Method of coordinately processing pieces of copy information and information recording/reproducing apparatus

• US 7,302,161 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurano, Tomoaki, Omokawa, Mitsunori, Seita, Takahiro, Hisatomi, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri; Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wendmagegn; Girumsew
• Application Number:
  US10/082,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20020126984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: 386/94, 386/46, 369/47.31
• US Class Current: 386/258
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/12 Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers within interface between computers and data recorders G06F3/06
• 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 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91328 the copy protection signal being a copy management signal, e.g. a copy generation management signal [CGMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

The copy-related information of an input video signal is detected and the copy control information of RDI located at the head of each video object unit and the scrambling control information described in the packet header of the video packets in the video object unit to which the RDI belongs are rewritten so as to coordinate the contents of the copy-related information, those of the copy control information and those of the scrambling control information.

Claims

1. An information recording/reproducing apparatus for recording and playback video information, wherein said video information is adapted to an information processing data format that is defined to include (1) video packs of which data is configured by a packet header containing scrambling control information and compressed video data, (2) audio packs of which data is audio information, (3) unit control information (RDI) packs as managing information including copy control information, (4) a video object unit including one unit control information (RDI) pack at the head and including the video packs and audio packs continuing to the unit control information pack, (5) and video object (VOB) including one or more of the video object unit (VOBU), the apparatus comprising:

an encoder including a video encoder, an audio encoder and a formatter, which assembles the video packs, the audio packs and the video object unit;

a controller including a RDI processing section and a packet header processing section, which coordinates content of the copy control information in the video object unit, by detecting a copy control information from the input source, where the RDI processing section changes the content of the copy control information in the RDI pack to the corresponding content with the detected copy control information, and the packet header processing section changes the content of scrambling control information in the headers in the video packs belonging to the video object unit to the corresponding content with the detected copy control information.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the packet header processing section further coordinates the content of the video scrambling control information with the content of the audio scrambling control information of the audio pack.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing data format defines a sub picture pack having a packet including a packet header having a sub picture scrambling control information and including sub picture data;

and

the packet header processing section further coordinates the content of the video scrambling control information with the content of the sub picture scrambling control information of the sub picture pack.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller has:

means for making majority decision by determining if the copy control information contained in each of the plurality of unit control information (RDI) packs in a video object authorizes or prohibits copying; and

means for determining the contents of the copy control information for whole of the video object on the basis of the majority decision.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller has:

means for detecting if the copy control information contained in each of the plurality of unit control information (RDI) packs in a video object authorizes or prohibits copying; and

means for determining the contents of the copy control information for whole of the video object so as to prohibit copying if copy control information prohibiting copying is detected.

6. An information recording/reproducing method for recording and playback video information, wherein said video information is adapted to an information processing data format than is defined to include (1) video packs of which data is configured by a packet header containing scrambling control information and compressed video data, (2) audio packs of which data is audio information. (3) unit control information (RDI) packs us managing information including copy control information, (4) a video object unit including one unit control information (RDI) pack at the head and including the video packs and audio packs continuing to the unit control information pack, (5) and video object (VOB) including one or more of the video object unit (VOBU), the method comprising:

assembling the video packs, the audio packs and the video object unit by a video encoder, an audio encoder and a formatter;

coordinating content of the copy control information in the video object unit, by detecting a copy control information from the input source, where the RDI processing section changes the content of the copy control information in the RDI pack to the corresponding content with the detected copy control information, and the packet header processing section changes the content of scrambling control information in the headers in the video packs belonging to the video object unit to the corresponding content with the detected copy control information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

the method further coordinates the content of the video scrambling control information with the content of the audio scrambling control information of the audio pack.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the information processing data format defines a sub picture pack having a packet including a packet header having a sub picture scrambling control information and including sub picture data, and

the method further coordinates the content of the video scrambling control information with the content of the sub picture scrambling control information of the sub picture pack.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein

the method further comprises:

making majority decision by determining if the copy control information contained in each of the plurality of unit control information (RDI) packs in a video object authorizes or prohibits copying; and

determining the contents of the copy control information for whole of the video object on the basis of the majority decision.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein

the method further comprises:

detecting if the copy control information contained in each of the plurality of unit control information (RDI) packs in a video object authorizes or prohibits copying; and

determining the contents of the copy control information for whole of the video object so as to prohibit copying if copy control information prohibiting copying is detected.