Abstract: To realize efficient access in case of restoring read failure data by RMW at time of data rewriting, a recording apparatus includes a write/read unit capable of performing data writing in a second data unit, in which a plurality of first data units of a predetermined amount of data are consecutive, and data reading in the first data unit with respect to a recording medium and a control unit. In response to a rewrite instruction of data, the control unit instructs the write/read unit to generate write data in the second data unit using update data relevant to the rewrite instruction and recorded data read out from the recording medium and to write the write data at a non-recording address on the recording medium, and generates or updates replacement information for associating address at which the write data is written, as a replacement destination, with address of a replacement source.

Abstract: A media player may include a media reader to read media content from a recording medium inserted into the media reader. The media player may also include a media analysis component to identify one or more valid portions of the recording medium containing media content and one or more invalid portions of the recording medium without media content. In one embodiment, the media player includes an archival component to store the media content from the one or more valid portions in a storage medium and a playback component to play back the one or more valid portions of the media content from the storage medium concurrently with the identification of the one or more valid portions by the media analysis component and the storage of the media content by the archival component.

Abstract: A storage device performs a background operation involving seeking a read/write head between inner and outer diameters of a disk of the storage device. During the seeking, adjacent test tracks are written at a diameter between the inner and outer diameters of the disk. The adjacent test tracks are written using varying levels of laser power applied to the disk via the read/write head. An optimum value of the laser power is determined based on reading at least one of the adjacent test tracks.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for performing flexible virtual defect padding of bad sectors on recording media of a storage device. A defective sector on a data track of a recording medium in the storage device is detected. The size and position of a physical defect within the defective sector are determined, and one or more sectors adjacent to the defective sector on the data track are mapped as virtual defects based on the size and position of the physical defect within the defective sector.

Abstract: Provided is an optical pickup device and a method of aligning a twin-light source in an optical disc drive. The method operates two light emitting chips in the light source simultaneously to cause two laser beams to be transmitted through a grating element at the same time. Location errors and rotation errors of the two light emitting chips with respect to the grating element may be corrected while monitoring the laser beams transmitted through the grating element.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of data tracks. First data is written to a first data track, and the first data is read from the first data track to measure a first quality metric representing a recording quality of the first data. Second data is written to a second data track, and the second data is read from the second data track to measure a second quality metric representing a recording quality of the second data. The first and second quality metrics are processed to generate a first statistical quality metric. A first defect threshold is generated based on the first statistical quality metric, and at least part of the disk is scanned for defects based on the first defect threshold.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a multilayer optical recording medium including a substrate, a guide layer group that is provided on the substrate and has guide layers in which positional information in a radial direction is recorded, and a recording layer group that is provided on the substrate and has recording layers in which information can be recorded. In the recording layer group, positional information of the recording layers associated with the positional information recorded in the guide layers and control information of the optical device where reflected light volumes of the laser beams on the guide layers and the recording layers become maximum at the positions in the radial direction are recorded at the positions in the radial direction of the recording layers.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes apparatuses and techniques of improved sequential-access of storage media. In some aspects an indication that a storage media interface failed to access a block of storage media is received during a sequential-access of the storage media and the storage media interface is caused to attempt to read a next block of the sequential-access subsequent the sector failed to be accessed during the same sequential-access.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and device for acquiring real-time video images of a terminal, sad method comprising: acquiring light intensity of an existing environment when the terminal acquires the real-time video images; comparing the light intensity of the existing environment with a light intensity threshold value set by the terminal system; acquiring images preset by the terminal and sending the preset images to an existing receiver which is communicating with the terminal if the light intensity of the existing environment is lower than the light intensity threshold value set by the terminal system. The present invention can ensure the quality of video conversation when the light intensity is weak, save power energy, improve the user experience, and is beneficial to promote the video communication terminal.

Abstract: A counter is configured to generate counts associated with different locations, within a smallest addressable unit of data, on a storage medium of a disk drive. A detector is configured to detect a change in a property of a signal sensed from the storage medium. A controller is configured to: determine a count of the counter corresponding to a location, within a smallest addressable data unit on the storage medium, at which the change in the property of the signal sensed from the storage medium is detected, and change a response of at least one of the detector, a read channel controller of the disk drive, or a servo controller of the disk drive based on (i) the count and (ii) the counter.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a system and method for detecting and classifying at least one media defect. A periodic pattern is written to a medium to yield at least one waveform. The magnitude of the waveform is compared against a defect threshold to detect the presence or absence of media defects in the medium. When at least one defect is detected, a magnitude for each of at least two harmonics of the waveform is determined in the defect range. The defect is classified by comparing a ratio of the magnitudes of the at least two harmonics against a classification threshold.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes: a recording unit to record information by laser irradiation on a recording medium having multiple recording layers where information is recorded, with a track formed in the layers as a continuous recording area and data recorded within a track, and also multiple tracks set to one layer according to recording purpose; and a control unit to determine a sparing destination where information is recorded on a recording position specified according to a recording request, and if sparing processing occurs, as a first priority the next recording address of a track being recorded is selected as a sparing destination, and as a second priority the next recording address of a track overlapped with a track where recording is performed according to the recording request in a layering direction of the layers is selected as a sparing destination, and to cause the recording unit to execute sparing recording.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes apparatuses and techniques of improved sequential-access of storage media. In some aspects an indication that a media disk interface failed to read a sector of a sequential-read during a revolution of the media disk is received and the media disk interface is caused to attempt to read a next sector of the sequential-read subsequent the sector failed to be read during a same revolution of the media disk.

Abstract: In the case where a spare area management method using an NAP of a spare area on a recordable medium is applied to a spare area management method of a spare area on a rewritable medium, in order to alleviate a recording stop caused by retry over in a replacement process or unnecessary conversion processes in a record/reproduce device, the NAP is updated in a format process or in the replacement process in such a way as to avoid defective blocks within the spare area which is registered as Unusable Cluster or Usable Cluster Type 2 entries on the DFL.

Abstract: A method for content playback and recording may include using a computer to obtain media content from a recorded medium. Concurrently with obtaining the media content, the method may include reencrypting the encrypted media content using a secondary encryption key and storing the reencrypted media content in a storage device.

Abstract: A data storage device comprising a non-volatile media including a plurality of segments, and configured to store a defect list, and a controller configured to perform a defect management process. The defect management process can include testing the plurality of segments for defects, detecting a defect in a first segment of the plurality of segments, updating the defect list to include the first segment, determining a defective space amount based on the segments in the updated defect list, determining whether the defective space amount indicates a storage capacity error, transmitting a storage capacity error signal to the test system when the defective space amount indicates the storage capacity error, and when the defective space amount does not indicate the storage capacity error, continuing to test the plurality of segments for defects until the defective space amount indicates the storage capacity error or all the segments have been tested.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and other embodiments associated with adjusting a defect threshold are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes defect detection logic and threshold adjustment logic. The defect detection logic determines, by using a defect threshold, if a read channel has read data from a defective portion of an optical disc. The threshold adjustment logic adjusts the defect threshold based, at least in part, on a gain value of a gain loop associated with the read channel.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the optical read/write apparatus includes a plurality of optical pickups arranged to cross tracks of an optical storage medium and a control section. On finding the data that has been written by any of those optical pickups inaccurate or on detecting any defect at a location where data is going to be written by any of the optical pickups, the control section instructs another one of the optical pickups to write that data on a different track from a track on which the data should have been written.

Abstract: A system and method are provided to detect defects in a data storage medium by sampling data read from the data storage medium. Time referenced samples of data read from the data storage medium are equalized to mediate the effects of channel noise and the equalized samples are decoded by a decoder, such as a Viterbi decoder. The decoded signal is then reconstructed through a reconstruction filter to approximate the equalized signal. The equalized data signal and the reconstructed data signal are then combined and compared in a bit-by-bit deconstruction scheme to determine, based on a variation between the signal elements, that a defect exists on the data storage medium. Additional action is then taken to mediate the effects of attempting to process corrupted data based on the defect by isolating the defective bit.

Abstract: A disk drive configured to enable media defect margining during disk testing may comprise a disk comprising a plurality of tracks; a head actuated over the disk; and a processor operable to test media of the disk drive to detect a media defect; estimate a depth of the detected media defect; determine a margining amount based on at least the estimated depth of the detected media defect, and apply the determined margining amount to the detected media defect.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a multi-layer optical recording medium having n recording layers (n?3) in which recording and reproduction of information are carried out by laser light, the multi-layer optical recording medium including: a file system area configured to be disposed near a last logical address in an area used as a logical address space in which stream data is recorded, wherein in the other recording layers different from the recording layer in which the file system area near the last logical address is disposed, the logical address space is not allocated to an area overlapping with the file system area in a layer stacking direction.

Abstract: An unbalanced disc determining apparatus is provided. The unbalanced disc determining apparatus includes a noise reduction unit configured to reduce noise components of a center error signal obtained from a signal configured to detect light reflected by a disc revolved by a spindle motor, and a determination unit configured to determine whether the revolving disc is unbalanced by determining whether the center error signal of which noise is reduced exceeds a reference value.

Abstract: A device for recording data and data structures on a write-once storage medium. The device has writing means for recording the data and the data structures and controlling means for generating the data structures and controlling the writing means. The data structures comprise space bit map and defect management structures. The controlling means are adapted to record the data structures at a predefined temporary location on the write-once storage medium and to finalize the write-once storage medium by recording the data structures at a predefined fixed location as defined for a rewritable storage medium.

Abstract: Provided is an information storage medium that has a plurality of recording layers, a recording/reproducing method, and a recording/reproducing apparatus. In the information storage medium, each of the plurality of recording layers includes an inner circumference zone and a data zone, and at least one of the recording layers includes, in the inner circumference zone, a temporary disc management area (TDMA) for recording information about a defect detected in the data zone, wherein a size of a TDMA allocated on an upper layer is greater than a size of a TDMA allocated on a lower layer.

Abstract: A change in a property of a signal is detected, the signal having been sensed from a storage medium by a disk drive. A count is determined, the count corresponding to a first location on the storage medium at which the change in the property of the signal sensed from the storage medium is detected. The count is used to predict a second location on the storage medium corresponding to the change in the property of the signal sensed from the storage medium. Relative to the first location on the storage medium, the second location on the storage medium is closer to an actual location of a feature on the storage medium that causes the change in the property of the signal sensed from the storage medium.

Abstract: A media player may include a media reader to read media content from a recording medium inserted into the media reader. The media player may also include a media analysis component to identify one or more valid portions of the recording medium containing media content and one or more invalid portions of the recording medium without media content. In one embodiment, the media player includes an archival component to store the media content from the one or more valid portions in a storage medium and a playback component to play back the one or more valid portions of the media content from the storage medium concurrently with the identification of the one or more valid portions by the media analysis component and the storage of the media content by the archival component.

Abstract: A recording method for use by an apparatus and/or which is encoded on a computer readable medium includes selecting a defect management on mode or a defect management off mode that indicates whether defect management is to be performed or not while data is recorded in the recording medium, recording the data in the recording medium while defect management is performed on the recording medium, if the defect management on mode is selected, and recording the data in the recording medium without defect management, if the defect management off mode is selected.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus includes a focus controller including a first digital filter, tracking controller including a second filter, focus actuator driver, tracking actuator driver, defect detector for detecting a defect on an optical disc, and a system controller for controlling the focus controller, the tracking controller and the defect detector. The system controller holds an input and output of at least one of either the focus controller or the tracking controller on the basis of the output of the defect detector, and sets an initial value in a delay memory of the digital filter of the controller held upon awake of the hold state.

Abstract: A write-once disc includes: a plurality of update areas in which a predetermined kind of updated information is recorded; at least one main access information area in which main access information is recorded, the main access information indicating a final update area in which finally updated information is recorded among the plurality of update areas; and at least one sub access information area in which sub access information is recorded, the sub access information indicating a location of the finally updated information recorded in the final update area. Accordingly, an access time for reading a predetermined kind of information required to use the write-once disc can be reduced.

Abstract: If a fault, or deterioration in read-out quality, is detected during recording processing with respect to a first recording face, a duplication is made, with respect to the recorded data on the second recording face of the same recording medium, on a separate recording medium.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes apparatuses and techniques of improved sequential-access of storage media. In some aspects an indication that a media disk interface failed to read a sector of a sequential-read during a revolution of the media disk is received and the media disk interface is caused to attempt to read a next sector of the sequential-read subsequent the sector failed to be read during a same revolution of the media disk.

Abstract: A recording/reproduction device according to the present invention includes a recording/reproduction section for recording or reproducing data on or from an information recording medium; a verification section for checking whether or not the data recorded on the information recording medium can be reproduced normally; a management information recording section for recording, on the information recording medium by use of the recording/reproduction section, only management information which needs to be changed among a plurality of types of management information for managing the data recorded on the information recording medium; and a management information checking section for checking, by use of the verification section, whether or not latest management information including management information which does not need to be changed and is to be reused can be reproduced normally.

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 disclosure is directed to selectively protecting a portion of a track including a plurality of data sectors. The data sectors include a plurality of user sectors and one or more parity sectors. Protected bits are designated in each of the of data sectors. The protected bits are selected to have matching bit indices across the data sectors resulting in a parallel alignment of the protected bits across the user and parity sectors. One or more selections of protected bits of the user sectors are encoded across matching bit indices to generate data values in the corresponding protected bits of the parity sectors. At least one portion of at least one failed sector is recoverable by decoding at least one selection of the protected bits when a sector error occurs at a protected bit.

Abstract: A process of reproducing information according to the present invention includes: reproducing record data recorded on an information-recording medium including a data area for recording the record data, and a defect control area for recording defect information of the data area; storing the defect information in a storage unit; and reducing a storage area of the storage unit which is used for storing the defect information.

Abstract: In the case where a spare area management method using an NAP of a spare area on a recordable medium is applied to a spare area management method of a spare area on a rewritable medium, in order to alleviate a recording stop caused by retry over in a replacement process or unnecessary conversion processes in a record/reproduce device, the NAP is updated in a format process or in the replacement process in such a way as to avoid defective blocks within the spare area which is registered as Unusable Cluster or Usable Cluster Type 2 entries on the DFL.

Abstract: A method of recording, and an apparatus for recording, data on a write-once disc, and the write-once disc used with the method and the apparatus. The write-once disc includes a plurality of update areas in which to record a predetermined type of updated information, at least one main access information area (AIA) in which to record main access information (AI), the main AI indicating a final update area in which finally updated information is recorded, among the plurality of update areas, and at least one sub AIA in which to record sub AI, the sub AI indicating a location of the finally updated information recorded in the final update area.

Abstract: A method for playing back data stored on a recording medium and a recording medium play back apparatus using the same are provided. A method includes determining a section of data to be updated, among the data stored on the recording medium, transmitting information of the section of data to be updated to an external server, receiving new data to substitute for the section of data to be updated from the external server; and substituting the section of data to be updated with the new data and playing back the substituted new data at a point when playing back the section of data to be updated starts.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data regeneration. For example, a system for regenerating data is disclosed. The system includes a media defect detector that is operable to identify a potential media defect associated with a medium from which an input signal is derived, an attenuation amplitude detector that generates an attenuation factor, and a data detector. The data detector includes a first data path and a second data path. The first data path includes a bank of two or more selectable noise prediction filters and the second data path includes a fixed noise prediction filter and the attenuation factor. The data detector processes a derivative of the input signal using the second data path when the potential media defect is indicated, and processes the derivative of the input signal using the first data path when a media defect is not indicated.

Abstract: If a defective cluster in a spare area is managed with a defect entry, the size of a DFL will increase as the size of the spare area increases with an increase in the number of recording layers stacked in a disc. An information recording medium according to the present invention has pointer information indicating the location of the next available cluster in each spare area, and restricts the direction in which the spare area is used. Also, a defect entry indicating a defective cluster in the spare area is registered with the DFL. Thus, even if the size of the spare area 15 increases, the size of the DFL 21 can be kept relatively small. Furthermore, even after physical reformatting is done, a defective cluster, if any, in the spare area 15 can still be recognized as a defect and the control operation can be performed so that a replacement cluster is not re-allocated to that defective cluster (i.e., the defective cluster is not used).

Abstract: A change in a property of a signal is detected, the signal having been sensed from a storage medium by a disk drive. A count is determined, the count corresponding to a first location on the storage medium at which the change in the property of the signal sensed from the storage medium is detected. The count is used to predict a second location on the storage medium corresponding to the change in the property of the signal sensed from the storage medium. Relative to the first location on the storage medium, the second location on the storage medium is closer to an actual location of a feature on the storage medium that causes the change in the property of the signal sensed from the storage medium.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a recording device for easy and quick access to record carrier management information stored on the record carrier itself. The invention further relates to a record carrier for use in such a method and recording device.

Abstract: If a defective cluster in a spare area is managed with a defect entry, the size of a DFL will increase as the size of the spare area increases with an increase in the number of recording layers stacked in a disc. An information recording medium according to the present invention has pointer information indicating the location of the next available cluster in each spare area, and restricts the direction in which the spare area is used. Also, a defect entry indicating a defective cluster in the spare area is registered with the DFL. Thus, even if the size of the spare area 15 increases, the size of the DFL 21 can be kept relatively small. Furthermore, even after physical reformatting is done, a defective cluster, if any, in the spare area 15 can still be recognized as a defect and the control operation can be performed so that a replacement cluster is not re-allocated to that defective cluster (i.e., the defective cluster is not used).

Abstract: The present invention is to realize a proper inner zone layout in an optical disk having at least three layers. A test area is provided in the inner zone (inner circumference side area) in each of recording layers. The test areas of each layer are so disposed as to be prevented from overlapping with each other in the layer direction. Furthermore, the number of management information recording/reproduction areas overlapping with the test area in the layer direction at a position closer to the laser-incident surface than this test area is set equal to or smaller than one in each test area of each recording layer. The management information recording/reproduction areas are each so disposed as to be prevented from overlapping with the test areas in the respective recording layers in the layer direction on the disk substrate side of the test areas.

Abstract: A system and method are provided to detect defects in a data storage medium by sampling data read from the data storage medium. Time referenced samples of data read from the data storage medium are equalized to mediate the effects of channel noise and the equalized samples are decoded by a decoder, such as a Viterbi decoder. The decoded signal is then reconstructed through a reconstruction filter to approximate the equalized signal. The equalized data signal and the reconstructed data signal are then combined and compared in a bit-by-bit deconstruction scheme to determine, based on a variation between the signal elements, that a defect exists on the data storage medium. Additional action is then taken to mediate the effects of attempting to process corrupted data based on the defect by isolating the defective bit.

Abstract: The present invention allows the usability of a write-once recording medium to be enhanced. The write-once recording medium is provided with an ordinary recording/reproduction area, an alternate area, a first alternate-address management information area (DMA) and a second alternate-address management information area (TDMA). In addition, written/unwritten state indication information (a space bitmap) is also recorded. The second alternate-address management information area is an area allowing alternate-address management information recorded therein to be renewed by adding alternate-address management information thereto. In addition, the written/unwritten state indication information indicates whether or not data has been recorded in each data unit (cluster) on the recording medium. Thus, it is possible to correctly execute management of defects and properly implement renewal of data in the write-once recording medium.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recording contents. The method includes recording contents on a disc; verifying whether an error occurs in the recording; and reducing the number of available recordings of the contents, which is included in recording authority information, by 1, if an error does not occur in the recording. According to the method, if an error occurs in recording, the number of available recordings may be prevented from being unreasonably reduced.

Abstract: Detecting a defect on a storage device is disclosed. Detecting includes receiving a signal read from a storage device, sampling the signal to obtain a set of signal samples, wherein the sampling starts at an arbitrary time, computing a defect value for a defect type using the set of signal samples, comparing the defect value with a threshold associated with the defect type, determining whether there is a defect of the defect type based at least in part on the comparison, and in the event that a defect is detected, outputting an indication associated with the defect.

Abstract: An optical disc according to the present invention has a first defect management area to which first defect management information corresponding to non-permanent defects is added, and a second defect management area to which second defect management information corresponding to permanent defects is added. The second defect management information added to the second defect management area is non-rewritable.

Abstract: A method for detecting a typical defect area on a disc track includes the following steps. Firstly, a source signal is provided. Then, first and second signals are generated according to the source signal. The first and second signals are held at the peak level of the source signal and respectively decreased at first and second drop rates. Then, first and second threshold values are subtracted from the first and second signals to generate first and second slice signals, respectively. Afterwards, the source signal is compared with either the first slice signal or the second slice signal. When the first slice signal is larger than the source signal, a typical defect signal is changed from a first level to a second level. Whereas, the typical defect signal is changed from the second level to the first level when the second slice signal is smaller than the source signal.