Beat density detecting apparatus and information playback apparatus

Abstract

A beat density detecting apparatus and an information playback apparatus are provided to detect distinctive characteristics that music or the like has and to provide the same as a novel information volume. Playback data read out from an information recording medium, such as an optical disc, and sub-code data containing the information of an elapsed track time indicating a recording position of the playback data are provided to a beat detecting unit and a beat position detecting unit, respectively. The beat detecting unit detects the number of occurrences of a change in amplitude at each predetermined frequency of the playback data, and the beat position detecting unit detects an elapsed track time from the sub-code data. Further, a beat density computing unit finds the number of occurrences with respect to the elapsed track time as the characteristics information of a beat density. By displaying the characteristics information of the beat density on a display unit in a way that the user or the like can visually recognize, it is possible to provide the distinctive characteristics that music or the like has not as instantaneous characteristics, but as the characteristics of a relatively long period, or the whole of the characteristics of a signal subject to audio playback.

1 . A detecting apparatus for detecting the characteristic of an audio information for displaying on a display unit, comprising: 
 a characteristic detecting unit for detecting characteristic information of the audio information;    wherein the characteristic detecting unit detects said characteristic information of a relatively long or whole period of said audio information corresponding to an elapsing time of playback of said audio information.    
   
   
       2 . A detecting apparatus for detecting the characteristic of an audio information for displaying on a display unit, comprising: 
 a characteristic detecting unit for detecting characteristic information of the audio information;    wherein the characteristic detecting unit detects said characteristic information of a music unit of said audio information corresponding to an elapsing time of playback of said audio information.    
   
   
       3 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein said characteristic detecting unit detects said characteristic information of the audio information within each predetermined period.  
   
   
       4 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein said characteristic information is beat density.  
   
   
       5 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising an adjusting unit capable of adjusting said predetermined period.  
   
   
       6 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , further comprising a display unit for displaying said characteristic information  
   
   
       7 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , further comprising a position detecting unit for detecting the current point of said audio information being currently played back, 
 wherein said display unit displays information of said current point corresponding to said characteristic information.    
   
   
       8 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , further comprising a storage unit for storing said characteristic information of said audio information.  
   
   
       9 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said storage unit is a freely attachable/detachable memory.  
   
   
       10 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said characteristic information volume displayed by said display unit increases gradually with elapse of playback time.  
   
   
       11 . The detecting apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , which detects said characteristic information during a time interval that does not cause any problem in playback.  
   
   
       12 . An information playback apparatus comprising: 
 a detecting apparatus recited in  claim 1  or  2 ; and    a playback unit for playing back, as said audio information, information recorded in an information recording medium.    
   
   
       13 . An information playback apparatus comprising: 
 a detecting apparatus recited in  claim 1  or  2 ; and    a playback unit for playing back, as said audio information, information recorded in storage unit.    
   
   
       14 . The information playback apparatus according to  claim 12 , which is for use in DJ.