Patent ID: 7260037

Claim:
An information-processing apparatus, which is used for determining whether or not reproduction of data from a recording medium in a real-time manner is possible if said reproduction is carried out by reading out said data recorded on said recording medium and buffering said data read out from said recording medium in a buffer, said information-processing apparatus comprising: graphic-data acquisition means for acquiring graphic data representing a line approximation graphic form approximating a media read line expressing changes in cumulative amount of data read out from said recording medium; requested reproduction rate acquisition means for acquiring a requested reproduction rate as a reproduction rate requested in a process to reproduce said data; computation means for computing a minimum buffer data amount and a minimum reproduction delay time on the basis of said line approximation graphic form represented by said graphic data where said minimum buffer data amount is defined as a lower limit of the amount of data stored in said buffer as data required for reproduction of said stored data in a real-time manner at a requested reproduction rate whereas said minimum reproduction delay time is defined as a lower limit of a reproduction delay time from a start of an operation to read out data from said recording medium to a start of an operation to reproduce said data read out from said buffer; determination means for determining whether or not reproduction of data in a real-time manner at said requested reproduction rate is possible on the basis of said minimum buffer data amount and said minimum reproduction delay time; and graphic-data computation means for finding said graphic data; wherein said graphic-data computation means comprises: line computation means for finding a media seek line and a no-seek read line on the basis of said media read line where said media seek line is defined as a line expressing changes in seek operations carried out by read means for reading out data from said recording medium whereas said no-seek read line is defined as a line expressing changes in cumulative amount of data read out by said read means from said recording medium with no seek operations carried out by said read means; graphic-form computation means for finding a graphic form approximating said media seek line; and data computation means for finding information representing said graphic form approximating said media seek line, finding the gradient of said no-seek read line and taking said information and said gradient as said graphic data representing said line approximation graphic form approximating said media read line.