Electronic Device, Content Reproduction Method, and Program Therefor

• US 20110083107A1
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: OKADA, Hiroshi, Enari, Masahiko, Murabayashi, Noboru
• Granted Patent: US 8,850,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• 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

An electronic device includes: a communication unit to connect to a different device on a network, the different device storing contents; an output unit to connect to a display apparatus; a control unit; an operation input unit; and a reproduction unit. The control unit searches for contents stored in the different device on the network, generates a list of thumbnail images indicating the searched contents, estimates an error rate when each of the contents is received and reproduced, and outputs the list to the display apparatus, the control unit changing a state of each of the thumbnail images in the list according to the estimated error rate. The operation input unit receives reproduction instruction operation with respect to the content indicated by each of the thumbnail images. The reproduction unit receives the content, which is subjected to the reproduction instruction operation, from the different device, and reproduce the content.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a communication unit to connect to a different device on a network, the different device storing contents;

an output unit to connect to a display apparatus;

a control unit to search for, through the communication unit, contents stored in the different device, to generate a list of thumbnail images indicating the searched contents, to estimate, through the communication unit, based on a traffic condition of the network, an error rate when each of the contents is received and reproduced, and to output the list through the output unit to the display apparatus, the control unit changing a state of each of the thumbnail images in the list according to the estimated error rate;

an operation input unit to receive, from a user, reproduction instruction operation with respect to a content indicated by each of the thumbnail images; and

a reproduction unit to receive, in response to the reproduction instruction operation, the content, which is subjected to the reproduction instruction operation, through the communication unit from the different device, and reproduce the content.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit updates the list through the output unit in such a manner that, when a new content is stored in the different device, a thumbnail image indicating the newly stored content is displayed in the list, or in such a manner that, when a content stored in the different device is deleted, a thumbnail image indicating the deleted content is deleted from the list.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2,

wherein, when it is estimated that the error rate of the content decreases due to improvement in the traffic condition, the control unit changes, through the output unit, the state of each of the thumbnail images and causes the display apparatus to display a mark indicating the decrease of the error rate in the list.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3,

wherein the operation input unit receives, from a user, operation of selecting a content which the user wants to reproduce among the contents indicated by the thumbnails, and

wherein the control unit causes the display apparatus to display the mark regarding the selected content among the contents each having the error rate estimated to decrease.

5. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising a storage unit to store the contents,

wherein the control unit generates a list including thumbnail images indicating the contents stored in the storage unit and the thumbnail images indicating the contents stored in the different device.

6. A content reproduction method, comprising:

searching for contents stored in a different device on a network;

generating a list of thumbnail images indicating the searched contents;

estimating, based on a traffic condition of the network, an error rate when each of the contents is received and reproduced;

outputting the list to a display apparatus, the control unit changing a state of each of the thumbnail images in the list according to the estimated error rate;

receiving, from a user, reproduction instruction operation with respect to a content indicated by each of the thumbnail images; and

receiving, in response to the reproduction instruction operation, the content, which is subjected to the reproduction instruction operation, from the different device, and reproducing the content.

7. A program to cause an electronic device to execute:

searching for contents stored in a different device on a network;

generating a list of thumbnail images indicating the searched contents;

estimating, based on a traffic condition of the network, an error rate when each of the contents is received and reproduced;

outputting the list to a display apparatus, the control unit changing a state of each of the thumbnail images in the list according to the estimated error rate;

receiving, from a user, reproduction instruction operation with respect to a content indicated by each of the thumbnail images; and

receiving, in response to the reproduction instruction operation, the content, which is subjected to the reproduction instruction operation, from the different device, and reproducing the content.