Patent ID: 7213112

Claim:
A media processing device, comprising: a storage device access module that accesses and provides access to an external storage device through a transmission medium comprising a wireless communications medium, and that provides power to the external storage device during an activated mode but does not provide power to the external storage device during an inactivated mode; an information source that provides an input signal; a program memory that stores a system program for system control of the media processing device; a system memory that provides memory space for operation of the media processing device; a signal processor that decodes media data according to a first signal processing method and encodes the input signal into media data according to a second signal processing method; a user interface that provides an interface to a user of the media processing device; and a system controller that controls the storage device access module, the signal processor and the user interface according to the system program; wherein, the system controller initially accesses the external storage device through the storage device access module, reads file information of at least one media file, constructs contents to be displayed on the user interface based upon the read file information, and sets the access mode of the storage device access module to the inactivated mode; wherein, when the system controller receives a command to decode at least one media file through the user interface, the system controller sets the access mode of the storage device access module to the activated mode, accesses the external storage device through the storage device access module, searches for the selected media file, reads data of the searched media file, copies the read data to the system memory, provides the copied data to the signal processor so that the provided data are decoded according to the first signal processing method, and sets the access mode of the storage device access module back to the inactivated mode; wherein, when the system controller receives a command to encode a signal through the user interface, the system controller controls the signal processor to encode the input signal into media data according to the second signal processing method, constructs a media file from the encoded media data, positions the media file on the system memory, waits until the external storage device is accessible when the external storage device is currently inaccessible through the storage device access module, sets the access mode of the storage device access module to the activated mode, copies the constructed media file to the external storage device, and sets the access mode of the storage device access module back to the inactivated mode, and wherein the storage device access module accesses the external storage medium through the wireless communications transmission medium and is operated in a controller mode.