DIGITAL RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

• US 20020057893A1
• Filed: 03/03/1999
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Networks North America, Inc. (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Digital Networks North America, Inc. (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: TOWNSEND, KARL, SELF, MATTHEW, WOOD, ANTHONY, SHANSON, SPENCER, SHANNON, DOUG, NUDELMAN, MARK, WOODWARD, DONALD Jr.
• Application Number:
  US09/262,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20020057893A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91314 the copy protection signal being a pulse signal inserted in blanking intervals of the video signal, e.g. pseudo-AGC pulses, pseudo-sync pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91321 the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals

Abstract

Apparatus and corresponding methods for storing video information. The apparatus includes a means for receiving video information, a means for converting the received video information into digital video information, and a means for storing the digital video information. Converting the received video information into digital video information can include converting it into an MPEG-compatible digital format. The apparatus can include an MPEG-compatible digital encoder, which can include separate audio and video MPEG encoders. The digital video information can be stored on an electromagnetically writable disk drive with an optimized MPEG file system (OMFS) configured to receive the digital video information and store the digital video information on the disk drive, where the OMFS is configured to divide the received digital video information into one or more packets, each packet having the same number of bytes as a sector on a disk in the disk drive. The OMFS can first accumulate one of the packets of digital video information in a cache memory. The OMFS, upon filling the cache memory with a completed packet of digital video information, then stores the completed packet on a single one of the sectors of the disk drive.

Claims

1. An apparatus for storing video information comprising:

a means for receiving video information;

a means for converting the received video information into digital video information; and

a means for storing the digital video information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for converting the received video information into digital video information further comprises an MPEG-compatible digital encoder.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the MPEG-compatible digital encoder further comprises separate audio and video MPEG encoders.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means for storing the digital video information further comprises:

an electromagnetically writable disk drive; and

an optimized MPEG file system (OMFS), the OMFS configured to receive the digital video information and store the digital video information on the disk drive.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein:

the disk drive further comprises one or more electromagnetic disks, each electromagnetic disk divided into one or more sectors having a fixed number of bytes storable on each sector; and

the OMFS is configured to divide the received digital video information into one or more packets, each packet having the same number of bytes as a sector on a disk in the disk drive.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the OMFS first accumulates one of the packets of digital video information in a cache memory.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the OMFS, upon filling the cache memory with a completed packet of digital video information, then stores the completed packet on a single one of the sectors of the disk drive.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means for converting the received video information into digital video information further comprises an MPEG-compatible software encoder streamer which couples to the MPEG-compatible digital encoder to convert the received video information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for reading the stored the digital video information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the means for reading further comprises an MPEG-compatible digital decoder.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the MPEG-compatible digital decoder further comprises separate audio and video MPEG decoders.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the means for reading further comprises an MPEG-compatible software decoder streamer which couples to the MPEG-compatible digital decoder to convert the stored digital video information into video information suitable for being displayed on a television monitor.

13. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the OMFS is configured to defragment the disk drive periodically.

14. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the OMFS is configured to determine periodically poor sectors on the disk drive and prevent writing to the poor sectors.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step for converting the received video information into digital video information further comprises encoding the received video information into an MPEG-compatible format.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step for converting further comprises the steps of converting the audio information and the video information separately in MPEG-compatible formats.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the digital video information is stored using an optimized MPEG file system (OMFS), the OMFS receiving the digital video information and storing the digital video information on an electromagnetically writable disk drive.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the disk drive further comprises one or more electromagnetic disks, each electromagnetic disk divided into one or more sectors having a fixed number of bytes storable on each sector;

and

the OMFS divides the received digital video information into one or more packets, each packet having the same number of bytes as a sector on a disk in the disk drive.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the OMFS first accumulates one of the packets of digital video information in a cache memory.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the OMFS, upon filling the cache memory with a completed packet of digital video information, then stores the completed packet on a single one of the sectors of the disk drive.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the step for converting the received video information into digital video information further comprises using an MPEG-compatible software encoder streamer coupled to an MPEG-compatible digital encoder to convert the received video information.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step for reading the stored the digital video information.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the step for reading further comprises using an MPEG-compatible digital decoder to decode the stored digital video information.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein step for reading further comprises separately decoding audio and video signals using separate MPEG-compatible audio and video decoders.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the step for reading further comprises using an MPEG-compatible software decoder streamer coupled to an MPEG-compatible digital decoder to convert the stored digital video information into video information suitable for being displayed on a television monitor.

15. A method for storing video information comprising the steps of:

a step for receiving video information;

a step for converting the received video information into digital video information; and

a step for storing the digital video information.