Mediatek Corporation

Pin-Chou Liu

Sung-Yang Wu

Ping-Tsai Tsai

Meng-Chang Liu

Ya-Fang Nien

Chien-Ming Chao

Methods, apparatus, and systems for writing a playable unfinalized disc. The method generally includes the steps of (a) recording data to the disc, (b) calculating a length of metadata based at least in part on a writing position on the disc, (c) determining a content of the metadata based at least in part on a data format and/or a disc format, and (d) recording the metadata to the disc at a position following and adjacent to the data. The apparatus generally includes (a) a disc loader configured to write data to the disc and to write metadata to the disc at a position following and adjacent to the data, and (b) a burning engine configured to send the data to the disc loader and to calculate a length of the metadata based at least in part on a writing position on the disc. The present invention advantageously allows users to view and/or share video content at any time without finalizing the disc (e.g., without recording on the lead-in area of the disc). Thus, users may append additional data to the unfinalized disc, and thereby more fully utilize space on the disc.

Methods and apparatus for creating and playing a playable unfinalized recordable disc

A bad block identification method for a memory is provided. The memory includes at least one memory block for storing data. A data decoding function is performed on the data, and it is determined whether the data decoding function was performed successfully. If the data decoding function was not performed successfully, at least one predetermined location in the memory block is checked. It is determined whether the predetermined location is marked by predetermined information. If the predetermined location is not marked by the predetermined information, the memory block is identified as a bad block.

Bad block identification methods

A method for determining a disc format is disclosed. Data from at least one address of the disc is retrieved, wherein the at least one address is selected from a plurality of predetermined addresses related to the disc format. The disc format is determined according to the retrieved data.

Method and system for determining disc format for recovery of data recording

A method for storing data in a first buffer and a second buffer is disclosed. The method includes: sequentially storing an incoming data into the first buffer and the second buffer according to a first threshold; transferring data stored in the second buffer to the first buffer when an amount of data stored in the second buffer reaches a second threshold; and driving the first buffer to output data stored therein when an amount of data stored in the first buffer exceeds the first threshold after transferred data is received from the second buffer.

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Taipei, Taiwan

Pin-Chou Liu