JP3739759B2 - Information recording medium, information reproducing apparatus, and information reproducing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention belongs to the technical field of an information recording medium such as a high-density optical disc capable of recording information such as video and audio represented by a DVD at high density, and a reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from the information recording medium. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, so-called LDs (Laser Disks), CDs (Compact Disks), etc. are widely used as optical disks on which information such as video and audio is recorded.
[0003]
In these LDs and the like, video information and audio information are recorded together with time information indicating the time at which each information should be reproduced with reference to the reproduction start position of each LD or the like. For this reason, in addition to general normal playback in which recorded information is played back in the order in which they are recorded, for example, in a CD, only a desired song is extracted from a plurality of recorded songs. Or playback such as changing the playback order at random.
[0004]
However, in the LD or the like, it is said that viewers have choices with respect to displayed video and reproduced sound, and that the viewer cannot select and reproduce so-called interactive changes such as selecting and viewing them. There was a problem.
[0005]
That is, for example, when watching a foreign movie recorded on LD, select the language used in the subtitles displayed on the screen (for example, select Japanese subtitles and original subtitles) ) When displaying or listening to music recorded on a CD, the sound of the music may be selected (for example, selecting whether to listen in English or Japanese lyrics) It is not possible.
[0006]
On the other hand, there are many proposals and developments on DVD, which is an optical disk whose storage capacity is increased by about 10 times without changing the size of the conventional optical disk. Thus, if voices and the like are recorded in the plurality of subtitles and a plurality of languages, the viewer can enjoy the reproduction rich in interactive change by selecting it.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the DVD, when recording a plurality of music information, attributes (hereinafter referred to as “audio attributes”) such as the encoding method of the music information, sampling frequency, number of quantization bits, number of channels, presence / absence of emphasis, and the like. ) Different information can be mixed and recorded on one disc.
[0008]
However, when reproducing music information having different audio attributes, it is necessary for the reproducing apparatus to perform a reproducing operation corresponding to the different audio attributes. For example, when music information is output from a speaker, audio information recorded on a DVD needs to be digital / analog converted and supplied as an analog signal to an amplifier and further to the speaker. In this case, if the sampling frequency of the music to be played continuously is different (for example, the first music is 48 kHz, the second music is 96 kHz, etc.), the playback device starts receiving the second music data after playing the first music. A change in the sampling frequency is noticed, and the process of changing the clock frequency of the D / A converter to 96 kHz is started. However, since it takes a certain amount of time for the circuit (PLL circuit) to lock to the frequency after the change, there is a possibility that the change of the frequency is not in time for the start of the second music and the head portion cannot be reproduced correctly. Such a problem is not limited to the change in the sampling frequency, but may occur with changes in various audio attributes such as the number of quantization bits and the presence / absence of emphasis.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the problem is that when a plurality of pieces of music having different audio attributes are recorded, each piece of music having different audio attributes is reproduced continuously. An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording medium on which the music information is recorded in such a manner that it can be reproduced correctly and smoothly according to the attribute.
[0010]
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from an information recording medium on which music information is recorded in the above-described manner.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1An information recording medium comprising a management information area and an audio information area for recording audio information, wherein the audio information area is composed of a plurality of title sets, and the title set includes the audio information and the audio information Two types of title sets are included: a first title set of a type composed of information reproduction control information, and a second title set of a type composed only of the reproduction control information.
[0012]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 5 is an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from the information recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information reading device reads information. Means, reproduction means for reproducing the audio information, and control means for controlling the reproduction means based on the management information and reproduction control information.
[0013]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention described in claim 6 is an information reproducing method for reproducing information from the information recording medium described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information reading method reads information. A playback process for playing back the audio information, and a control process for controlling the playback process based on the management information and playback control information.
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that the embodiment described below describes an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the DVD.
[0029]
(I)Embodiment of information recording medium
  DVD physical and logical format
First, the physical and logical configuration and operation of a DVD that is an embodiment of the information recording medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0030]
First, a recording format (physical recording format) of video information and audio information (including music information; hereinafter the same) on a DVD will be described with reference to FIG.
[0031]
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the DVD 1 according to the embodiment has a lead-in area LI at the innermost peripheral portion and a lead-out area LO at the outermost peripheral portion. Information is divided and recorded in a plurality of VTSs (Video Title Set) 3 (VTS # 1 to VTS # n) each having an ID (identification) number. Here, the VTS is a related title (the number of audio information and sub-picture information included therein, the attributes such as the specification, the corresponding language, etc. are the same) titles (movies etc.) that the producer intends to present to the viewer. More specifically, for example, a plurality of movies having dialogues in different languages are recorded as titles for the same movie, or Even in the same movie, the movie version and the special version are recorded as different titles. In addition, the video manager 2 is recorded at the head of the area where the VTS 3 is recorded. The information recorded as the video manager 2 is, for example, a video recorded on the DVD 1 such as a menu indicating the name of each title, information for preventing illegal copying, or an access table for accessing each title. Information related to the entire information and audio information is recorded.
[0032]
One VTS 3 is divided and recorded into a plurality of VOBs 10 each having an ID number, starting with the control data 11. Here, a portion constituted by a plurality of VOBs 10 is referred to as a VOB set (VOBS). This VOB set is a VOB set for the entity part in order to distinguish between control data 11 which is other data constituting the VTS 3 and a plurality of VOB 10 parts which are entities of video information and audio information. .
[0033]
The control data 11 recorded at the head of the VTS 3 includes information such as PGCI (Program Chain Information), which is various information related to the program chain, which is a logical division combining a plurality of cells (cells will be described later). Is recorded. In addition to the control information, each VOB 10 is recorded with video information and audio information entity portions (video or audio itself other than the control information).
[0034]
Furthermore, one VOB 10 includes a plurality of cells 20 each having an ID number. Here, one VOB 10 is configured to be completed by a plurality of cells 20, and one cell 20 does not straddle two VOBs 10.
[0035]
One cell 20 includes a plurality of VOB units (VOBU) 30 each having an ID number. Here, the VOB unit 30 is one unit constituted by any one of video information, audio information, sub-video information (referring to sub-video information such as subtitles in a movie) or only a navigation pack described later. .
[0036]
The one VOB unit 30 includes a navigation pack 41 in which control information for controlling video information included in the VOB unit 30 is stored, a video pack 42 including video data as video information, The audio pack 43 includes audio data as audio information, and the sub-picture pack 44 includes sub-picture data as sub-picture information. Here, only video data is recorded as video data, and only audio data is recorded as audio data. In addition, as sub-picture data, only graphic data such as characters and figures as sub-pictures is recorded. The standard stipulates that there are 8 types of audio that can be recorded on the DVD 1 and 32 types of sub-video that can be recorded.
[0037]
The playback time corresponding to one VOB unit 30 (playback time corresponding to data recorded between one navigation pack 41 and the navigation pack 41 adjacent to the one navigation pack 41) is 0. Recorded to have a length of 4 seconds or more.
[0038]
Further, in one VOB unit 30, the navigation pack 41 is always present at the head thereof, but each of the video pack 42, the audio pack 43, and the sub-picture pack 44 is not necessarily present in the VOB unit 30, and Even if they exist, their number and order can be arbitrarily set.
[0039]
Here, each of the video pack 42, the audio pack 43, and the sub-picture pack 44 shown in FIG. That is, in one VOB unit 30, video data, audio data, and sub-picture data are recorded separately in packs P. These packs P are recording units set in correspondence with the pack processing in the MPEG2 system used when recording information is recorded on the DVD 1 of the present embodiment.
[0040]
Further, the pack header recorded at the head of each pack P has a playback time axis on which data contained in each pack P should be read from a track buffer in a playback apparatus to be described later and input to each buffer should be started. Read start time information called SCR (System Clock Reference) indicating the above read start time, a start code indicating the start of the pack P, and the like are recorded. For each pack P, video data, audio data, and sub-picture data are usually recorded for each packet, which is a recording unit obtained by further subdividing the pack P. In the DVD 1 according to the present embodiment, generally, One pack P is composed of one packet.
[0041]
Finally, the navigation pack 41 uses search information (specifically, an address on the DVD 1 in which the video or audio to be reproduced / displayed is recorded) for searching for the video or audio or the like to be reproduced / displayed. It is composed of certain DSI (Data Search Information) data 51 and PCI (Presentation Information) data 50 which is information related to playback display control when video or audio searched based on the DSI data 51 is played back. At this time, the DSI data 51 and the PCI data 50 are recorded as a packet PT, constituting a DSI packet and a PCI packet, respectively.
[0042]
Furthermore, all the video packs 42 included in one VOB unit 30 are configured by one or a plurality of GOPs (Group Of Pictures). The GOP is the smallest that can be reproduced independently, as defined in the MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) standard, which is an image compression method employed when recording video information on the DVD 1 in the present embodiment. It is an image unit.
[0043]
In the hierarchical recording format shown in FIG. 1 described above, each category is freely set by the producer of recording information to be recorded in the DVD 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the producer) according to the intention. To be recorded. By performing reproduction for each of these sections based on the logical structure described later, various reproductions with various changes can be made.
[0044]
Next, a logical format (logical structure) in which information recorded by the physical division shown in FIG. 1 is combined will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the logical structure shown in FIG. 2 does not actually record information on the DVD 1 in that structure, but combines the data (particularly cell 20) shown in FIG. 1 with the logical structure shown in FIG. Information for reproduction (access information, time information, etc.) is recorded on the DVD 1, particularly in the control data 11.
[0045]
For clarification of the description, starting from the lower hierarchy of FIG. 2, by selecting and combining a plurality of cells 20 from the physical structure described in FIG. It is logically constructed based on the intention of the producer. The program 60 is also a minimum logical unit that can be accessed by a command by a system controller in a playback apparatus described later by identifying a partition. Note that the producer can also define the program 60 as a minimum unit in which one or more programs 60 can be selected and viewed by the viewer, and this unit is referred to as PTT (Part Of Title).
[0046]
In addition, since one program 60 is logically configured by selecting a plurality of cells 20, one cell 20 is used in a plurality of programs 60, that is, one cell 20 is used in a plurality of different programs 60. It is also possible for the producer to reuse the so-called cell 20 to be reproduced.
[0047]
Here, the number of one cell 20 is handled as a cell ID number when the cell 20 is handled in the physical format shown in FIG. 1 (shown as cell ID # in FIG. 1), and is shown in FIG. When handled in the logical format, they are handled as cell numbers in the order of description in PGCI described later.
[0048]
Next, a plurality of programs 60 are combined to logically configure one PGC (Program Chain) 61 based on the intention of the producer. The above-described PGCI is defined in units of the PGC 61, and in the PGCI, the reproduction order of the cells 20 for each program 60 when the respective programs 60 are reproduced (the program unique to each program 60 by this reproduction order). A number is assigned), an address that is the recording position of each cell 20 on the DVD 1, a number of the first cell 20 to be reproduced in one program 60, a reproduction method of each program 60, and various commands (PGC 61 or each cell 20) Command that can be specified by the producer). The recording position of the PGCI on the DVD 1 is in the control data 11 (see FIG. 1) as described above. However, when the PGCI is a PGCI related to the menu in the video manager 2, the recording position of the PGCI is In the control data (see FIG. 4) included in the video manager 2.
[0049]
In addition to the PGCI, one PGC 61 includes data such as substantial video and audio as a combination of programs 60 (in other words, a combination of cells 20).
[0050]
Furthermore, in one PGC 61, it is possible to reuse the cell 20 shown in the description of the program 60 (that is, the same cell 20 is used by different PGC 61). In addition to the method of reproducing the cells 20 in the order stored in the DVD 1 (reproduction of continuously arranged cells), the cells 20 to be used are reproduced regardless of the order stored in the DVD 1 (for example, later The producer can select a method (reproduction of non-contiguously arranged cells), for example, reproducing the recorded cell 20 first.
[0051]
Next, one title 62 is logically configured by one or a plurality of PGCs 61. The title 62 is, for example, a unit corresponding to one movie in terms of video information and one album in terms of music information, and is complete information that the producer wants to provide to the viewer of the DVD 1.
[0052]
One or more titles 62 logically constitute one VTS 63. The titles 62 included in the VTS 63 have common attributes. For example, a movie of a different language for the same movie, a plurality of albums by one music artist, and the like are included in each title 62. It will be equivalent.
[0053]
Further, information corresponding to one VTS 63 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to information included in one VTS 3 shown in FIG. That is, all information logically included in the VTS 63 shown in FIG. 2 is recorded on the DVD 1 as a single VTS 3.
[0054]
Based on the logical format described above, the producer specifies the information divided in the physical structure, so that the video or music to be viewed by the viewer is formed.
[0055]
Since it is necessary to record information in various layers as described above, the recording information having the above-described recording format is not limited to recording one movie as in the DVD 1 but is also an audio corresponding to the movie. Or, for subtitles and the like, it is particularly suitable for an information recording medium having a large storage capacity capable of recording audio or subtitles of a plurality of languages on the same optical disc.
Contents of audio DVD
As described above, video information, character information, audio information, and the like can be mixed and recorded on a DVD. When a movie or the like is recorded on a DVD, video information of the movie and audio information corresponding to the movie information are recorded as a pair, and subtitles and the like are recorded as sub-picture information as necessary. On the other hand, there is a case where only audio information is recorded on a DVD like a CD, in which case video information is basically not recorded on the DVD (hereinafter, such a DVD is referred to as an “audio DVD”). ). In this case, more specifically, the VOB unit 30 shown in FIG. 1 includes a navigation pack 41 and a plurality of audio packs 43, and basically does not include video packs and sub-picture packs (however, music selection and It may contain text information for song introductions and some video information for promotional purposes). Since the present invention particularly relates to audio information, in the following embodiments, only audio information is recorded on a DVD.
[0056]
Before describing the details of the embodiment, the recording mode of the audio information on the audio DVD will be roughly described. Audio DVDs have a considerably larger recording capacity than CDs, and music information corresponding to a plurality of CDs can be recorded on one DVD. A group of audio information corresponding to one CD on an audio DVD is called a “group”. For example, suppose there is an audio DVD that collects multiple original albums by the Beatles. In this case, the audio DVD includes a plurality of (for example, four) albums such as “let it be” and “abbey road”. Audio information corresponding to each album is recorded as an individual title set (VTS 3, see FIG. 1). For example, “let it be” is recorded in VTS # 1, “abbey road” is recorded in VTS # 2, and so on. Therefore, in this case, each group of audio information corresponding to each album corresponds to a “group”.
[0057]
In the above example, one album corresponds to one group, but other than this, a group can be constituted by a collection of audio information collected based on a certain theme. For example, in addition to a plurality of original albums on the above DVD, “John Lennon Vocal Collection” (for example, VTS # 5) that collects songs that John Lennon takes lead vocals, or “Paul McCartney Vocal Collection” If a collection of music such as VTS # 6 is recorded, each of these also constitutes a “group” and corresponds to one VTS. However, in this case, only the songs belonging to the plurality of original albums are reproduced as the actual songs, and as the audio information on the DVD, the songs in the plurality of original albums are duplicated in VTS # 5 and # 6. Is not recorded. Therefore, as information in VTS # 5 and # 6, only playback control information such as addresses and attributes of audio information recorded in VTS # 1 and # 2 is recorded. Refer to the control information for music playback. Thus, the actual audio information belonging to VTS # 1 and # 2 is used. Note that a collection of audio information (such as XX collection) created based on a certain theme as described above is also called a “collection”. Therefore, the “collection” may be a group including substantial information recorded in a group (VTS) different from itself.
[0058]
A “group” can be considered to correspond to a group of songs recognized by the user. In the above example, four original albums and two collections are recorded on one DVD. In this case, the content list attached to the DVD includes a total of six different albums. Actually, the substantive information of the two collections is composed of songs included in the four original albums, and the substantive audio information is not recorded in duplicate, but the user is aware of such circumstances. Without recognizing that six different albums are recorded on one DVD. Therefore, regardless of the recording state of the substantial audio information on the DVD, it can be considered as a group of songs in which the user recognizes the group.
Audio attribute information
Next, audio attribute information related to the present invention among the recorded information on the DVD will be described. The audio attribute information refers to attributes of audio information recorded on the DVD, specifically, encoding method, sampling frequency, number of quantization bits, number of channels, presence / absence of emphasis, and the like. In the present invention, the audio attribute information is recorded in the audio pack 43, the control data 11 in each VTS 3, and the control data in the video manager 2 in order from the lower hierarchy shown in FIG. . Hereinafter, these will be described in detail.
[0059]
As described above, the audio information is stored in the audio pack 43, but the audio attribute information is first recorded in the audio pack 43. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of information in the audio pack. As the type of audio information, there are a case where compressed audio data is recorded and a case where uncompressed audio data is recorded. Here, the case of uncompressed audio data (linear PCM system) is exemplified. To do. That is, FIG. 3 shows the contents of the audio pack 43 when the type (encoding method) of audio data is linear PCM.
[0060]
As shown in the figure, the audio pack 43 includes a pack header 64 and an audio packet APT. In the pack header 64, read start time information that is control information at the time of reproduction of data in each pack P, a start code indicating the start of the pack P, and the like are recorded. The audio packet APT is audio data in which the packet header 65 including information indicating that the data included in the audio pack 43 is audio data and the audio data included in the audio pack 43 are compressed. Or sub-stream ID information 66 including information indicating whether the audio data is not compressed as in the present linear PCM system, and audio frame information 67 describing audio frame number information and the like.
[0061]
Furthermore, the audio pack 43 has audio attribute information 68 that is information relating to attributes of audio data included in the audio pack 43. In the case of linear PCM audio data, the audio attribute information 68 includes a sampling frequency, the number of quantization bits, and the number of channels included as audio data (one channel is constituted by audio data output from one speaker). For example, when audio data to be output from the left and right speakers is included, the number of channels is “2”.), And information on the presence or absence of emphasis of the audio data. The audio pack 43 further includes audio data 43a which is a substantial part as audio information and is composed of a plurality of audio frames AF. In the above configuration, portions of the audio pack 43 other than the pack header 64 constitute an audio packet APT.
[0062]
Audio attribute information is also recorded in the control data 11 in each VTS. FIG. 4 shows audio attribute information 12 in the control data 11. As described above, the attribute information of the audio information included in the VTS is recorded in the control data 11 for all the VTSs. An example of the audio attribute information 12 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the audio attribute information includes an audio information encoding method 15h, multi-channel information 15i, audio type 15j, application type 15k, quantization bit number 15m, sampling frequency 15n, channel number 15o, and emphasis. Presence / absence 15p is included. The encoding method 15h specifies an encoding method such as Dolby AC3 or linear PCM, and the audio type 15j specifies whether or not a language (lyrics or the like) is included in the audio information. Application type 15k indicates their use when the audio information is multi-channel, and includes karaoke, surround, and the like. The number of quantization bits 15m and the sampling frequency 15n indicate the number of quantization bits and the sampling frequency in the encoding of the audio information, respectively. The number of channels 15o indicates the number of channels of the audio information, and the presence / absence of emphasis 15p indicates whether or not emphasis is turned on in the audio information.
[0063]
Further, the audio attribute information is recorded as part of the audio concentration information in the control data in the video manager 2. FIG. 6 shows an example of the audio concentration information. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the audio concentration information 13 in the control data 11 in the video manager 2 is a set of audio management information described in the control data 11 in each VTS. In the example of FIG. 6, this DVD has three groups, each of which corresponds to a VTS. As described above, a group corresponds to one album such as a CD, and the user recognizes that three different albums are recorded on one DVD. A track corresponds to a song. Note that group 3 in FIG. 6 is a group corresponding to the above-described collection. In other words, the album is apparently recognized by the user as an album different from the groups 1 and 2, but is actually composed of a set of substantial audio information included in the groups 1 and 2.
[0064]
The contents of the audio concentration information 13 further include a start address and an end address of each track. These are absolute addresses on the DVD. Further, among the audio attribute information 12 recorded in the control data 11 in each VTS described above as audio attribute information, at least the sampling frequency, the number of quantization bits, the number of channels, the presence / absence of emphasis, etc. Essential attribute information is included. In the audio concentration information, the reproduction time of each track and the reproduction time for each group are recorded for reproduction time management and the like.
[0065]
As described above, the audio attribute information 12 is recorded in the control data 11 for each group (VTS), and by referring to this, the music in each group can be reproduced. In order to acquire the audio attribute information 12, it is necessary to access the control data 11 in each VTS 3 and read the contents. Here, since the DVD can record audio information having different attributes for each group (VTS), a plurality of songs belonging to different groups and thus having different attributes may be reproduced continuously. Such a situation first occurs when the user selects songs in different groups by manual selection. It also occurs when a group called a collection such as group 3 in FIG. 6 is played back. This is because, in a collection, substantive audio information of each track belongs to a plurality of groups, and tracks having different audio attributes are generally mixed.
[0066]
Therefore, in such a case, since audio attributes such as the sampling frequency and the number of quantization bits change, it takes time for the playback apparatus to cope with the change. Assuming that the audio concentration information 13 is not prepared in the video manager 2, when a track having a different audio attribute is reproduced after a certain song is reproduced, the audio attribute information in the VTS corresponding to the group including the track is represented. Until the search is performed and the attribute of the song corresponding to the next song is acquired, the playback device does not know that the attribute changes. Therefore, when the search to the next song and the track jump (that is, the movement of the pickup) are completed in a relatively short time, the playback device recognizes the change in the attribute, changes the frequency of the D / A converter, etc. The reproduction of the next song starts before completing the above process, and the beginning of the song cannot be reproduced correctly. Normally, the playback apparatus side is not configured to report completion of setting change such as frequency change to the controller that controls the reading of the DVD, and thus there is a high possibility that such a problem will occur.
[0067]
Therefore, as described above, in the present invention, the audio management information in the control data 11 of each VTS is further collected and included in the audio concentration information 13 and described in the video manager 2. Then, when the DVD is set in the playback device, the audio concentration information 13 in the video manager 2 is read and stored in a memory or the like in the system controller. As a result, when tracks with different audio attributes are played continuously, such as in collection playback, the audio attributes of the next song to be played can be known in advance by referring to the audio attribute information in the audio concentration information. Can do. Thereby, the above problems can be avoided. The actual processing of the playback device will be described later.
(II)Embodiment of recording apparatus
Next, an embodiment of a recording apparatus for recording the audio concentration information including the audio attribute information described above on the DVD 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.
[0068]
As shown in FIG. 7, the recording apparatus S1 according to the embodiment includes an audio source 70, a memory 71, a signal processing unit 72, hard disk devices 73 and 74, a controller 75, a multiplexer 76, and a modulator. 77 and a mastering device 78 as a recording means.
[0069]
Next, the operation will be described.
[0070]
In the audio source 70, recording information R which is a material of audio information to be recorded on the DVD 1 is temporarily recorded for each piece of information. The record information R temporarily recorded in the audio source 70 is output to the signal processing unit 72 in response to a request from the signal processing unit 72.
[0071]
The signal processing unit 72 performs A / D conversion on the recording information R output from the audio source 70, further performs compression processing as necessary, and outputs it as an audio signal Sr. The output audio signal Sr is temporarily stored in the hard disk device 73.
[0072]
In parallel with these, the memory 71 controls information for controlling the reproduction of the recorded information R (in FIG. 1, the video manager 2, the control data 11, the navigation pack 41, and the respective audio packs 43). The control information input in advance based on the cue sheet ST in which each control information such as a pack header is described is temporarily stored, and is output as a control information signal Si based on a request from the signal processing unit 72.
[0073]
Based on the time code Tt output from the audio source 70 and the control information signal Si output from the memory 71, the signal processing unit 72 refers to the time code Tt to obtain the access information signal Sac corresponding to the audio signal Sr. The access information Sac is temporarily stored in the hard disk device 74. The above processing is performed for the entire recording information R.
[0074]
When the above processing is completed for all of the recording information R, the controller 75 reads the audio signal Sr from the hard disk device 73 and reads the access information signal Sac from the hard disk device 74, generates additional information Da based on these, and adds The information signal Sa is stored in the hard disk device 74. The specific contents of the audio concentration information 13 in this embodiment are determined in advance by the DVD producer for each group (VTS) and stored in the hard disk 74. Then, under the control of the signal processing unit 72, the audio concentration information 13 and the audio attribute information 12 are included in the additional information Da. That is, the audio information 68 (see FIG. 3) is included in the additional information Da as information recorded in each audio pack, and the audio attribute information 12 (see FIG. 4) is information recorded in the control data 11 in each VTS 3. As included in the additional information Da. Further, the audio concentration information 13 (see FIG. 6) is included in the additional information Da as information recorded in the video manager 2.
[0075]
On the other hand, the controller 75 performs time management of operations of the signal processing unit 72 and the hard disk devices 73 and 74, outputs an additional information signal Sa corresponding to the additional information Da read from the hard disk device 74, and also outputs an audio signal Sr. And an additional information signal Sa are generated and output as an information selection signal Scc for time axis multiplexing.
[0076]
Thereafter, the audio signal Sr and the additional information signal Sa are read from the hard disk device 73 or 74, and are time-axis multiplexed by the multiplexer 76 based on the information selection signal Scc from the controller 75, and output as an information added multiplexed signal Sap. . At the stage of the information-added multiplexed signal Sap, the information to be recorded is synthesized with the control information and the audio information by the switching operation using the information selection signal Scc of the controller 75, and the physical structure (physical structure shown in FIGS. Format). Each audio pack 43 has a structure shown in FIG.
[0077]
Thereafter, the modulator 77 applies an error correction code (ECC) such as a Reed-Solomon code and modulation such as 8-16 modulation to the output information-added multiprocessing signal Sap to generate a disc recording signal Sm. To the mastering device 78.
[0078]
Finally, the mastering device 78 records the disk recording signal Sm on a stamper disk that becomes a master (cutting die) when manufacturing the optical disk. An optical disk as a replica disk that is generally marketed is manufactured by a replication device (not shown) using this stamper disk.
[0079]
As described above, the audio attribute information 68 is included in the audio pack 43, the audio attribute information 12 is included in the control data 11 in each VTS, and the audio concentration information 13 is included in the video manager 2. A DVD is created.
(III)Embodiment of playback device
Next, an embodiment of a reproducing apparatus for reproducing information recorded on the DVD 1 by the recording apparatus S1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0080]
As shown in FIG. 8, the reproducing apparatus S2 according to the embodiment includes a pickup 80, a demodulation / correction unit 81, stream switches 82 and 84, a track buffer 83, a system buffer 85, a demultiplexer 86, and a VBV. (Video Buffer Verifier) buffer 87, video decoder 88, sub-picture buffer 89, sub-picture decoder 90, mixer 91, audio buffer 92, audio decoder 93, PCI buffer 94, PCI decoder 95, A highlight buffer 96, a highlight decoder 97, an input unit 98, a display 99, a system controller 100, a drive controller 101, a spindle motor 102, and a slider motor 103. The configuration shown in FIG. 8 describes only the portion related to the reproduction of video and audio in the configuration of the playback device S2, and is a servo for servo-controlling the pickup 80, the spindle motor 102, the slider motor 103, and the like. Since the circuit and the like are the same as those of the prior art, the description and detailed description are omitted.
[0081]
Next, the operation will be described.
[0082]
The pickup 80 includes a laser diode (not shown), a beam splitter, an objective lens, a photodetector, and the like, and irradiates the DVD 1 with the light beam B as reproduction light and receives the reflected light from the DVD 1 of the light beam B. The detection signal Sp corresponding to the information pit formed on the DVD 1 is output. At this time, the light beam B is accurately applied to the information track on the DVD 1 and is focused on the information recording surface on the DVD 1 with respect to an objective lens (not shown) in the same manner as the conventional technique. Thus, tracking servo control and focus servo control are performed.
[0083]
The detection signal Sp output from the pickup 80 is input to the demodulation and correction unit 81, subjected to demodulation processing and error correction processing to generate a demodulation signal Sdm, and is output to the stream switch 82 and the system buffer 85.
[0084]
The stream switch 82 to which the demodulated signal Sdm is input is controlled to be opened and closed by the switch signal Ssw1 from the drive controller 101. When the stream switch 82 is closed, the input demodulated signal Sdm is directly passed through and output to the track buffer 83. On the other hand, when the stream switch 82 is opened, the demodulated signal Sdm is not output, and unnecessary information (signal) is not input to the track buffer 83.
[0085]
The track buffer 83 to which the demodulated signal Sdm is input is configured by a FIFO (First In First Out) memory or the like, temporarily stores the input demodulated signal Sdm, and when the stream switch 84 is closed, The stored demodulated signal Sdm is continuously output. The track buffer 83 compensates for the difference in data amount for each GOP in the MPEG2 system, and is discontinuous due to the track jump in the seamless playback described above when reading the data divided into the interleaved units IU. The demodulated signal Sdm that is input to is continuously output, and the reproduction interruption due to the discontinuity is eliminated.
[0086]
The stream switch 84 to which the demodulated signal Sdm is continuously input is used in the system so that in the demultiplexing process in the demultiplexer 86, the various buffers in the subsequent stage do not overflow or conversely become empty and the decoding process is not interrupted. Opening and closing is controlled by a switch signal Ssw2 from the controller 100.
[0087]
On the other hand, the system buffer 85 to which the demodulated signal Sdm is input in parallel with the track buffer 83 is detected first when the DVD 1 is loaded, and management information (video manager 2 etc.) relating to the entire information recorded on the DVD 1 or The control data 11 for each VTS 3 is accumulated and output to the system controller 100 as control information Sc, and the DSI data 51 for each navigation pack 41 is temporarily accumulated during reproduction and output to the system controller 100 as control information Sc. .
[0088]
In the demultiplexer 86 to which the demodulated signal Sdm is continuously input via the stream switch 84, video data, audio data 43a, sub-picture data, and PCI data for each navigation pack are extracted from the demodulated signal Sdm for each pack. The video signal Sv, the sub-picture signal Ssp, the audio signal Sad, and the PCI signal Spc are output to the VBV buffer 87, the sub-picture buffer 89, the audio buffer 92, and the PCI buffer 94, respectively.
[0089]
At this time, the demultiplexer 86 extracts the pack header 64, the packet header 65, and the like from each pack (including the audio pack 43) and the packet (including the audio packet APT), and the information included in each of the headers Shd. To the system controller 100. The header signal Shd includes a pack header 64, a packet header 65, substream ID information 66, audio frame information 67, audio data information 68, and the like of the audio pack 43 separated by the demultiplexer 86.
[0090]
The audio signal Sad includes audio data 43a divided into audio packs 43 having the form shown in FIG. 3, and each audio pack 43 includes a plurality of audio frames AF as shown in FIG. It is.
[0091]
The VBV buffer 87 to which the video signal Sv is input is configured by a FIFO memory or the like, temporarily stores the video signal Sv, and outputs it to the video decoder 88. The VBV buffer 87 is for compensating variation in the data amount for each picture (see FIG. 2) in the video signal Sv compressed by the MPEG2 system. Then, the video signal Sv in which the variation in the data amount is compensated is input to the video decoder 88, demodulated by the MPEG2 system, and output to the mixer 91 as a demodulated video signal Svd.
[0092]
On the other hand, the sub picture buffer 89 to which the sub video signal Ssp is input temporarily stores the input sub video signal Ssp and outputs it to the sub picture decoder 90. The sub picture buffer 89 is for outputting the sub picture data 44 included in the sub video signal Ssp in synchronization with the video data 42 corresponding to the sub picture data 44. Then, the sub-picture signal Ssp synchronized with the video data 42 is input to the sub-picture decoder 90, demodulated, and output to the mixer 91 as a demodulated sub-picture signal Sspd.
[0093]
The demodulated video signal Svd output from the video decoder 88 and the demodulated sub-video signal Sspd output from the sub-picture decoder 90 (synchronized with the corresponding demodulated video signal Svd) are mixed by the mixer 91, The video signal Svp to be finally displayed is output to a display unit such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) (not shown).
[0094]
The audio buffer 92 to which the audio signal Sad is input is configured by a FIFO memory or the like, temporarily stores the input audio signal Sad, and outputs it to the audio decoder 93. The audio buffer 92 is for outputting the audio signal Sad in synchronization with the video signal Sv including the corresponding video information or the sub-video signal Ssp based on the header control signal Shc output from the system controller 100. The audio signal Sad is delayed according to the output status of the corresponding video information. Then, the audio signal Sad time-adjusted so as to be synchronized with the corresponding video information is output to the audio decoder 93, and based on the header control signal Shc output from the system controller 100, reproduction processing in the linear PCM system is performed. Then, it is output to a speaker or the like (not shown) as a demodulated audio signal Sadd. Note that an audio DVD containing only music information does not require synchronization processing with video information. The processing in the audio decoder 93 will be described in detail later.
[0095]
When it is detected that it is necessary to temporarily suspend (pause) the audio immediately after the access to the desired information, the system controller 100 outputs a pause signal Sca to the audio decoder 93. The audio decoder 93 temporarily stops outputting the demodulated audio signal Sadd.
[0096]
The PCI buffer 94 to which the PCI signal Spc is input is configured by a FIFO memory or the like, temporarily stores the input PCI signal Spc, and outputs it to the PCI decoder 95. The PCI buffer 94 synchronizes the PCI data included in the PCI signal Spc with the video data, audio data 43, sub-picture data, or the like corresponding to the PCI data, and adds the PCI data to the video data, audio data 43, sub-picture data, etc. It is for applying data. The PCI signal Spc synchronized with the corresponding video data, audio data 43 or sub-picture data by the PCI buffer 94 is separated from the highlight information included in the PCI data by the PCI decoder 95, and is highlighted as the highlight signal Shi. A portion other than the highlight information of PCI data is output to the system controller 100 as a PCI information signal Spci.
[0097]
The highlight buffer 96 to which the highlight signal Shi is input is composed of a FIFO memory or the like, temporarily stores the input highlight signal Shi, and outputs it to the highlight decoder 97. The highlight buffer 96 accurately changes the display state of the selection item (select button) corresponding to the highlight information in response to the sub-video signal Ssp including the video information for the highlight information. It is a buffer for performing time axis compensation to be displayed. The highlight signal Shi subjected to time axis compensation is decoded by the highlight decoder 97, and information included in the highlight signal Shi is output to the system controller 100 as a demodulated highlight signal Shid. The demodulated highlight signal Shid includes information for setting a register in the system controller 100.
[0098]
Here, the system controller 100 outputs the highlight control signal Sch in order to change the display state based on the highlight information based on the demodulated highlight signal Shid. At this time, the system controller 100 validates the selection operation using the menu screen or the like based on the highlight information based on the valid period information indicating the valid period of the highlight information included in the demodulated highlight signal Shid. The selection operation based on the input signal Sin from the input unit 98 is accepted and the highlight control signal Sch is output.
[0099]
Further, the system controller 100 receives control information Sc input from the system buffer 85, a header signal Shd input from the demultiplexer 86, a PCI information signal Spci input from the system PCI decoder 95, and an input unit 98 such as a remote controller. On the basis of the input signal Sin, the switch signal Ssw2, the stream selection signal Slc, the header control signal Shc, the pause signal Sca, and the highlight control signal Sch are output in order to perform correct reproduction corresponding to those signals. A display signal Sdp is output to a display 99 such as a liquid crystal display device in order to display the operation status of the reproducing device S2.
[0100]
Furthermore, when the system controller 100 detects from the DSI information signal Sdsi or the like that a track jump process such as a search is necessary for seamless playback, the system controller 100 instructs the drive controller 101 to perform the track jump process. A seamless control signal Scsl corresponding to is output.
[0101]
The drive controller 101 to which the seamless control signal Scsl is input outputs a drive signal Sd to the spindle motor 102 or the slider motor 103. In response to this drive signal Sd, the spindle motor 102 or the slider motor 103 moves the pickup 2 so that the light beam B is applied to the recording position on the DVD 1 to be reproduced (see the broken line arrow in FIG. 8) and rotates the DVD 1. The number is controlled by CLV (Constant Linear Velocity). In parallel with this, when the pickup 2 is moving and the demodulation signal Sdm is not output from the demodulation correction unit 81, the drive controller 101 outputs the switch signal Ssw1 based on the seamless control signal Scsl and opens the stream switch 82. At the same time, when the demodulated signal Sdm starts to be output, the stream switch 82 is closed and the demodulated signal Sdm is output to the track buffer 83.
[0102]
Next, the configuration and operation of the audio decoder 93 particularly related to the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the audio decoder 93. As illustrated, the audio decoder 93 includes a signal processing unit 120 including a digital filter, a D / A converter 121, an analog output circuit 122 including an amplifier, a digital output circuit 123, and a system microcomputer 124 including a RAM 124a. And a clock circuit 125.
[0103]
The system microcomputer 124 exchanges a control signal Sca with the system controller 100 and controls operations of the clock circuit 125, the signal processing unit 120, the D / A converter 121, and the analog output circuit 122. The system microcomputer 124 has a RAM 124a inside. The RAM 124a temporarily stores audio attribute information supplied as a control signal Sca from the system controller 100.
[0104]
The system microcomputer 124 refers to the audio attribute information stored in the RAM 124 a and supplies the contents to the clock circuit 125 and the signal processing unit 120. Specifically, the system microcomputer 124 supplies the sampling frequency information in the audio attribute information to the clock circuit 125. The clock circuit 125 includes an oscillator and supplies the clock signal fs corresponding to the designated sampling frequency to the signal processing unit 120. Further, the system microcomputer 124 supplies the sampling frequency, the number of quantization bits, the number of channels, and the presence / absence of emphasis in the audio attribute information to the signal processing unit 120 and provides the D / A converter 121 with the number of channels information. Further, the system microcomputer 124 supplies information such as the amplification degree of the signal of each channel to the analog output circuit 122. Information on the degree of amplification for each channel can be included in the audio attribute information and supplied from the system controller 100.
[0105]
The signal processing unit 120 uses the clock signal fs from the clock circuit 125, and in accordance with information such as the encoding method (linear PCM or Dolby AC3), the sampling frequency, the number of quantization bits, etc. obtained from the system microcomputer 124, an audio buffer The audio signal supplied from 92 is subjected to processing such as decoding and band limitation, and further, de-emphasis processing is performed according to information on the presence / absence of emphasis, and output to the D / A converter 121. The D / A converter 121 divides the input signal for each channel according to the channel information obtained from the system microcomputer 124, and outputs the divided signal to the analog output circuit 122 as an analog signal for each channel. The analog output circuit 122 performs an appropriate amplification process for each channel signal, and outputs it to a speaker (not shown) as an analog audio signal.
[0106]
Further, the signal processing unit 120 outputs the digital audio signal Sadd to the outside via the digital output circuit 123.
[0107]
Next, the operation at the time of reproduction of the audio decoder 93 will be described. When the track (song) to be reproduced next is designated, the reproducing device S2 refers to the audio attribute information in the audio concentration information 13 in the video manager 2, and the audio decoder 93 according to the audio attribute information of the designated track. Controls the operation inside. In the audio concentration information 13 in the video manager 2, as shown in FIG. 6, address information on the DVD where each track is recorded is also recorded. Therefore, the system controller 100 sends a control signal Scsl to the drive controller 101 based on this address information (start address), and moves the pickup 80 to the start address. This process is started immediately after the user instructs to reproduce the track. That is, it is performed in parallel with the control in the audio decoder 93 described above.
[0108]
After moving the pickup 80 to the start address of the designated track, the system controller 100 temporarily places the pickup 80 in a standby state. That is, reading is not started immediately. This is to ensure that reading (track reproduction) is performed after the audio attribute setting in the audio decoder 93 is completed. The time required for the system microcomputer 100 and the system microcomputer 124 in the audio decoder 93 to complete the setting of the audio attribute in the audio decoder 93 is substantially constant in the same playback device, but is output from the digital output circuit 123. The time for the external digital amplifier and DA converter (not shown) to be locked to the digital output signal varies depending on the equipment, and is usually 1-2 seconds, and hardly exceeds 5 seconds. Further, the time required to move the pickup 80 to the designated track varies depending on the position (movement distance) on the DVD of the destination track. Therefore, when the pickup is moved to a relatively close address on the DVD, the movement is completed in a short time. In that case, if reading (reproduction) is started immediately after the movement of the pickup is completed, the setting of the audio attribute in the audio decoder 93 is not completed, and the audio signal cannot be reproduced correctly, or the above-described external digital amplifier, There may be cases where the DA converter is not locked. For this reason, the system controller 100 moves the pickup 80 to the corresponding start address, waits for a predetermined time X, and then starts reading. The time required for setting the audio attribute in the audio decoder 93 is normally 1 second, and the time for the external digital amplifier and DA converter to be locked is about 1-2 seconds, and can hardly exceed 5 seconds. The waiting time can be determined by the user as a DVD function depending on the processing speed of the system between 0.5 seconds and 5 seconds. Of course, default settings are also possible.
[0109]
Next, continuous playback control of a plurality of tracks (songs) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that at the start of the flowchart of FIG. 10, it is assumed that a certain piece of music recorded on the same DVD has already been reproduced. Also, the audio concentration information 13 shown in FIG. 6 is read in advance from the DVD video manager 2 and stored in the memory 100a in the system controller. 10 is mainly executed by the system controller 100 and the system microcomputer 124 in the audio decoder 93.
[0110]
First, the system controller 100 receives a song change instruction (step S1). When receiving a song change instruction, there are various modes. For example, the user selects one of a plurality of groups recorded on a DVD and reproduces it. For example, referring to the audio concentration information in FIG. 6, when the user selects group 1, the system controller 100 sequentially reproduces track 1 to track 6 of group 1. At this time, a song change instruction is sequentially given from track 1 to track 2 and track 3, and a song change instruction is given to the system controller 100 at the end of reproduction of each track.
[0111]
When a song change instruction is given, the system microcomputer 124 then sends a control signal to the signal processing unit 120, and outputs digital “0” data to the D / A converter 121 by an internal digital filter (step S3). . As a result, the output analog signal of the D / A converter becomes zero level, and as a result, the audio output is muted.
[0112]
Next, the system controller 100 refers to the audio concentration information 13 in the memory 100a, and acquires the audio attribute of the track to be reproduced next (step S5). The audio attribute information acquired in this case includes at least the sampling frequency, the number of quantization bits, the number of channels, and the presence / absence of emphasis. In addition, the system controller 100 simultaneously acquires the start address and end address of the next song from the audio concentration information 13.
[0113]
Next, the system controller 100 sends the acquired audio attribute information to the system microcomputer 124 in the audio decoder 93. The system microcomputer 124 compares the received audio attribute information with the audio attribute information of the track that has been reproduced so far, which is stored in the internal RAM 124a at that time (step S7). If the two match, it is not necessary to change the audio attribute setting in the audio decoder 93, and the process proceeds to the reproduction processing in step S15 and subsequent steps.
[0114]
On the other hand, if they do not match, it is necessary to change the setting of the audio attribute in the audio decoder 93. Therefore, first, the system microcomputer 124 controls the clock circuit 125 to instruct to change the sampling clock frequency fs (step S9), and further controls the signal processing unit 120 to change the changed sampling frequency and the number of quantization bits. The digital “0” data is output to the D / A converter 121 (step S11). Thereby, the D / A converter 121 changes the sampling frequency for D / A conversion by an internal PLL circuit or the like. Further, the system microcomputer 124 controls the signal processing unit 120 to instruct switching of presence / absence of emphasis and switching of the number of channels (step S13). Through the processing in steps S9 to S13, the audio attribute change instruction in the audio decoder 93 is completed. Note that the actual setting change process in the audio decoder 93 normally requires about 1 second as described above, but the change is small with a device-specific value. However, the external digital amplifier and DA converter to which the digital output is connected have different lock times. Considering this time, the waiting time X is determined in advance. Note that the user can also set the waiting time X as a player function.
[0115]
Next, the system controller 100 issues a search instruction for moving the pickup 80 to the start address acquired in step S5 to the drive controller 101 (step S15), and measures an elapsed time (search time) T since the instruction is issued. Start (step S17). Next, it is determined whether or not the movement of the pickup is completed (step S19). When the movement is completed, the measurement of the predetermined search time T described above is terminated (step S21).
[0116]
Next, the system controller 100 compares the measured search time T with the predetermined standby time X described above. If the search time T is longer than the waiting time X (step S23: NO), it is assumed that the audio attribute change in the audio decoder 93 and the lock of the external digital amplifier and DA converter have already been completed, and that track Is issued to cancel the mute of the audio output (step S27). Thereby, the reproduction of the track is started. On the other hand, when the search time T is smaller than the standby time X (step S23: YES), the system controller 100 waits for the difference (XT) between the two and then issues a playback instruction for the track (step S27). As described above, continuous reproduction of music is executed.
[0117]
An example in which the audio attribute changes and does not change in the continuous reproduction of music will be described. In reproduction of a DVD having audio concentration information in FIG. 6, if the user instructs to reproduce tracks 1 to 6 of group 1 in order, the system controller 100 is instructed to change to the next track at the end of reproduction of each track. Is given. However, in this case, since the next track has the same audio attribute, step S7 is YES, and reproduction of the next track continues with the same audio attribute.
[0118]
On the other hand, it is assumed that the user instructs to play tracks 1 to 5 of group 3 in order. Since group 3 is a collection group, the audio attributes of the tracks contained therein may be different. For example, when the playback shifts from the track 1 to the track 2 of the group 3 and from the track 4 to the track 5, the audio attribute changes. Therefore, step S 7 becomes NO, and the setting of the new audio attribute is changed in the audio decoder 93. After that, playback is started.
[0119]
In this case, if the audio concentration information is not recorded in the DVD video manager 2, when the attribute information of the next track is acquired in step S5, the system controller 100 stores a plurality of information stored in the internal memory 100a. It is necessary to retrieve the audio attribute information 12 (see FIG. 4) of the VTS including the corresponding music from the control data 11 for each VTS, and acquire similar audio attribute information with reference to this. Therefore, it takes a long time until the change of the audio attribute in the audio decoder 93 is completed after the music change instruction is received. Therefore, if the reproduction of the next song is started without waiting for the completion of the change of the audio attribute, the beginning of the song cannot be reproduced correctly. Further, even if the reproduction is started after completion of the change of the audio attribute, there is a problem that it takes a considerable time to start the reproduction of the next song.
[0120]
In this regard, according to the present invention, since the audio attribute information is recorded as part of the audio concentration information in the video manager 2, the audio attribute of the next song can be acquired immediately by referring to the audio attribute information. Thus, quick reproduction can be achieved without causing the above problems. Also, since the playback is not started during a predetermined waiting time X after the song change instruction is issued, the audio decoder can be used regardless of the time required to move (search) the pickup to the next track. The time required for changing the audio attributes in 93 and the time required for the external digital amplifier and DA converter to lock are ensured, so that correct reproduction is guaranteed.
DVD playback without audio concentration information in the video manager
In the above description, the reproduction of a DVD in which audio concentration information is recorded in the video manager has been described. However, even when the audio concentration information is not recorded in the video manager, the following alternative method can be quickly played back without causing the above problem.
[0121]
Normally, when the audio DVD is set in the playback device, information in the video manager 2 and the control data 11 in each VTS is stored in the memory 100a in the system controller 100. Therefore, at this time, the audio concentration information table as shown in FIG. 6 is created using the audio attribute information 12 in each VTS and stored in the memory in the playback apparatus. Specifically, the system controller 100 first acquires the recording address of each VTS by referring to the VTS information in the video manager 2, moves to that address, and audio attributes included in the control data 11 in the VTS. Get information. Then, the contents are read out and formed in the internal memory 100a. Next, the PGCI and PGC constituting the corresponding PTT is specified from the PTT search pointer recorded in the VTS, the recording address on the DVD of the audio information (track) corresponding to the PTT is detected, and the memory Store in 100a. By performing the above operation for all VTSs, the system controller 100 forms a centralized information table as shown in FIG. 6 in the memory 100a.
[0122]
When a song change instruction is received during playback, similar playback is performed with reference to the contents of the audio concentration information table created in advance and stored in the memory 100a, instead of the audio attribute information 12 in each VTS. Do. As a result, even when a DVD of a type in which the audio concentration information is not recorded in the video manager is reproduced, the same effect can be obtained.
[0123]
In the above description, as an example when the audio attribute changes, the reproduction of tracks in a group that is a collection is taken as an example. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the user designates a song to be played for each song, the user designates a track in the group 2 as the next song while playing a track in the group 1 in FIG. In addition, the audio attributes of tracks that are continuously played back may differ. The present invention can be applied to any case where a plurality of tracks (songs) are continuously reproduced as described above. In addition, in an application in which songs having the same attribute are randomly connected and played and recorded, a function that makes the interval between the songs constant is realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a physical structure (physical format) of recorded information.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a logical structure (logical format) of recorded information.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an audio pack.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating recording positions of audio attribute information and audio concentration information.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the contents of audio attribute information in a VTS.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of contents of audio concentration information.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a DVD recording apparatus.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a DVD playback apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an audio decoder.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing control during continuous reproduction of music.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... DVD
2 ... Video Manager
3, 63 ... VTS
10 ... VOB
11 ... Control data
12 ... Audio attribute information
13 ... Audio concentration information
20 ... cell
30 ... VOB unit
41 ... Navi Pack
60 ... Program
61, 61A, 61B ... PGC
62 ... Title
70 ... Audio source
71: Memory
72. Signal processor
73, 74 ... Hard disk device
75 ... Controller
78 ... Mastering device
80 ... Pickup
83 ... Track buffer
85 ... System buffer
92 ... Audio buffer
93 ... Audio decoder
98 ... Input section
99 ... Display
100: System controller
101 ... Drive controller
B ... Light beam
S1 ... Recording device
S2: Playback device

Claims (6)

An information recording medium comprising a management information area and an audio information area for recording audio information,
The audio information area is composed of a plurality of title sets,
The title set includes
A first title set of a type composed of the audio information and playback control information of the audio information;
A second title set of the type consisting only of the reproduction control information;
An information recording medium including the two types of title sets . In the first title set,
The audio information is recorded by being divided into a plurality of physical cells,
The information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction control information describes at least a reproduction order of the cells . In the second title set,
  The information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction control information is reproduction control information for reproducing the audio information in a title set different from the second title set. The information recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction control information further includes attribute information . An information reproducing apparatus for reproducing information from the information recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Reading means for reading information;
Playback means for playing back the audio information;
Control means for controlling the reproduction means based on the management information and reproduction control information;
An information reproducing apparatus comprising: An information reproducing method for reproducing information from the information recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A reading process for reading information;
A reproduction step of reproducing the audio information;
A control process for controlling the reproduction process based on the management information and the reproduction control information;
A method for reproducing information, comprising:

Images