Patent ID: 7209646

Claim:
An encoding/recording device comprising: a video data generating unit operable to estimate an amount of data which occupies a video buffer, generate buffer information indicating how the amount of data changes over time, and encode a video signal to generate video data in a manner that prevents the video buffer from at least one of overflowing and underflowing; an audio data generating unit operable to encode an audio signal, to generate audio data; a multiplexing/recording unit operable to multiplex the video data and the audio data, to generate a system stream, and record the system stream onto a predetermined recording medium; a pause controlling unit operable to, when receiving a pause instruction during recording, control the video data generating unit, the audio data generating unit, and the multiplexing/recording unit, so that the multiplexing/recording unit completes a system stream that is generated when the pause instruction is received, and records the system stream; and a pause release controlling unit operable to, when receiving a pause release instruction, control the video data generating unit, the audio data generating unit, and the multiplexing/recording unit, so that the multiplexing/recording unit starts to generate a new system stream, wherein under control of the pause controlling unit, the video data generating unit is operable to hold the buffer information, and under control of the pause release controlling unit, the video data generating unit is operable to estimate the amount of data which occupies the video buffer based on the held buffer information, and resume encoding the video signal.