Method and apparatus for recording digital signal

• US 5,878,010 A
• Filed: 08/15/1995
• Issued: 03/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hosokawa, Kyoichi, Okamoto, Hiroo, Owashi, Hitoaki, Noguchi, Takaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N.
• Application Number:
  US08/518,579
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 369/59, 369/60, 369/47, 369/48, 369/49, 369/50, 369/54, 369/58, 369/32, 369/124, 360/48, 360/53, 360/51
• US Class Current: 360/48
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1201 on tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1809 by interleaving

Abstract

Method and apparatus for recording and reproducing a digital signal, by which time information specifying to each packet an interval relative to the adjacent packet is added to a digital signal of a format in which packets of a fixed data length are arranged at unfixed intervals, the digital signal added with time information is recorded on a recording medium, a digital signal added with the above-mentioned time information is reproduced from the recording medium, and the digital signal is output in such a manner that the packets of the reproduced digital signal are arranged at intervals as same as recording intervals on the basis of the time information.

Claims

1. A method for recording and reproducing a digital signal comprising the steps of:

adding to a digital signal having a format in which packets of fixed data length are arranged at variable intervals, time information specifying for each packet an interval relative to an adjacent packet;

recording said digital signal with said added time information on a recording medium;

reproducing said digital signal with said added time information from said recording medium; and

outputting the digital signal with said packets of the reproduced digital signal arranged at intervals which are the same as recording intervals, based on said time information.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said fixed data length is a specified number of bytes.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digital signal, with said added time information, is transmitted from a transmitting side to a receiving side, and wherein the digital signal with said added time information received at said receiving side is recorded on said recording medium.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said time information is generated based on packet intervals of the digital signal transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side, and said time information is added to the digital signal.

5. Apparatus for recording and reproducing a digital signal comprising:

means for adding to a digital signal having a format in which packet of fixed data length are arranged at variable intervals, time information specifying for each packet an interval relative to an adjacent packet;

recording means for recording the digital signal with said added time information;

reproducing means for reproducing the digital signal with said added time information from said recording means; and

output timing signal generating means for generating the digital signal with packets of the reproduced digital signal arranged at intervals which are the same as recording intervals, based on said time information.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said means for adding said time information includes means for generating said time information based on the packet intervals of the digital signal.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an analog signal recording/reproducing circuit for recording and reproducing an analog signal on said recording medium.

8. A digital signal recording method for allocating a digital signal to a plurality of data areas of a specified data length, generating blocks by adding a synchronizing signal, control signals and an error correcting code to the plurality of areas, respectively, and recording said blocks on a recording medium, said method comprising the step of:

recording a specified number of said blocks on a recording medium, wherein said control signals added to each block include a first control signal specifying the state of operation when the block was recorded, and a second control signal specifying the contents of the digital signal recorded in said signal recording unit area.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said specified data length is a specified number of bytes.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein an operation mode existing when said blocks were recorded is indicated by information corresponding to a recording rate when said blocks were recorded.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein said second control signal includes information related to the amount of digital signal recorded in said signal recording unit area having a plurality of said blocks.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein said second control signal includes information indicating a kind of digital signal recorded in said signal recording unit area.

13. A method according to claim 8, wherein said second control signal includes information indicating whether or not the digital signal recorded in said signal recording unit area is data for variable speed playback.

14. A method according to claims 8, wherein said control signals further include a third control signal specifying a time base compression rate of the recording signal when a particular block was recorded.

15. A method according to claim 8, wherein said control signals include a fourth control signal specifying a number of channels of the digital signal recorded.

16. Apparatus for recording a digital signal, wherein a digital signal is divided into pieces of data of a specified data length, and blocks are generated by adding a synchronizing signal, control signals and an error correcting code to the pieces of data, and said blocks are recorded on a recording medium, said apparatus comprising:

a control circuit for setting an operation mode for recording said blocks according to a type of said digital signal; and

recording means, operable under said operation mode set by said control circuit, for generating said blocks by adding to said pieces of data, a first control signal showing an operation mode when said blocks were recorded and a second control signal specifying contents of a digital signal to be recorded in signal recording unit areas on said recording medium, and by recording a specified number of said blocks in said signal recording unit areas.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said first control signal contains information showing a recording rate, and said control circuit sets said operation mode so that the recording rate is higher than a transmission rate of said digital signal transmitted to said recording apparatus.

18. A digital signal recording method for generating blocks of data by adding a sync signal, control signals and an error correcting code to bytes (b being a positive integer) of digital signal of a pat et type in which a packet is formed by a bytes of data (a being a positive integer), and recording said blocks on a recording medium, said method comprising the step of:

recording at least one of said blocks in signal recording unit areas respectively on the recording medium, wherein said control signals include information for identifying a number a of bytes of each said packet to be recorded in said signal recording unit area.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein said control signals include information indicating the number of packets to be recorded in said signal recording unit area.

20. A digital signal recording apparatus for generating blocks of data by adding a sync signal, control signals and an error correcting code to b bytes (b being a positive integer) of digital signal of a packet type, in which a packet is formed by a bytes of data (a being a positive integer), and recording said blocks on a recording medium, said apparatus comprising:

recording means for recording at least one of said blocks in recording unit areas respectively on said recording medium, wherein said recording means generates information for identifying a byte number n of each said packet.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said control signals include information having at least a number of packets to be recorded in said signal recording unit area to said digital signal.

22. A method for recording and reproducing a digital signal comprising the steps of:

recording a digital signal having a format in which packets of fixed data length are arranged at variable intervals with a time information specifying for each packet an interval relative to an adjacent packet on a recording medium;

reproducing said digital signal with said time information form said recording medium; and

outputting the digital signal with said packets of the reproduced digital signal arranged at intervals which are the same as recording intervals, based on said time information.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein said fixed data length is a specified number of bytes.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the digital signal, with said time information, is transmitted from a transmitting side to a receiving side, and wherein the digital signal with said time information received at said receiving side is recorded on said recording medium.

25. A method according to claim 22, wherein said time information is generated based on packet intervals of the digital signal transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side, and said time information is added to the digital signal.

26. Apparatus for recording and reproducing a digital signal comprising:

recording means for recording a digital signal having a format in which packet of fixed data length are arranged at variable intervals with a time information specifying for each packet an interval relative to an adjacent packet;

reproducing means for reproducing the digital signal with said time information from said recording means; and

output timing signal generating means for generating the digital signal with packets of the reproduced digital signal arranged at intervals which are the same as recording intervals, based on said time information.

27. Apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising an analog signal recording/reproducing circuit for recording and reproducing an analog signal on said recording medium.