Reproduction apparatus, reproduction method, and program

• US 9,219,950 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2012
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kitazato, Naohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US13/646,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86-116, 725131-134, 725139-142, 725151-153, 709217-232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/83555 using a structured language for describing usage rules of the content, e.g. REL
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a reproduction apparatus including: a reproduction control information acquisition block configured to acquire reproduction control information for controlling reproduction of content; a reproduction block configured to reproduce, in accordance with the acquired reproduction control information, the content that is distributed; and a control block configured to control an operation of an application program that is executed in operative connection with the content being reproduced in accordance with information associated with the application program and obtained from the acquired reproduction control information.

Claims

1. A reproduction apparatus comprising:

reproduction control information acquisition circuitry configured to acquire reproduction control information for controlling reproduction of distributed content;

reproduction circuitry configured to reproduce, in accordance with said acquired reproduction control information, said distributed content, which is distributed; and

control circuitry configured to control an operation of an application program that is executed in operative connection with said distributed content, each of said application program, said distributed content, and said reproduction control information being obtained independently of one another, the operation being selected from a group of operations comprising;

acquisition and registration, acquisition and launch, event firing, suspension, and termination operations, the operation being controlled which is reproduced based on information associated with said application program and obtained from said acquired reproduction control information.

2. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said reproduction control information is specified with at least one of a first type for controlling an operation of said application program in accordance with information directly written to said reproduction control information, a second type for controlling the operation of said application program in accordance with application control information obtained from an information processing apparatus, and a third type for controlling the operation of said application program in accordance with said application control information embedded in data of said distributed content,

said control circuitry controlling the operation of said application program in accordance with said specified type of said reproduction control information.

3. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when said first type is specified in said reproduction control information, said control circuitry launches said application program in accordance with a reproduction start of said distributed content and terminates said application program in accordance with a reproduction end of said distributed content.

4. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when said second type is specified in said reproduction control information, the control circuitry controls the operation of said application program in accordance with a command within a valid period indicative of a synchronous period for progression of said distributed content identified by said application control information.

5. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said valid period is identified by a Presentation Time Stamp indicative of a progress position of said distributed content.

6. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when said third type is specified in said reproduction control information, said control circuitry controls the operation of said application program in accordance with a command indicated by said application control information embedded in an embed position identified by said reproduction control information.

7. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said application control information is inserted in a DSE area in a frame structure of an audio stream encoded by Advanced Audio Coding.

8. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when said first type for controlling an operation of said application program is specified, said reproduction circuitry performs direct control of said application program.

9. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when said second type for controlling an operation of said application program is specified, distribution of content is initiated after reception of said application program at said reproduction circuitry.

10. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when said second type for controlling an operation of said application program is specified, said reproduction circuitry is enabled to control the operation of two or more application programs simultaneously.

11. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

reception circuitry configured to receive a digital television broadcast signal.

12. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reproduction control information further comprises:

entry resource information (ERI) configured to control the reproduction of distribution content and information associated with a video on demand (VOD) application;

license link information (LLI) configured to identify license parameters associated with the distribution content; and

network content control (NCI) configured to control streaming reproduction.

13. A reproduction method for a reproduction apparatus comprising:

acquiring reproduction control information, by processing circuitry of the reproduction apparatus, for controlling reproduction of distributed content;

reproducing, in accordance with said acquired reproduction control information, said distributed content, which is distributed; and

controlling an operation of an application program that is executed in operative connection with said distributed content, each of said application program, said distributed content, and said reproduction control information being obtained independently of one another, the operation being selected from a group of operations comprising;

acquisition and registration, acquisition and launch, event firing, suspension, and termination operations, the operation being controlled which is reproduced based on information associated with said application program and obtained from said acquired reproduction control information, each of said steps being executed by said reproduction apparatus.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program codes embodied in the computer readable storage medium that, when executed cause a computer to execute:

acquiring reproduction control information for controlling reproduction of distributed content;

reproducing, in accordance with said acquired reproduction control information, said distributed content, which is distributed; and

controlling an operation of an application program that is executed in operative connection with said distributed content, each of said application program, said distributed content, and said reproduction control information being obtained independently of one another, the operation being selected from a group of operations comprising;

acquisition and registration, acquisition and launch, event firing, suspension, and termination operations, the operation being controlled which is reproduced based on information associated with said application program and obtained from said acquired reproduction control information.