Method and apparatus for recording/reproducing digital video signal or audio signal, and optical disk apparatus

A disk-like recording medium recording/reproducing method for performing a data recording operation and a data reproducing operation to the disk-like recording medium alternately, wherein the disk-like recording medium has spiral or concentric tracks segmented into a plurality of zones in accordance with a radial position, and the recording/reproduction process is executed from an inner periphery toward an outer periphery within each zone and from the outer periphery toward the inner periphery between the zones, comprising the steps of:

• performing the recording operation within each zone at a constant angular velocity, the angular velocity being switched so that a linear velocity of the medium may be substantially constant between the zones;
• identifying whether a recording area at an ending point of an n-th recording operation on the disk-like recording medium, where n is a natural number, is continuous to a recording area at a starting point of an (n+1) the recording operation;
• and
• in response to an identifying result indicative of discontinuation of the recording area in the identifying step, changing the rotational speed of the disk-like recording medium to a rotational speed at the starting point of the (n+1)th recording operation, during a reproducing operation between the n-th recording operation and the (n+1)th recording operation;
• and
• in response to an identifying result indicative of continuation of the recording area in said identifying step, holding the rotational speed of the disk-like recording medium at the ending point of the n-th recording operation, during a reproducing operation between the n-th recording operation and the (n+1)th recording operation.

A recording/reproduction apparatus for recording and reproducing a video signal and/or an audio signal in digital form in a disk-like recording medium, comprising:

• an input device which inputs a digitized video signal or digitized audio signal continuously;
• a switching signal generation circuit which generates a switching signal for switching a recording operation and a reproducing operation intermittently;
• a compression circuit which time-base-compresses the digitized video signal or the digitized audio signal which is inputted by the input device;
• a recording signal generation circuit which generates a recording signal from an output signal from the compression circuit;
• a data recording circuit which writes the recording signal in the disk-like recording medium, during a recording instruction period of the switching signal;
• a rotation control circuit which controls the rotation of the disk-like recording medium in such a manner so as to secure a predetermined rotational speed during a recording period and to hold the same rotational speed in a reproduction period as in the recording period;
• a circuit reproducing a signal from the disk-like recording medium;
• and
• a reproducing signal processing circuit which performs a reproducing operation according to a recording signal generation process of the recording signal generation circuit;
• wherein the rotation control circuit performs the recording operation at a constant linear velocity;
• identifies whether a recording area at an ending point of an n-th recording operation on the disk-like recording medium, where n is a natural number, is continuous to a recording area at a starting point of an (n+1) the recording operation;
• in response to an identifying result indicative of discontinuation of the recording area in the identifying operation, changes the rotational speed of the disk-like recording medium to a rotational speed at the starting point of the (n+1)th recording operation, during a reproducing operation between the n-th recording operation and the (n+1)th recording operation;
• and
• in response to an identifying result indicative of continuation of the recording area in the identifying operation, holds the rotational speed of the disk-like recording medium at the ending point of the n-th recording operation, during a reproducing operation between the n-th recording operation and the (n+1)th recording operation.

A disk-like recording medium recording/reproducing apparatus for performing a data recording operation and a data reproducing operation to the disk-like recording medium alternately, wherein the disk-like recording medium has spiral or concentric tracks segmented into a plurality of zones in accordance with a radial position, and the recording/reproduction process is executed from an inner periphery toward an outer periphery within each zone and from the outer periphery toward the inner periphery between the zones, comprising:

• an input device which inputs a digitized video signal or digitized audio signal continuously;
• a switching signal generation circuit which generates a switching signal for switching a recording operation and a reproducing operation intermittently;
• a compression circuit which time-base-compresses the digitized video signal or the digitized audio signal which is inputted by the input device;
• a recording signal generation circuit which generates a recording signal from an output signal from the compression circuit;
• a data recording circuit which writes the recording signal in the disk-like recording medium, during a recording instruction period of the switching signal;
• a rotation control circuit which controls the rotation of the disk-like recording medium in such a manner so as to secure a predetermined rotational speed during a recording period and to hold the same rotational speed in a reproduction period as in the recording period;
• a circuit reproducing a signal from the disk-like recording medium;
• and
• a reproducing signal processing circuit which performs a reproducing operation according to a recording signal generation process of the recording signal generation circuit;
• performs the recording operation within each zone at a constant angular velocity, the angular velocity being switched so that a linear velocity of the medium may be substantially constant between the zones;
• identifies whether a recording area at an ending point of an n-th recording operation on the disk-like recording medium, where n is a natural number, is continuous to a recording area at a starting point of an (n+1) the recording operation;
• and
• in response to an identifying result indicative of discontinuation of the recording area in the identifying operation, changes the rotational speed of the disk-like recording medium to a rotational speed at the starting point of the (n+1)th recording operation, during a reproducing operation between the n-th recording operation and the (n+1)th recording operation;
• and
• in response to an identifying result indicative of continuation of the recording area in the identifying operation, holds the rotational speed of the disk-like recording medium at the ending point of the n-th recording operation, during a reproducing operation between the n-th recording operation and the (n+1)th recording operation.