INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD AND PROGRAM THEREOF

• US 20100332519A1
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: MIKI, Nanami
• Application Number:
  US12/784,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332519A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/70 of video data
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: a search request means for requesting another information processing apparatus to search metadata of a high-picture quality content corresponding to a content having higher picture quality than the content; a metadata acquisition means for acquiring the metadata supplied from another information processing apparatus as a search result in response to the request by the search request means; an association means for associating information indicating a providing source of the high-picture quality content included in the metadata acquired by the metadata acquisition means with metadata of the content; a high-picture quality content acquisition means for acquiring the high-picture quality content from the providing source indicated by the information associated with the metadata of the content by the association means when the content is processed; and a high-picture quality content reproduction means for reproducing the high-picture quality content acquired by the high-picture quality content acquisition means.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a search request means for requesting another information processing apparatus to search metadata of a high-picture quality content corresponding to a content which has higher picture quality than the content;

a metadata acquisition means for acquiring the metadata supplied from another information processing apparatus as a search result in response to the request by the search request means;

an association means for associating information indicating a providing source of the high-picture quality content which is included in the metadata acquired by the metadata acquisition means with metadata of the content;

a high-picture quality content acquisition means for acquiring the high-picture quality content from the providing source of the high-picture quality content indicated by the information associated with the metadata of the content by the association means when the content is processed; and

a high-picture quality content reproduction means for reproducing the high-picture quality content acquired by the high-picture quality content acquisition means.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the search request means supplies a search key including information for identifying the contents, information concerning picture quality of the content and information concerning setting available by the information processing apparatus to another information processing apparatus to allow the apparatus to search for metadata of the high-picture quality content by using the search key.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selection receiving means for receiving a selection instruction of a content to be processed; and

an acquisition verification means for verifying whether the high-picture quality content corresponding to the content selected by the selection instruction received by the selection receiving means is acquired or not,

wherein the high-picture quality content acquisition means acquires the high-picture quality content from the providing source of the high-picture quality content when the acquisition of the high-picture quality content is verified by the acquisition verification means.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a flag information management means for managing flag information indicating existence of the high-picture quality content and setting the flag information when the information is associated with metadata of the content by the association means; and

an existence verification means for verifying whether there exists the high-picture quality content corresponding to the content selected by the selection instruction received by the selection receiving means or not based on the flag information managed by the flag information management means,

wherein the high-picture quality content acquisition means acquires the high-picture quality content from the providing source of the high-picture quality content when the acquisition of the high-picture quality content is verified by the acquisition verification means.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a low-picture quality content reproduction means for reproducing the content having lower picture quality than the high-picture quality content when it is verified that there does not exist the high-picture quality content by the existence verification means.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a list presentation means for presenting a list of contents which can be processed,

wherein the selection receiving means receives selection instruction for selecting a content to be processed from the list presented by the list presentation means.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the search request means requests another information processing apparatus to search metadata of the high-picture quality content corresponding to the content selected by the selection instruction received by the selection receiving means.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a search destination information management means for managing search destination information indicating another information processing apparatus to which the search for metadata of the high-picture quality content is requested,

wherein the search request means requests another information processing apparatus included in the search destination information managed by the search destination information management means to search metadata of the high-picture quality content.

9. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

requesting another information processing apparatus to search metadata of a high-picture quality content corresponding to a content which has higher picture quality than the content by a search request means of the information processing apparatus;

acquiring the metadata supplied from another information processing apparatus as a search result in response to the request by a metadata acquisition means of the information processing apparatus;

associating information indicating a providing source of the high-picture quality content which is included in the metadata to be acquired with metadata of the content by an association means of the information processing apparatus;

acquiring the high-picture quality content from the providing source of the high-picture quality content indicated by the information associated with the metadata of the content when the content is processed by a high-picture quality content acquisition means of the information processing apparatus; and

reproducing the acquired high-picture quality content by a high-picture quality content reproduction means of the information processing apparatus.

10. A computer-readable medium storing a program for allowing a computer to function as:

a search request means for requesting another information processing apparatus to search metadata of a high-picture quality content corresponding to a content which has higher picture quality than the content;

a metadata acquisition means for acquiring the metadata supplied from another information processing apparatus as a search result in response to the request by the search request means;

an association means for associating information indicating a providing source of the high-picture quality content which is included in the metadata acquired by the metadata acquisition means with metadata of the content;

a high-picture quality content acquisition means for acquiring the high-picture quality content from the providing source of the high-picture quality content indicated by the information associated with the metadata of the content by the association means when the content is processed; and

a high-picture quality content reproduction means for reproducing the high-picture quality content acquired by the high-picture quality content acquisition means.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a search request unit configured to request another information processing apparatus to search metadata of a high-picture quality content corresponding to a content which has higher picture quality than the content;

a metadata acquisition unit configured to acquire the metadata supplied from another information processing apparatus as a search result in response to the request by the search request unit;

an association unit configured to associate information indicating a providing source of the high-picture quality content which is included in the metadata acquired by the metadata acquisition unit with metadata of the content;

a high-picture quality content acquisition unit configured to acquire the high-picture quality content from the providing source of the high-picture quality content indicated by the information associated with the metadata of the content by the association unit when the content is processed; and

a high-picture quality content reproduction unit configured to reproduce the high-picture quality content acquired by the high-picture quality content acquisition unit.