JP2008165934A - Reproducing device and reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable reproduction of desired contents even under conditions under which the recognition of all directory structures of a server is not possible. <P>SOLUTION: If there is a skip input, the information of a parent container incorporating containers including an item under reproduction is retrieved and the same hierarchy container information is retrieved from a server device based on the retrieved information of the panel container. The item included in the same hierarchy container information is detected and the detected item is acquired from the server device and is made to be reproduced by the reproducing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a playback device and a playback method, and more particularly to a playback device and a playback method.

  In recent years, audio contents and video contents converted into digital data have been widely distributed, and devices for easily recording / reproducing these contents have also become widespread. Further, with the development of network technology, it is easy to construct a network system such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN even at home.

  In such a home network system, it is desired that digital contents can be easily exchanged between devices. For this reason, standardization of procedures such as connection between devices and content control is being promoted. ing. As a representative example of the standard, the UPnP (Universal Plug & Play) standard announced by Microsoft Corporation is widely known. In addition, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) guidelines based on the UPnP standard have been formulated, and development of devices compliant with the DLNA guidelines is currently underway.

  In the UPnP standard, a UPnP device includes a media server (Media Server) that provides content, a control point (Control Point) that functions as a control terminal device, and a client device (Media Renderer) that functions as a playback device. There are three categories. Note that the function of the control point may be implemented in either the media server or the client device.

  By defining a communication procedure with these functions, it is possible to easily search for UPnP devices on the network and control playback operations and the like. For example, by using this control procedure, not only content data transmission / reception control from the media server but also content data transmission control to other media renderers can be performed from one media renderer.

  In such a client device, when content managed in a folder (container) on the media server side is reproduced, for example, in the case of audio content, the user often manages in album units and artist units. In addition, there is a tendency for such management to be automatically performed on the server side.

If a user wants a song that has the same or similar tendency as the song they are listening to while playing a song for such server content, it should be in another container of the same parent container as the song that is currently playing. Is likely to have songs with similar trends. Therefore, a conventional audio device or the like has a function of performing container skip reproduction that moves directly to the container (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-22615

  In general, in the case of network devices, there is a desire to reduce hardware resources (storage capacity) as much as possible. For this reason, it is very difficult for the client device to grasp all the server content arrangements on the network.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a playback apparatus and a playback method capable of playing back desired content even in a situation where the entire directory structure of the server cannot be grasped. And

  In the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, in a playback apparatus that acquires and plays back desired content in the server via a network in a situation where the entire directory structure of the server cannot be grasped, playback means for playing back the content If there is a skip input, information on the parent folder including the child folder including the content being reproduced is searched, and other folders belonging to the same hierarchy as the child folder are searched based on the searched parent folder information. Searching information from the server, content detecting means for detecting content included in the information of the other folder, and acquiring the content detected by the content detecting unit from the server And a content acquisition means to be played back by the playback means. That.

  According to such a playback apparatus, when there is a skip input, the search unit searches for information on the parent folder including the child folder including the content being played back, and the child folder is based on the searched parent folder information. Other folders belonging to the same hierarchy are searched from the server. Then, the content included in the other folder is detected by the content detection means. Then, the content detected by the content detection unit is acquired from the server by the content acquisition unit and reproduced by the reproduction unit.

  According to the present invention, even in a situation where the entire directory structure of the server cannot be grasped, desired contents (for example, of the same genre) can be easily acquired and reproduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, it is assumed that the present invention is applied to a LAN system (network system) formed in a home as an example. In addition, audio data is applied as an example of content data transmitted and received through the LAN system.

[Home network configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The network system shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which a server device 1 and audio playback devices 2 to 4 are connected through a wireless LAN.

  The server device 1 is, for example, an information processing device such as a personal computer, an audio content recorder, and the like, and has a function of connecting to a wireless LAN and a large-capacity storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The audio data stored in the HDD can be provided to the audio playback devices 2 to 4 through the wireless LAN. The audio playback devices 2 to 4 each have a function of connecting to a wireless LAN, and receive and play back audio data transmitted from the server device 1 through the wireless LAN.

  In this network system, in practice, for example, the server system 1 and the audio playback apparatuses 2 to 4 are connected to a broadband router (not shown) to form a LAN system. In this case, the broadband router has a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server function and a NAT (Network Address Translation) function for devices on the wireless LAN, whereby each device on the wireless LAN is connected to an external network (WAN: Wide Area). Network) side line can be shared.

  In the network system as described above, the server device 1 has a function as an information providing device that provides audio data, and the audio playback devices 2 to 4 are clients that receive and play back audio data from the server device 1. It has a function as a device (information reproducing device). Then, the user can enjoy different audio contents provided by the server device 1 through each of the audio playback devices 2 to 4. That is, the audio playback devices 2 to 4 can select any one of the server devices 1 as an audio data distribution source in accordance with audio data (audio content) to be played back.

  Furthermore, the audio playback devices 2 to 4 of the present embodiment comply with the guidelines recommended by the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), for example, in order to facilitate the connection between electronic devices and the exchange of content data. Device. In the DLNA guidelines, as a procedure for detecting and controlling electronic devices and managing content data, it is required to support UPnP (Universal Plug & Play) announced by Microsoft Corporation as a standard.

  UPnP is an IP (Internet Protocol) that can be used on a typical IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802 network in network communication using 10 / 100BASE-T Ethernet (registered trademark). It is a protocol group and data format specification composed of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) over IP, UDP (User Datagram Protocol), etc., and expands functions in Internet standard communication (TCP / IP communication).

  By adopting UPnP in so-called CE (Consumer Electronics) devices such as audio playback devices, CE devices such as audio playback devices can easily mutually authenticate with other CE devices and personal computers, and through the network. Therefore, it is possible to easily and appropriately perform provision of a service and execution of the provided service without causing the user to perform troublesome work.

[Overview of UPnP]
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a UPnP protocol stack (protocol group structure).

  As shown in FIG. 2, in UPnP, actual transmission / reception of data is performed by the Internet standard communication protocol. In addition, in order to realize the unique functions of UPnP as described below, SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol), GENA (General Event Notification Architecture), SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), etc. The following protocol groups are used.

  Furthermore, in UPnP, as shown in FIG. 2, vendor definition (UPnP Vendor Defined), UPnP Forum Working Committee Defined, and device specification (structure) definition (UPnP Device Architecture Defined) shall be made. It has become.

  UPnP provides six functions of addressing, discovery, description, control, eventing, and presentation. Hereinafter, six functions provided by UPnP will be described.

  In an UPnP device (an electronic device equipped with UPnP) such as an audio playback device, in order to use audio data using the UPnP function, the UPnP / AV / architecture is followed. UPnP devices in the UPnP AV architecture are classified into three types as follows.

  That is, in the UPnP AV architecture, a UPnP device includes a media server (Media Server) that provides content, a control point (Control Point) that functions as a control terminal device, and a media renderer (Media Renderer) that functions as a playback device. It is classified into three. Here, the media server corresponds to what is generally called a server apparatus in the network system, and the media renderer corresponds to what is generally called a client apparatus in the network system.

  The control point (control device) can control each UPnP device connected to the network. The function as a control point can be installed in both the media server and the media renderer. The control point can be installed in all the electronic devices that make up the network, or any electronic device that makes up the network. It is also possible to mount control points on the. In the present embodiment, as an example, each server device 1 is assumed to have a function as a control point.

  Further, UPnP addressing is a function for each UPnP device to acquire an address for identifying its own device on the IEEE 802 network, and DHCP or Auto-IP is used.

  Discovery is performed after addressing, so that the control point can discover the target device (media server or media renderer) that it wants to control. The protocol used here is the SSDP described above. When each electronic device constituting the network system is connected to the IEEE 802 network, the electronic device broadcasts a message on the IEEE 802 network notifying a device and a service included in the network system. The control point can know what device is connected to the IEEE 802 network by receiving the broadcast message.

  In the SSDP packet output from the electronic device to be controlled discovered by the control point by the discovery, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the device description (Device Description) is described. The control point can obtain more detailed device information of the electronic device from the device description by accessing the URL.

  This device information includes icon information, model name, producer name, product name, service description (Service Description) in which detailed information on the service of the device is described, and the like. The control point can know the access method to the target device from the device description and the service description. The device description and the service description are expressed in XML (eXtensible Markup Language).

  The function of the control is roughly classified into two functions: action (execution) and query (query). The action is performed by a method defined in the action information of the service description, and the control point can operate the target device by performing the action (Invoke). The query is used to extract the value of the device information (State Variable) of the service description. In the control, the above-described transport protocol called SOAP is used, and XML is used as the expression.

  Eventing is used to notify the control point from the target device when the value of the device information is changed. In this eventing, the above-described transport protocol called GENA is used, and XML is used as its expression. The presentation is used to provide a user with a control means using a user interface.

  By using the UPnP function as described above, each UPnP device not only requires a complicated operation from the user, but also enters a network and becomes ready for communication, as well as detection and connection of other UPnP devices. Also be able to do it automatically.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a tree structure for managing content stored in the media server.
A media server which is a UPnP device incorporates a function (Service) called CDS (Contents Directory Service). With this function, the media server stores how content is stored in the media server with respect to the control point. Notify In CDS, there are two abstracted objects (Objects) called Containers and Items, which are so-called in WINDOWS (registered trademark) which is an OS (Operating System) provided by Microsoft Corporation. It corresponds to a folder (Folder) and a file (File). As shown in FIG. 3, the container and the item always form a tree structure. In the present embodiment, the distributed audio content (audio data) means the item in FIG.

  The control point can obtain the URL (Link where information is written) of each content by acquiring the tree structure shown in FIG. 3 from the media server. When the information about the desired audio content (item) can be acquired, operations on the audio track (audio data) such as playback and stop of the audio content are performed using the AV transport function of the media server. To be able to do.

  As described above, each of the server device 1 and the audio playback devices 2 to 4 according to the present embodiment becomes capable of TCP / IP communication using the UPnP addressing function and uses the UPnP discovery function. Authenticate each other. As a result, each device can grasp the network configuration and communicate with the target electronic device.

[Configuration example of server device]
Next, a configuration example of each electronic device constituting the network system of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the server apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 4, the server device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an HDD 14, an input interface (I / F) 15, and a graphic processing unit. 16 and a communication interface (I / F) 17 are connected to each other via an internal bus 18.

  The CPU 11 controls the entire server device 1. The ROM 12 stores programs executed by the CPU 11, data necessary for processing, and the like. The RAM 13 is mainly used as a work area in various processes.

  The HDD 14 has a capacity capable of storing a large number of digital contents (provided information) and the like. The HDD 14 holds various programs executed by the CPU 11, data for processing, and the like, and is also used as a work area when content is decoded and when content is transmitted to other devices via a wireless LAN.

  In the present embodiment, the HDD 14 stores a server program that transmits audio data to the audio playback devices 2 to 4 and functions as a server compliant with the DLNA guidelines, and is executed by the CPU 11. Further, the server program function may include a transcoding function for converting the encoding method, sampling rate, quantization rate, and the like of audio data stored in the HDD 14.

  For example, an input device 15 a such as a keyboard or a mouse is connected to the input I / F 15. The input I / F 15 transmits a signal from the input device 15 a to the CPU 11 via the internal bus 18.

  A monitor 16 a such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) is connected to the graphic processing unit 16. The graphic processing unit 16 displays an image on the screen of the monitor 16a in accordance with a command from the CPU 11.

The communication I / F 17 is connected to a wireless LAN and transmits / receives data to / from other devices.
[Configuration example of audio playback device]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the audio playback device. Although the configuration of the audio playback device 2 will be described here as an example, the audio playback devices 3 and 4 can also be realized by the same hardware configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the audio playback device 2 includes a CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, flash memory 24, input interface (I / F) 25, input unit 25a, graphic processing unit 26, monitor 26a, communication interface (I / F). 27, an audio decoder 28, an equalizer 29, a D / A converter 30, an audio amplifier 31, and a speaker 32. Among these, each block except the speaker 32 is connected via an internal bus 33.

  The CPU 21 controls the entire audio playback device 2. The ROM 22 stores programs executed by the CPU 21, data necessary for processing, and the like. The RAM 23 is mainly used as a work area in various processes. The CPU 21, ROM 22, and RAM 23 may be realized as a microcomputer. The flash memory 24 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory, and for example, stores various data that should be retained even when the audio playback device 2 is powered off.

  The input I / F 25 transmits a signal from the input unit 25 a to the CPU 21 via the internal bus 33. The input unit 25a is provided with a skip button 25b for reproducing other audio data of a container in the vicinity of the container that is reproducing the audio data (container skip) when pressed by the user during reproduction of the audio data. ing. The processing when the skip button 25b is pressed will be described later. The input unit 25a is provided with various input switches such as other operation keys.

The graphic processing unit 26 displays an image on the screen of the monitor 26a in accordance with a command from the CPU 21. The monitor 26a is composed of, for example, an LCD.
The communication I / F 27 is connected to a wireless LAN and transmits / receives data to / from other devices. The communication I / F 27 can extract audio encoded data from a packet received through the wireless LAN and directly transfer it to the audio decoder 28.

  The audio decoder 28 decodes the audio encoded data received from the communication I / F 27. The audio decoder 28 can decode audio data of a compression encoding method such as MP3 (Moving Picture Experts Group / Audio Layer-3). Also, it has a function of receiving LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) type audio data and outputting it to the equalizer 29 as it is.

  The equalizer 29 performs sound quality adjustment on the audio data supplied from the audio decoder 28 and outputs the audio data to the D / A converter 30. The sound quality adjustment parameter is instructed from the CPU 21 to the equalizer 29 in response to an instruction input from the user received through the input unit 25a.

  The D / A converter 30 converts the digital audio data supplied from the equalizer 29 into an analog audio signal. The audio amplifier 31 amplifies the analog audio signal supplied from the D / A conversion unit 30 to a predetermined level and supplies it to the speaker 32. Thus, sound corresponding to the analog audio signal supplied to the speaker 32 is reproduced and output.

Note that the functions of the audio decoder 28 and the equalizer 29 may be realized by software executed in the CPU 21.
With the hardware configuration as described above, the processing functions of the present embodiment can be realized. In order to reproduce audio data in the network system having such a hardware configuration, the following functions are provided in the server apparatus 1 and the audio reproducing apparatuses 2 to 4.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of the server apparatus.
The server device 1 includes a control unit 110 and an information storage unit 120.
When there are various requests from the audio playback devices 2 to 4, the control unit 110 returns a response corresponding to the requests. At this time, information stored in the information storage unit 120 is used as necessary.

The information storage unit 120 stores information on containers and items.
This information is not particularly limited. For example, identification information (object ID, name) of a child (child container) of the parent container, information on the number of child containers and items belonging to one parent container, For example, information on how to arrange data (for example, container is first, item is rear, etc.).

The I / F unit 130 constitutes an interface between the control unit 110 and the audio playback devices 2 to 4.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of the audio playback device. 7 representatively shows the function of the audio playback device 2, the audio playback devices 3 and 4 also have the same function as the audio playback device 2.

The audio playback device 2 includes an information analysis unit 210, a user I / F unit 220, an item playback unit 230, a history information management unit 240, and an I / F unit 250.
The information analysis unit 210 outputs an operation instruction to each unit according to the input content. Further, data is exchanged with the server device 1 according to the situation. Note that the information analysis unit 210 constitutes a main part of search means, content detection means, and content acquisition means.

  Upon receiving a user operation, the user I / F unit 220 outputs the content to the information analysis unit 210. For example, when the user presses the skip button 25b, the container skip is output to the information analysis unit 210.

The item playback unit 230 starts playback of an item in response to an instruction from the information analysis unit 210.
The history information management unit 240 includes a history information management table that manages history information of a predetermined number of containers from the item being reproduced to the root container.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a history information management table.
The history information management table 241 has columns of hierarchy, object ID, sort key, and number, and information arranged in the horizontal direction of each column is associated with each other.

In the hierarchy column, a number indicating the depth of the hierarchy is set.
An object ID for each layer is set in the Object ID column.
A sort key is set in the Sort Key field. In FIG. 8, an upnp: class that displays a container first and an item next is set in the hierarchy 0 and the hierarchy 1, and a dc: title that is displayed in order of title is set in the hierarchy 2 to 4. .

In the number column, the set container number is set.
The history information management table 241 is not particularly limited, but is set to hold, for example, about 20 pieces of history information. When the history information exceeds 20, old information is discarded. The number of pieces of history information to be held is appropriately set depending on, for example, the number necessary for efficiently performing skip processing (described later).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the contents shown in the history information management table shown in FIG.
By referring to the history information management table 241, it is possible to grasp the history of the containers and items that are hatched in FIG. 9.

The I / F unit 250 constitutes an interface between the information analysis unit 210 and the server device 1.
Next, processing when the skip button 25b is pressed during audio data playback will be briefly described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a data hierarchy of the CDS of the server apparatus according to the present embodiment.
In this data hierarchy, the container Artist # 1 constitutes one of the child containers of the root container. The container Album # 1 and the container Album # 2 each constitute one of the child containers of the container Artist # 1. Conversely, when viewed from the container Album # 1 and the container Album # 2, the container Artist # 1 is a parent container. The container Album # 1 has four items, and the container Album # 2 has three items.

  Here, for example, when the item reproduction unit 230 of the audio reproduction device 2 is reproducing the item mu1 in the container Album # 1, when the user presses the skip button 25b, the information analysis unit 210 causes the server device 1 to By exchanging information with the control unit 110, it is confirmed whether or not another container exists in the container Artist # 1 to which the container Album # 1 belongs. And when other container Album # 2 is discovered, the presence or absence of the item inside container Album # 2 will be confirmed. When an item is found, jump to the top item mu2 in the item and play from the top of the item mu2.

Next, the operation of the network system for realizing this process will be described.
11 and 12 are flowcharts showing the operation of the network system.
First, when the audio playback device 2 is powered on, the information analysis unit 210 connects to the server device 1 via a wireless LAN. In order to reproduce the audio data, the information analysis unit 210 requests the server device 1 for information on the child container of the current container (step S1). Specifically, information obtained by adding Browse Direct Children to the server ID unique to the server apparatus 1 is sent to the server apparatus 1.

  By sending Browse Direct Children, (1) a list (the presence or absence of containers and items, and their arrangement (ex: items are arranged first, arranged in title order, etc.)), (2) child containers and The total number of items, (3) the object IDs and names (character strings) of the child containers and items, and (4) the attributes of the objects are obtained.

The control unit 110 of the server apparatus 1 responds by extracting the information (1) to (3) of the child container from the information storage unit 120 (step S1a).
When there is a response, the information analysis unit 210 analyzes the information and displays the contents on the monitor 26a (step S2). The history information management table 241 is updated at this stage, for example.

And it waits for user operation (step S3).
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on the monitor.
The display screen 64a displays internal information of a certain container.

  Blocks A to G in FIG. 13 indicate containers or items belonging to this container. The user can distinguish between a container and an item by the presence or absence of a mark provided on the right side of each block. If there is a mark, it is a container, and if there is no mark, it is an item. FIG. 13 shows that block C and block E are containers and the subsequent items.

  When containers or items cannot be displayed on one screen at a time, all containers or items can be displayed by scrolling the screen by a user operation or the like.

When the user operation is a change in the acquired information range (step S3 (a)), the information analysis unit 210 scrolls, proceeds to step S3, and waits for the user operation.
When a container is selected by a user operation (step S3 (b)), the process proceeds to step S1, and the information analysis unit 210 requests child information of a new current container.

  When item details are requested by a user operation (step S3 (c)), the information analysis unit 210 requests the server device 1 for item details (step S7). In this case, the control unit 110 of the server device 1 retrieves details from the information storage unit 120 and returns a response (step S2a).

When receiving the details, the information analysis unit 210 passes the details to the item reproduction unit 230. Then, the item reproduction unit 230 performs item reproduction (step S8).
This is the normal item playback.

  During the item reproduction, the information analysis unit 210 determines whether or not the container skip input is input from the user I / F unit 220 (step S9), and when there is no container skip input, the information skip is waiting for the container skip input (step S9). No in step S9).

If there is an input for skipping containers (Yes in step S9), the server apparatus 1 is requested to acquire information on the same hierarchical container (step S10).
The control unit 110 of the server device 1 prepares and responds to the same level container information (step S3a).

  When the information analysis unit 210 receives the same level container information (step S11), the information analysis unit 210 determines whether an item exists in the same level container based on the received information (step S12).

When the item exists (Yes in step S12), the process proceeds to step S7, and the subsequent processing is repeated.
On the other hand, if there is no item (No in step S12), it is determined whether or not the next same level container exists (step S13).

When the next same level container exists (Yes of step S13), it transfers to step S12 and the process after it is repeated.
On the other hand, when there is no next same-layer container (No in step S13), the container moves to the top of the item of the container being reproduced (step S14), moves to step S7, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

Thus, the operation of the network system is completed.
Next, the process (skip process) of steps S10 to S14 will be described in detail.
14 and 15 are flowcharts showing the skip processing, and FIGS. 16 to 19 are diagrams illustrating specific examples of the skip processing.

  First, the consistency between the item and the container (own container) to which the item belongs is confirmed. Specifically, Browse Meta Data is executed for the item being reproduced, and the object ID of the own container is acquired (step S21).

  Next, the consistency between the own container and the parent container is confirmed (steps S22 to S25). Specifically, first, the object ID of the parent container is acquired for the self-container by using Browse Meta Data (step S22).

Next, it moves up one level (step S23). In FIG. 16, the item mu3 moves to the container Album # 1 (Change Dir Up).
Next, a list of child containers and items in the parent container is acquired with Browse Direct Children for the parent container (step S24).

  In FIG. 17, (d) the object ID of the container Artist # 1 is acquired for the container Album # 1 by using Browse Meta Data. (E) A list in the container Artist # 1 is acquired by Browse Direct Children with respect to the container Artist # 1.

  Next, the object ID of the own container in the acquired list is acquired from the history information management table 241, and the object ID is compared with the object ID acquired in step S21 to determine whether or not these IDs match. (Step S25).

If they match (Yes in step S25), the process moves to the same level container (one level below) (step S26).
If they do not match (No in step S25), the process proceeds to step S7, and the subsequent processing is repeated. In this case, the information analysis unit 210 requests the server device 1 for the item details of the first item in its own container.

In FIG. 18, it moves from container Album # 1 to container Album # 2 as a match.
Next, the destination container is browsed (step S27).

  Next, an attribute check is performed to determine whether the item is an item in order from the top object (step S28). When the item is found, the process proceeds to step S7, and the server device 1 is requested for the item details of the found item.

  In FIG. 19, the attribute (Class) of the item mu4 of the container Album # 2 is checked. If it is confirmed that the item is an item, the process proceeds to step S7, and the server device 1 is requested for the item details of the found item mu4.

  As described above, according to the network system of the present embodiment, the audio playback apparatuses 2 to 4 use a small amount of hardware resources (history information) without knowing all the directory structures on the server apparatus 1 side. In the management table 241, the container table containing the content of the server device 1 and the information on the peripheral content of the content are retained), a list of the same hierarchical containers is acquired, and the same list is used using the acquired list. Items in the hierarchical container can be played back.

  Also, by confirming the consistency (step S26), for example, even when a new container is added to the parent container before the item being reproduced during reproduction, it is ensured that other than the own container. Other items existing in the same level container can be played back.

Next, a network system according to the second embodiment will be described.
Hereinafter, the network system according to the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment described above, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

The network system according to the second embodiment is different in that skip processing is performed without checking consistency based on the history information management table 241.
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating skip processing according to the second embodiment.

In the second embodiment, if there is an input of container skip (Yes in step S9),
Based on the history information, a list of parent containers is acquired by Browse Direct Children for the parent container (step S10a).

  And the process of step S11a-S13a is performed. Steps S11a to S13a are the same as steps S12 to S14 in FIG.

According to the network system of the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the network system of the first embodiment can be obtained.
In addition, according to the network system of the second embodiment, it is possible to further speed up the skip processing.

Next, a network system according to a third embodiment will be described.
Hereinafter, the network system according to the third embodiment will be described mainly with respect to the differences from the first embodiment described above, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

The network system of the third embodiment is provided with a plurality of server devices having the same function as the server device 1.
Each of the audio playback devices 2 to 4 receives an item from a certain server device, and when the item is being played back, a container having the same artist name as the artist name of the item being played is It has a function for searching whether it exists in the server device, and an ID management list for storing the object ID and the server ID in association with each other.

  When the audio playback devices 2 to 4 input the container skip from the user I / F unit (user I / F unit 220) by pressing the skip button (skip button 25b), the information analysis unit 210 With reference to the ID management list, an item is acquired from another server device, and the item reproduction unit (item reproduction unit 230) is instructed to reproduce the acquired item.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an item acquisition process of the network system according to the third embodiment.
First, at the time of item reproduction by the item reproduction unit 230, the information analysis unit 210 executes Browse Direct Children on another server (step S41).

And if there is a response, it will be judged whether it is an item (step S42).
If it is not an item (No of step S42), it will transfer to step S41 and will repeat the process after it.

If it is an item (Yes in step S42), it is determined whether or not the character strings of the artists included in the item match (step S43).
If they do not match (No in step S43), the process proceeds to step S41, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

If they match (Yes in step S43), the server ID of the server device that has responded and the object ID of the item are associated and registered in the ID management list (step S44).
According to the network system of the third embodiment, the same effect as that of the network system of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  And according to the network system of 3rd Embodiment, a user can acquire an item also from server apparatuses other than the server apparatus 1 only by pressing the skip button 25b.

  As mentioned above, although the reproducing | regenerating apparatus and the reproducing method of this invention were demonstrated based on embodiment of illustration, this invention is not limited to this, The structure of each part is arbitrary structures which have the same function. Can be substituted. Moreover, other arbitrary structures and processes may be added to the present invention.

  Further, the present invention may be a combination of any two or more configurations (features) of the above-described embodiments. For example, the skip processing of the second embodiment is performed as the basic mode. As an option, the skip processing of the first embodiment may be performed. If it is necessary to refer to the history information discarded in the second embodiment, skip processing is performed while confirming consistency as in the first embodiment, or container skip is pressed again. Thus, an instruction may be issued to the user.

  The above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program describing the processing contents of the functions that the audio playback devices 2 to 4 should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory. Examples of the magnetic recording device include a hard disk device (HDD), a flexible disk (FD), and a magnetic tape. Examples of the optical disc include a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a DVD-RAM (Random Access Memory), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), and a CD-R (Recordable) / RW (ReWritable). Examples of the magneto-optical recording medium include MO (Magneto-Optical disk).

  When distributing the program, for example, a portable recording medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM in which the program is recorded is sold. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  A computer that executes an audio reproduction program stores, for example, a program recorded on a portable recording medium or a program transferred from a server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. In addition, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the server device has only a function as a media server. However, the server device may further have a function as a media renderer. It is possible to include a server device as a device switching source and a switching destination.

  In addition to audio content, text content such as video content, still image content, and news can be applied as content distributed from the media server and played back by the media renderer.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a content server system using UPnP has been described. However, other than this, for example, Jini (Java (registered trademark) intelligent network infrastructure) or HAVi (Home Audio) The present invention can also be applied to a network system to which various specifications such as / Video interoperability are applied. That is, the present invention can be applied to various network systems in which a server device that provides various contents such as audio content and an audio playback device that receives and sequentially plays back the provided content.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the network system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the protocol stack (structure of a protocol group) of UPnP. It is a figure which shows the example of the tree structure which manages the content stored in the media server. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of a server apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of an audio reproduction apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the software structure of a server apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the software structure of an audio reproduction apparatus. It is a figure which shows a log | history information management table. It is a figure which shows the content which the log | history information management table shown in FIG. 8 shows. It is a figure which shows the data hierarchy of CDS of the server of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a network system. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a network system. It is a figure which shows the screen displayed on a monitor. It is a flowchart which shows a skip process. It is a flowchart which shows a skip process. It is a figure explaining the specific example of a skip process. It is a figure explaining the specific example of a skip process. It is a figure explaining the specific example of a skip process. It is a figure explaining the specific example of a skip process. It is a figure which shows the skip process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the item acquisition process of the network system of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Server apparatus, 2-4 ... Audio reproduction apparatus, 25b ... Skip button, 110 ... Control part, 120 ... Information storage part, 130 ... I / F part, 210 ... Information analysis part, 220 …… User I / F unit, 230 …… Item playback unit, 240 …… History information management unit, 241 …… History information management table, 250 …… I / F unit, mu1 to mu4 …… Item

Claims (5)

In a situation where the entire directory structure of the server cannot be grasped, in a playback device that acquires and plays back desired content in the server via a network,
Playback means for playing back content;
If there is a skip input, information on the parent folder including the child folder including the content being played back is searched, and information on other folders belonging to the same hierarchy as the child folder is searched based on the searched parent folder information. Search means for searching from the server;
Content detection means for detecting content included in the information of the other folder;
Content acquisition means for acquiring the content detected by the content detection means from the server and causing the reproduction means to reproduce the content;
A playback apparatus comprising:   2. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information on the parent folder is information on the number of folders belonging to the parent folder, the folders belonging to the lower level of the parent folder, and the content type. The content has identification information of the child folder, the child folder has identification information of the parent folder,
The search means acquires the identification information of the child folder from the content being reproduced, compares the identification information of the content being reproduced from the server and is extracted from the content being reproduced, If it is confirmed that the child folder matches, the child folder identification information is acquired from the server and compared with the child folder identification information extracted from the child folder. 2. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information on the parent folder including folder identification information is set as a search target. A history information management unit for managing at least a part of the history of the folder selected from the root folder to the content being played;
2. The playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search unit searches for information of the parent folder from a history managed by the history information management unit. In a reproduction method for acquiring and reproducing desired content in the server via a network under a situation in which the entire directory structure of the server cannot be grasped,
If there is a skip input when the playback means is playing the content,
The search means searches for information on a parent folder including a child folder containing the content being reproduced, and based on the information on the searched parent folder, information on other folders belonging to the same hierarchy as the child folder is obtained. Search from server
Content detection means detects content included in the information of the other folder,
A content acquisition unit acquires the content detected by the content detection unit from the server and causes the playback unit to play back the content.
A reproduction method characterized by the above.

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