Playback method and playback device

• US 10,291,879 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2018
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kozuka, Masayuki, Murase, Kaoru, Yamamoto, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhao, Daquan
• Application Number:
  US15/869,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 386257, 386258, 386259, 386239, 386248
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00731 involving a digital rights management system for enforcing a usage restriction
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00818 wherein the usage restriction limits the signal quality, e.g. by low-pass filtering of audio signals or by reducing the resolution of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91371 the video color burst signal being modified
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A playback method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is performed by a Blu-ray device connected to a display device. The playback method includes obtaining, from a recording medium, output control information of content recorded on the recording medium; obtaining, from the recording medium, a video signal of the content recorded on the recording medium; and (a) outputting the obtained video signal to the display device without converting image quality of the video signal, when the obtained output control information does not restrict output of content using a first copyright protection technology, and (b) converting the image quality of the obtained video signal and outputting the video signal to the display device, when the obtained output control information restricts output of content using the first copyright protection technology and output using the first copyright protection technology is performed according to a type of the display device.

Claims

1. A playback method performed by a playback device that plays content, the playback method comprising:

obtaining a type of a display device connected to the playback device;

obtaining, from a recording medium, output control information of the content recorded on the recording medium;

obtaining, from the recording medium, a video signal of the content recorded on the recording medium; and

outputting the obtained video signal to the display device;

wherein the playback device includes storage that stores;

a first table defining one or more copyright protection technologies included in a first copyright protection technology; and

a second table defining one or more copyright protection technologies included in a second copyright protection technology, the second copyright protection technology being more enhanced than the first copyright protection technology,

wherein in the obtaining of the output control information, an output flag indicating rules about use of the first table and the second table is obtained, and whether to use the first copyright protection technology or use the second copyright protection technology is determined, and

wherein in the outputting,

when the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology, the copyright protection technologies defined in the first table are used, and

when the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the second copyright protection technology, the copyright protection technologies defined in the second table are used.

2. The playback method according to claim 1,

wherein the copyright protection technologies defined in the first table include HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) 1.4, and

wherein the copyright protection technologies defined in the second table include HDCP 2.2. or a later version.

3. The playback method according to claim 1,

wherein the obtained video signal is a video signal with a second resolution having a larger number of pixels than that of a first resolution, or a video signal with a second luminance range including a first luminance range and having a higher peak luminance than that of the first luminance range, and

wherein in the outputting,

(a) when the obtained output flag is a first flag indicating that output of content using the first copyright protection technology is not restricted, the obtained video signal is output to the display device without converting the image quality of the video signal, using either one of the first copyright protection technology and the second copyright protection technology,

(b) when the obtained output flag is a second flag indicating that output of content using the first copyright protection technology is restricted, (i) the obtained video signal is converted to a video signal with the first resolution and the first luminance range, and the converted video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology, or (ii) the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the second copyright protection technology, and

(c) when the obtained output flag is a third flag indicating that output of content using the first copyright protection technology is not allowed, the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the second copyright protection technology.

4. The playback method according to claim 3, wherein in the outputting, when the display device does not support the second copyright protection technology,

(a) when the obtained output flag is the first flag, the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology,

(b) when the obtained output flag is the second flag, the conversion is performed on the obtained video signal to reduce the image quality, and the converted video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology, and

(c) when the obtained output flag is the third flag, output of the obtained video signal is inhibited.

5. The playback method according to claim 1,

wherein the obtained video signal is a video signal with a second resolution having a larger number of pixels than that of a first resolution, or a video signal with a second luminance range including a first luminance range and having a higher peak luminance than that of the first luminance range, and

wherein in the outputting,

(a) when the obtained output flag is a first flag indicating that output of content using the first copyright protection technology is not restricted, the obtained video signal is output to the display device without converting the image quality of the video signal, using either one of the first copyright protection technology and the second copyright protection technology, and

(b) when the obtained output flag is a second flag indicating that output of content using the first copyright protection technology is restricted, (i) the obtained video signal is converted to a video signal with the first resolution and the first luminance range, and the converted video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology, or (ii) the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the second copyright protection technology.

6. The playback method according to claim 5, wherein in the outputting, when the display device does not support the second copyright protection technology,

(a) when the obtained output flag is the first flag, the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology, and

(b) when the obtained output flag is the second flag, the conversion is performed on the obtained video signal to reduce the image quality, and the converted video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology.

7. A playback device that plays content, the playback device comprising:

circuitry that, in operation, performs operations including;

obtaining a type of a display device connected to the playback device;

obtaining, from a recording medium, output control information of the content recorded on the recording medium;

obtaining, from the recording medium, a video signal of the content recorded on the recording medium; and

outputting the obtained video signal to the display device; and

storage that stores;

a first table defining one or more copyright protection technologies included in a first copyright protection technology; and

a second table defining one or more copyright protection technologies included in a second copyright protection technology, the second copyright protection technology being more enhanced than the first copyright protection technology,

wherein the circuitry, in operation, further performs operations including obtaining an output flag indicating rules about use of the first table and the second table, and determining whether to use the first copyright protection technology or to use the second copyright protection technology, and

wherein,

when the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the first copyright protection technology, the copyright protection technologies defined in the first table are used, and

when the obtained video signal is output to the display device using the second copyright protection technology, the copyright protection technologies defined in the second table are used.

8. A playback device that plays content, the playback device comprising:

circuitry that, in operation, performs operations including;

obtaining a type of a display device connected to the playback device;

obtaining, from a recording medium, output control information of the content recorded on the recording medium;

obtaining, from the recording medium, a video signal of the content recorded on the recording medium; and

outputting the obtained video signal to the display device; and

storage that stores;

a first table defining one or more copyright protection technologies included in the first copyright protection technology; and

a second table defining one or more copyright protection technologies included in a second copyright protection technology, the second copyright protection technology being more enhanced than the first copyright protection technology,

wherein the circuitry, in operation, further performs operations including obtaining an output flag indicating rules about use of the first table and the second table, and determining whether to use the first copyright protection technology or to use the second copyright protection technology, according to the obtained type of the display device,

wherein the video signal obtained by the circuitry is a video signal with a second resolution having a larger number of pixels than that of a first resolution, or a video signal with a second luminance range including a first luminance range and having a higher peak luminance than that of the first luminance range, and

wherein the circuitry, in operation, further performs operations including

(a) outputting the obtained video signal to the display device without converting the image quality of the video signal, using either one of the first copyright protection technology and the second copyright protection technology, when the obtained output flag is a first flag indicating that output of content using the first copyright protection technology is not restricted; and

(b) (i) converting the obtained video signal to a video signal with the first resolution and the first luminance range, and outputting the converted video signal to the display device using the first copyright protection technology, or (ii) outputting the obtained video signal to the display device using the second copyright protection technology, when the obtained output flag is a second flag indicating that output of content using the first copyright protection technology is restricted.