U.S. Philips Corporation

Rudolf Roth

Paulus C Van Der Zande

Jacobus P Heemskerk

Wilhelmus P Raaymakers

Hindrik Veldhuis

Johannes C Van Offenbeek

Gerardus C Lokhoff

Johannes Jan Mons

Reinder Haakma

A record carrier, a recording device and method, and an information recording system including the recording device and the record carrier. The record carrier has a track which is transversely modulated in accordance with an auxiliary signal. The auxiliary signal includes address codes which specify addresses at which those codes are located on the track, and auxiliary codes which specify control data. The recording device and method are adapted to read the auxiliary signal from the record carrier, and use the control data when recording information on the record carrier. The address codes and auxiliary codes are distinguishable from each other and can be extracted from the auxiliary signal by the recording device and in the recording method.

Method for recording information on a record carrier having a track

A combination including a recording arrangement and a source selection arrangement. The recording arrangement includes at least two different inputs for receiving different types of signals (e.g., analog, digital and/or optical); a recording unit for recording a digital signal on the record carrier; and a switching unit for coupling one of the inputs to the recording unit. (If the input coupled to the recording unit does receive a digital signal, then recording arrangement includes a conversion device for converting that signal to digital form.) The source selection arrangement includes at least two different outputs for supplying different types of signals (e.g., analog, digital and/or optical) to corresponding inputs of the recording arrangement; and a source selection unit for selecting between different signal sources and thereby enabling the signal source selected to supply a signal to one of the outputs. The combination further includes a user actuatable input unit for enabling a user to select a source, and a selection signal generator unit for generating a selection control signal which controls the selection operation of the source selection in response to the source selected by the user. The selection signal generator includes a memory which stores information relating to the source selected by the user and indicating to which input of the inputs of the recording arrangement the signal supplied by the signal source selected is supplied, and supplies a switching control signal to the switching unit to control to which input of the inputs of recording arrangement it is coupled.

Combination of a recording arrangement and a source selection arrangement

Record carriers containing a user's preferred order of reproduction of items of information included therein, and reproducing apparatus for use with and/or recording apparatus for creating the record carriers. The reproducing apparatus reproduces items of information which have been recorded on the record carrier at respective locations within a single continuous time sequence in accordance with the user's preferred order of reproduction after reading information containing the user's preferred order of reproduction from the record carrier. The recording apparatus enable the user's preferred order of reproduction to be entered into the recording apparatus, and records information containing the user's preferred order of reproduction on the record carrier. The record carriers may include a user writable region and a pre-mastered region including pointer information identifying where within the user writable region a user table of contents is or will be located.

Record carriers containing a user's preferred order of reproduction of

A recording and read system capable of recording and reading information from a record carrier with a higher speed than that with which it is received or supplied. In order to compensate for differences between the recording speed and the read speed and between the receiving speed and the supply speed the device includes an input buffer memory and an output buffer memory. In order to minimize the required storage capacity of the buffer memories, the device comprises a control unit which is loaded with a control program which temporarily interrupts the recording and read process in such a way that the degree of filling of the capacity of the input buffer memory and of the capacity of the output buffer memory remains within specific limits.

System for recording and reading information on a record carrier at a

Methods of and information recording devices for recording and/or inhibiting recording of a signal including copy bits on a record carrier, and a record carrier including that signal. The signal has successive information frames including main data and subcode data. The subcode data of the information frames make up successive subcode frames having copy bits with logic values which alternate among the subcode frames in accordance with a predetermined pattern. Each subcode frame has at least one copy bit. In one of the embodiments, the signal is received and a determination is made whether to inhibit its recording on the basis of the predetermined pattern exhibited by the logic values of the copy bits contained in the subcode frames. In another embodiment the subcode frames are replaced by substitute subcode frames having copy bits with logic values which alternate among the substitute subcode frames in accordance with a selected pattern prior to recording of the signal. The predetermined and selected patterns are indicative of a particular characteristic of the main data (e.g., whether the main data is copy protected).

Methods of and information recording devices for recording and/or

Record carrier with copy bits

A recording device, record carrier, and information recording system including both. The recording device is adapted to read an auxiliary signal from the record carrier. The record carrier has a track which is transversely modulated in accordance with the auxiliary signal. The auxiliary signal includes address codes which specify addresses at which those codes are located on the track, and auxiliary codes which specify control data for use by the recording device when recording an information signal on the track. The address codes and auxiliary codes are distinguishable from each other and can be extracted by the recording device.

Recording device, a record carrier having preformatted address codes and

A recording and read system capable of for recording and reading information (Va) on/from a record carrier (1) with a higher speed than that with which it is received or supplied. In order to compensate for differences between the recording speed and the read speed and between the receiving speed and the supply speed the device includes an input buffer memory (6) and an output buffer memory (11). In order to minimize the required storage capacity of the buffer memories (6, 11), the device comprises a control unit (10) which is loaded with a control program which temporarily interrupts the recording and read process in such a way that the degree of filling of the capacity of the input buffer memory (6) and of the capacity of the output buffer memory (11) remains within specific limits.

A method and apparatus for successively recording a first and a second information signal on a record carrier track which is pre-recorded with track position-code signals alternating with track position-synchronizing signals. Each information signal is converted into a respective modulated digital signal having successive subcode frames, each subcode frame including subcode synchronizing signals and successive information frames which include time code signals. Upon completion of recording of the information in the first modulated signal, recording of succeeding information frames thereof is continued for a predetermined time interval thereafter so that recording of such signal terminates at a boundary position located between successive subcode synchronizing signals on the track. Generation of the second modulated signal is initiated the aforesaid time interval prior to recording, so that recording thereof begins at the boundary position of the first modulated signal. Consequently, the subcode synchronizing signals and the track position-code signals are maintained without interruption during the transition between recording of successive information signals, thereby making it possible to continuously maintain a fixed phase relation therebetween and so avoid loss of information therein in the vicinity of such transition.

Method and apparatus for successively recording two EFM-modulated

When series of data signals (DS1, DS2, DS3) are recorded in a track (82) of a record carrier (61), the address information indicating the location where the data signal is recorded on the record carrier is stored in a temporary table of contents (PMA) after recording of a data signal. After the last data signal of the series has been recorded, a definitive table of contents is generated by means of the temporary table of contents, which definitive table of contents is subsequently recorded in the lead-in track (LI) on the record carrier. A reading device is presented for a record carrier.

Method for recording data signals on an inscribable record carrier and

The present Patent Application relates to an information recording and read device for recording and reading information on/from an inscribable record carrier, (4; 11) of a write-once type, in which the recorded information includes redundancy for the purpose of error correction. The device comprises recording means (1, 2, 3; 12,15,16) for recording an information pattern which is representative of the information to be recorded in a track on the record carrier (11), read means (5, 6, 7; 12,14, 16) for converting the information pattern into an information signal (Vi), and control means for controlling the recording and/or read process on the basis of the control information in the track. The read means comprises a correction circuit (7; 17) for correcting errors in the information signal on the basis of the redundancy in the information and for suppressing the information signal if the correction circuit is not capable of correcting the errors. The device further comprises means (8; 24, 25) for partly mutilating the recorded information pattern in a selected part of the track in such a manner that in the selected part of the track portions with a mutilated information pattern and portions with an undamaged information pattern alternate with each other in a manner such that control on the basis of the control information in the track remains possible but the error correction circuit (7; 17) is no longer capable of correcting the errors.

Information recording and read device, information recording device, and

A series of data signals are recorded in a track on a record carrier, and address information indicating the location thereon of each data signal is stored in a temporary table of contents in the recording apparatus after recording each such signal. After the last data signal of the series has been recorded, a final table of contents is then generated from the temporary table of contents and is recorded in the lead-in portion of the track on the record carrier.

Method and apparatus for recording on a record carrier a table of

A recording system includes a record carrier of an inscribable type and a recording apparatus. The record carrier is preconditioned with a control information pattern which includes identification of one or more types of information for which recording is permitted on such record carrier. The recording apparatus includes means for determining the type of information received for recording, means for reading the control information represented by the control information pattern on the record carrier, and control means for inhibiting recording if the received information is not of a type identified by the control information read from the record carrier.

Growing community of inventors

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Rudolf Roth