U.S. patent application number 09/905048 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-27 for image recording apparatus, image recording method and storage medium.
Invention is credited to Katsumoto, Toshiyuki, Kunieda, Shunsuke, Miura, Masayoshi, Murakami, Yuji, Nagano, Kae, Watanabe, Jun, Yoshizu, Hiroyuki.
Application Number | 20020081096 09/905048 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26596110 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020081096 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Watanabe, Jun ; et
al. |
June 27, 2002 |
Image recording apparatus, image recording method and storage
medium
Abstract
An image recording apparatus in which recording preset
information, constituted by a recording start time and a recording
end time, is stored for each preset program to be unattended
recorded. If there is any overlap between the recording start times
and the recording end times of the preset programs that are to be
recorded, a warning is generated; and the overlapping preset
programs are prioritized for unattended recording.
Inventors: |
Watanabe, Jun; (Kanagawa,
JP) ; Katsumoto, Toshiyuki; (Tokyo, JP) ;
Kunieda, Shunsuke; (Tokyo, JP) ; Murakami, Yuji;
(Tokyo, JP) ; Nagano, Kae; (Tokyo, JP) ;
Yoshizu, Hiroyuki; (Kanagawa, JP) ; Miura,
Masayoshi; (Chiba, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
William S. Frommer, Esq.
FROMMER LAWRENCE & HAUG LLP
745 Fifth Avenue
New York
NY
10151
US
|
Family ID: |
26596110 |
Appl. No.: |
09/905048 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
386/252 ;
386/E5.043; 455/186.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 5/782 20130101;
H04N 9/7921 20130101; H04N 5/781 20130101; H04N 9/8042
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
386/83 ;
455/186.1 |
International
Class: |
H04N 005/92; H04B
001/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 14, 2000 |
JP |
2000-215242 |
May 15, 2001 |
JP |
2001-144348 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An image recording apparatus comprising: information storing
means for storing recording preset information constituted by a
recording start time and a recording end time of each of preset
programs for unattended recording, and by a program input route
through which to input each of said preset programs; overlap
judging means for judging whether any of said preset programs for
unattended recording overlap between the recording start times and
the recording end times of the programs; overlap warning means for
warning of any overlapping preset programs that are judged to
exist; and priority presetting means for prioritizing the
overlapping preset programs for unattended recording.
2. An image recording apparatus comprising: information storing
means for storing recording preset information constituted by a
recording start time and a recording end time of each of preset
programs for unattended recording, a program input route through
which to input each of said preset programs, and an image recording
quality; overlap judging means for judging whether any of said
preset programs for unattended recording overlap between the
recording start times and the recording end times of the programs;
simultaneous recording judging means for judging whether the
overlapping preset programs can be recorded simultaneously; overlap
warning means for giving a warning if any of said overlapping
preset programs are not judged to be simultaneously recordable; and
priority presetting means for prioritizing said overlapping preset
programs for unattended recording.
3. An image recording apparatus comprising: information storing
means for storing recording preset information constituted by a
recording start time and a recording end time of each of preset
programs for unattended recording, a program input route through
which to input each of said preset programs, and an image recording
quality; overlap judging means for judging whether any of said
preset programs for unattended recording overlap between the
recording start times and the recording end times of the programs;
determining means for determining whether the overlapping preset
programs belong to a single compression-coded transport stream;
simultaneous recording judging means for judging whether said
overlapping preset programs can be recorded simultaneously based on
what is determined by said determining means; overlap warning means
for giving a warning if any of said overlapping preset programs are
not judged to be simultaneously recordable; and priority presetting
means for prioritizing said overlapping preset programs for
unattended recording.
4. An image recording apparatus comprising: information storing
means for storing recording preset information constituted by a
recording start time and a recording end time of each of preset
programs for unattended recording, a program input route through
which to input each of said preset programs, and an image recording
quality; overlap judging means for judging whether any of said
preset programs for unattended recording overlap between the
recording start times and the recording end times of the programs;
simultaneous recording judging means for judging whether the
overlapping preset programs can be recorded simultaneously; overlap
warning means for giving a warning if any of said overlapping
preset programs are not judged to be simultaneously recordable;
priority presetting means for prioritizing said overlapping preset
programs for unattended recording; multiplex recording means for
multiplexing a plurality of programs into a single
compression-coded transport stream for unattended recording; and
controlling means for controlling recording rates of said multiplex
recording means during unattended recording in accordance with how
said overlapping preset programs are prioritized by said priority
presetting means.
5. An image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, and by a program input route through which to input each
of said preset programs; judging whether any of said preset
programs for unattended recording overlap between the recording
start times and the recording end times of the programs; warning of
any overlapping preset programs that are judged to exist; and
prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended
recording.
6. An image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of
said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging
whether any of said preset programs for unattended recording
overlap between the recording start times and the recording end
times of the programs; judging whether the overlapping preset
programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if any of
said overlapping preset programs are not judged to be
simultaneously recordable; and prioritizing said overlapping preset
programs for unattended recording.
7. An image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of
said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging
whether any of said preset programs for unattended recording
overlap between the recording start times and the recording end
times of the programs; determining whether the overlapping preset
programs belong to a single compression-coded transport stream;
judging whether said overlapping preset programs can be recorded
simultaneously based on what is determined in said determining
step; giving a warning if any of said overlapping preset programs
are not judged to be simultaneously recordable; and prioritizing
said overlapping preset programs for unattended recording.
8. An image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of
said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging
whether any of said preset programs for unattended recording
overlap between the recording start times and the recording end
times of the programs; judging whether the overlapping preset
programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if any of
said overlapping preset programs are not judged to be
simultaneously recordable; prioritizing said overlapping preset
programs for unattended recording; and changing rates of program
recording in accordance with how said overlapping preset programs
are prioritized, so that said overlapping preset programs are
multiplexed into a single compression-coded transport stream for
unattended recording.
9. A storage medium which stores a program in a manner readable by
a computer, said program comprising the steps of: storing recording
preset information constituted by a recording start time and a
recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, and by a program input route through which to input each
of said preset programs; judging whether any of said preset
programs for unattended recording overlap between the recording
start times and the recording end times of the programs; warning of
any overlapping preset programs that are judged to exist; and
prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended
recording.
10. A storage medium which stores a program in a manner readable by
a computer, said program comprising the steps of: storing recording
preset information constituted by a recording start time and a
recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of
said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging
whether any of said preset programs for unattended recording
overlap between the recording start times and the recording end
times of the programs; judging whether the overlapping preset
programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if any of
said overlapping preset programs are not judged to be
simultaneously recordable; and prioritizing said overlapping preset
programs for unattended recording.
11. A storage medium which stores a program in a manner readable by
a computer, said program comprising the steps of: storing recording
preset information constituted by a recording start time and a
recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of
said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging
whether any of said preset programs for unattended recording
overlap between the recording start times and the recording end
times of the programs; determining whether the overlapping preset
programs belong to a single compression-coded transport stream;
judging whether said overlapping preset programs can be recorded
simultaneously based on what is determined in said determining
step; giving a warning if any of said overlapping preset programs
are not judged to be simultaneously recordable; and prioritizing
said overlapping preset programs for unattended recording.
12. A storage medium which stores a program in a manner readable by
a computer, said program comprising the steps of: storing recording
preset information constituted by a recording start time and a
recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of
said preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging
whether any of said preset programs for unattended recording
overlap between the recording start times and the recording end
times of the programs; judging whether the overlapping preset
programs can be recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if any of
said overlapping preset programs are not judged to be
simultaneously recordable; prioritizing said overlapping preset
programs for unattended recording; and changing rates of program
recording in accordance with how said overlapping preset programs
are prioritized, so that said overlapping preset programs are
multiplexed into a single compression-coded transport stream for
unattended recording.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an image recording
apparatus and an image recording method. More particularly, the
invention relates to an apparatus and a method whereby TV programs
are preset for unattended recording.
[0002] Today, technological innovations for recording and
reproducing TV programs abound: greater availability of storage
media such as hard discs with larger capacities at lower costs,
techniques for higher-speed access to the storage medium for
recording and playback, processes for recording, reproducing and
transmitting data at higher speeds than ever, and methods for
compression-coding at higher speeds of video and audio signals
involving moving images. These innovative systems and schemes have
given rise to the development of a new type of image recording
apparatus capable of compression-coding video and audio signals of
TV programs for recording, decoding and reproduction.
[0003] The above type of image recording apparatus can record video
and audio signals of a plurality of TV programs on a mass storage
medium typified by hard discs. Given such recording capabilities,
the image recording apparatus should preferably be equipped with a
program preset function for presetting a plurality of TV programs
for unattended recording, as well as a recording control function
for recording the preset programs onto the storage medium.
[0004] The image recording apparatus capable of letting users
preset TV programs for unattended recording typically permits
preselection of the start and end times of each desired TV program
to be recorded; program input routes over which to record the
programs such as channel numbers; and levels of image quality at
which the recordings are to be made. Given these settings, the
apparatus is generally capable of verifying whether any preset TV
programs for unattended recording overlap with one another between
their preset time zones.
[0005] The question is what to do if any TV programs are found to
overlap between their preset time zones. The image recording
apparatus should preferably deal with such overlapping preset TV
programs in a way that is easy to handle and optimally satisfying
to the user.
[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide an apparatus and a method for dealing with overlapping
preset TV programs for unattended recording between their preset
time zones in a manner highly manageable and maximally satisfying
to the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In carrying out the invention and according to a first
aspect thereof, there is provided an image recording apparatus
comprising: an information storing element for storing recording
preset information constituted by a recording start time and a
recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, and by a program input route through which to input each
of the preset programs; an overlap judging element for judging
whether any of the preset programs for unattended recording overlap
between the recording start times and the recording end times of
the programs; an overlap warning element for warning of any
overlapping preset programs that are judged to exist; and a
priority presetting element for prioritizing the overlapping preset
programs for unattended recording.
[0008] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is
provided an image recording apparatus comprising: an information
storing element for storing recording preset information
constituted by a recording start time and a recording end time of
each of preset programs for unattended recording, a program input
route through which to input each of the preset programs, and an
image recording quality; an overlap judging element for judging
whether any of the preset programs for unattended recording overlap
between the recording start times and the recording end times of
the programs; a simultaneous recording judging element for judging
whether the overlapping preset programs can be recorded
simultaneously; an overlap warning element for giving a warning if
any of the overlapping preset programs are not judged to be
simultaneously recordable; and a priority presetting element for
prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended
recording.
[0009] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is
provided an image recording apparatus comprising: an information
storing element for storing recording preset information
constituted by a recording start time and a recording end time of
each of preset programs for unattended recording, a program input
route through which to input each of the preset programs, and an
image recording quality; an overlap judging element for judging
whether any of the preset programs for unattended recording overlap
between the recording start times and the recording end times of
the programs; a determining element for determining whether the
overlapping preset programs belong to a single compression-coded
transport stream; a simultaneous recording judging element for
judging whether the overlapping preset programs can be recorded
simultaneously based on what is determined by the determining
element; an overlap warning element for giving a warning if any of
the overlapping preset programs are not judged to be simultaneously
recordable; and a priority presetting element for prioritizing the
overlapping preset programs for unattended recording.
[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is
provided an image recording apparatus comprising: an information
storing element for storing recording preset information
constituted by a recording start time and a recording end time of
each of preset programs for unattended recording, a program input
route through which to input each of the preset programs, and an
image recording quality; an overlap judging element for judging
whether any of the preset programs for unattended recording overlap
between the recording start times and the recording end times of
the programs; a simultaneous recording judging element for judging
whether the overlapping preset programs can be recorded
simultaneously; an overlap warning element for giving a warning if
any of the overlapping preset programs are not judged to be
simultaneously recordable; a priority presetting element for
prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended
recording; a multiplex recording element for multiplexing a
plurality of programs into a single compression-coded transport
stream for unattended recording; and a controlling element for
controlling recording rates of the multiplex recording element
during unattended recording in accordance with how the overlapping
preset programs are prioritized by the priority presetting
element.
[0011] According to fifth aspect of the invention, there is
provided an image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, and by a program input route through which to input each
of the preset programs; judging whether any of the preset programs
for unattended recording overlap between the recording start times
and the recording end times of the programs; warning of any
overlapping preset programs that are judged to exist; and
prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended
recording.
[0012] According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is
provided an image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of the
preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging whether
any of the preset programs for unattended recording overlap between
the recording start times and the recording end times of the
programs; judging whether the overlapping preset programs can be
recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if any of the overlapping
preset programs are not judged to be simultaneously recordable; and
prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended
recording.
[0013] According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is
provided an image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of the
preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging whether
any of the preset programs for unattended recording overlap between
the recording start times and the recording end times of the
programs; determining whether the overlapping preset programs
belong to a single compression-coded transport stream; judging
whether the overlapping preset programs can be recorded
simultaneously based on what is determined in the determining step;
giving a warning if any of the overlapping preset programs are not
judged to be simultaneously recordable; and prioritizing the
overlapping preset programs for unattended recording.
[0014] According to an eighth aspect of the invention, there is
provided an image recording method comprising the steps of: storing
recording preset information constituted by a recording start time
and a recording end time of each of preset programs for unattended
recording, a program input route through which to input each of the
preset programs, and an image recording quality; judging whether
any of the preset programs for unattended recording overlap between
the recording start times and the recording end times of the
programs; judging whether the overlapping preset programs can be
recorded simultaneously; giving a warning if any of the overlapping
preset programs are not judged to be simultaneously recordable;
prioritizing the overlapping preset programs for unattended
recording; and changing rates of program recording in accordance
with how the overlapping preset programs are prioritized, so that
the overlapping preset programs are multiplexed into a single
compression-coded transport stream for unattended recording.
[0015] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will
become more apparent upon a reading of the following description
and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a partial block diagram of a recording and
reproducing apparatus embodying the invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is another partial block diagram of the recording and
reproducing apparatus of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of steps constituting an unattended
recording preset routine;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing how preset programs for
unattended recording may typically overlap between their preset
time zones;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of steps constituting a digital
broadcast unattended recording preset routine; and
[0021] FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating how preset digital
broadcast programs for unattended recording may typically overlap
between their preset time zones.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
System Configuration of the Recording and Reproducing Apparatus
[0022] FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams of a recording and
reproducing apparatus 10 practiced as one embodiment of this
invention. The apparatus 10 involves having video and audio signals
compression-coded and multiplexed by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts
Group) standards into an MPEG system transport stream (TS). The
transport stream thus generated is written to and read from hard
disc units in a hard disc drive (HDD) of the apparatus 10 for
recording and reproduction.
[0023] In the description that follows, analog video and audio
signals will be referred to as the video signal and the audio
signal respectively; digital video and audio signals will be called
either digital video data and digital audio data, or simply video
data and audio data.
[0024] The recording and reproducing apparatus 10 of this invention
has an antenna 1 for receiving analog TV broadcast programs. The
apparatus 10 comprises: analog input terminals 11V, 11A and 11S;
analog output terminals 12V, 12A and 12S; a digital I/O terminal
13; a digital interface 14; a digital broadcast RF signal input
terminal 16; a reception transponder selecting unit 17; a decoding
unit 18; a packet selecting unit 19; an input processing unit 20;
an output processing unit 30; a multiplexer/demultiplexer 40; a
buffer controller 50; a hard disc drive 60; a synchronous control
circuit 70; a system controller 80; an I/O interface 90; an
operation input unit 110; a driver 120; a display control unit 140;
and a display unit 150.
[0025] The hard disc drive 60 of this embodiment includes three
hard disc units 61, 62 and 63. A transport stream is recorded onto
any of the three units and is reproduced therefrom.
[0026] The system controller 80 has a CPU (central processing unit)
81. A host bus 82 coupled to the CPU 81 is connected with a ROM
(read only memory) 83 and a RAM (random access memory) 84.
[0027] The ROM 83 accommodates beforehand programs to be executed
by the CPU 81. The CPU 81 retrieves the necessary programs from the
ROM 83 when controlling components of the recording and reproducing
apparatus 10. The programs and data required by the CPU 81 to
control various parts of the apparatus 10 in operation are written
as needed to the RAM 84.
[0028] The operation input unit 110 is made up of a keyboard, a
mouse, buttons, switches and a remote commander. The unit 110 is
connected to the host bus 82 via the I/O interface 90.
[0029] The driver 120 is also connected to the host bus 82 through
the I/O interface 90. The driver 120 is arranged to accommodate a
magnetic disc 131, an optical disc 132, a magneto-optical disc 133,
or a semiconductor memory 134. Programs retained on these media are
installed into the RAM 84 in a manner to be described later.
[0030] The display unit 150 is typically constituted by a liquid
crystal display. The display unit 150 is connected to the host bus
82 via the display control unit (display drive unit) 140 and I/O
interface 90.
[0031] Analog Input Processing and Recording
[0032] Analog television broadcast signals received by the antenna
1 are selected by a tuner 21 under control of the system controller
80 operated by the operation input unit 110. The tuner 21 yields a
composite video signal and an audio signal of the selected channel.
The signals are forwarded to one input terminal of an input
switching circuit 22.
[0033] The input terminals 11V and 11A are supplied with a
composite video signal and an audio signal, respectively, from an
external device. The input terminal 11S is fed with a separate
video signal from the external device.
[0034] The composite video signal from the input terminal 11V and
the audio signal from the input terminal 11A are sent to another
input terminal of the input switching circuit 22. The input
switching circuit 22, switched by the system controller 80, selects
one of the composite video signals and its accompanying audio
signal for output.
[0035] The composite video signal from the input switching circuit
22 is separated by a YC separating circuit 23 into a luminance
signal and a color-difference signal. The separated signals are fed
to one input terminal of another input switching circuit 24. The
separate video signal (made of a luminance signal and a
color-difference signal) from the input terminal 11S is supplied to
another input terminal of the input switching circuit 24. Switched
by the system controller 80, the input switching circuit 24 selects
one of the luminance signals and its accompanying color-difference
signal for output.
[0036] The luminance signal and color-difference signal from the
input switching circuit 24 are subjected to analog-to-digital
conversion (A/D) by an NTSC (National Television System Committee)
decoder 25 before being chroma-encoded. After the processing, the
NTSC decoder 25 yields component video data.
[0037] The NTSC decoder 25 further separates the luminance signal
coming from the input switching circuit 24 into a frame
synchronizing signal and a line synchronizing signal. The separated
synchronizing signals are used as a basis for generating a clock
and a field discrimination signal. The synchronizing signals, the
clock, and the field discrimination signal thus generated are
supplied to the synchronous control circuit 70. The circuit 70 uses
the supplied signals as a basis for generating clock and timing
signals that are sent to those components of the recording and
reproducing apparatus 10 which need the signals.
[0038] The video data from the NTSC decoder 25 are subjected to
prefiltering and other processes by a pre-video processing circuit
26. The data thus processed are fed to an MPEG video encoder 27 and
a post-video processing circuit 32 in the output processing unit
30.
[0039] The MPEG video encoder 27 subjects the video data from the
pre-video processing circuit 26 to coding such as block DCT
(discrete cosine transform), to generate a video elementary stream
(ES). The video elementary stream thus generated is fed to the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40.
[0040] Meanwhile, the audio signal from the input switching circuit
22 is converted to digital audio data by an A/D converter 28. The
converted data are supplied to an MPEG audio encoder 29 as well as
to an output switching circuit 35 in the output processing unit
30.
[0041] The MPEG audio encoder 29 subjects the audio data from the
A/D converter 28 to MPEG compression coding, generating an audio
elementary stream. The audio elementary stream thus produced is
sent to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40.
[0042] The multiplexer part of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40
multiplexes the video elementary stream from the MPEG video encoder
27, the audio elementary stream from the MPEG audio encoder 29, and
various control signals into an MPEG system transport stream. The
transport stream thus generated is sent to a buffer controller
50.
[0043] Given the continuous transport stream from the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40, the buffer controller 50 forwards an
intermittent transport stream to the hard disc drive 60. That is,
the input transport stream is held temporarily in a buffer when the
hard disc drive 60 performing a seek is not ready for a write
operation. When the hard disc drive 60 is ready for a write, the
transport stream is retrieved from the buffer at a rate higher than
the input rate for output to the hard disc drive 60. In this
manner, the transport stream continuously input to the buffer
controller 50 is written uninterrupted to the hard disc units 61
through 63.
[0044] Under control of the system controller 80, the hard disc
drive 60 writes the transport stream to the hard disc units 61
through 63. The protocol for exchanges between the buffer
controller 50 and the hard disc drive 60 is typically IDE
(Integrated Drive Electronics).
[0045] Reproduction and Analog Output Processing
[0046] At the time of reproduction, the hard disc drive 60 reads
the transport stream from the hard disc units 61 through 63 under
control of the system controller 80. The retrieved transport stream
is output to the buffer controller 50. In the reverse of recording,
the transport stream intermittently sent from the hard disc drive
60 is converted to a continuous transport stream before being sent
to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40.
[0047] The demultiplexer part of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40
analyzes a header of the continuous transport stream to separate a
PES (Packetized Elementary Stream) from the stream. The PES thus
analyzed and separated is supplied to an MPEG video/audio decoder
31.
[0048] The MPEG video/audio decoder 31 separates the PES coming
from the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 into a video elementary
stream and an audio elementary stream. The MPEG video decoder part
of the video/audio decoder 31 decodes the video elementary stream
for conversion into baseband video data; the MPEG audio decoder
part decodes the audio elementary stream for conversion into
baseband audio data. After the conversion, the video data are sent
to the post-video processing circuit 32 and the audio data to the
output switching circuit 35.
[0049] Under the direction of the system controller 80, the
post-video processing circuit 32 performs such processes as
switching between video data from the MPEG video/audio decoder 31
and video data from the pre-video processing circuit 26, composing
these data, and subjecting the data to a post-filtering
process.
[0050] The post-video processing circuit 32 then generates a
plurality of representative screens for GUI (graphical user
interface) which are reduced in size so as to be pasted onto
windows. The processed video data are fed from the circuit 32 to an
OSD (on-screen display) processing circuit 33.
[0051] Under the direction of the system controller 80, the OSD
processing circuit 33 generates video data corresponding to text
information. The generated video data are multiplexed onto the
window-ready video data from the post-video processing circuit 32.
The multiplexed video data are sent to an NTSC encoder 34.
[0052] The NTSC encoder 34 either converts the video data
(component video data) from the OSD processing circuit 33 into
luminance data and color-difference data, or simply subjects the
video data to digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion to generate a
separate video signal and a composite video signal in analog
format. The separate video signal is led to the output terminal 12S
while the composite video signal is forwarded to the output
terminal 12V.
[0053] Meanwhile, under control of the system controller 80, the
output switching circuit 35 selectively extracts either the audio
data from the MPEG video/audio decoder 31 or the audio data from
the A/D converter 28. The selected audio data are converted to an
analog audio signal by a D/A converter 36 before being led to the
output terminal 12A.
[0054] The separate video signal, composite video signal and audio
signal having reached the output terminals 12S, 12V and 12A
respectively are output to a monitor device 2 such as a TV set for
audio and visual reproduction.
[0055] Writing and Reading of Video/Audio Data To and From the
External Device
[0056] The recording and reproducing apparatus 10 of this
embodiment has the digital interface 14 connected interposingly
between the digital I/O terminal 13 and the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40, and an external device 3 is connected
to the digital I/O terminal 13. In this setup, a transport stream
entered from the external device 3 is written to the hard disc
units 61 through 63; a transport stream read from the hard disc
drives 61 through 63 is output to the external device 3.
[0057] The external device 3 is typically an IRD (integrated
receiver decoder), a personal computer or the like. The digital
interface 14 is typically an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers) 1394 digital interface. A serial bus 4 such
as an IEEE 1394 serial bus connects the external device 3 with the
digital I/O terminal 13.
[0058] The transport stream reaching the digital I/O terminal 13
from the external device 3 via the serial bus 4 is interfaced by
the digital interface 14 before being sent to the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40. In turn, the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 forwards the transport stream to the
buffer controller 50. The buffer controller 50 causes the hard disc
drive 60 to write the transport stream to the hard disc units 61
through 63.
[0059] At the same time, the demultiplexer part of the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 separates a PES from the transport
stream being recorded and feeds the separated PES to the MPEG
video/audio decoder 31. Given the PES, the MPEG video/audio decoder
31 yields an analog video signal and an analog audio signal which
are sent to the output terminals 12V, 12S and 12A.
[0060] Upon reproduction, the hard disc drive 60 reads a transport
stream from the hard disc units 61 through 63. The retrieved
transport stream is output to the buffer controller 50 which then
forwards the stream to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40. The
transport stream is interfaced by the digital interface 14 before
being output to the digital I/O terminal 13. From the digital I/O
terminal 13, the transport stream is sent to the external device 3
over the serial bus 4. Given the transport stream, a monitor device
5 connected to the external device 3 provides video and audio
output.
[0061] Concurrently, the demultiplexer part of the
multiplexer/demultiplex- er 40 separates a PES from the transport
stream being reproduced and feeds the separated PES to the MPEG
video/audio decoder 31. Given the PES, the MPEG video/audio decoder
31 yields a reproduced analog video signal and a reproduced analog
audio signal which are sent to the output terminals 12V, 12S and
12A.
[0062] Recording of Digital Broadcast Programs
[0063] The recording and reproducing apparatus 10 of this
embodiment has the reception transponder selecting unit 17,
decoding unit 18 and packet selecting unit 19 connected
interposingly between the digital broadcast RF signal input
terminal 16 and the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40. When a digital
broadcast RF signal is input to the digital broadcast RF signal
input terminal 16 of this setup, a digital broadcast program may be
recorded to the hard disc units 61 through 63.
[0064] More specifically, the reception transponder selecting unit
17 first selects the digital broadcast RF signal desired to be
received and decoded. The decoding unit 18 decodes a transport
stream out of the selected RF signal. The packet selecting unit 19
selectively separates packets of the desired program from the
decoded transport stream.
[0065] In that case, the packet selecting unit 19 may selectively
separate packets of a plurality of programs simultaneously from the
decoded transport stream as long as the multiplexer/demultiplexer
40, buffer control 50 and hard disc drive 60 can keep up with the
data being processed.
[0066] The packets separated by the packet selecting unit 19 are
sent to the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 that in turn forwards the
packets to the buffer controller 50. Given the packets, the buffer
controller 50 causes the hard disc drive 60 to write them to the
hard disc units 61 through 63.
[0067] At the same time, the demultiplexer part of the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 separates a PES from the transport
stream being recorded and feeds the separated PES to the MPEG
video/audio decoder 31. On receiving the PES, the MPEG video/audio
decoder 31 generates an analog video signal and an analog audio
signal which are sent to the output terminals 12V, 12S and 12A.
[0068] In recording program packets to the hard disc units 61
through 63, the system controller 80 controls the
multiplexer/demultiplexer 40, buffer controller 50 and hard disc
drive 60 in such a manner that high-priority preset programs for
unattended recording are recorded preferentially, as will be
described later.
[0069] On the other hand, the system controller 80 adjusts
recording rates and image recording quality levels of low-priority
programs in such a manner that the programs may be recorded
optimally as permitted by the remaining system resources of the
recording and reproducing apparatus 10. These resources include
remaining capabilities of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40, buffer
controller 50 and hard disc drive 60, as well as recordable
capacities of the hard disc units 61 through 63.
[0070] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a setup in which the reception
transponder selecting unit 17, decoding unit 18 and packet
selecting unit 19 constitute one system. Alternatively, two or more
systems of the same kind may be furnished. Such a multiple-system
setup allows programs multiplexed in different transport streams to
be received and recorded at the same time.
[0071] Examples of Presetting for Unattended Recording
[0072] What follows is a description of how user-preset programs
for unattended recording are typically processed by the
above-described recording and reproducing apparatus 10 according to
the invention.
FIRST EXAMPLE
[0073] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of steps constituting an unattended
recording preset routine 160 performed by the system controller 80.
The routine 160 is used to preset analog television broadcast
programs received by the antenna 1, video and audio signals input
to the analog input terminals 11V, 11S and 11A from an external
unit, or a transport stream fed to the digital I/O terminal 13 from
the external device 3, for unattended recording.
[0074] The unattended recording preset routine 160 is started when
the user carries out recording preset operations on the operation
input unit 110. In step S1, the system controller 80 receives
unattended recording preset information made up of the channel
number of a desired program (input route), a recording start time,
a recording end time, and image recording quality, and writes the
information to the RAM 84.
[0075] In step S2, the system controller 80 compares the preset
information received in step S1 with the previously stored
unattended recording preset information in the RAM 84 to see if any
programs overlap between their recording start times and recording
end times. If any programs are judged to overlap, step S3 is
reached in which an overlap warning is indicated on the display
unit 150. In step S4, a prompt indication is shown on the display
unit 150 asking the user to specify whether or not to prioritize
the overlapping preset programs.
[0076] FIG. 4 schematically shows that whereas a program A is first
preset at a time "ta" for unattended recording, a program B is
preset at a later time "tb" for unattended recording, so that the
programs A and B partially overlap between their recording start
times and recording end times.
[0077] In the example of FIG. 4, the user has two options: to give
priority to one of the programs A and B (i.e., prioritized), or not
to give priority to any of them.
[0078] In step S5, the system controller 80 determines whether or
not to prioritize the preset programs based on the presence or
absence of a response from the user or on the contents of such a
response. In the example of FIG. 4, if the user's response is to
give priority to one of the programs A and B, the system controller
80 recognizes the preferential selection and goes to step S6. In
step S6, the system controller 80 adds priority preset information
to the unattended recording preset information in the RAM 84
regarding the preferred program. In step S7, an indication of the
end of the unattended recording preset process appears on the
display unit 150. At this point, the user watching the display may
change the preset information as needed.
[0079] In step S8, the system controller 80 determines whether or
not to end the unattended recording preset process. If no response
comes from the user specifying changes in the preset information,
the system controller 80 judges that the process can now be
terminated and deactivates the unattended recording preset
routine.
[0080] If in step S8 the user specifies any change in the preset
information for unattended recording, step S1 is reached again from
step S8, and the unattended recording preset process is repeated
from the beginning.
[0081] If in step S5 the system controller 80 judges that the user
has no intention of prioritizing the overlapping preset programs,
step S5 is followed directly by step S7. If in step S2 the system
controller 80 judges that no preset programs overlap between their
recording start and end times (this also applies to a case where no
previously preset program exists), then the system controller 80
goes directly to step S7 from step S2.
[0082] With the above-described unattended recording preset process
accomplished, the system controller 80 causes the preset programs
to be recorded unattended accordingly.
[0083] If the user gives priority to the program A in the example
of FIG. 4, one of two cases applies according to default settings
of the apparatus or as per previously established user preferences:
in case 1, part of the program B is recorded in the nonoverlapping
time zone; in case 2, no part of the program B is recorded. If the
user prefers giving priority to the program B, again one of two
cases applies according to default settings of the apparatus or as
per previously established user preferences: in case 3, part of the
program A is recorded in the nonoverlapping time zone; in case 4,
no part of the program A is recorded.
[0084] If the user does not give priority to any of the programs A
and B, one of the above cases 1 through 4 applies according to
default settings of the apparatus: the program preset earlier or
later takes precedence over the program preset later or earlier
respectively; or the program to be broadcast earlier or later is
given priority over the program to be broadcast later or earlier
respectively.
[0085] For analog TV broadcast reception, the apparatus may include
a plurality of blocks each comprising the tuner 21, YC separating
circuit 23, NTSC decoder 25, pre-video processing circuit 26, MPEG
video encoder 27, A/D converter 28, and MPEG audio encoder 29
constituting the input processing unit 20. Such a multiple-block
setup allows a plurality of programs to be recorded
simultaneously.
[0086] In that case, the system controller 80 in step S2 computes
the number of programs that may be recorded simultaneously in
accordance with the number of input processing blocks configured;
with the operating speeds of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40,
buffer controller 50 and hard disc drive 60; and with the
processing speed dictated by the preset image recording quality. A
check is then made to see if the currently preset program can be
recorded on the basis of whether or not the recordable program
count obtained above is exceeded by the total number of preset
programs.
[0087] As described, if preset programs are judged to overlap
between their recording start times and recording end times, the
system controller 80 checks to see if the programs may be recorded
simultaneously. If simultaneous recording of multiple preset
programs is not judged to be available, the overlapping preset
programs may be prioritized so that one or a plurality of them are
preferentially recorded. In the case of low-priority preset
programs, the system controller 80 verifies whether it is possible
to record them simultaneously at reduced levels of image recording
quality, i.e., by lowering the transfer rate or by tolerating jerky
frame feeds. If the low-priority preset programs are judged to be
simultaneously recordable under such less favorable conditions, the
system controller 80 allows them to be recorded accordingly.
SECOND EXAMPLE
[0088] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of steps constituting another
unattended recording preset routine. This is a digital broadcast
unattended recording preset routine 170 performed by the system
controller 80 when an RF signal is input to the digital broadcast
RF signal input terminal 16.
[0089] The digital broadcast unattended recording preset routine
170 is started when the user carries out recording preset
operations on the operation input unit 110. In step S11, the system
controller 80 receives unattended recording preset information made
up of the channel number of a desired program (input route), a
recording start time, a recording end time, and image recording
quality, and writes the information to the RAM 84.
[0090] In step S12, the system controller 80 compares the preset
information received in step S11 with the previously stored
unattended recording preset information in the RAM 84 to see if any
programs overlap between their recording start times and recording
end times. If any programs are judged to overlap, step S13 is
reached. In step S13, the system controller 80 checks to see
whether the newly preset program is multiplexed in the same
transport stream to which the previously preset program
belongs.
[0091] If the newly preset program and the previously preset
program are found multiplexed in the same transport stream, it is
possible to record the two programs simultaneously. In that case,
step S13 is followed by step S14. In step S14, the system
controller 80 judges whether the two programs can be recorded
simultaneously at requested levels of image quality based on the
remaining recordable capacities of the hard disc units 61 through
63; on the operating speeds of the multiplexer/demultiplexer 40,
buffer controller 50 and hard disc drive 60; and on the processing
speed dictated by the preset image recording quality.
[0092] If the two programs are not judged to be simultaneously
recordable at the requested levels of image quality, step S14 is
followed by step S15. In step S15, the display unit 150 gives a
warning that the two programs overlap between their recording start
times and recording end times.
[0093] If in step S13 the newly preset program is not found
multiplexed in the same transport stream that includes the
previously preset program, step S13 is followed directly by step
S15 in which the display unit 150 displays a warning that the two
programs overlap between their recording start times and recording
end times.
[0094] Following the warning indication in step S15, the system
controller 80 goes to step S16. In step S16, the system controller
80 displays a prompt display on the display unit 150 asking the
user to specify whether or not to prioritize the overlapping
programs. In step S17, the system controller 80 determines whether
or not to prioritize the preset programs based on the presence or
absence of a response from the user or on the contents of such a
response.
[0095] If the user's response is to give priority to one of the
preset programs, the system controller 80 recognizes the
preferential selection and goes from step S17 to step S18. In step
S18, the system controller 80 adds priority preset information to
the unattended recording preset information in the RAM 84 regarding
the preferred program. In step S19, an indication of the end of the
unattended recording preset process appears on the display unit
150. At this point, the user watching the display may change the
preset information as needed.
[0096] In step S20, the system controller 80 determines whether or
not to end the unattended recording preset process. If no response
comes from the user specifying changes in the preset information,
the system controller 80 judges that the process can now be
terminated and turns off the unattended recording preset
routine.
[0097] If in step S20 the user specifies any change in the preset
information for unattended recording, step S11 is reached again
from step S20, and the unattended recording preset process is
repeated from the beginning.
[0098] If in step S17 the system controller 80 judges that the user
has no intention of prioritizing the overlapping preset programs,
step S17 is followed directly by step S19. If in step S14 the
system controller 80 judges that the two preset programs can be
recorded simultaneously at the requested levels of image quality,
the system controller 80 goes from step S14 directly to step S19.
If in step S12 the system controller 80 judges that no preset
programs overlap between their recording start and end times (this
also applies where no previously preset program exists), then the
system controller 80 goes directly to step S19 from step S12.
[0099] FIG. 6 schematically shows that digital broadcast programs A
and B are preset both for high-image-quality unattended recording,
with priority preset for the program A to be recorded
preferentially.
[0100] In the example of FIG. 6, there can be three cases of how
the preset programs A and B are recorded. In case 1, the
priority-preset program A is recorded entirely at high image
quality, while the nonoverlapping first half of the program B is
recorded at high image quality with the overlapping second half of
the program B recorded at standard image quality. That is because
the apparatus with its processing speed has judged itself not up to
the task once recording of the preferred program A has started.
[0101] In case 2, the priority-preset program A is recorded at high
image quality in the same manner as in case 1, whereas the program
B is recorded entirely at standard image quality. That is because
the apparatus, with its hard disc units 61 through 63 of limited
recordable capacities addressing the high-quality recording of the
program A, has judged itself incapable of recording the program B
at high image quality, including the first nonoverlapping part
thereof.
[0102] In case 3, the programs A and B are both recorded at high
image quality. That is because the system controller 80 judges in
step S14 that, given the resources available, the two programs
cannot be recorded simultaneously at high image quality; later at
the start of recording of the program B, however, the system
controller 80 judges that the processing speed of the apparatus and
the remaining recordable capacities of the hard disc drives 61
through 63 warrant recording of the two programs A and B altogether
at high image quality.
[0103] How the Unattended Recording Preset Process Is
Implemented
[0104] The above-described series of unattended recording
presetting steps described above may be implemented by software.
For such software-based processing to take place, programs
constituting the software may be installed from a suitable storage
medium into the system controller 80, i.e., a computer inside the
recording and reproducing apparatus 10 that may be composed of
dedicated hardware; if the apparatus 10 is constituted by a
general-purpose personal computer capable of executing diverse
functions based on different programs, the software may be
installed from an appropriate storage medium into the computer.
[0105] As shown in FIG. 2, the storage medium is offered to users
apart from the recording and reproducing apparatus 10 (i.e.,
computer) not only as a package medium constituted by the magnetic
disc (including flexible discs) 131, optical disc (including CD-ROM
(compact disc-read only memory) and DVD (digital versatile disc))
132, magneto-optical disc (including MD (Mini-disc), a registered
trademark) 133, or semiconductor memory 134; but also in the form
of the ROM 83 or the hard disc units 61 through 63 in the hard disc
drive 60 containing the programs and incorporated beforehand in the
recording and reproducing apparatus 10 (working as a computer).
[0106] In this specification, the steps which are stored on a
storage medium and which describe the programs to be executed
represent not only processes that are carried out in the depicted
sequence (i.e., on a time series basis) but also processes that are
conducted parallelly or individually.
[0107] The unattended recording preset process may be executed not
only by software but also by hardware alone.
[0108] Other Variations
[0109] Although the above-described embodiment is designed to
compress video and audio data by MPEG standards, this is not
limitative of the invention. Alternatively, other suitable
compression schemes may be adopted. As another alternative, the
data may be simply converted to digital data without being
compressed or may be used in any format including non-compressed or
non-converted format.
[0110] Although the recording and reproducing apparatus of the
above-described embodiment utilizes hard discs as a storage medium,
this is not limitative of the invention. Other media such as
optical discs, magneto-optical discs or semiconductor memories may
be employed instead.
[0111] As described and according to the invention, if a plurality
of programs are preset for unattended recording in a manner
overlapping between their recording start and end times, a check is
made to see if the multiple programs can be recorded
simultaneously. If the programs are judged recordable
simultaneously, they are allowed to be so recorded; if the programs
are not judged simultaneously recordable, they are prioritized so
that the preferred program is given priority over others for
unattended recording. The inventive apparatus thus allows the user
to deal with overlapping preset TV programs for unattended
recording in a manner highly manageable and optimally
satisfying.
[0112] As many apparently different embodiments of this invention
may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it
is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the
specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended
claims.
* * * * *