Reproducing apparatus, reproduction controlling method, and program

• US 20070174568A1
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kii, Manabu
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A reproducing apparatus is disclosed which includes: a grouping section configured to group a plurality of content data stored on a storage medium into a plurality of content groups; a group selection section configured to select one of the plurality of content groups in response to an input from a user; and a reproduction control section configured to reproduce one of a plurality of content data belonging to one content group selected by the group selection section, for output starting from a point in time of the selection.

Claims

1. A reproducing apparatus comprising:

a grouping section configured to group a plurality of content data stored on a storage medium into a plurality of content groups;

a group selection section configured to select one of said plurality of content groups in response to an input from a user; and

a reproduction control section configured to reproduce one of a plurality of content data belonging to one content group selected by said group selection section, for output starting from a point in time of the selection.

2. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, upon selection of said one content group by said group selection section, said reproduction control section reproduces and outputs the content data belonging to the selected content group and corresponding to that point in time which would be reached upon content group selection if a plurality of content data belonging to the selected content group had been reproduced in a sequentially continuous manner starting from a reproduction starting time earlier than said selection of said one content group.

3. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said reproduction control section comprises:

a plurality of reproduction sections configured to reproduce a plurality of content data belonging to each of said content groups in a sequentially continuous manner starting from said reproduction starting time; and

a reproduction output changeover section configured to selectively output the reproduced data which is input to the reproduction section corresponding to one content group selected by said group selection section, starting from the point in time of the selection.

4. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said reproduction control section comprises:

a reproduction content determination section configured to determine, based on an elapsed time counted since said reproduction starting time, the content data belonging to one content group selected by said group selection section, the determined content data corresponding to that point in time which would be reached upon content group selection if a plurality of content data belonging to the selected content group had been reproduced in a sequentially continuous manner starting from said reproduction starting time; and

a reproduction section configured to reproduce and output the content data determined by said reproduction content determination section.

5. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said reproduction section reproduces the content data determined by said reproduction content determination section starting from a starting position of said content data.

6. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said reproduction section reproduces the content data determined by said reproduction content determination section starting from a position corresponding to the point in time of said selection.

7. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said reproduction section reproduces the content data determined by said reproduction content determination section starting from a predetermined position representative of a feature part of the determined content data.

8. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said grouping section groups said plurality of content data into said plurality of content groups based on a selection input from said user.

9. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said grouping section groups said plurality of content data into said plurality of content groups based on information representative of a content data attribute.

10. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said grouping section groups said plurality of content data into said plurality of content groups based on a content data monitoring frequency.

11. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said grouping section groups said plurality of content data into said plurality of content groups in such a manner that the content data with a high monitoring frequency and the content data with a low monitoring frequency are distributed substantially on an evenly distributed basis.

12. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said grouping section groups said plurality of content data randomly into said plurality of content groups.

13. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said reproduction starting time is a point in time at which said reproduction control section is started.

14. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said reproduction starting time is a point in time at which one content group is initially selected by said group selection section following start-up of said reproduction control section.

15. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reproduction control section reproduces one content group selected by said group selection section starting from a highlight portion of one of a plurality of content data belonging to the selected content group.

16. A reproduction controlling method comprising the steps of:

grouping a plurality of content data stored on a storage medium into a plurality of content groups;

firstly reproducing, in a sequentially continuous manner, a plurality of content data belonging to one of said plurality of content groups for output starting from a predetermined reproduction starting time;

selecting a different one of said plurality of content groups in place of said one content group in response to an input from a user; and

secondly reproducing one of a plurality of content data belonging to the different content group selected in said group selecting step, for output starting from a point in time of the selection.

17. A program for causing a computer to carry out a procedure comprising the steps of:

grouping a plurality of content data stored on a storage medium into a plurality of content groups;

selecting one of said plurality of content groups in response to an input from a user; and

reproducing one of a plurality of content data belonging to one content group selected in said group selecting step, for output starting from a point in time of the selection.