Patent ID: 6118871
Filing Date: 2000-09-12
Classification: G11B,H04L,H04N

Abstract:
A device having a digital interface, comprising:at least one detector for each data format to which at least one original signal in at least one predetermined data format is input, which detects copy generation management information contained in said at least one input original signal;a sending interface, said sending interface comprising a format converter which converts said at least one original signal in said at least one predetermined data format to data in a data format common to a network bus, said network bus inserts copy generation management information based on a detection result of said at least one detector for each data format or based on the kind of at least one signal source device of said at least one detector into a signal after format conversion by said format converter with a data format corresponding to said data format of said network bus before sending said data to said network bus;a receiving interface which receives a transmitted signal sent from said sending interface by said network bus and restores said data format of said received signal from said data format of said network bus to said original data format of said original signal before outputting;a common detector which detects said copy generation management information as inserted into said received signal with said data format corresponding to said data format of said network bus;a recording controller, according to said detection result of said common detector, which permits or prohibits recording of said at least one original signal in said at least one predetermined data format from said receiving interface; anda copy generation manager which changes said copy generation management information detected by said common detector according to contents thereof, if said recording controller permits recording of said at least one original signal.