Patent ID: 7526724

Claim:
A data processing apparatus for processing audio visual data made up of video and audio data, said data processing apparatus comprising; receiving means for receiving edit procedure data including an edit command specifying how to edit said audio visual data and whether said audio visual data is to be edited synchronously or asynchronously; analyzing means for analyzing said edit procedure data to recognize whether the edit command is a synchronous or asynchronous edit command in the edit procedure data; editing means for editing said audio visual data synchronously or asynchronously in accordance with said edit command; determining means for determining when said edit command specifies an asynchronous command for coping of said audio visual data and for determining when said edit command specifies a synchronous command for editing said audio visual data; at least one recording/reproducing means having a recording medium for recording audio visual data on or reproducing audio visual data from said recording medium; and controlling means which, when said edit command is determined to be an asynchronous copy command, then transfers said audio visual data from a copy source formed by at least one of said recording/reproducing means to a copy destination formed by either the same or another of said recording/reproducing means, without synchronizing the two recording/reproducing means and the editing means in operation; and when said edit command is determined to specify a synchronous editing action, then transfers the unedited audio visual data reproduced from said at least one recording/reproducing means to said editing means for the specified synchronous editing action, and transfers the thus-edited audio visual data coming from said editing means to either the same or another of said recording/reproducing means for storage therein, while synchronizing said editing means and the two recording/reproducing means in operation.