Apparatus and method for encoding and storage of digital image and audio signals

Abstract

An apparatus and method for the encoding and storage of signals representing at least image information onto a storage medium is claimed. A source generator is configured to convert the signals into digitized image information. A compressor is configured to receive the digitized image information from the source generator and compress the digitized image. An encryptor is configured to receive the compressed digitized image information from the compressor and encrypt the compressed digitized image information. A storage device is configured to then store the encrypted compressed digitized image information onto the storage medium.

1 . An apparatus for the storage of signals representing image and audio information onto a plurality of storage media, the apparatus comprising: 
 means for stripping the image and audio information into a plurality of portions; and    a storage device configured to receive the portions of the image and audio information and distributively store the portions of the image and audio information onto the plurality of storage media.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the portions of the image and audio information are stored in a non-contiguous manner independent of each other.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the storage media comprise at least one optical storage medium.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the storage media comprise multiple optical storage media, and wherein image and audio information are stored non-sequentially on the multiple optical storage media.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the audio information is stored on separate optical storage media than the image information.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , the information further comprising promotional information stored on separate optical storage media than the image information and the audio information.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the storage media comprise at least one DVD disk.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the storage media comprise at least one magnetic storage medium.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the storage media include multiple magnetic storage media, and wherein image and audio information are stored non-sequentially on the multiple magnetic storage media.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the audio information is stored on separate magnetic storage media than the image information.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , the information further comprising promotional information stored on separate magnetic storage media than the image information and the audio information.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the storage media comprise at least removable hard drive.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the storage media comprise at least one JBOD module, wherein the JBOD module comprises at least one storage component.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising means for using identifier information to link different preselected portions of image or audio information to different ones of the storage mediums during storage.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising means for providing parallel striping information such that stored portions of the image and audio information may be accessed at a desired data transfer rate and to provide error protection redundancy.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the image information is provided in the form of image programs, wherein the image programs are in the form of either a single still frame or series of frames shown as motion pictures of varying length.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising means for archiving the storage of image and audio information.  
   
   
       18 . An apparatus for the storage of signals representing image information and audio information onto a plurality of storage media, the apparatus comprising: 
 a source generator configured to convert the signals into digitized image information and digitized audio information; and    a storage device configured to receive the digitized image information and the digitized audio information, and distributively store the digitized image information as an image program onto the plurality of storage media and distributively store the digitized audio information as an audio program onto another plurality of storage media.    
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the storage medium is at least one JBOD module, each JBOD module having at least one storage component, and wherein the image and audio information is stored non-sequentially on the storage components of each JBOD module.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising encoded signals representing promotional information, and wherein the encoded signals representing promotional information is stored on a separate storage component than the image information and the audio information.  
   
   
       21 . A method for storing signals representing image and audio information onto a plurality of storage media, the method comprising: 
 stripping the image and audio information into a plurality of portions; and    distributively storing the portions of the image and audio information onto a plurality of storage media.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the image and audio information are each stored in a non-contiguous manner independent of each other.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the storage media comprise at least one optical storage medium.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the storage media includes multiple optical storage media, and wherein image and audio information are stored non-sequentially on the multiple optical storage media.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the audio information is stored on a separate optical storage media than the image information.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising storing promotional information, wherein the promotional information is stored on separate optical storage media than the image information or the audio information.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the storage media include is at least one DVD disk.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the storage media include at least one magnetic storage medium.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the storage media include multiple magnetic storage media, and wherein image and audio information are stored non-sequentially on the multiple magnetic storage media.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the audio information is stored on separate magnetic storage media than the image information.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising storing promotional information, wherein the promotional information is stored on separate magnetic storage media than the image information and the audio information.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the storage media include at least one removable hard drive.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the storage media include at least one JBOD module, wherein the JBOD module comprises at least one storage component.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising using identifier information to link different preselected portions of image or audio information to different ones of the storage media during said storing.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising providing parallel striping information such that stored portions of the image and audio information may be accessed at a desired data transfer rate and to provide error protection redundancy.