Patent ID: 6993072

Claim:
A coding apparatus, comprising: (a) a first inputter, arranged to input image data; (b) a second inputter, arranged to input audio data; (c) a selecting unit, arranged to select one recording mode from among a first recording mode and a second recording mode, wherein the first recording mode is a mode for forming a recording sync block which includes the input audio data, the input image data which has been encoded, and parity check codes of a predetermined amount, and the second recording mode is a mode for forming a recording sync block which includes encoded image data and the parity check codes of the predetermined amount but does not include the input audio data; (d) a controller, arranged to set a target code amount for the encoded image data to be included in the recording sync block based on a recording mode selected by the selecting unit from among the first recording mode and the second recording mode; (e) an estimation unit, arranged to set a quantization level according to the set target code amount, wherein said estimation unit sets the quantization level so that an amount of encoded image data included in the recording sync block is less than or equal to the target code amount; (f) an encoder, arranged to encode the input image data by using the set quantization level; (g) a forming unit, arranged to form the recording sync block in accordance with the selected recording mode, wherein a length of the recording sync block is constant irrespective of the first recording mode and the second recording mode, and wherein a length of an encoded image data area included in the recording sync block varies in accordance with the first recording mode and the second recording mode; and (h) a transmission unit, arranged to transmit the recording sync block formed by said forming unit.