Abstract: A broadcast program receiving and recording device which identifies songs and commercials within the recorded content by searching the content for repeating segments, and bookmarking segments that substantially duplicate other segments as being either songs (if longer than about two minutes) or commercials (if shorter than about two minutes). Repeating duplicate segments are identified by using a Haar wavelet transform to identification values that are placed in a searchable database for comparison with identification values representative of other content. Bookmarking records are used to identify repeating segments.

Abstract: A compact disk player employing a high speed digital memory for storing a sample extracted from each program (track) on the disk. A scanning control plays the samples in sequence to a user, who can interrupt the sample playback to select and play the program corresponding to the sample. The digital memory may further store metadata from an external source that describes each program and the metadata may be used to define the location of the samples, and to describe the programs in a program guide which assists the user in selecting desired programs. An archiving mechanism enables the user to build a catalog of all of the programs in the user's collection.

Abstract: A multi-volume compact disk player employs a high speed digital memory for storing the beginning portion of each program on each of a plurality of compact disks. When it is desired to play a specific program, the beginning portion in the high speed memory is used to begin the playback while the changer mounts the volume containing the program and then retrieves the remainder of the specific program for reproduction at the conclusion of the playback of the beginning from high speed storage.

Abstract: A compact disk player includes a digital storage device which receives and stores two different programs, such as song tracks or the like, at a high rate of speed. Two output devices play back the two different programs at the same time at a slower reproduction rate. The arrangement includes separate controls associated with each output device, permitting different listeners to independently select the particular program played on each output device.