Recording apparatus and recording method

A recording apparatus for blocking a signal for each predetermined length and recording resulting blocks onto a recording medium, comprising:

• recording means for recording the signal onto the recording medium in accordance with a recording mode selected from within a plurality of recording modes;
• signal discrimination means for discriminating a signal state of the signal;
• and
• changeover control means for changing over a recording mode of said recording means between a first recording mode in which a first signal is recorded into each of the blocks which is a recording unit onto the recording medium and a second recording mode in which a second signal having the number of channels smaller than that of the first signal is recorded into any of the blocks in response to a result of the discrimination by said signal discrimination means.

A recording apparatus for recording a signal onto a recording apparatus on which n programs can be managed, n being a natural number greater than 1, comprising:

• recording means for recording, in accordance with a recording mode selected from within a plurality of recording modes, the signal as a new program onto the recording medium each time the recording mode is changed over;
• signal discrimination means for discriminating a signal state of the signal;
• and
• changeover control means for changing over the recording node of said recording means in response to a result of the discrimination by said signal discrimination means;
• wherein said changeover control means inhibits the changing over control when n−1 programs are managed on the recording medium and a particular one of the recording modes is set.

A recording method for recording a signal onto a recording medium, comprising the steps of:

• recording the signal onto the recording medium in accordance with one of recording modes selected from within a plurality of recording modes;
• discriminating a signal state of the signal;
• and
• changing over the recording mode in response to a result of the discrimination.

A recording method for blocking a signal for each predetermined length and recording resulting blocks onto a recording medium, comprising the steps of:

• recording the signal onto the recording medium in accordance with a recording mode selected from within a plurality of recording modes;
• discriminating a signal state of the signal;
• and
• changing over a recording mode between a first recording mode in which a first signal is recorded into each of the blocks which is a recording unit onto the recording medium and a second recording mode in which a second signal having the number of channels smaller than that of the first signal is recorded into any of the blocks in response to a result of the discrimination.

A recording method for recording a signal onto a recording apparatus on which n programs can be managed, n being a natural number greater than 1, comprising the steps of:

• recording, in accordance with a recording mode selected from within a plurality of recording modes, the signal as a new program onto the recording medium each time the recording mode is changed over;
• discriminating a signal state of the signal;
• and
• changing over the recording mode in response to a result of the discrimination;
• wherein the changing over step inhibits the changing over control when n−1 programs are managed on the recording medium and a particular one of the recording modes is set.