Information recording medium, apparatus and method for recording or reproducing data thereof

Abstract

An information recording medium stores information transmitted as a transport stream as objects. The management information written to the information recording medium includes object information for managing the recorded objects. The object information includes an access map. The access map manages the MPEG transport stream in block units, each block containing an integer multiple number of ECC blocks. In addition to the specific information for accessing the blocks, the access map also includes an I-picture Included Flag indicating whether each block includes I-picture data. It is therefore possible to randomly access the transport stream, which otherwise lacks random accessibility to the middle of the stream.

1 . An information recording medium having stored thereon at least two objects containing multiplexed encoded video data and encoded audio data, and management information for managing the at least two objects, wherein: 
 the video data includes intra-coded picture data and inter-coded picture data;    the at least two objects include at least a first object and a second object;    the first object is an object for which the location of intra-coded picture data in the object is managed by the management information,    the second object is an object for which the location of intra-coded picture data in the object is not managed by the management information;    the management information is information for separately managing the first object and the second object, and includes map information for each first object; and    the map information correlates a playback time of the corresponding first object with the location of intra-coded picture data included in the object.    
     
     
         2 . The information recording medium according to  claim 1 , wherein the management information includes, as information to identify the first object and second object, a validity flag which indicates-whether the map information for each first object and second object is valid.  
     
     
         3 . An information recording apparatus for recording information to the information recording medium according to  claim 1 , the apparatus comprising: 
 an interface for inputting the object from an external part;    a generating section for generating management information corresponding to the input object; and    a recording section for recording the object and the management information to the information recording medium;    wherein the generating section includes 
 a detection section for determining if a block contained in the input object includes the intra-coded picture data, and  
 a producing section for producing the management information containing map information based on the result from the detection section.  
   
     
     
         4 . A method of recording information to the information recording medium according to  claim 1 , the recording method comprising: 
 inputting the object from an external part;    generating management information for the input object; and    recording the object and the management information to the information recording medium;    wherein the generating includes: 
 detecting whether the input object is a first object or a second object, and if the input object is a first object determining if a block contained in the input object includes intra-coded picture data, and  
 producing the management information containing map information based on the result by the determining.  
   
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for reproducing data from the information recording medium according to  claim 1 , the apparatus comprising: 
 a playback section for reading and reproducing the object and management information from the information recording medium;    a user interface for receiving an instruction specifying the object to play back, and an instruction specifying a playback time for starting playback of the object; and    a controller for controlling the playback section;    wherein when the specified object is a first object, the controller controls the playback section so as to identify picture data which is included in the specified object and corresponds to the specified playback time based on the map information of the management information, and begin the playback from the identified picture data.    
     
     
         6 . A method of reproducing data from the information recording medium according to  claim 1 , the method comprising: 
 reading and reproducing the object and management information from the information recording medium;    receiving an instruction specifying the object to play back, and an instruction specifying a playback time for starting playback of the object; and    controlling the reading and reproducing such that, when the specified object is a first object, the picture data included in the specified object and corresponding to the specified playback time is identified based on the map information of the management information, and the playback begins from the identified picture data.