Playback apparatus and playback control method

• US 20080162716A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuyama, Kojiro, Kayanuma, Masashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• 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 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4392 involving audio buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

In a playback apparatus adapted to receive stream data transmitted from a server and play back the received stream data, attribute information is sequentially received from the server and stored in an attribute information buffer, and, on the basis of the attribute information stored in the attribute information buffer, a request is issued to the server to transmit stream data corresponding to the attribute information. The stream data received from the server is sequentially stored in a first-in-first-out stream data buffer. When an end part of the stream data being currently played back has been stored in the stream data buffer, attribute information corresponding to stream data to be played next is read from the attribute information buffer, and on the basis of this attribute information, a request is issued to the server to transmit the stream data to be played next.

Claims

1. A playback apparatus adapted to receive stream data transmitted from a server connected to the playback apparatus via a network and play back the received stream data, comprising:

attribute information request means for requesting the server to transmit attribute information associated with the stream data and receiving the attribute information in the order in which to play back the stream data;

an attribute information buffer adapted to temporarily store attribute information sequentially received from the server and retain at least attribute information associated with stream data to be played back next after stream data being currently played back;

stream data request means for requesting, on the basis of the attribute information stored in the attribute information buffer, the server to transmit stream data corresponding to the attribute information; and

a stream data buffer of a first-in-first-out type adapted to sequentially store the stream data received from the server and sequentially output the stream data to playback processing means;

wherein when an end part of the stream data being currently played back has been stored in the stream data buffer, the stream data request means reads attribute information associated with stream data to be played next from the attribute information buffer, and requests, on the basis of the attribute information, the server to transmit stream data to be played back next.

2. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the attribute information buffer retains at least attribute information associated with a predetermined number of stream data to be sequentially played back after the stream data being currently played back;

and

the stream data request means reads the attribute information from the attribute information buffer in the order in which to play back the stream data.

3. The playback apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the attribute information request means deletes the attribute information associated with the stream data from the attribute information buffer after the attribute information was referred to by the stream data request means to determine which stream to request the server to transmit and before the playback of the stream data is completed, and the attribute information request means requests the server to transmit attribute information associated with stream data to be played back after playback of all stream data corresponding to attribute information stored in the attribute information buffer is completed, and stores attribute information transmitted from the server in response to the request in the attribute information buffer.

4. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cache memory adapted to temporarily store a greater number of pieces of attribute information received from the server than the number of pieces of attribute information stored in the attribute information buffer and sequentially output the attribute information to the attribute information buffer in a first-in-first-out manner,

wherein the attribute information request means, if all attribute information stored in the cache memory has been output to the attribute information buffer, the attribute information request means requests the server to transmit as many pieces of attribute information as possible to be stored in the cache memory, for stream data to be played following stream data corresponding to the attribute information which has already been output from the cache memory, in the order in which to play stream data.

5. The playback apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising data discrimination means configured such that when the attribute information stored in the cache memory is output to the attribute information buffer, a determination is made on the basis of the attribute information as to whether the stream data corresponding to the attribute information is playable by the playback apparatus, and if the stream data is playable, the attribute information is directly output to the attribute information buffer, but otherwise the attribute information is not output but next attribute information is output from the cache memory.

6. The playback apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the case where the determination made by the data discrimination means on the basis of the attribute information read from the cache memory is that the stream data corresponding to the attribute information is not playable, if all attribute information stored in the cache memory has already been output, the attribute information request means requests the server to transmit as many pieces of attribute information following the last attribute information already output from the cache memory as can be stored in the cache memory, in the order in which to playback stream data.

7. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cache memory adapted to temporarily store a greater number of pieces of attribute information received from the server than are stored in the attribute information buffer, and output the attribute information to the attribute information buffer;

playback order number generation means for, when new attribute information is stored in the attribute information buffer, randomly generating playback numbers indicating the order in which to play back the stream data; and

random playback control means configured such that the random playback control means determines whether the attribute information corresponding to the generated playback number is stored in the cache memory, and, if the attribute information is stored in the cache memory, the random playback control means outputs the attribute information from the cache memory to the attribute information buffer, but otherwise the random playback control means requests the attribute information request means to request the server to transmit as many pieces of attribute information starting with the attribute information corresponding to the generated playback number as can be stored in the cache memory.

8. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the stream data buffer is configured to have a starting-data storage area for storing a predetermined amount of data of a starting part of the stream data being currently played back, and also have a first-in-first-out storage area for sequentially storing the following part of the stream data, and wherein

the playback apparatus further comprises replay control means configured such that if a replay command is issued by a user in the middle of playback of the stream data, the replay control means re-supplies the data stored in the starting-data storage area starting from the beginning to the playback processing means, and the replay control means requests the stream data request means to request the server to re-transmit the part of the stream data following the data stored in the starting-data storage area.

9. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the stream data buffer is configured to have a next-stream starting-data storage area for storing a predetermined amount of data of a starting part of a stream data to be played next, and also have a first-in-first-out storage area for storing other data,

and wherein the playback apparatus further comprises jump playback control means configured such that if a jump playback command is issued by a user in the middle of playback of the stream data, the jump playback control means supplies the data stored in the next-stream starting-data storage area starting from the beginning to the playback processing means, and then requests the stream data request means to request the server to transmit a part of the stream data following the data stored in the next-stream starting-data storage area, and sequentially stores the stream data transmitted from the server in response to the request in the first-in-first-out storage area.

10. A method of controlling a playback process including receiving stream data transmitted from a server via a network and playing back the received stream data, comprising the steps of:

by attribute information request means, requesting the server to transmit attribute information associated with the stream data and receiving the attribute information in the order in which to play back the stream data;

by an attribute information buffer, temporarily storing attribute information sequentially received from the server and retaining at least attribute information associated with stream data to be played back next after stream data being currently played back;

by stream data request means, specifying stream data in accordance with the attribute information stored in the attribute information buffer and requesting the server to transmit the specified stream data;

by stream data storage control means, sequentially storing the stream data received from the server in the stream data buffer in a first-in-first-out manner, and outputting the stream data stored in the stream data buffer to the playback processing means; and

by the attribute information request means, when an end part of the stream data being currently played back has been stored in the stream data buffer, reading attribute information associated with stream data to be played next from the attribute information buffer, and requesting, on the basis of the attribute information, the server to transmit stream data to be played back next.

11. A playback apparatus adapted to receive stream data transmitted from a server connected to the playback apparatus via a network and play back the received stream data, comprising:

an attribute information requesting unit adapted to request the server to transmit attribute information associated with the stream data and receiving the attribute information in the order in which to play back the stream data;

an attribute information buffer adapted to temporarily store attribute information sequentially received from the server and retain at least attribute information associated with stream data to be played back next after stream data being currently played back;

a stream data requesting unit adapted to request, on the basis of the attribute information stored in the attribute information buffer, the server to transmit stream data corresponding to the attribute information; and

a stream data buffer of a first-in-first-out type adapted to sequentially store the stream data received from the server and sequentially output the stream data to a playback unit;

wherein when an end part of the stream data being currently played back has been stored in the stream data buffer, the stream data requesting unit reads attribute information associated with stream data to be played next from the attribute information buffer, and requests, on the basis of the attribute information, the server to transmit stream data to be played back next.