Abstract: A method (2) of controlling memory usage in a portable streaming device (100), a portable streaming device (100) and a computer readable medium (110). The portable streaming device (100) comprises at least one memory (102), at least one processing unit (101), and at least one storage device (103) being operatively connected with said memory (102) under control of said processing unit (101). The size of a disk scheduler buffer memory within said memory in said portable streaming device is adaptively maximised by said method (2) at all times. Free memory available within the portable streaming device is continuously allocated (50) and at least a portion of said allocated free memory is designated as disk scheduler buffer memory (60). Thus results improved solid state memory utilisation of the portable streaming device, and due to larger available disk buffer memory size, less start-stop-cycles of the storage device are initiated, which leads to a longer life-cycle of said portable streaming device.

Abstract: A mirror actuator includes a piezoelectric element having a thickness in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the mirror, and a circular surface bonded to a circular rear surface of the mirror such that the center of the circular surface of the piezoelectric element and that of the circular rear surface of the mirror match. The piezoelectric element receives a potential to cause the circular surface bonded to the mirror to expand/contract radially around 360 degrees by a uniform ratio to allow the mirror to have a surface modified in geometry. The piezoelectric element is adjusted in thickness so that as the piezoelectric element expands/contracts, the piezoelectric element allows the mirror to have a surface with a ratio of a radius of curvature in a radial direction of the mirror to that of curvature in a tangential direction of the mirror of (cos(2?)+1)/2, where ? represents an angle of incidence on the surface of the mirror.

Abstract: An objective optical element to be used for an optical pickup device for performing reproducing and/or recording of information to a first optical information recording medium and a second optical information recording medium by converging a light beam having a wavelength ?1 (640 nm??1?670 nm) on the first optical information recording medium having a protective substrate thickness t1, and by converging a light beam having a wavelength ?2 (400 nm??2?415 nm) on the second optical information recording medium having a protective substrate thickness t2; wherein an optical system magnification m1 satisfies a relation of |m1|<0.01, and wherein an optical system magnification m2 satisfies a relation of |m2|<0.01.

Abstract: A finite optical system that a laser beam from a light source is allowed to be directly incident on an objective lens without passing a collimate lens is employed. The reference position of the objective lens is set so that converged light from the objective lens forms a focal point on a recording layer remoter from the light source of two recording layers in an optical disk. The objective lens moves in a direction of the light source side from the reference position to perform a focusing operation and read information recorded on the recording layer nearer to the light source.

Abstract: A signal can be detected based on a level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by setting the recording density of a header field in a linear direction lower (coarse) than that of a user data recording field. Further, a signal can be detected based on the level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by using a mark position form having a large detection margin as an information recording system of the header field. A readout error of a sector number due to a detection error is compensated for by recording address marks AM for attaining byte synchronization of the header field in both of a head portion and tail portion of information recorded in the header field.

Abstract: An optical recording medium is provided which includes a first substrate having a first information surface, a semitransparent reflection film formed on the first information surface of the first substrate, and a second substrate having a second information surface. In addition, the optical recording medium includes a reflection film formed on the second information surface of the second substrate, and an adhesive layer for adhering the first substrate and the second substrate so that the first information surface of the first substrate faces the second information surface on the second substrate. The thickness of the first substrate is the same as the thickness of the second substrate.

Abstract: A device for scanning a record carrier has a head for scanning a track for reading and/or writing information. A disc scheduler controls receiving requests for accessing the record carrier, the requests including streaming requests regarding real time information and auxiliary requests (44) regarding auxiliary information. The disc scheduler reduces power consumption of the device by switching the scanning means to a stand-by mode when no requests are pending and switching the scanning means to an operational mode when a request has to be executed. The auxiliary requests are executed in a processing interval (45) in combination with a selected one of the streaming requests. Hence the number of spin-ups of the record carrier is reduced.

Abstract: A signal can be detected based on a level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by setting the recording density of a header field in a linear direction lower (coarse) than that of a user data recording field. Further, a signal can be detected based on the level slice system and detection delay time can be reduced by using a mark position form having a large detection margin as an information recording system of the header field. A readout error of a sector number due to a detection error is compensated for by recording address marks AM for attaining byte synchronization of the header field in both of a head portion and tail portion of information recorded in the header field.

Abstract: A disk reproducing apparatus comprises a disk reproducing unit configured to reproduce a disk having a recording management area in which an RZone having navigation data is allocated at a head thereof, a plurality of titles are then recorded in a mode in which there is allocated an RZone having presentation data managed by the navigation data, and position information on the RZone is recorded, and a reproduction control unit configured to store position information on the RZone having the navigation data as information indicating a start position of the title and to use the stored information as a title reproduction start position.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus comprises a reception unit configured to receive image signals, a stream generation unit configured to generate a stream formed by continuously arranging a plurality of pieces of VOBU adhering to a DVD-VR standard from the image signals received by the reception unit, a management information generation unit configured to generate management information of the stream generated by the stream generation unit, a control unit configured to arrange part of the management information generated by the management information generation unit in reserve areas in a plurality of pieces of VOBU constituting the stream respectively, and a recording unit configured to record the stream in which part of the management information is arranged by the control unit and the management information in a recording medium.

Abstract: A receiver is described for delivering a data sequence (ak) at a data rate 1/T from an analog signal (Sa), the receiver comprising: a) converting means (40) for generating a received sequence (rn) by sampling the analog signal (Sa) with a sample rate of 1/Ts, whereby the sample rate 1/Ts of the received sequence (rn) is controllable by a preset value (Pv); b) digital processing means (12) for delivering a processed sequence (yn) by processing the received sequence (rn); c) a first sample rate converter (13) converting the processed sequence (yn) into an equivalent processed sequence (ye) at the data rate 1/T, whereby the data rate of the equivalent processed sequence (ye) is controllable by a control signal (Sc); d) an error generator (14) for delivering an error sequence (ek) from the equivalent processed sequence (ye); e) a control signal generating means (15) for generating the control signal (Sc) dependent on the error sequence (ek); f) a detector (16) for deriving the data sequence (ak) from the equivale

Abstract: A method and apparatus to display a status of an optical recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The method includes, determining a type of an optical disc loaded into a tray; transmitting a predetermined signal based on the determination result to a laser emitting diode module comprising at least two laser emitting diodes, which emit different color beams so that the laser emitting diode module emits a color beam based on the determined type of the optical disc.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for reproducing replacement data recorded in a spare area of a disc, such as a DVD-RAM. The replacement data is temporarily stored in a memory provided in a disc reading or player apparatus or a RAM provided in a PC connected to the disc reading or player apparatus so that the temporarily stored data can be read without movement of an optical pickup to the spare area during a subsequent data reproducing operation. The replacement data is thereby reproduced along with data recorded in a data area of the disc, in a successive manner. Accordingly, it is possible, for example, to efficiently prevent reproduced pictures from being discontinuously outputted due to a delayed data reading operation caused by a searching operation for the spare area in which the replacement data is recorded.

Abstract: A temporary defect management area 14 is placed between a control information recording area 12 and a data area 11. Before a recording medium 10 is finalized, defect management information is temporarily recorded into the temporary defect management area. Upon finalizing, the defect management information is recorded into a definite defect management area 13 placed in the control information recording area.

Abstract: A petabyte diffractive storage system stores information on a diffractive storage tape. A light component generates a large reference beam to cover the plurality of points of the diffractive storage tape so as to simultaneously interfere with the plurality of object beams creating a plurality of packets of information at the plurality of points. Also disclosed is a terabyte diffractive storage that system reads information from a diffractice storage disk having a plurality of tracks. A plurality of micro-mirrors directs the read beam to one of said plurality of tracks.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus establish manufacturer-specific test writing parameters for writing of a writable optical storage media in accordance with the media manufacturers, which are experimentally determined and stored into a certain storing unit; determine an optimum writing light power based on the determined optimum writing parameters; and write an input signal into the user's data region of the optical disk.

Abstract: The present invention is an optical pick-up system for use in an optical disk device including more efficient beam diffraction for tracking purposes. The system may be used for one or more types of optical disks (e.g., DVDs, CDs, CD-ROMs). The invention includes a system for use in a DVD player; however, the present invention is applicable to any optical disk device. The system invention includes a gray-scale grating, which provides more efficient diffraction of tracking and processing portions of the laser(s) used in optical disk devices.

Abstract: In an optical recording medium having two information recording layers, a highly reliable recording can be conducted in one of the recording layers in the back regardless of the recording state of the other recording layer closer to the side of the disc on which light is incident. A first photodetector 115 detects reflected light from a recording layer 103 in the back when the light is focused thereon. A second photodetector 116 is disposed outside the periphery of the first photodetector 115 and detects reflected light from a recording layer 105 located in front. When recording in the recording layer in the back, the write power is controlled in accordance with the output level of the second photodetector.

Abstract: A high-definition optical disk and a high-definition optical disk drive, which record data on lands and grooves. Wobbles are formed in grooves and lands of an optical disk, and address information is embedded in the wobbles. The wobbles are formed so as to become in phase with each other in the grooves. An address of the land sandwiched between the grooves is detected from the wobble of the groove. When the wobble of the land is not an in-phase wobble but is of opposite phase, a gray code of the wobble is substituted with a binary address such that 0 is achieved when the gray code is converted into the binary address. As a result, even in the case of the wobble of opposite phase, the address information about the land is made coincident with address information about an inner-radius-side adjacent groove, thereby determining address information about the land.

Abstract: There is generated a rhythm corresponding to a designated tempo and meter of a music piece to be recorded. Performance of a musical instrument is started at specific timing according to the generated rhythm, and the musical information resulting from the performance is recorded onto an MD (Mini Disk). The address on the MD read out when the performance of the music piece is started is retrieved as a start address of the music piece. After the recording, the retrieved start address is recorded onto the UTOC (User's-table-of-contents) area of the disk along with the designated tempo and meter. By reading out the start address, tempo and meter to calculate a measure number and start address of a desired measure on the basis of the read out information, display of a measure number being currently reproduced and quick access to the starting point of any desired measure can be achieved.