1. A recording apparatus capable of recording information on a recording medium on a cluster basis, the recording medium having a recording region in which a smallest unit for erasing recorded information is a block, and the cluster being a unit smaller than the block, said recording apparatus comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive a request for starting recording a file and a request for ending recording the file;
a recording unit configured: to record a header section of the file and a data section following the header section, from a beginning of the block in the recording region, in the case where the request for starting recording is received by said reception unit; and to update the header section and record the updated header section on an other cluster different from the cluster on which the header section before update is recorded, in the case where the request for ending recording is received by said reception unit; and
a correction unit configured to correct management information indicating a connection order of information recorded on each of the clusters so that the updated header section is followed by the data section, in the case where the updated header section is recorded by said recording unit on the other cluster, the management information being included by the recording medium.
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said recording unit is configured to record the updated header section on the other cluster included in a block different from a block on which the header section before update is recorded, in the case where the request for ending recording is received by said reception unit.
3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said recording unit is configured to record the header section before update on a block in the recording region in the case where the request for starting recording is received by said reception unit, the header section before update having a size of an integral multiple of a cluster size.
4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein said recording unit, in the case where the recorded header section before update spans a plurality of clusters, is configured to record entire information recorded on the plurality of clusters, on plurality of clusters that: are different from the plurality of clusters over which the recorded header section before update spans; and include the other cluster, when the request for ending recording is received by said reception unit.
5. The recording apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein said recording unit, in the case where the recorded header section before update spans a plurality of clusters, is configured: to read and update information only from a cluster on which a to-be-updated portion of the header section before update is recorded; and to record the updated information on the other cluster, when the request for ending recording is received by said reception unit.
6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said correction unit, in the case where the updated header section is recorded on the other cluster by said recording unit, is further configured to deallocate the cluster on which the header section before update is recorded by correcting the management information so that the management information indicates that the cluster on which the header section before update is recorded is an unused cluster.
7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein the management information includes a file entry having information specifying the cluster on which the header section before update is recorded, and a file allocation table (FAT) entries indicating the connection order of information, and
said correction unit, when correcting the management information, is configured to perform processing in an order of (1) securing a FAT entry corresponding to the other cluster, (2) changing the FAT entry, (3) changing the file entry, and (4) deallocating the cluster on which the header section before update is recorded.
8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the recording medium is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory medium.
9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein said recording unit, in the case where it is detected that recording medium is used up, is further configured to update the header section before update and record the updated header section on the other cluster.
10. A recording method used for an apparatus capable of recording information on a recording medium on a cluster basis, the recording medium having a recording region in which a smallest unit for erasing recorded information is a block, and the cluster being a unit smaller than the block, said recording method comprising:
receiving a request for starting recording a file and a request for ending recording the file;
recording a header section of the file and a data section following the header section, from a beginning of the block in the recording region, in the case where the request for starting recording is received in said receiving, and updating the header section and recording the updated header section on an other cluster different from the cluster on which the header section before update is recorded, in the case where the request for ending recording is received in said receiving; and
correcting management information indicating a connection order of information recorded on each of the clusters so that the updated header section is followed by the data section, in the case where the updated header section is recorded on the other cluster in said recording, the management information being included by the recording medium.
11. A program for controlling an apparatus capable of recording information on a recording medium on a cluster basis, the recording medium having a recording region in which a smallest unit for erasing recorded information is a block, and the cluster being a unit smaller than the block, said program causing a computer to execute:
receiving a request for starting recording a file and a request for ending recording the file;
recording a header section of the file and a data section following the header section, from a beginning of the block in the recording region, in the case where the request for starting recording is received in said receiving, and updating the header section and recording the updated header section on an other cluster different from the cluster on which the header section before update is recorded, in the case where the request for ending recording is received in said receiving; and
correcting management information indicating a connection order of information recorded on each of the clusters so that the updated header section is followed by the data section, in the case where the updated header section is recorded on the other cluster in said recording, the management information being included by the recording medium.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for coding used by a video encoder that includes a base layer coding means, provided for receiving a video sequence and generating therefrom base layer signals that correspond to one or more video objects (VOs) contained in the video frames of said sequence and constitute a first bitstream suitable for transmission at a base layer bit rate to a video decoder, and enhancement layer coding means, provided for receiving said video sequence and a decoded version of said base layer signals and generating therefrom enhancement layer signals associated with corresponding base layer signals and suitable for transmission at an enhancement layer bit rate to said video decoder, wherein said method comprises coding the VOs of said sequence according to the steps of: (A) segmenting a video sequence into one or more VOs; (B) coding a plurality of successive video object planes (VOPs) of each of said VOs, said coding step itself comprising sub-steps of (i) coding the texture of said VOPs, and (ii) coding the shape of said VOPs, wherein sub-step (B)(i) comprises:
(a) performing a first coding operation without prediction for the VOPs defined as intracoded or I-VOPs, coded without any temporal reference to another VOP,
(b) performing a second coding operation with a unidirectional prediction for the VOPs defined as predictive or P-VOPs, coded using only a past I- or P-VOP as a temporal reference, and
(c) performing a third coding operation with a bidirectional prediction for the VOPs defined as bidirectional predictive or B-VOPs, coded using both past and future I- or P-VOPs as temporal references,
wherein the temporal reference of the enhancement layer P-VOPs is selected only as the temporally closest candidate, and the temporal references of the enhancement layer B-VOPs are selected as the two temporally closest candidates, in either case without any consideration of the layer to which the temporally closest candidates belong.
2. Computer executable process steps stored on a computer readable medium and provided for carrying out a coding method according to claim 1.
3. A computer program product for a video encoder, for carrying out in said encoder the coding method according to claim 1, which product comprises a set of instructions which, when loaded into said encoder, causes it to carry out the steps of said method.
4. A video encoder comprising:
base layer coding means for receiving a video sequence and generating therefrom base layer signals that correspond to video objects (VOs) contained in the video frames of said sequence comprising a first bitstream suitable for transmission at a base layer bit rate to a video decoder, and
enhancement layer coding means for receiving said video sequence and a decoded version of said base layer signals and generating therefrom enhancement layer signals associated with corresponding base layer signals and suitable for transmission at an enhancement layer bit rate to said video decoder, said video encoder further comprising:
(A) means for segmenting the video sequence into said VOs;
(B) means for coding the texture and the shape of successive video object planes (VOPs) of each of said VOs, the texture coding means performing a first coding operation coding without prediction for the VOPs called intracoded or I-VOPs, coded without any temporal reference to another VOP, a second coding operation with a unidirectional prediction for the VOPs called predictive or P-VOPs, coded using only a past I- or P-VOP as a temporal reference, and a third coding operation with a bidirectional prediction for the VOPs called bidirectional predictive or B-VOPs, coded using both past and future I- or P-VOPs as temporal references
wherein the temporal reference of the enhancement layer P-VOPs is selected only as the temporally closest candidate, and the temporal references of the enhancement layer B-VOPs are selected as the two temporally closest candidates, in either case without any consideration of the layer to which the temporally closest candidates belong.