Reproduction device, recording medium, program, and reproduction method

• US 20060291806A1
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uesaka, Yasushi, Okada, Tomoyuki, Ikeda, Wataru
• Granted Patent: US 8,145,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/12 by sensing distinguishing features of or on records, e.g. diameter end mark
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/12 Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers within interface between computers and data recorders G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2525 Magneto-optical [MO] discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2541 Blu-ray discs; Blue laser DVR discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/70 characterised by syntax aspects related to video coding, e.g. related to compression standards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• 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 5/775 : between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8216 : using time division multiplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 : the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

When reading an AV Clip which is formed by multiplexing a plurality of elementary streams from a BD-ROM and playing back the AV Clip, an STN_table that lists an entry of each elementary stream is acquired from PlayList information on the BD-ROM. For each elementary stream shown in the STN_table, a judgment is made as to whether the elementary stream satisfies a predetermined condition. Of all elementary streams judged as satisfying the predetermined condition, an elementary stream having a highest entry in the STN_table is selected and played back.

Claims

1. A playback apparatus for reading a digital stream generated by multiplexing a plurality of elementary streams, and playing back the digital stream, comprising:

an acquisition unit operable to acquire a table containing an entry for each elementary stream, from the recording medium;

a judgment unit operable to judge, for each elementary stream shown in the table, whether the elementary stream satisfies a predetermined condition; and

a playback unit operable to select, from among all elementary streams judged as satisfying the predetermined condition, an elementary stream having a highest entry in the table, and play back the selected elementary stream.

2. The playback apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of elementary streams include a graphics stream;

the table further contains an entry for a text stream playable with the digital stream; and

the playback unit selects the graphics stream if the graphics stream has a higher entry than the text stream in the table, and selects the text stream if the graphics stream has a lower entry than the text stream in the table.

3. The playback apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the predetermined condition is that the playback apparatus has a capability of playing back any of the graphics stream and the text stream; and

if the playback apparatus has a capability of playing back only one of the graphics stream and the text stream, the playback unit selects the one of the graphics stream and the text stream regardless of which of the graphics stream and the text stream has a higher entry in the table.

4. The playback apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a status register, wherein

the playback unit performs the selection by setting a stream number of the elementary stream having the highest entry, in the status register.

5. The playback apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

a plurality of sets of playback section information are recorded on the recording medium;

the judgment by the judgment unit and the selection by the playback unit are performed when playback according to one of the plurality of sets of playback section information begins; and

a set value of the status register is set to be invalid when the playback according to the set of playback section information ends.

6. The playback apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

an acquisition unit operable to acquire, when a stream switching request is made, a switching destination stream number; and

a setting unit operable to set, if the switching destination stream number is valid, the switching destination stream number in the status register, wherein;

if the switching destination stream number is invalid, a set value of the status register is maintained; and

the judgment by the judgment unit and the selection by the playback unit are performed if the switching destination stream number is a predetermined undefined value.

7. The playback apparatus of claim 6, further comprising

a reception unit operable to receive a user operation, wherein

the acquisition unit acquires the switching destination stream number based on the user operation received by the reception unit.

8. The playback apparatus of claim 6, further comprising

an execution unit operable to execute a command recorded on the recording medium, wherein

the acquisition unit acquires the switching destination stream number based on the command executed by the execution unit.

9. The playback apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the switching destination stream number is invalid if the switching destination stream number exceeds a number of entries in the table.

10. The playback apparatus of claim 4, further comprising

a setting unit operable to set a predetermined undefined value in the status register when the recording medium is loaded to the playback apparatus, wherein

the judgment by the judgment unit and the selection by the playback unit are performed if a set value of the status register is the predetermined undefined value.

11. A recording medium comprising:

a digital stream generated by multiplexing a plurality of elementary streams; and

a table which contains a plurality of entries, the plurality of entries corresponding one-to-one to the plurality of elementary streams and an elementary stream relating to the digital stream, wherein

an order of the plurality of entries in the table indicates a priority of each elementary stream based on which an elementary stream to be played back is selected upon playback of the digital stream.

12. A computer-readable program used for enabling a computer to read a digital stream generated by multiplexing a plurality of elementary streams from a recording medium and play back the digital stream, the program enabling the computer to perform the steps of:

acquiring a table containing an entry for each elementary stream, from the recording medium;

judging, for each elementary stream shown in the table, whether the elementary stream satisfies a predetermined condition; and

selecting, from among all elementary streams judged as satisfying the predetermined condition, an elementary stream having a highest entry in the table, and playing back the selected elementary stream.

13. A playback method of reading a digital stream generated by multiplexing a plurality of elementary streams, and playing back the digital stream, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a table containing an entry for each elementary stream, from the recording medium;

judging, for each elementary stream shown in the table, whether the elementary stream satisfies a predetermined condition; and

selecting, from among all elementary streams judged as satisfying the predetermined condition, an elementary stream having a highest entry in the table, and playing back the selected elementary stream.