JP2008205986A - Imaging apparatus, information recording/reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To respond to a problem that a camera corresponding to BD is requested since the conventional camera corresponds only to specification of a DVD or specification of an AVCHD, there are problems of capacity, etc. though the camera must correspond to the AVCHD specifications or the BD specifications for recording of HD image quality. <P>SOLUTION: To solve the above problem, a common part of the AVCHD specifications and the BD specifications is capitalized. Thus, development man hour is reduced to attain a video camera corresponding BD corresponding to the AVCHD specifications without adding new software and hardware. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus. For example, the present invention relates to a disk recording / reproducing apparatus equipped with a DVD / BD or HDD.

As background art in this technical field, for example, there is JP-A-2003-308675 (Patent Document 1). In this publication, “[Problem] The first object of the present invention is to provide an information recording technique capable of shortening the end processing time at the end of recording. Furthermore, the second object of the present invention. The present invention provides an information recording technique capable of recording without being limited by the maximum number of video title sets and the number of titles. [Solution] In the present invention, recording instructions such as a recording start instruction and a recording end instruction are provided. The information is recorded on a recording medium, and the information generated by one recording instruction is managed as one chapter at the time of finalizing processing, at least one chapter is managed as one title, and at least one title is 1 Management information to be managed as a video title set is generated, and the management information is recorded on the recording medium ”(see summary).
JP 2003-308675 A

  In recent years, in the world of video cameras, recording media have shifted from tape to disk for reasons such as no worries about overwriting and ease of video search. Moreover, not only DVDs but also products equipped with HDDs (Hard Disc Drives) and semiconductor memories have appeared. For reference, Patent Document 1 introduces an example of a format for recording data on a DVD. In the future, further increase in capacity and high image quality (HD) of media will be required. Recently, in order to achieve higher capacity and higher image quality, recorders that use the next-generation optical disc standard Blu-ray Disc (BD) formulated by the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) have also appeared. It is easy to guess the application.

  Further, as one technique for improving the image quality in a video camera, a recording function for HD (High Definition) images is required instead of conventional SD (Standard Definition) images. However, since the current DVD does not permit recording of HD images, HD image quality cannot be enjoyed as it is. If an HD image is to be recorded, there is only a conventional BD that is defined by the AVCHD standard or BDA capable of recording an HD image on a DVD. The AVCHD standard is mainly applied to consumer cameras, and it is possible to record HD images with cameras. In addition to DVD, recording on an SD card or HDD (hard disk) is also assumed. However, in this AVCHD standard, the recording time cannot be so long because recording is performed on a conventional DVD. Since an 8-cm DVD is about 1.4 GB, if an HD image is recorded at 9 Mbps, it can only be taken for about 20 minutes. Although it is possible to reduce the rate or use a two-layer disc, it can still shoot for less than 40 minutes. However, since the capacity of an 8 cm BD is about 7 GB, the shooting time is about four times or more that of a DVD. For this reason, it is easily guessed that it is most advantageous for the user to adopt a BD disc in a video camera compatible with HD recording. Or you may employ | adopt HD-DVD prescribed | regulated by DVD forum.

  Thus, it is considered that a camera compatible with BD recording / playback is highly convenient for the user. However, in the state where there is no video camera compatible with BD, there is no choice but to use an AVCHD compatible camera in order to leave a video with HD images. Therefore, the number of discs recorded with AVCHD will continue to increase until BD cameras appear. It is very convenient if there is AVCHD playback compatibility when BD cameras appear in the future. In addition, since the price of BD discs is higher than that of DVD discs at the beginning, it is better if it is possible to use HD recording, that is, AVCHD recording using DVD. That is, even when a BD camera appears in the future, it will be very advantageous for the user to be compatible with AVCHD discs, which are conventional assets, that is, to have an AVCHD recording / playback compatibility function.

  The AVCHD recording format is very similar to the BD standard format, and most control software (library) and hardware assets can be used in common. By using these, it is possible to reduce the development man-hours and the period for realizing a BD camera compliant with the AVCHD standard. Of course, it is possible to deal with recording / reproduction on the conventional DVD by diverting the assets of the conventional DVD.

  That is, as an example of improving the usability of the information recording / reproducing apparatus, as described above, an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing BD / DVD corresponding to the AVCHD standard by using common assets is desired. In addition, it is desired to reduce the development man-hours by capitalizing the common part and to support the AVCHD standard without adding new software or hardware.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the usability of an information recording / reproducing apparatus.

  The above object can be achieved by the invention described in the claims. As an example, in order to achieve the above object, in an information recording / reproducing apparatus equipped with a plurality of drive devices corresponding to a plurality of recording media and capable of recording / reproducing according to the standard corresponding to the recording medium, Compression / decompression apparatus for compressing / decompressing the recorded video / audio in accordance with the respective standards using the functions common to the standards, and the standards for the compressed streams using the functions common to the standards Is converted into a format conforming to the above, and the format-converted data is recorded on the recording medium.

  According to the present invention, usability of the information recording / reproducing apparatus is improved. As an example, when developing a BD-compatible video camera that complies with the AVCHD standard, it is possible to reduce the development man-hours by capitalizing and using common functions. Can be provided. In addition, since HD recording can be performed not only on the BD disc but also on the DVD by AVCHD recording, the user can enjoy the HD quality using a DVD that is cheaper than BD.

  Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a camera-integrated recording apparatus.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an operation unit operated by the user, which includes a recording / stop key, a zoom key, a recording mode selection key, and the like. Reference numeral 101 denotes a system control unit that controls the multiplexing / separation processing, various format controls, control of reading / writing on a medium, and other units. Reference numeral 110 denotes an optical lens for forming an image of a subject and a CCD sensor or CMOS sensor which is a photoelectric conversion means for converting the formed light into an electric signal. Reference numeral 111 denotes an A which converts an electric signal of a video into a digital signal. / D converter 112 is a signal processing unit 112 that performs processing for converting image information converted into a digital signal into a video signal, and 113 is an MPEG2 or H.264 video signal. A video compression / decompression unit that performs compression and decompression processing according to a predetermined encoding method such as H.264. Reference numeral 114 denotes a display unit that displays an image. The display unit 114 may be divided into a display unit in the viewfinder and a movable display unit provided outside the casing of the video camera. In addition, 120 is a microphone that converts collected sound into an electrical sound signal, 114 is a speaker that generates sound, 121 is an amplifier that amplifies the sound signal, and 122 is an A / A that converts the sound electrical signal into a digital signal. A D converter (D / A converter) 123 is an audio compression / decompression unit that compresses and decompresses digital audio according to a predetermined encoding method such as DolbyDigital or Mpeg, and 131 is generated by the video compression / decompression unit 113. A multiplexing unit 130 that multiplexes the video compression stream and the audio compression stream generated by the audio compression / decompression unit 123, and the image compression / decompression unit 123 compresses the image data compressed by the video compression / decompression unit 113. This is a large-capacity memory that temporarily stores the processed audio data and the multiplexed data. Further, the ATAPI / ATA unit 132 is an interface unit according to a specific standard, and 141 is an optical disc such as a BD, such as a DVD. Reference numeral 142 denotes a recording medium such as an HDD (hard disk). The medium R / W control unit 133 performs control for reading / writing a moving image data file to be recorded / reproduced on the recording medium BD, the DVD 141 or the HDD 142 in a predetermined file format.

  Reference numeral 150 denotes a format control unit that identifies the type of the recording medium and generates format information that conforms to various standards such as the BDMV-s standard, the VR standard, and the VF standard. Reference numeral 134 denotes an MMC control unit which is used when recording is performed on a medium 143 having an MMC interface such as an SD card. Normally, a still image is recorded, but moving image data may be recorded after converting the result of the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit into a predetermined format.

  Here, the functions of the video compression / decompression unit 113, the audio compression / decompression unit 123, the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 131, the format control unit 150, and the system control unit 100 are preferably realized by a program being executed by a microprocessor. However, some or all of them may be configured by hardware. Further, FIG. 1 shows control lines and information lines that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines on the product are necessarily shown. In practice, it can be considered that almost all the constituent units are connected to each other.

Next, the recording operation will be described.
When the moving image shooting mode is selected by operating the operation unit 100, the system control unit 100 recognizes the selection and controls the entire system as follows. The CCD or CMOS sensor 110 is driven to a moving image signal generation mode by a driving unit (not shown). The image formed by the optical lens is converted into an electrical signal by the CCD or CMOS sensor 110, converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 111, and then converted into video data by the signal processing unit 112. After that, the video data is compressed by the video compression / decompression unit 113. This compression process sequentially transfers the video compression stream while exchanging the video data during the compression process between the memory 130 and the video compression / decompression unit 113. Convert to. On the other hand, the voice collected by the microphone 120 is compressed by the voice compression / decompression unit 123 through the AMP 122 and the A / D converter and temporarily stored in the memory 130. Thereafter, the moving image compression stream generated by the video compression / decompression unit 113 and the audio compression stream generated by the audio compression / decompression unit 123 stored in the memory 130 are multiplexed by the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 131, and the multiprocessing data Is temporarily stored in the memory 130. At this time, the format control unit constructs a format conforming to the standard, and finally, the multi-processing data is output from the memory 130, and a predetermined value is transmitted via the medium R / W control unit 133 and the ATAPI / ATA unit 132. Recording is performed on the recording medium DVD or BD 141 and the HDD 142 in the recording format. In this case, either one may be recorded, or both may be recorded simultaneously. The recording format is characteristic of the present embodiment. As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the format control unit 150 manages in a predetermined format, and the captured video is recorded in the format. Each video scene is recorded on a recording medium.

  Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIG. 2, of common functions regarding the video compression / decompression unit 113, the audio compression / decompression unit 123 and the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 131 described above. FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing the correspondence between the compression format and various media. Reference numeral 200 denotes a case where the AV codec processing unit is regarded as an actual LSI, and is a part for explaining details of the video compression / decompression unit 113 and the audio compression / decompression unit 123. Of course, it may be a software block, or a coprocessor or the like may be mounted in the LSI. Of course, in that case, preparation for downloading and operating the program is not particularly described as a natural process. Perform minimal processing. Although not shown, 201 and 202 represent terminals output from the AV codec unit. Reference numeral 201 denotes a terminal for performing HD image quality recording, and 202 denotes a terminal for performing SD image quality recording. Reference numeral 210 denotes a terminal for selecting a path when data is recorded on the BD. Reference numerals 211 and 212 denote terminals for selecting a path when recording data on the DVD. However, in the actual configuration, there is only one path to the DVD as shown in the recording medium 141 in FIG. Please note that Fig. 2 shows the image when the format is switched. 220 indicates a BD disc recorded in the BD format, 221 indicates a DVD recorded in the AVCHD format, and 222 indicates a DVD disc recorded in the conventional DVD format (VR, VF, + VR, etc.). Yes. When performing SD recording on a DVD, only the combination of MPEG2 and Dolby Digital is sufficient. H.264 codec is required. For this reason, the AV codec has a configuration in which the audio is common and the video is switched. The combination of H.264 and DolbyDigital is output from the terminal 201, and in the case of SD recording, the combination of MPEG2 and DolbyDigital is output from the terminal 202. For example, if the user wants to perform HD image quality recording, the BD format or the AVCHD format is required, so the terminal 201 is connected to 210 or 211 to start recording. Of course, the user can select which medium to select. When recording on a conventional DVD is requested, the terminal 202 may be connected to 212. Even if recording is performed on a BD with SD image quality, recording can be realized by connecting the terminal 202 to the terminal 210. The above-described switching can be automatically switched because information on the disc (contents of the format recorded by the medium type and management information) can be acquired when the disc is set in the video camera.

Next, a case where the medium is an HDD will be described.
FIG. 3 shows a case where the various media in FIG. 2 are HDDs. In particular, 320, 321, and 322 are all HDDs, and for other numbers, the hundreds of numbers should be changed from 2 to 3.

  For example, if the user wants to perform HD image quality recording, the BD format or AVCHD format is required, so the terminal 301 is connected to 310 or 311 to start recording. Of course, the user can select which medium to select. When recording in the conventional DVD format is requested, the terminal 302 may be connected to 312. Even when recording is performed on a BD with SD image quality, recording can be realized by connecting the terminal 302 to the terminal 310.

Next, utilization of the common part of various formats will be described.
FIG. 4 is an image diagram showing the correspondence between the format generation unit and various formats. Reference numeral 400 denotes a format generation unit corresponding to the format generation unit 150 of FIG. Consider that the output of the AV codec 200 or 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3 is input to 400. Reference numeral 401 denotes a common specification generation unit for AVCHD and BD formats. The common specification is, for example, a directory configuration and various management information. The following is one specific example of common parts. Capital letters such as BDMV are directories. Although details are not described here, common specifications may be used for common parts not shown below. Furthermore, it is better to record so as to satisfy both standards when recording BD and AVCHD. If it does so, since what was recorded with the video camera becomes the completely same format, it can process very quickly also at the time of reproduction and dubbing.
ROOT ---- BDMV-- |
| ---- PLAYLIST
| ---- xxxxx.mpls
| ---- xxxxx.mpls
| ---- CLIPINFO
| ---- xxxxx.clpi
| ---- xxxxx.clpi
| ---- STREAM
| ---- xxxxx.m2ts
| ---- xxxxx.m2ts
The same applies to the file system in the logical layer. Further, a common file system may be used on the HDD. Reference numeral 402 denotes a format generation unit for a DVD, specifically, a VR, VF, + VR format, or the like. In the case of DVD-RAM, it is VR, in the case of DVD-R, it is VF, and in DVD + RW or DVD + R, a + VR format is generated. Numbers other than the above should be considered that the hundreds in FIG. When the user performs HD recording, the BD format or the AVCHD format is required. These two formats are almost the same with respect to internal management information from the directory structure as described above.

  Therefore, when these two formats are generated, if the one that generates the common specification portion is capitalized, the code amount and the development man-hour can be reduced by utilizing this. In addition, three format (BD, AVCHD, DVD) generation units are originally required, but by using common assets as shown in FIG. 4, two generation units for HD recording and two generation units for SD recording are used. The configuration will be sufficient. Although not described, of course, if there is a difference, it is necessary to add corresponding software separately.

  As described above, control can be performed more simply by combining the output switching of the AV codec in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the output switching of the format generation unit in FIG. In addition, since the configuration can be simplified and the development man-hours can be reduced by utilizing the common assets, it is possible to provide a video camera capable of recording HD image quality quickly to the user.

It is a block diagram of this system. The image figure which showed the response | compatibility with a compression format and various media. Image diagram showing correspondence between compression format and various media, but for HDD. The image figure which shows the response | compatibility with the format production | generation part and various formats.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Operation part 101 ... System control part 110 ... Video input part 111 ... AD / DA
112 ... Signal processing unit 113 ... Video compression / decompression unit 114 ... Display unit 120 ... Microphone 121 ... AMP
122 ... AD / DA
123 ... Audio compression / decompression unit 124 ... Speaker 130 ... Large-capacity memory 131 ... Demultiplexing unit 132 ... ATAPI / ATA unit 133 ... Medium R / W control unit 134 ... MMC Control unit 141 ... DVD / BD
142 ... HDD
143 ... SD card 150 ... Format control unit 200 ... AVCODEC
201: HD recording switching terminal 202 ... SD recording switching terminal 210 ... BD switching terminal 211 ... DVD (for AVCHD) switching terminal 212 ... DVD (conventional) switching terminal 220 ...・ BD disc 221 ... DVD disc (AVCHD format)
223 ... DVD disc 300 ... AVCODEC
301 ... HD recording switching terminal 302 ... SD recording switching terminal 310 ... HDD (BD) switching terminal 311 ... HDD (AVCHD) switching terminal 312 ... HDD (conventional DVD) switching Terminals 320, 321, 323... HDD
400 ... format generation unit 401 ... common format generation unit 402 ... DVD format generation unit 410 ... BD switching terminal 411 ... DVD (AVCHD) switching terminal 412 ... DVD (conventional) ) Switching terminal 420 ... BD disc 421 ... DVD disc (AVCHD format)
423 ... DVD disc

Claims (7)

Imaging means for imaging a subject;
Compression means for compressing video information output by the imaging means by a predetermined encoding method;
Format generation means for converting the compressed video information output by the compression means into a predetermined format;
Recording means for recording information output by the format generation means on a recording medium;
With
The compression means is H.264. The video information can be compressed using H.264 and MPEG encoding methods,
The format generation means can convert to the BD, AVCHD and DVD formats, and in the BD and AVCHD format conversion, at least the directory configuration and the generation of management information are shared,
The recording medium is BD or DVD,
The recording means is the compression means and is H.264. The information compressed by the H.264 encoding method and converted into the BD format by the format generation means is recorded on the BD, and the H.264 is recorded by the compression means. Information compressed by the H.264 encoding method and converted to the AVCHD format by the format generation unit, and information compressed by the compression unit by the MPEG encoding method and converted to the DVD format by the format generation unit Recording on a DVD,
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. In an information recording / reproducing apparatus equipped with a plurality of drive devices corresponding to a plurality of recording media and capable of recording / reproducing according to a standard corresponding to the recording medium,
A compression / decompression apparatus for compressing / decompressing input video / audio in accordance with each standard using a function common to the standard, and a function for the compressed stream using a function common to the standard An information recording / reproducing apparatus, wherein the information is converted into a format conforming to a standard, and the format-converted data is recorded on the recording medium.   3. The recording medium according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of recording media are a DVD, a BD, an HDD, and an SD card, and the DVD, the HDD, and the SD card are also recorded in a format of the AVCHD standard. Information recording / reproducing apparatus.   In claim 3, the function common to the standard is H.264 for video. An information recording / reproducing apparatus having a H.264 compression / decompression function and a voice DolbyDigital compression / decompression function.   4. The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the functions common to the standard are a format generation function compliant with a BDMV subset and a format information providing function used during reproduction, and a file format is UDF2.5.   5. An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: a hardware configuration having the common function of claim 4 as a common asset; and a software configuration having the common function of claim 4 as a common asset.   Equipped with a plurality of drive devices compatible with BD, DVD, HDD (hard disk), and SD card, control device for reading / writing recorded video to / from recording media, system control for mediation and determination of each block, and overall management When recording in a format compliant with AVCHD in a video camera equipped with a CPU for recording, a format control unit for realizing the instructed recording format, and control for performing codec control compliant with each standard, it is compliant with BD When recording in the format, the BDMV subset and the H.264 format are also used. A video camera apparatus capable of realizing recording and reproduction by using a common asset of H.264 video compression / decompression function and DolbyDigital's audio compression / decompression function.

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