Content reproduction device, content reproduction system, and content reproduction method

• US 8,850,502 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAIG, SAHAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/921,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20130347047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 725/95, 725/110, 725/98, 725/36
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23611 Insertion of stuffing data into a multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bitrate synchronisation arrangements in time-division multiplex systems using bit stuffing for systems with different or fluctuating information rates H04J3/073
• 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 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A content reproduction device including: an obtaining unit configured to obtain the content including plural segments on a per segment basis from a server through a communication network, each of the segments being assigned with a priority; and a reproduction controlling unit configured to reproduce the content on the per segment basis by displaying the content on a display device on the per segment basis, in which the reproduction controlling unit is configured to control reproduction of a target segment based on an amount of delay and a priority of the target segment, the amount of delay being a difference between a distributable position indicating a position of a latest segment distributable by the server and a first reproduction position in the content that is currently reproduced.

Claims

1. A content reproduction device for reproducing content, the device comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain the content including plural segments on a per segment basis from a server through a communication network, each of the segments being assigned with a priority; and

a reproduction controlling unit configured to reproduce the content on the per segment basis by displaying the content obtained by the obtaining unit on a display device on the per segment basis,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to control reproduction of a target segment based on an amount of delay and a priority of the target segment, the amount of delay being a difference between a distributable position indicating a position of a latest segment distributable by the server and a first reproduction position in the content that is currently reproduced.

2. The content reproduction device according to claim 1,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to control the reproduction of the target segment to bring the first reproduction position close to the distributable position when the amount of delay exceeds a predetermined threshold value and the priority of the target segment is lower than or equal to a reference value.

3. The content reproduction device according to claim 2,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to increase a reproduction speed of the target segment to gradually bring the first reproduction position close to the distributable position.

4. The content reproduction device according to claim 3,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to increase the reproduction speed of the target segment as the priority of the target segment decreases.

5. The content reproduction device according to claim 2,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to skip reproduction of the target segment between a current segment including the first reproduction position and the latest segment to bring the first reproduction position close to the distributable position.

6. The content reproduction device according to claim 2, further comprising

an input unit configured to receive an input from a user,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to start bringing the first reproduction position close to the distributable position at a time when an input of a synchronization instruction for synchronizing the first reproduction position with the distributable position is received by the input unit.

7. The content reproduction device according to claim 6,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to:

display the amount of delay on the display device when the amount of delay exceeds a first threshold value;

prompt the user to input the synchronization instruction through the display device when the amount of delay exceeds a second threshold value which is larger than the first threshold value; and

automatically start bringing the first reproduction position close to the distributable position when the amount of delay exceeds a third threshold value which is larger than the second threshold value.

8. The content reproduction device according to claim 1, further comprising

an input unit configured to receive an input from a user,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is further configured to:

display, on the display device, information indicating a range of one or more segments that are obtainable from the server in the content; and

display a segment including a specified reproduction position on the display device when the specified reproduction position is obtained through the input unit, the specified reproduction position being a position to start reproduction in the range displayed on the display device.

9. The content reproduction device according to claim 1,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is further configured to:

obtain a second reproduction position in the same content obtained from the server and reproduced by an other content reproduction device; and

control the reproduction of the target segment to bring the first reproduction position close to the second reproduction position when an amount of delay between the first reproduction position and the second reproduction position exceeds a predetermined threshold value and the priority of the target segment is lower than or equal to a reference value.

10. The content reproduction device according to claim 9,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to increase a reproduction speed of the target segment to gradually bring the first reproduction position close to the second reproduction position when the first reproduction position is behind the second reproduction position.

11. The content reproduction device according to claim 9,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to decrease the reproduction speed of the target segment to gradually bring the first reproduction position close to the second reproduction position when the first reproduction position is ahead of the second reproduction position.

12. The content reproduction device according to claim 9, further comprising:

an input unit configured to receive an input of a message to be transmitted to the other content reproduction device; and

a communication unit configured to transmit, to the other content reproduction device through the communication network, the message received by the input unit and information indicating a reproduction position in the content at a time when the message is received by the input unit.

13. The content reproduction device according to claim 9, further comprising

a communication unit configured to receive a message to be displayed on the display device and a third reproduction position from the other content reproduction device through the communication network, the third reproduction position being a reproduction position in the content at a time when the message is displayed,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to display the message received by the communication unit on the display device at a time when a part at the third reproduction position in the content is displayed on the display device, the third reproduction position being received by the communication unit.

14. A content reproduction system which includes a content distribution server for distributing content and a content reproduction device for reproducing the content,

wherein the content reproduction device includes:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain the content including plural segments on a per segment basis from the content distribution server through a communication network, each of the segments being assigned with a priority; and

a reproduction controlling unit configured to reproduce the content on the per segment basis by displaying the content obtained by the obtaining unit on a display device on the per segment basis,

wherein the reproduction controlling unit is configured to control reproduction of a target segment based on an amount of delay and a priority of the target segment, the amount of delay being a difference between a distributable position indicating a position of a latest segment distributable by the content distribution server and a first reproduction position in the content that is currently reproduced.

15. A content reproduction method for reproducing content, the method comprising:

obtaining the content including plural segments on a per segment basis from a server through a communication network, each of the segments being assigned with a priority; and

reproducing the content on the per segment basis by displaying the content obtained in the obtaining on a display device on the per segment basis,

wherein in the reproducing, reproduction of a target segment is controlled based on an amount of delay and a priority of the target segment, the amount of delay being a difference between a distributable position indicating a position of a latest segment distributable by the server and a first reproduction position in the content that is currently reproduced.