Apparatus for selectively comparing pointers to detect full or empty status of a circular buffer area in an input/output (I/O) buffer

摘要

An information reproducing apparatus for reproducing recorded data includes a buffer, a control device and a determining device. The buffer stores data blocks read out from a recording medium and includes first and second storage areas having respectively discontinuous storing and read addresses. The apparatus is controlled to execute in parallel a first process for storing the data blocks into the buffer and a second process for reading out the data blocks stored in the buffer to transfer the data blocks to a host apparatus. The determining device determines whether there are data in the first storage area to be transferred to the host apparatus by comparing a storing address in the buffer of the data which are being stored into the first storage area with a read address in the buffer of the data which are being read out from the first storage area. The first process is controlled so that a predetermined data block which has been read out from the recording medium is stored into the second storage area. When the predetermined data block is stored into the second storage area, the determining device does not compare the storing address in the buffer of the data which are being stored into the second storage area with the read address in the buffer of the data which are being read out from the buffer.