Sony Corporation

Hidenori Aotake

Yoshimasa Hosono

Kazuhiro Suzuki

Toshimasa Mizunashi

Shuhei Nakada

An MPEG1 real time encoder board generates index data as an evaluation value representing the complexity of a picture. A scene change parameter representing the degree of a scene change occurring in the picture is then calculated from the index data. The scene change parameter is associated with a scene change pointer, that is, position information on a location of the picture in which a scene change occurs to a degree indicated by the scene change parameter. The scene change parameter and the scene change pointer are recorded as an index in an index file. On the other hand, an MPEG system stream output by the MPEG1 real time encoder board is stored in an MPEG file separated from the index file.

Picture processing apparatus, using screen change parameters representing a high degree of screen change

A recording period of time for recording a program and a bit rate of an MPEG system stream produced by the encoder board as a result of encoding a program are set. The microprocessor computes a recording capacity from the recording period of time and the bit rate. A free area with the size equal to the computed recording capacity is allocated in the hard disc. The free area is used for storing an MPEG system stream of a program received typically by a TV tuner employed in the encoder board.

Recording apparatus, recording method and recording medium

A personal computer is used as a recording apparatus that is capable of carrying out recording and other processing concurrently without suspending the recording. The personal computer includes an encoder board, a microprocessor, and a hard disk. A recording period of time for recording a program and a bit rate of an MPEG system stream produced by the encoder board as a result of encoding a program are set. The microprocessor computes a recording capacity from the recording period of time and the bit rate. A free area with the size equal to the computed recording capacity is allocated in the hard disc. The free area is used for storing MPEG system stream of a program received typically by a TV tuner employed in the encoder board.

Recording/playback apparatus, recording/playback method and recording medium

An information recording medium having recorded thereon picture information and/or speech information, a plurality of items consisting of the picture information and/or the speech information, and reproduction control information comprised of a plurality of lists for controlling the reproduction of the items, wherein at least a portion of the lists includes item information specifying one or more items reproduced in accordance with the lists and pointers represented by an offset from a leading end of the reproduction control information specifying another list to be linked, and wherein at least one of the lists is a first list including the item information specifying the one or more items, a plurality of pointers associated with plural lists branched according to a user selection and a plurality of region data defining regions of alternatives for menu display of the contents of the pointers according to a priority sequence.

Optical disc having recorded thereon a simplified playback control

Optical recording medium with lists having playback control information

A picture reproducing apparatus includes a CD-ROM drive for fetching compressed video image data from a disc on which initial I-picture data for an initial picture for a menu display and a plurality of updating P-picture data for partially updating the initial picture are recorded. The picture reproducing apparatus also includes a RAN having a capacity of at least one video image frame and having an updating picture data storage area, an MPEG decoder for decoding MPEG encoded picture data and a CPU for initially transmitting the initial picture data and subsequently transmitting the updating picture data to the decoder. By making a picture display for displaying menu items or the like with the aid of a compressed picture decoder as used for displaying the compressed moving picture or still picture, the menu items or the like may be displayed without employing a graphic display circuit.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Hidenori Aotake