Recording and reproducing apparatus

Details Recording and reproducing apparatus Recording and reproducing apparatus

2001-06-12

2004-05-18

Hudspeth, David (Department: 2697)

Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval

General recording or reproducing

Recording-or erasing-prevention

C360S061000, C360S029000, C360S039000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06738211

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus, such as a video tape recorder, which records and reproduces a digitally modulated signal (hereinafter referred to as a digital signal) and an analog signal.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recently, digitalization has been progressed in broadcasting systems, and recording media as well as formats which can record video and audio materials with digital signals as they are have been developed. There is D-VHS format which can record and reproduce both of digital signals and analog signals. (D-VHS is one of the trademarks of Japan Victor Co., Ltd.) A content can be recorded with analog signals but should not be recorded with digital signals, and whether or not recordable depends on the contents of digital broadcasting. When a transfer rate of a digital signal transmitted is over the maximum transfer rate of a recording medium or a format, the digital signal cannot be recorded.
A conventional recording and reproducing apparatus, which can record and reproduce both of digital signals and analog signals, is described hereinafter with reference to FIG.
3
.
In
FIG. 3
, digital-signal-inputting-means
31
supplies a digital signal to digital-signal-processing-means
32
, i.e., processing means
32
receives the digital signal from inputting means
31
, then processing means
32
processes various information of the signal, and outputs the process result to digital-signal-demodulating-means
33
. Demodulating means
33
demodulates the digital signals of video and audio extracted by processing means
32
into analog signals. Switch
34
receives both of the digital signals of the video and audio from processing means
32
and the analog signals of the video and audio demodulated by demodulating means
33
. Then switch
34
selects one of these two kinds of signals based on a control signal supplied from manual-signal-selecting means
35
and outputs the selected signals. Selecting means
35
can manually set the signal selection at switch
34
.
Copyright information judging means
36
judges the copyright information extracted by processing means
32
. Recording processing means
37
records the digital signal or analog signal output from switch
34
. At this time, processing means
37
carries out digital recording or analog recording responsive to the selection of selecting means
35
. However, when judging means
36
judges that the copyright information includes prohibition against digital recording, processing means
37
cannot practice digital recording. When processing means
37
can record the content, processing means
37
actually records signals in recording medium
38
. Reproduction processing means
39
reproduces the signal recorded in medium
38
. Reproduction signal outputting means
310
outputs the signals reproduced by reproduction processing means
39
.
An operation of the conventional recording and reproducing apparatus structured above is described hereinafter.
First, a digital signal supplied from inputting means
31
is sent to digital-signal-processing means
32
, where necessary data is extracted. At this time, processing means
32
transmits digital signals of video and audio to digital-signal-demodulating means
33
and switch
34
. Processing means
32
transmits various data-signals to copyright information judgement means
36
. Demodulating means
33
demodulates the digital signal received to an analog signal, then transmits the demodulated analog signal to switch
34
. Manual selecting means
35
selects by manual setting which of the digital signal supplied from processing means
32
or the analog signal supplied from demodulating means
33
is to be input to switch
34
Recording processing means
37
records the digital signal or analog signal selected at switch
34
.
Regarding the recording by processing means
37
, judging means
36
judges the copyright information transmitted from processing means
32
, and if the information has prohibition against digital recording, judging means
36
instructs processing means
37
to prohibit the recording. On the other hand, if the information has permission to record the content, judging means
36
instructs processing means
37
to record the content. Then processing means
37
records the digital signal or analog signal selected at switch
34
to recording medium
38
. Reproduction processing means
39
reproduces the signal recorded in medium
38
, and transmits the reproduced signal to reproduction signal outputting means
310
, which then outputs the reproduced signal.
The conventional structure discussed above, however, cannot record desirable video or audio in a particular case, i.e., selecting means
35
selects a digital signal, in other words, the digital signal is input to switch
34
, and when the copyright information judged by judging means
36
has prohibition against digital recording, a record prohibiting instruction is sent to processing means
37
. As a result, the desirable video or audio cannot be recorded.
Further, in the condition of selecting a digital signal at selecting means
35
, and when a transfer rate of the digital signal is over the maximum transfer rate for digital recording, desirable video or audio is not exactly recorded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above and aims to provide a recording and reproducing apparatus which can record desirable audio or video in an analog form instead of a digital form even if a digital signal is selected by manual-signal-selecting-means and copyright information judged by copyright-information-judging-means has prohibition against digital recording.
Further, a digital signal is selected at manual-signal-selecting-means, and when a transfer rate of the digital signal supplied to copyright-information-judging-means is over the maximum transfer rate for digital recording, the present invention provides a recording and reproducing apparatus which can record desirable audio or video in the analog form instead of the digital form.
The recording and reproducing apparatus of the present invention comprises the following elements:
(a) digital signal inputting means;
(b) digital signal processing means for processing information included in an output from the digital signal inputting means;
(c) digital signal demodulating means for demodulating an output from the digital signal processing means into an analog signal;
(d) copyright information judging means for judging whether or not the content is recordable based on copyright information included in the output from the digital signal processing means;
(e) manual-signal-selecting-means for selecting manually a digital signal or an analog signal as a desirable signal type for recording;
(f) automatic-signal-selecting-means for outputting a selection control signal based on information from the manual-signal-selecting-means and information from the copyright-information-judging-means;
(g) a switch for outputting one of the output from the digital-signal-processing-means or the output from the digital-signal-demodulating-means, based on the selection control signal; and
(h) recording processing means for being controlled by an output from the copyright information judging means, and for recording an output from the switch.
In the condition that a digital signal is manually selected for recording, and the copyright information has prohibition against recording in a digital form but has permission to record in an analog form, this structure allows selecting automatically an analog signal for analog recording. Therefore, this structure can avoid the problem of desirable audio or video being not recorded.
Another recording and reproducing apparatus of the present invention comprises the following elements:
(a) digital signal inputting means;
(b) digital signal processing means for processing information included in an output from the digital signal inputting means;
(c) digital signal demodulating means for demodulating an output from the digital signal processing mean

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