JP4196903B2 - Hard disk recorder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hard disk recorder that records video and audio data of a broadcast program on a hard disk and reproduces the recorded data.

  Hard disk recorders are used by many users because they have a hard disk drive with a large recording capacity and can record video and audio data of broadcast programs for a long time without exchanging recording media such as DVD-RW. Yes. Also, the user may record the broadcast program on a hard disk recorder while viewing the broadcast program on a television. In this situation, if you leave your seat for something, you will miss a part of the broadcast program. In such a case, the user uses a chasing playback function provided in most hard disk recorders to search for an overlooked part by performing a fast-forward (skip) operation, and continues to watch the broadcast program by chasing playback from the overlooked part.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a television that enables review of an overlooked part of a broadcast program. This television includes a memory for temporarily recording a broadcast program. When a recording instruction is issued, the broadcast program is recorded in the memory, and when a reproduction instruction is issued, the recorded contents are sequentially extracted from the memory and output to the television screen, and the broadcast program is continuously recorded in the memory. To go. By giving a recording instruction when the user removes his / her seat and giving a reproduction instruction when returning, the overlooked portion of the broadcast program can be reviewed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707 discloses that the same contents as described above are realized in a video recording / reproducing system.

  The apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4 regularly records a broadcast program sequentially in a time shift data file of a hard disk, and reproduces data previously recorded for a predetermined time in the time shift data file, thereby reproducing the broadcast program. The overlooked part can be viewed. Further, when there is an instruction to leave the broadcast program as a record, this apparatus records the broadcast program after that time on the hard disk as a record data file and time shift data in which the previous broadcast program is recorded. The file is converted into a recording data file so that both recording data files can be searched continuously.

The device disclosed in Patent Document 5 starts recording a time sequential signal (corresponding to a television broadcast signal) on the first recording medium in response to a display interruption command (corresponding to the recording instruction described above), and restarts the display. In response to a command (corresponding to the above-described reproduction instruction), recording on the first recording medium is finished, reproduction of the content recorded on the first recording medium is started, and a time sequential signal is output to the second recording medium. Start recording. Even in this apparatus, it is possible to review an overlooked part of a broadcast program by issuing a display interruption command when the user leaves the seat and issuing a display restart command when returning. As the first and second recording media, a magnetic recording medium or an electronic recording circuit is used. It is also shown that the upper surface of the magnetic disk is the first recording medium and the lower surface is the second recording medium.
JP-A-7-336253 (paragraphs 0001 to 0017) JP-A-9-65225 (paragraphs 0001 to 0107) JP-T-2001-527346 (paragraphs 0028-0030, claim 7 after amendment) JP 2002-354423 (Abstract, Claims 1-2, Paragraphs 0001-0014) JP 2000-513915 A (claims 1 to 3, claim 13, page 50, line 15 to line 27)

  However, in the above-described conventional apparatus using the chasing playback function, there is a problem that the user has to search for an overlooked part by a fast-forward operation or the like, and the operation is troublesome for the user. The televisions disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem that a broadcast program cannot be left as a record (file). In the devices disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 5, a broadcast program can be recorded as a recording after the recording instruction, but the entire broadcast program cannot be recorded as a recording before the recording instruction is performed. is there. Further, in the apparatus shown in Patent Document 5, since the broadcast program is recorded on different recording media before and after the recording instruction, in order to leave the broadcast program as one file, it is recorded on two recording media. Data editing work must be done, and there is a problem that the hard disk recorder used by the general public is inconvenient.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and the problem is that the overlooked part of the broadcast program can be immediately viewed with a simple operation, and the entire broadcast program remains as a record. It is to provide a hard disk recorder that can be used.

  In the present invention, in a hard disk recorder that records broadcast program data as a file on a hard disk and reproduces the data of the file, control means for controlling the operation of recording and reproducing the file, and a predetermined instruction to the control means Instruction means for providing The control means operates as follows. Upon receiving an instruction to start recording from the instruction means, the control means starts recording the broadcast program in the first file on the first surface of the hard disk. When receiving the instruction to stop viewing from the instruction means, the control means starts recording the broadcast program in the second file on the second surface of the hard disk while continuing to record the broadcast program in the first file. Upon receiving an instruction to resume viewing from the instruction unit, the control unit ends recording the broadcast program in the second file while continuing to record the broadcast program in the first file, and plays back from the beginning of the second file. To start. When the reproduction of the second file is completed, the control means starts reproduction of the first file from the recording position of the first file when receiving the instruction to resume viewing. When receiving the recording end instruction from the instruction unit, the control unit ends the recording of the broadcast program in the first file. Here, the corresponding data of the first and second files are recorded in the same cylinder of the hard disk.

  The first and second surfaces of the hard disk are, for example, the upper surface and the lower surface of one disk that constitutes the hard disk, and the upper surface and the upper surface of the second disk that constitute the hard disk. The instruction means corresponds to the remote controller shown in the embodiment, and the control means mainly corresponds to the control unit shown in the embodiment. The first and second files correspond to the program file and the auxiliary program file shown in the embodiment, respectively.

  As described above, when there is an instruction to interrupt viewing, recording of the broadcast program to the second file is started, and when there is an instruction to resume viewing, playback starts from the beginning of the second file. The overlooked part can be watched instantly with a simple operation. Also, since the broadcast program is continuously recorded in the first file from when the recording start instruction is given until the recording end instruction is given, the entire broadcast program can be recorded without any special editing work. Can be left as. Furthermore, since the data corresponding to each other in the first and second files is recorded in the same cylinder of the hard disk, no seek operation is required when recording the data corresponding to each other in both files, and the data is recorded in the first and second files. It is possible to share a recording buffer for storing data to be recorded, or to use both a recording buffer for storing data to be recorded in the first file and a recording buffer having a small storage capacity for storing data to be recorded in the second file. Become. Thus, it is possible to record broadcast programs in the first and second files in parallel without providing a recording buffer for each of the first and second files, that is, without greatly increasing the circuit components of the hard disk recorder. it can.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the broadcast program data is video and audio data. Further, the control means stores the recording start position of the second file in a storage unit such as a memory when starting recording of the broadcast program in the second file, and stores it when starting reproduction of the second file. Playback is started from the recording start position stored in the section. Further, the control means stores the recording position of the first file when the instruction to resume viewing is received in the storage unit, and stores it when the reproduction of the second file is finished and the reproduction of the first file is started. Playback of the first file is started from the recording position stored in the section. In this way, the control means can obtain the reproduction start positions of the first and second files without examining the file management information recorded in the management area of the hard disk. Furthermore, since the second file is deleted when the reproduction of the second file is completed, it is possible to prevent the second file that does not need to remain as a record from remaining on the hard disk.

  According to the present invention, an overlooked portion of a broadcast program can be immediately viewed with a simple operation, and the entire broadcast program can be recorded as a record.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a hard disk recorder (hereinafter referred to as an apparatus) according to the present invention. The configuration of the apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings. This apparatus records and reproduces a television broadcast video signal and an audio signal (hereinafter collectively referred to as a broadcast signal) on the hard disk 11a. In other words, the television broadcast video and audio data are recorded and reproduced on the hard disk 11a. Inside the housing 10 of the apparatus, a printed circuit board (not shown) on which a tuner 15 and the like are mounted, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 11 and the like are housed.

  The HDD 11 includes a hard disk 11a, recording / reproducing heads 11b and 11c, a recording / reproducing unit 11d, an HDD control unit 11e, and the like, and is connected to other parts of the apparatus through an ATA-compliant interface. The illustration of a rotation drive unit that rotates the hard disk 11a and a recording / reproduction head drive unit that moves the recording / reproduction heads 11b and 11c in the radial direction of the hard disk 11a is omitted. The recording / reproducing unit 11d performs signal processing such as modulation of a signal written to the hard disk 11a and demodulation of a signal read from the hard disk 11a. The HDD control unit 11e controls the recording / reproducing unit 11d, the rotation driving unit, the recording / reproducing head driving unit, and the like. In FIG. 1, the hard disk 11a has one disk, but a plurality of disks may be used. The recording / reproducing heads 11b and 11c move integrally during a seek operation, and access the tracks on the upper and lower surfaces of the same cylinder of the hard disk 11a during a read / write operation.

  First, a broadcast signal recording system will be described. The broadcast signal received by the antenna 31 is selected by the tuner 15, further converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 14, and then compressed and encoded by the encoding circuit 13 by the MPEG-2 method, for example. . The compressed and encoded broadcast signal is temporarily stored in the recording buffer 12, then modulated by the recording / reproducing unit 11d, and sequentially recorded as a program file in the data recording area on the upper or lower surface of the hard disk 11a by the recording / reproducing head 11b or 11c. Is done. When the recording of the broadcast signal is completed, the HDD control unit 11e instructs the recording / reproducing unit 11d to record the management information of the recorded program file in the management area of the hard disk 11a in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 20 described later. .

  Next, a broadcast signal reproduction system will be described. The program file data read by the recording / reproducing head 11b or 11c and recorded on the upper or lower surface of the hard disk 11a, that is, the broadcast signal, is demodulated by the recording / reproducing unit 11d, temporarily stored in the reproduction buffer 16, and then decoded. The decoding circuit 17 decodes the data. The OSD processing circuit 18 superimposes OSD (on-screen display) data output from the control unit 20 on the decoded broadcast signal. The output signal of the OSD processing circuit 18 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 19 and sent to the television 32 through the connection cable 33, and television broadcast video and audio are output from the television 32. The A / D conversion and compression encoding described above are actually performed separately on the broadcast video signal and audio signal, but are not a direct matter of the present invention, and thus the A / D conversion described above. And compression encoding are described in a simplified manner.

  The control unit 20 includes a CPU 20a, a memory 20b (for example, ROM, RAM, and flash memory) and the like, and controls each unit of the device such as the tuner 15 by the CPU 20a executing a program stored in the memory 20b. The memory 20b stores the above-described OSD data, various control data, and the like. The remote controller 21 includes a large number of operation keys. When the operation key is pressed, a signal of the operation key is transmitted to the control unit 20. And the control part 20 performs the process according to the pressed operation key, for example, the process which records a broadcast signal on the hard disk 11a as a program file by controlling each part of an apparatus. That is, the remote controller 21 gives a predetermined instruction to the control unit 20.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing in time series the relationship between the instruction from the remote controller 21 and the program file and auxiliary program file recorded on the hard disk 11a. The operation of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, when the remote controller 21 is operated at the start time T1 of a broadcast program to be recorded and the control unit 20 determines that the operation is an instruction to start recording, the control unit 20 controls each part of the apparatus to control the broadcast program. Start recording. Broadcast program data is recorded as a program file X on the upper surface of the hard disk 11a by the recording / reproducing head 11b.

  When the user removes the seat (time T2) and the remote controller 21 is operated and the control unit 20 determines that the operation is an instruction to stop viewing, the control unit 20 continues recording the broadcast program to the program file X. On the other hand, recording of the broadcast program is also started for the auxiliary program file Y. The data of the auxiliary program file Y is recorded on the lower surface of the hard disk 11a by the recording / reproducing head 11c. Here, the data corresponding to each other of the program file X and the auxiliary program file Y are recorded in parallel on the upper and lower tracks of the same (common) cylinder of the hard disk 11a. As described above, when the auxiliary program file Y is recorded after the program file X is recorded, the seek operation becomes unnecessary, and the data of the broadcast program can be stored on the hard disk 11a without interruption by using only one recording buffer 12. Can be recorded on the top and bottom surfaces. Further, when the recording of the auxiliary program file Y is started, in preparation for the reproduction of the auxiliary program file Y, the control unit 20 sets the start position P1 of the auxiliary program file Y in the interruption / resumption variable whose area is secured in the memory 20b. To save the information.

  Although the recording buffer 12 is composed of a FIFO memory, this FIFO memory operates so that the recorded data stored in the FIFO memory is circulated while shifting out of the FIFO memory when the program file X is recorded for the first time. When the auxiliary program file Y is recorded, the operation is performed so that the recorded data is shifted out of the FIFO memory. Instead of the above method, the recording buffer 12 may be used for the program file X, and a recording buffer having another small storage capacity may be provided for the auxiliary program file Y. On the other hand, if the program file X and the auxiliary program file Y are not recorded on the upper and lower tracks of the same cylinder, a seek operation occurs when recording in parallel to both files. Since a buffer (having the same storage capacity as the recording buffer 12) and a recording buffer for the auxiliary program file Y (having the same storage capacity as the recording buffer 12) must be provided separately, the number of circuit components greatly increases. .

  When the remote controller 21 is operated when the user returns to the seat (time T3) and the control unit 20 determines that the operation is an instruction to resume viewing, the control unit 20 continues to record the program file X, The recording of the auxiliary program file Y is terminated. Furthermore, since the control unit 20 starts the reproduction of the auxiliary program file Y from the head position P1 of the auxiliary program file Y stored in the interruption / resumption variable, the user can start the first part of the overlooked part of the broadcast program, That is, the broadcast program at time T2 can be watched immediately. Furthermore, the control unit 20 stores the information on the recording position P2 of the program file X at time T3 in the above-described interruption / resumption variable. When the auxiliary program file Y is being reproduced, the user can view the overlooked portion of the broadcast program, that is, the broadcast program at times T2 to T3. During this time, a fast-forward operation, a fast-reverse operation, etc. can be performed with the remote controller 21.

  When it is detected that the last data of the auxiliary program file Y being reproduced is read, the control unit 20 reproduces the program file X from the position P2 in the program file X stored in the interruption / resumption variable. Start. At this time, the auxiliary program file Y becomes unnecessary, and the control unit 20 deletes the auxiliary program file Y by sending a predetermined ATA-compliant command to the HDD control unit 11e. Receiving the above command, the HDD control unit 11e erases the management information of the auxiliary program file Y recorded in the management area of the hard disk 11a. The deletion of the auxiliary program file Y may not be performed here but may be performed when the recording of the program file X is completed.

  When the remote controller 21 is operated at the end time T4 of the broadcast program to be recorded and the control unit 20 determines that the operation is a recording end instruction, the control unit 20 ends the recording of the program file X. If the auxiliary program file Y is not being reproduced at this time, the control unit 20 deletes the auxiliary program file Y. If the auxiliary program file Y is being reproduced, the control unit 20 deletes the auxiliary program file Y after the reproduction of the auxiliary program file Y is completed. If the program file X cannot be recorded on the upper surface of the hard disk 11a, the subsequent portion is recorded in an empty area on the lower surface. If the above viewing interruption instruction is given after such a situation, the auxiliary program file Y is not recorded.

  In the embodiment described above, the program file X is recorded on the upper surface of the hard disk 11a and the auxiliary program file Y is recorded on the lower surface. However, the program file X is recorded on the lower surface and the auxiliary program file Y is on the upper surface. It may be recorded. In a hard disk having two discs, the program file X is recorded on the upper surface (or lower surface) of the first disc, and the auxiliary program file Y is recorded on the upper surface (or lower surface) of the second disc. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the video and audio data of the broadcast program is recorded only on the hard disk 11a. However, the present invention can also be implemented by a hard disk recorder having a function capable of recording on an optical disk such as a DVD-RW. Furthermore, although the case where the broadcast is a television broadcast has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can be implemented even when the broadcast is a radio broadcast.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a hard disk recorder. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the instruction | indication from a remote control, the program file recorded on a hard disk, and an auxiliary program file in time series.

Explanation of symbols

11 HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
11a Hard disk 11b, 11c Recording / reproducing head 11d Recording / reproducing unit 11e HDD control unit 20 Control unit 20a CPU
20b memory 21 remote control

Claims (2)

In a hard disk recorder for recording video and audio data of a broadcast program on a hard disk as a file and reproducing the data of the file,
A storage unit for storing a recording position of the file;
Control means for controlling the operation of recording and reproducing the file;
Instruction means for giving a predetermined instruction to the control means,
Upon receiving an instruction to start recording from the instruction means, the control means starts recording the broadcast program to the first file on the first surface of the hard disk,
Upon receiving an instruction to stop viewing from the instruction unit, the control unit records the broadcast program in the second file on the second surface of the hard disk while continuing to record the broadcast program in the first file. And start storing the recording start position of the second file in the storage unit,
Upon receiving an instruction to resume viewing from the instruction unit, the control unit ends recording the broadcast program in the second file while continuing to record the broadcast program in the first file, and the storage unit Starting the reproduction of the second file from the recording start position stored in the storage unit, and further storing the recording position of the first file when receiving an instruction to resume viewing in the storage unit,
When the reproduction of the second file is completed, the reproduction of the first file is started from the recording position stored in the storage unit,
Upon receiving an instruction to end recording from the instruction means, the control means ends recording of the broadcast program in the first file,
The data corresponding to each other of the first and second files is recorded in the same cylinder of the hard disk, and the second file is deleted when the reproduction ends. In the hard disk recorder that records the data of the broadcast program as a file on the hard disk and reproduces the data of the file,
Control means for controlling the operation of recording and reproducing the file;
Instruction means for giving a predetermined instruction to the control means,
Upon receiving an instruction to start recording from the instruction means, the control means starts recording the broadcast program to the first file on the first surface of the hard disk,
Upon receiving an instruction to stop viewing from the instruction unit, the control unit records the broadcast program in the second file on the second surface of the hard disk while continuing to record the broadcast program in the first file. Start,
Upon receiving an instruction to resume viewing from the instruction unit, the control unit ends recording the broadcast program in the second file while continuing to record the broadcast program in the first file, and Start playback from the beginning of the file,
When the reproduction of the second file is completed, the control means starts reproduction of the first file from the recording position of the first file when receiving the instruction to resume viewing,
Upon receiving an instruction to end recording from the instruction means, the control means ends recording of the broadcast program in the first file,
A hard disk recorder, wherein data corresponding to each other of the first and second files is recorded in the same cylinder of the hard disk.

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