Playback control apparatus, playback control method, and medium for playing a program including segments generated using speech synthesis and segments not generated using speech synthesis

• US 9,159,313 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Saeki, Takaaki, Hirose, Yukiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Opsasnick, Michael N
• Application Number:
  US13/687,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 704/260
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/00 Input/output interfacing specifically adapted for electrophonic musical tools or instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination

Abstract

A playback control apparatus includes a playback controller configured to control playback of first content and second content. The first content is to output first sound which is generated based on text information using speech synthesis processing. The second content is to output second sound which is generated not using the speech synthesis processing. The playback controller causes an attribute of content to be played back to be displayed on the screen, the attribute indicating whether or not the content is to output sound which is generated based on text information using speech synthesis processing.

Claims

1. A playback control apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to control continuous playback of a user-defined program including first, second, and third content, the first content including first sound which is generated based on text information received from a first source using speech synthesis processing, the second content including second sound which is generated based on text information received from a second source different from the first source using the speech synthesis processing, and the third content including third sound which is not generated using the speech synthesis processing,

wherein the circuitry displays an attribute of content to be played back, the attribute indicating whether or not the content includes sound which is generated based on text information using speech synthesis processing.

2. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry further causes a display portion, associated with currently reproduced content, to be displayed in a highlighted state.

3. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry further changes a speaker or background music, which is in part of the sound, in accordance with content of the text information used in generating sound.

4. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a text-to-speech function for generating sound based on the text information using the speech synthesis processing is configured to be turned on or off, and

the circuitry causes the first content to be read aloud in accordance with a setting to turn on or off the text-to-speech function.

5. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the text information of the first content to be read aloud differs from user to user in accordance with preference information or profile of a user.

6. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute of the content further indicates whether the content is to be read aloud using the speech synthesis processing or is to be output via audio by playing back audio data of music.

7. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute of the content further indicates whether or not the content is to be subjected to closed processing in the playback control apparatus.

8. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute of the content further indicates whether or not the content is content that uses only local data in the playback control apparatus.

9. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content is content that uses content data in an external server, and the circuitry further performs control to replace the content with content that uses local data in the playback control apparatus.

10. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry acquires content data that is data of the content from an external server, and causes the content to be played back by combining the content data acquired from the external server with content data in the playback control apparatus, the acquired content data including, as program structure information, an instruction for incorporating the content data in the playback control apparatus into the acquired content data.

11. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the text information of the first content includes a link portion, and the circuitry replaces the link portion with a title included in a link destination linked from the link portion, and reads the replaced title aloud.

12. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the text information of the first content includes a link portion, and the circuitry causes a web page at a link destination identified by the link portion to be displayed on a sub-screen.

13. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the content includes a plurality of segments, and

the playback controller causes an attribute of a segment to be played back among the segments of the content to be displayed on the screen.

14. The playback control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the content includes a plurality of segments, and

when a segment among the segments of the content is to be played back, the circuitry causes an attribute of the segment to be output via audio.

15. A playback control method comprising:

controlling continuous playback of a user-defined program including first, second, and third content, the first content including first sound which is generated based on text information received from a first source using speech synthesis processing, the second content including second sound which is generated based on text information received from a second source different from the first source using the speech synthesis processing, and the third content including third sound which is not generated using the speech synthesis processing, and

displaying an attribute of content to be played back, the attribute indicating whether or not the content includes sound which is generated based on text information using speech synthesis processing.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

controlling continuous playback of a user-defined program including first, second, and third content, the first content including first sound which is generated based on text information received from a first source using speech synthesis processing, the second content including second sound which is generated based on text information received from a second source different from the first source using the speech synthesis processing, and the third content including third sound which is not generated using the speech synthesis processing,

displaying an attribute of content to be played back, the attribute indicating whether or not the content includes sound which is generated based on text information using speech synthesis processing.