Data recording device, data recording method, and recording control program

1. A data recording device for recording video data and/or audio data on a recording medium, comprising:

a compression-encoding unit for compressing and encoding an inputted data stream, hierarchizing a variable data block, and blocking a plurality of generated lower-level data blocks as an upper-level data block;

a data block temporary storage unit for temporality storing at least one upper-level data block generated in the compression-encoding unit and including n number (n is a given natural number) of lower-level data blocks; and

a control unit for managing a size of an upper-level data block generated in the compression-encoding unit and controlling the compression-encoding unit to perform blocking of data blocks in such a way that an upper-level data block includes a plurality of lower-level data blocks to an extent that a size of the upper-level data block does not exceed a capacity of the data block temporary storage unit,

wherein, upon receiving a generation completion signal indicating completion of generating a lower-level data block from the compression-encoding unit, if a total size of a plurality of lower-level data blocks counted from a beginning of a currently generated upper-level data block in the compression-encoding unit is equal to or larger than a difference between the capacity of the data block temporary storage unit and a size of a maximum lower-level data block of the plurality of the lower-level data blocks, the control unit makes an end process request for performing an end process to determine the lower-level data block which has just been generated as a last lower-level data block to be included in the currently generated upper-level data block, to the compression-encoding unit.

2. The data recording device according to claim 1 , wherein the compression-encoding unit performs variable bit rate control that varies a video bit rate as an amount of data per unit time in accordance with a variation in video data, and the size of the maximum lower-level data block is a product of a sum of a maximum value of the video bit rate and an audio bit rate as an amount of audio data per unit time, times a value of a number of video frames as a number of still frames included in one lower-level data block divided by a video frame rate as a still frame rewriting frequency.

3. The data recording device according to claim 1 , wherein the compression-encoding unit generates the upper-level data block and the lower-level data blocks in compliance with DVD-Video specifications, and video data and/or audio data are recorded on a DVD as the recording medium.

4. The data recording device according to claim 1 , wherein the compression-encoding unit sends, to the control unit, the generation completion signal upon every completion of generating a lower-level data block, and information including a number of packs contained in the lower-data block and defined by DVD-Video specifications, and the control unit calculates a total size of lower-level data blocks counted from a beginning of a currently generated upper-level data block in the compression-encoding unit, based on the number of packs.

5. The data recording device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper-level data block and the lower-level data blocks are a cell and video object units, respectively, defined by DVD-Video specifications.

6. The data recording device according to claim 1 , wherein, if a number of lower-level data blocks included in an upper-level data block becomes equal to or more than a predetermined upper limit, the control unit makes an end process request for performing an end process to determine the lower-level data block which has just been generated as a last lower-level data block to be included in the currently generated upper-level data block, to the compression-encoding unit.

7. The data recording device according to claim 6 , wherein the predetermined upper limit is determined based on a total recording time of a recording medium, a recording time corresponding to the upper-level data block, and a recording time corresponding to the lower-level data block.

8. A data recording method for recording video data and/or audio data on a recording medium, comprising:

performing a compression and encoding process on an inputted data stream, hierarchizing a variable data block, and blocking a plurality of generated lower-level data blocks as an upper-level data block;

temporality storing at least one upper-level data block including n number (n is a given natural number) of lower-level data blocks; and

after receiving a generation completion signal indicating completion of generating a lower-level data block, if a total size of a plurality of lower-level data blocks counted from a beginning of a currently generated upper-level data block in the compression and encoding process is equal to or larger than a difference between a capacity of a data block temporary storage unit and a predetermined value of a size of a maximum lower-level data block of the plurality of the lower-level data blocks, making an end process request for performing an end process to determine the lower-level data block which has just been generated as a last lower-level data block to be included in the currently generated upper-level data block.

9. The data recording method according to claim 8 , wherein the compression and encoding process performs variable bit rate control that varies a video bit rate as an amount of data per unit time in accordance with a variation in video data, and the size of the maximum lower-level data block is a product of a sum of a maximum value of the video bit rate and an audio bit rate as an amount of audio data per unit time, times a value of a number of video frames as a number of still frames included in one lower-level data block divided by a video frame rate as a still frame rewriting frequency.

10. The data recording method according to claim 8 , wherein the compression and encoding process generates the upper-level data block and the lower-level data blocks in compliance with DVD-Video specifications, and video data and/or audio data are recorded on a DVD as the recording medium.

11. The data recording method according to claim 8 , wherein the compression and encoding process outputs the generation completion signal upon every completion of generating a lower-level data block, and information including a number of packs contained in the lower-data block and defined by DVD-Video specifications, and a total size of lower-level data blocks counted from a beginning of a currently generated upper-level data block in the compression-encoding process is calculated based on the number of packs.

12. The data recording method according to claim 8 , wherein the upper-level data block and the lower-level data blocks are a cell and video object units, respectively, defined by DVD-Video specifications.

13. The data recording method according to claim 8 , wherein, if a number of lower-level data blocks included in an upper-level data block becomes equal to or more than a predetermined upper limit, an end process to determine the lower-level data block which has just been generated as a last lower-level data block to be included in the currently generated upper-level data block is performed in the compression-encoding process.

14. The data recording method according to claim 13 , wherein the predetermined upper limit is determined based on a total recording time of a recording medium, a recording time corresponding to the upper-level data block, and a recording time corresponding to the lower-level data block.

15. A computer program product on a computer readable medium, storing a program for executing a data recording method on a computer, said method comprising:

performing a compression and encoding process on an inputted data stream, hierarchizing a variable data block, and blocking a plurality of generated lower-level data blocks as an upper-level data block;

temporality storing at least one upper-level data block including n number (n is a given natural number) of lower-level data blocks; and

after receiving a generation completion signal indicating completion of generating a lower-level data block, if a total size of a plurality of lower-level data blocks counted from a beginning of a currently generated upper-level data block in the compression and encoding process is equal to or larger than a difference between a capacity of a data block temporary storage unit and a predetermined value of a size of a maximum lower-level data block of the plurality of the lower-level data blocks, making an end process request for performing an end process to determine the lower-level data block which has just been generated as a last lower-level data block to be included in the currently generated upper-level data block.