PURPOSE: To realize excellent searching information-rewriting and editing function by detecting existence of searching information set signal recording start point within the rewriting section.

CONSTITUTION: In the case of set rewriting of searching ID in the section corresponding to 150 frames starting from the point P3, existence of the set recording start point of SRID in this section is detected first and thereafter set recording is carried out in the section L1 starting from the point P1, set recording is then carried out up to the point P3 and set recording is performed in the section L5. Thereby, both set recording start points before and after the rewriting can be discriminated and thereby the searching information rewriting and editing function can be improved.