U.S. patent application number 12/750703 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-22 for data recording method, data erasure method, data display method, storage device, storage medium, and program.
This patent application is currently assigned to SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Yuri Iwano, Jiro Kiyama, Takayoshi Yamaguchi.
Application Number | 20100185710 12/750703 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 19173906 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100185710 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kiyama; Jiro ; et
al. |
July 22, 2010 |
DATA RECORDING METHOD, DATA ERASURE METHOD, DATA DISPLAY METHOD,
STORAGE DEVICE, STORAGE MEDIUM, AND PROGRAM
Abstract
The objective of the present invention is to manage reference
movies using an index file, without causing the user to be
perplexed. The reference movies are generated because of, for
instance, the upper limit of the file size. The index file manages
sets of information regarding the files being managed. Examples of
these sets of information are information for determining whether
or not a file is presented to the user, information for determining
whether or not a file is original, and information indicating
whether or not nondestructive editing has been done. Based on such
information, the erasure, displaying a list, and so on are carried
out. Thus, it is possible to manage the reference movies using the
index file, without causing the user to be perplexed.
Inventors: |
Kiyama; Jiro; (Chiba,
JP) ; Iwano; Yuri; (Chiba, JP) ; Yamaguchi;
Takayoshi; (Chiba, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
EDWARDS ANGELL PALMER & DODGE LLP
P.O. BOX 55874
BOSTON
MA
02205
US
|
Assignee: |
SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Osaka
JP
|
Family ID: |
19173906 |
Appl. No.: |
12/750703 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10497288 |
May 28, 2004 |
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PCT/JP2002/012398 |
Nov 27, 2002 |
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12750703 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
707/822 ;
707/E17.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 27/034 20130101;
G11B 27/34 20130101; G06F 16/40 20190101; G06F 16/71 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/822 ;
707/E17.01 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 29, 2001 |
JP |
2001-363587 |
Claims
1. A data erasure method for erasing a set of data corresponding to
an entry in a table from a storage medium, the table being stored
in the storage medium and centrally managing sets of data at least
including sets of divided data and control data referring to said
sets of divided data, the data erasure method comprising the step
of: (i) said set of data is erased, identifying whether or not said
set of data corresponding to said registered entry is
initially-recorded data.
2-16. (canceled)
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a data recording method,
data erasure method, data display method, storage device, storage
medium, and program, concerning recording/erasing video or audio
data to/from a random-access storage medium such as a hard disk and
an optical disk.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Digital video recording/reproducing devices (hereinafter,
video disk recorder) adopting disks as media have become popular. A
recording format for such devices is often the Quicktime.RTM. file
format or the AVI (Audio Video Interleave) file format, in
consideration of compatibility with PCs (personal computers).
[0003] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-84705
(Tokukai 2001-84705; published on Mar. 30, 2001) discloses a method
for managing contents in a disk when the above-mentioned file
format for PCs is adopted. Referring to FIG. 33, an outline of this
method is given. Files 2101 through 2103 of a disk 2105 correspond
to respective scenes or shots being recorded, and each of these
files is one Quicktime file (hereinafter, Quicktime movie
file).
[0004] An index file 2100 stores a table of data in the disk 2105.
There are entries corresponding to the respective Quicktime movie
files. Each entry stores sets of reduced (thumbnail) image data
2111 through 2113 representing respective scenes, and the names of
files including these scenes.
[0005] To display an index to the user, miniature images 2121
through 2123 produced by decoding the sets of miniature image data
2111 through 2113 in the entry are caused to appear on a contents
selection display 2107. The user then selects a file that he/she
wants to reproduce or edit, from these miniature images on the
contents selection display 2107. When, for instance, the user
selects the miniature image 2123 and instructs the reproduction of
the same, a file 2103 including the contents corresponding to the
miniature image 2123 is acquired and the reproduction of the
contents in the file 2103 starts.
[0006] The index file 2100 includes (i) pointers to respective
files storing the contents of the disk 2105 and (ii) sets of
miniature image data. Thus, the contents selection display 2107 can
be shown only be reading out the index file 2100 from the disk
2105, so that the time required for causing the index display
(contents selection display) to appear on the screen is short. As
the contents selection display 2107 is frequently called, this
reduction of the time greatly lighten the frustration of the
user.
[0007] It should be noted that, however, the above-mentioned
conventional art could make the user feel puzzled about the
management of a reference movie.
[0008] The adoption of a file formant for PCs makes it difficult to
deal with large-volume video data. Since the Quicktime file format
and the AVI file format manage addresses with 32-bit information,
the maximum file size is 2.sup.32, i.e. about 4 GB (gigabyte). The
maximum recording time for recording video data with a bit rate of
10 Mbps is less than 60 minutes, thereby not to be sufficient for
recording TV programs and the like.
[0009] To solve this problem, a method termed "reference movie"
shown in FIG. 34 is adopted. The following will discuss this
reference movie. First, a reference movie is produced by the
following steps (1) through (4): (1) From the start of the
recording, data is recorded to the file 2201; (2) when an amount of
data in the file 2201 approaches to the maximum file size thereof,
the recording to the file 2201 is stopped and subsequent data is
recorded to the next file 2202; (3) when an amount of data in the
file 2202 approaches to the maximum file size thereof, subsequent
data is recorded to the next file 2203 in the same manner as above;
(4) when the recording completes, management information is
generated and stored in the file 2204.
[0010] To reproduce the recorded contents, the file 2204 is
designated, and in accordance with the management information
stored therein, the contents in the files 2201 through 2203 are
reproduced in sequence. To allow the contents be reproduced even if
the file 2204 is deleted, the files 2201 through 2203 also include
the management information. In the present case, the files 2201
through 2203 are termed automatically-divided movie files, and the
file 2204 is termed a control movie file.
[0011] Managing such a reference movie (automatically-divided movie
and control movie) by the above-mentioned method using the index
file causes a problem which will be discussed below with reference
to FIG. 35. Assuming that the files 2201 through 2204 are
registered to the index file 2100 with the sets of miniature image
data representing the respective files, the representative images
2221 through 2224 corresponding to the files 2201 through 2204
appear on the contents selection display 2107. This makes the user
feel puzzled, because four representative images appear even if the
user recorded only one scene.
[0012] Also on the occasion of erasing the reference movie, four
representative images appears with respect to one scene, causing
the erasing process to be ambiguous.
[0013] The present invention was done to solve this problem, and
thus aims for providing a data recording method, data erasure
method, data display method, storage device, storage medium, and
program, which allow the user to manage a reference movie by an
index file, with no perplexity.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0014] To achieve the above-identified objective, a data erasure
method of the present invention, for erasing a set of data
corresponding to an entry in a table from a storage medium, the
table being stored in the storage medium and centrally managing
sets of data at least including sets of divided data and control
data referring to said sets of divided data, comprises the step of:
(i) when said set of data is erased, identifying whether or not
said set of data corresponding to said registered entry is
initially-recorded data.
[0015] To achieve the above-identified objective, the data erasure
method of the present invention is arranged in such a manner that,
the step (i) is carried out based on (I) information regarding
whether or not said data managed by said registered entry has been
divisional-recorded, (II) information regarding a relationship with
data managed by another entry, and (III) a creation time of said
set of data.
[0016] To achieve the above-identified objective, a data recording
method of the present invention, which centrally manages sets of
data as respective entries, to a storage medium, is characterized
in that, to each of said entries, information regarding whether or
not a set of data managed by the entry is initially-recorded data
is recorded.
[0017] To achieve the above-identified objective, a data recording
method of the present invention, which centrally manages sets of
data as respective entries, to a storage medium, is characterized
in that, to each of said entries, information regarding whether or
not presence of data managed by the entry is presented to a user is
recorded.
[0018] To achieve the above-identified objective, the data
recording method of the present invention is arranged in such a
manner that, said sets of data include at least sets of divided
data and control data referring to said sets of divided data.
[0019] To achieve the above-identified objective, the data
recording method of the present invention is arranged in such a
manner that, to each of the entries, information regarding a
relationship with data managed by another entry is recorded.
[0020] To achieve the above-identified objective, the data
recording method of the present invention is arranged in such a
manner that the table is stored in a file.
[0021] To achieve the above-identified objective, a data erasure
method of the present invention erases a set of data corresponding
to an entry in a table from a storage medium, the table being
stored in the storage medium and centrally managing, as respective
entries, sets of data at least including sets of divided data and
control data referring to said sets of divided data, the data
erasure method being characterized in that, in the storage medium,
information for identifying initially-recorded data is recorded to
said entry corresponding to said set of data to be erased, and the
data erasure method being characterized by comprising the step of:
when erasing said set of data, determining whether or not said set
of data is erasable, based on information regarding whether or not
said set of data to be erased is the initially-recorded data and
information regarding a relationship with data managed by another
entry.
[0022] To achieve the above-identified objective, a data erasure
method of the present invention erases a set of data corresponding
to an entry in a table from a storage medium, the table being
stored in the storage medium and centrally managing sets of data as
respective entries, the data erasure method being characterized in
that, in the storage medium, (a) information regarding whether or
not presence of said set of data is presented to a user and (b)
information regarding a relationship with data managed by another
entry are recorded to said entry corresponding to said set of data
to be erased, and the data erasure method being characterized by
comprising the step of: when erasing said set of data, altering the
information (a) in accordance with the information (b).
[0023] To achieve the above-identified objective, a data display
method of the present invention, for reading out a table from a
storage medium and displaying the table, the table being stored in
the storage medium and centrally managing sets of data as
respective entries, is characterized in that, in the storage
medium, (A) information regarding whether or not presence of said
set of data is presented to a user is recorded to said entry
corresponding to said set of data, and in what way the table is
displayed is determined in accordance with the information (A).
[0024] To achieve the above-identified objective, a storage device
of the present invention, for recording, to a storage medium, a
table which centrally manages sets of data as respective entries,
is characterized by comprising: means for recording, to each of
said entries, information regarding whether or not data managed by
the entry is initially-recorded data.
[0025] To achieve the above-identified objective, a storage device
of the present invention, for recording, to a storage medium, a
table which centrally manages sets of data as respective entries,
is characterized by comprising: means for recording, to each of
said entries, information regarding whether or not presence of data
managed by the entry is presented to a user.
[0026] To achieve the above-identified objective, a storage medium
of the present invention, to which a table for centrally managing
sets of data as respective entries is recorded, is characterized in
that, in each of said entries, information regarding whether of not
data managed by the entry is initially-recorded data is
recorded.
[0027] To achieve the above-identified objective, a storage medium
of the present invention, to which a table for centrally managing
sets of data as respective entries is recorded, is characterized in
that, in each of said entries, information regarding whether or not
presence of data managed by the entry is presented to a user is
recorded.
[0028] To achieve the above-identified objective, a program of the
present invention causes a computer to implement any one of the
above-described data erasure methods or any one of the
above-described data recording methods.
[0029] A storage medium of the present invention is a
computer-readable storage medium recording the foregoing
program.
[0030] According to the present invention, information for
determining whether or not a file recorded to the disk is an
automatically-divided movie file and information regarding for
determining whether or not a file is original are used as bases for
making decision. Thus, even if an automatically-divided movie file
exists, erasure is carried out without causing the user to feel
perplexed.
[0031] Furthermore, according to the present invention, information
for determining whether or not a file is original is recorded to a
disk. Thus, even if an automatically-divided movie file exists,
erasure is carried out without causing the user to feel
perplexed.
[0032] Furthermore, according to the present invention, information
for determining whether or not an AV file corresponding to an entry
is presented to the user is recorded to a disk. Thus, the user can
apparently erase arbitrary contents even if the file reference has
been made.
[0033] For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of
the invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a digital
recording/reproducing device of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0035] FIG. 2(a) illustrates an example of the relationship between
management information and an AV stream in the Quicktime file
format, FIG. 2(b) shows another example of the relationship between
management information and an AV stream in the Quicktime file
format, and FIG. 2(c) shows a further example of the relationship
between management information and an AV stream in the Quicktime
file format.
[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates an outline of a Movie atom in the
Quicktime file format.
[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates an outline of a Track atom in the
Quicktime file format.
[0038] FIG. 5 illustrates a structure of a Track header atom in the
Quicktime file format.
[0039] FIG. 6 illustrates a structure of a Media atom in the
Quicktime file format.
[0040] FIG. 7 illustrates a structure of a Media information atom
in the Quicktime file format.
[0041] FIG. 8 illustrates a structure of a Sample table atom in the
Quicktime file format.
[0042] FIG. 9 shows an example of data management using the Sample
table atom.
[0043] FIG. 10 illustrates a structure of an Edit atom in the
Quicktime file format.
[0044] FIG. 11(a) shows the content of an Edit list atom, FIG.
11(b) shows an example of a sample, and FIG. 11(c) shows the order
of reproducing the sample.
[0045] FIG. 12 illustrates a structure of a User data atom in the
Quicktime file format.
[0046] FIG. 13 illustrates a structure of an AV stream.
[0047] FIG. 14 illustrates a structure of a Video Unit (VU).
[0048] FIG. 15 illustrates how the AV stream is managed in the
Quicktime.
[0049] FIG. 16 illustrates a reference device model.
[0050] FIG. 17 illustrates a structure of an AV Index file.
[0051] FIG. 18 shows a structure of attribute information.
[0052] FIG. 19 shows pe-flags in First Embodiment of the present
invention.
[0053] FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a recording operation.
[0054] FIG. 21 illustrates the attribute information after the
recording in First Embodiment of the present invention.
[0055] FIG. 22 illustrates the attribute information after
nondestructive editing in First Embodiment of the present
invention.
[0056] FIG. 23 is a flowchart of an operation to determine whether
or not a file is erasable in First Embodiment of the present
invention.
[0057] FIG. 24 is a flowchart of an operation to tell whether a
file is an original file or a nondestructive-edited file in First
Embodiment of the present invention.
[0058] FIG. 25 illustrates pe-flags of Second Embodiment of the
present invention.
[0059] FIG. 26 illustrates attribute information after recording in
Second Embodiment of the present invention.
[0060] FIG. 27 illustrates the attribute information after
nondestructive editing in Second Embodiment of the present
invention.
[0061] FIG. 28 illustrates pe-flags of Third Embodiment of the
present invention.
[0062] FIG. 29 illustrates attribute information after recording in
Third Embodiment of the present invention.
[0063] FIG. 30 illustrates the attribute information after
nondestructive editing in Third Embodiment of the present
invention.
[0064] FIG. 31 illustrates attribute information after
after-recording in Third Embodiment of the present invention.
[0065] FIG. 32 is a flowchart of an erasing operation in Third
Embodiment of the present invention.
[0066] FIG. 33 illustrates an index file of a conventional art.
[0067] FIG. 34 explains a concept of a reference movie in the
conventional art.
[0068] FIG. 35 illustrates an index file for managing the reference
movie in the conventional art.
[0069] FIG. 36 illustrates an example of an improved index file for
managing the reference movie in the conventional art.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0070] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below
with reference to the attached figures. Arrangements shared by all
embodiments will be discussed first, and then descriptions specific
to respective embodiments will be given.
[0071] <System Configuration>
[0072] FIG. 1 shows a structure of a digital video
recording/reproducing device (video disk recorder) adopting disks
as media. As shown in FIG. 1, this device, which is shared by all
embodiments of the present invention, includes a bus 100, host CPU
101, RAM 102, ROM 103, user interface 104, system clock 105,
optical disk 106, pickup 107, ECC (Error Correcting Coding) decoder
108, ECC encoder 109, reproducing buffer 110,
recording/after-recording buffer 111, demultiplexer 112,
multiplexer 113, multiplexing buffer 114, audio decoder 115, video
decoder 116, audio encoder 117, video encoder 118, and other
members which are not illustrated in the figure, such as a camera,
microphone, speaker, and display. Note that, the after-recording is
an operation to add audio data to video data which is initially
recorded.
[0073] The host CPU 101 controls, through the bus 100, the
demultiplexer 112, multiplexer 113, pickup 107, audio decoder 115,
video decoder 116, audio encoder 117, and video encoder 118
(despite the members 115 through 118 are not connected to the bus
100 in the figure).
[0074] On the occasion of reproduction, data being read out from
the optical disk 106 by the pickup 107 is subjected to
error-correction in the ECC decoder 108, and temporarily held in
the reproducing buffer 110. In response to a data transmission
request from the audio decoder 115 and video decoder 116, the host
CPU 101 instructs the demultiplexer 112 to distribute sets of data
in the reproducing buffer 110 to decoders appropriate to the
respective types of data, with reference to management information
regarding the data being reproduced.
[0075] In the meantime, on the occasion of recording, data having
been compressed and coded by the audio encoder 117 and video
encoder 118 is supplied to the multiplexing buffer 114,
AV-multiplexed by the multiplexer 113, and then supplied to the
recording/after-recording buffer 111. The ECC encoder 109 adds an
error-correction code to the data held in the
recording/after-recording buffer 111, and then the data is recorded
to the optical disk 106 by the pickup 107.
[0076] In the present case, audio data is coded with the MPEG-1
Layer-II, while video data is coded with the MPEG-2.
[0077] The optical disk 106 is a removable optical disk in which
data is read out or recorded from the periphery to the center in a
spiral manner. One sector is made up of 2048 bytes, and an ECC
block is made up of 16 sectors for the sake of error-correction. To
rewrite data in the ECC block, it is necessary to carry out the
following steps: the whole ECC block including that data is read
out, error-correction is carried out so that the data is rewritten,
the error-correction code is added again, an ECC block is
constructed and then recorded in a storage medium. The optical disk
106 adopts the ZCAV (Zone Constant Angular Velocity) in order to
improve the efficiency of the recording, so that a recording area
is made up of a plurality of zones having different rotation
speeds.
[0078] <File System>
[0079] A file system is used for managing various types of
information recorded in the optical disk 106. As such file system,
the UDF (Universal Disk Format) is adopted in consideration of the
compatibility with PCs (personal computers). In this file system,
all sorts of management information and AV streams are dealt with
as files.
[0080] In the above-described video disk recorder, the host CPU 101
carries out the recording of data to the optical disk 106 and the
reproduction of data from the optical disk 106, using the file
system. That is to say, the host CPU 101 functions as a file
management section which records, reproduces, and erases data using
file management information of the file system. Information
regarding files, e.g. attribute information of a file, is also
recorded to the optical disk 106 and read out from the optical disk
106 under the control of the host CPU 101.
[0081] A user area is managed with a 2048-byte logical block
(one-to-one corresponding to the sector). Each file is made up of
an integral number of extents (consecutive logical blocks). A file
may be recorded in such a manner that its extents are recorded in
different locations. A free area is managed in logical blocks by
Space Bitmap.
[0082] <File Format>
[0083] A Quicktime file format is adopted as a format for AV stream
management. This Quicktime format which was created by Apple
Computer, Inc. is a popular format for multimedia data management
in the realm of PCs.
[0084] The Quicktime format is made up of data such as video data
and audio data (collectively termed media data or AV stream) and
management information. In the present case, the data and
management information are paired up and termed a Quicktime movie
("movie" for short). The data and management information being
paired up may be stored in one file or in different files.
[0085] When being stored in one file, the data and management
information are arranged as shown in FIG. 2(a). Different types of
information are stored in respective "atoms" which are based on a
common structure. The management information is stored in "Movie
atom", while the media data is stored in "Movie data atom". Note
that, the management information in the Movie atom includes: a
table for identifying a relative location of the media data in the
file at a certain time; attribute information of the media data;
below-mentioned external reference information; and so on. In other
words, the management information in the Movie atom includes a
table for, for instance, centrally managing sets of data as
entries.
[0086] When being stored in different files, the management
information and media data are arranged as shown in FIG. 2(b). In
this case, while the management information is stored in the Movie
atom, the media data is not necessarily stored in an atom. This
condition is described as the Movie atom "externally refers to" the
file storing the media data.
[0087] As illustrated in FIG. 2(c), it is possible to externally
refer to a plurality of AV stream files. This makes it possible to
realize "nonlinear editing", i.e. "nondestructive editing" which
enables the user to apparently carry out editing without changing
the locations of AV streams.
[0088] Now, a format of management information in Quicktime will be
discussed with reference to FIGS. 3 through 12. First, "atom",
which is a common information storing format, is described. At the
head of an atom, "Atom size" indicating the size of the atom and
"Type" indicating the type of the atom always exist. Four
characters are given to each Type, e.g. `moov` for the Movie atom
and `mdat` for the Movie data atom.
[0089] Each atom can include another atom, i.e. atoms are arranged
in a hierarchy. FIG. 3 shows how the Movie atom is structured.
"Movie header atom" manages overall attribute of the movie managed
by the Movie atom. "Track atom" stores information concerning
tracks such as a video track and an audio track in the movie. "User
data atom" is a user-defined atom.
[0090] FIG. 4 shows how the Track atom is structured. "Track header
atom" manages overall attribute of the track. "Edit atom"
determines which part of the media data is reproduced at which
timing of the movie. "Track reference atom" manages the
relationship between the own track and another track. "Media atom"
manages data such as video data and audio data.
[0091] FIG. 5 shows how the Track header atom is structured. Note
that, descriptions are given only to those required for the
discussion below. "Flags" is a collection of flags indicating
attributes. A major example of such flag is "Track enabled flag".
When this flag is 1, the track having the flag is reproduced. On
the other hand, when the flag is 0, the track is not reproduced.
"Layer" indicates a spatial priority of the track having the Layer.
When there are a plurality of tracks for displaying an image, a
track having a Layer with smaller value comes in front. "Edit atom"
will be described later.
[0092] FIG. 6 shows how the Media atom is structured. "Media header
atom" manages overall attribute and the like concerning media data
managed by the Media atom. "Handler reference atom" stores
information indicating which decoder decodes the media data. "Media
information atom" manages attribute information peculiar to each
video/audio media data.
[0093] FIG. 7 shows how the Media information data is structured.
"Media information header atom" manages attribute information
peculiar to each video/audio media data. "Handler reference atom"
has already been described in association with the Media atom.
"Data information atom" includes "Data reference atom" which
manages the name of a file including media data to which the
Quicktime movie refers. "Sample table atom" manages the size of
data, reproduction time, and the like.
[0094] Next, how the Sample table atom is structured will be
discussed with reference to FIG. 8. First, a method of managing
data in Quicktime is described with reference to FIG. 9. In
Quicktime, a minimum unit of data (e.g. video frame) is termed
"sample". For each track, samples have numbers (sample numbers)
starting from 1, which indicate the order of reproduction.
[0095] Also, in the Quicktime format, the reproduction time and
data size of each sample are in control. A field in a file, in
which samples pertaining to one track are successively provided in
the order of reproduction, is termed "chunk". Chunks also have
numbers starting from 1, which indicate the order of
reproduction.
[0096] In the Quicktime format, moreover, the address of each
chunk, the address being counted from the head of the file, and the
number of samples in each chuck are in control in accordance with
such information, the location of a sample corresponding to a
particular time is figured out.
[0097] FIG. 8 shows how the Sample table atom is structured. A
Sample description atom manages a Data format of each chunk, an
Index of the chunk of the file in which the sample is stored, and
the like. A Time-to-sample atom manages a reproduction time of each
sample.
[0098] "Sync sample atom" manages samples that can be decoded.
"Sample-to-chunk atom" manages the number of samples in each chunk.
"Sample size atom" manages the size of each sample. "Chunk offset
atom" manages the address of each chunk, the address being counted
from the head of the file.
[0099] Now, a briefing on "Edit atom" is given. As shown in FIG.
10, the Edit atom includes one "Edit list atom". This Edit list
atom has entries in each of which values of "Track duration",
"Media time", and "Media rate" are provided. The number of the
entries is designated by "Number of entries". The entries
correspond to fields which are successively reproduced on the
track, and the order of the entries correspond to the order of
reproduction of the fields.
[0100] The Track duration indicates the reproduction time of a
field on the track, the field being managed by the entry. The Media
time indicates the location of the head of the field on the media
data. The Media rate indicates the speed of reproducing the field.
Note that, when the Media time is -1, the reproduction of samples
on that track is paused for the Track duration of the entry. This
field is termed "empty edit".
[0101] In this manner, in the Quicktime file format, the Edit atom,
which is included in the Track atom in the Movie atom storing the
management information, includes the Edit list atom for centrally
managing sets of data as entries.
[0102] FIG. 11 shows an example illustrating how the Edit list is
used. FIGS. 11(a), 11(b), and 11(c) illustrate an example of
reproduction range specification by the Edit atom. In the present
case, the contents of the Edit list atom are as shown in FIG.
11(a), and the structure of a sample is as shown in FIG. 11(b).
Also, it is assumed that the Track duration of the i-th entry is
D(i), the Media time of the i-th entry is T(i), and the Media rate
of the i-th entry is R(i). The reproduction of samples is in
reality carried out in the order shown in FIG. 11(c). These
assumptions are now briefly described.
[0103] First, in the entry #1, the Track duration is 13000, the
Media time is 20000, and the Media rate is 1. Thus, in the field
from the head of the track to 13000, the field from the time 20000
to the time 33000 in the sample is reproduced. Next, in the entry
#2, the Track duration is 5000 and the Media time is -1. Thus, in
the field from the time 13000 to the time 18000 in the track, no
reproduction is carried out.
[0104] At the end, in the entry #3, the Track duration is 10000,
the Media time is 0, and the Media rate is 1. Thus, from the time
18000 to the time 28000 of the track, the field form the time 0 to
the time 10000 in the sample is reproduced.
[0105] FIG. 12 shows how the User data atom is constructed. This
atom can store an arbitrary number of sets of original information
which are not defined by the Quicktime format. One set of original
information is managed by one entry, and one entry is made up of
"Size", "Type", and "User data". The Size indicates the sizes of
the entry, the Type is an identifier for distinguishing between the
sets of original information, and the User data indicates actual
data.
[0106] <Structure of AV Stream>
[0107] The following will describe how the AV stream which is
common to all embodiments of the present invention, with reference
to FIGS. 13 and 14. One AV stream is made up of an integral number
of Record Units (RUs). An RU is a unit for sequential recording on
the disk. The length of the RU is determined in such a manner as to
assure seamless reproduction (images and sounds are reproduced
without interruption) and real-time after-recording (sounds are
recorded while the images to which the sounds are after-recorded
are seamlessly reproduced) in whatever manner the RUs constituting
the AV stream are provided on the disk. This determination of the
length will be described later.
[0108] The stream is constructed in such a manner as to cause an RU
border to correspond to an ECC block border. Since the RU has such
characteristics, it is possible to easily change the locations of
the RUs on the disk while keeping the seamless reproduction, even
after recording the AV stream on the disk.
[0109] One RU is made up of an integral number of Video Units
(VUs). A VU is a minimum unit that can be reproduced by itself,
thereby being able to function as an entry point of the
reproduction.
[0110] FIG. 14 shows how the VU is structured. One VU is made up
of: an integral number GOPs (Group Of Pictures) each storing video
data for about one second; and an integral number AAUs (Audio
Access Units) each storing main audio data reproduced concurrently
with the corresponding video data.
[0111] Note that, the GOP is a unit of video compression under the
MPEG-2 video standard, and made up of a plurality of (typically
about 15) video frames. The AAU is a unit of audio compression
under the MPEG-1 Layer II standard, and made up of 1152 audio wave
sample points. When a sampling frequency is 48 kHz, a reproduction
time per AAU is 0.024 second. In the VU, the AAU and the GOP are
provided in this order in order to reduce the delay required for
carrying out audio/video synchronous reproduction.
[0112] To realize the reproduction of each VU by itself, "Sequence
Header" (SH) is provided at the head of each set of video data in
the VU. The reproduction time of the VU is defined by the
multiplication of the number of video frames in the VU by the cycle
of the video frames. To constitute one RU by an integral number of
VUs, the ends of the respective VUs are set at 0 in order to cause
the head and terminal of the RU to correspond to the ECC block
border.
[0113] <Method of Managing AV Stream>
[0114] A method of managing the AV stream is based on the
above-mentioned Quicktime file format. FIG. 15 shows how the AV
stream is managed. Video data and audio data are managed by a video
track and an audio track, respectively. In the video track, the
management is carried out in such a manner that one video frame is
dealt with as one sample, and a series of GOPs in the VU is dealt
with as one chunk. In the audio track, meanwhile, the management is
carried out in such a manner that one AAU is dealt with as one
sample and a series of AAUs in the VU is dealt with as one
chunk.
[0115] <Method of Determining RU>
[0116] Next, how the RU is determined is discussed. According to
this method, one device is assumed as a reference (i.e. a reference
device model), and keeping this assumption in mind, a unit for
sequential recording is determined in such a manner as not to
interrupt the seamless reproduction.
[0117] First, the reference device model is described with
reference to FIG. 16. The reference device model is made up of: one
pickup; ECC encoder and decoder 501 connected to the pickup; a
track buffer 502; a demultiplexer 503; an after-recording buffer
504; an audio encoder 509; a video buffer 505; an audio buffer 506;
a video decoder 507; and an audio decoder 508.
[0118] It is assumed here that the seamless reproduction in the
present model is assured on condition that, at the start of
decoding the VU, at least one VU exists on the track buffer 502.
The speed of inputting audio frame data to the ECC encoder 501 and
the speed of outputting the data from the ECC decoder 501 are both
determined as Rs.
[0119] Moreover, the maximum period for pausing the reading and
recording carried out by accessing is determined as Ta, and a
period required for a short access (about 100 tracks) is determined
as Tk. Note that, each of these periods includes a period for
seeking, a period for waiting for the rotation, and a period from
the access to the output of data which is initially read out from
the disk, the data being outputted from the ECC. In the present
embodiment, Rs=20 Mbps, Ta=1 second, and Tk=0.2 second.
[0120] When the reproduction is carried out using the
above-described reference device model, it is possible to assure
that there is no underflow of the track buffer 502, if the
following condition is met.
[0121] Before describing the condition, the definitions of symbols
are given as follows: The i-th successive field constituting the AV
stream is C#i, and the reproduction time included in the C#i is
Tc(i). Tc(i) is an aggregate of the reproduction times of the VUs
whose heads are included in the C#i. Also, a period of time for
accessing from the C#i to the C#i+1 is Ta.
[0122] Furthermore, a period of time of reading out VUs
corresponding to the reproduction time Tc(i) is Tr(i). With these
symbols in mind, the condition with which the underflow of the
track buffer 502 does not occur is represented by the following
formula for an arbitrary C#i, provided that the maximum reading
time including the jumping between discrete sets of data is
Tr(i).
Tc(i).gtoreq.Tr(i)+Ta <Formula 1>
[0123] This is because, this formula is a sufficient condition to
meet the following sufficient condition for the seamless
reproduction.
.SIGMA..sub.iTc(i).gtoreq..SIGMA..sub.i(Tr(i)+Ta)
[0124] Substituting Tr(i)=Tc(i).times.(Rv+Ra)/Rs for Tr(i) in
Formula 1 and solving the formula for Tc(i), the following
condition of Tc(i), which can assure the seamless reproduction, is
obtained.
Tc(i).gtoreq.(Ta.times.Rs)/(Rs-Rv-Ra) <Formula 2>
[0125] In other words, the seamless reproduction is assured if the
aggregate of the VUs whose headers are included in the respective
successive fields meets the formula above. On this occasion, it is
possible to set a limitation in such a manner as to cause the
respective successive fields include complete groups of VUs in
which the total reproduction times meet the formula above.
[0126] In the automatically-divided movie file, it is also
necessary to meet Formula 2. However, the first RU of the first
automatically-divided movie and the last RU of the last
automatically-divided movie do not necessarily meet Formula 2,
because of the following reasons: The first RU can be compensated
by causing the start of the reproduction to be later than the start
of reading out data from the storage medium. Meanwhile, regarding
the last RU, it is unnecessary to care about the successive
reproduction as no data follows this RU. Loosening the conditions
with regard to the first and last RUs, it is possible to
effectively utilize free areas which are short.
[0127] <Index File>
[0128] To manage various types of files (hereinafter, Av files) in
the optical disk 106, e.g. Quicktime movies and static image data,
one special Quicktime movie file termed an AV Index file is
provided in the disk. FIG. 17 shows this AV index file. Being
identical with a usual Quicktime movie file, the AV index file is
made up of a Movie atom 1791 which is management information and a
Movie data atom 1792 which is actual data.
[0129] The AV Index file manages a plurality of entries. Each AV
file in the disk is managed by a corresponding entry. Further, a
folder in which the AV file is stored is also managed by a
corresponding entry. In the present embodiment, files in the disk
(optical disk 106) are managed by the AV Index file using entries.
A table for managing the entries is thus stored in the AV Index
file.
[0130] The Movie atom 1791 is made up of the following four tracks:
a Property track 1793 for managing sets of attribute information of
the respective entries; a Title track 1794 for managing sets of
title character string data of the respective entries; a Thumbnail
track 1795 for managing sets of representative image data of the
respective entries; and an Intro music track 1796 for managing sets
of representative audio data of the respective entries.
[0131] The sets of attribute information, title character string
data, representative image data, and representative audio data
regarding the respective entries are managed as samples in the
respective tracks 1793 through 1795. Taking the AV file 1741 as an
example, the attribute information is managed by the sample 1701 on
the Property track 1793, the title character string data is managed
by the sample 1711 on the Title track 1794, the representative
image data is managed by the sample 1721 on the Thumbnail track
1795, and the representative audio data is managed by the sample
1731 on the Intro music track 1796. The samples are coordinated
with each other in accordance with the reproduction start times of
the respective samples. That is, it is determined that samples
which are on different tracks but reproduced in an identical period
correspond to the same entry.
[0132] In this manner, the Movie atom 1791 stores the attribute
information, title character string data, representative image
data, and representative audio data concerning each AV file. A set
of the attribute information is structured as shown in FIG. 18. The
fields are arranged as follows. "Version" indicates a version of
the file format. "Pe-flags" is a collection of different types of
flags, and will be described later.
[0133] "Parent-entry-number" stores an entry-number of an entry
corresponding to a folder including an entry corresponding to the
attribute information. "Entry-number" stores an entry number of the
entry corresponding to the attribute information. These two sets of
information indicate the inclusive relation between files and
folders. Descriptions regarding "set-dependent-flags" and
"user-private-flags" are omitted.
[0134] "Creation-time" indicates when the entry corresponding to
the attribute information is generated (i.e. indicates the creation
time), while "modification-time" indicates when the entry
corresponding to the attribute information is modified. "Duration"
indicates a reproduction time of the entry corresponding to the
management information. When the entry corresponding to the
attribute information corresponds to a file, the pathname of this
file is encoded as "binary-file-identifier" in a fixed length. A
detailed description of this binary-file-identifier is omitted.
[0135] "Referred-counter" records how many times a file managed by
the entry corresponding to the attribute information is referred to
by another file. That is, the referred-counter is equivalent to the
information concerning the relationship with a file managed by
another entry. "Referring file list" stores a list of pathnames of
files that are actually referred to. "URL file identifier" stores,
when the managed file cannot be encoded as the
binary-file-identifier, the path of the file in the URL (Unified
Resource Locator) format.
[0136] Other types of data stored in the Movie atom 1791 are now
discussed. The representative image data is JPEG-reduced images
each having the size of 160.times.120 pixels, the title string data
is text data, and the representative audio data is data compressed
under MPEG-1 Audio Layer-II.
First Embodiment
[0137] The following will describe First Embodiment of the present
invention with reference to FIGS. 19 through 24. In the present
embodiment, the attribute information of the AV Index file is
caused to include a flag for identifying an automatically-divided
movie file. Based on this, image reproductions and deletion of
files are properly carried out, thereby preventing the user from
being perplexed.
[0138] <Management Information Format>
[0139] The formats of the Quicktime movie file and the AV Index
file have been described above. The pe-flags field of the attribute
information (FIG. 18) of the AV Index file is defined as shown in
FIG. 19. Respective fields therein are discussed below. "Attribute
of Entry" records the type of a layer to which an entry
corresponding to the Property entry belongs. Regarding the layer,
no further description is given here.
[0140] "Type of Entry" stores information for telling whether the
corresponding entry is a file or a folder. No descriptions are
given here to "Usage of Entry" and "Status of Entry". "Data
reference of corresponding AV file" is a flag for, when the
corresponding entry manages an AV file, identifying whether or not
the entry refers to another AV file.
[0141] "Structural status of corresponding AV file" is a flag for
identifying whether or not the corresponding entry is an
automatically-divided movie file, and is set to 1 when the entry is
an automatically-divided movie file. "Security status of
corresponding AV file" is a flag for, when the corresponding entry
manages an AV file, identifying whether or not the entry is
encrypted.
[0142] "Content type of corresponding AV file" is a field for
storing, when the corresponding entry manages an AV file, the type
of contents included in that file. In this manner, in the present
embodiment, the referred-counter in the attribute information of
the Movie atom in the AV Index file counts how many times the file
managed by the corresponding entry is referred to by another file.
Further, the Structural status flag of corresponding AV File of the
pe-flags in the attribute information of the Movie atom in the AV
Index file identifies whether or not the corresponding entry is an
automatically-divided movie file. In the following, how the
attribute information including these fields is used is
described.
[0143] <Steps for Recording>
[0144] Referring to FIG. 20, steps carried out when the user
instructs recording are discussed. The AV stream to be recorded has
a video bit rate Rv of 5 Mbps, audio sampling frequency of 48 kHz,
and the bit rate Ra of 256 kbps. It is assumed that the management
information of the file system has been read by the RAM 102.
[0145] First, the structure of the stream and the structure of the
successive fields are determined (Step S701). Provided that one VU
is 1GOP=30 frames, Rs=20 Mbps, Ta=1 second, and Ra=256 kbps are
substituted into Formula 2, and the range of the Tc(i) which is not
less than 1.36 seconds is acquired. Since the reproduction time of
one VU is 0.5 second, the reproduction time of the RUs is 2
seconds.
[0146] Next, the recording of the movie file is prepared (S702).
More specifically, the file is opened and a free area which can
successively record one RU is searched. If no such free area, the
recording is interrupted and the user is informed that the
recording cannot be carried out.
[0147] Also, the audio encoder 117 and the video encoder 118 are
activated (S703). Then whether or not the recording buffer 111
stores data for one RU is checked (S704).
[0148] If the data is stored, the data for one RU in the recording
buffer 111 is successively recorded to the optical disk 106 (S705).
Then the size of the file being currently recorded is checked
(S706). If the file size may exceed 4 GB after the recording of the
next RU, the management information of the movie file that is
currently recorded is recorded (S707), and the recording of a new
movie file is prepared to allow the subsequent data to be recorded
to another movie file (S708). After S708, the process goes back to
S703 in order to record the data for the next one RU. even if the
file size does not exceed 4 GB after the recording of the next RU,
the process goes back to S703.
[0149] If data for 1RU has not stored in S704, the presence of an
instruction to terminate the recording is checked (S709). S704 is
carried out if the instruction has not been made, while the
following recording termination process is carried out if the
instruction has been made. In the process, first, the remaining
data is recorded to the movie file which is currently engaging in
the recording (S710), and the management information is recorded
(S711).
[0150] Next, whether or not the automatic division has been carried
out is checked (S712). If the automatic division has been done, a
control movie file is generated (S713). Finally, the Quicktime
movie file thus generated is registered to the AV Index file
(S714). When the automatic division has been done, the
automatically-divided movie file and a control file are registered.
If the automatic division has not been done, one Quicktime movie
file is registered. The process also goes to S714 also when the
automatic division has not been done in S712.
[0151] Referring to FIG. 21, the following will describe how the
attribute information to be registered to the AV Index file 1800 is
set. First, a case where the attribute information is automatically
divided and recorded as automatically-divided movie files 1801 and
1802 and a control movie file 1803 is discussed. Note that, the
automatically-divided movie files 1801 and 1802 correspond to
divided data and the control movie file 1803 corresponds to control
data referring to the divided data.
[0152] Since the automatically-divided movie files 1801 and 1802
have automatically been divided, the Structural status of
corresponding AV File of the pe-flags is set to 1 (auto-divided).
Also, being referred to by the control movie file 1803, the
referred-counter of the attribute information entry is set to 1.
The referring-file-list is set to 3 which is the entry-number of
the control movie file 1803.
[0153] Meanwhile, as the control movie file 1803 is not referred to
by another file, the referred-counter is set to 0. Not being
automatically divided, the Structural status of corresponding AV
File of the pe-flags is set to 0.
[0154] Next, a normally-recorded movie file 1804 which is recorded
without the automatic division is discussed. Since this
normally-recorded movie file 1804 is not referred to by another
file, the referred-counter is set to 0. Also, as the automatic
division is not carried out, the Structural status of corresponding
AV File of the pe-flags is set to 0.
[0155] <Steps for Nondestructive Editing>
[0156] A method of managing the AV Index file when the
nondestructive editing is carried out will be discussed with
reference to FIG. 22. First, a case where a Quicktime movie not
being automatic-divided is subjected to the nondestructive editing
is described. Assume the following: in the AV Index file 1800, the
normally-recorded movie file 1804 is registered, and a
nondestructive-edited movie file 1805 is generated with partly
reference to the normally-recorded movie file 1804.
[0157] In this case, since a value included in the attribute
information entry of the normal movie file 1804 registered in the
AV Index file 1800 is referred to by the nondestructive-edited
movie file 1805, the referred-counter is set to 0. To the
referring-file-list, the entry-number of the nondestructive-edited
movie file 1805, i.e. 5 is recorded.
[0158] Not being automatically divided, the Structural status of
corresponding AV File of the pe-flags is set to 0. Meanwhile, since
a value in the attribute information entry of the
nondestructive-edited movie file 1805 is not referred to by another
file, the referred-counter is set to 0. Furthermore, not being
automatically divided, the Structural status of corresponding AV
File of the pe-flags is set to 0.
[0159] Next, a case where a Quicktime movie having been
automatically divided is subjected to the nondestructive editing is
discussed. Assume that a nondestructive-edited movie file 1806
which refers to a part of a Quicktime movie which is recorded after
being automatically divided into automatically-divided movie files
1801 and 1802 and a control movie file 1803 is generated.
[0160] In this case, the values in the attribute information
entries of the respective automatically-divided movie files 1801
and 1802 are referred to by the control movie file 1803 and the
nondestructive-edited movie file 1806. Thus, the referred-counter
is set to 2. The referring-file-list records 3 and 6 which are the
entry-numbers of the control movie file 1803 and the
nondestructive-edited movie file 1806, respectively.
[0161] Also, being automatically divided, the Structural status of
corresponding AV File of the pe-flags is set to 1. Since the values
in the attribute information entries of the control movie file 1803
and the nondestructive-edited movie files 1805 and 1806 are not
referred to by another file, the referred-counter is set to 0.
Furthermore, not being automatically divided, the Structural status
of corresponding AV File of the pe-flags is set to 0.
[0162] <Steps for Showing Contents Selection Display>
[0163] To the user, thumbnail images corresponding to the attribute
information entries in which the Structural status of corresponding
AV Files of the pe-flags are set to 0 are displayed. In a case
shown in FIG. 22, thumbnail images corresponding to the
entry-numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6 are displayed. In this manner, whether
or not thumbnail images are shown on the contents selection display
may be determined in accordance with a flag (information regarding
whether or not the divisional recording has been done) which
identifies whether or not, for instance, the corresponding entry
among the attribute information entries of the movie data is an
automatically-divided movie file. From the thumbnail images on the
contents selection display, the user can select a thumbnail image
corresponding to a desired file, and reproduce or erase the
file.
[0164] <Steps for Erasure>
[0165] Either one of the following two types of operation
guidelines can be exercised when the user instructs the erasure
through the contents selection display.
[0166] (Operation Guideline 1) An AV file generated through the
nondestructive editing is determined as erasable, while an AV file
generated through other ways is determined as erasable, on
condition that that AV file is not referred to by a nondestructive
editing movie. Note that, if the automatically-divided movie file
is referred to by a nondestructive editing movie, the control movie
file controlling that automatically-divided movie file is also
treated as being referred to by the same nondestructive editing
movie file.
[0167] (Operation Guideline 2) An AV file not being referred to by
another AV file is determined as erasable.
[0168] The operation guideline 1 is based on such an idea that the
original (initially recorded) data recorded by the user is
differentiated from the results of editing which are derived from
the original data, in order to conserve the original data as much
as possible. Meanwhile, the operation guideline 2 is based on such
an idea to prevent the erasure of one AV file from influencing on
other AV files.
[0169] The original data in this case indicates, for instance, a
recorded image/audio data which has not been edited. On the other
hand, non-original data is an AV file after being subjected to the
editing. Thus, for instance, a file being subjected to the
nondestructive editing is non-original data.
[0170] When accessing data using the file system, for instance, a
file of original data is expressed as an original file, and an
entry of the original file is expressed as an original entry.
[0171] The following will describe the steps carried out for
implementing these operation guidelines.
[0172] <Steps for Erasure (Based on Operation Guideline
1)>
[0173] In FIG. 22, the entries with the entry-numbers 5 and 6
correspond to movies generated as a result of nondestructive
editing, and the entries with the entry-numbers 3 and 4 are sets of
original data to which the respective movies with the entry-numbers
5 and 6 refer. Thus, when the user designates the entries with the
entry-numbers 5 and 6 as the targets of erasure, these entries are
erased. In the meantime, when the user designates the entries with
the entry-numbers 3 and 4 as the targets of erasure, the erasure is
refused or a warning is given to the user.
[0174] Referring to FIG. 23, a process of determining erasability
is discussed. First, to check whether or not the AV file
corresponding to the designated entry is referred to by another AV
file, the referred-counter of the designated entry is examined.
When the referred-counter is 1 or more, it is determined that the
AV file is referred to by another AV file and thus cannot be erased
(S801). In the example shown in FIG. 22, the referred-counter of
the movie file 1804 is 1 and thus cannot be erased. When the
referred-counter is 0, the process goes to S802.
[0175] Next, whether or not the AV file corresponding to the
designated entry externally refers to another AV file is checked.
When no file is referred, it is determined that the erasure can be
carried out (S802). Whether or not the AV file externally refers to
another AV file can be checked by examining the Data reference of
corresponding AV File. Alternatively, the external reference can be
checked by examining whether or not the referring-file-list of
another entry includes the entry-number of the designated
entry.
[0176] Then whether or not the designated AV file is a movie
generated as a result of nondestructive editing is checked (S803).
The steps for achieving this is discussed with reference to a
flowchart in FIG. 24. First, all entries having the
referring-file-lists including the entry-number of the designated
entry are listed, and the values of the Structural status of
corresponding AV File of the respective listed entries are examined
(S901). In this manner, whether or not each of these entries is
recorded in a divided manner (i.e. automatically divided) is
checked.
[0177] If none of these values is 1 (automatically-divided), it is
determined that the designated AV file is a movie generated as a
result of nondestructive editing (S902). If all of the values are
1, whether the next file corresponding to the entry is a control
movie file or a nondestructive editing movie file is identified.
More specifically, the referred-counters of the respective entries
being listed are examined (S903). If none of these entries is 2 or
more, the type of the file is determined as a control movie file,
i.e. an original file (S904). In other words, it is determined that
the file is not a movie file generated as a result of
nondestructive editing. In this manner, the determination is
carried out in accordance with the referred-counters which are
information regarding the relationship with the data managed by
other entries.
[0178] If at least one of the referred-counters is 2 or more in
S904, the creation-time of the file corresponding to the entry in
which the referred-counter is 2 or more is compared with the
creation-times of entries corresponding to other files referring to
that file corresponding to the entry in which the referred-counter
is 2 or more. If the creation-time of the file corresponding to the
entry in which the referred-counter is 2 or more is the earliest,
the file is identified as a control movie file (original file).
Else, the file is identified as a nondestructive editing movie file
(S905).
[0179] When, for instance, the above-described steps are carried
out with respect to the control movie file 1803, the steps S901,
S902, S903, and S904 are carried out, and in S905, the
creation-time of the control movie file 1803 is compared with the
creation-time of another movie file 1806. As a result, the control
movie file 1803 is identified as an original file. As to the movie
files 1805 and 1806, these steps reveal that these files are
determined as nondestructive editing movie files.
[0180] Note that, although in the present case the creation-time in
the attribute information entry is used as a criterion for
judgment, a duration may be used instead of the creation-time. More
specifically, the file is identified as a control movie file if the
total durations of the AV files being referred to are identical
with the duration of the designated movie. In other words, the file
is identified as not being a movie file generated as a result of
the nondestructive editing. If not, the file is identified as a
nondestructive editing movie file.
[0181] Now, a further description is given with reference again to
FIG. 23. If the AV file corresponding to the designated entry is
non-original, the file is determined as erasable (S804). If the AV
file is original, the process goes to the next step S805.
Subsequently, the referred-counters of the AV files to which the AV
file of the designated entry refers to are checked (S805). The
erasure is allowed if all of these referred-counters are 1. Else,
the erasure is not allowed (S806).
[0182] Now, how the steps after the erasure is allowed and actually
carried out are described. If what has been erased was a control
movie file, not only that control movie file but also
automatically-divided movie files to which that control movie file
referred are erased.
[0183] If, meanwhile, what has been erased was a nondestructive
editing movie file, in addition to the erasure of that file, the
referred-counter of the entry corresponding to the AV file to which
the erased file referred to is reduced by 1, and from the
referring-file-list, the entry-number of the entry corresponding to
that erased file is deleted. If what has been erased was other than
the above, no further actions have to be taken other than the
erasure of the file. Note that, the entry of the AV Index file
corresponding to the erased AV file is of course deleted.
[0184] In this manner, in the steps S803 and S804, whether or not
an entry is erasable is determined by checking whether or not that
entry is original, and the erasure is carried out accordingly.
Thus, the erasure can be carried out without making the user feel
uncomfortable, even of an automatically-divided movie file
exists.
[0185] In the arrangement above, as described with reference to
FIG. 23, whether or not a file is original (i.e. whether or not the
file is initially-recorded data) is determined in S804. The file
being identified as original is determined as erasable if all of
the referred-counters of the files to which the original file
refers to are 1, while the original file is determined as
non-erasable when at least one of the referred-counters of the
files to which the original file refers to is not 1.
[0186] Thus, when whether or not the control movie file 1803 shown
in FIG. 22 is erasable is determined, one of the referred-counters
of the files 1801 and 1802 to which the file 1803 refers is not 1,
and are referred to by another movie file 1806, so that the file
1803 is determined as non-erasable.
[0187] Meanwhile, when whether or not the control movie file 1803
in FIG. 21 is erasable is determined, the referred-counters of the
files 1801 and 1802 which are the targets of the reference are both
1, so that the file 1803 is determined as erasable. On the occasion
of erasing this file 1803, the files 1801 and 1802 being referred
to are also erased.
[0188] In this manner, even if an automatically-divided movie file
exists, the file is erased only when the automatically-divided
movie file is referred to only by a control movie file and not by
other files. Thus, the erasure is carried out without making the
user feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, reference movies
(automatically-divided movie and control movie) are managed without
making the user feel be puzzled.
[0189] Furthermore, as described with reference to FIG. 24, in the
steps S901 through S905, whether or not a registered entry is
original is determined with reference to the information regarding
the divisional recording, the information regarding the
relationship with data managed by another entry, and the
creation-time. This ensures correct determination as to whether or
not the entry is original.
[0190] <Steps for Erasure (Based on Operation Guideline
2)>
[0191] In the example shown in FIG. 22, the referred-counters of
the entries whose entry-numbers are 3, 5, and 6 are 0, so that it
can be determined that these entries are not referred to by an AV
file corresponding to another entry. Thus, when the user designates
these entries whose entry-numbers are 3, 5, and 6 as targets of
erasure, these entries are erased. Meanwhile, when the user
designates an entry whose entry-number is 4 as a target of erasure,
the erasure is rejected or a warning is given to the user.
[0192] The erasure in reality is carried out in the following
manner: First, the referred-counter of the entry corresponding to
the AV file to which the file designated to be erased refers is
reduced by 1, and the entry number of the entry corresponding to
that AV file is deleted from the referring-file-list. If the
referred-counter is reduced to 0, that AV file is erased. At the
end, the AV file designated to be erased is erased. Note that the
entry of the AV Index file corresponding to the erased AV file is
also erased as a matter of course.
Second Embodiment
[0193] The following will discuss Second Embodiment of the present
invention with reference to FIGS. 25-27. In this embodiment, a flag
for telling whether or not attribute information of an AV Index
file is initially-recorded data is included in the attribute
information of the V Index file, in addition to the flag for
telling whether or not the attribute information is an
automatically-divided movie file. Based on this, image
reproductions and deletion of files are properly carried out,
thereby preventing the user from being confused. Second Embodiment
can resolve the below-mentioned problem, which is raised when a
built-in clock of the recording device is not accurate. As First
Embodiment and the present embodiment have many features in common,
the descriptions are given only to those different from the
above.
[0194] <Management Information Format>
[0195] The formats of a Quicktime movie file and an AV Index file
have already been described above. In the present embodiment, a
pe-flags field in a Property entry of an AV Index file is defined
as shown in FIG. 25. The pe-flags includes, for instance, a
Structural status of corresponding AV File flag. This arrangement
is identical with that in First Embodiment, except that a flag for
telling whether the AV file corresponding to the entry is original
or is generated by editing, termed "Type of corresponding AV File",
is added. When the value of this Type of corresponding AV File is
0, the AV file is identified as an original (not edited) AV file.
When the value of the Type of corresponding AV File is 1, it is
identified that the AV file is an AV file generated by editing. In
other words, The Type of corresponding AV File flag is equivalent
to information for identifying whether or not the data managed by
the entry is initially-recorded data.
[0196] A description of this flag is given. In First Embodiment, a
distinction is made as to whether the file is an original file or a
nondestructive editing file, on the occasion of carrying out the
erasure, as shown in FIG. 23. Note that, the original file in this
case is an initially-recorded file of an image taken by the user.
On this occasion, the distinction is made based on the
creation-times as shown in FIG. 24. However, this may not be
correctly carried out if a built-in clock of the recording device
is not accurate. Using the above-mentioned flag makes it possible
to make a distinction as to whether the file is an original file or
a nondestructive editing file, without relying on such a built-in
clock. The present embodiment is also identical with First
Embodiment to the point where the number of times a file managed by
the corresponding entry is referred to by another file is indicated
in the referred-counter of attribute information of the Movie atom
of the AV Index file.
[0197] <Steps for Recording>
[0198] Descriptions regarding the steps carried out when the user
instructs recording are not given as being basically identical with
those of First Embodiment. It is noted that, however, in the
present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 26, the Type of corresponding
AV File added to the attribute information entry of the AV Index
file is set to 0.
[0199] <Steps for Nondestructive Editing>
[0200] A method of managing the AV Index file on the occasion of
carrying out the nondestructive editing is basically identical with
that in First Embodiment, so that the descriptions thereof are
omitted. It is noted that, however, in the present embodiment, as
shown in FIG. 27, the Type of corresponding AV File flags in the
attribute information of the AV Index file, the flags corresponding
to nondestructive-edited movie files 1805 and 1806, are set to
0.
[0201] <Steps for Showing Contents Selection Display>
[0202] To the user, thumbnail images corresponding to the attribute
information entries in which the Structural status of corresponding
AV Files of the pe-flags are set to 0 are displayed. In the example
shown in FIG. 27, thumbnail images corresponding to the
entry-numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6 are displayed.
[0203] <Steps for Erasure>
[0204] As in First Embodiment, either Operation Guideline 1 or
Operation Guideline 2 can be exercised when the user instructs the
erasure through the contents selection display. The following will
discuss the steps for exercising these operation guidelines.
[0205] <Steps for Erasure (Based on Operation Guideline
1)>
[0206] The steps carried out when the user instructs the erasure
through the contents selection display are basically identical with
those described in First Embodiment with reference to FIGS. 23 and
24. However, in the present embodiment, in the step S803 shown in
FIG. 23, whether the AV File corresponding to the designated entry
is generated through the nondestructive editing or is original is
determined in such a manner that, the AV File is judged as the
product of the nondestructive editing when the Type of
corresponding AV File of the pe-flags of the designated entry is 1,
while the AV File is judged as original when the Type of
corresponding AV File of the pe-flags of the designated entry is 0.
To this extent, the steps for the erasure in the present embodiment
are different from those in First Embodiment.
[0207] As described above, the present embodiment is arranged such
that whether or not the AV Index file is original is determined
with reference to the Type of corresponding AV File flag in the AV
Index file. This flag is generated on the occasion of creating a
file by recording, nondestructive editing and the like. For this
reason, this makes it possible to surely determine whether or not
the file is original.
[0208] In First Embodiment, the distinction is made based on the
creation-time so that an error may occur if a built-in clock of the
recording device is not accurate. On the other hand, the present
embodiment has such an advantage that the process is correctly
carried out irrespective of the accuracy of the built-in clock.
[0209] As in First Embodiment, even if an automatically-divided
movie file exists, the file is erased only when the
automatically-divided movie file is referred to only by a control
movie file and not by other files. Thus, the erasure is carried out
without making the user feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, reference
movies (automatically-divided movie and control movie) are managed
without making the user feel be puzzled.
[0210] <Steps for Erasure (Based on Operation Guideline
2)>
[0211] The steps for erasure based on Operation Guideline 2 are
identical with those in First Embodiment. That is to say, in an
example shown in FIG. 27, the referred-counters of the entries
whose entry-numbers are 3, 5, and 6 are set to 0, indicating that
these entries are not referred to by an AV file corresponding to
another entry. Thus, when the user designates these entries whose
entry-numbers are 3, 5, and 6 as targets of erasure, these entries
are erased. Meanwhile, when the user designates an entry whose
entry-number is 4 as a target of erasure, the erasure is rejected
or a warning is given to the user.
[0212] The erasure in reality is carried out in the following
manner: First, the referred-counter of the entry corresponding to
the AV file to which the file designated to be erased refers is
reduced by 1, and the entry number of the entry corresponding to
that AV file is deleted from the referring-file-list. If the
referred-counter is reduced to 0, that AV file is erased. At the
end, the AV file designated to be erased is erased. Note that the
entry of the AV Index file corresponding to the erased AV file is
also erased as a matter of course.
Third Embodiment
[0213] The following will describe Third Embodiment of the present
invention with reference to FIGS. 28-32. In the present embodiment,
a flag for determining whether or not data is presented to the user
is included in the attribute information of the AV Index file, in
addition to the flag for telling whether or not attribute
information is initially-recorded data and the flag for telling
whether or not the attribute information is an
automatically-divided movie file. Based on this, image
reproductions and deletion of files are properly carried out,
thereby preventing the user from being confused. As First and
Second Embodiments and the present embodiment have many features in
common, the descriptions are given only to those different from the
above.
[0214] <Management Information Format>
[0215] The formats of a Quicktime movie file and an AV Index file
have already been described above. In the present embodiment, a
pe-flags field in a Property entry of an AV Index file is defined
as shown in FIG. 28. The pe-flags includes, for instance, a
Structural status of corresponding AV File flag and a Type of
corresponding AV File flag. This arrangement is substantially
identical with that in Second Embodiment, except that a flag called
a Visual Status of Type of corresponding AV File indicating whether
or not the entry is presented to the user by, for instance, the
contents selection display is added (the flag is 0 when the entry
is presented to the user, while the flag is 1 when the entry is not
presented to the user). This Visual Status of Type of corresponding
AV File flag is equivalent to information for deciding whether or
not data managed by an entry is presented to the user.
[0216] The addition of this field makes it possible to select an
alternative operation guideline for the erasure as discussed below,
in addition to the operation guidelines for the erasure described
in First and Second Embodiment.
[0217] Note that, the present embodiment is also identical with the
embodiments above to the point where the number of times a file
managed by the corresponding entry is referred to by another file
is indicated in the referred-counter of attribute information of
the Movie atom of the AV Index file.
[0218] <Steps for Recording>
[0219] Descriptions regarding the steps carried out when the user
instructs recording are not given as being basically identical with
those of the foregoing embodiments. It is noted that, however, in
the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 29, Visual status of
corresponding AV File flags added to the attribute information
entries of the AV Index file are set to 1 for automatically-divided
movie files 1801 and 1802, and are set to 0 for a control movie
file 1803 and a normal movie file 1804.
[0220] <Steps for Nondestructive Editing>
[0221] A method of managing the AV Index file on the occasion of
carrying out the nondestructive editing is basically identical with
that in Second Embodiment, so that the descriptions thereof are
omitted. It is noted that, however, in the present embodiment, as
shown in FIG. 30, Visual Status of corresponding AV File flags in
the attribute information entries of the AV Index file, the entries
corresponding to nondestructive-edited movies 1805 and 1806, are
set to 0.
[0222] <Steps for After-Recording>
[0223] Audio after-recording is carried out with respect to the Av
file 1804 in FIG. 29. Supplied audio data is, as shown in FIG. 31,
stored in an AV file 1807 which is different from a file to which
the previous movie is stored, and this AV file 1807 is caused to be
externally referred to by the AV file 1804. On this occasion, the
referred-counter of an entry (entry-number 5) corresponding to the
AV file 1807 is set to 1 as being referred to by the AV file 1804,
and the referring-file-list records 4 which is the entry-number
corresponding to the AV file 1804.
[0224] Since the AV file 1807 is in subordination to the AV file
1804 and thus not to be treated as an independent content, the AV
file 1807 is not shown on the contents selection display. Thus, a
value of the Visual status of corresponding AV File is set to 1
(invisible).
[0225] <Steps for Showing Contents Selection Display>
[0226] To the user, thumbnail images corresponding to the attribute
information entries in which the Structural status of corresponding
AV Files of the pe-flags are set to 0 are displayed. In other
words, which thumbnail image is displayed is determined in
accordance with the Visual status of corresponding AV File flags.
For instance, in the example shown in FIG. 30, thumbnail images
having the entry-numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6 are displayed. In the
example shown in FIG. 31, meanwhile, thumbnail images having the
entry-numbers 3 and 4 are displayed and a thumbnail image
corresponding to the AV file 1807 which is not to be treated as an
independent content is not displayed. In this manner, unnecessary
information is not displayed, and hence the user is unlikely to be
puzzled. This advantage is achieved by the addition of the Visual
status of corresponding AV File in the present embodiment.
[0227] <Steps for Erasure>
[0228] In the present embodiment, the following operation guideline
can be implemented in addition to those in First and Second
Embodiments, when the user instructs the erasure through the
contents selection display.
[0229] (Operation Guideline 3) All AV files are erasable.
[0230] This operation guideline 3 is based on such an idea that the
difference between the original and the edited is caused to be
unnoticeable for the user as much as possible. Note that this
operation guideline 3 is realized by management information which
is introduced in Third Embodiment.
[0231] The following will discuss the steps for implementing the
respective operation guidelines.
[0232] <Steps for Erasure (Based on Operation Guideline
1)>
[0233] The steps carried out in this case are identical with those
in Second Embodiment. That is, the steps carried out when the user
instructs the erasure through the contents selection display are
basically identical with those described in First Embodiment with
reference to FIGS. 23 and 24. However, in the present embodiment,
in the step S803 shown in FIG. 23, whether the AV File
corresponding to the designated entry is generated through the
nondestructive editing or is original is identified in such a
manner that, the AV File is judged as the product of the
nondestructive editing when the Type of corresponding AV File of
the pe-flags of the designated entry is 1, while the AV File is
judged as original when the Type of corresponding AV File of the
pe-flags of the designated entry is 0. To this extent, the steps
for the erasure in the present embodiment are different from those
in First Embodiment.
[0234] In this manner, the present embodiment is arranged such that
whether or not the AV Index file is original is determined with
reference to the Type of corresponding AV File flag in the AV Index
file. This flag is generated on the occasion of creating a file by
recording, nondestructive editing and the like. For this reason,
this makes it possible to surely identify whether or not the file
is original. Furthermore, the present embodiment has such an
advantage that the process is correctly carried out irrespective of
the accuracy of the built-in clock.
[0235] As in the foregoing embodiments, even if an
automatically-divided movie file exists, the file is erased only
when the automatically-divided movie file is referred to only by a
control movie file and not by other files. Thus, the erasure is
carried out without making the user feel uncomfortable.
Furthermore, reference movies (automatically-divided movie and
control movie) are managed without making the user feel be
puzzled.
[0236] <Steps for Erasure (Based on Operation Guideline
2)>
[0237] The steps carried out in this case are identical with those
in First Embodiment. That is, in an example shown in FIG. 30, the
referred-counters of the entries whose entry-numbers are 3, 5, and
6 are set to 0, indicating that these entries are not referred to
by an AV file corresponding to another entry. Thus, when the user
designates these entries whose entry-numbers are 3, 5, and 6 as
targets of erasure, these entries are erased. Meanwhile, when the
user designates an entry whose entry-number is 4 as a target of
erasure, the erasure is rejected or a warning is given to the
user.
[0238] The erasure in reality is carried out in the following
manner: First, the referred-counter of the entry corresponding to
the AV file to which the file designated to be erased refers is
reduced by 1, and the entry number of the entry corresponding to
that AV file is deleted from the referring-file-list. If the
referred-counter is reduced to 0, that AV file is erased. At the
end, the AV file designated to be erased is erased. Note that the
entry of the AV Index file corresponding to the erased AV file is
also erased as a matter of course.
[0239] <Steps for Erasure (Based on Operation Guideline
3)>
[0240] The following will discuss the operation such that all
entries which are instructed by the user to erase through the
contents selection display are erasable. The steps for the erasure
in this case are described with reference to FIG. 32. First, to
check whether or not an AV file corresponding to the designated
entry is referred to by another AV file, the referred-counter of
the designated entry is examined (S1001).
[0241] If the referred-counter is 1, a Visual status of
corresponding AV File is set to 1 (S1006). This allows the user to
recognize that the file is erased, without causing any influence on
the playing of other movies. In other words, the file is apparently
erased. In this case, the Visual status of corresponding AV File
flag is altered to 1 from 0. If the referred-counter is 0, whether
or not the AV file corresponding to the designated entry refers to
another AV file is checked (S1002).
[0242] If not referring to another file, the below-mentioned step
S1005 is carried out. If referring to another file, first, the
referred-counter of the entry corresponding to the AV file which is
the target of the reference is reduced by 1 (S1003).
[0243] Next, values of the referred-counter and Visual status of
corresponding AV of the target AV file are checked. If the
referred-counter is 0 and the Visual status of corresponding AV is
1 (invisible), the file is erased, and the entry concerning the
file is deleted from the AV Index file (S1004). Lastly, the AV file
corresponding to the designated entry is erased (S1005).
[0244] Referring to FIG. 30, the above-mentioned steps are
described more specifically. When entries having entry-numbers 5
and 6 are designated as targets of erasure, these entries are
erased and a file 1805 or 1806 is further erased. When an entry
having an entry-number 3 is designated as a target of erasure, that
entry is erased and a file 1803 is also erased. However, files 1801
and 1802 which are the targets of reference are also referred to by
a file 1806, thereby not being erased.
[0245] When an entry having an entry-number 4 is designated as a
target of erasure, a file 1804 corresponding to that entry is not
deleted as being referred to by a file 1805. Instead of erasing the
file, the Visual status of corresponding AV File is set to 1.
[0246] The same holds true for the example in FIG. 31. When an
entry having an entry-number 4 is designated as a target of
erasure, the referred-counter of this entry is 0 and the
referred-counter of an AV file 1807 referred to by the entry is
reduced by 1 so as to be 0. Thus, entries having entry-numbers 4
and 5 are erased, and AV files 1804 and 1807 corresponding to these
entries are also erased.
[0247] In this manner, the present embodiment adopts a Visual
status of corresponding AV File indicating whether or not data is
presented to the user by the contents selection display. On this
account, the user can erase any arbitrary content even if the
content refers to a file. In other words, even a file which is
referred to by another file can be apparently erased, i.e. caused
not to be displayed.
[0248] <Variants>
[0249] In First through Third Embodiments of the present invention,
AV Index files manage files stored in the same storage medium.
However, as a matter of course, AV Index files may manage a file in
a different storage medium, e.g. a file in a remote storage medium
via a network.
[0250] In the embodiments above, the descriptions were given on
assumption that a storage medium is the optical disk 106. However,
since the present invention is not limited to this arrangement, the
storage medium may be other types of random-access storage media
such as a hard disk and a magneto-optical disk.
[0251] In the embodiments above, the descriptions were given on
assumption that the UDF is adopted as a file system and the
Quicktime file format is adopted as a file format. However, since
the present invention is not limited to this arrangement, other
types of file systems and file formats may be adopted.
[0252] In the embodiments above, the descriptions were given on
assumption that the file management is carried out using an AV
Index file based on the Quicktime file format. However, since the
present invention is not limited to this arrangement, the file
management may be carried out using other types of files and
tables.
[0253] As described above, in the foregoing embodiments, the
digital recording/reproducing device is, as a storage device,
arranged in such a manner that the host CPU 101 as a file
management section records, to the optical disk 106, information
regarding whether or not data is divisional-recorded.
[0254] For this reason, files are appropriately displayed, erased
and so on in accordance with the information regarding whether or
not data is divisional-recorded, so that the file management is
carried out without making the user feel be puzzled.
[0255] That is to say, with regard to divided data when the
divisional recording is carried out and control data referring to
the divided data, the divided data is caused not to be
displayed.
[0256] This divided data is generated by, because there is an upper
limit of the file size in the file system, dividing a file
exceeding the upper limit. As described above, causing the divided
data not to be displayed eliminates the probability of making the
user be perplexed.
[0257] To erase control data, divided data referred to by the
control data is also erased if the divided data is referred to by
only the control data.
[0258] With this, even if divided data exists, the erasure is
carried out without causing the user to notice the existence of
such data. Note that the erasure of data is allowed when the data
is not referred to by another file.
[0259] Furthermore, the digital recording/reproducing device is, as
a storage device, arranged in such a manner that the host CPU 101
as a file management section records, to the optical disk 106,
information regarding whether or not data is initially-recorded
data.
[0260] For this reason, files are appropriately displayed, erased
and so on in accordance with the information regarding whether or
not data is initially-recorded data, so that the file management
operations such as display and erasure is properly carried out
without making the user feel be puzzled.
[0261] That is, when there are divided data as a result of
divisional recording and control data referring to the divided
data, it is possible to tell whether or not a set of data is
control data, by the information regarding whether or not data is
initially-recorded data. Since it is unnecessary to check
information such as the creation time of the file, the type of the
data is surely detected even if a built-in clock of the storage
device is not accurate.
[0262] Furthermore, the digital recording/reproducing device is, as
a storage device, arranged in such a manner that the host CPU 101
as a file management section records, to the optical disk 106,
information regarding whether or not the presence of data is
displayed to the user.
[0263] With this, files are displayed, apparently erased and so on
in an appropriate manner in accordance with the information
regarding whether or not the presence of data is displayed to the
user, so that the file management operations such as display and
erasure is properly carried out without making the user feel be
puzzled.
[0264] That is, images are displayed in accordance with the
information regarding whether or not the presence of data is
displayed to the user, in addition to the information indicating
whether or not data is divided data. This makes it possible to
display images without making the user feel be puzzled, and
apparently erase data.
[0265] Furthermore, to the optical disk 106 the information
regarding whether or not data is initially-recorded data is
recorded as described above.
[0266] Thus, the optical disk 106 is combined with a storage device
such as the aforementioned digital recording/reproduction device,
and files are appropriately displayed, erased and so on in
accordance with the information regarding whether or not data is
initially-recorded data, so that the file management operations
such as display and erasure are properly carried out without making
the user feel be puzzled.
[0267] Furthermore, to the optical disk 106 the information
regarding whether or not the presence of data is displayed to the
user is recorded as described above.
[0268] Thus, the optical disk 106 is combined with a storage device
such as the aforementioned digital recording/reproduction device,
and files are displayed, apparently erased and so on in an
appropriate manner in accordance with the information regarding
whether or not the presence of data is displayed to the user, so
that the file management operations such as display and erasure are
properly carried out without making the user feel be puzzled.
[0269] The digital recording/reproduction device as a storage
device may be realized using a computer. That is to say, the
aforementioned digital recording/reproduction device may be
realized in such a manner that a program for implementing either
the above-mentioned data recording method or the above-mentioned
data erasure method is read and ran by a computer.
[0270] The above-mentioned data recording method and data erasure
method can be illustrated as, for instance, a file management
method for managing data using file management information of a
file system. When the file includes a divided file and a control
file referring to the divided file, the file management information
in accordance with the file management method is caused to include
a flag indicating whether or not the file is a divided file. Based
on (i) this flag, (ii) the number of times a file is referred to by
other files, and (iii) the creation time of the file, it is
possible to tell whether or not the file is a control file.
[0271] Also, the above-mentioned arrangement can be, for instance,
illustrated as a data erasure method for erasing, from a storage
medium including a table centrally managing sets of data, the sets
of data corresponding to the entries in the table, the data erasure
method being characterized by comprising the step of determining
whether or not the registered entry is original, on the occasion of
the erasure.
[0272] Also, the above-mentioned arrangement can be, for instance,
illustrated as a data erasure method characterized in that the
foregoing step of determining whether or not the registered entry
is original is carried out based on the information regarding
whether or not automatic division is carried out, the information
concerning reference to another sets of data, and a creation
time.
[0273] Also, the above-mentioned arrangement can be, for instance,
illustrated as a data recording method for recording a table, which
centrally manages sets of data as respective entries, to a storage
medium, the data recording method being characterized in that, to
the entries corresponding to the sets of data, information for
making it possible to determine whether or not data is original is
recorded.
[0274] Also, the above-mentioned arrangement can be, for instance,
illustrated as a data erasure method for erasing, from a storage
medium which includes a table for centrally managing sets of data
as respective entries and stores information for determining
whether or not these entries are original, the sets of data
corresponding to the entries in the table, the data erasure method
being characterized in that, on the occasion of the erasure,
whether or not the data which is the target of the erasure can be
erased in accordance with the information regarding whether or not
data is original.
[0275] Also, the above-mentioned arrangement can be, for instance,
illustrated as a data recording method for recording, to a storage
medium, a table which centrally manages sets of data as respective
entries, the data recording method being characterized in that the
entries corresponding to the sets of data record information
regarding whether or not the existence of the sets of data is
displayed to the user.
[0276] Also, the above-mentioned arrangement can be, for instance,
illustrated as a data erasure method for erasing, from the storage
medium which includes a table centrally managing sets of data as
respective entries and records, to the entries, information
regarding whether or not the existence of these sets of data is
displayed to the user, the sets of data corresponding to the
entries in the table, the data erasure method being characterized
in that, if a set of data to be erased is referred to by another
set of data, the information regarding whether or not the existence
of data is displayed to the user is rewritten.
[0277] The present invention realizes the following: Based on the
information for determining whether or not files on the disk are
automatically-divided movie files and the information for
determining whether or not the files are original, the erasure is
carried out without making the user feel be puzzled, despite the
presence of an automatically-divided movie file.
[0278] The present invention realizes the following: The
information regarding whether or not data is original is stored in
the disk, so that the erasure is carried out without making the
user feel be puzzled, despite the presence of an
automatically-divided movie file.
[0279] The present invention realizes the following: With respect
to the AV file corresponding to the entry, the information for
determining whether or not data is displayed to the user is stored
in the disk, so that the user can apparently erase any set of data
even if the data refers to a file.
[0280] Note that, as shown in FIG. 36, the following arrangement
may be carried out: To each entry of an index file 2100, an
auto-divided flag indicating whether or not the entry is an
automatically-divided movie is provided. Files 2201 through 2203
which are automatically-divided movies are set to YES, so that, on
the contents selection display, only a miniature image of an entry
in which the auto division is NO, i.e. only a miniature image of a
file 2204 is shown. However, in this arrangement, it is unclear how
management operations, e.g. erasure, are carried out.
[0281] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that
the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be
regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention,
and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in
the art intended to be included within the scope of the following
claims.
[0282] Matters described in claims and technical means described in
Embodiments can be appropriately combined with each other, and
matters obtained as a result of the combination are not to be
regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0283] According to a data recording method, data erasure method,
data display method, storage divide, storage medium, and program,
an index file manages sets of information for determining (i)
whether or not managed files are displayed to the user, (ii)
whether or not the managed files are original, and (iii) whether or
not the managed files have been subjected to nondestructive
editing, and in accordance with these sets of information, the
steps for erasure and the steps for showing a file list are carried
out. This makes it possible to manage reference movies by the index
file, without making the user feel be puzzled.
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