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

• US 7,440,675 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanazawa, Koji, Yasukawa, Sachiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hasan; Syed Y
• Application Number:
  US10/379,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20030152366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,056 Days
• Field of Search: 386/69, 386/52, 386/70, 386/95, 386/125, 386/E5.034, 348/473, 360/15, 360/27, 360/39, 709/219, 709/231, 725/110
• US Class Current: 386/240
• 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. A reproduction method implemented on a reproduction system having a capability of being connected to a network, the method comprising:

retrieving a stream data block that contains both a moving picture and access information indicative of a location on the network of external information related to the moving picture, wherein the access information is embedded in an empty area in the stream data block and the empty area is in a navigation pack according to DVD standards in the stream data block;

reproducing the stream data block to display the moving picture on a screen;

accepting a user instruction during a period of displaying the moving picture; and

issuing an access to the location on the network to request the external information in response to the user instruction.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a mark together with the moving picture on the screen, wherein the user instruction is accepted through the mark.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access information indicates a first location of first external information related to a first stream data block, and indicates a second location of second external information related to a second stream data block.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

accepting a first instruction during a period of displaying a moving picture reproduced from the first stream data block;

issuing a first access to the first location of first external information to request the first external information in response to the first user instruction;

accepting a second instruction following the first instruction during a period of displaying a moving picture reproduced from the second stream data block; and

issuing a second access to the second location of second external information to request the second external information in response to the second user instruction.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

outputting the external information on the screen while pausing the display of the moving picture.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

outputting the external information together with the moving picture on the screen.

7. A reproduction apparatus having a capability of being connected to a network, comprising:

a stream retriever configured to retrieve a stream data block that contains both a moving picture and access information indicative of a location on the network of external information related to the moving picture, wherein the access information is embedded in an empty area in the stream data block and the empty area is in a navigation pack according to DVD standards in the stream data block;

a reproducer configured to reproduce the stream data block to display the moving picture on a screen;

a user interface configured to accept a user instruction during a period of displaying the moving picture; and

an access processor configured to access the location on the network to request the external information in response to the user instruction.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the user interface causes the screen to display a mark together with the moving picture, wherein the interface accepts the user instruction through the mark.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the access information indicates a first location on the network of first external information related to a first stream data block, and indicates a second location of second external information related to a second stream data block.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first output controller configured to control the screen to output the external information while controlling the screen to pause the displaying of the moving picture.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a second output controller configured to control the screen to output the external information together with the moving picture.