AV information reproducing system and a reproducing method applied to the same system

• US 20080159721A1
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yasukawa, Sachiko, Kanazawa, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/124
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/65 wherein solid state memory is used for storing indexing information or metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• 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 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9206 the additional signal being a character code signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

In a system for reproducing AV information from a recording medium, such as a DVD, not only are usual titles reproduced, but also related information relevant to specific stream information is acquired easily by making use of resources on a computer network. In a reproducing system with the function of reproducing the title information recorded on a DVD and displaying it on the screen of a display section, when the user clicks a Web mark on the screen, the CPU links to a Web server on the Internet via a modem and accesses the Web page related to the stream information on the screen. At that time, the related Web page is the selected information conforming to parental information, or attribute information, set in the system.

Claims

1-38. -38. (canceled)

39. A reproduction apparatus comprising:

means for acquiring stream data and access information associated with the stream data from a medium;

means for reproducing the acquired stream data;

means for referring to external information corresponding to the stream data being reproduced, on the basis of the access information associated with the stream data; and

means for outputting the external information in synchronization with the reproduction of the stream data.

40. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said medium is a digital video disk and said stream data includes moving pictures recorded on the digital video disk.

41. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said means for acquiring includes network communication means, which acquires said external information via a network on the basis of said access information related to each stream data item on said medium.

42. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said access information includes a table provided separately from said stream data, the table being read before said stream data is reproduced.

43. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said access information includes any one of a program chain number, a video title number, a cell number, and a chapter number complying with the DVD standard, and the stream data on said medium is specified on the basis of the information.

44. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said access information includes duration information to specify at least part of the stream data on said medium.

45. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 44, wherein said duration information is information to inform the user of the period during which said external information can be acquired.

46. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said access information contains information that is used for classifying external information obtained for each of regions obtained by dividing an image thereinto, in a display image of stream data displayed on a display.

47. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said access information includes information representing coordinates to determine the area of a display screen.

48. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said access information includes parental information to limit display according to parental levels.

49. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising means for reading the next piece of access information from said medium in advance.

50. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 41, wherein said access information is embedded in an empty area in the title information on said medium.

51. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 50, wherein said empty area is an empty area in a navigation pack in the DVD standard.

52. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 51, wherein said empty area is DSI and PCI in a navigation pack in the DVD standard.

53. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 51, wherein said empty area is PGCI and PCI in a navigation pack in the DVD standard.

54. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 51, wherein said empty area includes URL information.

55. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 51, wherein said empty area includes ID information replaceable with URL information.

56. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 55, further comprising means for acquiring URL information on the basis of said ID information.

57. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 56, wherein more than one piece of URL information is correlated to said ID information.

58. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 56, further comprising means for selecting said URL information on the basis of date data, general parameters, nation codes, and parental levels.

59. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 55, wherein more than one URL is correlated to said empty area.

60. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 59, further comprising means for updating said URL information on the basis of date data, general parameters, nation codes, and parental levels.