Apparatus, system, and method for locating and fast-searching units of digital information in volume, optical-storage disks

A system to locate a group of video picture frames in a removable optical disk, the system comprising:

• a first laser configured to read signals from a first locator video picture frame substantially similar to a video picture frame from a first group of video picture frames stored throughout a volume of a second optical recording layer in a distinct region of an optical disk, wherein the first locator video picture frame is stored on a surface of a first optical recording layer in substantially a same distinct region of the optical disk as the distinct region storing the first group of video picture frames, the first locator video picture frame providing context for the first group of video picture frames, the first locator video picture frame comprising a first I-Frame, the first locator video picture frame stored in the first optical recording layer, wherein the first laser is directed toward the optical disk and disposed in an optical disk reading sled that rotates around the optical disk at a varying radius with respect to the center of the optical disk, wherein each group of video picture frames comprises a second I-Frame and at least one of a group consisting of a P-Frame and a B-Frame, and wherein the first I-Frame is a duplicate of the second I-frame;
• a second laser configured to read signals from the first group of video picture frames stored in the second optical recording layer, wherein the second laser is directed toward the optical disk and disposed in the optical disk reading sled adjacent to the first laser;
• a computer configured to process signals from both the first laser and the second laser to render video picture frames;
• and
• a control sub-system configured to vary the speed with which the optical reading sled changes position relative to the optical disk and configured to select between video picture frames from the first optical recording layer and from the second optical recording layer for display.

A method for locating a group of video picture frames in an optical disk, the method comprising:

• reading a series of locator video picture frames from a first optical recording layer of an optical disk, wherein each locator video picture frame is stored on a surface of the first optical recording layer in a distinct region of the optical disk, the first optical recording layer comprising an optical storage medium storing digital information on the surface of the first optical recording layer;
• displaying the series of locator video picture frames;
• selecting a particular locator video picture frame by a user from the series of displayed locator video picture frames, the particular locator video picture frame comprising a first I-Frame;
• and
• accessing a particular group of video picture frames stored throughout a volume of a second optical recording layer in the distinct region of the optical disk in which the particular video picture frame is stored, the distinct region defined in two dimensions across a surface of the optical disk, the first locator video picture frame describing a context of the particular group of video picture frames, the particular locator video picture frame being substantially similar to a video picture frame in the particular group of video picture frames, the second optical recording layer comprising a volume optical storage medium storing digital information within the volume of the second optical recording layer, the particular group of video picture frames comprising a P-Frame, a B-Frame, and a second I-Frame being a duplicate of the first I-Frame.