JP2004355794A - Recording and reproducing device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To continuously reproduce a plurality of recording media by a separate device by taking out only the plurality of the continuously recorded recording media, when continuously recording a stream of continuous video signals or the like over the plurality of recording media. <P>SOLUTION: This recorder divides a stream of continuous video signals or voice signals into a 1st stream and a 2nd stream in time, recording the 1st stream in a 1st recording medium as a 1st file, recording the 2nd stream in a 2nd recording medium as a 2nd file, and recording the 1st management information concerning the manufacture mark and number particular to the medium identifying the 2nd recording medium on the 1st recording medium relating the information to the 1st file, or recording the 2nd management information concerning the manufacture mark and number particular to the medium identifying the 1st recording medium on the 2nd recording medium relating the information to the 2nd file. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for recording and reproducing video and audio over a plurality of recording media.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a device for recording a video signal as a file on a recording medium such as an optical disk or a semiconductor memory has become popular, and the recording time has been increasing along with the increase in the capacity of the recording medium. However, since the capacity of a single recording medium is limited, a method of continuously recording video signals on a plurality of recording media to extend the recording time has been proposed.

  As a conventional method of continuously recording on a plurality of recording media, there has been a method of continuously recording video on a plurality of optical disks without interruption (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In the above-mentioned conventional example, recording can be continued while the main disk is replaced by providing a sub-disk in the optical disk recording apparatus, and long-time recording is realized by sequentially replacing the main disk. Further, even while the optical pickup is moving between the main disk and the sub disk, the buffer memory records continuously input recording data such as video / audio signals of TV broadcast without loss.

Japanese Patent No. 2910697 (FIG. 1)

  In the above recording method, the recording start address and the recording end address of each of the plurality of main disks and sub disks are stored in the information memory of the recording device at the time of recording, and are sequentially reproduced according to the contents at the time of reproduction. I have. For this reason, it has been difficult to take out only a plurality of recording media that have been continuously recorded and continuously reproduce them by another device.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to, when a continuous stream of a video signal or an audio signal is continuously recorded over a plurality of recording media, take out only the plurality of continuously recorded recording media and enable continuous reproduction by another device. That is.

The above problem is solved by the present invention described below. That is, the recording apparatus according to the present invention time-divides a continuous stream of video signals or audio signals into a first stream and a second stream, records the first stream as a first file on a first recording medium, A recording device that records a second stream as a second file on a second recording medium,
The first management information relating to a medium-specific production code number for specifying the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file, or
Second management information relating to a medium-specific manufacturing code number for specifying the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second file.

  According to this configuration, when a continuous video signal or audio signal stream is recorded over a plurality of recording media, the first or second management information can be referred to even when the plurality of recording media are reproduced by another device. Thus, the context of individual video files becomes clear, and continuous reproduction using a plurality of recording media becomes possible. Further, since the video files of the individual recording media are independent, it is possible to reproduce even the recording media alone.

  In the recording apparatus of the present invention, even when a continuous stream of video signals or audio signals is continuously recorded over a plurality of recording media, the management information file associated with the video file or audio file of each recording medium is Are recorded independently for each recording medium. Therefore, even when only one recording medium is taken out, it can be reproduced as a clip. In addition, since information of clips before and after each clip is recorded as management information in the management information file of each recording medium, continuous reproduction can be easily performed by combining continuous clips from a plurality of recording media.

  When the recording of the video signal is completed for each recording medium, the information of the preceding and succeeding video files has been determined, and the recording of the management information file can be completed. Therefore, when the recording of the video file is completed, the recording medium can be removed, and a continuous recording operation without time limit can be performed by sequentially replacing the recorded medium with a new medium.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, substantially the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video or audio recording / reproducing apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The recording / reproducing apparatus 100 includes a system control unit 101, an I / O bus 120, a display unit 122 for displaying a recording / reproducing state to a user, a plurality of detachable recording memories 111 to 113, a recording memory A recording memory I / F unit 110 connected to the input unit, an input unit 130 for receiving an instruction of recording or reproducing a file by a user, a video input unit 132 for inputting a video signal, an encoder 131 for encoding a video signal, It includes an audio input unit 135 for inputting an audio signal, a decoder 133 for decoding a video signal, a video output unit 134 for outputting a decoded video signal, and an audio output unit 136 for outputting an audio signal.

  The system control unit 101 is realized by, for example, a computer including a CPU and a memory. The system control unit 101 includes a video file processing unit 102, an audio file processing unit 103, an Index file processing unit 104, a recording memory processing unit 105, a file system 106, a file system memory 107, a recording buffer memory 108, a reproduction buffer memory. 109 is provided. Each unit included in the system control unit 101 is realized by executing various programs by the CPU. Each of the memories included in the system control unit 101 may use, for example, a memory for each application, or may be realized by using a single memory by dividing an area for each application.

  The video signal input from the video input means 132 is compressed by the encoder 131 to a code amount of about ５ by, for example, a compression process of SMPTE-314M (DV-Based 25M). The video file processing means 102 converts the compressed SMPTE-314M compressed data into a file on a frame basis (DIF format file). In the case of NTSC, the DIF file has a fixed data amount of 120,000 bytes per frame.

  FIG. 2A shows the structure of a DIF format file. Since there is no file header or the like and the compressed data is arranged in the order of frames, the file size when recording N frames is N times the code amount per frame.

  Although two channels of audio can be stored in the DIF file, the audio data in the DIF file is not used in this embodiment, but is recorded as a separate file. This is because in the editing work for business use such as a broadcasting station, video and audio are often edited independently, and in a non-linear editing machine for business use, it is common to make the video and sound in separate files. That's why.

The audio data input from the audio input unit 135 is converted into a file in the Wave format by the audio file processing unit 103. FIG. 2B shows an example of the Wave format file. The Wave file is one of RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) and is composed of a plurality of chunks. Each chunk is composed of a 4-character ID (ASCII 4 Byte), a 4-byte chunk data size, and actual chunk data. There is a RIFF chunk at the beginning of the file, which indicates that the file is in the Wave format. In the fmt chunk, structures such as a sample frequency and a quantization number of audio data stored in the file are stored. In the data chunk, actual audio data is stored after the chunk ID and the chunk size. The file size when the audio quantization number is 16 bits is as follows.
RIFF + fmt + 8 + (M × 2) Byte
RIFF = byte number of RIFF chunk fmt = byte number of fmt chunk M = total number of samples of audio data

  The audio file is recorded independently for each channel. Therefore, when the number of audio channels to be recorded is two, two Wave files are independently recorded for each channel.

  The recording memories 111 to 113 are detachable in the form of, for example, PCMCIA. The recording memories 111 to 113 and the recording memory I / F unit 110 are connected by, for example, a card bus. In order to smoothly perform continuous recording, it is preferable to have at least two or more card buses. Here, three card buses are provided, but the number is not limited to three, and four or more card buses may be provided.

  The recording memories 111 to 113 are formatted by a file system such as FAT16. Writing of a file to the recording memory is performed by updating the FAT management information by the file system 106 in the system control unit 101 and writing data to the recording memory. It is performed by operation.

  The free space of each of the recording memories 111 to 113 is confirmed by the recording memory processing unit 105 via the file system 106. In addition, at the time of video / audio recording, designation of a recording target memory from a plurality of recording memories is performed by the recording memory processing unit 105.

  The video and audio recording operation is performed according to an instruction from the input unit 130. When an instruction to start recording is given, one DIF format video file for recording video and two Wave files for recording audio are opened, and data is recorded. At this time, the video recording start time and the audio recording start time are synchronized.

Further, the writing of data to the recording memory is terminated when an instruction to stop the recording operation is given, and the file is closed. Accordingly, one video file and two audio files are newly created by executing this series of recording operations (one clip). Here, an example of synchronization between the video file and the audio file at the time of recording is shown in FIG. In the case of NTSC having a frame frequency of 29.97 Hz, if the sampling frequency of audio is 48 kHz, the number of audio samples in one frame time is not an integer but is an integer in five frame times. In the audio Wave format file, the frame period of the video is not described, but in order to synchronize with the video, the number of samples per frame is counted as changing to 1600, 1602, 1602, 1602, 1602 in the 5-frame period. The number of samples from the start to the end of recording is calculated based on these five frames. The repetition phase of these five frames is referred to as a sequence , The sequence NO. Is a repetition of 0 to 4. Therefore, the data size per frame is as follows.
1600 × 2 Byte (Sequence No. = 0)
1602 × 2 Byte (Sequence No. = 1, 2, 3, 4)

  With these equations, it is possible to calculate the file size of a Wave file having a predetermined number of frames. In addition, when the sequence No. Is 0.

  At the end of clip recording, the Index file processing unit 104 updates an Index file in which clip management information is described. FIG. 4 shows the relationship between an Index file, a video file, an audio file, and a clip.

  The Index file is recorded as one file per recording memory, and represents information of clips included in the recording memory, and links between clips and video files, audio files, and the like.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the description of the Index file, and FIG. 6 shows each element of the Index file. The Index file includes two layers of data, a Media Index representing information unique to the recording memory and a Clip Index representing information unique to each clip, and describes the elements shown in FIG. 6 respectively. The Index file is recorded as a file in a text format, and each element is separated by a comma. Note that the Index file is not limited to a case described in a text format.

  The Media ID in the Media Index is an ID added so as to be unique for each medium (medium). For example, when formatting a medium, a unique ID is added according to a combination of a time at the time of formatting and a device ID. You can do it. Further, when the recording memory is manufactured, a unique serial number may be assigned to the control memory 114 inside the recording memories 111, 112, and 113. Therefore, this serial number can be used as a Media ID as a recognition ID unique to the medium.

  The operation when the serial numbers of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are used as the Media ID is as follows. First, when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are inserted into the recording device, the recording device uses a predetermined command to store the serial data recorded in the control memory 114 inside the recording memories 111, 112, and 113. Read the number and save it temporarily in the recording device. Then, when updating the Media Index, the serial number temporarily stored in the recording device is read out and recorded as a recognition ID in the Media ID.

  In this embodiment, the serial number recorded in the unique control memory 114 is used as it is. However, when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are inserted into a recording device or the like and initialized, the control memory 114 is used. Alternatively, a recognition ID in which a serial number is read from a management part of a file system for performing normal data access or a specific management file, which is recorded as it is or is modified or added by a device, may be used. As a result, since a management part of a file system for performing normal data access and a specific file are accessed, there is an advantage that reading can be performed more smoothly than accessing the control memory 114 in the recording memories 111, 112, and 113.

  In the present embodiment, the recording device reads the recognition ID when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are inserted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the apparatus may read the recognition ID of the recording memory only when an instruction to record a clip in the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 is executed, or only when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are writable. Good. As a result, unnecessary reading operation of the recognition ID can be reduced.

  The Media Title is a title unique to the media that can be arbitrarily added by the user, and a name that the user can easily recognize can be freely added. Since the media in the device is specified by the Media ID, the Media Title may be freely changed even when a video file or an audio file is recorded.

  The Clip ID in the Clip Index is an ID added so as to be unique for each clip. For example, when recording a clip, a unique ID is added by a combination of a recording start time, a device ID, and the like. I can do it. The association between the video file and the audio file and the clip is performed by describing the Clip ID in the file name. For example, a video file having a Clip ID of C001 is C001. DIF, and files for 2 channels of audio are respectively C001_1. WAV, C001_2. By using WAV, a clip can be associated with a video and audio file.

  The Clip Title is a title unique to a clip that can be arbitrarily added by the user, and a name that the user can easily recognize may be freely added. In addition, since the specification of the clip in the device is based on the Clip ID, the Clip Title may be freely changed even when a video file or an audio file is recorded.

  A UMID (Unique Material Identifier) is an ID for specifying a material (stream) defined by SMPTE 330, and sets a unique UMID for each Clip.

  Frame Rate represents the frame frequency of the video signal, and Duration represents the number of frames included in the clip. Also, the recording time of the entire clip can be calculated from the Frame Rate and Duration.

  Sequence NO. Is the sequence number at the beginning of the clip. And is 0 in a normal recording operation in which the recording start time and the beginning of the clip are the same, but the case of continuous recording in a plurality of recording memories will be described later.

  Offset represents the time from the start of recording to the beginning of the clip, and the Sequence No. Similarly to the above, the value is 0 in a normal recording operation in which the recording start time and the beginning of the clip are the same. Note that the Offset setting for continuous recording in a plurality of recording memories will be described later. Also, the Previous Clip and Next Clip will be described later.

  Next, a method of continuously recording the continuous video signal and / or audio signal stream over a plurality of recording media will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, a method of continuously recording a stream of a video signal or an audio signal over a plurality of recording media will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) A continuous video signal or audio signal stream (material) is time-divided into a first stream and a second stream (S01). In this case, the capacity of the entire stream is known in advance, and a stream having a capacity that can be recorded on each of the two recording media (the first recording medium and the second recording medium) can be calculated. Note that the present invention is not limited to the case where the entire stream is actually divided into two streams, but also includes the case where the entire stream is virtually divided into two streams.
(B) The first stream is recorded as a first file on a first recording medium (S02).
(C) The first management information on the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file (S03). As the management information, for example, the above-described serial number can be used, and a recognition ID determined based on the serial number may be used. Although the management information on the next recording medium is recorded after the recording of the first file, the first file may be recorded after recording the management information on the next recording medium.
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S04). When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium.
(E) The second stream is recorded on the second recording medium as a second file (S05).
(F) The second management information on the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second file (S06). Here, the case where steps S03 and S05 are respectively performed is shown, but only one of steps S03 and S06 may be performed. The first or second management information is preferably recorded as a management information file.

Next, a method of continuously recording streams of a video signal and an audio signal over a plurality of recording media in synchronization with each other will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) A continuous video signal stream and a continuous audio signal stream are time-divided into a first video stream and a first audio stream synchronized with each other and a second video stream and a second audio stream synchronized with each other. (S11).
(B) The first video stream and the first audio stream are recorded on the first recording medium as the first video file and the first audio file (S12). The first video file and the second video file are synchronized with each other. Specifically, the recording start time and the recording end time are the same. Further, when the frame frequency of the video signal and the sample frequency of the audio signal are different from each other, the video signal and the audio signal can be synchronized with each other by associating the audio signal with a predetermined number of samples for each predetermined number of video frames. preferable.
(C) The first management information on the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first video file and the audio file (S13).
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S14). When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium.
(E) The second video stream and the second audio stream are recorded on the second recording medium as a second video file and a second audio file (S15).
(F) The second management information on the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second video file and the second audio file (S16).

A method of sequentially recording a stream of video signals or audio signals over a plurality of recording media will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) A continuous stream of video signals or audio signals is sequentially recorded as a first file on a first recording medium (S21). For example, there is a case where the capacity of the entire stream is unknown and the input stream is sequentially recorded.
(B) It is determined whether to switch the recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S22). For example, the remaining stream to be recorded accumulated in the recording buffer memory 108 is compared with the remaining amount of the first recording medium, and when the remaining stream to be recorded is larger than the remaining amount of the first recording medium, the recording destination Switch. When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium. If the remaining amount of the first recording medium is sufficient, the process returns to step S21 without switching the recording destination.
(C) The first management information on the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file (S23).
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S24). When recording on the second recording medium is performed in parallel with recording on the first recording medium as described above, step S24 is skipped.
(E) The portion following the first file in the stream is sequentially recorded as a second file on the second recording medium (S25).
(F) The second management information on the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second file (S26). Here, the case where steps S23 and S26 are respectively performed is shown, but only one of steps S23 and S26 may be performed.

Further, a method of sequentially recording video and audio signal streams over a plurality of recording media in synchronization with each other will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) The continuous video signal and audio signal streams are sequentially recorded on the first recording medium as a first video file and a first audio file synchronized with each other (S31).
(B) It is determined whether to switch the recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S32). When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium.
(C) The first management information on the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first video and audio files (S33).
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S34). When recording on the second recording medium is performed in parallel with recording on the first recording medium as described above, step S34 is skipped.
(E) The portion of the stream following the first video and audio files is sequentially recorded on the second recording medium as a second video file and a second audio file synchronized with each other (S35).
(F) The second management information relating to the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second video and audio files (S36).

  According to the recording method of this embodiment, as described above, when a continuous stream of video signals and / or audio signals is recorded over a plurality of recording media, the management information on the preceding and following recording media is stored in a video file or audio file. It is recorded on each recording medium in association with a file. Therefore, even when the plurality of recording media are reproduced by another device, by referring to the management information recorded on each recording medium, the context of individual video files and / or audio files is clarified. Continuous reproduction using a recording medium becomes possible. In addition, since the video files of the individual recording media are independent, the recording media can be played back alone.

  Note that a recording program that causes a computer to execute the above steps may be used. Further, the recording program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium may be any of a semiconductor memory such as a memory card, an optical recording medium such as a CD-R and a DVD, a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO, and a magnetic recording medium such as a flexible disk. By reading the recording program to be executed by the computer and the recording program from the recording medium on which the recording program is recorded as described above, the computer can be driven as a control unit of the recording apparatus.

  Further, the above-described recording method for recording a continuous video signal and / or audio signal stream over a plurality of recording media will be described below as a more specific embodiment.

  Immediately before starting recording, the states of the three recording memories are as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows an internal file structure of each recording memory. A Clip ID C001 is recorded in the recording memory 111 (Media ID M001), and a video file C001. DIF, audio file C001_1. WAV and C001_2. WAV, and Index file Index. txt is recorded, and the others are empty. In the recording memories 112 (Media ID M002) and 113 (Media ID M003), an Index. Only txt is recorded. FIG. 8 shows a relationship between a video file, an audio file, and a clip at the time of recording.

  When starting video recording, the time until the end of recording, such as recording with a camera recorder, is often not determined. Therefore, at the start of the recording operation, it is unknown whether the recording is completed in one recording memory. However, as described above, since the data amount of the video file and the audio file per frame is determined, the time T1 (frame) that can be recorded in the recording memory 111 when the video signal stream is recorded in the recording memory 111 is calculated. You can do it. Here, T1 is the maximum time during which the video file and the audio file 2CH can all be recorded in the Media ID M001. If T1 (frame) is exceeded during recording, Clip ID C002 in Media ID M001 ends, a new clip (Clip ID C001) is created in a new recording memory (Media ID M002), and two streams are created. It is recorded continuously over the recording memory. Here, Sequence No. indicating the number of samples of the audio file in frame units. Are recorded so as to be continuous with the Clip ID C002 in the recording memory of the Media ID M001 and the Clip ID C001 in the recording memory of the Media ID M002.

  If the recording time exceeds the pre-calculated recordable time T2 frame in the recording memory of the media ID M002, the recording is continuously performed in the recording memory of the media ID M003 in the same manner as described above. Also in this case, Sequence NO. Are recorded so as to be continuous with Clip ID C001 in the recording memory of Media ID M002 and Clip ID C001 in the recording memory of Media ID M003.

  When the recording time of the media ID M003 in the recording memory ends in T3 frame, it is recorded as three clips over three media as shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows files recorded in the respective recording memories. FIG. 10 shows the contents of the Index file in each recording memory.

  In each element in the Index file shown in FIG. 6, Previous Clip indicates the Media ID and Clip ID of the clip connected immediately before, and Next Clip indicates the Media ID and Clip ID connected immediately after.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10, the three clips divided into the three recording memories represent the following connection information by the Index file.
・ Previous Clip
Clip immediately before Media ID M001 Clip ID C002 = NULL (no data)
Clip immediately before Media ID M002 Clip ID C001 = Media ID M001 Clip ID C002
Clip immediately before Media ID M003 Clip ID C001 = Media ID M002 Clip ID C001
・ Next Clip
Clip right after Media ID M001 Clip ID C002 = Media ID M002 Clip ID C001
Clip immediately after Media ID M002 Clip ID C001 = Media ID M003 Clip ID C001
Clip immediately after Media ID M003 Clip ID C001 = NULL (no data)

  In the Offset, the head time of the Clip from the start of recording is described in frame units. Offset of the leading clip (Media ID M001 Clip ID C002) among a plurality of continuous clips is 0. The offset of the second clip (Media ID M002 Clip ID C001) is T1. The offset of the third clip (Media ID M003 Clip ID C001) is T1 + T2.

  Also, by assigning the same ID as (UMID1) to the UMIDs of three consecutive clips as shown in FIG. 10, the UMIDs are unified when three clips are connected in a later editing process or the like. Can be kept.

  With the above-described configuration, even when video or audio is continuously recorded in a plurality of recording memories, it is possible to specify the recording memory and the clip corresponding to the previous and next by referring to the Index file of the individual recording memory. It is possible, and the reproduction of the continuous clip becomes easy. Also, since the time from the start of recording to the beginning of the clip can be obtained by Offset, the time of continuous recording can be known even when only some clips are obtained. Further, since the divided clips have the same UMID, even when only a part of the plurality of divided clips exists, it can be confirmed from the same UMID that the clips are the same continuous recording. .

  In this embodiment, SMPTE-314M has been described as a compression method. However, it is apparent that the same effect can be obtained if the compression method has a fixed length in a frame.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the amount of code is variable for each frame as a video compression method, and MPEG-2 variable length coding (VBR) is used as a method using inter-frame compression. Except for the details of the method of calculating the video file size and the switching of the recording memory, the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In the VBR compression of MPEG-2, the data amount per frame and the code amount in a plurality of frames are not constant. Therefore, at the start of the recording operation, it is difficult to calculate the number of frames that can be recorded in one recording memory. Therefore, the file size is predicted for each GOP, and the number of frames that can be recorded on the medium is calculated.

FIG. 11 shows how the file sizes of the video file and the audio file increase with the recording time. At the start of each GOP, a file size increase (Dt) at the end of two consecutive GOPs is predicted by the following equation.
Dt = (Da × 2M) + ((Rmax / Fnum) × 2M)
M: Number of frames of 1 GOP Da: Audio data size in frame unit Rmax: Maximum rate of MPEG in VBR (Max rate)
Fnum: Frame frequency

  Here, in the case of MPEG VBR recording, the maximum value of the transfer rate of the encoded data is defined by the Max rate, and does not exceed the transfer rate. By dividing the Max rate by the frame frequency, the maximum data amount for each frame can be obtained. As shown in FIG. 11, when the value of Dt is larger than the remaining capacity of the recording memory at the present time, the writing to the current recording memory is completed with the GOP to be recorded, and the next GOP is set as another clip. Write to the next recording memory. The last GOP in the recording memory is a closed GOP.

  FIG. 12 shows how the recording memory is switched. When recording is performed by switching the recording memory, the boundary is always coincident with the GOP boundary, and the final GOP in the recording memory is a closed GOP, so the final frame is a P picture.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the audio file is recorded in the same manner as the recording start frame and the recording end frame of the video file, as shown in FIG.

  In all the embodiments, a semiconductor memory has been described as an example of a recording medium. However, it is apparent that similar effects can be obtained in other recording media such as an optical disk and a hard disk.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a step of determining whether to switch the recording destination in the second embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, it is a flowchart that embodies step S22 in FIG. 15 or step S32 in FIG. 16 in the first embodiment. The flowchart of FIG. 17 is described below.
(A) When the video signal is an MPEG-compressed video signal, at the start of each GOP, the file size increase Dt of the first video file and the first audio file at the end of two consecutive GOPs is predicted by the following equation. (S41).
Dt = (Da × 2M) + ((Rmax / Fnum) × 2M)
M: number of frames of 1 GOP,
Da: Audio data size in one frame unit,
Rmax: maximum rate of MPEG in VBR (Max rate),
Fnum: frame frequency (b) The remaining recordable amount of the first recording medium is compared with the increase amount Dt (S42).
(C) When the remaining amount is smaller than the Dt (remaining amount <Dt), the recording destination is switched (S43).
(D) If the remaining amount is equal to or greater than Dt (remaining amount ≧ Dt), the recording destination is not switched (S44). In this case, in the case of FIG. 15, the process returns to step S21 to continue recording on the first recording medium as the first file. In the case of FIG. 16, the process returns to step S31 to continue recording on the first recording medium as the first video and audio files.

  As described above, when an MPEG-compressed video signal stream is recorded, the increment of the video file which increases in a predetermined unit can be predicted in advance by the above formula, and the switching of the recording destination can be determined. As a result, the video signal stream can be continuously recorded over a plurality of recording media without causing an overflow in the recording buffer memory.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video and audio recording / reproducing apparatus 100a according to Embodiment 3. The recording / reproducing apparatus 100a is different from the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment in that the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 have a serial number detecting means 124 for detecting a serial number which is a unique production code number. I do. The serial numbers can be detected by the serial number detecting means 124 to specify each of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113. Thereby, the recording memories before and after the recording memory can be easily specified.

  In this case, the serial numbers of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are used as Media ID. The operation when the serial numbers of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are used as the Media ID is as follows. First, when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are inserted into the recording device, the recording device reads the serial numbers of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 using the serial number detection unit 124 and temporarily stores the serial numbers in the recording device. . When a video file is divided and recorded from one recording memory 111 to the other recording memories 112 and 113, the serial number temporarily stored in the recording device is read out and used as a recognition ID, a Previous Clip and a Next Clip in the Clip Index. In the Media ID of the document.

  In the present embodiment, the serial number is used as it is. However, when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are inserted into a recording device or the like and initialized, a file for reading the serial number and performing normal data access is used. A recognition ID may be used which is recorded in the management part of the system or in a specific management file as it is or as modified or added by some devices. As a result, since a management part of the file system for performing normal data access and a specific file are accessed, there is an advantage that reading can be performed more smoothly than reading directly from the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 each time.

  Here, the recording device goes to read the recognition ID when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are inserted, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the apparatus reads the recognition ID of the recording memory only when a command to record a clip in the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 is executed, or only when the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 are writable. Is also good. As a result, unnecessary reading operation of the recognition ID can be reduced.

  Next, a method for continuously recording the continuous video signal and / or audio signal stream over a plurality of recording media in the recording / reproducing apparatus 100a will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, a method for continuously recording a video signal or audio signal stream over a plurality of recording media will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) A continuous video signal or audio signal stream is time-divided into a first stream and a second stream (S51). In this case, the capacity of the entire stream is known in advance, and a stream having a capacity that can be recorded on each of the two recording media can be calculated. Note that the present invention is not limited to the case where the entire stream is actually divided into two streams, but also includes the case where the entire stream is virtually divided into two streams.
(B) The first stream is recorded on a first recording medium as a first file (S52).
(C) First management information relating to a medium-specific production code number for specifying the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file (S53). As the manufacturing symbol number, for example, the above-described serial number can be used, and a recognition ID obtained by modifying the serial number may be used. Although the management information on the next recording medium is recorded after the recording of the first file, the first file may be recorded after recording the management information on the next recording medium.
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S54). When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium.
(E) The second stream is recorded on the second recording medium as a second file (S55).
(F) The second management information relating to the medium-specific production code number for specifying the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second file (S56). Here, the case where steps S53 and S55 are respectively performed is shown, but only one of steps S53 and S56 may be performed. The first or second management information is preferably recorded as a management information file.

Next, a method for continuously recording streams of a video signal and an audio signal over a plurality of recording media in synchronization with each other will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) A continuous video signal stream and a continuous audio signal stream are time-divided into a first video stream and a first audio stream synchronized with each other and a second video stream and a second audio stream synchronized with each other. (S61).
(B) The first video stream and the first audio stream are recorded on the first recording medium as the first video file and the first audio file (S62). The first video file and the second video file are synchronized with each other. Specifically, the recording start time and the recording end time are the same. Further, when the frame frequency of the video signal and the sample frequency of the audio signal are different from each other, the video signal and the audio signal can be synchronized with each other by associating the audio signal with a predetermined number of samples for each predetermined number of video frames. preferable.
(C) The first management information relating to the medium-specific production code number for specifying the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first video file and the audio file (S63).
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S64). When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium.
(E) The second video stream and the second audio stream are recorded on the second recording medium as a second video file and a second audio file (S65).
(F) The second management information relating to the medium-specific production code number for specifying the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second video file and the second audio file (S66).

A method for sequentially recording a stream of video signals or audio signals over a plurality of recording media will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) Continuous video signal or audio signal streams are sequentially recorded as a first file on a first recording medium (S71). For example, there is a case where the capacity of the entire stream is unknown and the input stream is sequentially recorded.
(B) It is determined whether to switch the recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S72). For example, the remaining stream to be recorded accumulated in the recording buffer memory 108 is compared with the remaining amount of the first recording medium, and when the remaining stream to be recorded is larger than the remaining amount of the first recording medium, the recording destination Switch. When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium. If the remaining amount of the first recording medium is sufficient, the process returns to step S71 without switching the recording destination.
(C) The first management information relating to the medium-specific production code number for specifying the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file (S73).
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S74). When recording on the second recording medium is performed in parallel with recording on the first recording medium as described above, step S24 is skipped.
(E) The portion following the first file in the stream is sequentially recorded as a second file on the second recording medium (S75).
(F) The second management information relating to the production code number unique to the medium for specifying the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second file (S76). Here, the case where steps S73 and S76 are respectively performed is shown, but only one of steps S73 and S76 may be performed.

Further, a method of sequentially recording streams of video signals and audio signals over a plurality of recording media in synchronization with each other will be described with reference to FIG. The recording method in this case includes the following steps.
(A) Continuous video signal and audio signal streams are sequentially recorded on a first recording medium as a first video file and a first audio file synchronized with each other (S81).
(B) It is determined whether to switch the recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S82). When the capacity of the recording buffer memory 108 is sufficient, the recording on the second recording medium may be performed in parallel with the recording on the first recording medium.
(C) The first management information related to the medium-specific production code number for specifying the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first video and audio files (S83).
(D) The recording destination is switched from the first recording medium to the second recording medium (S84). When recording on the second recording medium is performed in parallel with recording on the first recording medium as described above, step S84 is skipped.
(E) The portion of the stream following the first video and audio files is sequentially recorded on the second recording medium as a second video file and a second audio file synchronized with each other (S85).
(F) The second management information relating to the medium-specific production code number for specifying the first recording medium is recorded on the second recording medium in association with the second video and audio files (S86).

(Embodiment 4)
In the fourth embodiment, a reproducing apparatus and a reproducing method for reproducing the recording memory recorded in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video and audio recording / reproducing apparatus, and has the same configuration as that of the recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment. This playback device includes at least a first and a second drive. The first and second drives include a first recording medium in which a continuous video signal or audio signal stream is time-divided into a first stream and a second stream, and the first stream is recorded as a first file; Respectively stores the second recording medium recorded as the second file. Here, the recording medium is a recording memory, but may be another recording medium. Further, the reproducing apparatus acquires first management information about files before and after the first file from the first recording medium, and acquires second management information about files before and after the second file from the second recording medium. An acquisition unit is provided. This management information acquisition means is, for example, the recording memory processing means 105. Here, the management information file is an Index file. Further, the playback device includes management information processing means for creating an order of continuous files so as to form a series of streams based on the first management information and the second management information. This management information processing means is, for example, an Index file processing means. The playback device also includes a display unit that displays a set of continuous streams recorded on each recording medium, an input unit that inputs selection of a stream to be played from the set of streams, and a stream according to the input. Playback means for continuously playing back the files in the order of the files.

Next, a reproducing method in the reproducing apparatus will be described.
(A) When performing a reproducing operation, the system control unit 101 reads out an Index file recorded in the recording memories 111 to 113 in advance, analyzes the contents thereof (S91), and performs a series of operations for each continuous stream (material). Create an order for video or audio files. The details will be described later.
(B) Display the material (stream) recorded on each recording medium and accept the input of the stream to be reproduced (S92).
(C) When the selection and input of a material to be reproduced is received by the input means 130, the DIF format video files recorded in the recording memories 111 to 113 in the order of the files so as to constitute the material; And a Wave format audio file. The video file in the DIF format is decoded into a video signal by the decoder 133 and output from the video output unit 134. In addition, the audio file in the Wave format is output from the audio output unit 136 as an audio signal.
According to the above procedure, the reproduction of the AV file can be performed.

Next, a reproduction method for performing reproduction from a plurality of recording memories based on an Index file will be described in more detail. Here, a case is shown in which three recording memories recorded in Embodiment 1 are reproduced. FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating Step S91 of FIG. 26 in detail.
(A-1) An Index file, which is a management information file, recorded in each of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 is read (S101).
(A-2) Information of video or audio files before and after each video or audio file is acquired from the Index file in each of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 (S102). Here, one set of video and audio files is regarded as one clip. FIG. 9 shows the contents of the recording memories 111 to 113. This is the recorded state in the first embodiment. The recording memory 111 has a Media ID M001, in which two clips, Clip ID C001 and Clip ID C002, are recorded. The recording memory 112 has a media ID of M002, and stores one clip of Clip ID C001. The recording memory 113 has a Media ID of M003, in which one clip of Clip ID C001 is recorded. FIG. 10 shows the contents of the Index file in the recording memories 111 to 113. Here, by reading and analyzing the Index files in all the recording memories, it can be seen that the following Clip is recorded.

-Recording memory 111 (media ID M001)
First clip Clip ID C001
Second clip Clip ID C002
Immediate connection clip
Media ID M002 Clip ID C001
-Recording memory 112 (media ID M002)
First clip Clip ID C001
Previous connection clip
Media ID M001 Clip ID C002
Immediate connection clip
Media ID M003, Clip ID C001
-Recording memory 113 (media ID M003)
First clip Clip ID C001
Previous connection clip
Media ID M002 Clip ID C001

(A-3) The video or audio files (or clips) are arranged in order based on the information indicated in the Index file (S103).
(A-4) Create a sequence of a series of video or audio files constituting a continuous series of streams (materials) (S104). This indicates that the following two recording materials (streams) are present in the recording memories 111 to 113.
Material 1 Recording memory 111 Clip ID C001
Material 2 Material divided into 3 clips in the following recording order
Recording memory 111 Clip ID C002
Recording Memory 112 Clip ID C001
Recording Memory 113 Clip ID C001

(B) Next, as shown in (a) of FIG. 25, the display means 122 indicates that the user has the above-mentioned two materials, and the selection by the user is received via the input means 130 (S92). . FIG. 25A shows a liquid crystal screen, on which reduced images of each material are displayed as icons. The reduced image is created by decoding only the first frame of the material, for example. FIG. 25B shows an example in which the input means 130 is configured by the cross key 142 and the key switches 144 and 146. The user selects a material using the cross key 142 shown in FIG. 25B, and presses a play button 146. The playback device accepts selection of a material to be played.
(C) When the material 2 is selected as shown in FIG. 25A, the clips are continuously reproduced in the following order (S93).
Recording memory 111 Clip ID C002
Recording Memory 112 Clip ID C001
Recording Memory 113 Clip ID C001

  By referring to the Index file in this way, even if the clip is divided into a plurality of clips at the time of recording and recorded, it can be displayed to the user as one unitary material composed of a series of continuous clips. In addition, according to the user's selection, the clips can be continuously played back in the order obtained by analyzing the material in advance, so that the user's convenience is improved.

(Embodiment 5)
The reproducing method according to the fifth embodiment is different from the reproducing method according to the fourth embodiment in that the order of a plurality of recording memories recorded continuously is changed. According to this reproducing method, even if the position of the recording memory stored at the time of recording is changed at the time of reproducing, the data can be reproduced in the recorded order. The configuration of the video and audio recording / reproducing apparatus is the same as that of the fourth embodiment.

Next, a reproduction method for performing reproduction from a plurality of recording memories based on an Index file will be described in more detail. Here, as shown in FIG. 23, a case is shown in which three recording memories whose positions of the recording memories are exchanged during reproduction with respect to during recording are reproduced.
(A-1) An Index file, which is a management information file, recorded in each of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 is read (S101).
(A-2) Information of video or audio files before and after each video or audio file is acquired from the Index file in each of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 (S102). FIG. 23 shows the contents of the recording memories 111 to 113. This is a state in which the recording memories 112 and 113 are replaced and mounted in FIG. 9 in the recorded state in the first embodiment. The recording memory 111 has a Media ID of M001, and two clips of Clip ID C001 and Clip ID C002 are recorded. The recording memory 112 has a Media ID of M003, and stores one clip of Clip ID C001. The recording memory 113 has a Media ID of M002, and records one clip of Clip ID C001. FIG. 24 shows the contents of the Index file in the recording memories 111 to 113. Here, by reading and analyzing the Index files in all the recording memories, it can be seen that the following Clip is recorded.

-Recording memory 111 (media ID M001)
First clip Clip ID C001
Second clip Clip ID C002
Immediate connection clip
Media ID M002 Clip ID C001
-Recording memory 112 (media ID M003)
First clip Clip ID C001
Previous connection clip
Media ID M002 Clip ID C001
-Recording memory 113 (media ID M002)
First clip Clip ID C001
Previous connection clip
Media ID M001 Clip ID C002
Immediate connection clip
Media ID M003 Clip ID C001

(A-3) The video or audio files (or clips) are arranged in order based on the information indicated in the Index file (S103).
(A-4) Create a sequence of a series of video or audio files constituting a continuous series of streams (materials) (S104). As a result, it is understood that the recording memories 111 to 113 have the following two recording materials.
Material 1 Recording memory 111 Clip ID C001
Material 2 Material divided into 3 clips in the following recording order
1) Recording memory 111 Clip ID C002
2) Recording memory 113 Clip ID C001
3) Recording memory 112 Clip ID C001

(B) Next, as shown in (a) of FIG. 25, the display means 122 indicates that the user has the above-mentioned two materials, and the selection by the user is received via the input means 130 (S92). . FIG. 25A shows a liquid crystal screen, on which reduced images of each material are displayed as icons. The reduced image is created by decoding only the first frame of the material, for example. FIG. 25B shows an example in which the input means 130 is configured by the cross key 142 and the key switches 144 and 146. The user selects a material using the cross key 142 and presses a play button 146. The playback device accepts selection of a material to be played.
(C) When the material 2 is selected as shown in FIG. 25A, the clips are continuously reproduced in the following order (S93).
Recording memory 111 Clip ID C002
Recording Memory 113 Clip ID C001
Recording Memory 112 Clip ID C001

  By referring to the information of the Next Clip in the Clip Index of the Index file, the media and the clip immediately before and after the divided clip can be specified. In the case of reproducing a clip, even if the mounting positions of a plurality of recording memories are different from those at the time of recording, the clips can be reproduced in the order of recording.

Note that a case will be described in which one clip, for example, a clip of Clip ID C002 in the recording memory 111 is selected and played, instead of selecting a material composed of continuous clips as described above.
(A) In this case, not the material but the respective clips recorded in the respective recording memories 111, 112 and 113 are displayed by the display means 122, and the user's selection is received via the input means 130.
(B) When the selection of the Clip ID C002 of the clip recording memory 111 to be reproduced is received, the Clip Index of the Index file of the recording memory 111 is referred to. Thus, it is understood that the Next Clip of Clip ID C002, that is, the clip to be continuously reproduced next is Clip ID C001 of Media ID M002.
(C) Next, Media ID M002 is searched from the Media Index of the Index file in all the recording memories. As a result of the search, it is found that the recording memory 113 has the media ID M002. Further, it can be seen from the Clip Index that there is a clip of Clip ID C001 and that the Next Clip is Clip ID C001 of Mdia ID M003.
(D) Similarly, by referring to the Index file, since the Clip ID C001 of the Media ID M003 exists in the recording memory 113 and there is no Next Clip, it can be seen that this is the end of a continuous clip.
(E) Therefore, when the clip of the Clip ID C002 of the recording memory 111 is selected, it is understood that the clips should be reproduced continuously in the following order.
Recording memory 111 Clip ID C002
Recording Memory 113 Clip ID C001
Recording Memory 112 Clip ID C001

  By referring to the information of the Next Clip of the Clip Index of the Index file in this way, it is possible to specify the clips immediately before and after the divided clip. Therefore, in the case of selecting and reproducing a clip recorded by being divided into a plurality of memories, it is possible to reproduce the clips in the order of recording even when the mounting positions of the plurality of recording memories are different from those at the time of recording.

(Embodiment 6)
In the sixth embodiment, when a stream is divided into a plurality of clips, and each clip is divided into a plurality of recording memories and recorded, when the recording memory stored in the playback device is partially missing, The reproduction method will be described. FIG. 28 shows the contents of the recording memories 111 to 113. Compared with the state of the recording memory of the fourth embodiment, only the recording memory 113 has a different content, and the recording memories 111 to 112 have the same content. The recording memory 113 has Media ID M008, and no clip is recorded. FIG. 29 shows the contents of the Index file in the recording memories 111 to 113.

Next, a reproduction method for performing reproduction from a plurality of recording memories based on an Index file will be described in more detail.
(A-1) An Index file, which is a management information file, recorded in each of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 is read (S101).
(A-2) Information of video or audio files before and after each video or audio file is acquired from the Index file in each of the recording memories 111, 112, and 113 (S102). Here, by reading and analyzing the Index files in all the recording memories, it can be seen that the following Clip is recorded.

-Recording memory 111 (media ID M001)
First clip Clip ID C001
Second clip Clip ID C002
Immediate connection clip
Media ID M002 Clip ID C001
-Recording memory 112 (media ID M003)
First clip Clip ID C001
Previous connection clip
Media ID M002 Clip ID C001
Recording memory 113 (media ID M008)
Without clip

(A-3) The video or audio files (or clips) are arranged in order based on the information indicated in the Index file (S103).
(A-4) Create a sequence of a series of video or audio files constituting a continuous series of streams (materials) (S104). As a result, it is understood that the recording memories 111 to 113 have the following two recording materials.
Material 1 Recording memory 111 Clip ID C001
Material 2 Two clips in the material divided into three clips in the following recording order
1) Recording memory 111 Clip ID C002
2) Not mounted
(Media ID M002 Clip ID C001)
3) Recording memory 112 Clip ID C001

(B) Next, as shown in FIG. 30A, the display means 122 indicates that the user has the above two materials, and accepts the user's selection via the input means 130 (S92). . FIGS. 30A and 30C show examples in which the material is displayed on the display unit 122. FIG. 30 (b) and (d) show examples in which the input means 130 is constituted by the cross key 142 and the key switches 144 and 146. FIG. 30A shows a liquid crystal screen, on which reduced images of the respective materials are displayed as icons. The reduced image is created by decoding only the first frame of the material, for example. Here, since some clips are not attached to the material 2, a “?” Mark is added to the material 2 in FIG. 30A to indicate that the material 2 is in an irregular state. The user selects a material with the cross key 142 and plays the clip selected with the play button 146. When the material 2 is selected and reproduced as shown in FIG. 30A, some clips are not attached and it is known that the clips are recorded in the Media ID M002. As shown in FIG. 30 (b), the user is warned by displaying "Please install the memory of! Media ID M002 in the second slot."

(C) As shown in FIG. 30A, when the clip of Clip ID C002 in the recording memory 111 is selected, the following operation is performed.
(C-1) When a clip is selected, by referring to the Clip Index of the Index file of the recording memory 111, the next clip to be continuously reproduced from the Next Clip of the Clip ID C002 is the Media ID M002. It can be seen that the Clip ID is C001.
(C-2) Next, Media ID M002 is searched from the Media Index of the Index file in all the recording memories. As a result of the search, it is found that there is no recording memory for the corresponding Media ID. That is, it is understood that the corresponding recording memory is not mounted on this reproducing apparatus.
(C-3) Therefore, it is impossible to continuously reproduce the divided clips. In this case, the user can be warned because the recording memory in which the missing clip is recorded is the recording memory of Media ID M002.
(C-4) As shown in (c) of FIG. 30, the warning to the user is displayed by, for example, the display unit 122 as if a recording memory of Media ID M002 is mounted.

  In such a case, by specifying the Media ID on a label or the like of the recording memory, it is possible to simplify the work for the user to find the corresponding recording memory. For example, when the Media ID is the serial number of the recording memory, the user can easily recognize the serial number by printing the serial number on the recording memory at the time of manufacturing the recording memory. Can be found and worn.

  Further, in the above description, an example of searching for a clip to be reproduced next using Next Clip has been described. However, a previous clip can be searched for using Previous Clip. For example, in FIG. 28, the contents of the Index file in the recording memory 112 indicate that the clip immediately before the clip with the Clip ID C001 in the recording memory 112 is the clip with the Media ID M002 and Clip ID C001. Can be instructed to mount the corresponding recording memory.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the middle clip of the divided clips is not mounted is shown. Clips immediately before and after the corresponding clip can be identified from the information of the Next Clip and the Previous Clip, so even if the first clip of the divided clip is missing or the last clip is missing, the missing recording is recorded. The media ID of the memory can be specified.

  Further, even when the recording memory of the Media ID M002 is not mounted, the clip of the Media ID M001 Clip ID C002 of the recording memory 111 and the clip of the Media ID M003 Clip ID C001 of the recording memory 113 can be reproduced separately. This is because information necessary for reproduction, such as a corresponding video file and audio file, can be obtained from each ClipID.

  As described above, by referring to the information of Next Clip and Previous Clip in the Clip Index of the Index file, the media and the clip immediately before and after the divided clip can be specified, and a part of the divided clip can be specified. Even if no memory is installed, it is easy to identify the corresponding memory, and even if some memory is not installed, the installed clips will be split among the split clips. Since it has the same information as a clip that has not been played, it can be played back.

  Further, even when a plurality of clips are missing, since the preceding and succeeding clips have the same UMID, it can be easily determined that the clips are the same material. Therefore, the divided clips can always be treated as the same material. it can. It is apparent that the same effect can be obtained even when an ID for distinguishing individual materials is added instead of the UMID.

  In all the embodiments, the Media Index and the Clip Inedx are included in the Index file. However, when the Media ID is a serial number, a means 124 for detecting the serial number is separately provided as shown in FIG. Thus, the Media ID can be omitted. For example, when a controller in the recording memory outputs a serial number by giving a predetermined command to the recording memory, the Media ID can be omitted. Even in such a case, by recording the Media ID in the Index file, the serial number can be easily detected from the Index file even when a dedicated command cannot be transmitted to the recording memory such as a network connection. is there.

  It is clear that the same effect can be obtained even if the Clip Index has a separate file structure for each clip, different from the Index file.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a video recording device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a video file and an audio file to be recorded according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a video frame and the number of audio samples according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a clip based on an Index file, a video file, and an audio file according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a structure of an Index file according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing each element of an Index file according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing contents of a recording memory according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the content of each recording memory and the configuration of video and audio files according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the contents of a recording memory after a recording operation is completed according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the contents of an Index file after a recording operation ends in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a change in file size according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the contents of each recording memory and the configuration of video and audio files according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart of a recording method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart of another example of the recording method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart of still another example of the recording method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart of still another example of the recording method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart relating to determination of switching of a recording destination according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a video recording device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart of a recording method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart of another example of the recording method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. 15 is a flowchart of still another example of the recording method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. 15 is a flowchart of still another example of the recording method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing contents of a recording memory according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the contents of an Index file according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. (A) is a display example of the material by the display means in Embodiment 4 of the present invention, (b) is a diagram showing an example of the input means. 15 is a flowchart of a reproducing method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. 27 is a detailed flowchart of a management information reading and analyzing step of FIG. 26. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating contents of a recording memory according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating the contents of an Index file according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. (A) is a display example of the material by the display means in Embodiment 6 of the present invention, (b) and (d) are diagrams showing an example of the input means, and (c) is (a) 5 is a display example when an instruction to reproduce the material 2 is given.

Explanation of reference numerals

100, 100a Recording / reproducing device 101 System control unit 102 Video file processing unit 103 Audio file processing unit 104 Index file processing unit 105 Recording memory processing unit 106 File system 107 File system memory 108 Recording buffer memory 109 Playback buffer memory 110 Recording memory I / F
111, 112, 113 Recording memory 114 Control memory 120 I / O bus 122 Display means 124 Serial number detection means 130 Input means 131 Encoder 132 Video input means 133 Decoder 134 Video output means 135 Audio input means 136 Audio output means 142 Cross key 144 Stop button 146 Play button

Claims (39)

A continuous video signal or audio signal stream is time-divided into a first stream and a second stream, the first stream is recorded on a first recording medium as a first file, and the second stream is recorded on a second file as a second file. A recording device for recording on a recording medium,
First management information relating to the second file or the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file, or
A recording device that records second management information on the first file or the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second file. Dividing the continuous video signal stream and the continuous audio signal stream into a first video stream and a first audio stream synchronized with each other and a second video stream and a second audio stream synchronized with each other; The first video stream and the first audio stream are recorded on a first recording medium as a first video file and a first audio file, and the second video stream and the second audio stream are recorded as a second video file and a second audio file. A recording device for recording on a second recording medium,
The second video file, the second audio file or the first management information relating to the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first video file and the audio file, or
A recording device that records second management information relating to the first video file, the first audio file, or the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second video file and the second audio file.   3. The recording end time of the first video file and the first audio file are the same, and the recording start time of the second video file and the second audio file are the same. The recording device according to claim 1.   When the frame frequency of the video signal and the sample frequency of the audio signal are different from each other, the video signal and the audio signal are synchronized with each other by associating the audio signal with a predetermined number of samples for each predetermined number of video frames. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein   The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first or second management information is written in a management information file.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the first management information related to the second recording medium or the second management information related to the first recording medium includes ID information specifying a recording medium. Recording device.   5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a sequence number of a first frame at which recording of the first or second file is started is recorded in the first or second management information file. When the video signal is an MPEG-compressed video signal, a file size increase Dt of the first video file and the first audio file at the end of two consecutive GOPs at the start of each GOP is predicted by the following equation, 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the remaining recording capacity of the first recording medium is compared with the Dt, and when the remaining capacity is smaller than the Dt, it is determined to switch the recording destination. 4. Recording device.
Dt = (Da × 2M) + ((Rmax / Fnum) × 2M)
M: Number of frames of 1 GOP Da: Audio data size in frame unit Rmax: Maximum rate of MPEG in VBR (Max rate)
Fnum: Frame frequency   2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the video signal is an MPEG-compressed signal, the stream of the video signal is time-divided immediately before a head of a GOP. Stream dividing means for time-dividing a continuous video signal or audio signal stream into a first stream and a second stream;
A first recording drive that stores a first recording medium and records the first stream as a first file on the first recording medium;
A second recording drive that stores a second recording medium and records the second stream as a second file on the second recording medium;
Sending first management information relating to the second file or the second recording medium to the first recording drive, and causing the first file to be recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file; or A recording apparatus, comprising: a control unit that sends second management information relating to a first recording medium to the second recording drive and records the second management information on the second recording medium in association with the second file.   The first management information is information related to a medium-specific manufacturing code number that specifies the second recording medium, and the second management information is information related to a medium-specific manufacturing code number that specifies the first recording medium. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the recording apparatus is provided. Time-dividing a continuous stream of video or audio signals into a first stream and a second stream;
Recording the first stream as a first file on a first recording medium;
Recording the second stream as a second file on the second recording medium;
The first management information on the second file or the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first file, or the second management information on the first file or the first recording medium is stored. Recording on the second recording medium in association with the second file. Time-dividing a continuous video signal stream and a continuous audio signal stream into a first video stream and a first audio stream synchronized with each other and a second video stream and a second audio stream synchronized with each other;
Recording the first video stream and the first audio stream as a first video file and a first audio file on a first recording medium;
Recording the second video stream and the second audio stream as a second video file and a first audio file on the second recording medium;
The second video file, the second audio file or the first management information relating to the second recording medium is recorded on the first recording medium in association with the first video file and the first audio file, or Recording second management information on a first video file, the first audio file, or the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second video file and the second audio file. Characteristic recording method. When the video signal is an MPEG-compressed video signal, a file size increase Dt of the first video file and the first audio file at the end of two successive GOPs at the start of each GOP is predicted by the following equation. And a step of comparing the remaining recordable amount of the first recording medium with the Dt, and if the remaining amount is smaller than the Dt, determining switching of a recording destination. 14. The recording method according to item 13.
Dt = (Da × 2M) + ((Rmax / Fnum) × 2M)
M: Number of frames of 1 GOP Da: Audio data size in frame unit Rmax: Maximum rate of MPEG in VBR (Max rate)
Fnum: Frame frequency   15. The recording method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of switching a recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium. Sequentially recording a continuous video signal or audio signal stream as a first file on a first recording medium;
Sequentially recording a portion of the stream following the first file as a second file on a second recording medium;
Recording first management information relating to the second recording medium on the first recording medium in association with the first file;
A recording method, including:   17. The recording method according to claim 16, further comprising: recording second management information on the first recording medium in the second recording medium in association with the second file. Sequentially recording a continuous video signal or audio signal stream as a first file on a first recording medium;
Sequentially recording a portion of the stream following the first file as a second file on the second recording medium;
Recording the second management information on the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second file. Determining whether to switch the recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium;
19. The recording method according to claim 16, further comprising: switching a recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium. Successively recording a stream of video and audio signals on a first recording medium as a first video file and a first audio file synchronized with each other;
Sequentially recording portions of the stream following the first video and audio files as a second video file and a second audio file synchronized with each other on a second recording medium;
Recording the first management information for specifying the second recording medium on the first recording medium in association with the first video and audio files.   21. The recording method according to claim 20, further comprising: recording second management information specifying the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second video and audio files. Successively recording a stream of video and audio signals on a first recording medium as a first video file and a first audio file synchronized with each other;
Sequentially recording portions of the stream following the first video and audio files as a second video file and a second audio file synchronized with each other on the second recording medium;
Recording the second management information identifying the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second video and audio files. Determining whether to switch the recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium;
23. The recording method according to claim 17, further comprising: switching a recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium.   The recording according to any one of claims 12, 13, 15, 21 and 23, wherein the first management information is information relating to a production code number unique to a medium that specifies the second recording medium. Method.   24. The method according to claim 12, wherein the second management information is information relating to a medium-specific manufacturing code number for specifying the first recording medium. Recording method. Time-dividing a continuous stream of video or audio signals into a first stream and a second stream;
Recording the first stream as a first file on a first recording medium;
Recording the second stream as a second file on the second recording medium;
Recording first management information on the second file or the second recording medium in the first recording medium in association with the first file;
Recording the second management information related to the first file or the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second file.   The recording program to be executed by a computer according to claim 26, further comprising a step of switching a recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium. Sequentially recording a continuous video signal or audio signal stream as a first file on a first recording medium;
Sequentially recording a portion of the stream following the first file as a second file on a second recording medium;
Recording first management information relating to the second file or the second recording medium on the first recording medium in association with the first file;
Recording the second management information related to the first file or the first recording medium on the second recording medium in association with the second file. Determining whether to switch the recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium;
29. The recording program to be executed by a computer according to claim 28, further comprising: switching a recording destination from the first recording medium to the second recording medium.   The first management information is information relating to a medium-specific manufacturing code number that specifies the second recording medium, and the second management information is information relating to a medium-specific manufacturing code number that specifies the first recording medium. The recording program according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein:   A computer-readable recording medium recording the recording program according to any one of claims 26 to 30. A playback device that mounts a plurality of recording media and reproduces a plurality of video files or audio files recorded on each of the recording media,
When reproducing the first video or audio file recorded on the first recording medium, the second video or audio file to be reproduced continuously with the first video or audio file recorded on the first recording medium Reading the first management information, specifying the second recording medium on which the second video or audio file is recorded,
A reproducing device that reads the second video or audio file from the second recording medium and continuously reproduces the second video or audio file subsequent to the first video or audio file. A reproducing apparatus that mounts a plurality of recording media and reproduces a plurality of video files or audio files recorded on the recording medium,
When reproducing the first video or audio file recorded on the first recording medium, the second video or audio file to be reproduced continuously with the first video or audio file recorded on the first recording medium Reading the first management information, specifying the second recording medium on which the second video or audio file is recorded,
A playback device that displays first management information on the second video or audio file when the second recording medium is not mounted. A playback device that mounts a plurality of recording media and reproduces a plurality of video files or audio files recorded on each of the recording media,
Read and analyze the management information file recorded on each recording medium, create an order of video or audio files recorded on each recording medium constituting a continuous series of video or audio stream,
Displaying a continuous series of video or audio streams recorded on each recording medium, accepting an instruction for a stream to be played,
A playback device that reads the video or audio file from each of the recording media and continuously plays back the video or audio stream in the order in which the video or audio stream was created in accordance with the received playback instruction. A first recording medium in which a continuous video signal or audio signal stream is time-divided into a first stream and a second stream, and the first stream is recorded as a first file; and the second stream is recorded as a second file. First and second drives for respectively storing the second recording medium,
Management information obtaining means for obtaining, from the first recording medium, first management information regarding files before and after the first file, and obtaining second management information regarding files before and after the second file from the second recording medium; ,
Management information processing means for creating an order of continuous files so as to form a series of streams based on the first management information and the second management information;
Display means for displaying a set of continuous streams recorded on each recording medium,
Input means for inputting selection of a stream to be reproduced from the set of streams;
A playback unit that performs continuous playback in the order of the files so as to form the stream according to the input. A first recording medium on which a continuous video signal or audio signal stream is time-divided into a first stream and a second stream, and a first file composed of the first stream is recorded; A second recording medium on which a second file to be recorded is recorded,
Said first file;
A recording medium in which the second file associated with the first file or first management information relating to the second recording medium is recorded.   37. The recording medium according to claim 36, wherein the first management information is information relating to a production code number unique to a medium that specifies the second recording medium. A first recording medium on which a continuous video signal or audio signal stream is time-divided into a first stream and a second stream, and a first file composed of the first stream is recorded; And a second recording medium on which a second file to be recorded is recorded,
Said second file;
A recording medium in which the first file associated with the second file or second management information relating to the first recording medium is recorded. 39. The recording medium according to claim 38, wherein the second management information is information relating to a production code number unique to a medium that specifies the first recording medium.

Images