US Patent 7596299 Hard disk recorder

A hard disk recorder 1 is capable of performing fast-forward reproductions at 120× speed, 60× speed and 30× speed, and reproduces video images and audio sounds in a series of periodic reproduction zones in a video and audio file, each reproduction zone being for a predetermined reference time interval (e.g. 1 second), while skipping video images and audio sounds in other than the reproduction zones according to a ratio of the fast-forward speed to the predetermined reference time interval (skipping for 119 seconds at the 120× speed, 59 seconds at the 60× speed, and 29 seconds at the 30× speed, respectively). Each of the series of reproduction zones for the 120× speed, the series of reproduction zones for the 60× speed, and the series of reproduction zones for the 30× speed, each reproduction zone of which is for the reference time interval, is so set as to be free from overlap with the other series of reproduction zones. This hard disk recorder enables users to quickly find a target scene desired to view, and has improved handleability in searching for the target scene.