1367results about "Write-once discs" patented technology

Optimizing operation of a media player during rendering of media files. The invention includes authoring software to create a data structure and to populate the created data structure with obtained metadata. The invention also includes rendering software to retrieve the metadata from the data structure and to identify media files to render. In one embodiment, the invention is operable as part of a compressed media format having a set of small files containing metadata, menus, and playlists in a compiled binary format designed for playback on feature-rich personal computer media players as well as low cost media players.

A playback apparatus not only plays back an AV stream recorded on a BD-ROM but also downloads an update kit from a WWW server (500) and writes it on a local HD (12). The AV stream stored in the local HD (12) includes an audio stream for an additional language. A control unit (16) reads the AV stream recorded on the BD-ROM and the AV stream recorded in the local HD (12) in units of access units. An audio decoder (6) obtains a necessary audio frame from the access units read from the BD-ROM and the local HD (12) and plays it back. A video decoder (4) obtains video data from the access unit read from the BD-ROM and plays it back.

Grouping and navigating media files within a playlist on a computer-readable medium. Invention software selects media files according to a grouping criterion to define a group from the media files. The invention software generates a group header associated with the group. The group header includes a value identifying the defined group and a reference to another group to enable navigation. The invention software stores the selected media files, the playlist, the defined groups, and the associated group headers on a computer-readable medium. The invention software also includes playback software for navigating and selecting media files via groups within a playlist. In one embodiment, the invention is operable as part of a compressed media format having a set of small files containing metadata, menus, and playlists in a compiled binary formal designed for playback on feature-rich personal computer media players as well as low cost media players.

A disc having an updatable defect management area used by an apparatus for managing defects on the disc, the disc including a user data area which includes user data, a spare area that is a substitute area for a defect existing in the user data area, and an area in which are recorded an address of data that is last recorded in the user data area and an address of a replacement data recorded in the spare area. Accordingly, the disc defect management method and apparatus are applicable to a recordable disc such as a write-once disc while effectively using a defect management area of the disc.

In a self-operated karaoke recording booth a user is provided with a selection of background scenes from which to choose and also with the option of having the lyrics of the karaoke selection displayed or suppressed. A video camera positioned at the user's eye level is located on the nonreflective side of a one-way mirror and is directed at a specified performer location through the one-way mirror, which is inclined at a forty-five degree angle relative thereto. Messages and video displays are provided to the user by a video display monitor connected to a computer that faces the reflective side of the one-way mirror and is also located at a forty-five degree angle relative thereto. The system is designed to maintain the visual focus of the performer directly into the lens of the video camera throughout the performance and to combine the video camera images with the background scene in such a way as to avoid a double exposure or phantom image of the performer against the background. The performer can choose to have the lyrics of the selected karaoke composition displayed or suppressed. If the election is for a display, the lyrics are displayed at the center of the viewing screen, directly in line with the video camera.

An optical disc that is reproducible by a reproducing apparatus has a still picture data and an audio data which are reproduced simultaneously. The still picture data is stored in a video part stream (ST1) comprising a plurality of units, and the audio data is stored in a second system stream (ST2) comprising one or a plurality of units. The units store time stamp information so that the second system stream (ST2) follows immediately after the video part stream (ST1). By changing the data in the second system stream (ST2), the audio data presented with a still picture can be freely and easily changed even after recording the still picture data using an MPEG standard format.

The present invention relates to methods and systems for extracting digital content using an interactive television application. The interactive television application may allow the user to record programs on a set-top box. The interactive television application may also allow the user to extract the audio from one of the recorded programs and transfer the extracted audio to removable media (e.g., a CD-R). The interactive television application also be configured to perform a future transfer of digital content to removable media. The future transfer may occur without requiring any further user interaction.

A recording medium that is a write-once recording medium with data rewritability, thereby increasing the usability of the write-once recording medium, is provided. In a write-once recording medium, a main data area has a normal record and playback sub-area (a user data section), a rewriting replacement sub-area (an OSA), and a replacement management sub-area (an ISA). In response to a request to write data to an address at which data has been recorded, the rewritten data is recorded in the rewriting replacement sub-area (the OSA), and replacement management information that associates the original address with the address in the rewriting replacement sub-area is recorded into the replacement management sub-area (the ISA). Thus, data rewriting is achieved. Accordingly, a write-once recording medium can be substantially used as a data rewritable recording medium.

In the case of a conventional data structure of a disk on which data is recorded by a CD-R multisession method, a dedicated command is needed to read the latest file structure recorded during the last session by reading chainedly the first address of the subsequent session recorded in the read-in area of a session, and it is necessary to close the session so as to read data by means of a reproduction-only device. According to the invention, a set of information on management of unrecorded areas and a set of information on management of file structure / file information are recorded as chain-type information (111, 115, . . . ) and are read chainedly in a volume space so as to acquire the latest management information. Open maintenance information (105, 125) is recorded at the start of recording and close maintenance information (107, 126) is recorded at the end of the recording. The information is read chainedly, and thus information on volume is acquired.

Consistent user experience of playlist capabilities, despite differences in available resources and on-line connectivity, is provided. Data embedded in a playback device compensates for lack of connectivity. For compactness, embedded data can be targeted to geographic region(s) by selecting metadata for recordings containing audio using statistics on playback of the recordings in many geographic regions. The statistics and corresponding metadata are segregated by the geographic regions. Then a portion of the corresponding metadata is selected for at least one of the geographic regions based on the statistics. By using statistics that indicate popularity of recordings within geographic regions based on frequency of playback or requests for information about a recording when it is played, the portion of the corresponding metadata that is selected can be tailored for individual geographic regions. To ensure that subregions and genres are not totally excluded, the portion selected may not be solely based on popularity.

An information reproducing apparatus reproducing information of an information recording medium is disclosed. In the information recording medium, a record area is divided into a plurality of data areas. Also, data are recorded for each of the divided data areas. In addition, management information relating to the data recording is recorded in a predetermined management information area. Further, the management information is updated and recorded in a new management information area every time a predetermined data recording is completed. A receiving part receives, from an external device, an obtaining request for the management information. The obtaining request includes designation of a specific management information area. A management information obtaining part obtains the management information relating to the data recording from the specific management information area designated in the received obtaining request. A reporting part reports, to the external device, the management information relating to the data recording obtained from the designated specific management information area.

The erasion level appending range of a file is instructed. According to this instruction, the erasion level is set. When this setting range does not agree with the cell unit of the current cell, the current cell is divided to set a sequence of divided cells. Playback management information of each of the divided cells and current cell is re-created, and erasion level information is appended to playback management information of the divided cell that belongs to the appending range.

In order to enhance the usability of a write-once recording medium, the recording medium is provided with an ordinary recording / reproduction area, an alternate area, a first alternate-address management information area and a second alternate-address management information area. In addition, written / unwritten state indication information is recorded in a predetermined area. The second alternate-address management information area is an area allowing alternate-address management information recorded therein to be renewed by adding alternate-address management information to the area. Alternate-address management information recorded in the second alternate-address management information area includes information recorded in a first information format and information recorded in a second information format. The first information format shows an alternate source address and an alternate destination address for each data unit. On the other hand, the second information format shows an alternate source address and an alternate destination address for a group of a plurality of physically continuous data units. The second information format is used as a format for effectively carrying out an alternate-address process on such a group of data units. All alternate-address management information is recorded in the first alternate-address management information area in the first information format.

The present invention relates to a method of detecting a defect area without any mistake during data recording on a writable disk. This method detects a level of a servo error signal produced during a recording operation, checks whether the servo error signal is in an abnormal state based on the detected level, detects a periodic wobble signal or periodicity of the abnormal state occurrences of the servo error signal produced during the recording operation, and determines whether a recording area is in defect based on successful decoding of the detected periodic wobble signal or the periodicity of the abnormal state occurrences if the servo error signal is in an abnormal state. This method ensures exact detection of a defect area, whereby unnecessary speed reduction can be eliminated and successful data writing can be also guaranteed even in a defect area.

A data storage library utilizes library-local features to regulate access to shared read / write drives among multiple hosts, and thereby avoid the need for arbitrating host software. The library includes multiple data storage media, multiple data storage media slots, multiple read / write drives, and a library controller. The slots are originally partitioned into multiple logical libraries. Normally, the library shares the read / write drives among all hosts. However, when a host submits a request to unload a cartridge from a read / write drive, the library only honors that request if the host has access rights to the logical library from where the cartridge was originally loaded. Similarly, for each slot, the controller prevents a requesting host from loading a cartridge from that storage slot unless the requesting host has access rights to the logical library that includes that storage slot.

An optical disc according to one aspect of this invention has a first field to record first version information, and a second field to record second version information obtained by updating the first version information.

A write once disc allowing management of a data area, a method of managing the data area of the write once disc, an apparatus recording data on the write once disc, an apparatus and method of reproducing data from a write once disc. The write once disc, includes a lead-in zone, a data area, and a lead-out zone. The write once disc includes a predetermined area storing area allocation information which indicates whether at least one section of the data area is allocated for disc defect management. In the disc and method, area allocation information specifying a structure of the data area is recorded on the disc, thus allowing a recording / reproducing apparatus to recognize the data area structure. Therefore, allocating areas, such as a spare area, for disc defect management other than an area for storing user data, to the data area is possible. The allocation of the areas for disc defect management to the data area enables effective use of the write once disc.

A “music video parser” automatically detects and segments music videos in a combined audio-video media stream. Automatic detection and segmentation is achieved by integrating shot boundary detection, video text detection and audio analysis to automatically detect temporal boundaries of each music video in the media stream. In one embodiment, song identification information, such as, for example, a song name, artist name, album name, etc., is automatically extracted from the media stream using video optical character recognition (OCR). This information is then used in alternate embodiments for cataloging, indexing and selecting particular music videos, and in maintaining statistics such as the times particular music videos were played, and the number of times each music video was played.

A record carrier is described comprising a servo track indicating an information track intended for recording information blocks represented by marks having lengths expressed in channel bits, which servo track has a periodic variation of a physical parameter. The periodic variation is modulated for encoding record carrier information, such as addresses. The modulation is a bi-phase modulation in which a data bit of the record carrier information is encoded by a first predetermined number of variations of a first phase followed by the same number of variations of a second phase inverse to the first phase. A recording and / or playback device has a demodulator for retrieving data bits of the record carrier information from a first predetermined number of variations of a first phase followed by the same number of variations of a second phase inverse to the first phase.

An optical phase-change disc comprises a substrate having thereon a spiral groove or concentric grooves for guiding a focused light beam, and a layer structure including a recording layer and protective layers sandwiching therebetween the recording layer. The groove has wobble for recording ATIP (absolute time information) or ADIP (address information). The following relationship between the groove width GW, beam diameter R0 and wobble amplitude aw: 0.25< / =GW / R0< / =0.45 or 0.65< / =GW / R0; and 0.03< / =aw / GW< / =0.08 hold for preventing distortion of the groove caused by repeated overwriting operation to improve reliability of the optical disc.

A computer is directed to select one or more folders containing an image file on at least one of the lower hierarchical levels, and record an image file contained in and below the selected folders on a CD-R when a storing process is specified, and generates a CD album. The album generation program sequentially searches folders having an image file immediately below the folders when the image file is recorded on the CD-R, generates a new folder for the folder having an image file immediately below the folder, and copies a target image file as a new image file in the new folder, thereby giving a folder name and a file name automatically generated according to DCF rule to the stored new folder and new image file.

An optical audio disc comprises the first pack (A Pack), the second pack (A-CONT Pack), the third pack (V Pack), and the fourth pack (CONT Pack) in which the A-CONT Pack is placed at the head of a data array and a plurality of the A and V Packs follow the A-CONT Pack in each audio contents block unit (ACBU). Information contained in an A-CONT Pack manages audio data contained in the A Pack. The A Pack contains audio data and the V Pack contains other data than the audio data such as closed caption (CC) data as well as video data. A reproduction apparatus for an optical audio disc (DVD-Audio disc) comprises the CONT Pack detector section 1103, the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109, the parameter sections 1108 and 1114, the V Pack buffer section 1104, and the A Pack buffer section 1110. The CONT Pack detector section 1103 and the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109 detect reproduced CONT and A-CONT Packs contained in the DVD-Audio disc 1101 respectively. Control parameters of reproduced data are arranged in the parameter sections 1108 and 1114, and at the same time V Packs controlled by the information in the CONT Pack and A Packs controlled by the information in the A-CONT Pack are sequentially written in the V Pack buffer section 1104 and the A Pack buffer section 1110 respectively.

An information processing apparatus includes a data processor configured to obtain first content stored in a first information recording medium and second content which is stored in a second information recording medium and which is usable together with the first content, and to perform content playback processing by using the first content and the second content. The data processor calculates a hash value of a certificate stored in the first information recording medium, and verifies the calculated hash value against a hash value stored in a content certificate corresponding to the first content, and on the condition that the calculated hash value and the hash value stored in the content certificate coincide with each other, the data processor performs the content playback processing by using the first content and the second content.

A BD-ROM has recorded therein an AV Clip generated by multiplexing a video stream and an interactive graphics stream. The video stream representing a motion picture made of a plurality of pictures, and the interactive graphics stream representing an interactive display to be overlayed on the motion picture, where the interactive graphics stream includes state control information (ICS) stored in a packet and a graphics data sequence (ODS), and the packet includes a time stamp that indicates a time at which the initial display is performed, the time being obtained by adding a predetermined duration to a decode ending time (PTS) of graphics data positioned midway through the graphics data sequence (S-ODSsfirst, S-ODSslast).

There is provided herein a method of defining and storing remixing of existing musical and video works. As a first step, various segments of a digital song or video work are identified, preferably in terms of their starting and ending times. Given the defined loops or video clips, the user next forms a remix of the selected song / video work using those components. The final product, i.e., the resulting remix, can then be completely specified in terms of the loop / clip definitions together with the time at which each of the defined loops / clips appears in the final mix. The remix can thus be compactly stored as a computer file.