Recording medium having recorded thereon a data structure capable of linking and reproducing audio data and video data, and method and apparatus of recording/reproducing using the data structure

A recording method comprising:

• recording first data and second data, which are different from each other in type and each formed of a respective plurality of data units, on a recording medium;
• and
• recording a first data unit descriptor table and a second data unit descriptor table on the recording medium, wherein information on the first data units and the second data units is stored as data unit descriptors in the first and second data unit descriptor tables, respectively;
• recording a first program descriptor table and a second program descriptor table on the recording medium, wherein:
• the first and second program descriptor tables are recorded independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units,
• information on one or more data units forming respective programs is stored as a program descriptor of a corresponding program in the form of information on respective data unit descriptors, and
• the information on at least one of the plurality of the first data units, which is to be reproduced after the at least one of the plurality of first data units is linked to at least one of the plurality of the second data units, is included in the program descriptor of the second program descriptor table.

A reproducing method of reproducing data from a recording medium on which first data and second data which are different from each other in type and formed of a plurality of data units are recorded;

• a first data unit descriptor table and a second data unit descriptor table, in which information on the first data units and the second data units are respectively stored as data unit descriptors, are recorded;
• and a first program descriptor table and a second program descriptor table in which information on one or more data units forming respective programs are stored in the program descriptor of the corresponding program in the form of information on respective data unit descriptors, wherein in the program descriptor of the second program table information for linking the first data and the second data are recorded, the reproducing method comprising:
• reading the second program descriptor having the information on the program to be reproduced, and then reading the information on the first data unit descriptor and the second data unit descriptor related to the corresponding program, from the read second program descriptor, wherein the second program descriptor table is recorded independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units;
• reading the corresponding data unit descriptors from the first and second data descriptor tables corresponding to the read first and second data unit descriptors;
• and
• synchronizing and reproducing the first data unit and the second data unit indicated by the read first and second data unit descriptors.

A recording apparatus for recording data of different types on a recording medium, the recording apparatus comprising:

• a first signal processor which formats a first data stream input into independent units, codes the formatted first data units, and provides the coded first data units to the recording medium;
• a second signal processor which formats a second data stream input into independent units, codes the formatted second data units, and provides the coded second data units to the recording medium;
• and
• a system controller which generates a first data unit descriptor table and a second data unit descriptor table, in which information on the first data units and the second data units are respectively stored as data unit descriptors, and a first program descriptor table and a second program descriptor table, in which information on one or more data units forming respective programs are stored in a program descriptor of a corresponding program in the form of information on respective data unit descriptors, wherein:
• information on the first data unit, which is to be reproduced after being linked to the second data unit, is included in the program descriptor of the second program descriptor table, and
• the second program descriptor table is stored independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units.

An apparatus for reproducing data from a recording medium on which first data and second data, which are different from each other in type and formed of a plurality of data units, are recorded;

• a first data unit descriptor table and a second data unit descriptor table, which include data unit descriptors having information on respective data units, are recorded;
• and a first program descriptor table and a second program descriptor table in which information on one or more data units forming respective programs are stored in the program descriptor of the corresponding program in the form of information on respective data unit descriptors, are recorded, wherein information for linking the first data and the second data is recorded in the program descriptor of the second program table, the reproducing apparatus comprising:
• a system controller which reads the second program descriptor having the information on the program to be reproduced, reads the information on the first data unit descriptor and the second data unit descriptor related to the corresponding program from the read second program descriptor, and reads corresponding data unit descriptors from the first data descriptor table and the second data descriptor table corresponding respectively to read information on the first data unit descriptor and the second data unit descriptor, wherein the second program descriptor table is recorded independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units;
• a memory;
• a first signal processor, which temporarily stores the corresponding first data unit indicated by the read first data unit descriptor to the memory, decodes the first data unit stored in the memory, and reproduces the decoded first data unit after adjusting a timing of the decoded first data unit to that of the second data unit;
• and
• a second signal processor which decodes the corresponding second data unit indicated by the read second data unit descriptor and reproduces the decoded second data.

An audio-reproduction-dedicated apparatus for reproducing data from a recording medium on which first data and second data which are different from each other in type and formed of a plurality of data units are recorded;

• a first data unit descriptor table and a second data unit descriptor table, which include data unit descriptors having information on respective data units, are recorded;
• and a first program descriptor table and a second program descriptor table in which information on one or more data units forming respective programs are stored in the program descriptor of the corresponding program in the form of information on respective data unit descriptors, are recorded, wherein information for linking the first data and the second data is recorded in the program descriptor of the second program table, the audio-reproduction-dedicated apparatus comprising:
• a system controller which reads the second program descriptor having the information on the program to be reproduced, reads the information on the second data unit descriptor related to the corresponding program from the read second program descriptor, and reads corresponding data unit descriptors from the second data descriptor table corresponding to read information on the second data unit descriptor, wherein the second program descriptor table is recorded independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units;
• and
• a signal processor which decodes the corresponding data unit indicated by the read second data unit descriptor and reproduces the second data.

A recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:

• a memory;
• a first signal processor which formats first data input into independent units and codes the formatted first data units during recording;
• and which, during reproduction, temporarily stores a corresponding data unit indicated by a read first data unit descriptor to the memory, decodes the first data unit read from the memory, and reproduces the decoded first data unit after adjusting the timing of the decoded first data unit to that of a corresponding second data unit;
• a second signal processor which formats second data input into independent units, codes the formatted second data units during recording;
• and, during reproduction, decodes the corresponding second data unit indicated by a read second data unit descriptor and reproduces the decoded second data unit;
• and
• a system controller which:
• during recording, generates a first data unit descriptor table and a second data unit descriptor table storing information on the first data units and the second data units as data unit descriptors, and generates a first program descriptor table and a second program descriptor table in which information on one or more data units forming respective programs is stored in the program descriptor of the corresponding program in the form of information on respective data unit descriptors, wherein:
• the second program descriptor table is recorded independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units, and
• the information on the first data unit to be reproduced after being linked to the second data unit is included in the program descriptor of the second program descriptor table;
• and,
• which, during reproduction, reads the second program descriptor having information on the program to be reproduced, reads information on the first data unit descriptor and the second data unit descriptor related to the corresponding program from the read second program descriptor, and reads corresponding data unit descriptors from the first data descriptor table and the second data descriptor table corresponding respectively to read the information on the first data unit descriptor and the second data unit descriptor.

A recording method comprising:

• recording first and second data types on a recording medium, each type formed of a respective plurality of data units;
• recording a first data unit descriptor table and a second data unit descriptor table, each table relating at least one data unit of each of the first and second types with a respective data unit descriptor;
• and
• recording a program descriptor table which relates at least one data unit descriptor of the first type and at least one data unit descriptor of the second type, wherein the program descriptor table is recorded independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units.

A recording method comprising:

• recording first and second data types on a recording medium, each type formed of a respective plurality of data units;
• recording a first descriptor table which relates at least one data unit of the first type with a respective first data unit descriptor;
• and
• recording a second descriptor table which relates at least one data unit of the second type with a respective data unit descriptor and with the respective first data unit descriptor of the at least one data unit, wherein the program descriptor table is recorded independently of the first and second data unit descriptor tables and the first and second data units.