JP2002298501A - System and method for recording and reproducing data - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently utilize the recordable capacity of each recording medium by avoiding data omission without overlappingly recording a portion of continuous data on each recording and reproducing device and realizing seamless reproduction even in the case of recording the data, extending over a plurality of recording and reproducing devices on which a recording medium is mounted. SOLUTION: When the recordable capacity reaches a prescribed value during stream recording to a recording medium 104a, streams are started to be parallelly stored in a buffer memory 106b. After the point of time of finishing recording the streams to the recording medium 104a, the streams are transferred to a recording medium 104b to be recorded from the streams stored in the buffer memory 106b at the point of time while continuously storing streams in the buffer memory 106b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data recording / reproducing system which comprises a plurality of recording / reproducing apparatuses each having a recording medium mounted thereon, records and reproduces digital data by dividing the plurality of recording media, and data in the system The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing method, and more particularly to a data recording / reproducing system and a data recording / reproducing method capable of performing recording / reproducing seamlessly without data loss due to switching of the recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, when recording exceeding the recordable time of one recording medium is performed, the recording operation is switched with the exchange of the recording medium or in a double deck recording / reproducing apparatus for switching the recording operation to a mechanical deck. Accompanying this, recording information is missing or duplicated due to the time required for them.

In view of such a situation, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-33
Japanese Patent No. 9447 discloses a technique for performing recording and reproduction using a plurality of recording media without causing data content to be lost.

According to the above publication, in a recording / reproducing apparatus provided with a plurality of deck units, when the recordable capacity of a recording medium previously recorded by a certain deck unit becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, another recording unit is used. Subsequently, recording on a recording medium is performed by the deck unit. At this time, in order to prevent information loss from occurring in the data recorded over the two recording media, the last predetermined section of the recording data of the preceding recording medium and the first predetermined section of the data of the succeeding recording medium are determined. Thus, a section where the recorded contents overlap is formed.

[0005] Further, by setting a pointer to a required specific position with respect to the data in the overlapping section, information used as a reproduction end / start position is obtained, thereby enabling seamless reproduction. Furthermore, by erasing the recording data after the data position indicated by the pointer set on the preceding recording medium and the recording data before the data position indicated by the pointer set on the following recording medium, The end of the data recorded on the preceding recording medium,
It is assumed that the content set from the beginning of the data set on the subsequent recording medium is continuous.

[0006]

However, in the conventional recording / reproducing apparatus, in order to avoid a loss of information,
Basically, the overlapping section is provided in each recording medium. Alternatively, a pointer is set at a specific position in the overlapping section, and a part of the overlapping recording data is deleted. For this reason, seamless reproduction is possible, but on the other hand, there is no use in recording data. That is, the recordable capacity of each recording medium cannot be used efficiently.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and utilizes a buffer memory provided in each recording / reproducing apparatus to use data (hereinafter referred to as a stream) which is continuously input to a system for a long time. The present invention is to provide a data recording / reproducing system and a data recording / reproducing method in which a data recording / reproducing method is recorded without division and without duplication on a plurality of recording media and seamlessly reproduced.

[0008]

A data recording / reproducing system according to the present invention has at least first and second recording / reproducing devices, and records and reproduces digital data supplied from an external device. It is. The first recording / reproducing apparatus includes a first interface unit for inputting / outputting data to / from an external device, a first recording unit for recording input data, and a unit for recording data on the first recording unit. Detecting the remaining capacity of the recordable capacity of the first recording means, and when the remaining capacity is equal to or less than a first predetermined value and when the remaining capacity is exhausted, the second recording / reproducing apparatus is notified. , And first recording / reproducing control means for transmitting the first and second commands, respectively. The second recording / reproducing apparatus is connected to the first interface means for inputting / outputting data, second interface means for recording input data, and temporarily storing the input data. When the first command is received, the recording of data in the second buffer is started, and when the second command is received, the second command is received after the second command. The data recorded in the buffer means of the second
Second recording / reproduction control means for transferring and recording to the recording means.

According to the above configuration, even when continuous data is recorded across a plurality of recording / reproducing apparatuses on which a recording medium is mounted, some data is duplicated in each recording / reproducing apparatus. Without recording, data loss can be avoided. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently utilize the recordable capacity of each recording medium.

In the data recording / reproducing system of the present invention, the first predetermined value is set to be equal to or less than the capacity of the second buffer means. Thus, overflow of the second buffer means can be prevented.

Further, in the data recording / reproducing system according to the present invention, the first recording / reproducing apparatus further includes a first buffer means for temporarily recording the input data, and the first data is recorded on the first recording means. During the reproduction of the data, the first recording / reproduction control means detects the remaining amount of reproduction of the data recorded in the first recording means, and when the remaining amount becomes equal to or less than the second predetermined value, the first recording / reproduction control means When the third command is transmitted to the second recording / reproducing apparatus, and the second recording / reproducing control means receives the third command, the second recording / reproducing control means transmits the data recorded in the second recording means to the first recording / reproducing apparatus.
And the first recording / reproduction control means,
When the remaining amount of reproduction of the first recording means is exhausted, the data transferred to the first buffer means is reproduced.

With this, when continuous data is recorded across a plurality of recording / reproducing apparatuses equipped with a recording medium, even if some of the data is not recorded in each recording / reproducing apparatus in duplicate, Seamless playback that avoids the lack of a file becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently utilize the recordable capacity of each recording medium.

Further, in the data recording / reproducing system of the present invention, the second predetermined value is set to be equal to or less than the capacity of the first buffer means. Thus, overflow of the second buffer means can be prevented.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment to which the present invention has been applied. Here, as the recording / reproducing device 101,
VTRs, DVDs, AV-HDDs and the like are conceivable.

In FIG. 1, a recording / reproducing apparatus 101 mainly includes a digital interface (hereinafter, referred to as a D-IF) 102, a control unit 103, a recording medium 104, a drive 105, a buffer memory 106, and an internal connection switching unit 1.
07, and a command transmission / reception unit 108, and each component is connected to the control unit 103 via an internal bus 109.

The D-IF 102 is an IEEE (the Instit)
ute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers inc.) 1
This is an interface with the cable 110 conforming to 394, through which an encoded stream transmitted in digital broadcasting such as CS or BS is guided.

This coded stream is, for example, an image or a sound represented in a transport stream (TS) format which is one of the MPEG2 systems, and has a D-I
F102 decodes a stream input in the TS format during recording, and encodes and outputs a stream read from the recording medium 104 during reproduction.

IEEE 1394 is a high-speed serial bus standard that not only specifies a data transmission method between a PC and peripheral devices, but also enables connection between digital devices such as digital cameras and digital video decks. Also, IEEE
In E1394, it is possible to transmit AV data and commands over the same cable.

The control unit 103 includes a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM.
The recording / reproducing apparatus 101 controls each component to execute recording of the stream input via the D-IF 102 on the recording medium 104 and reproduction of the stream recorded on the recording medium 104.

When recording and reproducing a stream using a plurality of recording and reproducing devices, the control unit 103 controls the D-IF 102 to realize seamless recording and reproducing.
Command is exchanged with a control unit of another recording / reproducing apparatus connected via the PC. Further, the control unit 103 controls the drive 1
At 05, the recordable capacity of the recording medium 104 is checked at a predetermined timing.

The drive 105 is, for example, a recording medium 104 comprising a DVD-RAM in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 103.
And the stream recorded on the recording medium 104 is reproduced. At this time, the drive 105 uses the built-in track buffer to record the stream in a predetermined byte unit on the recording medium 104 at the time of recording, and also records the stream in the predetermined byte unit at the time of reproduction.
Play from.

When recording and reproducing a stream using a plurality of recording / reproducing devices, the drive 105 records the recorded stream over a plurality of recording media in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 103. Is written to the management data recording area of the recording medium 104.

When recording a stream across a plurality of recording / reproducing devices, the buffer memory 106 temporarily accumulates the stream so that seamless recording / reproduction can be performed without any excess or shortage at the connection points of the respective streams. Used for

The internal connection switching unit 107 is used to record and reproduce a stream using a plurality of recording and reproducing devices.
The recording location of the stream is switched between the recording medium 104 and the buffer memory 106 according to an instruction issued by the control unit 103 at a predetermined timing.

When recording and reproducing a stream using a plurality of recording / reproducing devices, the command transmitting / receiving unit 108 controls the remaining storage capacity of the recording medium 104 during recording or reproducing of the stream in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 103. That the amount or the remaining amount of reproduction has become equal to or less than a predetermined value, and that the storage medium 10
The fact that the storable capacity of No. 4 has become zero is transmitted as a command to another recording / reproducing device, and a command from the other recording / reproducing device is received.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a data recording / reproducing system constructed by combining two recording / reproducing apparatuses shown in FIG. Here, in order to simply explain the transmission procedure of the stream to be recorded and reproduced, the components shown in FIG. 1 are appropriately extracted and shown. It should be noted that each component included in each of the recording / reproducing devices 101a or 101b is described by adding a or b to the end of the reference numerals. Also, each recording / reproducing device 101a or 101b has a VT
Any of R, DVD, AV-HDD, etc. may be used, and their combination is also optional.

In the data recording / reproducing system shown in FIG. 2, two recording / reproducing apparatuses 101a and 101b are connected to their own D-IFs 102a and 102b via a cable compliant with IEEE1394. Also, the D-
The IF 102a is connected via a cable 202 conforming to IEEE 1394 to a D-I
It is connected to F204.

For example, a tuner 203 of a set-top box type receives a digital broadcast wave such as CS or BS via an antenna 205, extracts a stream from the broadcast wave, and performs the encoding by a D-IF 204.
Further, a monitor 206 composed of a digital TV or the like is connected to the tuner 203.

Next, the operation of the data recording / reproducing system shown in FIG. 2 when recording a stream will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 are schematic block diagrams for explaining the operation of the data recording / reproducing system at the time of stream recording, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation.

When the tuner 203 supplies the encoded stream to the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a via the cable 202, the D-IF 102a sequentially composites the encoded stream (S1). Internal connection switching unit 107a
Specifies the recording medium 104a as shown in FIG.
The recording of the composite stream in the D-IF 102a is started (S2).

The control unit 103 checks the current recordable capacity of the recording medium 104a every time a stream is recorded on the recording medium 104 at a predetermined timing, for example, in a predetermined byte unit, and checks whether there is sufficient free space. Is determined (S3).

When the recording medium 104a is of a tape type, the recordable capacity can be checked based on, for example, the rotation speed of the drive 105a. In the D-VHS system, the recording / reproducing apparatus has a tape navigation function, and the control unit keeps track of the remaining amount of the tape.

In step S3, the recording medium 104a
When the control unit 103a detects that the remaining amount of the recordable area of the storage unit has become equal to or less than the preset capacity, the command transmitting / receiving unit 108a notifies the recording / reproducing device 101b of the arrival of the predetermined amount of the remaining amount. Command (S
4).

Each control unit 103a and / or 103b has
The order in which recording and reproduction are performed in the entire data recording and reproduction system is set in advance. As a result, a connection process between the recording / reproducing apparatuses 101a and 101b is performed, and transmission of the encoded stream to the apparatus 101b is started.

Here, the encoded stream is transmitted from the tuner 203 via the cable 202, the D-IF 102a, and the cable 201 to the DI of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101b.
It is transmitted to F102b.

When the coded stream is supplied to the recording / reproducing apparatus 101b, the D-IF 102b sequentially combines the coded stream, and
Specifies the buffer memory 106b and specifies the D-IF 10
The storage of the stream composited in 2b is started (S5).

At this time, the stream is continuously recorded on the recording medium 104a of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a. That is, during a predetermined period, as shown in FIG.
Recording of a stream on the recording medium 104a of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a and buffer memory 1 of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101b
The accumulation of the stream in the 06b is performed at the same time.

The control unit 103a repeatedly checks the current recordable capacity of the recording medium 104a at a predetermined timing (S6). In step S6, when the control unit 103a detects that the recordable area of the recording medium 104a has run out, the command transmission / reception unit 10
8a is a recording medium 104 for the recording / reproducing apparatus 101b.
A predetermined command for notifying the end of stream recording to a is transmitted (S7).

In the recording / reproducing apparatus 101b which has received the recording end command, the stream stored in the buffer memory 106b after the moment when the command is received is targeted.
Transfer / recording to the recording medium 104b is started (S8).
Thereafter, in the buffer memory 106b, as shown in FIG.
The transfer to the recording medium 104b is performed.

By switching the recording location of the stream according to the above-described procedure, it is possible to instantaneously synchronize and record continuously on the two recording media 104a and 104b without causing any loss in the stream.

By setting the set value of the remaining recordable capacity of the recording medium 104a to be equal to or less than the capacity of the buffer memory 106b of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101b, overflow of the buffer memory 106b can be prevented. Also, both control units 103a
If there is a delay in data exchange between -103b, the control start time of the control unit 103b may be set to be delayed in advance in consideration of the time required for the delay.

Next, the operation of the data recording / reproducing system shown in FIG. 2 during stream recording will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. 7 to 9 are schematic block diagrams for explaining the operation of the data recording / reproducing system at the time of stream reproduction, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation.

When the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a is requested to reproduce the recorded stream by a remote controller or the like (not shown) (S11), the internal connection switching unit 107b sets
As shown in FIG. 7, reproduction of a stream recorded by designating the recording medium 104a is started (S12). The reproduced stream is sequentially encoded by the D-IF 102 a and output to the monitor 206 via the tuner 203.

During reproduction of the stream, the control unit 103 checks the current remaining reproduction amount of the recording medium 104a at a predetermined timing (S13). In step S13, when the control unit 103a detects that the remaining reproduction amount of the recording medium 104a has become equal to or less than the preset capacity, the command transmitting / receiving unit 108a transmits the information written in the management data recording area of the recording medium 104a. Recording / reproducing device 10 based on
A predetermined command for notifying that the remaining amount of reproduction reaches a predetermined value is transmitted to 1b (S14).

Thus, both recording / reproducing devices 101a-1
The recording / reproducing apparatus 101b that has received the command starts transfer of the coded stream from its own recording medium 104b to the buffer memory 106a of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a (S15).

When the coded stream is transferred to the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a, the D-IF 102a sequentially combines the coded stream and converts the coded stream into an internal connection switching unit 108a.
Specifies the buffer memory 106a and specifies the D-IF 10
In 2a, accumulation of the composite stream is started.

At this time, the stream is continuously reproduced from the recording medium 104a of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a. That is, during a predetermined period, as shown in FIG. 8, the reproduction of the stream from the recording medium 104a of the recording / reproducing apparatus 101a and the transfer / accumulation of the stream to the buffer memory 106a are performed simultaneously.

The control unit 103a repeats the check of the current reproduction remaining amount of the recording medium 104a at a predetermined timing (S16). In step S16, the control unit 10 determines that the remaining amount of reproduction on the recording medium 104a has run out.
3a, instantaneously, the internal connection switching unit 10
7a designates the buffer memory 106a and starts reproduction of the stream stored therein (S17).
The reproduced stream is similarly output to the monitor 206.

Therefore, after that, the buffer memory 106
In b, as shown in FIG. 9, the streams are sequentially accumulated and the streams are reproduced.

By switching the reproduction source of the stream according to the above-described procedure, it is possible to instantaneously synchronize and seamlessly reproduce the data on the two recording media 104a and 104b without causing any loss in the stream.
The overflow of the buffer memory 106a can be prevented by setting the set value of the remaining reproduction amount of the recording medium 104a to be equal to or less than the capacity of the buffer memory 106a.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when continuous data is recorded over a plurality of recording / reproducing apparatuses equipped with a recording medium, a part of the data is recorded / reproduced. It is possible to avoid data loss and achieve seamless playback without duplicating recording on the device. That is, it is possible to efficiently utilize the recordable capacity of each recording medium.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. For example, a tuner is described as an example of a data transmitter at the time of stream recording.
Any device that can transmit data, such as audio-visual devices such as VD, MD, and CD, or peripheral devices such as a personal computer such as an HDD and CD-R, is not limited to a tuner.

Although a monitor has been described as an example of a playback output destination during stream playback, other audiovisual devices and personal computer peripheral devices may be used, and the present invention is not limited to monitors. The recording medium is not limited, and any video tape, hard disk, C
It may be a removable recording medium such as D, HDD, MD, smart media, or a card.

Further, the cable is not limited. If digital data can be transmitted between the CPUs of the recording / reproducing apparatuses, the cable may be IEEE1394, USB, or the like.
SCSI, LAN, IDE which is a cable inside PC, etc.
Either one may be used.

Further, the number of recording / reproducing apparatuses constituting the data recording / reproducing system is not limited to two, and three or more recording / reproducing apparatuses having similar components are connected by a similar method. It is possible to configure a data recording / reproducing system by using the recording / reproducing device of (1).

Further, when the recordable capacity of one recording / reproducing apparatus or the remaining amount of reproduction reaches a predetermined value, connection processing to the other recording / reproducing apparatus is performed. The connection processing may be performed between tuners. The data distribution method between the two control units 103a and 103b is not limited to the point-to-point method, but may be a broadcast method.

[0057]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, even when continuous data is recorded across a plurality of recording / reproducing apparatuses equipped with a recording medium, some of the data are recorded. Since data can be prevented from being lost and seamless reproduction can be realized without duplicating recording of data on each recording / reproducing device, the recordable capacity of each recording medium can be efficiently utilized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a recording / reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a data recording / reproducing system configured by combining two digital recording / reproducing apparatuses shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram for explaining an operation (first stage) of the data recording / reproducing system during stream recording.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram for explaining the operation (middle stage) of the data recording / reproducing system during stream recording.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram for explaining an operation (later stage) at the time of stream recording of the data recording / reproducing system.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the data recording / reproducing system during stream recording.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram for explaining an operation (previous stage) of the data recording / reproducing system during stream reproduction.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram for explaining an operation (middle stage) of the data recording / reproducing system during stream reproduction.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram for explaining an operation (second stage) of the data recording / reproducing system during stream reproduction.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the data recording / reproducing system during stream reproduction.

[Description of Signs] 101: recording / reproducing device, 102, 204: digital interface, 103: control unit, 104: recording medium, 1
05: drive, 106: buffer memory, 107: internal connection switching unit, 108: command transmission / reception unit, 109
... internal bus, 110, 201, 202 ... cable, 20
3. Tuner, 205 antenna, 206 monitor.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A data recording / reproducing system having at least first and second recording / reproducing devices for recording and reproducing digital data supplied from an external device, wherein the first recording / reproducing device comprises: First interface means for inputting / outputting the data to / from the apparatus; first recording means for recording the input data; and a first recording means for recording the data on the first recording means. The remaining capacity of the recordable capacity of the recording means is detected, and the remaining capacity is the first capacity.
The first command is transmitted to the second recording / reproducing device when the predetermined value becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value, and the second command is transmitted to the second recording / reproducing device when the remaining amount is exhausted. A first recording / reproducing control unit, wherein the second recording / reproducing device is connected to the first interface unit, and inputs / outputs the data. Second recording means for recording, second buffer means for temporarily recording the input data, and, when the first command is received, recording of the data in the second buffer means. Starting, when the second command is received, a second recording / reproducing control unit for transferring and recording the data recorded in the second buffer unit to the second recording unit after receiving the second command; Equipped with Data recording and reproducing system, characterized in that the. 2. The data recording / reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein said first predetermined value is equal to or less than a capacity of said second buffer means. 3. The first recording / reproducing apparatus further comprises a first buffer means for temporarily recording the input data, wherein the data recorded on the first recording means is being reproduced. ,
The first recording / reproduction control means detects a remaining amount of reproduction of the data recorded in the first recording means, and determines that the remaining amount is a second reproduction amount.
When the third command is sent to the second recording / reproducing apparatus, the third command is transmitted to the second recording / reproducing apparatus. When the third command is received, the second command is transmitted to the second recording / reproducing apparatus. The data recorded in the recording means is transferred to the first buffer means, and the first recording / reproducing control means, when the reproduction remaining amount of the first recording means is exhausted, the first buffer means The data recording / reproducing system according to claim 1, wherein the data transferred to the means is reproduced. 4. The data recording / reproducing system according to claim 3, wherein said second predetermined value is equal to or less than a capacity of said first buffer means. 5. A data recording / reproducing method for a data recording / reproducing system having at least first and second recording / reproducing devices for recording and reproducing digital data supplied from an external device, comprising: Recording the input data on a first recording unit in the first recording / reproducing apparatus; detecting a remaining amount of recordable capacity of the first recording unit; In the case where the value becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value of 1, the second
Transmitting a first command to the recording / reproducing device, and when the second recording / reproducing device receives the first command, transmitting the first command to a second buffer means in the second recording / reproducing device. Starting the recording of the data, transmitting a second command to the second recording / reproducing device when the remaining amount is exhausted, and transmitting the second command to the second recording / reproducing device. When a command is received, the data recorded in the second buffer means after the time of the reception is transferred to the second data in the second recording / reproducing apparatus.
Transferring and recording to the recording means. 6. The data recording / reproducing method according to claim 5, wherein said first predetermined value is equal to or less than a capacity of said second buffer means. 7. A step of reproducing the data recorded on the first recording means, detecting a remaining amount of reproduction of the data recorded on the first recording means, and A step of transmitting a third command to the second recording / reproducing device if the value is equal to or less than a predetermined value; and a step of transmitting the second command if the second recording / reproducing device receives the third command. Transferring the data recorded in the recording means to the first buffer means; and reproducing the data transferred to the first buffer means when the remaining amount of reproduction in the first recording means is exhausted. The data recording / reproducing method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of: 8. The data recording / reproducing method according to claim 7, wherein the second predetermined value is equal to or less than a capacity of the first buffer means.