Recording medium for storing information for still picture recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus therefor

• US 6,757,480 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1999
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Moon, Seong-jin, Park, Pan-gie, Oh, Young-nam, Chung, Tae-yun, Kang, Jung-suk
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US09/339,192
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.576, H04/N.592, H04/N.5225, H04/N.593, H04/N.979, 386/38, 386/39, 386/45, 386/96, 386/95, 386/98, 386/101, 386/104-106, 386/107, 386/117, 386/121, 386/125, 386/126, 386/69, 386/70, 358/906, 358/909.1, 348/231, 348/232, 348/233
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/215 Recordable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• 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 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/212 Motion video recording combined with still video recording television signal recording H04N5/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit

Abstract

A recording medium for storing information for still pictures, and a recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus therefor. A writeable and rewriteable recording medium stores data for a plurality of still pictures and audio data added thereto in one file or a space having a logically one-dimensional order, rather than in each file, and still picture group information for separating the still picture data into within a predetermined maximum number of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level is then stored on the recording medium. Thus, large-capacity still picture data and audio data added thereto can be recorded and/or reproduced using a minimum amount of information. The still picture group information includes general information for still picture groups, and information for still pictures in each still picture group. The general information for each still picture group includes the start position of a first still picture in each still picture group (the start position of each still picture group). The information for still pictures in each still picture group includes the sizes of video data and audio data for each still picture. Therefore, effective management of information is allowed.

Claims

1. A recording medium comprising:

a first region having data for a plurality of still pictures; and

a second region having at least one still picture group information for arranging still picture data in the first region into at least one still picture group, including sizes of still pictures in the one still picture group and start position information of the one still picture group, and for controlling a recording and/or reproducing apparatus to manage still pictures at a group level.

2. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second regions exists in separate files from each other.

3. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein at least one still picture includes audio data.

4. The recording medium according to claim 3, wherein the one still picture includes still picture data and the audio data, in one file.

5. The recording medium according to claim 3, wherein the one still picture includes still picture data and the audio data, in a space having a logically one-dimensional order.

6. The recording medium according to claim 3, wherein the second region further includes information for managing the audio data.

7. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the second region further includes still picture general information containing a number indicating a number of still picture groups in the second region.

8. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the still picture group information includes still picture group general information containing start position information of each still picture group and information indicating a number of video parts in the one still picture group, and information for still pictures in the one still picture group, the information for still pictures containing the position information thereof.

9. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the still picture group general information further includes identification information of each still picture group.

10. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the sizes of the still pictures includes size information of video parts of the still pictures.

11. The recording medium according to claim 10, wherein the one still picture group information further includes size information of audio parts for audio data corresponding to still pictures in the one still picture group, and playback time information thereof.

12. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the position information for the still pictures includes identification information of still pictures in the one still picture group.

13. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the second region further stores playback information related to reproduction of the still pictures.

14. The recording medium according to claim 13, wherein the playback information includes identification information of the one still picture group, and information for playback start and ending positions in the one still picture group.

15. The recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the playback information is applied to all or some of the still picture groups.

16. A recording medium comprising:

a first region storing still pictures in still picture groups;

a second region storing general information indicating start positions of each of the still picture groups, and sizes of each of the still pictures in each still picture group, and for controlling a recording and/or reproducing apparatus to determine start positions for the still pictures.

17. The recording medium according to claim 16, wherein the still pictures include a video part and at least some of the video parts have an audio part consecutively recorded thereafter, the general information including the start positions for each still picture group and sizes of the video parts or the video parts and audio parts in each still picture group.

18. The recording medium according to claim 16, wherein the general information includes cell information which is playback information and includes group identification information of at least one of the still pictures groups which include still pictures to be reproduced, still picture reproduction start identification information of one of the still pictures at which to begin reproduction and still picture reproduction ending identification information at which to end the reproduction.

19. The recording medium according to claim 16, wherein the general information includes first information for identifying the still picture groups, second information representing start addresses of a first still picture in each still picture group, and third information indicating a number of still pictures in each still picture group.

20. The recording medium according to claim 19, further comprising fourth information indicating a number of virtually deleted still pictures in each still picture group.

21. The recording medium according to claim 17, wherein the general information includes a video map for each of the video parts, each video map including first information indicating a type of the video map, second information indicating identification information for the video part and third information indicating a size of the video part.

22. The recording medium according to claim 21, wherein the general information includes an audio map for each of the audio parts, each audio map including first information indicating a type of the audio map, second information indicating playback time of the audio part and third information indicating a size of the audio part.

23. The recording medium according to claim 16, wherein each still picture includes a video part and at least some of the video parts have an audio part corresponding thereto, and the general information indicates sizes of each video part and audio part.

24. The recording medium according to claim 22, wherein the still picture group information includes same identification information for each video map and corresponding audio map.

25. A recording medium comprising:

a first region storing still pictures in groups;

a second region storing general information indicating start positions of each of the still picture groups and only sizes, without start positions of each still picture other than a first still picture in each still picture group, and for controlling a recording and/or reproducing apparatus to record and/or reproduce still pictures in each group.

26. A recording medium comprising:

a plurality of still pictures; and

still picture group information to arrange the still pictures into still picture groups and comprising start positions of each of the still picture groups and sizes of each of the still pictures in the corresponding still picture groups, and for controlling a recording and/or reproducing apparatus to record and/or reproduce still pictures in each group,

wherein an area of the recording medium storing the plurality of still pictures is separate from an area storing the still picture group information.

27. The recording medium according to claim 26, wherein each still picture includes a video part and at least some of the still pictures include an original audio part, and the original audio parts being recorded consecutively after the corresponding video parts.

28. The recording medium according to claim 27, wherein the recording medium includes sizes of each of the video parts and original audio parts stored in a bitstream order in which the video parts and original audio parts are stored on the recording medium.