Patent ID: 7903947

Claim:
A hardware recording apparatus comprising: extraction means for extracting an image from a unit in which a constant number of moving images are included; reduction means for reducing the amount of information of the extracted image; encoding means for encoding the extracted image with reduced amount of information by a predetermined encoding scheme; association means for associating the encoded image with the unit from which the image is extracted by the extraction means; and recording control means for controlling recording of the encoded image associated with the unit and controlling recording of moving images onto a data recording medium, wherein the recording control means is configured to: control storing of moving images data in a first buffer and storing of encoded images data in a second buffer; determine an amount of moving images data stored in the first buffer; control recording of moving images data in a first contiguous area of the data recording medium when the amount of moving images data stored in the first buffer is no less than a first predetermined threshold, wherein the recording of the moving images data in the first contiguous area is in parallel to the storing of encoded images data in the second buffer; after the moving images data recorded in the first contiguous area reaches a predetermined limit associated with the first contiguous area, stop the recording of the moving images data in the first contiguous area and determine an amount of encoded images data stored in the second buffer; and control recording of encoded images data in a second contiguous area of the data recording medium when the amount of encoded images data stored in the second buffer is no less than a second predetermined threshold, wherein the recording of the encoded images data in the second contiguous area is in parallel to the storing of moving images data in the first buffer.