Abstract: An information processing apparatus may generate resource information used for playing back image content that can be divided into a plurality of zones. The information processing apparatus may include an image generator generating a still image from each of the plurality of zones, a face processor setting each of the plurality of zones to be a target zone and determining whether a face of a specific character which is determined to continuously appear in at least one zone before the target zone is contained in the still image generated from the target zone, and an information generator specifying, on the basis of a determination result obtained for each of the plurality of zones by the face processor, at least one zone in which the face of the specific character continuously appears as a face zone, and generating information concerning the face zone as one item of the resource information.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus may control display of a GUI image including indexes that allow a user to select the entirety or part of an image content piece. The information processing apparatus may include a controller configured to control display of a first GUI image including an index of each of at least one image content piece, and to control a display of a second GUI image including face thumbnail images, which serve as indexes that allow the user to select the entirety or part of an image content piece corresponding to an index selected from the first GUI image by the user, the face thumbnail images corresponding to faces detected from the entirety or part of the image content piece.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus includes a processing unit for generating and/or processing a moving image, an encoding unit for encoding one of the generated moving image and the processed moving image, and a control unit for controlling the encoding unit so that an amount of code per predetermined unit encoded by the encoding unit corresponds to information supplied from the processing unit, the information indicating one of the status of the moving image, the status of generation of the moving image, and a process of the processing unit applied to the moving image.

Abstract: An information recording method and apparatus and an information reproducing method and apparatus in which AV data can be recorded or reproduced temporally continuously without producing fragmentation. To this end, the apparatus includes a storage unit 7 at least including a management information region and a user data region made up of plural logical blocks, and a recording unit 9 for continuously recording information signals from a recording start logical block to a recording end logical block in the user data region of the storage unit 7 and again recording information signals from the recording start logical block.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, a program recording medium, and a program which mitigate inconveniences due to a difference in recording format when performing the processing of copying or moving data between two recording media of different recording formats. A device control section 16 supplies UDF data, which is adopted for a DVD, to a device control section 17 together with an ATAPI command used when recording data onto a DVD. The device control section 17 converts the ATAPI command supplied from the device control section 16 into an ATA command corresponding to the ATAPI command, supplies it to an HDD 18 together with data supplied from the device control section 16 together with the ATAPI command, thereby controlling recording of the UDF data onto a hard disk 18A. The present invention is applicable to, for example, a hard disk recorder.

Abstract: A recording device which records data onto a recording medium includes a nonvolatile memory storing and holding data on a free capacity of the recording medium, and a control unit controlling the data recording. The control unit determines the free-capacity data stored in the nonvolatile memory based on the total capacity of the recording medium when power is turned on. When the determination result indicates that a value of the free-capacity data stored in the nonvolatile memory does not exceed a value of the total capacity of the recording medium, the control unit records the data onto the recording medium with reference to the free-capacity data. When the power is turned off, the control unit updates the free-capacity data so as to reduce the value of the free-capacity data by as much as an amount of the data recorded onto the recording medium.

Abstract: Information processing equipment is so constructed that the power consumption of a disk drive for hard disks, optical disks, or the like can be reliably and sufficiently reduced. The host CPU (120) of an information processing unit (100) forms a command for changing the power consumption mode of a HDD (200) based on the state of control on the HDD (200). The host CPU supplies the command to the HDD (200) through a media controller (106). When the HDD (200) accepts the command, it changes its power consumption mode according to the instruction from the information processing unit. Thus, the information processing unit can control the power consumption mode of the HDD (200) based on the state of control on the HDD (200).

Abstract: An information recording method and apparatus and an information reproducing method and apparatus in which AV data can be recorded or reproduced temporally continuously without producing fragmentation. To this end, the apparatus includes a storage unit 7 at least including a management information region and a user data region made up of plural logical blocks, and a recording unit 9 for continuously recording information signals from a recording start logical block to a recording end logical block in the user data region of the storage unit 7 and again recording information signals from the recording start logical block.

Abstract: There is provided a recording medium exchanging-type recording and reproducing apparatus in which its small-sized forming can be realized, either reproducing or recording operation can be carried out within a short period of time, and it is advantageous in view of light weight forming or cost. The first and second magazines for storing the tape cartridge in such a way that the tape cartridge can be inserted into or taken out are spaced apart in a lateral direction in the casing so as to cause their longitudinal directions to become in parallel to each other, and there is provided a transferring space extending along a longitudinal direction of these first and second magazines. The moving mechanism holds the tape cartridge and moves up and down in the transferring space. The delivering mechanism delivers the tape cartridge between the first and second magazines and the moving mechanism.

Abstract: An information recording method and apparatus and an information reproducing method and apparatus in which AV data can be recorded or reproduced temporally continuously without producing fragmentation. To this end, the apparatus includes a storage unit 7 at least including a management information region and a user data region made up of plural logical blocks, and a recording unit 9 for continuously recording information signals from a recording start logical block to a recording end logical block in the user data region of the storage unit 7 and again recording information signals from the recording start logical block.

Abstract: In an information recording device, variable-speed reproduction by software control is to be enabled. To this end, the information recording device has an HDD for recording an audio/visual digital data stream with a logical sector as an accessing unit, and an AV micro-computer system 10. This AV micro-computer system 10 has, as a recording data unit, a fixed length of the audio/visual digital data stream corresponding to an integer number multiple of a frame length. The AV micro-computer system 10 allocates the recording data unit to a minimum number of the logical sectors that can record the recording data unit in its entirety, while stuffing dummy data in the remaining portion of a logical sector of the digital data stream.

Abstract: In an apparatus for recording and reproducing a digital picture signal, the large number of data bits in the digital picture signal to be recorded is reduced by a ratio of approximately 1:9, and the thus compressed data are recorded with a recording density of at least approximately 0.8 bit/&mgr;m2 in relatively narrow successive skewed tracks without guard bands on a metal evaporated magnetic tape having predefined characteristics. The magnetic tape has a width of no more than approximately 8 mm and a thickness of no more than approximately 7 &mgr;m and is wound in a relatively small size cassette.

Abstract: Copy protecting television broadcast program signals which are received and recorded in a format that reserves recording areas for accessory information relating to the format and reserves other recording areas for digital image signals. When the input signals received for recording are determined to be television broadcast program signals, a generation limiting signal inserted therein is set to a copy protect state and is recorded to inhibit copying.

Abstract: There is provided a recording medium exchanging-type recording and reproducing apparatus in which its small-sized forming can be realized, either reproducing or recording operation can be carried out within a short period of time, and it is advantageous in view of light weight forming or cost. The first and second magazines for storing the tape cartridge in such a way that the tape cartridge can be inserted into or taken out are spaced apart in a lateral direction in the casing so as to cause their longitudinal directions to become in parallel to each other, and there is provided a transferring space extending along a longitudinal direction of these first and second magazines. The moving mechanism holds the tape cartridge and moves up and down in the transferring space. The delivering mechanism delivers the tape cartridge between the first and second magazines and the moving mechanism.

Abstract: In an information recording device, variable-speed reproduction by software control is to be enabled. To this end, the information recording device has an HDD for recording an audio/visual digital data stream with a logical sector as an accessing unit, and an AV micro-computer system 10. This AV micro-computer system 10 has, as a recording data unit, a fixed length of the audio/visual digital data stream corresponding to an integer number multiple of a frame length. The AV micro-computer system 10 allocates the recording data unit to a minimum number of the logical sectors that can record the recording data unit in its entirety, while stuffing dummy data in the remaining portion of a logical sector of the digital data stream.

Abstract: An information recording and/reproducing apparatus comprises a disc-shaped recording medium having a management information area and a user data area including a plurality of logical blocks, means for writing and/or reading information signal to and/or from at least a part of the user data area on the disc-shaped recording medium, and means for dealing with a defect by detecting a logical block incurring a secondary defect having taken place in the user data area on the disc-shaped recording medium and generating a secondary defect information, thereby permitting to write and/or read timewise continuous data such as a moving picture and sound while maintaining the timewise continuity irrespectively of the existence of the defect on the recording medium.

Abstract: Video data and audio data inputted respectively from a camera system and a microphone are compressed and encoded in a video compressor/expander-encoder/decoder and an audio compressor/expander-encoder/decoder respectively, and then are multiplexed in a multiplexer. Subsequently the multiplexed data are supplied to a hard disk drive via an AV interface, a host bus, an interface adaptor and an interface. Information representing the kind of the data is written in a register. The data supplied to the hard disk drive are recorded in a disk, on the basis of such information, by a method conforming with the data. And in a reproduction mode, the data are reproduced, on the basis of such information, by a method conforming with the data. Thus, the data can be recorded or reproduced efficiently by the relevant method conforming with the kind of the data.

Abstract: A broadcasting system 1 provides a digital content to be broadcast with an attribute vector A thereof. A filter 12 is assigned with a selection vector S indicating user's taste. The filter 12 performs a standardized inner product operation between the selection vector S and the attribute vector A for selecting and recording broadcast programs.

Abstract: Copy protecting television broadcast program signals which are received and recorded in a format that reserves recording areas for accessory information relating to the format and reserves other recording areas for digital image signals. When the input signals received for recording are determined to be television broadcast program signals, a generation limiting signal inserted therein is set to a copy protect state and is recorded to inhibit copying.

Abstract: Video data and audio data inputted respectively from a camera system and a microphone are compressed and encoded in a video compressor/expander-encoder/decoder and an audio compressor/expander-encoder/decoder respectively, and then are multiplexed in a multiplexer. Subsequently the multiplexed data are supplied to a hard disk drive via an AV interface, a host bus, an interface adaptor and an interface. Information representing the kind of the data is written in a register. The data supplied to the hard disk drive are recorded in a disk, on the basis of such information, by a method conforming with the data. And in a reproduction mode, the data are reproduced, on the basis of such information, by a method conforming with the data. Thus, the data can be recorded or reproduced efficiently by the relevant method conforming with the kind of the data.