A recording and playback apparatus for recording content data including a content and playing back the content of the content data at a position specified by first relative time information indicating a relative time with respect to a start position of the content, the recording and playback apparatus comprising:
- first recording means for recording the content data;
- record start time information generation means for generating, using reference time information, record start time information indicating time information associated with a record start position of the content data recorded by the first recording means;
- playback control table generation means for generating a playback control table indicating, for a particular part of the content data recorded by the first recording means, correspondence between second relative time information indicating a relative time with respect to the record start position of the content data and the amount of the content data as measured from the record start position;
- second recording means for recording playback control information including content start time information indicating the content start position using the reference time information, the record start time information generated by the record start time information generation means, and the playback control table generated by the playback control table generation means;
- playback control information reading means for reading the content start time information, the record start time information, and the playback control table recorded by the second recording means;
- relative time information correction means for correcting the first relative time information specifying a playback position of the content data, based on the content start time information and the record start time information read by the playback control information reading means, so as to acquire the second relative time information;
- identification means for identifying the relative position information of the playback position, based on the second relative time information acquired via the correction made by the relative time information correction means using the playback control table read by the playback control information reading means;
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- playback means for playing back the content data by reading the content data at the playback position corresponding to the relative position information identified by the identification means.