Hitachi, Ltd.

Atsuhiro Ono

Kazuto Shimagami

Satoshi Takahashi

Tomochika Yamashita

Chikara Maezono

Nobumitsu Mabe

Toshiya Takko

Tomofumi Moriya

Hiroki Fukumoto

The following configuration is preferable for providing a digital broadcast-enabled recording and reproducing device involving no lip-sync error and offering good usability. For example, the recording and reproducing device includes a receiver that receives digital broadcast data, a video/audio signal generator that generates a video signal and an audio signal included in the digital broadcast data received by the receiver, an image processing unit that executes image processing of the video signal input from the video/audio signal generator; and a delay unit that receives the audio signal generated by the video/audio signal generator to adjust time lag between the received audio signal and the video signal processed by the image processing unit.

Recording and reproducing device

A broadcast receiver includes a tuner section for receiving a broadcast program, an MPEG decoderfor converting a signal coming from the tuner section into a given format, and a hard disk drive (HDD) for recording the converted digital signal. In the broadcast receiver, a HDD medium of the HDD for recording the received broadcast program has, separately, a stream area for storing stream data as a video/audio signal, and a management data area for storing management data other than the stream data, and these areas are formatted by each different given unit. With such a structure, the broadcast receiver becomes highly-usable, requiring less time for the search operation on an HDD at the time of system startup. There is also a method for recording broadcast programs received by the broadcast receiver, and an information recorder for such use.

Broadcast program recording method and broadcast receiver, and information recorder for the same

A highly-operable receiver, which shortens search operations on an HDD upon startup, a recording method thereof, and an information recorder therefor are described. The broadcast receiver includes a tuner portion for receiving a broadcast program, an MPEG decoder for converting a signal from the tuner portion to a predetermined format, and a hard disk drive (HDD) for recording the converted digital signal. Whether power was turned off normally at last use is determined when the power supply is turned on. If the power supply was turned off normally at last use, a bitmap for the HDD recorded upon the last power shut-off is input; if not, new bitmap information is created. Thus, the writing/reading operations of the HDD are better managed.

Broadcast program recording method, broadcast receiver, and information recorder therefor

In digital broadcast recording for automatically recording broadcasts on a channel selected from a plurality of digital broadcast programs on a recording medium, in accordance with a booking that is performed by specifying a time zone and giving a command to record a stream of broadcast contents on the user-selected channel during the time zone, the stream of broadcast contents on the channel is recorded, separated into a plurality of units for the programs broadcasted during the time zone. Thus, the recorded stream can be handled program by program in a later editing or playback operation, despite that it was recorded by booked recording for which only the time zone was specified, and thus the user-friendliness is improved.

Method of recording multiple programs over a specified time period in separate program data files

The broadcast receiver that incorporates an HDD as a recording medium and records programs on the recording medium, when recording a program on the recording medium, determines whether the program content is prohibited from being copied afterward. If it is determined that the program content is prohibited from being copied afterward, the receiver divides the program content into segments of data size falling, for example, within the range between 45 sec. and 60 sec., as time taken to play back the data at 1&#xd7; speed, and stores the segments into a plurality of files, respectively. Even in case of accidental disconnection of the device power or network interface, it becomes possible to positively move content that was once recorded on a recording medium to another external device and recording medium under the conditions prescribed for copyright protection.

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Kitaura, Japan

Atsuhiro Ono