Method and apparatus for reproducing content data

• US 8,079,962 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takai, Motoyuki, Yamashita, Kosei, Miyajima, Yasushi, Sako, Yoichiro, Terauchi, Toshiro, Sasaki, Toru, Sakai, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANEGA, RENEE A
• Application Number:
  US11/336,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20060189902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,160 Days
• Field of Search: 600/587, 846/33
• US Class Current: 600/587
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/08 by using devices external to the driving mechanisms, e.g. coin-freed switch coin actuated mechanisms G07F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42201 biosensors, e.g. heat sensor for presence detection, EEG sensors or any limb activity sensors worn by the user input arrangements for interaction with the human body based on nervous system activity detection G06F3/015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• 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 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams

Abstract

An apparatus for reproducing a content, includes a reproduction processing unit for reproducing the content, a detecting unit for detecting a motion of a person, a predicting unit for predicting a timing of the motion of the person, based on an output from the detecting unit, and a control unit for controlling the reproduction processing unit in the reproduction of the content by synthesizing a timing indicated by timing information corresponding to the content to be reproduced with the timing of the motion of the person, predicted by the predicting unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reproducing a content, the apparatus comprising:

reproduction processing means for reproducing the content;

detecting means for detecting a motion of a person;

predicting means for predicting a timing of a feature point of the motion of the person, based on an output from the detecting means;

selecting means to select a target delimitation position anywhere along a timeline of the content for synchronizing with the feature point of the motion of the person, the target delimitation position identifiable via metadata including timing information, the metadata provided in association with the content to be reproduced; and

control means for controlling the reproduction processing means to synchronize the target delimitation position with the feature point of the motion of the person, the synchronizing utilizing the metadata and the predicted timing of the feature point of the motion predicted by the predicting means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises at least one sensor selected from a group consisting of an acceleration sensor, a shock sensor, a global positioning system sensor, a bearing sensor, a bend sensor, a pressure sensor, an image sensor, a pyroelectric sensor, an infrared sensor, an electric charge sensor, a distortion sensor, a distance measurement sensor, a tilt sensor, a magnetic sensor, an electric current sensor, an electric capacitance sensor, and an electromagnetic induction sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predicting means predicts the timing of the feature point of the motion using one of an auto-correlation calculation technique and a frequency conversion calculation technique.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content to be reproduced comprises one of an audio, a video, light, and a physical operation performed by an actuator.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising acquisition means for acquiring, from a recording medium, the timing information corresponding to the content to be reproduced, wherein the timing information is supplied on a recording medium, which is the same as or different from a recording medium storing content data of the content to be reproduced.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising generating means for generating the timing information from content data of the content to be reproduced by analyzing the content data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising acquisition means for acquiring the timing information from an area in a same file as a file that stores content data of the content to be reproduced.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising connection acquisition means for acquiring the timing information corresponding to the content to be reproduced, by connecting to a server through a network, and using a predetermined identifier, wherein the timing information is stored in the server over the network.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content to be reproduced comprises a music content, and wherein the timing information includes at least one of music feature change points including delimitation of a measure of the music content, beat, melody change, a start of a highlight portion of the music content, an end of the highlight portion of the music content, a start of the music content, and an end of the music content.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the timing information is used taking into consideration a type of means of providing content data of the content to be reproduced, and a type of the content data, and

wherein the timing information is expressed by one of sub-code time data of an optical disk, a sector address of the optical disk, a cluster address, time code of TV/video, a number of bytes from a start of the content, a number of samples from the start of the content, a number of reference clocks from the start of the content, a number of group of picture units from a start of the content, a number of video frame units from the start of the content, a number of sound frame units from the start of the content, a number of compression block units of compressed audio from the start of the content, and a difference between a current value of each piece of data and a preceding value thereof at an immediately preceding delimitation.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content to be reproduced comprises a video content, and

wherein the timing information includes a video feature change point including one of a scene change and a cut change in a video.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rewritable recording medium for storing the timing information;

receiving means for receiving a request to modify and/or delete the timing information recorded on the recording medium, and a request to write additionally timing information onto the recording medium; and

update means for modifying and/or deleting the timing information recorded on the recording medium, and writing additionally the timing information onto the recording medium in response to the request received by the receiving means.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls a reproduction start timing of the content to be synchronized with the motion of the person.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the motion of the person comprises a walking movement of the person, an up and down motion of a body of the person, a swing motion of a head of the person in forward and backward directions or lateral direction, an arm waving movement, a forward and backward or lateral movement of a torso, a movement of the body entering into a room and leaving the room, or a change in posture of the body;

and

the detecting means detects at least one feature point of the motion of the person.

15. A method of reproducing a content, the method comprising steps of:

detecting a motion of a person;

predicting a timing of a feature point of the motion of the person, based on the motion detected in the detecting step;

selecting a target delimitation position anywhere along a timeline of the content for synchronizing with the feature point of the motion of the person, the target delimitation position identifiable via metadata including timing information, the metadata provided in association with the content to be reproduced; and

controlling the reproduction of the content to synchronize the target delimitation position with the feature point of the motion of the person, wherein the synchronizing utilizes the metadata and the predicted timing of the feature point of the motion.

16. An apparatus for reproducing a content, the apparatus comprising:

a reproduction processing unit for reproducing the content;

a detecting unit for detecting at least one feature point of the motion of a person;

a predicting unit for predicting a timing of the at least one feature point of the motion of the person, based on an output from the detecting unit;

a user interface unit for selecting a target delimitation position anywhere along a timeline of the content for synchronizing with the at least one feature point of the motion of the person, the target delimitation position identifiable via metadata including timing information, the metadata provided in association with the content to be reproduced; and

a control unit for synchronizing the target delimitation position with the at least one feature point of the motion of the person, wherein the synchronizing utilizes the metadata and the predicted timing of the at least one motion.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the detecting unit comprises at least one sensor selected from a group consisting of an acceleration sensor, a shock sensor, a global positioning system sensor, a bearing sensor, a bend sensor, a pressure sensor, an image sensor, a pyroelectric sensor, an infrared sensor, an electric charge sensor, a distortion sensor, a distance measurement sensor, a tilt sensor, a magnetic sensor, an electric current sensor, an electric capacitance sensor, and an electromagnetic induction sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a generating unit for generating the timing information from content data of the content to be reproduced by analyzing the content data.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content to be reproduced comprises a music content, and wherein the timing information includes at least one of music feature change points including delimitation of a measure of the music content, beat, melody change, a start of a highlight portion of the music content, an end of the highlight portion of the music content, a start of the music content, and an end of the music content.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content to be reproduced comprises a video content, and

wherein the timing information includes a video feature change point including one of a scene change and a cut change in a video.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the control unit controls a reproduction start timing of the content to be synchronized with the motion of the person.