Abstract: On the occasion of providing a guard track and additionally recording data in an optical disc provided with a guide layer having a physical groove structure for carrying out tracking servo control and not having a land/groove structure in recording layers carrying out recording and playback, it has sometimes occurred that it was difficult to reposition a light spot. Given that there are a recorded area and an unrecorded area in a recording layer, recording with respect to the concerned recording layer is taken to be impossible to implement when the recording capacity of the unrecorded area is less than a prescribed value.

Abstract: Provided are recording media, recording/reproducing apparatuses, and recording methods for use in long-term data retention. Recording medium information may be copied and stored in a new information zone in a data area. Accordingly, if medium recognition of a lead-in area and/or a lead-out area fails, a recording medium may be recognized using the data recorded in the new information zone.

Abstract: A method for 3D recording of data on a medium formed from a transparent photosensitive material including at least one dopant. The method includes a first step of calibrating and checking a pulsed light source including calibrating the number of pulses, the level of fluence of each pulse emitted and the rate of the pulses and a step of inscribing an area of the material. The fluence of each pulse emitted, the number of pulses and the rate of the pulses are suitable for irradiating the material in the area so as to form fluorescent clusters stabilized from the dopant while minimizing the modification of the refractive index and the absorption coefficient of the medium in a wavelength range from visible to near infrared.

Abstract: An information recording medium includes a lead-in area and a data area for storing contents information. The lead-in area includes a first lead-in information area and a second lead-in information area. The first lead-in information area corresponds to a first playback mode. The second lead-in information area corresponds to a second playback mode different from the first playback mode. The first lead-in information area has a first depth and is designed for storing lead-in information related to the contents information stored in the data area. The second lead-in information area includes pre-pits having a second depth greater than the first depth. The pre-pits represent predetermined information, such as information of copyright protection, related to the contents information stored in the data area.

Abstract: An apparatus for accessing an information carrier for holding user information includes access information for accessing the user information, the access information being stored in a pre-determined first region on the information carrier. The information carrier further includes at least one further region different from the first region, the further region comprising dummy information.

Abstract: Audio-centered information is stored on a unitary medium by using a Table-of-Contents (TOC) mechanism that specifies an actual configuration of various audio items on the medium. In particular, each one of a set of one or more Track Areas gets at least two mutually logically conforming Sub-TOCs assigned. This allows to retrieve any constituent Sub-TOC part from at least any correct copy of the Sub-TOCs. Furthermore, one or more Master-TOCs are provided for specifically pointing to each of the Sub-TOCs.

Abstract: The directory information on a file system recorded on an optical disc is cached onto a hard disk as a directory table. When accessing a file on the optical disc, a processor references the directory table so as to obtain information related to a position, on the disc medium, where the file to be accessed is located, without accessing the directory information on the optical disc. A disc I/O controller moves a pickup unit to the location indicated by the positional information on the file to be accessed and reads the data on the file. The pickup unit is used to detect signals from the optical disc.

Abstract: Provided is an optical recording medium, including a plurality of tracks on each of which small record carriers are arranged in a wobbling manner, each of the small record carriers storing a recording state by modulation according to light irradiation, wherein the tracks are arranged adjacent to each other in a tracking direction which is a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the tracks, and there is a reflectance difference between a forming portion and a non-forming portion of the small record carrier in both of a recording state and a non-recording state of the small record carrier.

Abstract: An information recording medium in which bottoms of a guide groove and a pit array formed on a disc substrate are allocated on a same flat plane and shaped in flat. Further, in a transition area from a pit array to a guide groove or from a guide groove to a pit array, the information recording medium is provided with an intermediate area composed of a pit array of which height changes from a height between a bottom and a side of a groove to another height between the bottom and a side of the pit array.

Abstract: An information recording medium in which bottoms of a guide groove and a pit array formed on a disc substrate are allocated on a same flat plane and shaped in flat. Further, in a transition area from a pit array to a guide groove or from a guide groove to a pit array, the information recording medium is provided with an intermediate area composed of a pit array of which height changes from a height between a bottom and a side of a groove to another height between the bottom and a side of the pit array.

Abstract: In a system for reproducing AV information from a recording medium, such as a DVD, not only are usual titles reproduced, but also related information relevant to specific stream information is acquired easily by making use of resources on a computer network. In a reproducing system with the function of reproducing the title information recorded on a DVD and displaying it on the screen of a display section, when the user clicks a Web mark on the screen, the CPU links to a Web server on the Internet via a modem and accesses the Web page related to the stream information on the screen. At that time, the related Web page is the selected information conforming to parental information, or attribute information, set in the system.

Abstract: A system for optical disc storage, writing and reading including a housing holding at least two optical disc racks and a plurality of read/write drives that may be positioned in line with the storage rack. A track spans the racks, (e.g., a parallel track is positioned between two racks). A shuttle mounted on the track allows transfer of discs from the racks to drives. The shuttle may allow for disc pass through, disc rotation, or have other structures for disc transport.

Abstract: Provided are a recording device, a recording method and a program capable of recording a plurality of types of data files and reproducing, even when data recording is interrupted, data that have been recorded before the interruption. The recording device includes a recording medium control unit 170 for controlling recording and reproduction of data on a recording medium 150 including a data area in which data rows can be recorded as files and a specific area in which management information for the files can be recorded, and a recording control unit 110 for time-divisionally recording, through the recording medium control unit 170, a first data row as a first file and a second data as a second file.

Abstract: Address information that has been error correction encoded is recorded on a second version of a recording medium after being transformed such that such that the address decoding cannot be performed by a playback device that is not compatible with the second version of the recording medium. The address decoding for the second version of the recording medium cannot be performed by the incompatible playback device (for example, a playback device that was manufactured to be compatible only with a first version of the recording medium). In other words, in the playback device that is not compatible with the second version of the recording medium, a state is created in which address errors cannot be corrected, so access is impossible (recording and playback are impossible).

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for performing data library background operations. The present invention teaches one or more data storage drives capable of entering a phantom load mode and a library controller capable of initiating the phantom load mode for the data storage drives. The phantom load mode operates to hide the media status of the data storage drives from host computers during background operations involving the data storage drives. In certain embodiments, the data storage drives exit the phantom load mode as a result of a media unload request. In some embodiments, the library controller receives a media load request from a host computer during the background operation and completes the media load request upon completion of the background operation.

Abstract: An optical disc drive and a method of reading an optical disc are disclosed. The drive includes an I/O port, an optical pickup module and a format conversion unit. The I/O port couples a host to receive a read command of a host terminal file system format. The optical pickup module accesses the optical disc which contains data of a first file system format. The format conversion unit coupled between the I/O port and the optical pickup module includes a mapping information generation module, a memory module and a read-command processing module. The mapping information generation module controls the optical pickup module to access data and thereby to generate mapping information. The memory module stores the mapping information. The read-command processing module controls the optical pickup module to access the optical disc according to the read command by referring to the mapping information.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermally assisted magnetic recording medium comprising a substrate, a plurality of underlayers formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer which is formed on the underlayers and predominantly comprised of an alloy having a L10 structure, characterized in that at least one of the underlayers is predominantly comprised of MgO and comprises at least one kind of a metal element having a melting point of at least 2,000° C., such as Nb, Mo, Ru, Ta or W. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium has magnetic crystal grains having uniform size in the magnetic layer, and has a narrow switching field distribution (SFD), and a magnetic recording storage provided with the thermally assisted magnetic recording medium exhibits a high SN ratio.

Abstract: Disclosed are media recording/reproducing method and device in which recording stop due to over retrials during replacement process and wasteful conversion processing in the recording/reproducing device are suppressed when a method of managing the spare area of a write-once medium by the use of an NAP is employed to manage the spare area of a rewritable medium. During format or replacement process of the medium, the NAP is so updated that defective blocks registered as unusable clusters or as usable cluster type 2 within DFL entries in the spare area are not shown.

Abstract: The present invention provides a reproducing apparatus for reproducing a plurality of pieces of content data stored in a content data storage unit according to a play list defining reproduction order of the content data. The apparatus includes a play list storage unit, a request information generating unit, and a play list reconstructing unit. The play list storage unit stores the play list having a play list generating rule and identifying information for identifying the content data matching the play list generating rule. The request information generating unit generates reconstruction requesting information for requesting reconstruction of the play list. The play list reconstructing unit reconstructs at least a part of the play list stored in the play list storage unit into a play list having the play list generating rule corresponding to an apparatus use condition in response to the reconstruction requesting information generated by the request information generating unit.

Abstract: A disc has an outer section on which digital media can be recorded and a core in its center in which a flash memory is embedded with the core having a central hole and electrical contacts to the flash memory. A disc drive has a drive spindle that is to extend into the disc core central hole with one of the spindle or spindle hub having electrical contacts to engage with the core electrical contacts so that data can be written into and/or read from the core flash memory by electronic components of the drive.

Abstract: Disclosed is a magnetic recording medium evaluating method capable of providing a discrete-type or bit-pattern-type magnetic recording medium that has stable head floating characteristics even when concave and convex portions remain on the surface and can respond to high recording density with high productivity. A method of evaluating a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic recording pattern on at least one surface of a disk-shaped substrate and includes concave and convex portions corresponding to the magnetic recording pattern on the surface includes: floating and moving a head slider having a sensor attached thereto above the surface of the magnetic recording medium that is rotated; detecting a signal output from the sensor in a non-contact state between the head slider and the magnetic recording medium; and determining whether the magnetic recording medium is defective on the basis of the signal.

Abstract: An operation signal corresponding to an input operation on a rotating body by a user is output to an information-processing unit 400 and the operation signal is processed by a processing condition in accordance with the condition of the input operation. Based on the information property such as sound volume processed based on the operation signal and output by the output unit 200 or a setting position such as a cue point that is set by the input operation on the switch section 340 and at which a reproducing position is changed by a processing unit 440 in accordance with a pressing operation on the rotating body 600, the location of the reproducing position that is moved in accordance with the condition of the input operation on the rotating body 600 is recognized. And the rotating body 600 is operated (conducting click-like movement restriction, vibration and the like) in accordance with output condition corresponding to the condition of the input operation based on the property.

Abstract: An information recording medium is composed of a substrate having a microscopic pattern constituted by a continuous substrate of grooves formed with a groove portion and a land portion alternately, a recording layer, and a light transmitting layer. The microscopic pattern is formed with satisfying a relation of P??/NA, wherein P is a pitch of the land portion or the groove portion, ? is a wavelength of reproducing light, and NA is a numerical aperture of an objective lens. The land portion is formed with wobbling so as to be parallel with each other for both sidewalls of the land portion. Auxiliary information and a reference clock is recorded alternately. Information is recorded in the recording layer corresponding to a land portion by either one change of reflectivity difference and refractive index difference in the recording layer.

Abstract: Recording capacity per layer is detected from a disc and bit allocation of wobble addresses in a conventional optical disc and bit allocation in a high-density optical disc are controlled selectively to detect physical position addresses on the disc. Address detection can be performed for two kinds of discs which are equal in structure of addresses embedded in wobbles but different in bit allocation of addresses.

Abstract: A method and system for providing an energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drive are described. The disk drive includes a magnetic recording media, a pre-amplifier, an EAMR head, and at least one clock recovery circuit. The pre-amplifier provides a write current signal and a write gate signal for providing power to the EAMR head. The EAMR head includes at least one write transducer and at least one laser. The write transducer(s) are coupled with the pre-amplifier and include at least one writer coil. The write current signal from the pre-amplifier drives the writer coil(s). The clock recovery circuit(s) are coupled with the laser(s). The clock recovery circuit(s) receive the write current signal and the write gate signal and output laser control signal(s) that energize the laser(s) such that the laser(s) are energized synchronously with the writer coil(s).

Abstract: A storage medium with electronic paper is provided with a disk drive that can refresh the display on the electronic paper using a simple arrangement. A disk drive includes a motor that generates rotational force and a drive shaft support for clamping a disk thereon by contacting with the disk and for turning the disk thereon by the rotational force. The drive shaft support includes at least one output terminal for outputting an electrical signal. If the disk includes electronic paper on which the display is refreshable in response to the electrical signal, the at least one output terminal of the disk drive is arranged so as to contact with at least one input terminal that is arranged on the disk to supply the electrical signal to the electronic paper.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus which conducts overwriting of data on a rewritable optical disk or conducts write-once recording of data on a write-once optical disk includes a control unit for receiving a recording command which specifies a recording area and orders recording and receiving transfer data, and a collation unit for collating existing data on the optical disk with the transfer data. Upon reception of the recording command and the transfer data by the control unit, the existing data is collated with the transfer data by the collation unit, and overwrite recording of data in places where the transfer data is different from the existing data is conducted on the rewritable optical disk, or data in places where the transfer data is different from the existing data is recorded in an unrecorded area of the write-once optical disk.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing device that records data on a double-sided recordable optical disk for storage and management purposes. The device includes a unit which stores a plurality of optical disks, a unit which records data onto and reproduces data from an upper side of an optical disk, a unit which records data onto and reproduces data from a lower side of an optical disk, a unit which conveys an optical disk between the disk storage unit and each recording/reproducing unit. When a request for reading data recorded on the lower side of the disk is received while the upper side is being written onto, a control unit interrupts a data recording process on the upper side, reproduces data recorded on the lower side, and after completion of reproducing the recorded data, resumes the interrupted data recording process.

Abstract: A method for copy protection includes providing audiovisual or audio data stored in sectors of a record carrier having a file system, and providing additional or modified data to be stored in further sectors. The method includes generating a first file of the file system referencing at least a part of the sectors and none of the further sectors, so when the first file is rendered by a playback device, the data is reproduced which is included in the part of the sectors. The method also includes generating a second file of the file system being another file than the first file and referencing at least a part of the sectors and further referencing at least one of the further sectors, such that when the second file is rendered by the playback device the part of the sectors and the at least one of the further sectors are reproduced.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus that stores data on a plurality of storage media, a management information generator generates management information based on which to manage an order in which data is stored on the storage media, using storage medium identification information identifying each storage medium, and a multiplexer multiplexes the management information generated by the management information generator on the data. A storage unit stores the data, including the management information multiplexed by the multiplexer, on the storage media such that the data can be easily managed and the storage media can be used in a very convenient manner.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus includes a writing/reading unit writing data to or reading data from an information recording medium having an access control area in which access control data is recorded, the access control data having common information set to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to the information recording medium to control access to the information recording medium; and a control unit controlling the writing/reading unit to record access control data regarding a function recognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatus in the access control area when the information recording medium is initialized or reinitialized.

Abstract: In a thermally assisted magnetic recording head (10A), a sub-mount (8A) on which a laser diode is mounted is arranged between an HGA (41) and a magnetic head slider (9). The sub-mount has a wiring line (81) which electrically connects a terminal (91) arranged on the magnetic head slider (9) and a terminal (411) arranged on the HGA (41).

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a pickup head includes a plurality of light sources, a first objective lens, second objective lens, a driving unit, a first control unit, a second control unit, light receiving units. The first objective lens focuses a first light beam at a first recording layer. The second objective lens focuses a second light beam at a second recording layer. The driving unit moves the first objective lens and the second objective lens in a first direction and a second direction. The first control unit corrects displacement from target track along the first direction. The second control unit controls a moving direction of a position of the second light spot in the second direction.

Abstract: A drive apparatus of the present invention includes: a recording/reproduction section and a drive control section. The drive control section performs a process including: receiving a recording instruction including a location at which data is to be recorded; determining a track among at least one tracks corresponding to the location included in the recording instruction; controlling the recording/reproduction section to record data at a replacement location in the user data area instead of the location included in the recording instruction; determining whether or not the recording of the data at the replacement location in the user data area has succeeded; and when the recording of the data at the replacement location in the user data area has failed, controlling the recording/reproduction section to record the data at a location in the spare area.

Abstract: A data recording apparatus and a data reproducing apparatus which ensure security of a portable recording medium, such as an optical disk. The apparatus has a security mode and a normal mode as operation modes. In the security mode, a system controller of the apparatus records a security identification signal in an area other than a user data area of the optical disk. At the time of copying of the optical disk, the security identification signal disappears, and a limitation is imposed on reproduction, thereby preventing copying operation. In the security mode, the system controller records the security identification signal in the area other than the user data area of the optical disk, as well as recording user data by means of converting an address through use of a password. At the time of reproduction of data, absence or presence of the security identification signal is ascertained. When the security identification signal is present, the address is inversely converted, thereby reproducing data.

Abstract: An acquisition section acquires image data having a plurality of frames. Table information is written into a store when the image data is acquired. The table information includes first position information representing absolute position information of each of the plurality of frames and second position information representing relative position information when a head frame of the image data is set as a reference. A specification section specifics the second position information of a frame corresponding to a frame reproduction instruction using the first position information. A reproduction section reproduces the reproduction frame corresponding to the specified second position information. Writing of the table information into the table store is restricted when there is an instruction to reproduce the frame.

Abstract: Shape-wise thicknesses of a cover layer and first through (N?1)th intermediate layers of an optical recording medium having refractive indexes nr1, nr2 are converted into thicknesses t1, t2 of the respective layers having a predetermined refractive index which makes a divergent amount equal to a divergent amount of a light beam resulting from the thicknesses tr1, tr2, a difference DFF between the sum of a thickness “ti” through a thickness “tj”, and the sum of a thickness “tk” through a thickness “tm” is set to 1 ?m or more (where i, j, k, and m are each any positive integer satisfying i?j<k?m?N), and the thicknesses t1, t2 are calculated by products of a function f(n) expressed by the following formula (1), and the thicknesses tr1, tr2: f(n)=?1.088n3+6.1027n2?12.042n+9.1007 ??(1) in the formula (1), n=nr1, nr2, . . . , and nrN.

Abstract: Shape-wise thicknesses of a cover layer and first through (N?1)th intermediate layers of an optical recording medium having refractive indexes nr1, nr2 are converted into thicknesses t1, t2 of the respective layers having a predetermined refractive index which makes a divergent amount equal to a divergent amount of a light beam resulting from the thicknesses tr1, tr2, a difference DFF between the sum of a thickness “ti” through a thickness “tj”, and the sum of a thickness “tk” through a thickness “tm” is set to 1 ?m or more (where i, j, k, and m are each any positive integer satisfying i?j<k?m?N), and the thicknesses t1, t2 are calculated by products of a function f(n) expressed by the following formula (1), and the thicknesses tr1, tr2: f(n)=?1.088n3+6.1027n2?12.042n+9.1007 ??(1) in the formula (1), n=nr1, nr2, . . . , and nrN.

Abstract: A method for recording a digital broadcast, and a digital broadcast recording using the method, includes: recording start location data of a plurality of programs recorded during a recording mode of the digital broadcast; and indicating start locations of the individual programs using the start location data during an edition mode of the recorded digital broadcast.

Abstract: An information storage medium and a recording/reproducing apparatus and method, the information storage medium includes: an area for recording information regarding a predetermined function applied thereto, wherein the information regarding the predetermined function includes specific information in which set information regarding the predetermined function is set by a recording/reproducing apparatus that can recognize the predetermined function, and common information set by the recording/reproducing apparatus that can recognize the predetermined function based on corresponding information dependent upon the set information so that a recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize the predetermined function can use the predetermined function. Accordingly, a recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function can properly use a medium having the predetermined function.

Abstract: An information recording medium (100) is provided with a plurality of recording layers (110, 120, 130, and 140) for recording data, wherein each of the plurality of recording layers corresponds to one of a plurality of record formats, and a first recording layer number (SLN) assigned to each of the plurality of recording layers in accordance with the positions in which the recording layers are arranged, and a second recording layer number (LLN) assigned for each of the corresponding record formats are included in an address area (14) of the data.

Abstract: An optical disc device and information recording/reading method for an optical disc in which a recording layer is formed through volume recording by aligning recording tracks, which hold information, in a homogenous recording region that does not internally have a layer defining a recording position. The information recording method includes a step in which a first recording layer forming a complex recording layer is formed by forming a recording track while recording information by focusing a main beam at a predetermined depth position in the recording region, and a step in which a second recording layer forming the complex recording layer is formed by forming a recording track while recording information by focusing the main beam at a depth position that is separated from the first recording layer in a depth direction by a depth offset greater than ? of a wavelength of the main beam.

Abstract: In an optical disc (100) having a plurality of recording layers, layer specifying information is recorded for specifying a recording layer to be run first when the optical disc (100) is inserted into an optical disc device (1) which carries out recording or reproduction of information with respect to the optical disc (100). Therefore, a recording layer intended by at least a disc supplier can be run first. In the optical disc (100) including an L1 layer which is a read-only recording layer and an L0 layer which is a recordable layer, layer specifying information for specifying the L0 layer in priority to the L1 layer is recorded as the information recording layer to be run first when the optical disc (100) is inserted into the optical disc device (1) which carries out recording or reproduction of information with respect to the optical disc (100).

Abstract: A medium transporting mechanism for transporting one of stacked media each of which has a hole is provided. A holder is provided on a movable transporting arm and holds the one of the media. A guide is provided in the transporting arm, the guide has a tapered surface that is inclined with respect to an axis of the guide. The tapered surface is configured to be brought into contact with an inner surface of the hole of the one of the media when the guide is inserted into the hole of the one of the media. The tapered surface includes a first surface on a tip end portion of the guide and a second surface on a base end portion of the guide. An inclined angle of the first surface with respect to the axis of the guide is greater than an inclined angle of the second surface with respect to the axis of the guide.

Abstract: A turntable having multiple-point touch function for a digital sound-signal device includes a base formed with a central insert hole having a lower side provided with a load sensor, with a photo-sensor installed at one inner end of the base. A multiple-point touch-induction circuit is fixed on the base, having different sensing regions and bored with a central through hole. A touch-control turntable assembled on the circuit board has a central post protruding downward to be inserted through both the through hole and the insert hole for combining the base, the circuit board and the turntable together, the combining post having its lower end touching the load sensor. The turntable has its outer end edge provided with lots of light-obstructing plates protruding downward for obstructing light with the photo-sensor. The touch-control turntable is preset with plural memory regions to be touched for outputting different sound effects.

Abstract: A data recording and reproducing configuration in which both of BDMV standard compliant data and BDMV standard non-compliant data can be used is realized. A plurality of directories are set in a recording media, and a recording destination directory is selected according to the types of data. The BDMV standard compliant data is recorded in a BDMV directory, and the BDMV standard non-compliant data, for example, 1080/60p or 3D image data are recorded in a BDAV or BU directory. At the time of data reproducing process, a virtual file system in which the recorded data in the BDMV directory and the recorded data in the BDAV/BU directory are consolidated is constructed to achieve the reproducing process. With this configuration, the recording and reproducing of the BDMV standard compliant data and the BDMV standard non-compliant data are achieved.

Abstract: Recording capacity per layer is detected from a disc and bit allocation of wobble addresses in a conventional optical disc and bit allocation in a high-density optical disc are controlled selectively to detect physical position addresses on the disc. Address detection can be performed for two kinds of discs which are equal in structure of addresses embedded in wobbles but different in bit allocation of addresses.

Abstract: A write-once read-many information recording medium is provided, which is capable of easily searching for a latest DDS and a latest defect list. At least one disc management working area is sequentially allocated in a predetermined direction on the write-once read-many information recording medium of the present invention. The latest defect list and the latest DDS are provided in a recorded disc management working area neighboring a border between the recorded disc management working area and an unrecorded disc management working area, where the latest defect list precedes the latest DDS in the predetermined direction.

Abstract: A reproduction system 100 includes a rotating body on which a rotary operation is conducted by a user, a rotary movement detector 810 that detects the rotation of the rotating body and outputs a detection signal in accordance with a rotary condition thereof, and a restricting unit that conducts a restriction processing for restricting the rotation of the rotating body based on the detection signal. Accordingly, different resistance feeling in accordance with the rotary operation on the rotating body is provided to a user, thereby exhibiting excellent operational feeling just like a rotation of a turntable of a record player.

Abstract: An information recording medium (100), provided with: a first recording layer (L0 layer) and a second recording layer (L1 layer) in each of which record information can be alternately recorded, at least one of the first recording layer and the second recording layer provided with: an anchor area (AP#1 to 4) which is to record therein anchor information (VRS, AVDP, VAT_ICB) and which is referred to in reading file system information (101, 111) for controlling at least one of recording and reproduction of the record information; and an update area to update and record therein the anchor information.