Simultaneous recording and reproduction apparatus and simultaneous multi-channel reproduction apparatus

A simultaneous recording and reproduction apparatus comprising:

• an encoder operable to encode first input signals to provide a first data stream;
• a first buffer memory operable to accumulate the first data stream encoded by said encoder;
• a data recorder operable to record the first data stream read from said first buffer memory to a recording medium;
• a data reproducer operable to reproduce the first data stream, which has been recorded previously to the recording medium, as a second data stream;
• a second buffer memory operable to accumulate the second data stream read from said data reproducer;
• a decoder operable to read the second data stream from said second buffer memory and decode the second data stream to provide second signals;
• and
• a system controller operable to set a coding rate for the first signals in said encoder,
• wherein said system controller is also operable to control said data recorder and said data reproducer to perform recording and reproduction alternately in time, and
• wherein when a simultaneous recording and reproduction mode is set whereby recording of the first signals and reproduction of the second signals are performed alternately in time, said system controller sets the coding rate in said encoder so that a sum of a recording rate and a reproduction rate in a predetermined period is smaller than a predetermined bit rate.

A simultaneous recording and reproduction apparatus comprising:

• an encoder operable to encode first input signals to provide a first data stream;
• a first buffer memory operable to accumulate the first data stream encoded by said encoder;
• a data recorder operable to record the first data stream read from said first buffer memory to a recording medium;
• a data reproducer operable to reproduce the first data stream, which has been recorded previously to the recording medium, as a second data stream;
• a second buffer memory operable to accumulate the second data stream read from said data reproducer;
• a decoder operable to read the second data stream from said second buffer memory and decode the second data stream to provide second signals;
• and
• a system controller operable to set a coding rate for the first signals in said encoder,
• wherein said system controller is also operable to control said data recorder and said data reproducer to perform recording and reproduction alternately in time, and
• wherein said encoder performs encoding at a variable bit rate and decreases a bit rate for encoding when said first buffer memory is going to overflow.