JP2003174624A - Information recording device, information recording method, and program to record information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information recording device that records data of a broadcast program including image quality and sound quality or the like while effectively utilizing a storage capacity of a hard disk. <P>SOLUTION: A computer system 100 includes: an antenna 134 and a tuner 132 that receive data of a program broadcast from other device; a hard disk 126 that records data of the received program; and a CPU 120 that calculates an evaluated value of the program on the basis of contents of the program recorded in the hard disk 126, reads data of the program from the hard disk 126 and controls the hard disk 126 so as to again record the data of the program to the hard disk 126 with a storage system corresponding to the evaluated value of the read program. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage-type recording technology for recording, reproducing, and deleting information including video and audio of broadcast programs and the like, and more particularly to efficiently storing information. Recording technology that can

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digitalization has progressed, and it has become possible to carry out a broadcast in which a program and channel-related information are multiplexed at the same time as a video / audio signal. EPG (Electric Program Guide) realized by using these information:
A user uses an electronic program guide) or the like to select a program to be watched and make a reservation. There is provided a service for receiving a broadcast program and viewing or recording the broadcast program on the basis of a reservation. JP 2
Japanese Patent Publication No. 001-86420 discloses an apparatus for recording such a broadcast program.

The device disclosed in this publication has a receiving circuit for receiving a broadcast program composed of video, audio, information, etc., a recording circuit for recording the received broadcast program, and a broadcast program to be recorded. And a control circuit for changing the bit rate during recording according to the attribute.

According to this apparatus, when recording a broadcast program, the bit rate at the time of recording can be changed according to the attribute of the broadcast program to be recorded. That is, when the broadcast program is a drama or an educational program, the recorded program is often required to be of high quality.
Set a high bit rate and record. On the other hand, for programs such as news, image sharpness is not particularly important,
Record at a lower bit rate. Also, the bit rate at the time of recording the program to be recorded can be changed based on the user's preference information. That is, a broadcast program that the user is interested in is set to a high bit rate and recorded with high image quality. On the other hand, a broadcast program that the user is not interested in is recorded with a rough image quality by setting a low bit rate. As a result, by referring to the information of the program to be recorded or referring to the user's interest information, the recording method and the image quality are determined according to the type of the program and the user's interest, and the broadcast program is efficiently transmitted. Can be recorded.

[0005]

However, in the device disclosed in the above publication, a broadcast program recorded with a low bit rate set at the time of recording is recorded by the user viewing the broadcast program. However, I am not satisfied with the image quality, so I cannot meet the demand for high-quality viewing. On the other hand, if all the broadcast programs received by setting a high bit rate are recorded, the free space of the recording device will soon be insufficient, and the required programs cannot be recorded.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and makes effective use of the recording apparatus,
An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording device, an information recording method, and a program for recording information, which can record information such as image quality and sound quality with high quality.

[0007]

An information recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention calculates a recording means for recording information and an evaluation information of the recorded information based on the information recorded in the recording means. For calculating the recording means, the recording means and the calculating means, and based on the evaluation information, the information recorded in the recording means is read from the recording means, the capacity thereof is changed, and the information is recorded again in the recording means. , And a control means for controlling the recording means.

According to the first invention, the calculating means calculates the evaluation information based on the information once recorded in the recording means, for example, the genre of the information, the date and time when the information was recorded, and the like. Based on the evaluation information, the control means records again in the recording means at a high bit rate for information having a high evaluation and at a low bit rate for information having a low evaluation. As a result, the information is once recorded with high quality, but the information is evaluated based on the recorded information, and the information is recorded again based on the evaluation result. As a result, it is possible to provide an information recording apparatus capable of recording information such as image quality and sound quality with high quality while effectively using the recording apparatus.

An information recording apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention further includes receiving means for receiving information from another apparatus in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention. The recording means includes means for recording the received information.

According to the second invention, the information distributed by another device, for example, a distribution server that broadcasts information can be received by the receiving means.

In the information recording apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect of the invention, even if the information represents the same content, the capacity varies depending on the degree to which the person can recognize. It is a thing. The information recording device is connected to an input unit for a person to input request information indicating a degree of wanting to recognize the information, and is connected to the input unit. Further comprising communication control means for controlling the receiving means to receive from.

According to the third invention, the degree to which a person wants to recognize the input information is input to the input means. For example, when a person is interested in the information and wants to recognize it with high quality, request information representing high quality is input. Even if the information represents the same content,
The degree to which a person can perceive differs depending on whether the image compression rate is high or low. With a high image compression ratio, the amount of information can be significantly reduced, but the quality of the image is degraded, and thus it is less perceptible to humans. The communication control means uses the receiving means to receive, from the other device, information recorded to the degree that the person wants to recognize, based on the request information input by the person. This allows
Satisfies the image quality and sound quality required by people.

An information recording apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the invention is
In addition to the configuration of any one of the third aspect of the invention, the control means controls the recording means based on the evaluation information so that the information recorded in the recording means is recorded in the recording means again with its capacity reduced. And means for doing so.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, for example, when the free space in the recording means is reduced, the image compression rate is increased to reduce the capacity of the recorded information and the information is recorded again in the recording means. Thereby, the recording means can be effectively used.

In the information recording apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the fourth aspect of the invention, the control means allows a person to recognize the information recorded in the recording means based on the evaluation information. To the extent, it includes means for controlling the recording means so as to reduce its capacity and re-record on the recording means.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, for example, when the free space in the recording means becomes small, the image compression rate is increased within a range recognizable by a person to reduce the capacity of the recorded information, and the recording means is re-recorded. Record. As a result, the recording means can be effectively used while keeping the person aware of the content of the information.

In the information recording apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the fourth aspect of the invention, the control means allows a person to recognize the information recorded in the recording means based on the evaluation information. A means for controlling the recording means is included so that the capacity is reduced and the information is recorded again in the recording means by compressing the information in the range.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, for example, when the free space in the recording means becomes small, the compression rate of the image or sound is increased within a range recognizable by a person to reduce the capacity of the recorded information, and the recording means is recorded. Record again. As a result, the recording means can be effectively used while keeping the person aware of the content of the information.

In the information recording apparatus according to the seventh invention, in addition to the configuration of the fourth invention, the control means changes the information compression method of the information recorded in the recording means based on the evaluation information. By doing so, a means for controlling the recording means is included so as to reduce the capacity and perform recording again on the recording means.

According to the seventh invention, when the free space in the recording means becomes small, for example, by changing the image compression method (MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Gross).
Change from up2) to MPEG4), reduce the capacity of the recorded information, and record again in the recording means. As a result, the recording means can be effectively used while keeping the person aware of the content of the information.

An information recording apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the invention is
In addition to the configuration of any one of the seventh aspect, the calculating means includes means for calculating the evaluation information of the recorded information based on the content of the information recorded in the recording means.

According to the eighth invention, the calculating means calculates the evaluation information based on the genre of the information so that the genre of interest to the user of the information recording apparatus is highly evaluated.

The information recording apparatus according to the ninth invention is the first to the first.
In addition to the configuration of any one of the seventh aspect, the calculating means includes means for calculating the evaluation information of the recorded information based on the environment in which the information is recorded in the recording means.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the calculating means makes the information broadcast during the time period often viewed by the user of the information recording device highly evaluated based on the time when the information was recorded. To calculate the evaluation information.

The information recording apparatus according to the tenth invention is the first
In addition to the configuration of any one of the inventions 1 to 7, it further includes output means connected to the recording means and outputting the recorded information so that a person can recognize it. The calculating means includes means for calculating the evaluation information of the recorded information based on the situation where the information recorded in the recording means is output by the output means.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, based on the number of times the user of the information recording apparatus has recognized the output means, the information output a large number of times is evaluated as high evaluation information. calculate.

An information recording method according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention comprises a recording step of recording information, a calculation step of calculating evaluation information of the recorded information based on the information recorded in the recording step, and an evaluation information recording step. Based on the above, the information recorded in the recording step is read out, the capacity is changed, and the information is recorded again.

According to the eleventh invention, the calculation step comprises:
The evaluation information is calculated based on the information once recorded, for example, the genre of the information, the date and time when the information was recorded, and the like. The control step re-records the information based on the evaluation information at a high bit rate for information having a high evaluation and at a low bit rate for information having a low evaluation. As a result, the information is once recorded with high quality, but the information is evaluated based on the recorded information, and the information is recorded again based on the evaluation result. As a result, it is possible to provide an information recording method capable of recording information such as image quality and sound quality with high quality while effectively using the recording device.

The program according to the twelfth invention is a program for recording information using a computer. The program is recorded in a computer in a recording step of recording information, a calculation step of calculating evaluation information of the recorded information based on the information recorded in the recording step, and a recording step in the recording step of the evaluation information. And a re-recording step of re-recording the read information.

According to the twelfth invention, the calculation step comprises:
The evaluation information is calculated based on the information once recorded, for example, the genre of the information, the date and time when the information was recorded, and the like. The control step re-records the information based on the evaluation information at a high bit rate for information having a high evaluation and at a low bit rate for information having a low evaluation. As a result, the information is once recorded with high quality, but the information is evaluated based on the recorded information, and the information is recorded again based on the evaluation result. As a result, it is possible to provide a program for recording information such as image quality and sound quality with high quality while effectively using the recording device.

[0031]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

The processing in the information recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is realized by software executed on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. It should be noted that the information recording device may be a dedicated information recording device instead of being realized by such a general-purpose computer.

FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of a computer system which is an example of the information recording apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, a computer system 100 includes an FD (Flexible Disk).
Drive device 106 and CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Rea)
A computer main body 102 including a d-only memory) drive device 108, a monitor 104, a keyboard 110, and a mouse 112.

FIG. 2 shows the computer system 100.
The configuration is shown in block diagram form. It is assumed that the computer system receives and records data for programs broadcast from other devices. As shown in FIG. 2, the computer system 100 further includes an external storage device 136 and an antenna 13 for receiving a broadcast program.
Including 4 and. The distribution form of information such as broadcast programs is C
ATV (Cable Television), telephone line, wired such as the Internet, BS (Broadcasting Satellite), CS
(Communications Satellite), terrestrial waves, etc. may be used.

In addition to the FD drive device 106 and the CD-ROM drive device 108 described above, the computer 102 has a CPU (Central Processi) interconnected by a bus.
ng Unit) 120 and RAM (Random Access Memory)
122, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 124, a fixed disk 126, a communication interface 128, an encoder / decoder 130 that encodes / decodes information by a predetermined compression method, and a tuner 132. The communication interface 128 meets the network and receives program data from other devices.

An FD 116 is mounted on the FD drive device 106. The CD-ROM drive unit 108 includes a CD-ROM.
118 is mounted. In this information recording device, the device for recording information may be either the fixed disk 126 or the external storage device 136. In the following description, a device for temporarily recording information is a fixed disk 1
26 and a device that backs up the information recorded on the fixed disk 126 is assumed to be the external storage device 136.

As described above, the information recording apparatus according to this embodiment has the computer hardware and the CPU 12
It is realized by software executed by 0.
Generally, such software is FD116, CD-
It is stored in a recording medium such as the ROM 118 and distributed, and is stored in the FD.
It is read from the recording medium by the driving device 106 or the CD-ROM driving device 108, and temporarily stored in the fixed disk 126. From fixed disk 126 to RAM1
It is read out to 22 and executed by the CPU 120. The hardware itself of the computer system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is general. Therefore, the most essential part of the present invention is FD116, CD-ROM11.
8 is software recorded on a recording medium such as the fixed disk 126.

Since the operation of the computer itself shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is well known, its detailed description will not be repeated here.

The program information table stored in the fixed disk 126 of the information recording apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the program information table has an ID (id
entification), program title, performers, director,
It includes script, broadcast day, start date and time, end date and time, channel, and genre flag. The genre flag is classified into seven genres of sports, drama, news, weather, politics, economy and society, and "1" is set to the genre to which the program corresponds. The program ID shown in FIG.
In the case of "01", "1" is set for news, weather, politics, and economy. This genre is not limited to these.

This program information table shows the attributes of programs. This information can be obtained from the data added to the data of the broadcast program, the broadcast time,
It can be obtained from the EPG based on the program ID.

Referring to FIG. 4, a program status table stored in fixed disk 126 of the information recording apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the program status table includes the program ID, the number of views, and the external storage device 136.
A backup flag indicating whether or not the data has been backed up to another medium by using, an evaluation value, a storage level, and a recording capacity. As will be described later, the evaluation value is calculated based on the user's preference, viewing history, whether backup has been performed, and the like. The storage level is determined based on the evaluation value and the free space of the fixed disk 126.

A storage method management table stored in the fixed disk 126 of the information recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the storage system management table stores a recording system and a bit rate for each storage level. The smaller the preservation level number is, the higher quality the image and sound are recorded at the higher bit rate.

The compression method is changed so that MPEG2 is recorded at a high bit rate and MPEG4 is recorded at a low bit rate. The recording capacity is designed to be halved when the storage level decreases by one. The "save level 8" records a still image and a sound at the transition of the scene of the broadcast program. Therefore, the information can be recorded with a very small recording capacity as compared with the case of recording a moving image. Further, it is possible to make the recorded image a representative image and convert the voice into characters to reduce the recording capacity.

By the maintenance process described later,
When it is decided to change the storage level of information, the information recording device decodes the recorded information,
Re-record the information by encoding with the new storage level recording method and bit rate. The relationship between the storage level, the recording method, and the bit rate is not limited to the relationship shown in FIG.

With reference to FIG. 6, the viewing history table for each time zone stored in the fixed disk 126 of the information recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG.
In the viewing history table for each time period, the history of viewing by the user is recorded as the accumulated time for each time period when the program is broadcast. The CPU 120 calculates an evaluation value Pt for each time period from the time period for which the program was broadcast, based on the viewing history table for each time period.

The evaluation value Pt for each time zone is, for example, Pt = K
It is calculated by t × {total viewing time in the time zone in which the program whose evaluation value is calculated is broadcast / (average viewing time per unit time × broadcast time of the program whose evaluation value is calculated)}. Here, Kt is a correction coefficient.

For example, the program ID shown in FIG. 3 is "001".
In the case of the program specified by, the broadcast time is Tuesday 23:00
Since it is from 0 to 24:00, the "total viewing time in the time period when the program whose evaluation value is to be calculated is broadcast" is 2
It is 57 hours (= 213 + 44). The “average viewing time per unit time” is 100 hours (= 50 × 2), and the “broadcast time of the program whose evaluation value is calculated” is 1
It's time. As a result, the hourly evaluation value Pt of this program
Is calculated to be 2.57 Kt. This indicates that this program is viewed 2.57 times more than other average programs. That is, if Pt is large, it can be determined that the program is in the time zone that the user likes to watch.

Referring to FIG. 7, the viewing history table for each genre stored in the fixed disk 126 of the information recording apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the viewing history table for each genre records the history of viewing by the user for each genre of the program as an accumulated time. Based on the viewing history table for each genre, the CPU 120 determines the evaluation value P for each genre from the genre of the program.
Calculate g.

The evaluation value Pg for each genre is, for example, Pg =
Kg x {sum of cumulative viewing time of genres set in the program whose evaluation value is calculated / (average cumulative viewing time per genre x number of genres set in the program whose evaluation value is calculated)} It is calculated. Here, Kg is a correction coefficient.

For example, the program ID shown in FIG. 3 is "001".
For programs identified by
Since "1" is set for politics and economy, "sum of accumulated viewing time of genres set in the program whose evaluation value is to be calculated" is 4261 hours (= 2313 + 1212).
+ 415 + 321). The “average cumulative viewing time per genre” is 813.5 hours, and the “number of genres set in the program whose evaluation value is calculated” is 4
Is. As a result, the hourly evaluation value Pg of this program is
It is calculated to be 1.31 Kg. This means that this show
It shows that it has been watched 1.31 times more than other average programs. That is, if Pg is large, it can be determined that the program is a program of a genre that the user likes to watch.

Similarly, based on the not-shown performer-specific viewing history table, director-specific viewing history table, script-specific viewing history table, and channel-specific viewing history table, performer-specific evaluation value Pa and director-specific evaluation value Pd, Evaluation value by script P
w, the evaluation value Pc for each channel is calculated.

Further, the correction rate Rv of the evaluation value is calculated based on the number of times the user has watched the program. For example, n
Is the number of views and Kv is a coefficient, and when n = 0, Rv =
1, when n = 1, Rv = 0.5, and when n ≧ 2, Rv
= N × Kv. By doing so, the rating of the program viewed once can be set low, and the rating of the program viewed at least twice can be set high.

Further, the correction rate Rb of the evaluation value is calculated based on whether or not the user has backed up the program. For example, Rb = 1 when not backed up and Rb = 0.5 when backed up. By doing so, the evaluation of the program backed up using the external storage device 136 can be set to half the evaluation of the program not backed up.

Further, the correction rate Rd of the evaluation value is calculated based on the number of days elapsed since the program was recorded. For example,
Rd = Kd- ^m , where m is the number of days elapsed and Kd is a coefficient. At this time, if Kd is set to 1.02, the evaluation value P of FIG. 4 is calculated using these evaluation values and the correction rate, where Rd = 0.5 after 30 days from the recording date. . For example, P = Rv × Rb × Rd × (Pt +
Pg + Pa + Pd + Pw + Pc). That is, the evaluation value P is the individual evaluation value Pt, Pg, Pa, P
It is calculated by adding d, Pw, and Pc, and multiplying the addition result by the correction factors Rv, Rb, and Rd.

Referring to FIG. 8, the program executed by the information recording apparatus according to the present embodiment relates to recording processing,
It has the following control structure.

Step (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as S)
At 100, CPU 120 determines whether a request to record a program has been input. This judgment is made based on the information input using the keyboard 110 or the mouse 112, for example. When the request to record the program is input (YES in S100), the process proceeds to S102. If not (NO in S100), the process returns to S100 and waits until a request for recording a program is input.

At S102, CPU 120 causes monitor 104 to display information for inputting program information. S1
At 04, CPU 120 determines whether program information has been input. This judgment is also made based on the information input from the keyboard 110 or the mouse 112, similar to the judgment in S100 described above. When program information is input (YES in S104), the process proceeds to S106. If not, NO in S104), the process is S
Returned to 102.

At S106, CPU 120 updates the program information table (FIG. 3) stored in fixed disk 126. In S108, CPU 120 determines whether or not the broadcast time of the program requested to be recorded has been reached. When the broadcast time of the program requested to be recorded has been reached (YES in S108), the process proceeds to S110. If not (NO in S108), the process returns to S108,
Wait for the recording to reach the airtime of the requested program.

At S110, CPU 120 receives the data of the program requested to be recorded and records it on fixed disk 126 at "save level 1". In S112, CPU
120 updates the program status table (FIG. 4) stored in the fixed disk 126.

Referring to FIG. 9, the program executed by the information recording apparatus according to the present embodiment relates to reproduction processing,
It has the following control structure.

At S200, CPU 120 determines whether or not a request to reproduce the program has been input. This judgment is made based on the information input from the keyboard 110 or the mouse 112. When a request to reproduce the program is input (YES in S200), the process proceeds to S202. If not (NO in S200), the process returns to S200 and waits until a request to reproduce the program is input.

At S202, CPU 120 determines whether or not the program requested to be reproduced has been recorded on fixed disk 126. If the program requested to be reproduced is already recorded (YES in S202), the process proceeds to S204. If not (NO in S202), the process proceeds to S220.

At S204, CPU 120 reads data from the program information table (FIG. 3) and the program status table (FIG. 4). In S206, the CPU 120 causes the S2
The data read at 04 is displayed on the monitor 104. S
At 208, CPU 120 determines whether or not a request for improving the image quality has been input. This judgment is for the keyboard 1
10 or based on the information input from the mouse 112. When a request to improve the image quality is input (S2
(YES in 08), and the process proceeds to S210. If not (NO in S208), the process proceeds to S236.

At S210, CPU 120 searches for a program recorded at the current storage level or higher. In this search, a program recorded in a device other than this information recording device is searched through the communication interface 128. S21
At 2, the CPU 120 determines whether or not there is a corresponding program. If there is a corresponding program (YES in S212), the process proceeds to S214. If not (NO in S212), the process proceeds to S236.

At S214, CPU 120 requests reception of the program. In S216, CPU 120 receives the program and overwrites the data on fixed disk 126. In S218, CPU 120 updates the program status table (FIG. 4) stored in fixed disk 126.

At S220, CPU 120 causes monitor 104 to display information for inputting the storage level. S
At 222, CPU 120 determines whether a storage level has been input. This judgment is made based on the information input from the keyboard 110 or the mouse 112. When the save level is entered (YES at S222)
S), the process proceeds to S224. If not (NO in S222), the process returns to S222 and waits until the save level is input.

At S224, CPU 120 searches for a program recorded at the input storage level. In S226, CPU 120 determines whether there is a corresponding program. If there is a corresponding program (YE at S226)
S), the process proceeds to S228. If not (NO in S226), this reproducing process ends.

At S228, CPU 120 requests reception of the program. In S230, CPU 120 receives the program and records the data on fixed disk 126.
In S232, CPU 120 updates the program information table (FIG. 3) stored in the fixed disk. In S234, CPU 120 updates the program status table (FIG. 4) stored in fixed disk 126. In S236,
The CPU 120 reproduces and outputs the program. At this time, image information is output to the monitor 104 and audio information is output from the speaker. In S238, the CPU 120 causes the fixed disk 1
The viewing history table for each time zone (FIG. 6) and the viewing history table for each genre (FIG. 7) stored in 26 are updated.

Referring to FIG. 10, the program executed by the information recording apparatus according to the present embodiment has the following control structure for maintenance processing.

At S300, CPU 120 determines whether or not the maintenance execution timing has been reached. This determination is made based on whether or not the current time has reached a predetermined maintenance time. When the maintenance execution timing comes (YES in S300), the process proceeds to S302. If not (NO in S300), the process is returned to S300 and waits until it is time to perform maintenance.

At S302, CPU 120 calculates evaluation values for all the programs recorded on fixed disk 126. The evaluation value at this time is the evaluation value P described above.
Is. In S304, CPU 120 rearranges the programs in descending order of evaluation value for each storage level. In S306, CPU 120 lowers the storage level whose evaluation value is the lower 2/3 by 1 for each storage level. CP in S308
U120 decodes the data of the program whose storage level has been lowered by one, and refers to the storage system management table (FIG. 5), and fixes the data of the program with a recording system that corresponds to the storage level that is lowered by one. The data is recorded again on the disk 126.

At S310, CPU 120 detects the free space of fixed disk 126 and determines whether or not the free space is insufficient. At this time, for example, when there is less than 1/4 of the total capacity of the fixed disk 126, the free capacity is determined to be insufficient. If it is determined that the free space is insufficient (YES in S310
S), the process proceeds to S312. If not (NO in S310), this maintenance process ends.

At S312, CPU 120 deletes the program having the evaluation value of the lower 2/3 at the lowest storage level. In S314, CPU 120 determines whether or not the free space is insufficient. If it is determined that the free space is insufficient (YES in S314), the process proceeds to S304.
Then, the maintenance process is continued. If not (NO in S314), this maintenance process ends.

The operation of the information recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention based on the above structure and flowchart will be described.

[Recording Operation] When the user of this information recording apparatus inputs a request for recording a program using the keyboard 110 or the mouse 112 (YES in S100),
Information for inputting program information is displayed on the monitor 104 (S102). The user inputs program information or E
When data is input using PG (YE at S104
S), the program information table shown in FIG. 3 is updated (S1
06).

When the broadcast time of the program requested to be recorded is reached (YES in S108) based on the broadcast day and start time stored in the program information table, the data of the program requested to be recorded is transmitted to antenna 134 and Tuner 13
Received using 2 and fixed disk 1 at "Save Level 1"
It records in 26 (S110). Then fixed disk 1
The program status table (FIG. 4) stored in 26 is updated (S112).

[Playback Operation] When the user of this information recording device inputs a request for playing a program using the keyboard 110 or the mouse 112 (YES in S200), the program requested to be played is stored in the fixed disk 126. It is determined whether or not it has been recorded (S202).

When the program requested to be reproduced is already recorded (YES in S202), data is read from the program information table shown in FIG. 3 and the program status table shown in FIG. 4 (S204) and read. Monitor 104
Is displayed on the screen (S206). When the user who sees the data displayed on the monitor 104 inputs a request for improving the image quality using the keyboard 110 or the mouse 112 (YES in S208), the program recorded at the current storage level or higher is searched. Yes (S210). If there is a corresponding program (YES in S212), the program is received using the communication interface 128 or the like and is overwritten and recorded on the fixed disk 126 (S126). Thereafter, the program status table (FIG. 4) is updated (S218), and the program is reproduced and output to the monitor 104 (S236). After the program is reproduced and output, the viewing history table by time zone shown in FIG. 6 and the viewing history table by genre shown in FIG. 7 are updated (S238).

On the other hand, if the program requested to be reproduced is not recorded (NO in S202), the monitor 104 is displayed to input the storage level (S220). When the user of this information recording device inputs the storage level (S22
2 is YES), the program in which the input storage level is recorded is searched (S224). If there is a corresponding program (YES in S226), the program recorded at the input storage level is received and recorded in fixed disk 126 (S230). After that, the program information table shown in FIG. 3 is updated (S232), and the program status table shown in FIG. 4 is updated (S234). When the program is reproduced and output (S
236), the viewing history table by time zone shown in FIG. 6 and the viewing history table by genre shown in FIG. 7 are updated (S238).

[Maintenance operation] When the predetermined maintenance execution timing comes (YES in S300)
S), evaluation values are calculated for all the recorded programs (S302). The programs are rearranged in descending order of evaluation value for each storage level (S304). For each storage level,
The storage level of the program whose evaluation value is lower 2/3 is lowered by 1 (S306), the data of the program whose storage level is lowered by 1 is decoded, and the recording method corresponding to the lowered storage level is set. The data of the program is fixed disk 1 again
26 is recorded (S308). In this way, if the free space is insufficient even after re-recording by lowering the storage level of the program whose evaluation value is lower 2/3 for each storage level (S
(YES in 310), the program with the evaluation value of the lower 2/3 is deleted at the lowest storage level (S312).

For each storage level, the storage level of the program whose evaluation value is lower 2/3 is lowered by 1, and the data of the program whose evaluation value is lower 2/3 at the lowest storage level is deleted. , Repeatedly executed until there is no shortage of free space.

With reference to FIG. 11, the change in the free area of the fixed disk 126 when the maintenance operation is executed will be described. First, it is assumed that there is a free area as shown in FIG. 11 as an initial state. Since the program data is received and recorded at "save level 1", the free space becomes insufficient. At this time, maintenance processing is executed,
2/3 of the data recorded in the "save level 1" area is recorded again at the "save level 2". As a result, 1/3 of the area of "Save Level 1" remains "Save Level 1"
Area, and a "save level 2" area half the size of the "save level 1" area appears. This increases the free area.

Further, the program data is "save level 1".
If the free space is insufficient due to recording in step 2 and then 2/3 of the "save level 1" area and 2 / of the "save level 2" area
3 is recorded again on the fixed disk 126 in the storage methods of "save level 2" and "save level 3", respectively. By repeating such maintenance operation,
It is possible to secure a free area like the steady state shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the information recording apparatus of the present embodiment, the received program data is once recorded on the fixed disk by the high-quality "save level 1" recording method. By performing a maintenance operation at a predetermined timing, an evaluation value is calculated for each recorded program, and the programs are rearranged in descending order of the evaluation value to reduce the quality of programs with low evaluation values. Re-record on a fixed disk using a recording method with a small capacity. Accordingly, it is possible to realize an information recording apparatus capable of recording information such as image quality and sound quality with high quality while effectively using the capacity of the recording apparatus.

The embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a computer system that realizes an information recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the computer system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a program information table stored in a fixed disk.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a program status table stored in a fixed disk.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a storage method management table stored in a fixed disk.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a viewing history table for each time zone stored in a fixed disk.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a genre-based viewing history table stored in a fixed disk.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control structure of recording processing executed by the information recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control structure of reproduction processing executed by the information recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a maintenance process executed by the information recording device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a recording state of the external storage device in the information recording device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 computer system, 102 computer, 104 monitor, 106 FD driver, 108
CD-ROM drive, 110 keyboard, 112
Mouse, 116 FD, 118 CD-ROM, 120
CPU, 122 RAM, 124 ROM, 126 fixed disk, 128 communication interface, 130
Encoder / decoder, 132 tuner, 134 antenna, 136 external storage device.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5C052 AB04 CC11 DD04                 5C053 FA23 GB28 GB38 JA21 LA07                       LA11                 5C059 KK39 KK41 MA00 PP01 PP04                       RC12 RC32 RC33 RC34 SS11                       TA17 TA60 TC00 TC15 TC41                       TC47 TD16 UA02 UA05 UA31                       UA38                 5D044 AB05 AB07 BC01 CC05 DE37                       DE43 DE96 EF03 EF05 GK08                       GK10                 5D110 AA13 AA27 AA29 DA06 DA11                       DC05 DD07 DE01

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A recording unit for recording information, a calculating unit for calculating evaluation information of the recorded information based on the information recorded in the recording unit, the recording unit and the calculating unit. And controls the recording unit to read the information recorded in the recording unit from the recording unit based on the evaluation information, change the capacity of the information, and record the information again in the recording unit. And an information recording device including: 2. The information recording device further includes a receiving unit for receiving information from another device, and the recording unit includes a unit for recording the received information. Information recording device. 3. The information, even if the information represents the same content, has different capacities depending on the degree to which a person can recognize, and the information recording device transmits request information indicating a degree to which the information is desired to be recognized. Input means for a person to input, and for controlling the receiving means so as to receive information satisfying the above-mentioned degree from another device, based on the request information, connected to the input means The information recording device according to claim 2, further comprising: a communication control unit. 4. The control means controls the recording means based on the evaluation information so that the information recorded in the recording means is recorded again in the recording means while reducing the capacity thereof. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 5. The control means re-records the information recorded in the recording means on the basis of the evaluation information, while reducing the capacity of the information within a range in which the information can be recognized by a person, in the recording means. 5. The information recording apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for controlling the recording means. 6. The control means compresses the information recorded in the recording means on the basis of the evaluation information within a range in which a person can perceive the information, thereby reducing the capacity and reducing the capacity. The information recording apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for controlling the recording means so as to record again on the recording means. 7. The control means records the information recorded in the recording means on the basis of the evaluation information, by changing the compression method of the information, thereby reducing the capacity and re-recording the information in the recording means. The information recording apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for controlling the recording means. 8. The calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation device includes a device for calculating evaluation information of the recorded information based on the content of the information recorded in the recording device. Information recording device. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating unit includes a unit for calculating evaluation information of the recorded information based on an environment in which the information is recorded in the recording unit. Information recording device described. 10. The information recording device further includes an output unit connected to the recording unit and outputting the recorded information so that a person can recognize the recorded information, and the calculation unit records the information in the recording unit. The information recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising means for calculating evaluation information of the recorded information, based on the situation in which the output information is output by the output means. 11. A recording step of recording information, a calculation step of calculating evaluation information of the recorded information based on the information recorded in the recording step, and a recording step based on the evaluation information And a re-recording step of re-recording the recorded information by changing the capacity of the recorded information. 12. A program for recording information using a computer, the program comprising: a recording step of recording information in the computer; and the recording step based on the information recorded in the recording step. A program that realizes a calculation step of calculating evaluation information of information, and a re-recording step of reading the information recorded in the recording step based on the evaluation information, changing the capacity thereof, and recording again.