Multi-channel compatible stereo recording

#The present invention relates to data storage formatting techniques, e.g. for solid state or optical disk such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). More particularly the present invention will be described with reference to the CD audio format, a consumer electronics format for prerecorded music on compact disc, of CD+G(w) but it is not limited to this form of recording. This CD audio format may, for example, be CD-DA (Compact Disc Digital Audio, the original music CD format, storing audio information as digital pulse code modulated PCM data) Redbook compatible, and may use the CD+G user mode to store additional data. CD+G(w) is an encoding and decoding technique useful for but not limited to Sing & Play-Along features like karaoke and automated instrument playback, using Multi-Channel Compatible Stereo recording.

#Generally, the existing CD+G is an audio CD format, which has limited capabilities to store additional graphics data and is mostly used in karaoke applications. The audio part of CD+G is playable on any standard Audio CD. For displaying graphics, a CDG player, a special CD player with TV output, is required, e.g. a karaoke CD player. In the CD+G format, audio data is recorded in a program area, while additional data can be stored in a program management area, which is divided into eight sub-code channels, channels P to W. The P-channel indicates the start and end of each track by toggling between 0 and 1. The Q-channel contains time-codes and a table of contents Further additional data contained in the sub-code channels R to W, may allow graphics and text to be displayed while music is being played, as used e.g. for representing still pictures or for representing letters e.g. for karaoke.

#The CD+G standard defines different modes of CD+G, which are the ZERO, GRAPHICS (karaoke), MIDI and USER mode: ZERO mode is a mode in which no operation is done on a display screen. GRAPHICS mode allows to represent pictures or symbols, e.g. for karaoke. MIDI mode provides a 3.125 kb/s maximum data channel for the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data as specified by the International MIDI Association. USER mode is intended for professional applications. The meaning of the data is application specific.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a processing flow for audio encoding for applications according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 illustrates a processing flow for true quadraphonic audio recording according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 illustrates CD+G(w) authoring.

#The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting.

#Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

#It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.