Abstract: A sound features extracting unit receives a sound signal of a music piece to extract sound features. A peak detecting unit detects a peak time when a cost function calculated by a cost function calculating unit indicates a maximal value, and a peak value thereof. A selecting unit selects a time property indicating sound critical points from the peak time and the peak value. This method allows the user to automatically retrieve sound critical points without having to listen to the sound in advance.

Abstract: The user properly operates an operating apparatus of a system controller 100 and enters an album number and a track number of a track which he wants to erase. The system controller 100 discriminates whether the track corresponding to those numbers has been registered in a play list of an HD recording and reproducing apparatus 300 or not. If it is determined that the track has been registered in the play list, a warning is displayed on a display apparatus of the system controller 100. After confirming this display, if it is possible to erase the track, the user properly operates the operating apparatus and commits the track erasure. The system controller 100 erases the track whose erasure is desired from the HD recording and reproducing apparatus 300 and erases information corresponding to the erased track from the play list.

Abstract: A method for managing the contents of a collection of media objects each having one or more identifying parameters. An image representative of a media object within the collection of media objects that is determined to have one or more specified identifying parameters is displayed. An image representative of a media object determined to be missing from the collection of media objects that is known to have the one or more specified identifying parameters is also displayed. In this manner, for example, a consumer may be informed of a need to add the media object determined to be missing from the collection of media object to the media object library.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided to obtain sound effects by using an optical disc in much the same way an analog record is manipulated. A pressing pressure applied onto a rotatable jog dial is detected by providing a pressure sensing layer to the jog dial. When no pressing pressure is applied onto the jog dial, audio information is played back from an optical disc at a normal tempo. When an end of the jog dial at rest is pressed with a pressing pressure within a predetermined range, a tempo of a playback sound played from the audio information is changed in response to the pressing pressure. When an end of the jog dial at rest is pressed with a large pressing pressure, a tempo of a playback sound played from the audio information is changed in such a manner that playback of a playback sound is stopped eventually.

Abstract: In an information reproduction apparatus, a recording/reproducing unit reproduces a plurality of program data on a recording medium. The program data and identification information for the program data are stored on the recording medium. An operation/display unit displays the identification information and reproduction frequency information, and allows an user to select one of the program data to be deleted. An controller for controlling the recording/reproducing unit in accordance with an instruction from the operation/display unit. The controller calculates the reproduction frequency information for each of the program data by employing a variety of information obtained by reproducing each of the program data. The controller controls the recording/reproducing unit to erase from the recording medium the program data identified by the operation/display unit.

Abstract: A system for the duplication of binary data onto CD-R disks, the system including a copy unit, a host computer and computer software, the software being installed in the host computer to provide a user interface and to direct the transfer of data from the host computer to the copy unit, the copy unit including a set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives, a microprocessor electronically connected to the activating mechanism of a pivotal transport tower and to the set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives. A robotic disk pickup head on the pivotal transport tower is encompassed by a set of disk spindle members arranged in a symmetric semi-circular pattern around the central tower, the disk pickup head being connected to the pivotal transport tower with an elevator mechanism for lifting and transporting compact disks among the disk spindle members and any selected one of the stacked recordable disk drive members.

Abstract: A CD-R recorder capable of re-recording a series of musical tunes from a phonograph record to a CD-R, with addresses assigned to the respective tunes for ease of accessing later. Included is a random-access memory on which there are to be stored by the user a series of incremental addresses to be assigned to the successive tunes recorded, and the expected playing times of the tunes ascertained previously, as from the record jacket or by pre-recording of the tunes. The actual playing time of each tune being recorded is measured and compared with the expected playing time of that tune on the RAM. Upon agreement of the expected and the actual playing time of each tune, the addresses on the RAM are incremented to cause each tune to be recorded with an address assigned thereto according to its storage location on the disk.

Abstract: High speed access to an information recording medium is made possible by preparing information relative to a lower level recording unit, e.g., a fragment, the magnitude of which is set smaller than a higher level recording unit, e.g., a session in the information recording medium. A fragment identifier, typically, a fragment number is assigned to each fragment, sequentially and in ascending order. A fragment number (greatest fragment number) that is greater than any other fragment number in the session is recorded in the information recording medium for each session.

Abstract: A compact disk duplication system with a compact disk drive with an extendible disk tray for copying data onto a batch of compact disks, the disk duplication system having a disk transport unit with an XYZ transport mechanism, the transport unit having a deck, a frame and a housing, the transport mechanism including a carriage displaceable from side to side relative to the deck, an elevator device carried by the carriage having an elevator cage displaceable up and down relative to the deck, and a tram device having a cross beam on the elevator cage with a tram having a disk pickup mechanism displaceable fore and aft relative to the deck with the displacements of the carriage, elevator cage and tram being controlled for automatic operation by controlled drive mechanisms.

Abstract: A highlight of a representative track of each album stored in a recording medium and a highlight of each track of a designated album are pre-set. Highlights of representative tracks of albums are successively reproduced from album 1. As a result, albums are searched for a desired track. When the desired album has been found, highlights of tracks of the album are successively reproduced from track 1. As a result, the album is searched for the desired track.

Abstract: Disclosed is a compact disc recording device that includes a housing, sound receiving means for receiving audio signals, a compact disc recorder for recording onto a compact disc, and data storage structure in the housing for storing audio signals. The compact disc recording device is configured such that a music library of sound tracks is storable in the data storage structure, and the compact disc recording device includes means for selecting a set of sound tracks from the music library to be recorded onto a compact disc by the compact disc recorder. The housing includes a display which identifies at least one sound track of the music library.

Abstract: Disclosed is a digital audio disk recorder with improved ease of use, which can easily and efficiently superimpose a take of a short sound during broadcasting. In order to output takes of a plurality of short sounds, buttons “Key Name” corresponding to the takes of the sounds are displayed on a display screen for monitoring a state of broadcasting. By operating any of the buttons during broadcasting of a program for broadcasting displayed as a play list, the take of the short sound assigned to the button can be superimposed on a signal being broadcasted.

Abstract: An optical disk unit includes the following: a storage part temporarily storing data to be written to an optical disk; a processing part processing the data; an encoder part modulating and outputting the processed data; a writing control part controlling writing of the data to the optical disk; and a writing command part detecting an occurrence of a state of suspension of supply of the data to the storage part and providing an operation command to the writing control part in accordance with the, detection result. In the case of suspending the writing of the data to the optical disk, the writing control part causes the processing and encoder parts to stop accessing the storage part by setting the processing and encoder parts in a wait state after the processing and encoder parts access the storage part, and causes the storing of the data in the storage part to be stopped.

Abstract: An optical disk recording apparatus for recording a main information signal reproduced from a first optical disk on a second optical disk includes a first part which set an address of a start point of each of tracks of the first optical disk and an address of a position ahead of the start point by a predetermined period of time, a second part which searches a part between the start point and the position ahead of the start point of each of the tracks for an address within a range where each of index values included in subcodes reproduced with the main information signal is zero, and a third part which, with respect to each of the tracks, sets the index values within the range to zero and index values other than the index values within the range to a predetermined value other than zero, and records the index values on the second optical disk together with the main information signal.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided, which can provide a sound which sounds natural by controlling an abrupt change in a tempo in the case of random access playback. When a cue point is registered, audio data which makes seamless playback possible is stored into a cue point memory, and further, the beat density of a playback sound being played when the cue point is registered is measured and stored. When the cue point is specified to start random access playback later, a ratio of the beat density (&agr;×DBPM) of a playback sound being played when the cue point is specified and the beat density (DBPMreg) stored in advance is found. Then, the random access playback is started after the beat density of a playback sound to be played after random access playback is started is corrected to be equal to the beat density when a start of the random access playback is specified.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reproducing a plurality of main data recorded on an insertable recording medium in the desired sequence specified as a playlist by the user. Main data is recorded on a record region of the recording medium and the user can select a playlist that is recorded in a management region of the recording medium.

Abstract: Audio data which are read out from a compact disc drive are written into a hard disk drive (6) at a rate that is higher than an audio playback rate. The written audio data are read out at a rate which is higher than the audio playback rate, and than output to audio output interfaces (buffer memories). The audio output interfaces read out the audio data at the playback rate and output the data. Since the hard disk drive (6) can perform reading/writing at a rate which is sufficiently higher than the playback rate of audio data, monitoring is enabled while performing ripping.

Abstract: The invention is of systems and methods which facilitate simultaneous, independent, real-time or delayed, synchronous or asynchronous, recording to and playing from a digital video disc (DVD) or other disc recording medium, by utilizing separate sled assemblies and control mechanisms for one write/read equipment group and two read-only equipment groups, with each sled assembly capable of moving laterally across the entire horizontal disc recording surface without impeding the function of the other two sled assemblies.

Abstract: A redundant recording disk device includes a first logical sub-disk and a second logical sub-disk. Mirrored redundant data are recorded such that a recording position on the first logical sub-disk and a recording position on the second logical sub-disk are positions on a corresponding radius and have a phase difference of 180 degrees around respective rotation axes of the disks with respect to one data. Therefore, the practical use of the disk device can be continued even when one recording surface is not usable because of a fault, and the access speed of the disk can be increased when there is no fault since the mirrored data which have been written with a predetermined phase-offset into the different recording surfaces may be read out in a parallel manner.

Abstract: A multimedia search and indexing for automatic selection of scenes and/or sounds recorded in a media using audio cues for replay in other contexts. Analyzing means analyze the media for audio levels within a set of frequency ranges. Audio clip level setting means set audio clip levels as audio cues for identifying a scene of interest in the media within the set of selected frequency ranges. Generating means generate a list of candidate scenes matching the audio cues in the selected frequency ranges for replay in the other contexts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for copying/moving data on an optical recording medium is disclosed, in which data moves or copies in one disc using a memory and data transmission to a host is omitted when the data moves or copies in one optical disc. To this end, identification information is assigned to a reserved area of read/write commands generated from the host, thereby displaying data movement status or data copying status. Thus, it is possible to reduce the data transmission time when the data moves or copies in one disc. Furthermore, even if the read/write commands in one file or the whole data to move or copy occur several times, the data transmission time such as the data movement time and the data copying time can be reduced by reducing the number of physical access times of the optical disc for the data reading/writing operation.

Abstract: A disk storage accessing system that can disperse the load of each SAN disk storage accessed from a plurality of computers. An access frequency counter 124/134 counts a frequency of accesses to a disk storage of its computer. A resource monitoring/management unit 101 inquiries a resource monitoring unit 121/131 so that counted access frequencies of the disk storages are collected, totaled, then stored in a table 103. When the totaled access frequency of the disk storage is over a first predetermined value, the system requests a SAN controller 102 to copy the disk volume; under a second predetermined value, requests the SAN controller to delete the disk volume. Then, the SAN controller instructs a DKU controller 111 so that: the DKU controller 111, when being instructed to copy, instructs the copy source DKC to copy the disk volume into another disk storage; the DKU controller, when being instructed to delete, instructs the target DKC to delete the copied volume.

Abstract: The invention provides a recording and reproduction apparatus which reduces interpolation noise of reproduced information and can produce a recording medium on which information of higher quality is recorded.