Patent ID: 7904650

Claim:
A data storage apparatus using a plurality of hard disk drives for storing stream data, comprising: a command receiving portion for receiving a stream data read command from the outside; a data processing portion reading the stream data stored in said plurality of hard disk drives upon receiving the read command in said command receiving portion, said data processing portion assembling the data and transferring the assembled stream data to the outside; a control portion performing control of determining maximum time from receiving the read command in said command receiving portion to completing the assembly of the stream data in said data processing portion, performing control of terminating the data read from said hard disk drives in the case where said maximum time has elapsed, and performing control of preparing the stream data transferred to the outside in said data processing portion only using data having been read in said data processing portion; and a managing portion variably setting said maximum time according to a bit rate of the stream data read on said read command.