Playback apparatus, playback method, and program

• US 20080187294A1
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Arito
• Application Number:
  US12/012,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20080187294A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/124
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42669 the medium being removable
• 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 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A playback apparatus plays back content according to a predetermined playback order by sequentially selecting chapters. The playback apparatus includes a checking unit configured to check, according to a user'"'"'s operation specifying, as a new playback target, a chapter in either a backward direction or a forward direction of a current chapter, whether the specified chapter exists in content including the current chapter; a first determining unit configured to determine, as a new playback target, the specified chapter if the specified chapter exists in the content including the current chapter; and a second determining unit configured to determine, as a new playback target, a chapter included in content corresponding to the specified chapter among content to be played back according to the playback order before or after the content including the current chapter, if the specified chapter does not exist in the content including the current chapter.

Claims

1. A playback apparatus that plays back a plurality of pieces of content according to a predetermined playback order by sequentially selecting chapters included in the plurality of pieces of content as playback targets, the playback apparatus comprising:

checking means for checking, according to an operation by a user specifying, as a new playback target, a chapter in either a backward direction or a forward direction of a chapter currently selected as a playback target, whether the chapter specified by the user exists in a piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target;

first determining means for determining, as a new playback target, the chapter specified by the user if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user exists in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target; and

second determining means for determining, as a new playback target, a chapter included in a piece of content corresponding to the chapter specified by the user among pieces of content that are to be played back according to the playback order before or after the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target, if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user does not exist in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target.

2. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

playback-time checking means for checking, according to a user'"'"'s operation specifying, as a new playback target, a chapter in the backward direction of the chapter currently selected as the playback target, whether a playback time in the chapter currently selected as the playback target is a time after elapse of a predetermined set period from a playback start time of the chapter; and

playback-time shifting means for shifting the playback time in the chapter currently selected as the playback target to the playback start time of the chapter if it is determined that the playback time is a time after elapse of the predetermined set period from the playback start time of the chapter.

3. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the second determining means determines, as a new playback target, a chapter included in a piece of content that is to be played back before the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target, the second determining means determines, as the new playback target, a chapter at the beginning among chapters included in the piece of content.

4. A playback method of playing back a plurality of pieces of content according to a predetermined playback order by sequentially selecting chapters included in the plurality of pieces of content as playback targets, the playback method comprising the steps of:

checking, according to an operation by a user specifying, as a new playback target, a chapter in either a backward direction or a forward direction of a chapter currently selected as a playback target, whether the chapter specified by the user exists in a piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target;

determining, as a new playback target, the chapter specified by the user if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user exists in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target; and

determining, as a new playback target, a chapter included in a piece of content corresponding to the chapter specified by the user among pieces of content that are to be played back according to the playback order before or after the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target, if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user does not exist in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target.

5. A program for causing a computer to execute processing for playing back a plurality of pieces of content according to a predetermined playback order by sequentially selecting chapters included in the plurality of pieces of content as playback targets, the processing comprising the steps of:

checking, according to an operation by a user specifying, as a new playback target, a chapter in either a backward direction or a forward direction of a chapter currently selected as a playback target, whether the chapter specified by the user exists in a piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target;

determining, as a new playback target, the chapter specified by the user if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user exists in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target; and

determining, as a new playback target, a chapter included in a piece of content corresponding to the chapter specified by the user among pieces of content that are to be played back according to the playback order before or after the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target, if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user does not exist in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target.

6. A playback apparatus that plays back a plurality of pieces of content according to a predetermined playback order by sequentially selecting chapters included in the plurality of pieces of content as playback targets, the playback apparatus comprising:

a checking unit configured to check, according to an operation by a user specifying, as a new playback target, a chapter in either a backward direction or a forward direction of a chapter currently selected as a playback target, whether the chapter specified by the user exists in a piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target;

a first determining unit configured to determine, as a new playback target, the chapter specified by the user if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user exists in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target; and

a second determining unit configured to determine, as a new playback target, a chapter included in a piece of content corresponding to the chapter specified by the user among pieces of content that are to be played back according to the playback order before or after the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target, if it is determined that the chapter specified by the user does not exist in the piece of content including the chapter currently selected as the playback target.