212results about "Mechanical re-recording" patented technology

A method for creating a customized audio track involves the steps of creating a song template, and then defining insert regions where sounds, vocals, or the like are inserted into the template. The invention includes the steps of generating a list of inserts, and pre-recording or otherwise acquiring a recording of each insert. When a particular insert is selected, it is introduced into the insert region, and the customized audio track may be recorded, streamed, or otherwise used or delivered to a listener. The audio track may comprise a personalized song (using appropriate name inserts) or a cell phone ring tone that identifies the caller.

A tape drive emulator (30) is between a host computer (40) and a removable disk drive (22) and appears to the host computer 40 as a sequential storage system, e.g., a tape drive. However, the tape drive emulator (30) processes the data obtained from or applied to host computer 40 so that the data can be communicated to removable disk drive 22 in a manner compatible with a conventional removable disk drive. Yet in so doing, tape drive emulator 30 imposes on the data (1) an data organization, imperceptible to disk drive 22, for rendering the data expressable and locatable in a tape drive format, and (2) an additional degree of error correction that provides enhanced data integrity necessary for data backup / restore operations.

A digital media recorder and a method of controlling such are provided. During attempts to copy media content, sub-sequences are extracted from an input media sequence. A digital fingerprint of the sub-sequence is calculated and compared with at least one first reference fingerprint from a database. The outcome of the comparison determines the action to take in the further processing. Recording of the input media sequence on a media carrier is either allowed or obstructed, e.g. disallowed. In the case recording of the sequence is allowed, the database is updated with information that the digital media sequence has been recorded.

A multimedia search and indexing system automatically selects scenes or events of interest from any media, i.e., video, film, sound for replay, in whole or in part, in other contexts. The entire audio track of a recorded event in video, film, sound, etc., is analyzed to determine audio levels within a set of frequency ranges of interest. Audio clip levels within the selected frequency ranges are chosen as audio cues representative of events of interest in the track. The selection criteria are applied to the audio track of the recorded event. An Edit Decision List (EDL) is generated from the analysis of the audio track. The list is representative of scenes or sounds of interest as clips for reuse. The clips are reviewed and accepted or rejected for reuse. Once selected, the clips are edited using industry standard audio and video editing techniques.

A novel method and apparatus for protection of streamed media content is disclosed. In one aspect, the apparatus includes control means for governance of content streams or content objects, decryption means for decrypting content streams or content objects under control of the control means, and feedback means for tracking actual use of content streams or content objects. The control means may operate in accordance with rules received as part of the streamed content, or through a side-band channel. The rules may specify allowed uses of the content, including whether or not the content can be copied or transferred, and whether and under what circumstances received content may be “checked-out” of one device and used in a second device. The rules may also include or specify budgets, and a requirement that audit information be collected and / or transmitted to an external server. In a different aspect, the apparatus may include a media player designed to call plugins to assist in rendering content. A “trust plugin” is disclosed, along with a method of using the trust plugin so that a media player designed for use with unprotected content may render protected content without the necessity of requiring any changes to the media player. In one aspect, the streamed content may be in a number of different formats, including MPEG-4, MP3, and the RMFF format.

A recording condition and a dubbing condition of a desired program that is to be broadcast are designated by using a remote controller. These conditions are stored in the information storage unit. In accordance with the recording condition, a controller permits a tuner to receive a program for which unattended recording is designated, and to record the program on an HDD. When a DVD is set in a dubbing unit and the dubbing operation is instructed by using the remote controller, a recorded program for which a dubbing condition stored in the information storage unit is applied can be dubbed. Then, the information for this program is displayed on a monitor so as to confirm the program and the dubbing condition, and to examine or correct CM skip if the CM skip is included in the dubbing condition. Thereafter, the dubbing operation is performed.

To provide a backup management device that deletes a content so as to be restorable in the future while protecting a copyright of the content, in a case where there exists a backup of the content. In an HD recorder 100, a first information storage unit 102 stores a content, a second information storage unit 103 stores a backup of the content, a secure storage unit 104 stores a hash value of the content. If receiving an instruction to delete the content so as to be restorable, a control unit 113 deletes the content from the first information storage unit 102. When the content is played back, an encryption processing unit 109 applies a calculation to the content to generate detection information, and the control unit 113 compares the hash value with the detection information to judge whether the content has been tampered.

An optical disk comprises a first recording area for recording contents data and data for recording and reproducing the contents data, and a second recording area for recording secondary data on the contents recorded in the first recording area, the secondary data being recorded as stripe marks longer in radial direction. Further, the second recording area comprises a first section for recording control data on the second recording area, a second section for recording data not to be inhibited to be outputted from a recording and reproducing apparatus for the optical disk, and a third section for recording data to be inhibited to be outputted from a recording and reproducing apparatus. The control data recorded in the first section includes an identifier which shows whether said second recording area includes said third section or not. By using the data to be inhibited to be outputted in the second recording area, a copyright of contents is protected and illegal use of software is prevented.

A hierarchical storage system has a disc drive, a library apparatus, and a control apparatus. The library apparatus houses a magazine that houses a cartridge. The cartridge has a first tag and stores a storage medium configured to store the data. The magazine has a second tag. The library apparatus acquires through radio communications first information held by the first tag and configured to identify the cartridge and second information held by the second tag and configured to identify the magazine. The library apparatus transmits to the control apparatus the acquired first and second information. The control apparatus memorizes the first and second information, and manages a location of the data based on a data transfer status between the disc drive and the library apparatus and the first information and the second information stored in the first memory.

A recording apparatus for recording a duplicate of a product onto a recording medium, the product being a copyrighted digital product having a copy attribute embedded as a watermark thereon and the recording apparatus including (a) an acquiring unit for acquiring the copy attribute embedded on the product, (b) a changing unit for changing the acquired copy attribute into a copy attribute showing no more copy when the acquired copy attribute shows one generation copy, (c) a reading unit for reading from the recording medium at least a part of medium ID information recorded on the recording medium in an unalterable state, and (d) a recording unit for recording onto the recording medium the duplicate having both the copy attribute showing no more copy and the read medium ID information embedded as a watermark thereon.

To solve the problem inhibiting the copyright protection caused by reason that there are no means for restricting the number of backups to other media, which makes it impossible for a copyright owner to specify the allowable number of backups for the content of “Copy One Generation”, disclosed herein is a digital information recording and reproducing method. The method is so configured that: a first piece of digital information and copy control information of the first piece of digital information is received, wherein the copy control information is for controlling the recording of the first piece of digital information on a recording medium; and when the received copy control information is Copy One Generation indicating that only one generation copy of digital information is allowed, a plurality of the first pieces of digital information are recorded on a first recording medium as the first piece of digital information and a second piece of digital information, wherein the first piece of digital information is different in format or in bit rate from the second piece of digital information.

A system and method for hardware assisted formatted data transfer allows a formatting storage controller to read and record data on a formatted storage medium and avoids a requirement of continuous interaction by a host system in the transfer process. The host system can initiate the transfer process by sending a command block, a data definition, and an on-media structure definition to a formatting storage controller, which performs the formatted transfer and notifies the host system when the transfer is completed or an exception occurs. Alternately, the formatting storage controller can access one or more on-media structure definitions stored in a persistent storage unit in accordance with an on-media structure selector provided by the host system in the command block. In alternative implementations, the system and method of the present invention allows for the performance of a "verify copy" operation which causes the formatting storage controller to compare the formatted data recorded on the formatted storage medium with the data stored on an alternate storage medium (e.g. a source or destination storage medium) and a "formatted read" operation, which causes the formatting storage controller to read the formatted data stored on the formatted storage medium and transfer it to a destination storage medium. Further disclosed is a program product for recording data on a formatted storage medium in accordance with an on-media structure definition initiates a transfer process in accordance with a command block provided to a formatting storage controller.

In an operation to record information played back from a first recording medium into a second recording medium, control is executed to permit or prohibit the operation to record (dub or copy) the information into the second recording medium on the basis of a judgment as to whether the first recording medium is a recording medium that is permitted to be dubbed or prohibited from being dubbed. The control can be executed to permit or prohibit the operation to copy the information in accordance with the type of the first recording medium.

The present invention relates to write operations in data storage systems. In an embodiment, the invention relates to a method of writing data across a plurality of disk arrays, including writing a first copy of the data as a first plurality of stripes corresponding to the plurality of disk arrays and writing a second copy of the data as a second plurality of stripes corresponding to the plurality of disk arrays, wherein the second copy of the data is staggered with respect to the first copy on the plurality of disk arrays. In another embodiment, the invention relates to a data storage system including a plurality of disk arrays and a host, coupled to the plurality of disk arrays, with a program that instructs the host to write a first copy of the data as a first plurality of stripes that correspond to the plurality of disk arrays and to write a second copy of the data as a second plurality of stripes that correspond to the plurality of disk arrays, wherein the second copy of the data is staggered with respect to the first copy on the plurality of disk arrays.

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for copying storage. Copy operations are performed on source storage units to copy to target storage units, wherein the copy operations create a consistent copy of the source storage units in the target storage units. While performing a copy operation to copy from one source storage unit to one target storage unit, a write operation is restricted from being performed on the one source storage unit, until the copy operations have been performed on the source storage units.

An information recording / reproducing system has an information recording / reproducing apparatus and a portable information recording / reproducing apparatus. The information recording / reproducing apparatus has: an information copying device which, when predetermined a piece of program information is reproduced from a first recording medium, copies the piece of program information and at least one piece of program information to be subsequently reproduced, from the first recording medium to the second recording medium, and an information erasing and copying device which, when the reproducing of the piece of program information is ended, erases the piece of program information from the second recording medium, and then newly copies a piece of program information to be reproduced after said at least one piece of program information, from the first recording medium to the second recording medium.

A new Musical CD Creation Unit for providing both review and recording functions for the automated merchandising of music entertainment on recordable CDs. The inventive device includes a storage means, a selection means, and a production means. A CD jukebox of the kind commonly available and used in commercial markets provides is used to store musical selections. A computer terminal having a display monitor and input means, such as a computer keyboard or a touch screen allows a customer to review and create a musical selection to be reproduced on a recordable CD. Predetermined musical selections allow a customer to make selections based on music type, such as jazz, pop, rock, country, soul, gospel, or blues, popularity, such as "Top 20 Hits," artist, or other options. To provide fully automated merchandising capabilities, the Musical CD Creation Unit has "vending" features including a purchase amount display, a magnetic card reader for credit cards, and a currency changer for cash such that a customer can purchase the recordable CD without assistance from store personnel.

A recording / playback apparatus is characterized in that management information for managing data recorded on a recording medium is provided in a format allowing tracks to be bundled into groups and managed in group units in addition to management of the data in track units. By referring to this management information, tracks from a source can be grouped automatically during a variety of recording and playback operations including mainly a search for the beginning of each group, and various kinds of editing work can be done in group units. The recording / playback apparatus is capable of carrying edit processing such as concatenation, division, batch deletion and a move operation on a specified group recorded on a disc used for recording groups each consisting of a plurality of programs.

A system concept and the components integrated therein for storing useful and control information as well as feature items, general components for data flow control of all components integrated in the system concept as well as special components for data flow and process control of interface systems for laser-beam recorders permit handling of useful and control information as well as feature items independently of physical music / data carriers within premastering and the production of glass masters (mastering) in CD plants. All the various types of information are stored in on-line compatible mass storages and automatically transferred into the sectors calling for the information concerned by general data flow control components. Requests for information can be generated manually or automatically. The time needed to transfer to the requesting sectors or machines is shortened, the premastering expense reduced, the mastering actions automated with the aid of special control components and considerably speeded up as compared to conventional methods by using a network as the carrier medium.

Provided is a data storing system which holds only updated data by a snapshot action of a disk array subsystem. When there is generated a writing request to snapshot duplicate volumes as the duplicate data storing areas, unused pages for the requested amount is searched from a common logical-volume which is used in common as a real data storage area within the disk array subsystem, and address conversion of the page is performed. The result of the address conversion is held in a directory which is provided for each of the snapshot duplicate volumes. When making an access to the page thereinafter, the directory is always being referred to, and the address conversion is performed from the page of the snapshot duplicate volumes to the corresponding page of the common logical-volume.

An improved disc jockey turntable is disclosed. The turntable includes a housing having an I / O circuit, an audio output electrically connected to the I / O circuit, a rotatable platter configured and arranged to received a vinyl record thereon, an electric motor is configured to selectively rotate the platter, a movable tonearm with a pickup cartridge is electrically connected to the I / O circuit whereby the tonearm may be moved over the platter and placed on a vinyl record rotating on the platter to play audio out through the audio output. A dock is located on the housing and is configured to cradle a portable music player. The dock has a communication port for connecting to the portable music player. A control circuit is electrically connected to the communication port and the I / O circuit, and is configured to selectively recording audio from the I / O circuit to the portable music player.

An optical disc having pits shorter in length than 0.40 mu m, with the ratio of the width of the shortest pit to that of the longest pit being not less than 0.8, is formed by forming a master disc by light exposure using a light source having a wavelength not shorter than 350 nm. By taking advantage of the fact that the pit width A looking from the reflective film 20 of the optical disc is deceased to be smaller on forming the reflective film 20 than the pit width B looking from the disc substrate 10 by a value equal to the film thickness, a row of pits, generally broader than the pit width optimum when looking from the side oft the disc substrate 10, is formed on light exposure on the master disc using the laser light having a wavelength not smaller than 350 nm. The reflective film 20 is formed on the row of pits transcribed from the master disc to the disc substrate 10 to provide a pit width which minimizes the inter-pit interference or jitter of the playback RF signals. The signals are read out from the side of the reflective film 20, that is from the side of the light-transmitting layer 30, instead of from the light-transmitting layer 30.

The present invention is a method and apparatus for multitrack recording of audio information using handheld digital electronic devices such as suitably equipped portable digital music players. Recording of video tracks by digital electronic devices to complement the audio is also contemplated. One device serves as a master; the remainder are slaves. A key aspect of the invention is the transmission of start and stop recording signals by the master, which facilitates synchronization of the various tracks. In certain embodiments of the invention, some slaves may begin preliminary sampling of audio information prior to the start recording signal. This prepares these slaves to begin the actual track recording without delay. Upon receiving the command to start recording, each slave chooses as the first frame of its, say, audio track that sample closest to the time the signal to record was received. The task of stopping recording is typically handled similarly. A recording device may store an indicator whereby the time offset of its first frame from the start recording signal can be determined, thus facilitating time interpolation of the samples in its track. In this way, all audio tracks, for example, might be transformed to a common set of time points. In a typical configuration, the master might also record a sound track or a video track.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for copying the data content of a source multi-session DVD-storage medium to a destination multi-session DVD-storage medium, wherein the data content is organized in sessions and files, and each session contains a file allocation table storing at least the physical start address of each file within a session, and wherein the address space between two adjacent sessions on said DVD-storage media is different. The apparatus comprises a read unit for reading data from said first storage medium, a write unit for writing data on said second storage medium, and a controller unit for controlling said read unit and said write unit. An address converting unit adapted to analyze the file allocation table of each session and to apply a predetermined address offset to each address in the file allocation table before writing said data to the second storage medium is also provided. The invention also relates to a method for copying the data content of a source medium to a destination medium.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an event recording system that has an event-capture module, an editing module, and a media recording module. The event-capture module captures an event signal, such as an audio signal from a sound event, and transforms the signal into a primary event file that is accessible as it is being formed. The editing module is communicatively connected to the event capture module. It accesses and parses the primary event file into one or more digital track files that can be recorded onto a recording media. Likewise, the media recording module is communicatively linked to the editing module for receiving the one or more digital track files from the editing module. The media recording module has a plurality of media recorders for simultaneously recording the one or more digital track files onto a plurality of recording media. This allows a plurality of recording media, with the entire event recorded upon each media, to be available shortly after the event has ended.

Audio information stored in the undulations of grooves in a medium such as a phonograph record may be reconstructed, with little or no contact, by measuring the groove shape using precision metrology methods coupled with digital image processing and numerical analysis. The effects of damage, wear, and contamination may be compensated, in many cases, through image processing and analysis methods. The speed and data handling capacity of available computing hardware make this approach practical. Two examples used a general purpose optical metrology system to study a 50 year old 78 r.p.m. phonograph record and a commercial confocal scanning probe to study a 1920's celluloid Edison cylinder. Comparisons are presented with stylus playback of the samples and with a digitally re-mastered version of an original magnetic recording. There is also a more extensive implementation of this approach, with dedicated hardware and software.

Apparatus nominally used for recording includes a reproduction section to play digital data from a recording medium recorded with that digital data and retrieval information, a recording section to write the digital data reproduced by the reproduction section and record the retrieval information on a control table, and a control circuit to search the control table by using the retrieval information when the digital data from the reproduction section is written by the recording section, thereby to permit the writing of digital data recorded on the medium with the recording section when the retrieval information is not recorded on the control table, and to prohibit the writing of digital data recorded on the medium with the recording section when the retrieval information is already recorded on the control table, and also to prevent the mistaken duplicate copying of the digital data with the recording section.

An information processing apparatus may include the following elements. A content data generating unit generates first unit data segments constituting first content data and sequentially outputs the data segments. A holding unit is divided into a first holding area and a second holding area and holds the output first unit data segments in the first area. A recording control unit controls a recording operation such that the data segments in the first area are recorded onto at least one of first and second recording media. When second content data is recorded on the first medium, the recording control unit may control a transfer operation in addition to the recording operation such that each second unit data segment constituting the second content data is read from the first medium, the read data segment may be held in the second area, and the held data segment may be transferred to the second medium.

A method and system of replicating data stored on a storage device where an update is stored in a snapshot. The update includes a copy of at least one portion of the data stored on the storage device. Metadata relating to the update is also stored. The replica is periodically updated by copying the contents of the snapshot into the replica in accordance with the stored metadata. After the replica is updated, the snapshot can be deleted.