Reproducing apparatus, reproducing method, and reproducing program

• US 20070008830A1
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takatsuka, Susumu, Sakata, Junichiro, Tsukazaki, Hideo, Miyazawa, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 369/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content storing computer data in solid state memories G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• 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

Abstract

A reproducing apparatus has: an accumulating unit in which a plurality of content data are accumulated; a storing unit for storing the data; a reproducing unit for reproducing the data read out of the storing unit; and a control unit for reading out predetermined portions of the content data accumulated in the accumulating unit from the accumulating unit on the basis of attribute information corresponding to the content data and allowing the read-out predetermined portions to be stored into the storing unit.

Claims

1. A reproducing apparatus comprising:

an accumulating unit in which a plurality of content data are accumulated;

a storing unit storing the content data;

a reproducing unit reproducing the content data read out of said storing unit; and

a control unit reading out predetermined portions of the content data accumulated in said accumulating unit from said accumulating unit on the basis of attribute information corresponding to said content data and allowing the read-out predetermined portions to be stored into said storing unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said reproducing apparatus has

a first reproducing mode to reproduce the predetermined portions of the content data and

a second reproducing mode to reproduce all of the content data, and

in said first reproducing mode, said control unit reads out the predetermined portions of the content data from said accumulating unit on the basis of the attribute information corresponding to said content data and allows the read-out predetermined portions to be stored into said storing unit, and in said second reproducing mode, said control unit reads out all of the content data from said accumulating unit and allows the read-out content data to be stored into said storing unit.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said second reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined portions of the content data in said first reproducing mode, said control unit erases the data stored in said storing unit, reads out a whole length of the predetermined content data from said accumulating unit, and allows the read-out content data to be stored into said storing unit.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said second reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined portions of the predetermined content data in said first reproducing mode, said control unit reads out the data subsequent to said predetermined portions from said accumulating unit and allows said read-out data to be stored into said storing unit subsequently to said predetermined portions of the content data which are being reproduced and have been stored in said storing unit.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined content data in said second reproducing mode, said control unit erases the predetermined portions of the content data stored in said storing unit, reads out said predetermined portions of the content data accumulated in said accumulating unit from said accumulating unit, and allows the read-out predetermined portions to be stored into said storing unit.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined portions of the content data are the predetermined portions of the content data related to the content data which is being reproduced in said second reproducing mode.

7. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode, said control unit reads out the predetermined portions of the content data from said accumulating unit and allows the read-out predetermined portions to be stored into said storing unit subsequently to the content data which is being reproduced and has been stored in said storing unit.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode, said control unit reads out the predetermined portions of the content data from said accumulating unit, allows the read-out predetermined portions to be stored into said storing unit subsequently to the content data which is being reproduced and has been stored in said storing unit, and allows a stop position where the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode has been stopped to be stored, and when the reproducing mode is switched to said second reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined portions in said first reproducing mode, said control unit restarts the reproduction of the content data which has been reproduced in said first reproducing mode from said stop position.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode, if a reproducing position upon switching is behind the predetermined portions of the content data which is being reproduced, said control unit reads out the predetermined portions of the content data from said accumulating unit and allows the read-out predetermined portions to be written into said storing unit subsequently to the content data which is being reproduced and has been stored in said storing unit.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode, if a reproducing position upon switching is before the predetermined portions of the content data which is being reproduced, said control unit reads out the predetermined portions of the content data from said accumulating unit and allows the read-out predetermined portions to be written into said storing unit subsequently to the predetermined portions of the content data which is being reproduced and has been stored in said storing unit.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined portions are designated on the basis of a reproducing time of said content data.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said attribute information includes at least information showing a total reproducing time and information of encoding with respect to said corresponding content data.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said attribute information further includes identification information to identify said corresponding content data.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communicating unit communicating with an outside, and

wherein said control unit designates said predetermined portions on the basis of attribute information which is received from the outside through said communicating unit.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined portions can be designated for each of said plurality of content data accumulated in said accumulating unit.

16. A reproducing method of reproducing content data, comprising the steps of:

reading out a plurality of predetermined portions of the content data on the basis of attribute information corresponding to said content data from an accumulating unit in which a plurality of content data have been accumulated;

storing said plurality of read-out predetermined portions into a storing unit; and

sequentially reproducing said stored predetermined portions.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein when a first reproducing mode to reproduce the predetermined portions of the content data is selected, the predetermined portions of the content data are read out on the basis of the attribute information corresponding to said content data from said accumulating unit in which said plurality of content data have been accumulated, and when a second reproducing mode to reproduce all of the content data is selected, all of the content data are read out of said accumulating unit and stored into said storing unit.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said second reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined portions of the content data in said first reproducing mode, the data stored in said storing unit is erased, and

a whole length of the predetermined content data is read out of said accumulating unit and stored into said storing unit.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said second reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined content data in said first reproducing mode, the data subsequent to said predetermined portions is read out of said accumulating unit, and said read-out data is stored into said storing unit subsequently to said predetermined portions of the content data which are being reproduced and have been stored in said storing unit.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined content data in said second reproducing mode, the predetermined portions of the content data stored in said storing unit are erased, said predetermined portions of the content data are read out of said accumulating unit, and the read-out predetermined portions are stored into said storing unit.

21. A method according to claim 17, wherein when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined content data in said second reproducing mode, the predetermined portions of the content data accumulated in said accumulating unit are read out of said accumulating unit, and

the read-out predetermined portions are stored into said storing unit subsequently to the content data which is being reproduced and has been stored in said storing unit.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein

when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode, a stop position where the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode has been stopped is stored, and

when the reproducing mode is switched to said second reproducing mode during the reproduction of the predetermined portions of the content data in said first reproducing mode, the reproduction of the content data which has been reproduced in said first reproducing mode is restarted from said stop position.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein

when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode, the predetermined portions of the content data are read out of said accumulating unit, and

if a reproducing position upon switching is behind the predetermined portions of the content data which is being reproduced, the read-out predetermined portions are written into said storing unit subsequently to the content data which is being reproduced and has been stored in said storing unit.

24. A method according to claim 21, wherein

when the reproducing mode is switched to said first reproducing mode during the reproduction of the content data in said second reproducing mode, the predetermined portions of the content data are read out of said accumulating unit, and

if a reproducing position upon switching is before the predetermined portions of the content data which is being reproduced, the read-out predetermined portions are written into said storing unit subsequently to the predetermined portions of the content data which is being reproduced and has been stored in said storing unit.

25. A method according to claim 16, wherein

interval information corresponding to said attribute information is received from an outside,

the predetermined portions of the content data are readout of said accumulating unit in which said plurality of content data have been accumulated on the basis of said interval information;

said read-out predetermined portions are stored into said storing unit, and

said stored predetermined portions are reproduced.

26. An information reproducing system comprising a content reproducing apparatus for reproducing content data and an information apparatus for communicating with said content reproducing apparatus, wherein

said content reproducing apparatus has:

a reproducing unit reproducing predetermined content data;

a first communicating unit executing communication with an external apparatus; and

controller allowing attribute information corresponding to said predetermined content data to be transmitted to said information apparatus through said first communicating unit and allowing predetermined portions of the content data to be reproduced on the basis of interval information which is transmitted from said information apparatus, and

said information apparatus has;

a second communicating unit executing the communication with said content reproducing apparatus; and

a control unit searching for said interval information corresponding to said attribute information received by said second communicating unit and allowing said interval information to be transmitted to said reproducing apparatus.