Device and method for recording broadcast signal

• US 5,963,702 A
• Filed: 11/26/1996
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Keitaro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/756,350
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/95, 386/96, 386/97, 386/106, 386/109, 386/111, 386/121, 386/92, 386/125, 386/83
• US Class Current: 386/326
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9205 the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/926 by pulse code modulation H04N5/919 takes precedence

Abstract

A device capable of performing digest recording for a broadcast signal including a multiple of channels. The broadcast signal is received by an antenna and passed to one or more channel tuners. The tuner outputs, or "broadcast programs" are monitored and portions of each program are selected for recording in response to information detected in the program--for example, in response to scene changes. The portions selected for recording are encoded and multiplexed for recording on a recording medium along with selection information.

Claims

1. A broadcast signal recording device for performing digest recording of a broadcast signal including a multiple of channels, comprising:

a receiving means for receiving the broadcast signal,

at least one representative picture sampling means for sampling a representative picture from the picture signal of said received broadcast signal at a time temporally succeeding an audio signal,

at least one information sampling means for detecting information corresponding to said picture signal, and

a recording means for recording the picture signal obtained from said representative picture sampling means and information detected by said information sampling means, said recording means including a control means for controlling the recording time based on said multiple of channels and being operable to stop recording the picture signal when the audio signal is interrupted during sampling of the representative picture.

2. A method for performing digest recording of a broadcast signal including a multiple of channels, comprising the steps of:

receiving the broadcast signal,

sampling an audio signal from said received broadcast signal,

sampling by at least one representative picture sampling means a representative picture from the picture signal of the received broadcast signal at a time temporally succeeding said sampled audio signal,

detecting by at least one information sampling means information corresponding to said representative picture, and

recording said sampled picture signal, audio signal, and detected information, controlling the recording time per channel based on the number of said channels, and stopping the recording of the picture signal when the audio signal is interrupted during sampling of the representative picture.

3. A broadcast signal recording device for performing digest recording of a broadcast signal including a multiple of channels, comprising;

a receiving means for receiving the broadcast signal,

at least one representative picture sampling means for sampling a representative picture from the picture signal of said received broadcast signal,

at least one information sampling means for detecting information corresponding to said picture signal, and

a recording means for recording the picture signal obtained from said representative picture sampling means and said information detected by said information sampling means, said recording means including a control means for controlling the recording time dependently on the number of said channels;

wherein said representative picture sampling means samples the representative picture based on an audio signal, at a time temporally succeeding said audio signal, wherein said recording means stops recording the picture signal when the audio is interrupted during sampling of the representative picture, and wherein the number of said information sampling means is less than the number of said channels.

4. A method for performing digest recording of a broadcast signal including a multiple of channels, comprising the steps of;

receiving the broadcast signal,

sampling a multiple of audio signals from said multiple of channels,

sampling a representative picture from the picture signal of the received broadcast signal by at least one representative picture sampling means based on said sampled audio signal from said received broadcast signal, said sampling of said representative picture being performed at a time temporally succeeding said audio signal,

detecting by at least one information sampling means information corresponding to said representative picture, and

recording said sampled picture signal, audio signal, and said detected information, controlling the recording time per channel according to the number of said channels, and stopping the recording of the picture signal when the audio is interrupted during sampling of the representative picture;

wherein the number of said information sampling means is less than the number of said channels.