IP Library Granted Patent US 8,059,943
Granted Patent B2
US 8,059,943 · App. 11/547,624 · Granted Nov 15, 2011

Information recording medium wherein stream convertible at high-speed is recorded, and recording apparatus and recording method therefor

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,059,943
App. No.
11/547,624
Granted
Nov 15, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

An information recording medium capable of converting a stream including seamless connection, which is recorded in a constrained format allowing format conversion from a first format (MPEG-TS) to a second format (MPEG-PS), into a second stream, and an apparatus and method for recording information in the information recording medium. The constrained format is provided for enabling conversion from a first format (for example, MPEG transport stream) to a second format (for example, MPEG program stream). Seamless playback is performed by using a third system stream (Bridge-VOB), which is composed of each of the parts the two seamlessly connected system streams. A video information presentation time by data management unit (Capsule) at a third system stream terminal is greater than or equal to 0.4 second and less than or equal to 1 second, according to the constrained format.

Claims (34)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing video information and audio information encoded into a system stream together with associated management information, wherein

the system stream has at least one of a first format (TS) and a second format (PS), the first format (TS) having a packet structure for storing data segmented in packets, the second format (PS) having a pack structure for storing data segmented in packs,

the first format (TS) includes a constrained format used for converting the system stream from the first format (TS) to the second format (PS),

according to the constrained format, a predetermined number of packets are grouped and managed as a multiplexing unit which corresponds to the pack of the second format, and the system stream is managed in a data management unit (Capsule) which includes a plurality of multiplexing units,

the management information contains playback sequence information (PGC) indicating a playback sequence of the system stream,

the playback sequence information is described by a combination of playback portions (Cells) corresponding to one or a plurality of continuous system streams;

the management information contains connection information (connection_code) for each playback portion, the connection information indicating whether each playback portion is played back seamlessly from the playback portion in the previous playback sequence,

when the connection information indicates seamless playback, a third system stream (Bridge-VOB) including a part of each of the two seamlessly connected system streams is used to enable seamless playback, and

the third system stream is recorded according to the constrained format so that the playback time of the video information in the data management unit (Capsule) containing the last packet of the third system stream is greater than or equal to 0.4 second and less than or equal to 1 second.

2. An information recording apparatus for encoding audio information and video information into a system stream and recording the system stream with associated management information to an information recording medium, wherein

the system stream is allowed to have a first format (TS) and a second format (PS), the first format (TS) having a packet structure for storing data segmented in packets, the second format (PS) having a pack structure for storing data segmented in packs,

the first format (TS) is allowed to have a constrained format used for converting the system stream from the first format (TS) to the second format (PS),

according to the constrained format, a predetermined number of packets are grouped and managed as a multiplexing unit which corresponds to the pack of the second format, and the system stream is managed in a data management unit (Capsule) which includes a plurality of multiplexing units,

the management information contains playback sequence information (PGC) indicating a playback sequence of the system stream,

the playback sequence information is described by a combination of playback portions (Cells) corresponding to one or a plurality of continuous system streams,

the management information contains connection information (connection_code) for each playback portion, the connection information indicating whether each playback portion is played back seamlessly from the playback portion in the previous playback sequence,

when the connection information indicates seamless playback, a third system stream (Bridge-VOB) including a part of each of the two seamlessly connected system streams is used to enable seamless playback,

the information recording apparatus comprises:

a first encoding section that applies a specific encoding process to the video information and audio information to generate a video elementary stream and an audio elementary stream based on the first format (TS);

a second encoding section that applies system-encoding to multiplex the video elementary stream and the audio elementary stream into a system stream based on the first format (TS); and

a controller that controls the first and second encoding sections, and

the controller controls the first and second encoding sections so that the playback time of the video information in the data management unit (Capsule) at the end of the third system stream is greater than or equal to 0.4 second and less than or equal to 1 second.

3. A method for encoding audio information and video information into a system stream and recording the system stream with associated management information to an information recording medium, wherein

the system stream is allowed to have a first format (TS) and a second format (PS), the first format (TS) having a packet structure for storing data segmented in packets, the second format (PS) having a pack structure for storing data segmented in packs,

the first format (TS) is allowed to have a constrained format used for converting the system stream from the first format (TS) to the second format (PS),

according to the constrained format, a predetermined number of packets are grouped and managed as a multiplexing unit which corresponds to the pack of the second format, and the system stream is managed in a data management unit (Capsule) which includes a plurality of multiplexing units,

the management information contains playback sequence information (PGC) indicating a playback sequence of the system stream,

the playback sequence information is described by a combination of playback portions (Cells) corresponding to one or a plurality of continuous system streams,

the management information contains connection information (connection_code) for each playback portion, the connection information indicating whether each playback portion is played back seamlessly from the playback portion in the previous playback sequence,

when the connection information indicates seamless playback, a third system stream (Bridge-VOB) including a part of each of the two seamlessly connected system streams is used to enable seamless playback,

the information recording method comprises:

applying a specific encoding process to the video information and audio information to generate a video elementary stream and an audio elementary stream based on the first format (TS), and

multiplexing and system encoding the video elementary stream and audio elementary stream based on the first format (TS) to generate the system stream, and

the encoding process is applied so that the playback time of the video information in the data management unit (Capsule) at the end of the third system stream is greater than or equal to 0.4 second and less than or equal to 1 second.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 14, 2008
From: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021835/0421 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 17, 2007
From: YAHATA, HIROSHI
To: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 019836/0261 →