Information-signal recording apparatus and recording mode inquiring/specifying method

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to control the audio recording mode of a VTR with a configuration described above when used in a communication system as a piece of equipment from other pieces of equipment in the communication system.
In order to achieve the object described above, the present invention provides an information-signal recording apparatus employed in a system for communicating information signals and control signals among a plurality of pieces of electronic equipment connected to each other to compose the system by communication control buses capable of mixing the control signals and the information signals, the information-signal recording apparatus comprising: first means for recording an information signal; second means for controlling operations of the first means and monitoring status of the first means; and third means for transmitting responses and receiving commands to and from the communication control buses, wherein a response indicating an audio recording mode is returned to other electronic equipment employed in the system in response to an inquiry command inquiring an audio recording mode from the other equipment and an audio recording mode is set in accordance with a recording mode specifying command received from other electronic equipment employed in the system.
In addition, the present invention also provides a recording mode inquiring/specifying method adopted in a system for communicating information signals and control signals among a plurality of pieces of electronic equipment connected to each other to compose the system by communication control buses capable of mixing the control signals and the information signals, whereby an information-signal recording apparatus employed in the system as a piece of electronic equipment returns a response indicating an audio recording mode thereof to other electronic equipment employed in the system in response to an inquiry command inquiring an audio recording mode from the other equipment and the information-signal recording apparatus sets an audio recording mode thereof in accordance with a recording mode specifying command received from other electronic equipment employed in the system