Patent ID: 7239796

Claim:
A program-signal recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: first means for accepting a reservation about recording of a designated program; second means for calculating a recording capacity necessary for the recording of the designated program; third means for detecting an unoccupied recording capacity in a recording medium; fourth means for subtracting the recording capacity calculated by the second means from the unoccupied recording capacity detected by the third means; fifth means for setting a result of the subtracting by the fourth means as a limit recording capacity; sixth means for recording the designated program on the recording medium; seventh means for inhibiting signal recording on the recording medium to an extent beyond the limit recording capacity set by the fifth means before the sixth means starts recording the designated program on the recording medium; and eighth means for canceling the subtracting by the fourth means to reset the limit recording capacity immediately before the sixth means starts recording the designated program on the recording medium.