Optical disc player having program title display

Abstract

Large characters and numerals of a lapse time, a musical program title, or the like of a musical program under the performance recorded on a photomagnetic disc can be displayed, and an inadvertent erase of a musical program can be prevented. The TNO and lapse time of each musical program during the performance are displayed on a display unit as shown in FIG. 3 at (f). Under this condition, when a title key is depressed, the title for the TNO is displayed for a predetermined time period on the display unit as shown in FIG. 3 at (g). After the predetermined time period, the lapse time for the TNO is displayed as shown in FIG. 3 at (h). When an erase key is depressed during the performance of a musical program, a controller erases the disc management information and additional information for the TNO from a ram storing U-toc information, and renumbers other TNOs to update the contents of ram. Upon depression of a tray open key of a key matrix, the controller instructs an MD record/reproduction unit to stop the reproduction and copies the management information and additional information for the TNO stored in ram to another ram and records the copied information to a U-toc area of a mini disc. Thereafter, the MD record/reproduction unit operates to eject out the disc cartridge.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an optical disc player for playing a musical program having additional information recorded on an optical disc. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of displaying additional information of a musical program during its performance and a method of erasing a recorded musical program, suitable for a mini disc recording/reproducing apparatus (MD apparatus).

2. Related Background Art

There is known a mini disc (MD) which is one type of rewritable photomagnetic discs. A mini disc is formed with a pit information record area at the central area of the disc and a recordable area at the outer area. The recordable area includes a user's TOC (Table of Contents) area (U-TOC) and a program area. The recordable area has no pit, but a groove is engraved for the guidance to truck track number insert key for inserting a new truck track number. Reference numeral 20 represents a truck track number cancel key for canceling a truck track number to combine two trucks tracks.

Next, the operation of the apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, the tray open key is depressed to open the tray 12. When the tray open key 12 is again depressed after the disc is placed on the tray 12, the disc is loaded in the apparatus and the disc management information and additional information (such as titles, record dates, and the like) written in U-TOC area of the disc are read and stored in RAM 8.

At this condition, the optical pickup 1b rests on the start position of TNO 1 of the disc. Displayed on the display unit 5 is the lapse time (single time) “00:00” of TNO 1 as shown in FIG. 3 at (a).

When a user depresses the title key 14 or a corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7, the controller 3 reads the title of TNO 1 from RAM 8 and displays it on the display unit 5 as shown in FIG. 3 at (b).

When the user depresses the forward key 15 or a corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7, the controller 3 reads the title of the truck track next to TNO 1 from RAM 8 and displays it on the display unit 5 as shown in FIG. 3 at (c).

When the user depresses the play key 17 or a corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7, the controller 3 initiates the reproduction of the musical program from the start position of TNO 2, and calculates the lapse time of TNO 2 from the address data read from the disc and displays it on the display unit 5 as shown in FIG. 3 at (d).

During the performance of the musical program of TNO 2, if the user depresses the erase key 18 or a corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7, the controller 3 makes the MD record/reproduction unit 2 enter a pose pause state, and flushes flashes TNO 2 and its title as shown in FIG. 3 at (e).

Under this condition, if the user depresses again the erase key 18 or the corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 17, the controller 3 erases the disc management information and additional information of the flushing flashing TNO from RAM 8, renumbers other TNOs consecutively from “1”, updates the contents of RAM 8, searches TNO next to the erased TNO, and displays the lapse time of the searched TNO as shown in FIG. 3 at (f).

Under this condition, if the user depresses the title key 14 or the corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7, the controller 3 reads the title of the renumbered TNO under the performance and displays it for a predetermined time period on the display unit 5 as shown in FIG. 3 at (g). After the title has been displayed for the predetermined time period, the lapse time for the subject truck track is displayed as shown in FIG. 3 at (h).

If the insert key 19 is depressed, the controller 3 rewrites the management information and additional information stored in RAM 8 so that a new TNO is added having as its start position the truck track area at the time when the insert key 19 is depressed during the performance, and displays the lapse time of TNO under the performance as shown in FIG. 3 at (i).

Under this condition, if the user depresses the title key 14 or the corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7, the controller 3 reads the title of the renumbered TNO under the performance from RAM 8, and displays it for the predetermined time period on the display unit 5 as shown in FIG. 3 at (j). In this case, since the title of the new TNO has not been entered, the title is left blank. After the predetermined time period, the lapse time for the TNO is displayed as shown in FIG. 3 at (k).

If the user depresses the cancel key 20, the controller 3 updates the management information and additional information for the TNO stored in RAM 8 by erasing the start position information for the TNO, and displays the lapse time for the TNO under the performance as shown in FIG. 3 at (l).

Under this condition, if the user depresses the title key or the corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7, the controller 3 reads the title of the TNO under the performance from RAM 8, and displays it on the display unit 5 for the predetermined time period as shown in FIG. 3 at (m). When the tray open key 13 or the corresponding key of the infrared ray remote controller 7 is depressed, the controller 3 instructs the MD record/reproduction unit 2 to stop the reproduction and copy the management information and additional information for TNOs stored in RAM 8 to RAM 4. The contents of RAM 4 are then recorded in U-TOC area of the mini disc 1, and thereafter the MD record/reproduction unit 2 ejects the disc cartridge. During this operation, the display unit 5 displays a flushing representation as shown in FIG. 3 at (n).

In the above embodiment, the additional information for TNO may include a record date and the like as well as the program name (title). Obviously, the invention may be applied to reproduction-only optical disc reproducing apparatuses.

According to the optical disc player, the lapse time of a musical program under the performance, or the lapse time from the start address of TNO 1 is displayed in a usual case. Accordingly, the performance like an ordinary CD player can be ensured.

If the additional information such as the title of a musical program under the performance is to be known, this information can be displayed for the predetermined time period upon depression of the title key, making it easy to confirm the additional information such as the title. Since the lapse time and program tile title can be selectively displayed, large characters can be displayed on the display screen allowing an easy recognition.

Like the erase key 18, the insert key 19 and the cancel key 20 may be depressed twice for achieving the function of each key.

According to the photomagnetic disc recording/reproducing apparatus of the invention, erasing a musical program on a rewritable photomagnetic disc and adding or erasing TNO can be executed during the performance of the musical program. Accordingly, the musical program to be deleted can be confirmed by listening to it, preventing an inadvertent erase of a musical program.

Claims

1. An optical disc player for reproducing a musical program recorded on an optical disc having a toc area storing the start and end times of each musical program and additional information, wherein a lapse time is displayed on a display unit in a usual case during the performance of a musical program, and when a title key is depressed, the additional information such as the title of a musical program is displayed on the display unit for a predetermined time period, and after the title display for the predetermined time period the lapse time display is resumed.

2. A photomagnetic disc recording/reproducing apparatus for reproducing a musical program recorded on a rewritable photomagnetic disc of the type that an absolute time is fm-modulated and recorded on a wobble of a groove in a program area of a record/reproduction area for each musical program and the start and end times of each recorded musical program are recorded in a user toc area, wherein record information of an optical musical program stored in said user toc area and including said start time is erased by depressing an erase key during the performance of said optical musical program a title display is flickered by operating the first depression of an erase key during the performance of an optional musical program and record information of the optional musical program stored in said user toc area including the start and end times is erased by operating the second depression of the erase key during the flickering display of the title so that user toc information of said optional musical program stored in a ram of the recording/reproducing apparatus is erased, and that the contents of said ram are recorded in said user toc before said photomagnetic disc is ejected out from the recording/reproducing apparatus.