CONTENT SUPPLYING APPARATUS, CONTENT SUPPLYING METHOD, CONTENT REPRODUCTION APPARATUS, CONTENT REPRODUCTION METHOD, PROGRAM AND CONTENT VIEWING SYSTEM

• US 20120084829A1
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KITAZATO, Naohisa
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/24 Arrangements for distribution of identical information via broadcast system and non-broadcast system
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a content supplying apparatus for supplying a video content to a content reproduction apparatus, including: a production section adapted to produce a video switch command for causing the content reproduction apparatus to execute a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced; a broadcasting section adapted to broadcast a video content, in which the produced video switch command is embedded, through a broadcasting network; and a delivery section adapted to deliver the video content through the Internet.

Claims

1. A content supplying apparatus for supplying a video content to a content reproduction apparatus, comprising:

a production section adapted to produce a video switch command for causing the content reproduction apparatus to execute a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced;

a broadcasting section adapted to broadcast a video content, in which the produced video switch command is embedded, through a broadcasting network; and

a delivery section adapted to deliver the video content through the Internet.

2. The content supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said production section produces the video switch command as:

a preselect command for urging the user to confirm whether or not execution of changeover of the video content to be reproduced is permitted preceding to a changeover timing of the video content to be reproduced;

a preload command for causing a video content of the changeover destination to be acquired preceding to the changeover timing of the video content to be reproduced;

or

a switch command for causing the video content, which is to be reproduced, to be changed over.

3. The content supplying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said production section produces the video switch command including an element for the instruction regarding whether or not loopback is to be carried out upon returning, after the video content to be reproduced is changed over, to the video stream before the changeover.

4. The content supplying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said production section produces the video switch command including an element for the instruction regarding whether or not user authentication is to be carried out upon acquisition of the video content of the changeover destination.

5. The content supplying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said production section produces the video switch command as:

the preselect command;

the preload command;

the switch command;

an enable switch command for establishing a state in which the video content can be changed over to a video content corresponding to a point of view designated by the user;

or

a disable switch command for ending the state in which the video content can be changed over to a video content corresponding to a point of view designated by the user.

6. The content supplying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein also said delivery section delivers the video content, in which the produced video switch command is embedded, through the Internet.

7. A content supplying method for a content supplying apparatus which supplies a video content to a content reproduction apparatus, the content supplying method comprising:

producing a video switch command for causing the content reproduction apparatus to execute a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced;

broadcasting a video content, in which the produced video switch command is embedded, through a broadcasting network; and

delivering the video content through the Internet, carried out by the content supplying apparatus.

8. A program for causing a computer, which supplies a video content to a content reproduction apparatus, to function as:

a production section adapted to produce a video switch command for causing the content reproduction apparatus to execute a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced;

a broadcasting section adapted to broadcast a video content, in which the produced video switch command is embedded, through a broadcasting network; and

a delivery section adapted to deliver the video content through the Internet.

9. A content reproduction apparatus for reproducing a video content supplied from a content supplying apparatus, comprising:

an acquisition section adapted to acquire a video content broadcasted through a broadcasting network or a video content delivered through the Internet;

an analysis section adapted to analyze a video switch command embedded in the acquired video content; and

a control section adapted to control a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced in accordance with a result of the analysis of the video switch command.

10. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the video switch command is:

a preselect command for urging the user to confirm whether or not execution of changeover of the video content to be reproduced is permitted preceding to a changeover timing of the video content to be reproduced;

a preload command for causing a video content of the changeover destination to be acquired preceding to the changeover timing of the video content to be reproduced;

or

a switch command for causing the video content, which is to be reproduced, to be changed over.

11. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a buffer section adapted to buffer the video content broadcasted through the broadcasting network; and

wherein

the video switch command includes an element for the instruction regarding whether or not loopback is to be carried out upon returning, after the video content to be reproduced is changed over, to the video stream before the changeover.

12. A content reproduction method for a content reproduction apparatus, which reproduces a video content supplied from a content supplying apparatus, the content reproduction method comprising:

acquiring a video content broadcasted through a broadcasting network or a video content delivered through the Internet;

analyzing a video switch command embedded in the acquired video content; and

controlling a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced in accordance with a result of the analysis of the video switch command,

carried out by the content reproduction apparatus.

13. A program for causing a computer, which reproduces a video content supplied from a content supplying apparatus, to function as:

an acquisition section adapted to acquire a video content broadcasted through a broadcasting network or a video content delivered through the Internet;

an analysis section adapted to analyze a video switch command embedded in the acquired video content; and

a control section adapted to control a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced in accordance with a result of the analysis of the video switch command.

14. A content viewing system which includes a content supplying apparatus and a content reproduction apparatus, wherein:

the content supplying apparatus includes

a production section adapted to produce a video switch command for causing the content reproduction apparatus to execute a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced,

a broadcasting section adapted to broadcast a video content, in which the produced video switch command is embedded, through a broadcasting network, and

a delivery section adapted to deliver the video content through the Internet; and

the content reproduction apparatus includes

an acquisition section adapted to acquire a video content broadcasted through the broadcasting network or a video content delivered through the Internet,

an analysis section adapted to analyze a video switch command embedded in the acquired video content, and

a control section adapted to control a process regarding changeover of a video content to be reproduced in accordance with a result of the analysis of the video switch command.