JP2007103005A - Recording/reproducing apparatus, transmitting/receiving method and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily retrieve required music data from many music data copied from CDs and stored in a recording medium built in a recording/reproducing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A music server 50 can record many music data reproduced from CDs in a built-in HDD. In the case of recording, TOC information of each CD is read out and recorded in the HDD and sent to a personal computer 300 through a connection line 301. A CD album information database is provided from a CD-ROM 310 to the personal computer 300. The personal computer 300 retrieves correspondence between the CD in the database stored in the CD-ROM 310 and the CD concerned on the basis of the total play time of the sent TOC information and the time information of respective tracks and sends the retrieved result to the server 50. The server 50 records the sent retrieved result in the HDD by a management database in association with the TOC information, so that CD album information can be displayed or a music CD to be reproduced can be selected on the basis of the CD album information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus, a transmission / reception method, and a storage medium which can easily search a large number of stored or recorded music data in a storage or recording medium built in the apparatus.

  Conventionally, a so-called CD changer in which a large number of CDs (Compact Discs) are stored and a CD is automatically reproduced has been put into practical use. In this CD changer, several tens to several hundreds of CDs are stored in one casing, and the CD selected by a predetermined operation is automatically reproduced. CD reproduction can be performed for each CD, or a plurality of CDs can be selected, and random reproduction can be performed in units of CDs or recorded songs. This CD changer is mainly used fixedly, that is, installed in a room.

  In this CD changer, it is difficult to realize continuous reproduction because the CD exchange time occurs even during automatic reproduction. Also, a CD changer that stores 100 or 200 CDs has a large and heavy casing, which is very inconvenient to carry and install.

  In order to solve this problem, an audio server using a recording medium such as a hard disk drive having a relatively small size and a large recording capacity has been proposed. The audio server reads the audio data recorded on the CD, compresses and encodes the read audio data by a predetermined method, and records and accumulates it on the hard disk drive. By using a hard disk drive having a recording capacity of about 6 GB, about 1000 pieces of music data can be recorded. The audio server does not require time and effort for exchanging CDs as in the above-described CD changer, so that continuous playback is easy and a large number of music data can be recorded on one hard disk drive, so the housing is small. There is an advantage that can be made.

  As described above, the audio server can store a large amount of audio data. Therefore, it is necessary to input some search data to the audio server and store it so that the user can search for desired data from the audio data stored in the audio server. As search data, a CD title, a music title, and the like can be considered.

  For example, when a user inputs or specifies a song name of a song that the user wants to listen to with respect to the audio server, corresponding audio data is searched based on the song name, and the searched audio data is reproduced.

  However, accompanying information relating to the CD, such as a player name, a song name, and title information of the CD, is not recorded on the CD as a standard. Therefore, when recording and accumulating audio data recorded on a CD in the audio server, the user needs to input the accompanying information related to the CD to the audio server by himself / herself. there were.

  For example, the accompanying information described above must be manually input to the audio server as text data, or a jacket image of a CD must be input using an image scanner or the like. In particular, when audio data is recorded and stored for a large number of CDs at a time, there is a problem in that it takes much time to input.

  On the other hand, a recording area called a TOC (Table Of Contents) is provided in the CD, and information relating to the performance time of each audio data recorded on the CD is recorded in the TOC. It is known that the title of a CD can be specified based on this TOC information. Therefore, a system that constructs a database in which TOC information and CD title information are associated with each other and provides information to an audio server is conceivable.

  As a method of realizing this system, for example, the following two methods are conceivable. The first method is to build a database on a network, for example, a server on the Internet, connect the audio server to the Internet via a public telephone line, etc., and record and store audio data recorded on a CD in the audio server. In this case, a database on the Internet is searched based on the TOC information of the CD, and the CD title information is obtained via the Internet. The second method is a method of constructing the above-described database on the storage or recording medium of the audio server and obtaining CD title information from the database on the audio server.

  However, the above-described first method has a problem in that it is expensive to maintain and manage a server provided on the Internet, and an interface for the Internet such as a modem must be provided on the audio server side. Further, when connecting to a server on which a database is constructed via the Internet, there is a problem that a line usage fee for connecting to the Internet increases.

  In the second method described above, a database is constructed in the recording system in the audio server. However, if an attempt is made to enrich the database, the required storage capacity becomes enormous, and the memory is stored. Another problem is that the capacity of the recording medium is compressed.

  Further, since new CD titles are released one after another, the contents of the database are required to be constantly updated. This database content update also uses the Internet or the like as described in the first method, and the above-described problems occur.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of easily searching for audio data from which audio data recorded on a CD, many of which are stored in a storage or recording medium built in the apparatus, is read. , A transmission / reception method and a storage medium.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention is a reproducing means for reproducing data from a compact disc, a transmitting means for transmitting identification information generated from data reproduced from a compact disc, and a transmission means for transmitting. Receiving means for receiving additional information corresponding to the identification information retrieved from the external storage medium according to the identified identification information, and making the additional information received by the receiving means into a database and music data read from the compact disc A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: recording means for recording on a hard disk in association with the hard disk; and search means for searching for music data recorded on the hard disk based on additional information stored in a database recorded on the hard disk .

  Further, the second invention is a reproduction step for reproducing data from a compact disc, a transmission step for transmitting identification information generated from data reproduced from the compact disc, and the identification information transmitted by the transmission step. The receiving step for receiving the additional information corresponding to the identification information retrieved from the external storage medium according to the method, and the additional information received by the receiving step is made into a database and associated with the music data read from the compact disc And a search step for searching for music data recorded on the hard disk based on the additional information stored in the database as a database.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproduction step for reproducing data from a compact disc, a transmission step for transmitting identification information generated from data reproduced from a compact disc, and the identification information transmitted by the transmission step. The receiving step for receiving the additional information corresponding to the identification information retrieved from the external storage medium according to the method, and the additional information received by the receiving step is made into a database and associated with the music data read from the compact disc A program for causing a computer to execute a recording step of recording on the hard disk and a search step of searching for music data recorded on the hard disk based on additional information stored in the database recorded on the hard disk is stored. A storage medium characterized by That.

  As described above, the present invention transmits identification information generated from data reproduced from a compact disc, and receives additional information corresponding to identification information retrieved from an external storage medium in accordance with the transmitted identification information. The received additional information is made into a database and recorded on the hard disk in association with the music data read from the compact disk, and the music data recorded on the hard disk based on the database-added additional information recorded on the hard disk Therefore, the music data read from the compact disc and recorded on the hard disc can be searched based on the additional information retrieved from the external storage medium and stored in the database.

  As described above, the present invention transmits identification information generated from data reproduced from a compact disc, and receives additional information corresponding to identification information retrieved from an external storage medium in accordance with the transmitted identification information. The received additional information is made into a database and recorded on the hard disk in association with the music data read from the compact disk, and the music data recorded on the hard disk based on the database-added additional information recorded on the hard disk Therefore, the music data read from the compact disk and recorded on the hard disk can be searched based on the additional information retrieved from the external storage medium and stored in the database.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a music server to which the present invention is applicable and a system using the music server. The music server 50 includes a server main body 51 and left and right speaker units 52L and 52R. The server body 51 is provided with a display unit 53 made of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel, and a CD insertion unit 54 for inserting a CD into the server body 51.

  Although omitted in FIG. 1, an operation unit including a plurality of operation switches for the user to operate the function of the server main body 51 is provided in the server main body 51. For example, a signal receiving unit for receiving an infrared signal may be provided for remotely controlling the function of the server main body 51 using a remote commander. As will be described later, the server main body 51 has a controller, and various operations of the server main body 51 are controlled by the controller based on a predetermined program stored in advance in a ROM, for example.

  The user loads the CD 55 into the server main body 51 via the CD insertion unit 54, performs a predetermined operation using an operation unit (not shown), reproduces the CD 55, and outputs a reproduction signal reproduced from the CD 55 to the speaker unit 52L. , 52R, the music recorded on the CD 55 can be enjoyed. When the CD 55 includes text data such as a music title, the music title is displayed on the display unit 53 based on the text data.

  The music server 50 has a large-capacity recording medium such as a hard disk inside. By performing a predetermined operation using an operation unit (not shown), it is possible to record the reproduction data reproduced from the CD 55 loaded in the server main body 51 from the CD insertion unit 54 on a recording medium composed of this hard disk. At this time, a method of recording at the same transfer speed as the standard reproduction speed of CD55 and a high-speed recording in which recording is performed at a transfer speed higher than the standard reproduction speed of CD55 can be selected. In the case of recording at a high transfer rate, a charging process is performed according to a predetermined procedure to select a CD or a song recorded on the CD, and play it as music data played from the CD. Data can be recorded at a transfer speed faster than the CD playback speed.

  In the music server 50, the music data reproduced from the CD 55 is compressed and encoded by the predetermined method such as the above-described ATRAC and recorded as compressed music data. For example, about 1000 songs are stored in a hard disk having a capacity of 6 GB. Or can be stored. A list of songs stored or stored in the hard disk is displayed on the display unit 53, for example, and the user can select any song from the songs stored or stored in the hard disk based on the song name list displayed on the display unit 53. Can be selected and played. Since the hard disk can be randomly accessed, music data stored or stored in large numbers can be read out in an arbitrary order and continuously reproduced.

  Various methods can be used for the compression coding. In the first embodiment, for example, ATRAC2 (Adaptive Tranform Acoustic Coding 2) as disclosed in US Pat. The so-called method is used. This is an advanced version of ATRAC, which is a compression coding method used in the above-described portable audio data reproducing apparatus, and uses a masking effect based on auditory properties and frequency dependence of the minimum audible limit to transform codes. And entropy coding are used together to compress and encode audio data. With relatively small hardware, encoding / decoding can be performed at high speed while maintaining high sound quality.

  The music server 50 can be connected to an external system, for example, an Internet server 60 that is a server connected to the Internet, via a communication line 61 that is a public telephone line, for example. By connecting to the Internet server 60 from the music server 50 via the communication line 61, various information on the Internet can be obtained. The Internet server 60 has a database such as title information of commercially available music CDs, for example. The user is given a unique key for using this database, and by operating the unique key when using the database, data associated with the CD, for example, title information of the CD can be obtained. .

  Further, the music server 50 can be connected to, for example, a personal computer through a predetermined interface, and data associated with the CD can be obtained using a database provided to the personal computer through storage or a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

  The Internet server 60 also performs billing processing for the music server 50 according to the service supplied to the user. When the above-described high-speed recording of the CD 55 is performed, the music server 50 performs data communication to the Internet server 60 to perform high-speed recording, so that a billing process for the user who performs high-speed recording is performed. Selection, song selection, and high-speed recording can be performed.

  Here, the billing process is performed by the Internet server 60 having a lot of CD additional information, but this is not limited to the above-described example. For example, the above-described charging process may be performed by another server connected to the Internet. It is also possible to perform the above-described charging process using a dedicated network other than the Internet, for example.

  The portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 has a storage medium composed of a hard disk or a flash memory. Other storage media or recording media can be used as long as they can follow the music playback speed. By connecting the portable recording / reproducing device 70 to the music server 50 via the connection line 71, the music data recorded on the music server 50 is transferred to the portable recording / reproducing device 70, and the storage medium of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is stored. Can be recorded. At this time, on the music server 50 side, the music data transferred to the device 70 exists on a storage medium such as a hard disk or a flash memory but cannot be reproduced. A storage medium or a recording medium used in the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 has a capacity of about 200 Mbytes, for example, and can store or store several tens of music data. In the following description, a storage element or storage medium composed of a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory and a recording medium such as a disk-shaped recording medium such as a hard disk are collectively referred to as a storage medium.

  When the above transfer method used in the present invention, that is, music data is transferred, the music data is recorded in the transfer destination storage medium, and the transferred music data is stored on the storage medium in the transfer source storage medium. The state that exists but cannot be reproduced is called “move”. By moving in this way, unlimited copying of music data can be prevented.

  In the above-described example, the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are connected by the connection line 71, but this is not limited to this example. For example, the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are provided with mounting portions corresponding to each other, and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is directly attached to the music server 50 to exchange data between the server 50 and the device 70. You can For example, an interface corresponding to IrDA (Infrared Data Association) for exchanging data using infrared signals as well as electrical connections is provided in both the server 50 and the device 70, and music data is transferred to and from the server 50 using infrared signals. You may make it carry out between the apparatuses 70.

  Furthermore, by providing a predetermined interface in the music server 50, it becomes possible to exchange information with various media. For example, by providing an interface corresponding to the PC card 80 in the server 50, music data distributed by the PC card 80 can be taken into the music server 50 or exchanged between the personal computer and the music server 50. Is possible. By providing the server 50 with a serial digital interface such as an optical cable, music data can be exchanged with another digital music data recording / reproducing apparatus such as a disk recorder 81 using a small magneto-optical disk having a diameter of 64 mm. Is possible. In this example, a disk cartridge 82 containing the above-described small magneto-optical disk is mounted on the disk recorder 81, and music data reproduced from the magneto-optical disk of the disk cartridge 82 is supplied to the music server 50. Similarly, an interface such as IEEE1394 can be provided in the server 50, and for example, a set top box 83 for CATV (Cable Television) or satellite broadcasting can be connected.

  The PC card is a standard for a card-type peripheral device for a personal computer jointly established by PCMCIA (Personal Memory Card International Association) in the United States and JEIDA (Japan Electronics Industry Promotion Association) in Japan. IEEE 1394 is an interface standard adopted by the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

  The music server 50 can have a WWW (World Wide Web) browser as a built-in application. By connecting to the Internet server 60 via the communication line 61, various contents described in, for example, HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) on the Internet can be searched and displayed on the display unit 53.

  With such a configuration, for example, the user can reproduce music data stored or stored in the music server 50 and listen to it through the speaker units 52L and 52R, and can also play the CD 55 through the CD insertion unit 54. 50 can be loaded to play CD55.

  By performing communication between the music server 50 and the Internet server 60, the title information of the CD 55 loaded in the server 50 via the CD insertion unit 54 can be automatically obtained from the server 60 via the communication line 61. it can. Information obtained from the server 60 is stored in the music server 50, and the stored title information is displayed on the display unit 53 of the server 50 as necessary.

  More specifically, user-specific information such as user ID data of the server 50 (hereinafter referred to as user information) is sent from the music server 50 to the Internet server 60. On the Internet server 60 side, verification processing and billing processing are performed based on the received user information. Also, the media information of the CD required by the user or the CD being played back is sent from the music server 50 to the Internet server 60. Based on the received media information, the Internet server 60 searches for additional information with respect to music data such as a song title, a player name, a composer / lyricist name, lyrics, and a jacket image. Then, the Internet server 60 returns predetermined information regarding the CD requested by the user to the music server 50.

  For example, TOC (Table Of Contents) information of CD 55 is sent to the Internet server 60 as media information. In the Internet server 60, a database is constructed in which additional information for the music data described above can be searched based on the TOC information. Additional information may be obtained by searching other WWW servers on the Internet. The Internet server 60 searches for additional information of music data using the received TOC information as media information. For example, it is possible to search based on the time information of each piece of music recorded on the CD 55 included in the TOC information.

  Additional information obtained by the search is sent from the Internet server 60 to the music server 50. In the music server 50, the received additional information is displayed on the display unit 53, and is written together with the TOC information of the CD 55 by, for example, a hard disk drive by the CPU 8 described later. The searched additional information is embedded in an HTML file and sent from the server 60, so that the music server 50 can display the additional information with the built-in WWW browser software.

  If another URL (Uniform Resource Locator) on the Internet is described in the additional information, the music server 50 can access a homepage on the Internet indicated by the other URL.

  Further, by performing data communication between the Internet server 60 and the server 50, the music data of the CD 55 loaded in the server 50 via the CD insertion unit 54 is stored in the storage medium of the music server 50 and the CD 55 is defined. For example, music data for one CD 55 can be recorded in about 2 minutes at a speed higher than the standard playback speed. When communication is not performed between the Internet server 60 and the server 50, the data is recorded on the storage medium of the server 50 at a speed equal to the standard reproduction speed defined by the CD 55 and at a single speed.

  The server 50 can transfer the music data stored or stored in the music server 50 to the portable playback device 71 and move it by connecting to the portable recording / playback device 70 via the connection line 71. The moved music data can be reproduced by the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 even when the server 50 and the apparatus 71 are not connected by the connection line 71, for example, can be listened by the headphones 72. The music data that has been transferred and moved is in a state in which the music server 50 cannot reproduce the music data.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the music server 50. First, the music server 50 is provided with a RAM 5, a ROM 6, a flash memory 7, and a CPU 8 coupled to each other by a bus, as in the configuration of a normal personal computer. CPU 8 is connected to bus 40. The CPU 8 functions as a controller, and the overall operation of the music server 50 is controlled.

  The ROM 6 stores a program for controlling the operation of the music server 50 in advance. In the music server 50, based on this program, the CPU 8 executes an operation corresponding to an operation of the input operation unit 1 described later. In the RAM 5 and the flash memory 7, a data area and a task area for executing the program are temporarily secured. The ROM 6 stores a program loader, and the program itself can be loaded into the flash memory 7 by the program loader of the ROM 6.

  The input operation unit 1 includes, for example, a plurality of push type and rotary type key operation keys and switches operated by these operation keys. The input operation unit 1 is not limited to this, and may be a rotation push type operation key called a jog dial, a touch panel on an LCD, or the like. Of course, it is possible to use a switch mechanism that reacts when pressed. A signal corresponding to the operation of the input operation unit 1 is supplied to the CPU 8 via the bus 40. In the CPU 8, a control signal for controlling the operation of the music server 50 is generated based on the signal from the input operation unit 1. The music server 50 is operated according to the control signal generated by the CPU 8.

  An infrared interface (IrDA I / F) driver 3 and / or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) driver 4 is connected to the bus 40. The keyboard 2 can communicate or connect to these drivers 3 and 4. By using the keyboard 2, for example, it is possible to easily input a song name, artist name, etc. corresponding to recorded music data. Alternatively, data transfer may be performed via the infrared interface driver 3 or the USB driver 4. The infrared interface 3 and the USB driver 4 can be omitted.

  The CD-ROM drive 9 is connected to the bus 40, and the CD 55 inserted from the disk insertion portion 54 as described above is loaded into the CD-ROM drive 9. In the CD-ROM drive 9, music data is read from the set CD 55 at a standard reproduction speed defined. Further, the CD-ROM drive 9 can read music data of the CD 55 at a speed higher than the standard reproduction speed specified, for example, 16 times or 32 times the standard reproduction speed prescribed. it can.

  The CD-ROM drive 9 is not limited to the above example, and may be adapted to other disk-shaped recording media storing music data, such as a magneto-optical disk or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). . A drive corresponding to a semiconductor memory connected to the outside such as a memory card can also be used. Further, the data read from the CD-ROM drive 9 is not limited to music data. Image data, text data, program data, etc. can be read out.

  A hard disk drive (hereinafter abbreviated as HDD) 10 is connected to the bus 40. In the HDD 10, music data read from the CD-ROM drive 9 is recorded. Furthermore, in this first embodiment, when reading music data from the CD-ROM drive 9 for recording on the HDD 10, the TOC of the CD 55 loaded in the CD-ROM drive 9 is read, and the TOC information is stored. Read out. Although details will be described later, the read TOC information is recorded in the HDD 10 in association with music data read from the CD 55 in a predetermined manner.

  As preprocessing for recording music data on the HDD 10, the music data read by the CD-ROM drive 9 is supplied to the compression encoder 12 via the bus 40 and the audio DRAM 11.

  In the compression encoder 12, for example, music data is compressed and encoded by the compression method disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 5,177,821. Note that two speeds of low speed and high speed are prepared for the compression speed of the music data by the compression encoder 12 based on the control of the CPU 8. The low-speed compression speed corresponds to the standard reproduction speed defined for CD55 in the CD-ROM drive 9. The compression speed is switched according to the reproduction speed of the CD 55 by the CD-ROM drive 9, for example. In the compression encoder 12, for example, an encoding algorithm corresponding to the compression speed is driven.

  Note that the change of the compression speed in the compression encoder 12 is not limited to the method described above. For example, it may be performed by switching the clock frequency of the compression encoder 12, or different hardware may be prepared for each. Further, in the compression encoder 12 capable of high-speed compression, processing may be thinned out to correspond to a low-speed compression speed.

  The compressed music data compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 is recorded and stored in the HDD 10 via the DRAM 11.

  Here, the compressed music data compression-encoded by the compression encoder 12 is stored in the HDD 10, but the music data read from the CD-ROM drive 9 is directly supplied to the HDD 10 to store the HDD 10. It can also be recorded and stored on a hard disk.

  In this example, an audio signal input from the microphone connected to the terminal 13 via the amplifier 14 and an audio signal input from the line input end 15 are supplied to the compression encoder 12 via the A / D converter 16. . These audio signals can be compressed and encoded by the encoder 12 and recorded in the HDD 10. Further, an optical digital signal is supplied from the optical digital input end 17 to the compression encoder 12 via an IEC958 (International Electrotechnical Commission 958) encoder 18. An audio signal supplied as an optical digital signal can be compressed and encoded by the encoder 12 and recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 10.

  In the above-described example, the case where the compression encoder 12 uses an encoding algorithm as disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 5,177,821 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described example. In other words, the compression encoder 12 can use any other encoding algorithm that compresses information. For example, the compression encoder 12 may use an encoding algorithm such as moving picture coding experts group (MPEG), precision adaptive sub-band coding (PASC), TwinVQ (trademark), RealAudio (trademark), or LiquidAudio (trademark). .

  A modem 20 is connected to the bus 40. An external network 19 such as a public telephone line, CATV, or wireless communication is connected to the modem 20. The music server 50 can communicate via the external network 19 by the modem 20.

  The music server 50 is connected to, for example, the Internet via the external network 19, and communication is performed between the music server 50 and the remote Internet server 60. From the music server 50 to the Internet server 60, a request signal, media information that is information related to the CD 55 loaded in the CD-ROM drive 9, user ID data and user information given in advance to each of the music servers 50 In addition, various information such as billing information for the user is transmitted and transmitted.

  Various information such as media information user information is transmitted to the Internet server 60, and the server 60 performs verification processing and billing processing based on the received user information such as user ID data, and music data based on the received media information. The additional information is retrieved and returned to the music server 50.

  Here, an example in which additional information of music data is returned has been shown, but it is also possible to supply music data directly from the external network 19 based on a user request. That is, the user can download music data from the Internet server 60 using the music server 50. Music data can be returned according to the media information. According to this, for example, a bonus track of a predetermined CD 55 can be acquired by distribution.

  The compressed music data compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 and recorded and stored in the HDD 10 is supplied to the compression decoder 21 via the bus 40 when read from the HDD 10 for reproduction. The compressed music data read from the HDD 10 is decompressed and encoded by the compression decoder 21 and is led to the terminal 24 via the D / A converter 22 and the amplifier 23. The music is reproduced by being supplied from the terminal 24 to the speaker units 52L and 52R. Although not shown in FIG. 2, two paths from the D / A converter 22 to the terminal 24 via the amplifier 23 are provided corresponding to the stereo output. Similarly, two terminals 24 are provided corresponding to the stereo.

  In the compression decoder 21, a decoding algorithm corresponding to the encoding algorithm in the compression encoder 12 is used. The compression decoder 21 and the compression encoder 12 described above may be software processing by the CPU 8 without having hardware.

  A liquid crystal display element (hereinafter abbreviated as LCD) 26 constituting the display unit 53 is connected to the bus 40 via the LCD drive circuit 25. A drawing control signal is supplied from the CPU 8 to the LCD drive circuit 25 via the bus 40. The LCD 26 is driven by the LCD driving circuit 25 based on the supplied drawing control signal, and a predetermined display is made on the display unit 53.

  For example, an operation menu of the music server 50 is displayed on the LCD 26. For example, a title list of the compressed music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 is displayed on the LCD 26. The title list is displayed on the LCD 26 based on the data stored in the HDD 10 since the data based on the data obtained by decoding the additional information transmitted from the Internet server 60 is supplied to the HDD 10. Further, on the LCD 26, for example, a folder and a jacket image corresponding to the compressed music data to be selected and reproduced are displayed based on the additional information transmitted from the Internet server 60.

  By operating the pointing device of the input operation unit 1 or the keyboard 2 based on the display on the LCD 26, the CPU 8 controls the reproduction of the instructed music data. Based on the display of the LC 26, the selected music data can be deleted, and the selected music data can be copied and moved to an external device. For example, when the input operation unit 1 is a touch panel provided on the LCD 26, the music server 50 can be operated by touching the touch panel according to the display on the LCD 26. As described above, the music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 is managed and controlled by the user using the LCD 26 as an interface.

  In the first embodiment, IEEE1394 and a PC card are supported as an interface between the music server 50 and an external general information device. An IEEE 1394 interface 28 is connected to the bus 40 via an IEEE 1394 driver 29. Similarly, a PC card slot 31 is connected to the bus 40 via a PC card driver 30.

  The IEEE 1394 interface 28 enables data exchange between the music server 50 and, for example, a personal computer. The IEEE 1394 interface 28 allows music data to be captured from IRD (Integrated Reciever / Decorder) for satellite broadcasts, small magneto-optical disks and optical disks having a diameter of approximately 64 mm, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc: trademark), digital video tape, and the like. it can. By mounting a PC card in the PC card slot 31, it is easy to expand various peripheral devices such as an external storage device and other media drives, or a modem, a terminal adapter, and a capture board.

  The interface 34 is an interface for exchanging music data and the like between the music server 50 and other corresponding recording / reproducing devices. For example, the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 shown in FIG. 1 is applied to the other recording / reproducing apparatus. The present invention is not limited to this, and the other recording / playback apparatus may be another music server 50.

  An interface 34 is connected to the bus 40 via an interface driver 33. Another corresponding recording / reproducing apparatus is provided with an interface 35 that is paired with the interface 34. By electrically connecting the interfaces 34 and 35 with a predetermined connection line 71, for example, music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 can be transferred from the music server 50 to another recording / reproducing apparatus.

  In the above description, the music data compressed and encoded by the music server 50 is recorded in the HDD 10, but the recording medium for the music data is not limited to the hard disk drive. For example, a semiconductor memory that can be attached to and detached from the music server main body 51 can be used as a recording medium for music data.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows a signal flow until the music data read by the CD-ROM drive 9 is recorded in the HDD 10. The music data read from the CD-ROM drive 9 is temporarily stored in the DRAM 11 as a buffer memory via the bus 40. Music data is read from the DRAM 11 at a predetermined timing and supplied to the compression encoder 12 via the bus 40. The compression encoder 12 has a predetermined compression speed corresponding to the reproduction speed of the CD-ROM drive 9 as described above. The music data is compression encoded by the compression encoder 12 and once stored in the DRAM 11 as a buffer memory again. The compressed music data read from the DRAM 11 at a predetermined timing is supplied to the HDD 10 via the bus 40 and recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 10. At this time, as described above, the information of the CD 55 reproduced by the CD-ROM drive 9 is transmitted to the Internet server 60, and the additional information of the CD 55 transmitted from the server 60 is also recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 10, and from the CD 55 Along with the compressed music data based on the read music data, it is managed by the CPU 8 or the like as one data.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows a signal flow from when the compressed music data read from the HDD 10 is reproduced to be output to the terminal 24. The compressed music data read from the HDD 10 is temporarily stored in the DRAM 11 as a buffer memory via the bus 40. Then, the compressed music data is read from the DRAM 11 at a predetermined timing and supplied to the compression decoder 21 via the bus 40. The compressed music data is decompressed and encoded by the compression decoder 21, converted into music data, and supplied to the D / A converter 22. The music data is converted into an analog audio signal by the D / A converter 22, amplified by the amplifier 23, and output to the terminal 24 as a reproduction output. If a speaker is connected to the terminal 24, the music reproduced by the speaker can be enjoyed. At this time, the additional information read together with the compressed music data from the disk of the HDD 10 is decoded by the CPU 8 or the like, and the music title or the like is displayed on the display unit 53.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 used as another recording / reproducing apparatus. This portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 has a configuration substantially equivalent to that of the music server 50 shown in FIG. Normally, the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is used by being carried as a single unit by separating the interface 34 on the music server 50 side and the interface 35 on the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 side.

  First, the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is provided with a RAM 103, a ROM 104, and a CPU 105, which are coupled to each other by a bus, in the same manner as in a normal personal computer. Of course, a flash memory may be provided similarly to the configuration of the music server 50 described above. The CPU 105 is connected to the bus 130. The CPU 105 functions as a controller, and the entire operation of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is controlled by the CPU 105.

  The ROM 104 stores in advance a program for controlling the operation of the portable recording / reproducing device 70. In the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, an operation corresponding to an operation of the input operation unit 102 described later is performed based on this program. In the RAM 103, a data area and a task area for executing the program are temporarily secured.

  The input operation unit 102 includes, for example, a plurality of push type and rotation type operation keys and a plurality of switches operated by these operation keys. The input operation unit 102 is not limited to this, and may be a rotary push type operation device called a jog dial, a touch panel on an LCD described later, or the like. Of course, it is also possible to use a mechanical switch mechanism that reacts when pressed. A signal corresponding to the operation of the input operation unit 102 is supplied to the CPU 105 via the bus 130. The CPU 105 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 based on an output signal generated by operating the operation key of the input operation unit 102. The portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is switched in operation and controlled in operation based on the control signal generated by the CPU 105.

  In the music server 50, the music data read from the HDD 10 and instructed to be transferred to the portable recording / reproducing device 70 is connected to the interface 34, the interface 35, and the connection line connecting the interface 34 and the interface 35. It is transferred or supplied to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70. At the same time, the additional information of the music data instructed to be transferred is transmitted to the apparatus 70 together with the music data instructed to be transferred. Further, when the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 are provided with mounting portions corresponding to each other, the interface 34 and the interface 35 are directly connected, and the server 50 and the apparatus 70 are connected to each other. Music data is transferred. Further, when both the device 70 and the server 50 are provided with an IrDA interface, music data is transferred between the server 50 and the device 70 by an infrared signal.

  The music data transferred and supplied from the server 50 to the device 70 is supplied from the interface driver 101 to the HDD 106 which is a music data recording medium of the portable recording / reproducing device 70 via the bus 130 and recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 106. .

  Note that the music data recording medium of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is not limited to the HDD 106, and for example, a flash memory may be used. Any other recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk can be used as the recording medium for the music data as long as it can follow the reproduction speed of the music data. As a music data recording medium of the device 70, for example, several tens of songs can be recorded by using a recording capacity of about 200 MBytes. The music data transmitted from the server 50 and additional information of the music data are also recorded on the disk of the HDD 106 of the apparatus 70.

  In this example, the music data transferred and recorded on the HDD 106 is compressed music data that has already been compression-encoded in the music server 50. The portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is not limited to this example, and music data that has not been compression-encoded can be supplied and recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 106. For example, the music data reproduced and read from the CD 55 attached to the CD-ROM drive 9 of the music server 50 is supplied directly to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 via the interface driver 101. However, it goes without saying that the number of music data that can be recorded is greatly limited when directly supplied to the apparatus 70.

  As preprocessing for recording music data on the hard disk of the HDD 106, the supplied music data is temporarily stored in the audio DRAM 107 connected to the bus 130. Music data read from the DRAM 107 is supplied to the compression encoder 108 via the bus 130. The compression encoder 108 performs compression encoding processing of music data using an encoding algorithm equivalent to that of the compression encoder 12 in the music server 50. The compressed music data compression-encoded by the compression encoder 108 is supplied to the DRAM 107 and temporarily stored in the DRAM 107 again. Finally, the compressed music data stored in the DRAM 107 is read and recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 106.

  As described above, when compressed music data stored in the HDD 10 in the music server 50 is instructed to move and transmitted and transferred to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, the compressed music data in the HDD 10 is stored as data on the HDD 10. It exists in a state where it exists but cannot be read from the HDD 10 and reproduced. The compressed music data moved to the device 70 can be played back on the source, that is, the server 50 by being returned to the source recording medium, that is, the HDD 10 of the server 50 again. At this time, the compressed music data returned to the server 50 is deleted from the hard disk of the HDD 106 of the apparatus 70 as the transfer destination recording medium.

  In this example, an audio signal input from the microphone connected to the terminal 109 via the amplifier 110 and an audio signal input from the line input end 111 are supplied to the compression encoder 108 via the A / D converter 112. . The audio signal supplied from the A / D converter 112 by the compression encoder 108 can be compressed and encoded and recorded in the HDD 106. Further, an optical digital signal is supplied from the optical digital input end 113 to the compression encoder 108 via the IEC958 encoder 114. An audio signal supplied as an optical digital signal can be compressed and encoded by the encoder 108 and recorded on the hard disk of the HDD 106. If the device 70 is a playback-only portable playback device that only plays back compressed music data, the above-described A / D converter 112, encoder 108, etc. can all be omitted.

  The compressed music data is read from the HDD 106 for reproduction and supplied to the compression decoder 115 via the bus 130. The music data obtained by decompressing the compressed music data supplied to the compressed music data supplied by the compression decoder 115 and being subjected to compression coding is led to a terminal 118 via the D / A converter 116 and the amplifier 117. For example, a headphone 72 is connected to the terminal 118. The user can listen to the reproduced music by wearing the headphones 72. Although omitted in FIG. 5, two signal paths from the D / A converter 116 to the terminal 118 via the amplifier 117 are provided corresponding to the L-channel and R-channel stereo outputs. Similarly, two terminals 118 are provided corresponding to the L-channel and R-channel stereo.

  The LCD 120 is connected to the bus 130 via the LCD drive circuit 119. A drawing control signal is supplied from the CPU 105 to the LCD drive circuit 119 via the bus 130, and the LCD 120 is driven based on the supplied drawing control signal to display a predetermined display on the LCD 120. On the LCD 120, an operation menu of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, a title list of music data stored in the HDD 106, and the like are displayed. For example, a folder or a jacket image corresponding to music data selected and reproduced from music data stored in the HDD 106 may be displayed on the LCD 120 based on the additional information stored in the HDD 106.

  Based on the display on the LCD 120, when the user operates the pointing device of the input operation unit 102, one piece of compressed music data stored in the HD 106 is selected and reproduced. Control of the deletion, duplication, and movement of the selected compressed music data can also be performed based on the display of the LC 120. For example, according to the display on the LCD 120, the user can perform an operation input of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 by touching the touch panel of the input operation unit 102. As described above, the management, recording, and reproduction of the compressed music data recorded on the HDD 106 are controlled by the user using the LCD 120 as an interface.

  Although omitted in FIG. 5, the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is driven by a battery. Therefore, the apparatus 70 is provided with a power supply unit using a general secondary battery or a dry battery as a power supply source and a charging unit. When the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are directly connected by a connection line or a mounting unit, the charging unit is supplied with power from the music server 50 together with the transfer of the music data, and the secondary battery of the device 70 Charging is performed. Of course, the secondary battery of the device 70 can be charged by an external charging power source. Note that only one of a power source using a dry battery and a charging power source using a secondary battery may be used or provided as a power source.

  FIG. 6 shows another example of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 described above. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG. 5 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. In the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 170 shown in FIG. 6, a switch circuit 200 is inserted between the HDD (or flash memory) 106a and the bus 130 in the configuration shown in FIG. One selection end 200 a of the switch circuit 200 is connected to the bus 130, and the other selection end 200 b is connected to the interface 35. The switch circuit 200 separates the HDD 106 a from the bus 130.

  When the compressed music data is transferred from the music server 50, the switch circuit 200 switches to the selection end 200b or selects the selection end 200b. The HDD 106a and the bus 40 of the music server 50 are directly connected via the interfaces 34 and 35. When viewed from the CPU 8 of the server 50, the HDD 106 a appears to be a recording medium of the music server 50. The CPU 8 of the music server 50 can directly control the HDD 106a. It is possible to easily move or copy compressed music data between the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70.

  Next, the operation of the system configured as described above will be described. First, functions executed by the music server 50 alone will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of processing when recording music data of the CD 55 loaded in the CD-ROM drive 9 on the disk of the HDD 10 of the music server 50.

  In the first step S10, a request for recording the music data of the CD 55 on the HDD 10 by the user is awaited. For example, when a recording request is input by the user using the input operation unit 1, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, it is determined whether the recording requested by the user is “high speed recording” or “single speed recording”. For example, when the recording request is issued in step S10 described above, the user specifies both the recording method, that is, whether the recording is performed at high speed or 1 × speed. Here, “single-speed recording” refers to an operation of reading the CD 55 at a standard speed defined and recording it on the disk of the HDD 10, and “high-speed recording” is a standard speed 2 defined by the CD 55. The operation of reading out at a speed more than double and recording it on the disk of the HDD 10.

  If it is specified in step S11 that “high-speed recording” is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S12, and the accounting system of the servers 50 and 60 is activated. Processing by the accounting system of the servers 50 and 60 will be described later. When charging processing by the charging system of the server 50 is performed and high-speed recording is permitted from the Internet server 60 and other devices, the processing moves to step S13, the high-speed compression processing is started in the compression encoder 12, and the processing proceeds to step S15. Migrate to

  On the other hand, if it is specified in step S11 that recording at 1 × speed is specified, the process proceeds to step S14, and the compression encoder 12 starts the low-speed compression process. The process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, the CD-ROM drive 9 is driven at a predetermined speed based on the control of the CPU 8, and the music data recorded on the CD 55 loaded in the CD-ROM drive 9 is read. The read music data is compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 and transferred to and recorded on the disk of the HDD 10.

  If the transfer of the compressed music data read from the CD 55 to the HDD 10 is completed in step S16, the transfer of data from the CD-ROM drive 9 to the HDD 10 is prohibited in the next step S17. In step S18, the compression process of the compression encoder 12 is stopped.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the charging process of the charging system in step S12 of the flowchart of FIG. The billing process is performed by performing data communication between the music server 50 and the Internet server 60. FIG. 8A shows charging processing in the charging processing system at the music server 50, and FIG. 8B shows charging processing in the charging processing system at the Internet server 60.

  When the billing process is started, first, in step S20 of FIG. 8A, communication is started between the music server 50 and the Internet server 60 using a predetermined protocol. If it is confirmed in step S21 that the connection between the server 50 and the server 60 is established and communication is possible between the server 50 and the server 60, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S <b> 22, the TOC information of the CD 55 loaded in the CD-ROM drive 9 and transferred to and recorded on the HDD 10 is sent from the music server 50 to the Internet server 60. High-speed recording information indicating that high-speed recording is performed is sent from the music server 50 to the Internet server 60 together with the TOC information of the CD 55.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 8B, the Internet server 60 waits for the supply or transmission of high-speed recording information and TOC information from the music server 50 (step S30). When these high-speed recording information and TOC information are received by the server 60, in step S31, the transmitted TOC information is searched using a database in the server 60 or an external database based on the transmitted TOC information. Is done. The CD 55 is specified by searching for information corresponding to the TOC information.

  In the next step S32, charging processing is performed. The amount to be charged is calculated based on information such as the number of songs recorded at high speed, and the charge is deducted from the bank account designated by the user, for example, based on the user's registered credit card number. Can be done. The billing method is not limited to this. For example, the music server 50 is provided with a function of reading a prepaid card, the set billing amount is sent to the music server 50, and the amount charged by the user from the prepaid card is determined. A method of paying the charge amount by reducing the amount is also conceivable. Further, based on the TOC information, the charge amount can be changed depending on the contents of the CD 55, and recording of music data read from the CD 55 on the disk of the HDD 10 can be prohibited.

  In step S33, billing information is sent to the music server 50. In FIG. 8A, the content of the billing information transmitted is confirmed on the music server 50 side (step S23). Also on the Internet server 60 side, it is confirmed whether or not the billing information is received by the music server 50 (step S34). For example, it is performed by transmitting data representing confirmation from the music server 50 to the server 60 when it is confirmed that the billing information received on the music server 50 side has no error and is correctly received.

  Returning to FIG. 8A, when the charging information received on the music server 50 side is confirmed in step S23, the process proceeds to step S24, and the received charging information and the like are displayed on the display unit 53. In step S25, music data is read from the CD 55 at high speed by the CD-ROM drive 9, compression processing is performed at the high speed compression speed by the compression encoder 12, the compressed music data from the compression encoder 12 is supplied to the HDD 10, and the HDD 10 Recorded on the disc. This step S25 corresponds to step S15 in FIG.

  By the way, in the first embodiment, a cooperative operation is possible between the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70. For example, when music data is moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, a cooperative operation is performed between the server 50 and the apparatus 70. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an example of this movement.

  First, in the first step S40, it is determined whether or not the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 are connected by the interfaces 34 and 35. The connection between the server 50 and the device 70 is detected by exchanging a predetermined signal between the interfaces 34 and 35, for example. The detection of the connection between the server 50 and the device 70 is not limited to this, and a switch mechanism is provided at a portion where the music server 50 and the portable recording / reproducing device 70 are connected, and the server 50 and the device 70 are detected using a mechanical detection mechanism. It is also possible to detect the connection with 70.

  When the connection between the server 50 and the device 70 is confirmed in step S40, it is determined in the next step S41 whether or not the music data recorded and stored in the HDD 10 is requested to be moved to the portable recording / reproducing device 70. To be judged. For example, the compressed music data stored in the HDD 10 is displayed on the display unit 53 as a list of information including a song name, and is displayed on the display unit 53 by a predetermined pointing device of the input operation unit 1 by the user. Predetermined compressed music data is selected from the displayed list. Further, an instruction to move to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is input to the compressed music data selected by the user from the input operation unit 1.

  Various methods of inputting a movement instruction using the input operation unit 1 can be considered. For example, a button for instructing movement is displayed on the display unit 53, and this button can be specified by using the pointing device of the input operation unit 1. For example, an icon is displayed on the display unit 53 for each piece of compressed music data, and the icon displayed on the display unit 53 is moved onto the icon indicating the mobile recording / reproducing device 70 of the moving destination that is also displayed on the display unit 53. It can also be done by so-called drag and drop that moves. Of course, the movement may be instructed by operating an operation switch provided in the input operation unit 1.

  If it is determined in step S41 that there is a request to move the compressed music data, in step S42, for example, the CPU 8 on the server 50 side checks the file size, that is, the data amount, of the compressed music data designated for movement. In the next step S43, for example, the CPU 105 of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 checks the free capacity of the HDD 106, that is, the recordable storage capacity. For example, the CPU 8 of the server 50 compares the free space of the HDD 106 with the file size of the compressed music data designated for movement checked in step S42. Based on the comparison result in step S 42, it is determined whether or not the compressed music data designated for movement by the CPU 8 can be recorded in the HDD 106. If it is determined that recording to the HDD 106 is possible, the process proceeds to step S45, and the transfer of the compressed music data designated to move from the server 50 to the apparatus 70 is started.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that the HDD 106 of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 has insufficient free space, the process proceeds to step S44. In step S44, the compressed music data already recorded on the HDD 106 is automatically or based on the procedure and method described later by the CPU 105 of the apparatus 70 so that the compressed music data designated for movement can be recorded on the HDD 106. And the process proceeds to step S45.

  The deletion of the compressed music data in step S44 is automatically performed under the control of the CPU 105 based on predetermined parameters of the compressed music data already recorded in the HDD 106. For example, in the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, it is conceivable that the number of times of reproduction is counted for each compressed music data recorded in the HDD 106, and deleted from the HDD 106 in order from the smallest number of times of reproduction. Further, the compressed music data recorded on the HDD 106 can be deleted in the order of the oldest date recorded on the HDD 106.

  When the compressed music data is automatically deleted from the HD 106 in step S44, the compressed music data important for the user may be deleted from the HD 106. In order to prevent this, the display unit 53 of the music server 50 and the LCD 120 of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 are in an operation state in which compressed music data is automatically deleted from the HD 106, and a list of data to be deleted It is also possible to delete the compressed music data from the HD 106 after a user's confirmation is displayed by displaying a warning. There is a method in which a list of compressed music data already recorded in the HDD 106 is displayed on the display unit 53 of the music server 50 or the LCD 120 of the portable recording / reproducing device 70, and the user himself selects the compressed music data to be deleted. .

  When the compressed music data stored in the HD 10 can be recorded on the HDD 106 by the above-described steps S43 and S44, the music is recorded in the step S45. Transmission, that is, transfer of compressed music data from the server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is started. That is, the compressed music data read from the HDD 10 is supplied to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 via the bus 40 and the interface 34. In the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, the compressed music data supplied via the interface 34 is recorded on the HDD 106 via the interface 35.

  The transferred compressed music data exists in the HDD 10 on the music server 50 side as well as before the transfer to the device 70. In the first embodiment, the transfer to the device 70 has been completed, that is, the reproduction of the corresponding compressed music data that has been moved to the device 70 and exists in the HDD 10 is prohibited (step S46). For example, when the movement to the device 70 is completed, a reproduction prohibition flag indicating reproduction prohibition is set for the compressed music data of HD10. The reproduction prohibition flag prohibits the reproduction of the compressed music data moved to the device 70 by the CPU 8 of the server 50, and the compressed music data stored in the HDD 10 is transferred from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing device 70. Music data is virtually transferred. Therefore, the music data that can be played back by the server 50 or the apparatus 70 among the plurality of compressed music data is managed so that there is always only one, and unauthorized duplication of music data is prevented.

  In the next step S47, it is determined whether or not there is a request to move the next compressed music data to the device 70. If it is desired to move other compressed music data, the process returns to step S42. If there is no further request to move music data, a series of music data movement processing is terminated.

  In the above description, one of the plurality of compressed music data stored in the HDD 10 in steps S42 to S46 in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is described as being moved from the server 50 to the device 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of compressed music data can be collectively transferred from the server 50 to the apparatus 70.

  In the first embodiment described above, the compressed music data moved in the HDD 10 of the music server 50 that is the movement source in the process of step S46 is only prohibited from being reproduced, and the compressed music data itself does not exist. However, this is not limited to the example, and the moved compressed music data may be deleted from the HDD 10, that is, the data itself may be deleted.

  In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the compressed music data is moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 has been described. However, the movement in the reverse direction, that is, the recording is recorded in the HDD 106 of the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70. The compressed music data being moved can be moved to the HDD 10 of the music server 50 according to the same process as in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  At this time, the compressed music data moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 is moved again from the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70 to the music server 50, whereby a plurality of compressions stored in the HDD 10 are stored in the music server 50. Of the music data, the reproduction prohibition flag of the compressed music data that has been moved from the device 70 is cancelled. That is, by releasing the reproduction prohibition flag, the compressed music data that is the movement source can be reproduced on the music server 50 again. At this time, the moved compressed music data stored in the HDD 106 of the device 70 is deleted from the HDD 106 or the management data of the compressed music data moved from the management table of the HDD 106 is deleted. .

  In the present invention, a database is provided from the outside to the music server 50 described above, and the music data stored in the music server 50 can be easily searched. That is, the music server 50 and an external information device such as a personal computer are connected with a predetermined interface, and a database provided by being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM is searched on the personal computer. Forward to 50.

  By storing the transferred information in association with the music data recorded in the HDD 10 in the music server 50, the user can easily search and manage the music data recorded in the HDD 10 using this information. Can do. Further, since only the necessary information is stored in the HDD 10, it is not necessary to consume extra capacity in the HDD 10.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of an information search system applicable to the first embodiment of the present invention. The music server 50 and the personal computer 300 are connected by a connection line 301 with a predetermined interface. The personal computer 300 includes a display 302 such as an LCD, a CD-ROM loading unit 303 for loading a CD-ROM 310, a key input unit 304, and the like. A pointing device such as a mouse may be connected as an input device. Although not shown, the personal computer 300 is provided with an interface connector for communication with the outside.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of the configuration of the personal computer 300. The personal computer 300 has a general configuration, and a CPU 401, ROM 402, RAM 403, graphic adapter 404, input interface 406, HDD 409, CD-ROM drive 410, and communication interface 411 are connected to the bus 400. By inserting the CD-ROM 310 into the CD-ROM loading unit 303, the CD-ROM 310 is loaded into the CD-ROM drive 410, and the information recorded on the CD-ROM 310 can be read.

  Furthermore, an LCD 405 corresponding to the display 302 is connected to the graphic adapter 404. As an input device, for example, a keyboard 407 and a mouse 408 corresponding to the key input unit 304 are connected to the input interface 406. The communication interface 411 can use IEEE 1394, USB, IrDA, or the like, and performs communication with an external device.

  The interface for connecting the personal computer 300 and the music server 50 only needs to correspond to each other in both the personal computer 300 and the music server 50. For example, in the above example, IEEE1394, USB, IrDA, etc. are applied. can do. Of course, when IrDA is applied as the interface, the connection line 301 can be omitted.

  In such a configuration, information related to music data, that is, additional information related to music data other than music data reproduced as an audio signal is recorded in the CD-ROM 310 as a database. For example, the player name, recorded album name, total number of songs, time of each track, song name of each track, and jacket image of the music data are recorded. Hereinafter, this additional information is referred to as CD album information. The CD-ROM 310 records a CD album information database in which the CD album information is databased.

  In addition to the above, various additional information can be added to the CD album information. For example, text information such as commentary on a recorded album, moving image data, and the like can be recorded as additional information.

Further, the recording medium provided with the CD album information database is not limited to the CD-ROM. DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc-Read Only Memory)
Alternatively, the CD album information database may be provided by a semiconductor memory.

  When the music data of the CD 55 is recorded on the HDD 10 at a high speed or 1 × speed in the music server 50, the TOC information of the CD 55 is sent to the personal computer 300. The personal computer 300 uses the TOC information sent to the CD- The CD album information corresponding to the CD 55 to be recorded is retrieved from the CD album information database recorded in the ROM 310. The retrieved CD album information is transferred from the personal computer 300 to the music server 50 and is recorded in the HDD 10 in association with the TOC information of the CD 55.

  Each time the music data recorded on the CD 55 is recorded on the HDD 10, the CD album information can be retrieved by the CD-ROM 310, and the retrieved CD album information can be recorded on the HDD 10. Also, with respect to music data that has already been reproduced from the CD 55 and recorded on the HDD 10, CD album information can be collectively retrieved and recorded on the HDD 10.

  By constructing a database of CD album information obtained in this way in the HDD 10, the music data recorded in the HDD 10 can be easily searched and managed. Further, along with the reproduction of the music data recorded in the HDD 10, the corresponding CD album information can be displayed on the display unit 53. Further, when music data is moved from the music server 50 to the portable recording / reproducing apparatus 70, CD album information corresponding to the moved music data can be displayed.

  In the above description, the database of the CD album information is constructed in the HDD 10 of the music server 50. However, this is not limited to this example. For example, the CD album information database is always stored only on the CD-ROM 310, and a database that associates music data and TOC information recorded on the HDD 10 with the database recorded on the CD-ROM 310 is stored on the personal computer 300. You may make it build to. In the personal computer 300, the database is searched based on the music data and TOC information of the music server 50, and necessary CD album information on the CD-ROM 310 is searched based on the search result.

  The above-described CD album information search system will be described in more detail. In the music server 50, based on the TOC information read from the CD 55 when the music data recorded on the CD 55 is recorded on the HDD 10, the total performance time, the total number of tracks, and the performance time for each track for each CD 55. Are extracted and a TOC information table is created. FIG. 12 shows an example of this TOC information table. This TOC information table is recorded in the HDD 10, for example.

  In the music server 50, the music data reproduced from the CD 55 is compression-encoded as described above and recorded in the HDD 10 as a file. A file in which music data is recorded and the address information on the HDD 10 are associated with each other, and a file management table shown as an example in FIG. 13 is created. The music data recorded on the HDD 10 is managed using this file management table. This file management table and the above-described TOC information table are associated with each other to constitute a content database. For example, the music data of the second track of the CD number [1] is associated with the file number [002].

  On the other hand, the CD album information database recorded on the CD-ROM 310 includes a table as shown in FIG. For each CD album, performer name, album name, total number of songs, time of each track, song name of each track, and jacket image are stored. Note that only the file name of the jacket image may be described, and the jacket image data of the main body may be placed in another area on the CD-ROM 310.

  Next, processing when recording the CD album information recorded on the CD-ROM 310 on the HDD 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 15, FIG. 15B shows processing on the personal computer 300 side, and FIG. 15A shows processing on the music server 50. Processing in the personal computer 300 is performed under the control of the CPU 401 based on a predetermined program. Similarly, processing in the music server 50 is performed under the control of the CPU 8 based on a predetermined program.

  In the personal computer 300, it is assumed that the CD-ROM 310 is loaded in the CD-ROM drive 410 in advance. The communication interface 411 of the personal computer 300 corresponds to IEEE 1394, and the music server 50 is connected to the personal computer 300 from the 1394 interface 28 via the connection line 301, and between the personal computer 300 and the music server 50. Assume that bidirectional communication is possible.

  First, the CD 55 is loaded into the CD-ROM drive 9 in step S50 of FIG. 15A. Next, the TOC information is read from the CD 55 by the CD-ROM drive 9 (step S51). The read TOC information is recorded in the TOC information table, and the read TOC information is transferred to the personal computer 300 via the 1394 interface 28 and the connection line 301. When the TOC information table does not exist on the HDD 10, a new TOC information table is created.

  When the TOC information is transferred, the music data recorded on the CD 55 is reproduced by the CD-ROM drive 9 in the next step S53, and is compressed and encoded by the compression encoder 12 and recorded on the HDD 10. At this time, the file management table shown in FIG. 13 is updated with the recording of the compression-coded music data in the HDD 10. When the file management table does not exist in the HDD 10, a new file management table is created.

  On the other hand, in the personal computer 300, as shown in FIG. 15B, the TOC information transferred from the music server 50 via the connection line 301 is received by the communication interface 411 in step S54. In the next step S55, the CD album information database recorded on the CD-ROM 310 is searched based on the received TOC information.

  A method for searching the CD album information database based on the TOC information will be described. As described above, the TOC information includes the total performance time of music data recorded on the CD 55, the total number of tracks, and the performance time for each track. On the other hand, the CD album information includes the total number of music data (total number of tracks) recorded on the CD 55 and time information of each track. Further, in the CD album information, the total performance time can be obtained from each track time and the total number of songs.

  Therefore, for example, the CD album information database is searched based on the total performance time and the total number of tracks in the TOC information, and the CD album information that matches these is extracted. If the CD album information is narrowed down to one at this stage, for example, it is displayed on the display 302 to prompt the user to confirm. On the other hand, if a plurality of CD album information is extracted as candidates at this stage, the time information of each track in the TOC information is compared with the time information of each track in each CD album information that is a candidate. , All the matched CD album information is used as a search result. For example, the first three tracks may be compared with each other without outputting all the track information.

  Returning to FIG. 15A, if CD album information corresponding to the TOC information transferred from the music server 50 exists in the CD album information database as a result of the search, the information is output. The output CD album information is transferred to the music server 50 via the communication interface 411 and the connection line 301 (step S56). In the music server 50, the CD album information transferred from the personal computer 300 in step S 56 is received by the 1394 interface 28. The received CD album information is recorded in the HDD 10.

  The CD album information may be recorded in the HDD 10 as a database like a CD album information database recorded in the CD-ROM 310. For example, when CD album information is recorded in the HDD 10, a CD album information table as shown in FIG. 14 is created. At this time, if an index file or the like is created using a specific item as a key, it is convenient when a search is performed using CD album information on the HDD 10 later.

  When the CD album information is recorded on the HDD 10, a management database is created in which the CD album information supplied from the CD-ROM 310 and the music data reproduced from the CD 55 and recorded on the HDD 10 are associated with each other. FIG. 16 shows an example of the configuration of this management database. In the management database, the CD album information and the file management table are associated and managed. In the management database, the recording date and time and billing information of the music data may be linked and managed. The management database is recorded in the HDD 10 of the music server 50, for example.

  The control application of the music server 50 manages music data recorded on the HDD 10 based on this management database. For example, necessary information is extracted from the CD album information, and the music data is reproduced using the file management table.

  In the above description, the processing performed when the music data recorded on the CD 55 is recorded on the HDD 10 on the music server 50 side has been described. However, when music data is already recorded on the HDD 10, similarly, The CD album information database on the CD-ROM 310 is searched, and the searched CD album information can be recorded in the HDD 10.

  That is, as described above, when the music data recorded on the CD 55 is reproduced and recorded on the HDD 10, the TOC information of the CD 55 is read and recorded in the TOC information table of the HDD 10. In step S54 of the flowchart of FIG. 15B, the personal computer 300 requests the music server 50 for data in the TOC information table of the HDD 10. Based on this request, the TOC information is read from the HDD 10 in the music server 50, and the read TOC information is sent from the music server 50 to the personal computer 300.

  The personal computer 300 receives this TOC information and searches the CD album information database recorded on the CD-ROM 310 based on the received TOC information (step S55). The searched CD album information is sent from the personal computer 300 to the music server 50 (step S56). When a plurality of pieces of TOC information are sent from the music server 50, a plurality of corresponding CD album information is searched in the personal computer 300 and sent to the music server 50. The music server 50 receives the sent CD album information and records it in the HDD 10.

  Further, the above management database can be created on the personal computer 300 side. That is, a management database is created on the HDD 409 of the personal computer 300. In this case, it is necessary to connect the personal computer 300 to the music server 50 when searching for music data recorded in the HDD 10. Further, as described above, the CD album information database can be held only in the CD-ROM 310 on the personal computer 300 side.

  In the music server 50, for example, when music data recorded in the HDD 10 is reproduced, CD album information corresponding to the music data to be reproduced can be searched with reference to the management database. The retrieved and read CD album information is displayed on the display unit 53. When the display unit 53 can display an image, a jacket image or the like can be displayed on the display unit 53. Also, CD album information recorded in the HDD 10 can be displayed as a list on the display unit 53, and music data recorded in the HDD 10 can be managed based on this list display.

  Further, the music server 50 can search the CD album information recorded in the HDD 10 with a predetermined search word such as a song title or a player name. The searched CD album information is displayed on the display unit 53. By using the management database, a corresponding music data file can be reproduced based on the search result.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the music server 50 uses the TOC information of the CD 55 to obtain the CD album information corresponding to the CD 55. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, CD album information is specified using ISRC (International Standard Recorded Code) recorded in data Q in the data format of the music CD. The second embodiment can be realized with a configuration equivalent to that of the first embodiment described above.

First, ISRC will be schematically described. ISRC is an international standard code relating to the copyright of a recording medium on which audio and video signals are recorded, and is used in Europe (particularly West Germany). FIG. 17 shows a data arrangement in mode 3 of data Q. Synchronization patterns S ₀ and S ₁ are arranged at the head, followed by a 4-bit control code and an address code. A 60-bit ISRC is arranged after the address code. Following ISRC, ZERO, AFRAME, and 16-bit CRC are arranged.

Of the 60-bit ISRC, I _{1 to} I ₅ are each 6 bits, and I _{6 to} I ₁₂ are each 4 bits. I ₁ and I ₂ represent country names and consist of two letters of the alphabet. I ₃ , I _4, and I ₅ are combinations of alphabets and 2-digit numbers, and can identify 24480 owners. I ₆ and I ₇ each consist of a number and represent the year of recording. I ₈ ~I ₁₂ are, respectively, respectively consist of numbers, representing the product number.

  In this way, music CDs having different titles can be identified by ISRC. When using ISRC, the CD album information database recorded on the CD-ROM 310 is assumed to have an ISRC item, and the ISRC corresponding to each CD album information is recorded in that item.

  On the other hand, when the music server 50 reproduces the music data recorded on the CD 55 and records it on the HDD 10, first, the music data recorded on the CD 55 is recorded as predetermined data, for example, the first song on the CD 55. The mode 3 of the music data Q is read to check whether ISRC is recorded. If the ISRC is recorded, the ISRC is read and the read ISRC is sent to the personal computer 300.

  In the personal computer 300 receiving this ISRC, the ISRC item of the CD album information database recorded on the CD-ROM 310 is examined. As a result, if an ISRC that matches the received ISRC exists in the database, the corresponding CD album information is read from the CD-ROM 310 and sent from the personal computer 300 to the music server 50.

  As described above, if the ISRC is used, the target CD album information can be obtained with a single verification process. When ISRC is not recorded on CD 55, CD album information can be obtained by performing a narrowing search based on TOC information according to the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the additional information of the CD album is provided by the CD-ROM, and the additional information of the CD album corresponding to the music data recorded on the recording medium of the music server is provided from the CD-ROM. Therefore, in a recording system that records a large amount of CD music data, such as a music server, it is possible to input the arrangement and search information of recorded music data without bothering the user. it can.

  This also dramatically improves the user-friendliness.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, since CD album information is provided by being recorded on a CD-ROM, provision and update of CD album information can be realized very advantageously in terms of cost.

1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a music server and a system using the music server according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a music server. It is a figure which shows roughly the signal flow until the music data read by CD-ROM drive are recorded on a hard-disk drive. It is a figure which shows roughly the signal flow until the compression music data read from the hard-disk drive are reproduced | regenerated and derived | led-out to a terminal. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a portable recording / reproducing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the other example of a portable recording / reproducing apparatus. 6 is a flowchart of an example of processing when recording music data of a CD on a hard disk drive in a music server. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the accounting process at the time of recording the music data of CD on a hard disk drive at high speed. It is a flowchart of an example of the process of a music data movement concerning this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows an example of a structure of the information search system applicable to the 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a personal computer. It is a basic diagram which shows an example of a TOC information table. It is a basic diagram which shows an example of a file management table. It is a basic diagram which shows the structure of an example of CD album information database. It is a flowchart of an example of a process at the time of recording CD album information recorded on CD-ROM on HDD. It is a basic diagram which shows an example of a structure of a management database. It is a basic diagram for demonstrating ISRC.

Explanation of symbols

1 Input operation unit 8 CPU
9 CD-ROM drive 10 Hard disk drive 11 DRAM
12 Compression encoder 19 Communication line 20 Modem 21 Compression decoder 26 LCD
34, 35 Interface 40 Bus 50 Music server 55 CD
60 Internet server 70 Portable recording / reproducing apparatus 106 Hard disk drive or flash RAM
107 DRAM
108 Compression encoder 115 Compression decoder 120 LCD
130 bus 200 switch circuit

Claims (5)

Playback means for playing back data from a compact disc;
Transmitting means for transmitting identification information generated from data reproduced from the compact disc;
Receiving means for receiving additional information corresponding to the identification information retrieved from an external storage medium in accordance with the identification information transmitted by the transmitting means;
Recording means for creating a database of the additional information received by the receiving means and recording it on a hard disk in association with music data read from the compact disk;
A recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: search means for searching for the music data recorded on the hard disk based on the additional information stored in the database recorded on the hard disk. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1,
The recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the additional information includes at least a player name, an album name, a time of each track, and a song name of each track. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1,
The transmission means transmits a plurality of identification information,
The recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the receiving means receives a plurality of additional information retrieved from the external storage medium in accordance with the plurality of identification information. A playback step of playing back data from a compact disc;
A transmission step of transmitting identification information generated from data reproduced from the compact disc;
A receiving step of receiving additional information corresponding to the identification information retrieved from an external storage medium according to the identification information transmitted in the transmission step;
Recording the additional information received in the receiving step into a database and recording it on the hard disk in association with the music data read from the compact disc;
And a search step for searching for the music data recorded on the hard disk based on the additional information stored in the database as recorded in the hard disk. A playback step of playing back data from a compact disc;
A transmission step of transmitting identification information generated from data reproduced from the compact disc;
A receiving step of receiving additional information corresponding to the identification information retrieved from an external storage medium according to the identification information transmitted in the transmission step;
Recording the additional information received in the receiving step into a database and recording it on the hard disk in association with the music data read from the compact disc;
A storage for storing a program for causing a computer to execute a search step of searching for the music data recorded on the hard disk based on the additional information stored in the database recorded on the hard disk Medium.

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