JP2001256724A - Information recording and reproducing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information recording and reproducing system having a high-speed characteristic and large capacity characteristic while satisfying the requirements of simultaneously reproducing plural data streams. SOLUTION: The whole of the plural data streams inputted from a digital broadcasting signal receiver is recorded by a hard disk drive(HDD) of a high- speed and middle capacity. The entire part of the data streams having the highest possibility of being reproduced and the beginning parts of the other data streams are made to remain at the HDD11 and the whole of the inputted plural data streams is transferred to a video disk reorder 12 of a low speed and large capacity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a plurality of recording / reproducing devices having different access times and recording capacities, and using the plurality of recording / reproducing devices appropriately, while having a large recording capacity, and having a high speed. The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing system capable of performing a recording / reproducing operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, developments aimed at enhancing services such as digitalization of broadcast radio waves, high sound quality, high image quality, multi-channel, and development to data broadcasting have been actively conducted. For this reason, a new recording device for digital data is required on the receiving side.

[0003] The recording apparatus studied here is required not only for exclusive recording and reproduction of only one stream but also for simultaneous recording and reproduction of a plurality of streams, and has a very high transfer speed and a long recording time. Large capacity needs to be realized. Currently available practical recording devices include magnetic disk HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and optical disk VDs.
R (Video Disc Recorder), a digital video tape recorder (D-VHS (registered trademark)) for magnetic tape, and the like. These have different performance, HDD has high access speed (transfer speed), but recording capacity is not enough for long time recording, digital tape recorder has enough recording capacity but access speed is slow, quick search and simultaneous simultaneous Cannot play. VDR is intermediate between the two. In any case, all of the above requirements cannot be satisfied with only one type of recording device.

For this reason, as a second best measure, there is known an attempt to realize a high transfer rate and a large capacity at the same time by hierarchically using a plurality of types of recording devices and making the most of their advantages (1) Kurioka et al. "Study of Hierarchical Recording Method for Program Refrigerator Service" Eikyu Giho Vol.21 No.31 pp33-38 199
7, 2) Special feature "Information of the home" Nikkei Electronics Nikkei BP, October 6, 1997 (No. 700) 3) Minami et al. "Home server for integrated service TV" NHK Giken R & D No.5
2 pp77-84 1998.8).

[0005] By adopting such a hierarchical recording method, a plurality of data streams are simultaneously recorded by utilizing the high speed of the HDD at the time of recording, and the contents recorded on the HDD are transferred to a VDR or a digital VTR as appropriate. , H
By compensating for the shortage of the recording capacity of the DD, it is possible to simultaneously satisfy the demand for high speed and large capacity.

[0006]

However, even with the above-described apparatus for performing hierarchical recording, a data stream transferred to a VDR or VTR and a data stream not remaining in the HDD cannot be accessed at a high speed. There is. There is also a problem that it is not possible to cope with a request to execute the reproduction of a plurality of data streams at the same time.

When transferring a plurality of data streams simultaneously recorded on an HDD to a VDR or VTR,
If the internal data transfer is performed for a longer time from the end of the input of the data stream, the recording / reproducing ability of the entire recording device is reduced during that time, and a new recording operation from outside the device or a new recording operation is performed. A disadvantage arises in that the reproduction operation by the VDR (VTR) cannot be performed.

The access time of the VDR or VTR differs depending on the recording position of the data stream.
Fast response to user requests. HDDs and VDRs are random access methods and access times are relatively short, whereas VTRs are sequential access methods and access times are relatively long. Very influential. Normally, in a VTR, a new file (a file storing a digitized image or audio data stream) is recorded in the order of physical area from the initial head position. However, unlike a general computer data file, a file storing a digitized image or audio data stream is greatly affected by the user's preference and recording time. Since the newer one has the characteristic that the reproducibility is higher, a high-speed response to the user's request cannot be achieved only by the above-described time-sequential file arrangement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides an information recording / reproducing system having a high speed and a large capacity while satisfying the requirement of simultaneously reproducing a plurality of data streams. This is the first object. It is a second object of the present invention to provide an information recording / reproducing system capable of shortening the time required to transfer data from a high-speed recording device to a low-speed recording device and minimizing a decrease in recording / reproducing ability. It is a third object of the present invention to provide an information recording / reproducing system which can reproduce data transferred to a low-speed recording device more quickly in response to a user's request.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medium-capacity first recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording and reproducing a plurality of data streams in parallel. Controlling the operation of the second recording / reproducing apparatus, which performs recording / reproducing at a lower speed than the first recording / reproducing apparatus and has a larger capacity than the first recording / reproducing apparatus, and the first and second recording / reproducing apparatuses. The information recording / reproducing system comprising: a controller that records all of a plurality of input data streams by the first recording / reproducing device, and reproduces the data stream most after the recording operation is completed. All of the plurality of data streams are transferred to the second recording / reproducing apparatus, while leaving the entire high-performance data stream and only the beginning of the other data streams in the first recording / reproducing apparatus. And controlling the so that.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information recording / reproducing system according to the first aspect, the control device reproduces, of the data stream recorded first on the first recording / reproducing device, the reproduced data stream. As for the thing, only the first part
Is transferred to the second recording / reproducing apparatus, and the data not reproduced is controlled to remain in the first recording / reproducing apparatus.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a medium-capacity first recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording and reproducing a plurality of data streams in parallel, and recording at a lower speed than the first recording / reproducing apparatus. A second recording / reproducing apparatus that performs reproduction and has a larger capacity than the first recording / reproducing apparatus;
And a control device for controlling the operation of the recording / reproducing device, wherein the control device records all of the plurality of input data streams by the first recording / reproducing device, and During recording by the recording / reproducing apparatus, the data stream is controlled to be transferred from the first recording / reproducing apparatus to the second recording / reproducing apparatus as much as possible.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a medium-capacity first recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording and reproducing a plurality of data streams in parallel, and recording at a lower speed than the first recording / reproducing apparatus. A second recording / reproducing apparatus that performs reproduction and has a larger capacity than the first recording / reproducing apparatus;
And a control device for controlling the operation of the recording / reproducing device, wherein the control device records a plurality of input data streams by the first recording / reproducing device, and controls all input data streams. A data stream is recorded by the second recording / reproducing device, and the possibility of reproduction is determined for a plurality of data streams recorded by the second recording / reproducing device. The recording position in the second recording / reproducing apparatus is changed so as to be shorter.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a broadcast receiving system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A digital broadcast wave transmitted from a broadcast satellite 1 is received by a broadcast receiving antenna 2, a demodulation process and a decode process of the broadcast wave are performed by a digital broadcast receiver 3, and a display on a TV monitor 4 and a recording device 5 Recording is performed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recording device 5. The recording device 5 includes an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 11 as a high-speed and medium-capacity first recording / reproducing device,
A VDR (Video Disc Recorder) 12 is provided as a second recording / reproducing device, which is slower than D11 but has a large capacity, and enables high-speed access and large-capacity recording. The recording device 5 includes the HDD 11, the VDR 12, and the HD
A semiconductor RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 having a function as a data buffer of D11 and VDR12,
An HDD controller 25, a DVR controller 26, and a memory controller 27 for controlling these components, and a serial interface 2 to which a data stream composed of digital image data and digital audio data is input from the digital broadcast receiver 3 via the serial bus 21.
2 and a microprocessor 24 for controlling the entire recording apparatus
And a main controller 23.

The HDD 11 has a capability of recording and reproducing data streams of up to three channels at the same time (recording / reproducing data rate). The VDR 12 is composed of, for example, an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk and records a one-channel data stream. Have the ability to play. VDR
Reference numeral 12 includes, for example, an optical disk drive or a magneto-optical disk drive.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the recording operation of the recording device 5, showing a case where data streams S1 and S2 corresponding to two programs are simultaneously input from the broadcast receiver 3. The recording device 5 has a function of recording them simultaneously and reproducing them at the same time. The operation described below is performed by the microprocessor 24 and the main controller 2.
3 is executed in accordance with the control.

The 2CH data streams S1 and S2 input from the broadcast receiver 3 are once recorded simultaneously in the HDD 11 (FIG. 1A). Therefore, during the period from time t0 to t2, the HDD 11 operates in the write mode (W) (FIG. 3C). On the other hand, since the VDR 12 can record one CH, the data stream S1 is simultaneously recorded (FIG. 13B). At time t1 when the broadcast of the data stream S1 ends, the HDD 11 and the VDR 12 end the recording operation of the data stream S1, the HDD 11 continues the operation of recording the data stream S2, and the VDR 12
Directly records the end of the data stream S2.

When the broadcasting of the data stream S2 ends,
The HDD 11 is set to the read mode (R), and a portion of the recorded data stream S2 that has not yet been recorded in the VDR 12 is read and transferred to the VDR 12. Accordingly, the VDR 12 is in the write mode of the data stream S1 during the period from time t0 to t1, and is in the write mode of the data stream S2 during the period from time t1 to t2, as shown in FIG.

Although the time is shifted by the above-described operation, the data stream of 2CH can be simultaneously received from the outside of the recording device 5, and the data stream of 2CH can be finally recorded in the VDR 12. However, if this is the case, the broadcasted program (data stream)
, The capacity of the HDD 11 becomes short immediately. Therefore, only the data stream of the program most likely to be reproduced is selected and left in the HDD 11, and the data streams of the other programs are deleted while leaving only the beginning of the data stream. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is determined that the data stream S2 has the highest possibility of reproduction, and the data stream S2
In the case of No. 1, the beginning part is left, and the following part is deleted ((e) in the same figure). Here, the program most likely to be reproduced is, for example, the latest recorded program or a program explicitly shown by the user.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if a large number of programs are recorded, only one program data stream (only the data stream S2 in the example of FIG. 3) is recorded in the HDD 11, but other data streams are recorded. Since only the beginning of the program data stream is left, the required recording capacity can be reduced.

When a data stream is recorded as shown in FIG. 3, the HDD 11 and the VDR 12
The information as shown in FIG. At time t10, when two channels are simultaneously requested to be reproduced, as shown in FIG. 3B, the head of the data stream S1 in the HDD 11 is reproduced first, and after the VDR 12 is ready for reproduction, the VDR 12 is ready. The part behind the data stream S1 is reproduced. By using the HDD 11 as a cache in this way, it is possible to cover a delay in the reproduction start time of the VDR 12. as a result,
From the outside of the recording device 5, it appears that the data stream S1 has been quickly reproduced, and a high-speed response to a user's reproduction request can be realized. Since the HDD 11 records the entire data stream S2, the data stream S2 is also reproduced at the same time. In this way, the data streams S1 and S2 can be simultaneously and quickly reproduced, and it is possible to simultaneously satisfy the demands for large capacity and high speed.

FIG. 5 shows a case where the data streams S1 to S4 are recorded, and all the data streams S4 which are likely to be reproduced are left in the HDD 11, while
As for 1 to S3, a state is shown in which only the beginning part is left and other parts are erased (erased). By doing so, the recording capacity of the HDD 11 can be used effectively.

Although the above-described example is based on the assumption that the recording capacity of the HDD 11 is very small, a recording operation on the assumption that the HDD 11 has a little more room will be described below. FIG.
Is a diagram for explaining a recording operation when the data streams S1 and S2 are simultaneously input from the broadcast receiver 3 and the data stream S3 is input with a slight delay. In FIG. ) Indicates an operation, and “R” indicates a reading (reproducing) operation.

When recording starts at time t0, the HDD 1
1 records the data streams S1 and S2 simultaneously,
The DR 12 records the data stream S1. HD
D11 and VDR12 end recording of data stream S1 at time t1, and VDR12 starts recording of data stream S2. At time t2, the data stream S
When the input of No. 3 is started, the HDD 11 starts recording the data stream S3. At time t3, the HDD 11
Ends the recording of the data stream S2, and immediately starts an operation of transferring a portion of the recorded data stream S2 that is not recorded by the VDR 12 to the VDR 12. The VDR 12 records the data stream S2 transferred from the HDD 11 after time t3. Time t4
At, the HDD 11 ends the recording of the data stream S3, and ends the transfer of the data stream S2 to the VDR 12 at time t5. And the HDD 11
The transfer of the data stream S3 to the VDR 12 starts at time t5, and ends at time t6.

FIG. 7 shows the data stream S1 of the data streams S1 to S3 recorded as shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining processing when 3 is reproduced.
When a request to reproduce the data stream S3 is made in the state shown in FIG. 7A, the HDD 11 reproduces the data stream S3 because the HDD 11 has recorded the entire data stream. When the data stream S3 is reproduced, FIG.
As shown in (3), the data stream S3 is subjected to a process of erasing leaving only the beginning portion. in this way,
By sequentially executing the erasing process from the data stream for which reproduction has been completed, the recording capacity of the HDD 11 can be saved.

As another embodiment, there is a method in which the recording time is sequentially deleted from the oldest one, regardless of whether or not the data is reproduced. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining this method. FIG. 8A shows H in the data streams S1 to S3.
This shows a state where the data stream S4 is recorded in the DD 11 and further recorded. When the recording of the data stream S4 is completed, as shown in FIG. 4B, the data stream S1 recorded most recently is erased except for the beginning. Here, all the rest is not erased. In FIG. 3B, the data streams S2 and S3 are left, and the data streams S1 and S2
To S4 or 3CH of the data streams S2 to S4 can be reproduced simultaneously. In the former case, when the reproduction of the data stream S1 is completed, the reproduction is switched to the reproduction by the VDR 12, so that the reproduction can be performed simultaneously from the HDD 11 for another CH.

As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of data streams can be recorded at the same time by recording on the HDD 11 which can be accessed at a high speed during recording. In addition, a data stream that is most likely to be simultaneously reproduced for a plurality of data streams during reproduction is stored in an HDD.
11 and deletes the head portion in order from the one with the lowest possibility, so that when a reproduction request is made, the probability that the data can be reproduced from the HDD 11 is high, and it is possible to respond to the simultaneous reproduction request of a plurality of data streams. It becomes possible. In addition, since the data with low reproducibility is erased from the HDD 11, the free space can be secured. Further, since the head portion of the small capacity that does not compress the free space of the HDD 11 is left in the HDD 11, the VDR 12 having a slow start-up is reproduced. By playing back the beginning portion on the HDD 11 until it becomes possible, it appears to the user that simultaneous playback has been performed, and operability can be improved. Further, when the reproduction by the VDR 12 is started, the HDD 11 has a recording / reproducing capability for one channel, which can be used for recording / reproducing, and the number of data streams that can be simultaneously recorded / reproduced as the whole recording apparatus increases. Can be done.

(Second Embodiment) In this embodiment, the HD
D11 has a simultaneous recording / reproducing capability of a maximum of two data streams, and the recording capability of the VDR 12 is one data stream or more and less than two data streams. That is, it is assumed that the simultaneous recording / reproducing capability of the HDD 11 is lower and the recording capability of the VDR 12 is the same or higher than that of the first embodiment. Further, the VDR 12 does not directly record the data stream input from the broadcast receiver 3 but performs only the recording operation of the data stream transferred from the HDD 11. The HDD 11 records all input data streams, and executes the transfer to the VDR 12 as much as possible, that is, if there is enough transfer capability (simultaneous recording and reproduction capability). The other points are the same as the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a basic recording operation of the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. In this figure, HD
The simultaneous recording / reproducing capability of D11, that is, the transfer rate (bit / sec) is indicated by 2 × Rh.
The recording capability of the VDR 12, that is, the recording rate is Rd = Rh, that is, the recording capability of the VDR 12 is one data stream.

In the example of FIG. 9, when the programs of the two data streams S1 and S2 are simultaneously input from the broadcast receiver 3 (time t0), first, the HDD 11 starts the simultaneous recording of the two data streams. At time t1, the data stream S
1 ends, the HDD 11 immediately starts transferring the recorded data stream S1 to the VDR 12. Since the data stream S2 ends at time t2,
Thereafter, only the transfer operation is continued. And at time t3
The transfer of the data stream S1 ends at time t, and the transfer of the data stream S2 ends at time t4. In this example, V
Since the recording capability Rd of the DR 12 is R, the transfer of the data streams S1 and S2 includes the data streams S1 and S2.
2 requires the same time T1 and T2 as the time T1 and T2 required for recording in the HDD 11. The recording extension time after the end of the data stream S2 is 2T1.

As described above, when the internal transfer from the HDD 11 to the VDR 12 is simply performed when the broadcast of one data stream is completed, the internal transfer to the VDR 12 is performed as shown in FIG. When the broadcast of S1 (recording on the HDD 11) ends,
The simultaneous recording / reproducing ability of the HDD 11 is more than one stream,
Accordingly, the HDD 11 can perform the reading operation.

According to such a procedure, when the recording capability Rd of the VDR 12 satisfies Rh <Rd <2Rh as shown in FIG. 10, the internal transfer time Tr of the data stream S1
1 becomes shorter than T1, and under certain conditions, the internal transfer ends at time t2 before time t3 when the broadcast of the data stream S2 ends. Then, from time t3 when the data stream S2 ends broadcasting, the internal transfer of the data stream S2 is executed for the time Tr2. Therefore, the total transfer time of the data streams S1 and S2 is Tr1 + Tr2
However, according to the recording method shown in FIG. 10, Trt = Tr1
+ Tr2 + Tr3, which takes extra time by Tr3, and the recording extension time increases. Therefore, always H
DD11 transfer capability (simultaneous recording and playback capability) and VDR12
By maximizing the recording capacity of the video recorder, the internal transfer time is minimized, and consequently the recording extension time is minimized. Hereinafter, such a method will be described in detail.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, the data stream S
1 immediately after the end of broadcast (time t1), internal transfer starts,
Immediately after the transfer ends (time t2), the transfer of the data stream S2 is started. Here HDD
11 simultaneously performs the recording after the data stream S2 and the reproduction of the head of the data stream S2, and performs the idle time Tr3 as shown in FIG.
Is not provided. As a result, from time t1 to t3
Since the HDD transfer rate for two streams is used in the time Td0 before, no external recording or external reproduction is possible. The time Td1 from the time t3 to t4 is the HDD1
Since one transfer speed is vacant for one stream, recording and reproduction for that stream are possible. In a period Td2 after the time t4 at which the transfer ends, two streams can be recorded and reproduced. In this example, the recording extension time is Td1. In addition,
In this figure, Trt = Tr1 + Tr2, and Rd
× Trt = Rh × (T1 + T2).

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a recording operation when the data streams S1 and S2 are similarly broadcast at a time interval T3. During the time T3 from the time t0 to the time t1, the recording speed of the HDD 11 is Rh, so that the simultaneous recording / reproducing ability for one stream is left, so that it is reproduced as it is and transferred to the VDR 12. From time t1 to t2
During the period, recording of two streams is executed, so that the HDD 1
Since there is no free transfer capability of No. 1, transfer to the VDR 12 is not executed. When the broadcast of the data stream S1 ends at time t2, the VD of the remaining portion of the data stream S1
When the transfer to R12 is started and ended at time t3, the transfer of the data stream S2 is further started, and the transfer ends at time t5. The recording extension time is the time t
The time Tr3 is from time 4 to t5.

FIG. 13 shows a recording operation when the data stream S2 (T2) is added for a short time during the broadcast time (T1) of the data stream S1. Data stream S1
Is 1ch at time T3, so it is immediately transferred to the VDR12. At time T2 when the data stream S2 is input, transfer to the VDR 12 cannot be performed as described above. After that, during the time Tr1 from time t2 to t3, the remaining data stream S1 is transferred. However, at time t3, the recording catches up with the broadcast, and during the time Tr2 from time t3 to t4, H is transferred.
The DD 11 records the broadcast in real time (transfer speed Rh), but since the recording speed Rd of the VDR 12 still has room, the data stream S2 is simultaneously transferred. Time t
4, when the broadcast / recording of the data stream S1 is completed,
At the subsequent time Tr3, the entire recording speed Rd is used for transferring the data stream S2. With such a recording method, the recording extension time Tr3 can be minimized. In the example shown in FIG. 13, since there is a surplus in the recording speed (recording capability) Rd of the VDR 12, in such a case, simultaneous recording of another stream waiting for recording is performed, and the transfer speed is effectively used. I have.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a recording operation in a case where the HDD 11 has a capability of recording and reproducing up to three streams simultaneously and has a function of directly recording an input data stream on the VDR 12. Data streams S1 to S3 (broadcast times are T1, T2, T
3) are broadcast with a time lag between them, so that the
12 is executed. During a time Tr1 from time t0 to t1, recording of the data stream S1 by the HDD 11 and the VDR 12 is executed. From time t1 to t2, recording of the data stream S1 and S2 by the HDD 11 and the data stream S1 and the data stream S2 by the VDR 12 Is partially recorded at time t2.
From t to t3, the data stream S
1 to S3 and a part of the data stream S1 and the data stream S2 by the VDR 12 are executed. From time t3, the recording of the data streams S2 and S3 by the HDD 11 and the recording of the data stream S2 from the HDD 11 to the VDR 12 are started. The transfer is performed.

At time t4, the transfer of the data stream S2 catches up with the real time recording, so that the recording of the data stream S2 is executed at the recording speed Rh. Therefore, VDR
12, and the transfer of the data stream S3 from the HDD 11 is started. At time t5, the broadcast of the data stream S2 ends, after that, the recording of the data stream S3 by the HDD 11 and the transfer of the data stream 3 to the VDR 12 are performed. After the end of the broadcast of the data stream S3 at time t6, Only the transfer of the data stream S3 is executed, and the transfer ends at time t7. In this example, the recording extension time is Tr4 and VD
The extended recording time can be reduced to the minimum by making the most of the recording capability of the R12.

As described above, even when simultaneous recording of three or more streams is possible, the surplus recording (transfer) capacity is always assigned to the VDR 12 side to the stream waiting for transfer as in the present embodiment, so that both the HDD 11 and the VDR 12 are free. No time or extra transfer capacity is generated, and the extended recording time can be minimized.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of data streams of a received program are temporarily recorded on the HDD 11 having a high recording speed at the time of recording, and when the transfer speed (transfer capacity) of the HDD 11 is sufficient. Immediately using the margin and internally transferring it to the VDR 12, the VD
Since the recording speed of the R12 is lower than that of the HDD 11, the internal transfer time (recording extension time) that continues after the end of the broadcast is minimized, and during the internal transfer time, the adverse effect of restricting recording and reproduction from outside the recording device is minimized. Can be limited.

(Third Embodiment) In the present embodiment, the first part (VD
Only time until R12 is ready for recording) H
When the data is recorded on the DD11 and the rest is recorded on the VDR12, and when a plurality of data streams are recorded on the VDR12, the reproducibility is predicted, and the recording position on the VDR12 is changed in the descending order of the predicted reproducibility. It is something to do. In the present embodiment, since a data stream corresponding to one program is recorded in a file format on the HDD 11 or the VDR 12, the recorded information is called a "file".

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a basic recording operation of the recording apparatus of the present embodiment. A program data stream is input from outside the recording device 5 (broadcast receiver 3) and recorded. However, since the VDR 12 starts slowly and cannot start recording immediately, only the beginning of the program is temporarily recorded on the high-speed HDD 11 which is started. Meanwhile, VDR1
2 is ready for recording, so most of the rest of the program (data stream) is recorded in the VDR 12. By recording in this manner, at the time of reproduction, only the beginning of the program is reproduced from the high-speed HDD 11 which is activated, and during that time the VDR 12 is ready for reproduction, so that most of the rest of the program is reproduced from the VDR 12. Since the user can perform a high-speed recording / playback response, the beginning of the program is not lost during recording.
At the time of playback, it is played back quickly from the beginning of the program, and the seams on the image / audio stream are not conscious.

Further, since there are a plurality of recording devices called the HDD 11 and the VDR 12, the files on the VDR 12 can be rearranged easily and at high speed by using the HDD 11 as a buffer. V
As shown in FIG. 16, for example, the program files in the DR 12 are generally assigned empty areas in an order of being physically close to the initial head position, and are arranged in chronological order. The program file is recorded in chronological order of the files F1, F2, and F3, and the newly recorded file F4 is arranged thereafter. Therefore, when reproducing, the later the time series is physically farther from the initial head position, the access (seek) time is required, and the response time to the user's reproduction request is longer. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the files F2 to F4
The access times to are indicated by T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Since the seek time of an optical disk or a magnetic tape device is on the order of several hundreds of ms to several tens of seconds, the arrangement of files greatly affects the response time to a user's reproduction request.

Since it is not possible to specify which files of a general computer are reproduced with high frequency, the file arrangement is not strictly considered. However, program files have unique characteristics such as user preferences, recording times, program contents, and program lengths, and considering these, it is possible to estimate files with high reproducibility to some extent. By arranging a tall file close to the initial head position, it is possible to reduce the average time from a user's request for reproduction to reproduction.

As an example, the recording time and the number of times of reproduction are taken as attributes of a file, and priorities are assigned. For example, it is considered that the newer the recording time is, the higher the reproducibility is, and the lower the number of replays is, the higher the reproducibility is. Therefore, the ranking is shown in Table 1 below.

[0046]

[Table 1] In Table 1, the recording times of the two files in the upper column and the left column are compared with each other to determine whether or not the files have already been reproduced. Here, a record recorded at a new time is a new record, a record recorded at an older time is an old record, and a record whose reproduction number is 0 is not reproduced, and 1
Those that have been played back more than once are already played back. For example, when comparing a newly recorded / unplayed file with an old recorded / unplayed file, it is determined that the new recorded / unplayed file is more likely to be played, and the newly recorded / unplayed file is determined. When the file is compared with the old recorded / unreproduced file, it is determined that the old recorded / unreproduced file is more likely to be reproduced. If the reproducibility is shown in the descending order, new recording / unreproduced> old recording / unreproduced> old recording / reproduced> new recorded / reproduced.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the change of the recording position of the file F4 when the files F1 to F3 are already recorded in the VDR 12 as shown in FIG. 16 and the file F4 is newly recorded after the files. It is. File F4
After recording, the files F1 and F4 are compared, and the file F1
If the recording time is old and has not been played back, and the file F4 has a new recording time and has not been played back, the file F4 is determined to have the highest playback possibility, and as shown in FIG. The file F4 is moved, and F1 to F3 are moved behind it. Since the next reproduction possibility is higher in the order of the files F4, F1, and F2, the average response time to the user can be shortened.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the processing when the file F4 is further reproduced from the file configuration of FIG. In this case, the recording time of the file F4 is new, but since the file F1 has already been reproduced, and compared with the file F1, according to Table 1, the file F1 is more likely to be reproduced.

In the description so far, the attribute unique to the program file is considered in consideration of the recording time and the number of times of reproduction. However, it is also possible to consider in more detail. In the program attributes (news, weather forecast, movie), current information such as news and weather forecast will have lower reproducibility as the recording time gets older, and movie and the like will have much higher reproducibility without depending on the recording time.
Various priorities can be considered, for example, a shorter program is considered to be less likely to be reproduced in terms of the recording time length.

The arrangement change of the files as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 can be relatively easily and quickly performed by the recording apparatus in which a plurality of types of recording apparatuses are combined as in the present embodiment. In the case of VDR only, changing the file arrangement is not possible due to the small capacity of the semiconductor RAM, or takes a very long time due to the large seek time. However, as shown in FIG. 19, if the HDD 11 is used as a buffer for temporary storage, File relocation in the VDR 12 can be performed at high speed. That is, the file F4 is transferred from the VDR 12 to the H
When transferring to DD11 and transferring to VDR12 again,
Shift the recording position to the back, and at the same time,
The data is transferred to the DD 11 ((b) and (c) in the figure). Next, the file F4 is moved to the head, and the file F2
The recording position of F3 is changed slightly backward ((d) in the figure), and H
The file F1 is transferred from the DD 11 to the VDR 12, and inserted between the files F4 and F2 (FIG. 9E).

As described above, in the present embodiment, a file having high reproducibility is arranged at a position where the access (seek) time is short, so that the average response time from the user's reproduction request to the reproduction can be shortened. The apparent access speed can be improved. In the present embodiment, the HDD 1
1 and the VDR 12 are arranged in a hierarchical manner, so that the files can be easily rearranged. By using the high-speed HDD 11, the rearrangement process can be executed at high speed. Time to avoid pressure.

Note that the file reproduction priority can be easily set by using a table or the like with its attribute, so that the priority can be easily changed by changing the table by examining the user's preference. Also, VDR12 is D
A digital VTR such as a VHS system VTR may be used. In case of VTR, access time is VDR
Therefore, the effect of changing the recording position is large.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the configuration of the recording device 5 shown in FIG. 2 may be as shown in FIG. In FIG. 20, the point that the HDD controller 25 and the VDR controller 26 are connected to the main controller 23 via the bus controller 31 and the RAM 13 is a RAM 13a for VDR
And the HDD RAM 13b,
It is different from the configuration in FIG. 2 in that it is connected to the DR controller 26 and the HDD controller 25 (the memory controller 27 is deleted). HDD controller 2
5 and the VDR controller 26 with the bus controller 3
1, the load on the main controller 23 can be reduced.

[0054]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, all of a plurality of input data streams are recorded by the first high-speed and medium-capacity first recording / reproducing apparatus.
After the recording operation is completed, the entirety of the data stream most likely to be reproduced and only the beginning of the other data streams are left in the first recording / reproducing apparatus, and all of the plurality of input data streams are transmitted at a low speed. Large capacity second
Is transferred to the first recording / reproducing apparatus, the probability of reproduction from the first recording / reproducing apparatus when a reproduction request is made is high, and it is possible to respond to a request for simultaneous reproduction of a plurality of data streams.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, all of a plurality of input data streams are recorded by the first high-speed and medium-capacity recording / reproducing apparatus, and during recording by the first recording / reproducing apparatus. Also, since the transfer of the data stream from the first recording / reproducing device to the second recording / reproducing device having a low speed and a large capacity is performed as much as possible, the recording speed of the second recording / reproducing device is reduced. To be slower
It is possible to minimize the time of the internal transfer process that continues even after the input of the data stream is completed, and to minimize the adverse effect of restricting recording and reproduction from outside the system during the internal transfer process.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, all of the plurality of input data streams are recorded by the high-speed and medium-capacity first recording / reproducing apparatus, and all the input data streams are converted to low-speed and large-capacity data streams. Of the plurality of data streams recorded by the second recording / reproducing device, and the possibility of reproduction is determined for a plurality of data streams recorded by the second recording / reproducing device. Since the recording position in the second recording / reproducing apparatus is changed, the average response time from the user's reproduction request to the reproduction can be shortened, and the apparent access speed can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a broadcast receiving system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the recording device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a recording operation of the recording device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation of the recording device according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a modification of the configuration of FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 3 digital broadcast receiver 4 TV monitor 5 recording device (information recording / reproducing system) 11 HDD (hard disk drive, first recording / reproducing device) 12 VDR (video disk recorder, second recording / reproducing device) 23 main controller (control device) ) 24 Microprocessor (control device) 25 HDD controller (control device) 26 VDR controller (control device) 27 Memory controller (control device)

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5C052 AA01 AC08 CC01 CC20 DD04 DD06 EE03 5C053 FA15 FA20 FA21 FA23 FA27 GA15 HA29 HA33 HA40 KA08 KA24 LA06 5D044 AB05 AB07 BC01 BC04 CC01 CC04 GK11 HL07 JJ03

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A medium-capacity first recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording and reproducing a plurality of data streams in parallel, performing recording / reproducing at a lower speed than the first recording / reproducing apparatus, and An information recording / reproducing system including a second recording / reproducing device having a larger capacity than the first recording / reproducing device, and a control device for controlling the operations of the first and second recording / reproducing devices. The first recording / reproducing apparatus records all of the plurality of data streams, and after the recording operation is completed, the entirety of the data stream most likely to be reproduced and only the beginning of the other data streams are read out by the first recording / reproducing apparatus. An information recording / reproducing system, wherein control is performed such that all of the plurality of data streams are transferred to the second recording / reproducing device while being left in one recording / reproducing device. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein, of the data stream first recorded on the first recording / reproducing device, the reproduced data stream is entirely left, leaving only the beginning portion of the data stream on the first recording / reproducing device. 2. The information recording / reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein the information is transferred to the second recording / reproducing apparatus, and the information not reproduced is controlled so as to remain in the first recording / reproducing apparatus. 3. A medium-capacity first recording / reproducing device capable of recording and reproducing a plurality of data streams in parallel, performing recording / reproducing at a lower speed than the first recording / reproducing device, and An information recording / reproducing system including a second recording / reproducing device having a larger capacity than the first recording / reproducing device, and a control device for controlling the operations of the first and second recording / reproducing devices. All of the plurality of data streams are recorded by the first recording / reproducing device, and during recording by the first recording / reproducing device,
An information recording / reproducing system, wherein the information recording / reproducing system is controlled to execute the transfer of the data stream from the first recording / reproducing device to the second recording / reproducing device as much as possible. 4. A medium-capacity first recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording and reproducing a plurality of data streams in parallel, performing recording / reproducing at a lower speed than the first recording / reproducing apparatus, and An information recording / reproducing system including a second recording / reproducing device having a larger capacity than the first recording / reproducing device, and a control device for controlling the operations of the first and second recording / reproducing devices. A plurality of data streams are recorded by the first recording / reproducing device, and all input data streams are recorded by the second recording / reproducing device, and the plurality of data streams recorded by the second recording / reproducing device are recorded. The reproduction possibility of the data stream is determined, and the recording position in the second recording / reproducing apparatus is set such that the data stream having a higher reproduction possibility has a shorter access time. Information recording and reproducing system and changes.