Video information recording and reproducing apparatus

• US 6,334,022 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1998
• Issued: 12/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshigi, Hiroshi, Ohba, Akihiko, Kinoshita, Taizo, Kageyama, Masahiro, Tanabe, Hisao, Kumagai, Yukio, Matsushita, Toru, Suzuki, Tatsundo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONUAKU, CHRISTOPHER O
• Application Number:
  US09/030,761
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 386/68-70, 386/45-46, 386/83, 386/125-126, 386/109, 386/52, 360/72.1, 360/72.2, 360/72.3, 725/9, 725/21, 725/46, 725/58, 725/48, 725/53
• US Class Current: 386/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/745 the internal structure of a single video sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

The video information recording and reproducing apparatus includes an inputting information part for receiving video information, a storing information part, an outputting information part for producing video information, an automatic indexing information part for automatically adding indexes to the inputted video information, a filtering video information part for automatically selecting video information to be stored from the inputting information part, and a controlling part for controlling the above elements, thereby actualizing the free time-shift viewing function, intelligent search function, and automatic video data base generation function.

Claims

1. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

an inputting information part for receiving video information;

a storing information part;

an outputting information part for producing video information;

a video information filtering part; and

a controlling part for controlling the inputting information part, the storing information part, the outputting information part, and the video information filtering part;

wherein the storing information part stores a plurality of video information from the inputting information part according to an instruction from the controlling part, and outputs arbitrary video information from the plurality of video information stored in the storing information part to the outputting information part; and

wherein the video information filtering part learns channels, time zones, and frequencies of programs which a viewer has viewed, and automatically instructs the inputting information part and the storing information part to record the programs when the frequencies have exceeded a certain reference value.

2. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storing information part includes a first means of storing information and a second means of storing information;

wherein an effective data transfer rate of the first means of storing information is higher than an effective data transfer rate of the second means of storing information; and

wherein a storage capacity of the first means of storing information is smaller than a storage capacity of the second means of storing information.

3. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second means of storing information is a reading and writing apparatus including an automatic disk changer and using hand-portable media.

4. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first means of storing information is a magnetic hard disk unit;

and

wherein the second means of storing information is a reading and writing apparatus including an automatic disk changer and using phase-change type optical disks or magnetooptical disks.

5. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second means of storing information stores raw material information including at least video information and audio information;

and

wherein the first means of storing information stores at least one of

management information for the second means of storing information, and

search information for information stored in the second means of storing information.

6. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first means of storing information is used as a cache for the second means of storing information.

7. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inputting information part includes:

at least one of a satellite TV broadcasting interface, a terrestrial TV broadcasting interface, a cable TV interface, an Internet communication channel interface, and a general-purpose digital interfaced; and

a video encoder including an A/D converter and a memory.

8. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the outputting information part includes:

at least one of a video analog interface, a video digital interface, an audio analog interface, an audio digital interface, a general-purpose digital interface, and an Internet communication channel interface; and

a video decoder including a D/A converter and a memory.

9. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

an inputting information part for receiving video information;

a storing information part;

an outputting information part for producing video information;

an automatic indexing information part;

a video information filtering part; and

a controlling part for controlling the inputting information part, the storing information part, the outputting information part, the automatic indexing information part, and the video information filtering part;

wherein the storing information part stores a plurality of video information from the inputting information part according to an instruction from the controlling part, and outputs arbitrary video information from the plurality of video information stored in the storing information part to the outputting information part; and

wherein the video information filtering part learns channels, time zones, and frequencies of programs which a viewer has viewed, and automatically instructs the inputting information part and the storing information part to record the programs when the frequencies have exceeded a certain reference value.

10. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the storing information part includes a first means of storing information and a second means of storing information;

wherein an effective data transfer rate of the first means of storing information is higher than an effective data transfer rate of the second means of storing informational; and

wherein a storage capacity of the first means of storing information is smaller than a storage capacity of the second means of storing information.

11. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second means of storing information is a reading and writing apparatus including an automatic disk changer and using hand-portable media.

12. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first means of storing information is a magnetic hard disk unity;

and

wherein the second means of storing information is a reading and writing apparatus including an automatic disk changer and using phase-change type optical disks or magnetooptical disks.

13. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the second means of storing information stores raw material information including at least video information and audio information;

and

wherein the first means of storing information stores at least one of

management information for the second means of storing information, and

search information for information stored in the second means of storing information.

14. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first means of storing information is used as a cache for the second means of storing information.

15. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the inputting information part includes:

at least one of a satellite TV broadcasting interface, a terrestrial TV broadcasting interface, a cable TV interface, an Internet communication channel interface, and a general-purpose digital interface; and

a video encoder including an A/D converter and a memory.

16. A video information recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the outputting information part includes:

at least one of a video analog interface, a video digital interface, an audio analog interface, an audio digital interface, a general-purpose digital interface, and an Internet communication channel interfaces; and

a video decoder including a D/A converter and a memory.