 packetizes the data in the IC memory 2a under the control of the data processing unit 4, and P13
94 to another VTR or the like via the serial bus. Further, the digital video signal and the digital audio signal generated by the audio / video processing unit 5 are packetized,
It is transmitted to another VTR or the like via the P1394 serial bus. Further, various data in the IC memory 2a, various data related to video signals and audio signals (recording date,
(Channel, absolute track number, etc.) is packetized as accompanying data of the digital video signal and digital audio signal and transmitted to another VTR or the like.

Communication using the P1394 serial bus will be briefly described. FIG. 2 shows an example of a communication system using the P1394 serial bus. This system is equipped with a TV, a VTR1, a VTR2 and a camcorder (hereinafter referred to as "CAM"). And between CAM and TV, between TV and VTR1, and between VTR1 and VTR2
Between them are connected by a P1394 serial bus capable of transmitting mixed digital video signals, digital audio signals and control signals. Since each device has a function of relaying digital video signals, digital audio signals, and control signals on the P1394 serial bus, this system is equivalent to a system in which each AV device is connected to the common P1394 serial bus. .

In the communication system of FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 3, communication is performed in a predetermined communication cycle (for example, 125 μs). Then, both synchronous communication that continuously communicates at a constant data rate such as a digital video signal and digital audio signal, and asynchronous communication that transmits a control signal such as a connection control command irregularly as needed are performed. be able to. At the beginning of the communication cycle, there is a cycle start packet CSP, and subsequently, a period for transmitting a packet for synchronous communication is set.

It is possible to perform a plurality of synchronous communications by assigning channel numbers 1, 2, 3, ... N to each packet for performing the synchronous communication. For example, CAM
Suppose that channel 1 is assigned to the communication from VTR1 to VTR1, CAM sends a synchronous communication packet with channel number 1 immediately after the cycle start packet CSP, VTR1 monitors the bus, and channel number 1 is added. Communication is performed by capturing the synchronous communication packet. Furthermore, if channel 2 is assigned to the communication from the VTR 2 to the TV, the CAM to the VTR
1 and the communication from the VTR 2 to the TV 1 can be performed in parallel.

After the transmission of the synchronous communication packets of all channels is completed, the period until the next cycle start packet CSP is used for asynchronous communication. Figure 3
Then, A and B are asynchronous communication packets. It should be noted that the asynchronous communication packet includes the address of the communication partner (the physical address on the P1394 serial bus or VTR1, VTR2, T
Communication is performed by attaching a logical address for each product category such as V).

The digital VTR shown in FIG. 1 can transmit the data in the IC memory 2a by an asynchronous communication packet or a synchronous communication packet as ancillary data of a digital video signal or a digital audio signal. The operation of copying a digital video signal and a digital audio signal reproduced by the digital VTR shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, the video signal and the audio signal are collectively referred to as “AV signal”) with another digital VTR having the same configuration will be described below with reference to FIG. ~ It will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a procedure when the recording VTR copies all the AV signals of the tape of the reproduction VTR. In this case, the reproduction VTR transmits all the data in the IC memory 2a (hereinafter, the data in the IC memory is referred to as "IC data") by an asynchronous communication packet, and then all the AV signals (absolute track numbers 0 to 0) from the tape. END) is reproduced and transmitted as a synchronous communication packet. The recording VTR records all the received AV signals and then writes the received IC data in its own IC memory.

As a result, all IC data and all digital AV signals of the video cassette of the playback VTR are recorded V
It is copied to the TR video cassette. In this case, the reproduction VTR reproduces all digital AV signals (absolute track numbers 0 to END) from the tape and transmits them in a synchronous communication packet. The recording VTR copies the AV signals, and then records all the copied AV signals. The playback VTR is requested to use the asynchronous communication packet to transmit the content information, the playback VTR receives this request, and all the IC data is sent to the recording VTR using the asynchronous communication packet, and the recording VTR receives the IC A procedure of writing the data in its own IC memory may be adopted.

FIG. 5 shows a procedure in which the recording VTR copies a part of the AV signal of the tape of the reproduction VTR and writes a necessary part in the IC memory from the received IC data. In this case, the playback VTR transmits all IC data in asynchronous communication packets, and then starts transmitting AV signals in synchronous communication packets. The recording VTR is the first received AV
The absolute track number in the accompanying data of the signal is associated with the absolute track number of the position where recording is started.
Then, when the playback VTR finishes transmitting the AV signal, it writes the necessary portion of the received IC data in its own IC memory. At this time, the absolute track number is adjusted and written to the absolute track number of the recording position.

For example, when performing assemble editing for dubbing three programs of chapters 2, 3 and 5 in the playback VTR at one time, the tape of the recording VTR exists up to chapter 8 and when copying after that,
Chapters 9, 10 and 11. At this time, the absolute track number of the tape at the turn of the chapter is also written in the IC memory as an event.

Also in this case, the recording VTR is A as in FIG.
It may be configured to request the reproduction VTR to transmit all IC data after copying the V signal.

FIG. 6 shows a procedure in which the recording VTR copies a part of the AV signal on the tape of the reproducing VTR and requests the reproducing VTR to transmit necessary IC data after the reception of the AV signal is completed. In this case, the reproduction VTR first transmits the AV signal by the synchronous communication packet. The recording VTR associates the absolute track number in the incidental data of the AV signal received first with the absolute track number of the position where the recording starts by itself. When the recording VTR finishes transmitting the AV signal, it copies the copied AV signal (for example, absolute track number X to
Request the playing VTR using an asynchronous communication packet to send the IC data for Y). The playback VTR receives this request and uses the asynchronous communication packet to record the VTR.
To IC data relating to the AV signals of absolute track numbers X to Y. The recording VTR writes the received IC data in its own IC memory.

In this case, instead of requesting the transmission of the IC data relating to the AV signal after the copying of the AV signal is completed, the transmission of the IC data relating to the AV signal copied up to that point is requested at the time when the copying is performed halfway. The processing to be performed may be configured to be performed several times before the end of copying.
Further, it may be configured to always request the transmission of IC data slightly ahead of the AV signal being copied.

In FIG. 7, the reproducing VTR transmits IC data as synchronous data of the AV signal in the form of a synchronous communication packet, and the recording V
The procedure when the TR reconstructs IC data from the information in the packet is shown. In this case, the reproduction VTR transmits the IC data together with the AV signal as ancillary data of the AV signal.
The recording VTR has I in the accompanying data received with the AV signal.
Read the C data and write it in my IC memory. When the recording VTR copies a part of the AV signal on the tape of the playback VTR, the absolute track number in the incidental data of the AV signal received first is associated with the absolute track number at the position where the recording is started. At the same time, the IC data in the accompanying data is read, the position information is converted into the recording position of the tape of its own, and it is written in the IC memory of its own.

FIG. 8 shows a procedure for transmitting the contents information by the asynchronous communication packet every time the playback VTR transmits the AV signal of the portion relating to the contents information of the video software by the synchronization communication packet.

In this case, each time the recording VTR receives IC data, it writes it in its own IC memory. For example, when the user puts a mark of a still image for printing on the original tape and the absolute track number (for example, P) is written in the IC memory, the playback VTR compares the AV data with its own IC data. And the video signal reproduced from the track having the absolute track number P is transmitted, the track P transmits IC data indicating that it is a printed still image.

When the recording VTR copies a part of the AV signal of the tape of the reproducing VTR, the absolute track number in the accompanying data of the AV signal received first and the absolute track number of the position where the recording starts by itself. And the received IC data is converted so that it fits the tape and written in the IC memory.

In the above embodiment, the AV signal and the content information in the digital VTR are duplicated, but the present invention can be applied to the analog VTR. In this case, an analog AV cable is used for transmitting the analog AV signal, and a digital signal line is used for transmitting the IC data.

In the case of an analog VTR, the content information recorded outside the AV signal range of the magnetic tape can be transmitted. Further, the present invention is
It can be applied not only to the duplication of the V signal, but also to an apparatus for duplicating a digital audio signal or other digital information signal.

[0035]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, since the content information of the information signal is also duplicated when the information signal is duplicated, for example, it is possible to duplicate various applications that can be handled by the original video software. It can also be used with a video tape.

Further, by applying the present invention to a system for copying a large amount of tapes from a master tape, such as a system for producing video software for sale,
It is possible to obtain a large number of copy tapes in which the content information is duplicated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a digital VTR used in an information signal duplication system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a communication system using a P1394 serial bus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a communication cycle in a communication system using a P1394 serial bus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure when a recording VTR copies all AV signals on a tape of a reproduction VTR.

FIG. 5 shows a procedure in which the recording VTR copies a part of the AV signal on the tape of the reproduction VTR and writes a necessary part from the received IC data in the IC memory.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure in the case where the recording VTR copies a part of the AV signal on the tape of the reproduction VTR and requests the reproduction VTR to transmit necessary IC data after receiving the AV signal.

FIG. 7: The recording VTR copies the AV signal of the tape of the playback VTR, and I
It is a figure which shows the procedure at the time of reconstructing C data.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a procedure in the case where the playback VTR transmits an AV signal of a portion relating to content information of video software by a synchronous communication packet, by transmitting the content information by an asynchronous communication packet.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Digital VTR, 2 ... Video cassette, 2a ... IC
Memory, 3 ... IC I / F, 4 ... Data processing unit, 5 ... Audio / video signal processing unit, 6 ... Operation / display unit, 7 ...
Communication I / F

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yuko Iijima 6-735 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. When transmitting an information signal stored in a first storage medium to a second storage medium for duplication, the first signal is stored in the first storage medium.
Content information of the information signal stored in the third storage medium associated with the first storage medium or the fourth storage associated with the second storage medium or the second storage medium. A content information duplication method of an information signal characterized by transmitting to a medium and duplication. 2. The content information duplication system of an information signal according to claim 1, wherein all or a desired part of the content information is transmitted by dedicated data communication before or after the transmission of the information signal. 3. The content information duplicating method of an information signal according to claim 1, wherein the content information is transmitted by data attached to the packet of the information signal. 4. The content information duplication system of an information signal according to claim 1, wherein the content information is transmitted by dedicated data communication in parallel with the transmission of the information signal.