Data recording and reproducing apparatus having a data transferring device for selectively transferring data between multiple data recording and reproducing devices

• US 6,888,998 B1
• Filed: 11/27/1995
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Koike, Shigeaki, Iwasaki, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCCIO, VINCENT F
• Application Number:
  US08/563,188
• Time in Patent Office: 3,445 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/52, 386/55, 386/68, 386/77, 386/80, 386/125, 386/58, 386100-112, 358/335, 358/342, 358/311, 360/13, 360/14.1, 360/14.2, 360/14.3, 348/552
• US Class Current: 386/200
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/02 Editing, e.g. varying the order of information signals recorded on, or reproduced from, record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals

Abstract

A data recording and reproducing apparatus which can easily perform the editing of audio and/or visual data even at the camera site. In the data recording and reproducing apparatus, a VTR portion and an MO disc portion are integrally constituted. Audio and/or visual data input from an outside apparatus is recorded on a video tape by the VTR portion, and further reproduced from the video tape and transferred to the MO disc device at a high speed and recorded. The user of the data recording and reproducing apparatus quickly finds the desired video image by actively utilizing the random access property of the MO disc device and sequentially inputs the same to the VTR device, records the same on the video tape, and performs the editing of the audio and/or visual data.

Claims

1. A data recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

a data transfer means;

a first input/out means connected to said data transfer means for receiving a first analog audio-visual signal, converting said first analog audio-visual signal to a digital format, and providing the converted first digital audio-visual signal to the data transfer means, and for receiving digital audio-visual data from said data transfer means, converting said digital audio-visual data to an analog format, and outputting said converted analog audio-visual data as a second analog audio-visual signal;

a second input/output means connected to said data transfer means for receiving third audio-visual data and providing said third audio-visual data to said data transfer means, and for receiving fourth audio-visual data transferred from said data transfer means and outputting said fourth audio-visual data;

a tape recording and reproducing means for recording and reproducing either or both of audio data and video data of a digital format, the tape recording and reproducing means being connected to said data transfer means so that data may be transferred from the data transfer means and recorded by the tape recording and reproducing means in a tape recording medium, and audio-visual data reproduced from said tape recording medium by said tape recording and reproducing means may be provided to the data transfer means; and

a disc recording and reproducing means connected to said data transfer means so that audio-visual data may be transferred from said data transfer means to said disc recording and reproducing means and recorded in a disc recording medium which may be randomly accessed, and so that audio-visual data reproduced from said disc recording medium by disc recording and reproducing means may be provided to the data transfer means;

said data transfer means including buffer control means for controlling recording and reproduction of said disc recording and reproducing means according to remaining capacity of at least one buffering means for buffering audio-visual data;

wherein the data transfer means includes an input buffering means performing the buffering of said audio visual data input from said disc recording and reproducing means, an output buffering means performing the buffering of said audio-visual data that is transferred to said disc recording and reproducing means, and a recording and reproducing control means controlling each of the reproducing operation and recording operation of said disc recording and reproducing means in accordance with respective remaining recording capacities of the input buffering means and said output buffering means; and

wherein the data transfer means selectably transfers audio-visual data among any of the tape recording and reproducing means, the disc recording and reproducing means, the first input/output means, and the second input/output means.

2. A data recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said disc recording and reproducing means records audio-visual data which was reproduced from said tape recording medium by said tape recording and reproducing means and transferred by said data transfer means as well as audio-visual data which was received by said first input/output means and said second input/output means and transferred to said disc recording and reproducing means by said data transfer means in said disc recording medium and

said tape recording and reproducing means records said audio-visual data which was reproduced from said disc recording medium by said disc recording and reproducing means as well as audio-visual data which was received by said first input/output means and said second input/output means and transferred to said tape recording and reproducing means by said data transfer means in said tape recording medium.

3. A data recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said data transfer means includes,

an input buffering means performing the buffering of said audio-visual data input from said disc recording and reproducing means;

and

an output buffering means performing the buffering of said audio-visual data which is transferred to said disc recording and reproducing means;

said buffer control means controlling each of the reproduction operation and recording operation of said disc recording and reproducing means in accordance with respective remaining recording capacities of said input buffering means and said output buffering means.

4. A data recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said buffer control means starts the reproduction operation of said disc recording and reproducing means when the remaining storage capacity of the input buffering means becomes larger than a predetermined value and stops the reproduction operation of said disc recording and reproducing means when the remaining storage capacity of said input buffering means becomes a predetermined value or less.

5. A data recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said tape recording and reproducing means reproduces said audio-visual data at the data rate with which said data transfer means receives said audio-visual data and records said audio-visual data at the data rate with which the data transfer means transfers said audio-visual data.

6. A data recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first input/output means includes,

a digital/analog conversion means for converting said audio-visual data of a digital format received from said data transfer means to said second analog audio-visual signal, and

an analog/digital conversion means for converting the first analog audio-visual signal to audio-visual data of a digital format and providing the audio-visual data of a digital format to said data transfer means.

7. A data recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second input/output means includes,

a data output means for converting audio-visual data of a parallel format from the data transfer means to audio-visual data of a serial format, and

a data reception means for receiving audio-visual data of a serial format and converting the audio-visual data of a serial format to audio-visual data of a parallel format and outputting the same to said data transfer means.

8. A data recording and reproducing apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a data transfer means provided in said housing;

a first input/out means connected to said data transfer means for receiving a first analog audio-visual signal, converting said first analog audio-visual signal to a digital format, and providing the converted first digital audio-visual signal to the data transfer means, and for receiving digital audio-visual data from said data transfer means, converting said digital audio-visual data to an analog format, and outputting said converted analog audio-visual data as a second analog audio-visual signal;

a second input/output means connected to said data transfer means for receiving third audio-visual data and providing said third audio-visual data to said data transfer means, and for receiving fourth audio-visual data transferred from said data transfer means and outputting said fourth audio-visual data;

a tape recording and reproducing means provided in said housing for recording and reproducing either or both of audio data and video data of a digital format, the tape recording and reproducing means being connected to said data transfer means so that data may be transferred from the data transfer means and recorded by the tape recording and reproducing means in a tape recording medium, and audio-visual data reproduced from said tape recording medium by said tape recording and reproducing means may be provided to the data transfer means; and

a disc recording and reproducing means provided in said housing and connected to said data transfer means so that audio-visual data may be transferred from said data transfer means to said disc recording and reproducing means and recorded in a disc recording medium which may be randomly accessed, and so that audio-visual data reproduced from said disc recording medium by disc recording and reproducing means may be provided to the data transfer means;

said data transfer means including buffer control means for controlling recording and reproduction of said disc recording and reproducing means according to remaining capacity of at least one buffering means for buffering audio-visual data;

wherein the data transfer means includes an input buffering means performing the buffering of said audio visual data input from said disc recording and reproducing means, an output buffering means performing the buffering of said audio-visual data that is transferred to said disc recording and reproducing means, and a recording and reproducing control means controlling each of the reproducing operation and recording operation of said disc recording and reproducing means in accordance with respective remaining recording capacities of the input buffering means and said output buffering means; and

wherein the data transfer means selectably transfers audio-visual data among any of the tape recording and reproducing means, the disc recording and reproducing means, the first input/output means, and the second input/output means.

9. A data recording and reproducing apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said first and second input/out means are provided in said housing.