JP5644182B2 - Recording / playback device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording / reproducing apparatus for recording / reproducing an image or sound, and particularly to a recording / reproducing apparatus having a recording data compression function.

  In recent years, various recording / reproducing apparatuses such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recorder and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) recorder have become widespread due to multifunctional and diversified digital technology. These recording / reproducing apparatuses output image / audio signals to a television apparatus, a monitor, a speaker, or the like by decoding image / audio digital data recorded on a DVD or HDD.

  However, the capacity of a recording medium such as an HDD is limited. If all the programs the user wants to watch are recorded as they are, the free space will eventually disappear. As one countermeasure against this problem, a countermeasure has been devised in which the required recording capacity is reduced by lowering the bit rate during recording.

  Specifically, a normal HDD recorder has a so-called DR (Direct Recording) mode in which a program is recorded in the uncompressed TS format (MPEG2-TS). In addition, a so-called compression mode is provided in which recording is performed after compression conversion into a low-rate format (for example, H.264 / MPEG4AVC). The user can switch the mode to be used as necessary.

  For example, when a two-hour program is recorded, about 25 GB is consumed in the DR mode and about 5 GB is consumed in the compressed mode (however, it varies depending on the compression rate). In other words, an HDD having a capacity of 250 GB can record ten programs in the former and fifty programs in the latter.

  Recording in the DR mode has the advantage that the program can be viewed with high image quality, but has the disadvantage that the number of programs that can be recorded is small. There are opposite advantages and disadvantages when recording in compressed mode. For this reason, when recording in the DR mode, the program can be viewed with high image quality, but the recorded data must be frequently deleted. Conversely, when recording in compressed mode, many programs can be recorded, but cannot be viewed with high image quality.

  In relation to the above, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus that can reproduce a program that suits the user's preference as a high-quality image. This recording apparatus records the history of the program viewed by the user as the viewing history, and extracts the viewing tendency of the user from the viewing history.

  Then, it is determined for each channel whether or not the selected program matches the viewing tendency of the user. If they match, the image is recorded on the recording medium at a bit rate that can maintain a high-quality image. If they do not match, they are converted to a low bit rate and recorded on a recording medium.

  Further, in relation to the above, Patent Document 2 discloses a program recording / playback apparatus that re-encodes a recorded program and compresses or deletes it according to the use status of a storage memory that stores the recorded program. .

  This program recording / playback apparatus reads out a program satisfying a predetermined condition from among the programs stored in the storage memory, re-encodes or deletes the program, and updates the contents of the storage memory. Further, every time a program is recorded or reproduced, the user's viewing characteristics for the program are learned, and the learned viewing characteristics are reflected in a change in a predetermined condition when re-encoding or erasing.

  Further, in relation to the above, Patent Document 3 discloses an image recording / reproducing apparatus that records a plurality of programs at the same time and automatically deletes unnecessary programs from them, or performs compression and deletion. ing.

  This image recording / playback apparatus divides and records a plurality of simultaneously received television broadcasts for each program. The user sets an arbitrary first storage period, second storage period, and deletion keyword in advance. Then, the program corresponding to the deletion keyword is deleted with the first retention period. In addition, programs that do not correspond to the deletion keyword are compressed with the first retention period and deleted with the second retention period.

JP 2004-186845 A JP 2007-142645 A JP 2006-25152 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 has a problem that it is necessary to provide the recording apparatus with a viewing history analysis function and a learning function, which requires a complicated processing program. In addition, the technique described in Patent Document 3 has a problem that keyword setting by a user operation is necessary and an optimum keyword is not always set.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and effectively uses the capacity of a recording medium without performing complicated user operations while recording on the recording medium in a non-compressed mode in which compression is not performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of performing the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording unit that records reproduction information including an image or sound, a reproduction processing unit that reproduces the reproduction information, and a compression that performs compression conversion of the reproduction information. When the stop of the playback process by the playback processing unit is detected, the recording / playback apparatus includes a unit that accepts designation of whether or not to compress the playback information that has been subjected to the playback process. When specified to be performed, the compression information is compressed and converted to generate compressed information and the compressed information is recorded in the recording unit, and the compressed information is used to generate the compressed information. And a compression control unit for erasing the reproduction information from the recording unit.

  According to this configuration, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes a recording unit that records reproduction information, a reproduction processing unit that performs reproduction, and a compression unit that performs compression conversion. In addition, when a stop of the reproduction process is detected, a compression control unit is provided that receives designation as to whether or not the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process is compressed. The compression control unit controls the compression unit to compress and convert the reproduction information to generate compression information and record it in the recording unit when compression is designated. Further, the reproduction information used for generating the compressed information is erased from the recording unit.

  Further, in order to achieve the above object, the compression control unit provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention detects a stop of the reproduction process by the reproduction processing unit and is designated to compress the reproduction information In addition, the compression rate of the reproduction information is determined based on the reproduction time of the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction processing or the ratio of the reproduction time to the whole reproduction time of the reproduction information.

  According to this configuration, when the stop of the reproduction process is detected and the compression of the reproduction information is designated, the compression control unit is based on the reproduction time of the reproduction information or the ratio of the reproduction time. Determine the compression ratio of the playback information.

  Further, in order to achieve the above object, the compression control unit provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, when the stop of the reproduction process by the reproduction processing unit is detected, the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process. It is determined whether or not the playback time or the ratio of the playback time to the entire playback time of the playback information exceeds a predetermined value, and if so, designation of whether or not to compress the playback information It is characterized by accepting.

  According to this configuration, when the stop of the playback process is detected, the compression control unit determines whether or not the length of the playback time of the playback information or the ratio of the playback time to the total recording time exceeds a predetermined value. Determine. If it exceeds, designation of whether or not to compress the reproduction information is accepted.

  Further, in order to achieve the above object, the compression control unit provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, when the stop of the reproduction process by the reproduction processing unit is detected, the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the number of reproduction stops exceeds a predetermined number, and if it exceeds, designation of whether or not to compress the reproduction information is accepted.

  According to this configuration, the compression control unit determines whether or not the number of reproduction stops of the reproduction information exceeds a predetermined number when the reproduction process is detected to be stopped. If it exceeds, designation of whether or not to compress the reproduction information is accepted.

  Further, in order to achieve the above object, the compression control unit provided in the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention detects in advance that the reproduction processing by the reproduction processing unit is stopped and the reproduction information on which the reproduction processing has been performed is predetermined. In the case where the compression processing is not performed, a designation as to whether or not to compress the reproduction information is received.

  According to this configuration, the compression control unit accepts designation of whether or not to compress the reproduction information when the stop of the reproduction process is detected and the reproduction information is not subjected to the predetermined compression process.

  In order to achieve the above object, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes an operation unit that receives an operation instruction and an image signal generation unit that generates an image signal, and the compression control unit performs an operation of stopping the reproduction process. Is detected by the operation unit, the image signal generation unit is controlled to generate an image signal including an image for accepting designation of whether or not the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process is compressed. In this case, the designation is made through the operation unit while outputting the image signal.

  According to this configuration, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes an operation unit that receives an operation instruction and an image signal generation unit that generates an image signal. The compression control unit generates an image signal including an image for accepting designation of whether or not to compress the reproduction information when the operation unit detects an operation to stop the reproduction process. Then, the user waits for the above designation using the operation unit while outputting the image signal.

  In order to achieve the above object, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes an operation unit that receives an operation instruction and an image signal generation unit that generates an image signal, and the compression control unit performs an operation of stopping the reproduction process. Is detected by the operation unit, the image signal generation unit is controlled to generate an image signal including an image for accepting the designation of the compression rate of the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process, and the designation Is performed while outputting the image signal to be performed via the operation unit.

  According to this configuration, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes an operation unit that receives an operation instruction and an image signal generation unit that generates an image signal. The compression control unit generates an image signal including an image for accepting designation of a compression rate of reproduction information when the operation unit detects a stop operation of the reproduction process. Then, the user waits for the above designation using the operation unit while outputting the image signal.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives a broadcast wave, and a recording that records image information or audio information included in the broadcast wave as the reproduction information in the recording unit. A compression control unit that compresses the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction processing when the recording unit detects that reproduction of the reproduction information recorded in the recording unit is stopped. It is characterized by accepting such designation.

  According to this configuration, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives a broadcast wave and a recording unit that records image information or audio information included in the broadcast wave as reproduction information in the recording unit. The compression control unit accepts designation of whether or not to compress the reproduction information when the recording unit detects that reproduction of the reproduction information recorded in the recording unit is stopped.

  According to the present invention, recording is performed in an uncompressed recording format during recording, and designation is accepted as to whether or not compression conversion to a low-rate format is performed when playback is stopped. As a result, the user can appreciate the image or sound included in the reproduction information with high quality when reproducing the recorded data, and can perform the compression process with a simple operation.

  Further, according to the present invention, a complicated processing program for reducing the capacity of recorded data is not required. Further, it is not necessary for the user to manually select the recorded data to be compressed or deleted from the recorded program list or the like every time the recordable capacity decreases. In addition, it is possible to record recording data for a longer recording time than when recording only uncompressed recording data.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the function part with which the recording / reproducing apparatus of this invention is provided. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the recording / reproducing apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the compression control process which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a screen figure which shows the compression selection screen which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the compression control process which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the compression control process which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a screen figure which shows the compression rate selection screen which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, embodiment shown here is an example and this invention is not limited to embodiment shown here.
<1-1. Internal configuration>

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the HDD recorder 1 (= recording / reproducing apparatus) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 indicate the flow of image / audio data. Moreover, the straight line without an arrow has shown the communication bus for the control part 11 to transmit / receive the control signal etc. with respect to each apparatus.

  The HDD recorder 1 includes at least a control unit 11, a memory 12, an operation unit 13, a flash memory 14 (= recording unit), an HDD 15 (= recording unit), an optical disk drive 16, a broadcast receiving unit 17 (= receiving unit), and a signal processing unit. 18, an OSD (On-Screen Display) processing unit 19 (= image signal generation unit), and an external connection terminal 20. A display 2 exists as a display device connected by the external connection terminal 20.

  The control unit 11 controls the driving of each member of the HDD recorder 1 so as to perform overall control of image / sound reproduction processing, recording processing, output processing, and the like. For example, the control unit 11 includes a plurality of microprocessors. Further, the control unit 11 includes a recording unit 11a to a setting unit 11e (FIG. 1), which will be described later, as functional units realized by executing a program on the arithmetic processing device provided in the control unit 11.

  The memory 12 is a medium for temporarily recording various data held by the HDD recorder 1, and is composed of, for example, a writable RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 12 has a role as a buffer memory for temporarily recording, for example, processing data when various kinds of information processing are performed by the control unit 11 and instruction commands received from the user.

  The operation unit 13 is used by the user to instruct the HDD recorder 1 to reproduce an image / sound. The operation unit 13 includes, for example, a plurality of buttons provided on the housing of the HDD recorder 1, a remote controller and a remote control signal receiving unit (not shown), and the like. The operation unit 13 receives user operations using these devices. When a user operation is accepted, the control unit 11 performs a reproduction process, a recording process, and the like based on the operation content.

  The flash memory 14 is a kind of EEPROM, and is a ROM that can be written / erased by a user of the device. Since the flash memory 14 can be written and erased while mounted on the circuit board, it is used for storing applications that require rewriting when used, for example, operation setting data of the apparatus, user-specific information, and the like.

  The HDD 15 is a magnetic recording medium that records digital data. In the present embodiment, it is mainly used for recording recording data (= reproduction information) generated from image / audio data included in a broadcast wave and compressed recording data generated by compression processing.

  The optical disk drive 16 is an optical device for optically reading various data from an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc) medium or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) medium. The optical disk drive 16 controls an optical pickup (not shown) to irradiate the optical disk with a light beam and read various information such as audio information and image information recorded on the optical disk. At this time, various controls such as drive control, focus control, and tilt control of the optical pickup are performed.

  The broadcast receiving unit 17 is connected to an external antenna (not shown) and performs digital / analog broadcast tuning, reception, frequency conversion, amplification, demodulation, and the like. The broadcast receiver 17 is configured to include an analog tuner, an image intermediate frequency amplifier circuit, a demodulator circuit, an amplifier circuit, and the like in the case of an analog system. In the case of a digital system, a digital tuner, an error correction unit, and the like are included.

  For example, when receiving a digital broadcast, a digital tuner included in the broadcast receiving unit 17 performs amplification and detection of the intermediate frequency signal. Thereby, TS (= Transport Stream) which is a digital signal of the MPEG2 system is acquired. Note that the TS is an audio PES (Packetized Elementary Stream), an image PES, and additional information of a plurality of programs divided into fixed-length TS packets and connected. The signal is supplied to the signal processing unit 18 and converted into an image / audio signal. It is also possible to record the TS in the HDD 15 without converting it. In this case, the signal processing unit 18 only performs TS through.

  The signal processing unit 18 receives the TS generated by the broadcast receiving unit 17 and the digital data read from the optical disc by the optical disc drive 16 and separates it into an audio digital signal containing audio information and an image digital signal containing image information. A demultiplexing unit. Specifically, for example, the TS generated by the broadcast receiving unit 17 is divided into TS packets. Then, by recombining the TS packets, an audio / image PES is generated.

  Then, the ES (Elementary Stream = encoded audio / image data) is generated by combining the PES. Further, the signal processing unit 18 decodes the ES and converts it into various digital signals. The digital signal obtained by the decoding is given to the HDD 15 when recording. Further, when outputting to the display 2 or the like, it is given to the external connection terminal 20.

  The OSD processing unit 19 is a functional unit that generates an image signal. The OSD processing unit 19 converts information to be output by the HDD recorder 1 into image data that can be visually recognized by the user, and generates an image signal for displaying the converted image data on the display 2. The generated image signal is output from the external connection terminal 20.

  The external connection terminal 20 is an interface composed of a plurality of input / output terminals including, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) terminal and a universal serial bus (USB) terminal. The external connection terminal 20 uses these input / output terminals to connect the HDD recorder 1 and an external device such as the display 2 to input / output digital signals or analog signals.

The display 2 is a display device including a display unit, an operation unit, a control unit, and a connection unit (not shown). For example, the display 2 receives a digital signal including an image / sound via an HDMI cable connected to an HDMI terminal included in the connection unit. Then, the digital signal is combined and the image / sound is output.
<1-2. About the configuration of the function section>

  Here, the relationship of each functional unit for the HDD recorder 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention to perform the compression control process will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. In addition, the broken-line arrow line in FIG. 1 has shown the flow of the control signal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the compression control processing of the present invention is performed by a recording unit 11a, a reproduction processing unit 11b, a compression unit 11c, a compression control unit 11d, and a setting unit 11e included in the control unit 11.

  The recording unit 11a records the TS passed through by the signal processing unit 18 or the digital signal decoded by the signal processing unit 18 on the HDD 15 as recording data that is data in units of programs. The recorded data includes information related to the program in addition to image / sound data, such as a program title, a broadcasting station, a broadcasting date and time, and the like.

  The recording unit 11a normally generates recording data using an uncompressed TS. However, when the user has instructed compression recording in advance, first, the signal processing unit 18 is used to convert the TS into an image / audio digital signal. Then, using the compression unit 11c described later, image / audio data included in the image / audio digital signal is encoded to generate compressed recording data, which is recorded in the HDD 15.

  The reproduction processing unit 11b performs reproduction control of image / audio data, for example, reproduction control of recorded data recorded in the HDD 15. Upon detecting the reproduction instruction, the reproduction processing unit 11b controls the signal processing unit 18 to read the designated recording data from the HDD 15 and convert it into an image / audio digital signal.

  The compression unit 11c encodes the image / sound data to create compressed data such as compressed recording data, and records the data in the HDD 15 or the like. The compression unit 11c compresses image / audio data by, for example, the H.264 / MPEG4AVC format. However, other compression methods may be used.

  The compression control unit 11d receives, from the user, designation of whether or not to perform the compression processing of the recorded data that has been reproduced when the stop of the reproduction processing of the recorded data performed by the reproduction processing unit 11b is detected. When the execution of the compression process is designated, the compression unit 11c is controlled so as to perform the compression process of the image / audio data included in the recorded data.

  Specifically, the compression control unit 11d controls the OSD processing unit 19 so as to generate, for example, an image signal for displaying the compression selection screen 100 shown in FIG. Then, the generated image signal is output to the display 2 via the external connection terminal 20. Thereby, the compression selection screen 100 is displayed on the display 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the compression selection screen 100 includes a message window 101 and a cursor 102. The user can select the “Yes” button or the “No” button included in the message window 101 by moving the cursor 102 using the operation unit 13. When the determination key included in the operation unit 13 is pressed while the cursor 102 is positioned on the “Yes” button, the compression control unit 11d considers that the execution of the compression processing of the recorded data is designated.

  However, the compression control unit 11d performs the designation receiving process only when the recording data whose reproduction has been stopped is non-compressed recording data, that is, recording data generated in the TS state. When the compressed recording data that has already been compressed by the compression unit 11c is stopped, the above-described designation receiving process is not performed.

The setting unit 11e receives various settings related to the operation of the compression control unit 11d from the user. For example, it accepts a setting as to whether or not to accept execution / non-execution of compression using the compression selection screen 100 when playback is stopped. The setting information indicating the setting contents is recorded in the memory 12 or the HDD 15. When a setting not to be performed is accepted, even if it is detected that reproduction of uncompressed recorded data has been stopped, the compression control unit 11d does not display the compression selection screen 100 and does not accept designation regarding whether or not to perform compression.
<1-3. About compression control processing>

  Here, the compression control processing performed by the HDD recorder 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing shown in FIG. 3 is started when the power source of the HDD recorder 1 is driven and the playback processing of the recorded data by the playback processing unit 11b is started. However, this process is started only when the data for which the reproduction process has been started is uncompressed recording data. This process is not performed when the playback process of compressed recording data is started.

  After the start of this process, in step S110, the playback processing unit 11b determines whether the playback processing unit 11b has played back to the end of the recorded data and the playback process has been automatically stopped. When it is played back to the end and automatically stopped, the process proceeds to step S130 described later.

  If playback has not been performed up to the end, the playback processing unit 11b determines whether or not a playback stop instruction has been detected in step S120. The reproduction stop instruction is issued, for example, when a reproduction stop button (not shown) included in the operation unit 13 is pressed.

  When the reproduction stop instruction is not detected, the process proceeds to step S110 again. When the reproduction stop instruction is detected, the compression control unit 11d confirms the reproduction stop position in step S130.

  Next, in step S140, the compression controller 11d determines whether or not the length from the start position of the recorded data to the playback stop position exceeds a predetermined value. As a specific example of the predetermined value, it is determined by an absolute value of the reproduction time, for example, “60 minutes from the beginning of the recorded data”. Alternatively, it may be determined by the ratio of the playback time, such as “80% playback time from the beginning of the playback time of the entire recorded data”.

  If the length from the start position to the playback stop position does not exceed the predetermined value, this process ends. If the predetermined value is exceeded, the compression control unit 11d controls the OSD processing unit 19 to generate an image signal for displaying the compression selection screen 100 shown in FIG. 4 in step S150. Then, the generated image signal is output to the display 2 via the external connection terminal 20.

  At the same time, the compression control unit 11d shifts to a state of waiting for a selection instruction from the user. The selection instruction is performed using, for example, a selection key or a determination key (not shown) included in the operation unit 13.

  Next, in step S160, the compression control unit 11d determines whether or not a recording data compression instruction, for example, the pressing of the “Yes” button in FIG. 4 has been detected. If the compression instruction is not detected even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the process waits for the selection instruction and ends this process. At the same time, the display of the compression selection screen 100 is also stopped.

  When the compression instruction for the recorded data is detected, the compression control unit 11d compresses the recorded data whose reproduction has been stopped in step S170, and controls the compression unit 11c to generate the compressed recorded data. The generated compressed recording data is recorded in the HDD 15.

  When the compression processing is completed, the compression control unit 11d deletes from the HDD 15 the original recording data, that is, the uncompressed recording data whose reproduction has been stopped as described above, in step S180. When the recording data of the compression source is completely erased, this process is terminated.

  At this time, the setting unit 11e may accept a setting regarding whether or not to allow deletion of the recording data of the compression source from the user in advance. Alternatively, an inquiry screen regarding whether or not to allow deletion may be generated by the OSD processing unit 19 and displayed on the display 2, and an operation instruction from the operation unit 13 may be waited for.

  According to the present embodiment described above, at the time of recording, recording is performed in the uncompressed TS format, and after the user sees the program, the standby for specifying whether or not to perform compression conversion to the low rate format is performed. As a result, the user can view the program at a high resolution when the recorded data is reproduced, and can perform the compression process with a simple operation after the reproduction is completed.

For this reason, for example, it is possible to save the trouble of manually selecting the recording data to be compressed or deleted from the recording list every time the free space of the HDD 15 decreases. Also, more recording data can be recorded in the HDD 15 than when only uncompressed recording data is recorded.
[Embodiment 2]

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
<2-1. Internal configuration>

Since it is the same content as 1st embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted here.
<2-2. About the configuration of the function section>

  Although it is the same structure as 1st embodiment, the function of the compression control part 11d differs in part. The compression control unit 11d according to the present embodiment checks not the reproduction stop position but the reproduction stop count of the corresponding recorded data when the reproduction stop of the recorded data is detected. When the number of reproduction stops exceeds a predetermined number, the compression selection screen 100 is displayed to accept designation of whether or not to perform compression.

  Further, the compression control unit 11d according to the present embodiment determines the compression rate at the time of generating the compressed recording data based on the reproduction time of the recorded data or the ratio of the reproduced time to the entire recording time of the recording data. Then, compression is performed based on the determined compression rate. For example, the larger the ratio of the replayed time, the lower the compression ratio, and the smaller the ratio, the higher the compression ratio.

  Specifically, for example, when the playback time is 50% of the total recording time, the compression is performed at “7 times” or “5 times” of high compression. On the other hand, when all of the recorded data has been reproduced, it is compressed by “double” of low compression or recorded in the DR mode.

Alternatively, the compression control unit 11d may determine the compression rate at the time of generating the compressed recording data based on the number of times playback of the recorded data is stopped. For example, the compression rate decreases as the number of playback stops increases, and the compression rate increases as the number of playback stops decreases.
<2-3. About compression control processing>

  Here, the compression control processing executed by the HDD recorder 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, about the process of the same content as FIG. 3 of 1st embodiment, description shall be abbreviate | omitted by adding the same step number.

  Step S110 and step S120 are the same as those in the first embodiment. When the reproduction stop is detected in step S120, the compression control unit 11d confirms the number of reproduction stops in step S131. That is, after the recorded data changes from the unviewed state to the viewed state, it is confirmed how many times playback is stopped.

  This number of times is counted in advance every time reproduction is stopped and recorded as history information in the flash memory 14 or the like. Alternatively, the count may be reset when a predetermined period (for example, one day or one week) elapses.

  Next, in step S141, the compression controller 11d determines whether or not the number of reproduction stops confirmed above exceeds a predetermined number. If the number of playback stops does not exceed the predetermined number, this process is terminated. When the predetermined number of times is exceeded, the compression control unit 11d performs Step S150 and Step S160.

  In step S160, when an instruction to compress the recorded data is detected, the compression controller 11d determines the compression rate based on the length or ratio of the reproduced time in step S161. In step S171, the compression unit 11c is controlled to compress the recorded data at the compression rate determined above. Since the subsequent processing is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment described above, playback start and stop are frequently performed, and as a result, compression / non-execution is performed only on recorded data with a high probability that the user has watched most of the playback. Make an inquiry. Conversely, for recording data that is not frequently stopped and is highly likely to be viewed by the user in the future, no inquiry is made about whether or not to perform compression. Thereby, it is possible to avoid a situation in which unnecessary inquiries frequently occur and the user feels bothersome.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the compression rate of the recorded data is determined based on the length or ratio of the reproduced time. For this reason, recording data that has a high probability of being liked by the user, such as recording data that the user has played to the end, can be stored with high image quality.
[Embodiment 3]

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
<3-1. Internal configuration>

Since it is the same content as 1st embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted here.
<3-2. About the configuration of the function section>

  Although it is the same structure as 1st embodiment, the function of the compression control part 11d differs in part. The compression control unit 11d according to the present embodiment displays a screen for accepting the designation of the compression ratio when the stop of the reproduction of the recorded data is detected and the designation of whether or not to perform the compression is accepted. Specifically, the OSD display 19 is controlled to generate an image signal for displaying the compression rate selection screen 110 shown in FIG.

  The compression rate selection screen 110 includes a message window 111 and a cursor 112. The user can select the “DR” button to the “7 times” button included in the message window 111 by moving the cursor 112 using the operation unit 13. When the determination key included in the operation unit 13 is pressed while any one of the cursors 112 is set, the compression control unit 11d considers that the recording data compression rate has been specified.

“DR” in the figure indicates non-compression. “2 times” to “7 times” indicate different compression ratios. The larger the multiple, the higher the compression rate, and the smaller the data size of the generated compressed video recording data. However, the image quality decreases as the compression rate increases.
<3-3. About compression control processing>

  Here, the compression control processing executed by the HDD recorder 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, about the process of the same content as FIG. 3 of 1st embodiment, description shall be abbreviate | omitted by adding the same step number.

  Steps S110 to S140 are the same as those in the first embodiment. If it is determined in step S140 that the playback time has exceeded the predetermined time, the compression controller 11d generates an image signal for displaying the compression rate selection screen 110 shown in FIG. 7 in step S152 so as to generate an image signal. The processing unit 19 is controlled. Then, the generated image signal is output to the display 2 via the external connection terminal 20.

  At the same time, the compression control unit 11d shifts to a state of waiting for a compression rate selection instruction from the user. The compression ratio selection instruction is performed using, for example, a selection key or a determination key included in the operation unit 13.

  Next, in step S162, the compression control unit 11d determines whether DR is selected as the compression rate. When DR is selected, it is not necessary to perform compression, and thus this process ends. If DR is not selected and another compression rate is selected, the compression control unit 11d controls the compression unit 11c to perform compression of the recorded data whose reproduction has been stopped at the designated compression rate in step S172. . Thereby, the compressed recording data is recorded in the HDD 15. Since the subsequent processing is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

According to the present embodiment described above, recording is performed in the uncompressed TS format at the time of recording, and after confirming whether the user performs compression conversion to the low-rate format after viewing the program, the compression rate is designated. Accept. As a result, the user can simultaneously specify the compression rate and the compression instruction with a simple operation after the end of reproduction.
[Other embodiments]

  The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments and examples. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea. be able to.

  Therefore, the present invention can also be applied to the following embodiments.

  (A) In the above embodiment, the HDD recorder 1 is taken as an example of the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, but any other recording / reproducing apparatus that inputs and records audio / image data from the outside can be used. The present invention may be implemented in an apparatus. For example, a form using a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recorder, a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder), a television apparatus having a recording function, or the like may be used.

  (B) In the above embodiment, each functional unit related to the compression control processing of the present invention is realized by executing a program on an arithmetic processing unit such as a microprocessor, but each functional unit is constituted by a plurality of circuits. It may be realized.

  (C) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which each functional unit related to the compression control processing of the present invention is provided in the HDD recorder 1 has been described as an example. However, some of these are externally connected via a network. The form implement | achieved by an apparatus may be sufficient. For example, the compression processing of the image / sound data performed by the compression unit 11c may be performed by an information processing server (not shown) connected to the HDD recorder 1.

  (D) In the above-described embodiment, the timing when the compression selection screen 100 is displayed and the selection instruction regarding compression is received is described by taking as an example the time when playback ends to the end of the recorded data and the time when playback stops during playback. However, the above reception may be performed at other timings. For example, the above reception may be performed when a playback pause instruction or a power stop instruction of the HDD recorder 1 is detected.

  (E) In the above embodiment, the compression process is performed immediately after receiving the designation of compression on the compression selection screen 100 or the like, but the compression process may be performed at other timings. For example, the compression may be implemented as a background operation when the main power supply of the HDD recorder 1 is stopped next after receiving the designation of compression. Or the form which receives scheduling of compression implementation time by user operation may be sufficient.

  (F) In the above embodiment, the compressed recording data is deleted. At this time, only a part of the management data of the recording data, for example, title data is deleted, and the actual data is left in the HDD 13. It may be in the form of leaving. Thereby, even if the user has instructed the compression by mistake, there is a possibility that the recorded data of the compression source can be restored, so that the convenience can be improved.

  (G) In the above embodiment, the HDD 13 is described as an example of the recording medium for recording the recorded data and the compressed recorded data. However, the present invention may be implemented using a recording medium other than this. For example, a semiconductor memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or a rewritable optical disc such as DVD-RW or BD-RW may be used as a recording medium.

  (H) In the above-described embodiment, recording data obtained by recording a broadcast program is described as an example of audio / image data to be compressed. However, the compression control processing of the present invention is applied to other audio / image data. May be implemented. For example, the compression control process may be performed when reproduction of audio / image data input from an external device such as a handycam camera is stopped.

1 HDD recorder (recording and playback device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Control part 11a Recording part 11b Playback process part 11c Compression part 11d Compression control part 11e Setting part 12 Memory 13 Operation part 14 Flash memory (recording part)
15 HDD (recording unit)
16 Optical disk drive 17 Broadcast receiver (receiver)
18 Signal processor 19 OSD processor (image signal generator)
20 External connection terminals

Claims (6)

A recording unit for recording reproduction information including an image or sound;
A reproduction processing unit for reproducing the reproduction information;
In a recording / reproducing apparatus including a compression unit that performs compression conversion of the reproduction information,
Wherein when the stop of the reproduction process by the reproduction processing unit is detected, receiving an instruction whether to perform compression of the reproduction information wherein the reproducing process has been made, when performing the compression is instructed, the The compression unit is controlled to compress and convert the reproduction information to generate compression information and record the compression information in the recording unit, and erase the reproduction information used to generate the compression information from the recording unit. A compression control unit,
With
The compression control unit, when the stop of the reproduction process by the reproduction processing unit is detected and when it is instructed to compress the reproduction information, the reproduction time of the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process, Alternatively, a recording / reproducing apparatus that determines a compression rate of the reproduction information based on a ratio of a reproduced time to an entire reproduction time of the reproduction information. When the stop of the reproduction process by the reproduction processing unit is detected, the compression control unit is configured to determine a reproduction time of the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process, or a reproduction time for the entire reproduction time of the reproduction information. 2. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the ratio exceeds a predetermined value, and if it exceeds, an instruction as to whether or not to compress the reproduction information is accepted. The compression control unit determines whether or not the number of reproduction stops of the reproduction information for which the reproduction processing has been performed exceeds a predetermined number when the reproduction processing unit detects the reproduction processing stop. 3. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if it exceeds, an instruction as to whether or not to compress the reproduction information is received. The compression control unit compresses the reproduction information when a stop of the reproduction process by the reproduction processing unit is detected and the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process is not subjected to a predetermined compression process. 4. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an instruction as to whether or not to perform is received. An operation unit for receiving operation instructions;
An image signal generation unit for generating an image signal,
The compression control unit includes an image for receiving an instruction as to whether or not to compress the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction process when a stop operation of the reproduction process is detected by the operation unit. 5. The image signal generation unit is controlled to generate a signal, and the image signal is output while waiting for the instruction to be made through the operation unit. The recording / reproducing apparatus described in 1. A receiver for receiving broadcast waves;
A recording unit that records image information or audio information included in the broadcast wave as the reproduction information in the recording unit;
The compression control unit receives an instruction as to whether or not to compress the reproduction information that has been subjected to the reproduction processing when the recording unit detects that reproduction of the reproduction information recorded in the recording unit is stopped. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein

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