Method and device for recording/reproducing broadcasting signals of a program

• US 20020057891A1
• Filed: 05/08/2001
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Personal Computers, Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shigaki, Satomi
• Granted Patent: US 7,245,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

A recording/reproducing manage unit 25, in response to an instruction, records the images of program into the recording files in order by changing the target recording file in a predetermined interval. Then the unit 25, in response to another instruction, reproduces the recording files in its recorded order. Thereby a recording/reproducing device of broadcasting signals of the invention can complete reproduction of a program at almost the same timing as an end time of real broadcasting of the program, even if the reproduction is started a long time behind the starting of the real broadcasting of the program.

Claims

1. A method of recording/reproducing broadcasting signals, comprising the steps of:

establishing a size of recording files based on a broadcasting time of a program to be recorded and capacity of a storage device in which the recording files are included;

receiving signals of the program on a channel, and consecutively recording the signals into the recording files in order; and

controlling to continue the recording step until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

reproducing the recording files in order of recording, in response to a reproduction instruction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the recording step comprises the steps of:

determining whether or not a volume of a part of the signals which have been recorded into a first recording file reaches the size established in the establishing step;

closing the first recording file and recording the remaining part of the signals to a second recording file when the determining step determines that the volume is equal to the size; and

repeating the determining step and the closing/recording step to obtain the recording files in which the signals are recorded in order.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the reproduction instruction is issued after at least one recording file is filled with a part of the signals.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

deleting a recording file which has reproduced.

6. The method of claim 3 further including the steps of:

fast-forward reproducing recording files which complete the recording of the signals in order of recording, in response to a reproduction instruction; and

reproducing, in normal speed, recording files which complete the recording of the signals after the reproduction instruction.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein when a reproduction instruction is issued, the closing/recording step is started.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each program is broadcast through digital signals and the digital signals are recorded into the corresponding recording file.

9. A recording/reproducing device of broadcasting signals comprising:

a receive unit which receives broadcasting signals of a program on a channel;

a manage unit which picks up program information from the received signals of program and analyses the program information;

a storage device which stores recording files;

a decoder unit which decodes the received signals of program to obtain image data and sound data;

a recording/reproducing manage unit which produces and reproduces recording files; and

a data control unit which supplies the received signals of program to the decoder unit under control of the manage unit, and supplies the received signals of program to the recording/producing manage unit to record the signals into the recording files each of which has a predetermined size in order until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended, and reproduces and supplies the recording files thus produced in the recording/reproducing manage unit to the decoder unit in response to a reproduction instruction.

10. The recording/reproducing device of claim 9, wherein the reproduction instruction is issued after at least one recording file is filled with a part of the signals.

11. The recording/reproducing device of claim 9, wherein the data control unit controls to delete a recording file which has reproduced.

13. The recording/reproducing device of claim 12 further comprising;

a reproducing control unit which reproduces the recording files in order of recording, in response to a reproduction instruction.

14. The recording/reproducing device of claim 12, wherein the recording control unit determines whether or not a volume of a part of the signals which have been recorded into a first recording file reaches the established size, closes the first recording file and records the remaining part of the signals to a second recording file when it is determined that the volume is equal to the size, and repeats the determination operation and the closing/recording operations to obtain the recording files in which the signals are recorded in order.

12. A recording/reproducing device of broadcasting signals comprising:

a storage device which includes recording files to record broadcasting signals of a program on a channel;

an establishing unit which establishes a size of the recording files based on a broadcasting time of the program to be recorded and capacity of the storage device;

a receive unit which receives signals of the program, and consecutively records the signals into the recording files in order; and

a recording control unit which controls the receive unit to repeat the reception and the recording until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended.

15. A recording medium readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computers to perform a method of recording/reproducing broadcasting signals, comprising the steps of:

establishing a size of recording files based on a broadcasting time of a program to be recorded and capacity of a storage device in which the recording files are included;

receiving signals of the program on a channel, and consecutively recording the signals into the recording files in order; and

controlling to continue the recording step until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended.

16. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of recording/reproducing broadcasting signals, comprising the steps of:

establishing a size of recording files based on a broadcasting time of a program to be recorded and capacity of a storage device in which the recording files are included;

receiving signals of the program on a channel, and consecutively recording the signals into the recording files in order; and

controlling to continue the recording step until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended.

17. A program product comprising, computer readable instructions and a recording medium bearing the computer readable instructions;

the instructions being adaptable to enable computers to perform a method of recording/reproducing broadcasting signals, comprising the steps of;

establishing a size of recording files based on a broadcasting time of a program to be recorded and capacity of a storage device in which the recording files are included;

receiving signals of the program on a channel, and consecutively recording the signals into the recording files in order; and

controlling to continue the recording step until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended.

18. A method of recording/reproducing broadcasting signals, comprising the steps of.

establishing a size of recording files based on a broadcasting time of a program to be recorded and capacity of a storage device in which the recording flies are included;

receiving signals of the program on a channel, and consecutively recording the signals into the recording files in order;

controlling to continue the recording step until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended; and

reproducing the recording files in order of recording, in response to a reproduction instruction,

wherein the recording step comprises the steps of;

determining whether or not a volume of a part of the signals which have been recorded into a first recording file reaches the size established in the establishing step;

closing the first recording file and recording the remaining part of the signals to a second recording file when the determining step determines that the volume is equal to the size; and

repeating the determining step and the closing/recording step to obtain the recording files in which the signals are recorded in order.

19. A recording/reproducing device of broadcasting signals comprising:

a storage device which includes recording files to record broadcasting signals of a program on a channel;

an establishing unit which establishes a size of the recording files based on a broadcasting time of the program to be recorded and capacity of the storage device;

a receive unit which receives signals of the program, and consecutively records the signals into the recording files in order;

a recording control unit which controls the receive unit to repeat the reception and the recording until a recording stop instruction is received or broadcasting of the program is ended; and

a reproducing control unit which reproduces the recording files in order of recording, in response to a reproduction instruction,

wherein the recording control unit determines whether or not a volume of a part of the signals which have been recorded into a first recording file reaches the established size, closes the first recording file and records the remaining part of the signals to a second recording file when it is determined that the volume is equal to the size, and repeats the determination operation and the closing/recording operations to obtain the recording files in which the signals are recorded in order.