JP2000090512A - Device and method for recording data stream and device and method for controlling data stream - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inform a user of a stream required to stop for surely video- recording a reserved program. SOLUTION: A stream specification part 5 judges whether or not reservation video recording is possible based on a transfer rate flowing through a bus 10, the transfer rate of the stream to be reservation recorded, the band width of the bus 10 and the band width recordable by a recording part 2 before a video recording start time, and when impossible is judged, the stream specification part 5 specifies whether a transfer of any stream is to be stopped for making possible the reservation recording. The information related to the stop stream specified by a reservation part 4 is supplied to an information part 6 and imparted to the user. Thus, the user easily founds whether the transfer of any stream is stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a data stream recording apparatus and method suitable for a home network and the like, and a data stream control apparatus and method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digitalization of home electric appliances has been advanced. For example, digital home appliances such as digital cameras and digital VTRs are rapidly spreading. When these home appliances are used, data recorded by a digital VTR can be transferred to a personal computer (personal computer).
For example, it is easy to process the image by importing the image data into the Internet or to publish the image data on the WWW (World Wide Web) on the Internet to display the image.

[0003] In television broadcasting, Sk
Digital broadcasting using a communication satellite (CS) has already started with yPerfectTV and DirectTV. Digital broadcasting by a broadcasting satellite (BS) will be started from 2000 AD, and digital broadcasting by terrestrial waves will be started from 2003 AD.

[0004] As various media are digitized in this way, a technology for connecting home appliances to each other to form a home network in general households has begun to be developed. For example, as a digital interface compatible with multimedia, IEEE1
394 is about to spread. IEEE 1394,
A serial bus having a wide bandwidth and suitable for transmitting a large amount of streams such as video and audio, and has attracted attention as a bus for home networks. In addition, home servers that store a large amount of streams and simultaneously transmit the streams to a plurality of users have been developed.

[0005] As described above, in the home network, a plurality of streams can be transmitted simultaneously. Therefore, by storing information in one large-capacity server, a plurality of different programs can be transmitted to a plurality of display devices. It is possible to project at the same time. For example, in the case where a home has one receiver and one server, if there are a plurality of display devices, different programs can be viewed simultaneously by these display devices. Similarly, while recording the television broadcast signal to the server,
At the same time, the image reproduced from the server can be viewed on the display device.

That is, a plurality of streams can be transmitted simultaneously on a home network. The number of streams that can be transmitted simultaneously on the home network is determined by various factors such as the maximum transmission rate allowed for the network, the transfer rate of each stream, the type of storage and buffer capacity, and the number of streams that can be input and output simultaneously. You.

Therefore, even if the home server is capable of simultaneously executing recording and playback, due to the above-described factors, for example, when a relatively large number of programs are simultaneously played back, etc.
It may not be possible to record the program being received.

Incidentally, the VTR has a function of reserved recording. By specifying a recording time and a program to be recorded, recording is automatically performed from the specified time. When a recording reservation is made by a VTR on the home network, even if the recording is possible on the home network at the time of the recording reservation, the number of programs to be reproduced is large at the time of the start of the reservation recording. It may be impossible.

In this case, if priority is given to reservation recording, the user must end reproduction of the program being reproduced. However, there has been a problem that the user cannot know that recording is not possible until the time of recording, and cannot record reliably. In addition, even if recording cannot be performed due to a large number of programs to be reproduced, it is considered that it is not necessary to stop the reproduction of all programs. There was no way to know which program it was.

Further, when the user is absent, or when the user who has made a reservation for recording is different from the user who is playing the program, no measures are taken to stop the playback, and no scheduled recording is performed. Sometimes.

[0011]

As described above, conventionally, when a recording reservation using a device connected to a network is made, it becomes impossible to record at the recording time due to another stream flowing on the network. Yes, in this case, it is not possible to know that recording is not possible before starting recording, and even if it is possible to know that recording will not be possible before the recording start time, transmission should be stopped. There was a problem that the stream could not be determined. In addition, when the user is absent, there is a problem in that it is not possible to take measures to stop the transmission of the stream, and the scheduled recording may not be performed.

According to the present invention, when a recording reservation is made,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a data stream recording device and method, and a data stream control device and method that can identify a stream that becomes an obstacle to scheduled recording during a scheduled recording and notify the user of the stream.

Further, according to the present invention, when a recording reservation is made, a stream which becomes an obstacle to the reservation recording at the time of the reservation recording is specified and the flow of this stream is stopped, so that the reservation recording can be reliably performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a data stream recording device and method and a data stream control device and method that can perform the same.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data stream recording apparatus comprising: an interface connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer; and a data stream synchronously transferred via the interface. Receiving means for receiving the data stream, recording means for recording the data stream received by the receiving means, reservation means for reserving recording of the data stream at a predetermined recording start time, and the data reserved by the reservation means Determining means for determining whether or not the stream can be recorded at the recording start time a predetermined time before the recording start time; and the determining means determines that the data stream reserved by the reservation means cannot be recorded. If it is determined that other data streams are transferred on the network, Specifying means for specifying a data stream to be stopped such that recording of the data stream reserved by the reservation means is possible, and transmitting and / or transmitting the specified data stream to be stopped by the specifying means. The data stream recording method according to claim 6 of the present invention includes a notifying unit that notifies a stop request of the data stream to at least one of the devices that has received the data stream. A first step of reserving the synchronously transferred data stream to be recorded at a predetermined recording start time;
A second step of determining whether or not the data stream is recordable at the recording start time at a predetermined time before the recording start time of the data stream reserved for recording by the first step; If it is determined by the second step that the data stream reserved for recording is not recordable, the data stream reserved for recording can be recorded among other data streams transferred on the network. A third step of specifying a data stream to be stopped such that the data stream to be stopped is transmitted to and / or from the device that has transmitted and / or received the specified data stream to be stopped by the third step. A fourth step of notifying a request to stop the data stream;
After the transfer of the specified data stream to be stopped is stopped by the step, the recording of the data stream reserved for recording at the recording start time is started.
The data stream control device according to claim 7 of the present invention further comprises: an interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer; and a band use state in the network via the interface unit. Confirmation means for confirming, from other devices connected to the network, reservation receiving means for receiving band use reservation information indicating a band use reservation at a predetermined time, based on the band use reservation information, A reservation unit for reserving band use of the network; and a band use control unit for restricting use of a band other than the used band reserved by the reservation unit at the predetermined time. A data stream recording apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention provides an interface connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer. Interface means, receiving means for receiving a data stream synchronously transferred via the interface means, recording means for recording the data stream received by the receiving means, and at predetermined time via the interface means A reservation information receiving unit for receiving reservation information including a use band of the data stream in advance; and, based on the reservation information received by the reservation information receiving unit, the band use reservation information indicating the band use reservation at the predetermined time. Notification means for notifying other devices connected to the
A data stream control method according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a data stream control method, comprising: a confirmation process for confirming a band use state in the network via an interface unit connected to the network capable of synchronous transfer; A reservation receiving process of receiving band use reservation information indicating a band use reservation at a predetermined time from the device; a reservation process of reserving a band use of the network at the predetermined time based on the band use reservation information; And a band use control process for restricting the use of a band other than the used band reserved by the reservation means when the time comes. Via an interface means connected to a transferable network, the data stream synchronously transferred is A receiving process for receiving, a recording process for recording the data stream received by the receiving process, and a reservation information receiving process for receiving, in advance, reservation information including a used band of the data stream at a predetermined time via the interface unit. A notification process for notifying other devices connected to the network of band use reservation information indicating the band use reservation at the predetermined time based on the reservation information received in the reservation information reception process. The data stream control method according to claim 15 of the present invention includes a confirmation process for confirming a band use state in the network via an interface unit connected to the network capable of synchronous transfer; From other devices, the band use reservation information indicating the band use reservation at a predetermined time is transmitted. A reservation accepting process, a reservation process for reserving a band use of the network at the predetermined time based on the band use reservation information, and when the predetermined time comes, a band other than the used band reserved by the reservation unit. A band use control process for restricting the use of a band, a reception process for receiving a data stream synchronously transferred via an interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, and the data received by the reception process. A recording process of recording a stream, a reservation information receiving process of receiving reservation information including a used band of a data stream at a predetermined time in advance via the interface unit, and a reservation information received in the reservation information receiving process. Connecting the band use reservation information indicating the band use reservation at the predetermined time to the network. And a notification process of notifying another device that has been performed.

[0015] In claim 1 of the present invention, the receiving means includes:
A data stream to be transferred synchronously is received via the interface means. When the recording of the data stream is reserved by the reservation unit, the determination unit determines whether or not the data stream reserved by the reservation unit is recordable at the recording start time a predetermined time before the recording start time. I do. When the determining unit determines that the data stream reserved by the reservation unit is not recordable, the identifying unit determines, among the other data streams transferred on the network, the data stream reserved by the reservation unit. A data stream to be stopped that enables recording of the stream is specified. The notifying unit notifies at least one of the devices that has transmitted and / or received the specified data stream to be stopped of a request to stop the data stream.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first step, recording of a data stream to be synchronously transferred is reserved. When the time comes a predetermined time before the recording start time of the data stream reserved for recording, in the second step, it is determined whether or not the data stream can be recorded at the recording start time. If it is determined that recording is not possible, in the third step, of the other data streams transferred on the network, data to be stopped such that the data stream reserved for recording can be recorded. The stream is specified. Further, for at least one of the devices that have transmitted and / or received the specified data stream to be stopped,
In the fourth step, a data stream stop request is notified. After the transfer of the data stream to be stopped is stopped, in the fifth step, recording of the data stream reserved for recording at the recording start time is started.

In a seventh aspect of the present invention, the confirmation means comprises:
Check the bandwidth usage status in the network. The reservation receiving means receives band use reservation information indicating a band use reservation at a predetermined time from another device connected to the network. The reservation means reserves the use of the network bandwidth at a predetermined time based on the bandwidth use reservation information. At a predetermined time, the band use control unit limits the use of a band other than the used band reserved by the reservation unit.

In a ninth aspect of the present invention, the receiving means comprises:
A data stream to be transferred synchronously is received via the interface means. The reservation information receiving means receives in advance reservation information including a band used by the data stream at a predetermined time. Based on the reservation information received by the reservation information receiving means, the notifying means notifies the other devices connected to the network of the band use reservation information indicating the band use reservation at a predetermined time.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the band use state in the network is confirmed by the confirmation processing. When band use reservation information indicating a band use reservation at a predetermined time is received from another device connected to the network by the reservation reception process, the reservation process uses the band use of the network at the predetermined time based on the band use reservation information. make a reservation. The band use control process is performed at a predetermined time,
The use of a band other than the used band reserved by the reservation means is restricted.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the receiving process receives a data stream which is synchronously transferred. The data stream received by the receiving process is recorded by the recording process. When the reservation information including the bandwidth used for the data stream at the predetermined time is received via the interface means, the other devices are notified of the bandwidth usage reservation information indicating the bandwidth usage reservation at the predetermined time based on the received reservation information. I do.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a data stream recording device according to the present invention.

In the present embodiment, recording and reproduction of a stream (hereinafter, referred to as a synchronous transfer stream) which needs to be transferred at a transfer rate corresponding to the data rate of the stream, such as a television broadcast signal, is described. This is applied to a network that performs. That is, it is assumed that the network bus has a synchronous transfer function that guarantees that the synchronous transfer stream is transferred within a predetermined time.

In FIG. 1, each node constituting the network is connected via a bus 10. Bus 10
Transfer of a synchronous transfer stream is possible. The data receiving unit 1 is configured to receive streams such as video and audio broadcast by, for example, television broadcasting or radio broadcasting. The data receiving section 1 performs a predetermined receiving process on the received stream and sends the stream to the bus 10.

Note that the network is IEEE1
A home network serial bus such as 394 may be used.
It may be AN.

The display units 3-1, 3-2,..., 3-N can display images based on the video stream transferred via the bus 10. Display units 3-1, 3-2,
, 3-N may have the same configuration or different configurations. The recording unit 2 can record a stream transferred via the bus 10. For example, as the recording unit 2, a VTR, a DVD-RA
M and storage such as HDD.

The recording reservation section 4 can set a recording reservation. When the recording start time of the recording reservation set by the user comes, the recording reservation unit 4
Can transfer the received stream to the recording unit 2 via the bus 10, and can control the recording unit 2 to make a scheduled recording of the transferred stream. When the scheduled recording end time comes, the recording reservation unit 4
The recording process by the recording unit 2 is stopped, and the receiving unit 1
Of the stream to the recording unit 2 is stopped.

In the present embodiment, there is provided a stream specifying unit 5 for specifying a stream which becomes an obstacle to timer recording. The stream specifying unit 5 includes a band (maximum transfer rate) of the bus 10, a transfer rate of each stream during transmission, a transfer rate of a stream to be reserved for recording, an input / output transfer rate of the recording unit 2 as a storage, and a seek of the recording unit 2. Based on the time and the like, it is determined whether or not a stream reserved for recording (hereinafter referred to as a reserved recording stream) can be synchronously transferred to the recording unit 2 at the recording time, and if it is determined that the synchronous transfer is impossible. Specifies which stream should be stopped to enable synchronous transfer.

The stream specifying unit 5 can determine a stream for which transfer is to be stopped (hereinafter, referred to as a stop stream) by various methods. For example, the stream specifying unit 5 sequentially sets the stop streams in the order of higher transfer rates among the streams being transmitted, and sets a plurality of streams until the synchronous transfer of the reserved recording stream becomes possible as the stop streams. Is also good.

Also, for example, the stream specifying unit 5 may specify the stopped streams in the order of the lower priority based on the priority set for the stream being transmitted. Further, the stream specifying unit 5 may determine the stop of the transfer according to the transfer destination of the stream being transmitted. For example, when there are display devices for children and adults on the network, a stream to which the display device for children is transferred may be specified as a stop stream. Thus, the stream specifying unit 5 specifies the stop stream so as to enable the synchronous transfer of the reserved recording stream.

The transfer rate of the reserved recording stream may be input by the user at the time of recording reservation, or information on the transfer rate may be obtained by using EPG information or the like included in the digital broadcast. It may be.

The notifying section 6 is for notifying the user of the stream specified by the stream specifying section 5 as a stopped stream. For example, when the output destination of the stop stream is the display unit, the notification unit 6 displays on the display unit that the stream being displayed is specified as the stop stream. Further, the notification unit 6 may output information about the stop stream by display on the display unit or audio output by a speaker (not shown), regardless of the output destination of the stop stream. Further, the notification unit 6
Information about the stopped stream may be output by an LED (light emitting diode) not shown or the like. The notification unit 6 may output a video or audio message or the like that prompts the stop of the reproduction of the stopped stream.

The data receiving unit 1, the recording unit 2, the display units 3-1, 3-2,..., 3-N, the recording reservation unit 4, the stream specifying unit 5, and the notification unit 6 are each constituted by independent devices. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that a plurality of parts are included in one device. In addition, there may be a plurality of receiving units 1, recording units 2, recording reservation units 4, and the like.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of configuring the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a home.

The bus 10 is constituted by, for example, an IEEE1394 cable 11. A home server 12, a digital broadcast STB (set-top box) 13, a display 14, and an analog broadcast television receiver 15 are connected to the cable 11. For example, the data receiving unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a digital broadcast STB 13 and an analog broadcast television receiver 15 and a display unit 3.
-1, 3-2,..., 3-N are constituted by a display 14 and a television receiver 15 for analog broadcasting.
The recording reservation unit 4, the stream identification unit 5, and the notification unit 6 are configured by the home server 12.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment, FIGS. 4 and 5 are tables for explaining the operation of the stream specifying unit 5 in FIG. 1, and FIGS. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of a notification unit 6 in the middle.

On the bus 10, a synchronous transfer stream such as a broadcast signal received by the data receiving section 1 and a synchronous transfer stream reproduced by the recording section 2 flow. These synchronous transfer streams are supplied to a predetermined display unit among the display units 3-1 to 3-N, and are displayed on a screen.

Now, it is assumed that the user sets the recording reservation by using the recording reservation section 4 in step S1 of FIG. The user can select the recording start time, recording end time,
Set the channel and recording mode. For example, 7: 3
From 0 minute to 8:00, the program of the first channel is scheduled to be recorded in the high definition mode.

Regardless of the recording reservation, the data receiving unit 1
, And playback in the recording unit 2, and in steps S2-1, S2-2,..., S2-N, the display units 3-1, 3-2,. 1,2, ... N
Is displayed. That is, the recording unit 2 can reproduce and output a plurality of programs at the same time. The data receiving unit 1
The stream that can be output from the recording unit 2 is determined by the bus bandwidth and the like.

In the present embodiment, in step S3, the stream specifying unit 5 determines whether or not the current time is T minutes before the start time of the scheduled recording. If the current time has not reached T minutes before the scheduled recording start time, the process waits at step S4, and the current time is set to the scheduled recording start time T.
If the recording time has reached minutes before, in the next step S5, it is determined whether or not recording can be started at the current time.

Note that the value of T may be determined in advance, or may be set by the user at the time of recording reservation or the like.
For example, T = 15 or the like is set.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a method of specifying a stopped stream by the stream specifying unit 5.

Now, it is assumed that streams of five programs 1 to 5 reproduced from the recording unit 2 are flowing on the bus 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer rates of these programs 1 to 5 are 2 Mbps, 20 Mbps, 5 Mbps,
10 Mbps and 3 Mbps. Therefore, the total transfer rate of the reproduced program is 40 Mbps. It is also assumed that the bus bandwidth is 100 Mbps. The bandwidth of the recording unit 2 is calculated from the input / output rate of the storage and the seek time of the storage.
It is assumed that the transmission speed is 5 Mbps.

It is assumed that the transfer rate of the reserved recording stream is 20 Mbps. In this case, the total transfer rate of the reserved recording stream and the stream already being transferred is 60 Mbps. The bandwidth of the recording unit 2 is 50M
bps, the reproduction of the five programs 1 to 5 and the scheduled recording stream cannot be simultaneously transferred synchronously.

Therefore, in this case, the processing is performed in step S
The process proceeds from S5 to S6, where the stream specifying unit 5 specifies the stopped stream. For example, the stream identification unit 5 selects a reproduction program having the highest transfer rate among the reproduction programs. That is, the transfer rate of the program 2 is the maximum at 20 Mbps,
When the reproduction of the program 2 ends, the remaining four reproduction programs 1
The total of the transfer rates of 3 to 5 and the scheduled recording stream is 4
0 Mbps, and the bandwidth of the recording unit 2 (50 Mbps)
Smaller than. Accordingly, by stopping the transfer of the program 2, the recording of the reserved recording stream can be performed.

The stream specifying unit 5 sends information indicating that the program 2 has been specified as the stopped stream to the notifying unit 6.

In step S7, the notification unit 6 issues a notification for stopping the transfer of the program 2. For example, the notification unit 6 sends a message requesting termination of display to the display unit displaying the program 2.

It is clear that the stream specifying unit 5 may determine the stop stream by another algorithm. FIG. 5 is for explaining a specifying method different from FIG.

Scheduled recording stream and five programs 1 to 5
Is 60 Mbp as shown in FIG.
s, and the bandwidth of the recording unit 2 is 70 Mbps. Although the bandwidth of the recording unit 2 is enough for scheduled recording,
Even in this case, if the network bandwidth is 50 Mbps, it is not possible to simultaneously perform recording of the reserved recording stream and reproduction of five programs.

The programs with the highest transfer rates among the reproduced programs are program 2 and program 4 (15 Mbps). Program 2
When the reproduction of any one of the programs 4 and 4 is completed, the total transfer rate of the remaining four reproduced programs and the reserved recording stream becomes 45 Mbps, which is smaller than the bus bandwidth. Therefore, the stream specifying unit 5 specifies one of the streams of the program 2 and the program 4 as the stop stream.

In this case, the notification unit 6 gives a notification for stopping the transfer of at least one of the program 2 and the program 4.

FIG. 6 shows that the notification of the stop stream by the notification unit 6 is performed by characters. For example,
If the display unit for displaying the stop stream is, for example, the display 14 in FIG. 2, the message "Start scheduled recording at 7:30. Please end playback." Is displayed. In addition,
A display indicating that the current time is 7:15 is also displayed on the display screen.

FIG. 7 shows that the stop stream is notified by voice. As shown in FIG. 7, “7.
Scheduled recording starts at 30 minutes. Please end playback. Is output as a voice message.

The user knows from the message or voice message displayed on the display 14 that the program being displayed cannot be reserved unless the program being displayed is stopped.

As described above, in step S7, a message or the like for stopping the transfer of the stop stream is displayed. Here, it is assumed that the user stops the reproduction of the program requested to stop the transfer (reproduction). Then, the process proceeds from step S8 to the next step S9, and it is determined whether or not the current time has reached the scheduled recording start time. If the scheduled recording start time has not been reached, the process waits in step S10.

If it is determined in step S5 that the scheduled recording can be performed without stopping the stream currently being transmitted, the process shifts from step S5 to step S10 and waits until the recording start time. I do.

When the scheduled recording start time arrives, the recording reservation unit 4 controls the data receiving unit 1 to receive the program of the first channel, and transmits the stream of the received program (reserved recording stream) via the bus 10. To the recording unit 2.
In this case, for example, in the example of FIG. 5, the reproduction of either the program 2 or the program 4 is stopped and the reproduction is stored within the bus bandwidth.
Is possible. Further, the recording reservation section 4 controls the recording section 2 to start recording the reserved recording stream transferred via the bus 10 (step S11). In this case, for example, in the example of FIG. 4, the reproduction of the program 2 is stopped and is stored within the bandwidth of the recording unit, so that the recording unit 2 can record the reserved recording stream.

In step S12, it is determined whether or not the recording end time has been reached. If the recording end time has not been reached, the process waits until the recording end time in step S13, and when the recording end time comes, the processing shifts to step S14 to end the recording. That is, the recording reservation unit 4 stops the transfer of the reserved recording stream by the data receiving unit 1 and stops the recording by the recording unit 2.

If it is determined in step S8 that the user does not stop the reproduction, the process proceeds to step S15, and the process ends without performing the scheduled recording. It is not necessary to stop the reproduction of the streams other than the streams specified as the stop streams, and these streams can be reproduced simultaneously with the scheduled recording.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when a recording reservation is made, it is checked whether or not recording is possible by synchronously transferring the reservation recording stream at the reservation recording time.
If the scheduled recording is not possible, the stream that identifies the scheduled recording is identified and notified to the user.
The user can know the stream that should be stopped effectively by the notification. As a result, reliable scheduled recording can be performed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1 only in the processing of the recording reservation section 4 and the stream specifying section 5. Therefore, it can be realized with the same hardware configuration as in FIG. In the present embodiment, the determination as to whether or not scheduled recording is possible is made at a plurality of timings before the start of scheduled recording. 8, the same steps as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 shows step S1 of FIG. 3 for convenience of the drawing.
, S2-2,..., S2-N and the processing of steps S12 to S14 are not shown. After step S2-N, step S21-1 in FIG. 8 follows. Further, the processing of steps S12 to S14 of FIG. 3 continues after step S11 of FIG.

Steps S21-1 to S25-1 in FIG.
Correspond to steps S3 to S7 in FIG. 3, respectively. That is, step S21-1 is a process of determining whether or not the current time has reached T1 minutes before the scheduled recording start time, and step S22-1 waits until the current time reaches T1 minutes before the scheduled recording start time. This is the processing to be performed. Step S23-1 is a process of determining whether or not scheduled recording is possible at the current time (T1 minutes before the scheduled recording start time) based on the total transfer rate of the reproduction stream and the scheduled recording stream. Step S24-1 is a process for specifying a stop stream to be stopped to enable the scheduled recording when it is determined that the scheduled recording cannot be performed at the current time. Is a process of notifying the user.

In the present embodiment, step S21-1
Through a series of processes from step S25-1 at different times,
T2 minutes before the scheduled recording start time, T3 minutes before,.... That is, from step S21-2 to step S21
Step 25-2 is processing corresponding to steps S21-1 to S25-1, respectively.

If it is determined in any of steps S23-1, S23-2,... That recording is possible, the process proceeds from that step to step S10.
Wait until the scheduled recording start time.

Other processes are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG.

In the embodiment configured as described above, it is determined whether or not scheduled recording is possible at a plurality of timings before the scheduled recording start time. Now, at the timing T1 minutes before the scheduled recording start time, step S23 is executed.
It is determined that recording is not possible at -1. In this case, the stop stream is specified in the next step S24-1, and the stop stream is notified in step S25-1.

Here, it is assumed that the reproduction is not stopped for the stop stream or the like notified by the user. In this case, it is determined that the scheduled recording cannot be performed even at a timing T2 minutes before the scheduled recording start time. Then, the process proceeds from step S23-2 to step S24-2, and the stop stream is specified.

Thereafter, the same operation is repeated, and at each timing before the scheduled recording start time, determination as to whether or not recording is possible, specification of a stopped stream and notification thereof are performed.

It is assumed that the user stops reproduction of the notified stop stream or the like. In this case, in any one of steps S23-2, S23-3,..., It is determined that scheduled recording is possible, and the process shifts to step S10 to be in a standby state until the recording start time.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not scheduled recording is possible at a plurality of timings before the scheduled recording start time, so that the user's situation can be easily determined. . For example, before the start of scheduled recording, the transfer of a stream other than that notified as a stop stream may be stopped by the user's will.In this case, by knowing the change in the display of the stop stream, the user can The most effective response can be taken.

In step S10 in FIG. 8, it is conceivable that transfer of a new reproduction stream is started in a state of waiting until the recording start time comes. In consideration of this point, it is apparent that the same processing as Steps S23-1 to S25-1 may be repeated at a predetermined time until the recording start time even when the recording is once enabled. It is.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. 9, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, the transfer of the stop stream is forcibly stopped at the scheduled recording start time.

This embodiment is different from the embodiment of FIG. 1 in that a stop portion 7 is added.

The stop unit 7 is provided with information on the stopped stream and information on the scheduled recording start time from the stream specifying unit 5, and stops the transfer of the stopped stream when the scheduled recording start time is reached. For example, when the stop stream is a reproduction stream from the recording unit 2, the stop unit 7 controls the recording unit 2 to stop reproduction of the reproduction stream.

In the embodiment configured as described above, processes similar to those in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 8 are performed, except for a process when the user does not end reproduction of the specified program. That is, in the present embodiment, in the operation flow of FIGS. 3 and 8, step S15 is omitted, and if it is determined in step S8 that the reproduction of the specified program is not to be ended, the stop stream is forcibly stopped. After performing the process of stopping the transfer of the
To the process of.

In other words, if the stop of the transfer of the stop stream is not achieved by the user operation, the stop unit 7 forcibly stops the transfer of the stop stream at the scheduled recording start time. This makes it possible to reliably record the stream reserved for recording.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 8 can be obtained, and even when the user is absent, the program reserved for recording is reliably recorded. There is an advantage that can be.

In this case as well, the method of selecting the stop stream of the recording reservation section 4 is appropriately set, and for example, a stream which cannot be selected as the stop stream can be designated, thereby responding to various requests of the user. Obviously you can do that.

In each of the above embodiments, the transfer rate of the synchronous transfer stream for scheduled recording is described as being fixed. However, if the transfer rate is variable, the synchronous transfer is performed using the maximum value of the variable rate. It is only necessary to determine whether or not the stream is possible and to specify the stop stream.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

In each of the above embodiments, the components shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 may exist on any of a plurality of devices connected on a network. FIG. 10 shows an example in which all components are included in one device (recording device 100).

The recording device 100 is a device for recording a data stream such as video and audio transmitted from a television or a radio (hereinafter, simply referred to as a stream), and indicates a VTR, a home server, or the like.

The receiving unit 101 is a means for receiving a stream synchronously transferred via an interface connected to a network. The received stream is sent to the recording unit 102 and recorded.

The recording section 102 is means for recording a received stream. Cassette deck or DVD-RA
Storages such as M and HDD correspond to this.

The recording reservation section 104 is a means for setting a recording reservation. When the recording reservation start time comes, the recording reservation unit 104 requests transmission of a stream to be recorded. Receiver
In 101, the transmitted stream is received, and the recording unit 1
Send to 02 and start recording. When the recording reservation end time comes, the recording reservation unit 104 requests to stop the transmission of the stream. The receiving unit 101 stops receiving data and ends recording.

The determination section 105a is means for determining whether or not recording is possible at the recording start time a predetermined time before the recording start time.

The specifying unit 105b is a means for specifying a stream that causes the recording to be impossible when the determining unit 105a determines that the recording reservation cannot be made.

The notifying section 106 is means for notifying either the device transmitting or receiving the stream specified by the judging section 105a to stop the stream.

The network 110 is a means for connecting the recording apparatus 100 and other devices to transfer a stream. The network 110 may be a serial bus for a home network such as IEEE 1394, or may be an LA.
The Ethernet cable used for N may be used.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 and the explanatory diagram of FIG.

First, the recording reservation section 104 sets recording reservation. Set the recording start time, recording end time, channel, recording mode, etc. In the present embodiment, 7:30
It is assumed that recording is performed in a high-definition mode on one channel from 8:00 to 8:00.

When it is T minutes before the recording start time, the judgment section 105a checks whether or not recording can be started. The value of T may be determined in advance,
It may be set by the user. In this embodiment, T = 15.

At this time, an example will be described with reference to FIG. 12 in which the determination section 105a checks whether recording can be started, and if the recording is not possible, which stream should be stopped by the specifying section 105b.

FIG. 12 shows a case where five streams are simultaneously flowing on the network 110 T minutes before the recording start time. The stream transfer rate is 2Mbp
s, 20Mbps, 5Mbps, 10Mbps, 3Mbps
ps, and the total transfer rate is 40 Mbps.
The network bandwidth is 50 Mbps. The transfer rate of the scheduled recording program is 20 Mbps, and the total transfer rate of the scheduled recording program and the five playback programs is 60 Mbps. Since the network bandwidth is 50 Mbps, these six streams cannot be transferred simultaneously. The determining unit 105a notifies the specifying unit 105b that recording is not possible.

The specifying unit 105b specifies which stream should be stopped. Here, it is assumed that a stream having the maximum transfer rate other than the stream of the recording reservation is selected. The data 2 stream is maximum at 20 Mbps. When the stream of data 2 is stopped, the total transfer rate of the remaining four streams and the stream of the recording reservation becomes 40 Mbps, which is smaller than the network bandwidth of 50 Mbps. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it can be specified that the stream of the data 2 should be stopped.
The specifying unit 105b notifies the notifying unit 106 to stop the data 2 stream.

The notifying unit 106 sends a request to the device transmitting the data 2 to stop the transmission of the stream. If the transmission of the stream is stopped by the recording start time, it becomes possible to start recording reservation. If the transmission of the stream is not stopped by the recording start time, the process ends without making a recording reservation.

At the recording start time, the stream received by the receiving unit 101 is sent to the recording unit 2 to start recording. When the recording end time comes, the receiving unit 101 stops receiving the stream and ends the recording.

As described above, when a recording reservation cannot be made because another stream is transmitted on the network, a stream that causes the recording to be impossible is specified.
By notifying the device transmitting the stream to stop the transmission of the stream, the recording reservation can be reliably performed.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining another specifying method of the specifying section 105b.

Here, it is assumed that the streams of data 3 and data 4 are sent via a network for recording by the recording device 100. The total transfer rate of the scheduled recording program and the stream from data 1 to data 5 is 60M
bps and the network bandwidth is 100Mbps
Therefore, it is possible to simultaneously transmit the recording and the five streams on the network. However, the bandwidth of the data recording unit is 30 Mbps, and the total transfer rate of the recording reservation program and the streams of the data 3 and the data 4 is 40 Mbps.
bps. Since the bandwidth of the recording unit is 30Mbps,
These three streams cannot be recorded simultaneously. The determining unit 105a notifies the specifying unit 105b that recording is not possible.

The specifying unit 105b specifies which stream should be stopped. Here, when the stream of data 4 is stopped, the total transfer rate of the scheduled recording program and the stream of data 3 becomes 25 Mbps, which is smaller than the bandwidth of the recording unit of 30 Mbps. Therefore, it can be specified that the stream of the data 4 should be stopped. The specifying unit 105b notifies the notifying unit 106 to stop the data 4 stream. Other operations are the same as those in the example of FIG.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing another specifying method of the specifying unit 105b.

In this example, the streams are prioritized, and the lower the priority, the higher the priority. Here, it is assumed that the stream recorded by the recording device 100 is only a stream for recording reservation.

The bandwidth of the network is assumed to be 50 Mbps. The transfer rate of the scheduled recording program is 20 Mbps,
The total transfer rate of the recording reservation program and data 1 to data 5 is 60 Mbps. Since the network bandwidth is 50 Mbps, these six streams cannot be transferred simultaneously. The determination unit 105a is the identification unit 105b
Is notified that recording is not possible.

The specifying unit 105b specifies which stream should be stopped. In the specifying unit 105b, selection is made in the order of lower priority. Here, data 1 and data 5 having a priority of 10 are selected. However, even if both streams of data 1 and data 5 are stopped, the total transfer rate of the remaining three streams and the recording reservation program is 55 Mb.
ps, making recording impossible. In the specifying unit 105b,
Next, the stream with the lowest priority is selected. This corresponds to the data stream of the data 3 of the priority 5. When the streams of data 1, data 3 and data 5 are stopped, the total transfer rate of the remaining three streams is 50
Mbps, and recording becomes possible. The specifying unit 105b notifies the notifying unit 106 to stop the streams of data 1, data 3, and data 5. Other functions are shown in FIG.
This is similar to the example of FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the stream may be specified at a plurality of time timings.

The difference between the operation flow in FIG. 15 and the operation flow in FIG. 11 is that the time for checking whether recording can be started is T1 minutes before the recording start time, T2 minutes before,. . . It is a point that a plurality is set.

First, a decision section 105a checks whether recording is possible at the recording start time T1 minutes before the recording start time.
If recording cannot be started, the specifying unit 105b specifies which stream to stop and start recording. A message for urging the device transmitting the specified stream to stop transmitting the stream is transmitted. When the transmission of the stream is stopped from T1 minutes to T2 minutes before the recording start time, it is the same as the case where T in FIG. 11 is replaced with T1.

If the stream specified above is not stopped before T2 minutes before the recording start time, the specifying unit 5 checks again whether or not recording is possible at the recording start time. If it is not possible, a message prompting to stop the stream is transmitted in the same manner. After that, the same processing is performed T3 minutes before the recording start time, T4 minutes before,....

For example, T1 = 15, T2 = 10, T3 =
5, T4 = 3,. . . , 15 minutes before the recording start time, 10 minutes before, 5 minutes before,. . . As described above, as the recording start time approaches, the interval of the notification urging the stop of the stream becomes shorter, and an effective warning is provided.

The point to be noted here is that the recording start time T
Even if a message prompting to stop the stream was sent one minute before, even if the stream is not stopped from T1 minutes before the recording start time to T2 minutes before, the recording can be started before T2 minutes. That is. A stream different from the stream specified one minute before time T1
This is a case where the recording is completed between the minutes before and T2 minutes before, and as a result, recording can be started.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. 16, the same components as those in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The difference between the present embodiment and the embodiment of FIG. 10 is that the transmission of the stream is forcibly stopped when the transmission of the stream is not stopped despite the notification of the request for stopping the specified stream. This is characterized in that a stopping unit 107 as a means for stopping the operation is provided. At the recording start time, the stream is stopped by the stop unit 107, so that the recording can be reliably started.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 16 is provided with a portion for judging whether or not the scheduled recording is possible in the recording device, and in the present embodiment, the judgment is made by the control device connected on the network. This allows notification to be performed.

The control device 131 is a device for controlling the bandwidth of a stream flowing on the network 132. The network 132 may be a serial bus for a home network such as IEEE1394, or may be an Ethernet cable used for a LAN.

The checking section 133 is means for checking the band use state of the stream flowing on the network.
The checking unit 133 checks which stream of which band is transferred from which device to which device.

The reservation receiving section 134 is means for receiving a reservation for preferentially using the band at a predetermined time from another device. Reserve network bandwidth in advance,
The reservation is sent when it is necessary to reliably perform the recording reservation.

The reservation unit 135 is a means for reserving a network band at the predetermined time based on the reservation received by the reservation receiving unit 134.

The band use control section 136 is means for restricting the use of a band other than the band reserved by the reservation section 135 at a predetermined time.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 18 and the explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 19 and 20.

First, the reservation accepting section 134 reserves a band. Here, the reservation start time is 1 with a bandwidth of 20 Mbps.
It is assumed that a reservation with a reservation end time of 20:00 is made at 9:30.

FIG. 19 is a table showing the reservation status of a band that has already been reserved. Although three bands are reserved, only data of reservation 2 is reserved from 19:30 to 20:00. The bandwidth of this data is 5Mb
ps, 25Mbp even when combined with the bandwidth reserved this time
s and does not exceed the network bandwidth of 50 Mbps. Therefore, the above reservation is accepted and reserved by the reservation unit 135. When the recording start time comes, the checking unit 133 checks the band currently used.

FIG. 20 is a table showing currently used bands. Data 1 to data 4 and reservation 2 5
One band is using. The sum of these bands is 40M
bps does not exceed the network bandwidth of 50 Mbps, but if the reserved bandwidth of 20 Mbps is added, 60
Mbps, which exceeds the network bandwidth.

The checking unit 133 determines the band to be stopped among the currently used bands to the band use control unit 136. Here, when the use of the band of data 2 is stopped, the total band becomes 40 Mbps, which is lower than the band of the network. The band use control unit 136 causes the device transmitting the data 2 to stop using. This secures the bandwidth reserved above.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 21, the same components as those in FIG. 17 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The difference between this embodiment and the embodiment of FIG. 17 resides in that a notifying section 106 is provided as reservation confirmation information notifying means for notifying reservation confirmation information indicating that a reservation has been made. By notifying the other device that the reservation has been made, it is possible to recognize that the use may be terminated in the currently used band at the reserved time.

Further, in the present embodiment, the notifying section 10
6 also functions as reservation confirmation information notifying means for notifying reservation confirmation information indicating that reservation could not be made when reservation is impossible.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 22, the same components as those in FIG.

In each of the above embodiments, whether or not the scheduled recording of the stream reserved for recording is possible is predicted before the start time of the scheduled recording. However, it cannot be correctly determined whether or not the stream that has been scheduled recording can be actually recorded unless the scheduled recording start time is after. In the present embodiment, a reliable recording reservation can be made before the start time of the reservation recording by checking the band of the transfer stream at the time of the reservation recording based on the information of the recording reservation.

The receiving device 141 is a device for recording a stream of video and audio transmitted from a television or a radio, and refers to a VTR, a home server, or the like.

Receiving unit 101 Record 102 and Network 110
Has the same configuration as the embodiment of FIG.

The reservation information receiving section 144 is a means for receiving reservation information such as an EPG (Electronic Program Guide).

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an EPG.
The EPG contains the program name, bandwidth, channel, start time,
There is an end time item. From the EPG, it is possible to know in advance which program uses which amount of bandwidth.

The band use reservation notifying section 145 is means for notifying band reservation information to other devices via a network based on the reservation information received by the reservation information receiving section 144. For example, when the drama 1 of the EPG shown in FIG. 23 is reserved, the reservation information of the 5 Mbps band from 20:00 to 21:00 is notified.

It is to be noted that the band use reservation notifying section 145 may be provided with a control function for restricting the use of the band for which no reservation has been made at the time of the reserved recording start time.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
By notifying the reservation information of the band to other devices based on the reservation information received by the reservation information receiving unit 144, it is possible to secure the band required for stream reception at the time of reservation.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. 24, the same components as those in FIG. 22 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

This embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 22 in that a reservation confirmation information receiving section 146 is added. The reservation confirmation information receiving unit 146 receives reservation confirmation information indicating that a band use reservation has been made from another device that has received the band use reservation information transmitted from the band use reservation notification unit 145.
Thus, the receiving device 141 can know that the band has been reserved.

The reservation confirmation information receiving section 146 may also receive reservation confirmation information indicating that no reservation for band use has been made. In this case, the receiving device 141 can know that the reservation of the band has failed.

[0141]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a recording reservation is made, it is possible to specify a stream which becomes an obstacle to the reservation recording at the time of the reservation recording and notify the user of the stream. Have.

Further, according to the present invention, when a recording reservation is made, a stream which becomes an obstacle to the reservation recording at the time of the reservation recording is specified and the flow of this stream is stopped, so that the reservation recording can be reliably performed. It also has the effect that it can be made possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a data stream recording device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of configuring the device of FIG. 1 in a home.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a chart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a table for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a method for specifying a stop stream.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a method for specifying a stop stream.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment in FIG. 17;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory view showing an EPG.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Data receiving unit, 2. Recording unit, 3-1 to 3-N: Display unit,
4: recording reservation unit, 5: stream identification unit, 6: notification unit,
10 ... Bus

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Tatsuya Koretsu 1 Toshiba-cho, Komukai-shi, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba R & D Center (72) Inventor Tohru Imai 1 Toshiba-cho, Komukai-Toshiba-cho, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Address Toshiba R & D Center (72) Inventor Yuzo Tamada 1 Kosuka Toshiba-cho, Koyuki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa F-term (reference) 5C018 HA10 5C064 BA02 BB07 BC18 BC23 BC25 BD02 BD08 BD09 5D102 AC01 GA02 GA08 GA72 GA78

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, a receiving unit for receiving a data stream synchronously transferred via the interface unit, and recording the data stream received by the receiving unit. A recording unit that performs recording at a predetermined recording start time, a reservation unit that reserves recording of the data stream, and whether or not the data stream reserved by the reservation unit can be recorded at the recording start time. Determining means for determining a predetermined time before the recording start time; and determining, by the determining means, that the data stream reserved by the reservation means is not recordable, Recording of the data stream reserved by the reservation means in the data stream of Specifying means for specifying a data stream to be stopped such that the data stream to be stopped is transmitted to at least one of the devices transmitting and / or receiving the data stream to be stopped specified by the specifying means; And a notifying means for notifying the stop request of the data stream. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines, before a predetermined time before the recording start time, total transfer rate information of the data stream transferred on the network, transfer rate information of the data stream reserved by the reservation unit, Determining whether the data stream reserved by the reservation unit is recordable at the recording start time based on at least one of band information of the network and band information recordable by the recording unit. The data stream recording device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The data stream recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said specifying means specifies a data stream to be stopped according to a predetermined priority. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines whether the data stream reserved by the reserving unit is recordable at the recording start time at a plurality of times before the recording start time. Claim 1 characterized by the following:
Or the data stream recording device according to any one of 2. 5. When the transfer of the data stream to be stopped is not stopped at the recording start time, at least one of the devices that transmitted and / or received the data stream transmits the data stream to the device. 2. The data stream recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit for notifying a forced stop request. 6. A first step of making a reservation for recording a data stream synchronously transferred via a network at a predetermined recording start time, and a recording start time of the data stream reserved for recording by the first step. A second step of determining whether or not the data stream is recordable at the recording start time at a time before a predetermined time, and the data stream reserved for recording cannot be recorded by the second step. If it is determined that the data stream has been stopped, a third step of specifying a data stream to be stopped such that the data stream reserved for recording can be recorded among the other data streams transferred on the network. Transmitting and / or receiving the specified data stream to be stopped by the third step; A fourth step of notifying a request to stop the data stream to at least one of the devices that has performed the transfer, after the transfer of the data stream to be stopped specified by the third step is stopped, A fifth step of starting recording of the data stream reserved for recording at the recording start time. 7. An interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, a confirmation unit for confirming a band use state in the network via the interface unit, and another device connected to the network, A reservation receiving unit that receives band use reservation information indicating a band use reservation at a predetermined time; a reservation unit that reserves band use of the network at the predetermined time based on the band use reservation information; A data stream control device comprising: a band use control unit for restricting use of a band other than the used band reserved by the reservation unit. 8. Reservation confirmation information for notifying the other device of reservation confirmation information indicating that the reservation has been made, when the reservation means reserves use of the bandwidth of the network at the predetermined time. The data stream control device according to claim 7, further comprising a notification unit. 9. An interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, a receiving unit for receiving a data stream synchronously transferred via the interface unit, and recording the data stream received by the receiving unit. Recording means for receiving, reservation information receiving means for previously receiving reservation information including a band used by a data stream at a predetermined time via the interface means, and the predetermined information based on the reservation information received by the reservation information receiving means. A data stream recording apparatus comprising: a notification unit configured to notify band use reservation information indicating a time band use reservation to another device connected to the network. 10. Receiving reservation confirmation information from said another device, which has notified said band use reservation information by said notifying means, that reservation confirmation information indicating that a reservation of the band use of said network at said predetermined time has been made. 10. The data stream recording apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: means. 11. A confirmation means for confirming a use condition of a band at a predetermined time when said reservation use means receives said band use reservation information from said another device. When it is confirmed that the time band reservation cannot be made, the apparatus further comprises a reservation confirmation information notifying means for notifying the other device of reservation confirmation information indicating that the reservation has not been made. The data stream control device according to claim 7, wherein 12. Reservation confirmation reception for receiving reservation confirmation information indicating that the reservation of the band use of the network at the predetermined time has not been made from the other device which has notified the band use reservation information by the notifying means. 10. The data stream recording apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: means. 13. A confirmation process for confirming a band use state in the network via an interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, and a band use at a predetermined time from another device connected to the network. A reservation receiving process for receiving band use reservation information indicating reservation; a reservation process for reserving band use of the network at the predetermined time based on the band use reservation information; And a band use control process for restricting use of a band other than the used band reserved in the step (c). 14. A receiving process for receiving a data stream synchronously transferred via an interface means connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, a recording process for recording the data stream received by the receiving process, Via the interface means, a reservation information receiving process for receiving reservation information including a band used by the data stream at a predetermined time in advance; and a band use reservation at the predetermined time based on the reservation information received in the reservation information receiving process. Notification processing for notifying other devices connected to the network of the bandwidth use reservation information indicating the above. 15. A confirmation process for confirming a band use state in the network via an interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, and a band use at a predetermined time from another device connected to the network. A reservation receiving process for receiving band use reservation information indicating reservation; a reservation process for reserving band use of the network at the predetermined time based on the band use reservation information; A band use control process for restricting use of a band other than the used band reserved in the above, a reception process for receiving a data stream synchronously transferred via an interface unit connected to a network capable of synchronous transfer, A recording process for recording the data stream received by the reception process; A reservation information receiving process for receiving, in advance, reservation information including a used bandwidth of the data stream at a predetermined time via the means; and indicating the band use reservation at the predetermined time based on the reservation information received in the reservation information receiving process. A data stream control method for notifying another device connected to the network of the band use reservation information. 16. The data stream control method according to claim 13, wherein said band use restriction processing specifies a band to be restricted according to a predetermined priority at a reservation time or a predetermined time.