JP4097637B2 - Content reproduction apparatus, method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content reproduction apparatus, method, program, and recording medium.

  Conventionally, contents such as movies, news programs, dramas, sports programs, and music programs are distributed by television broadcasting or radio broadcasting, or distributed on recording media such as video cassette tapes, DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and CDs (Compact Discs). Has been. In recent years, the number of broadcast forms to be distributed has increased, the types and capacities of distributed recording media have increased, and large-capacity content has also reached the viewer. Furthermore, with recent advances in information processing equipment and network technology, content is distributed to viewers by communication via a network.

  In addition, various content playback devices are distributed for viewers to view content. The method of viewing the content by the viewer varies depending on the type of content, the type of content playback device, and the like. For example, the broadcast is received and directly output, and the broadcast is received and recorded and played back so that rewind playback is possible. In addition, the recording medium is loaded and read and reproduced, directly output from the distribution source server via the network, and part or all is downloaded from the distribution source server, stored, read from the storage location, and reproduced. It is watched by doing.

  In any of these viewing methods, if the content to be viewed is a series, the viewer often wants to understand the program content by viewing the previous content before viewing the current content. .

  However, with respect to the reproduction of the content, when the viewer views the previous content for the purpose of viewing the current content, the viewer has no choice but to search for and reproduce the previous content. Furthermore, if the content is a broadcast content, the previous content is viewed before the time when the content is broadcast, or the content is recorded and the previous and current content are ready. It can only be viewed and becomes very annoying for the viewer. These problems are not limited to series programs. When content is reproduced, it is a desire that a user wants to view content related to the content for reference, and the same problem occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when reproducing content, a content reproduction apparatus and content reproduction capable of searching and reproducing in advance other content related to the content It is an object to provide a method, a content reproduction program, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is constituted by the following technical means.
According to a first technical means, in a content playback apparatus for playing back content, a playback instruction receiving means for receiving a content playback instruction from a user, and the content playback instruction for the content playback instruction received by the playback instruction receiving means Content playback means for playing back the playback target content that is the playback target, and content that is the target of the playback instruction by the playback instruction receiving means and for which the playback instruction is not received as the playback target by the playback instruction receiving means. Te, other and related content search unit, before reproduction of the reproduction target content in the content reproduction unit, searched at related content retrieving means for retrieving other content related to reproduction target content that has been received in the reproduction instruction receiving means Replay related content And the related content search means searches for the other content from the playback target content based on content information added to the content or a periodic distribution time of the content. It is what.

The second technical means is the first technical means, wherein the reproduction instruction accepting means accepts, as the content reproduction instruction, an instruction to reproduce only the reproduction target content, and as the content reproduction instruction, the reproduction target Means for receiving an instruction to reproduce the content and other contents, and the related content search means and the related content reproduction means are instructions for reproducing only the content to be reproduced. In such a case, the search and playback of other content related to the playback target content is not executed.

According to a third technical means, in the first or second technical means, the related content search means searches the previous content in the same series as the content to be reproduced as the other content. Is.

A fourth technical means is any one of the first to third technical means, wherein the related content reproduction means reproduces thumbnails of the other content when reproducing the other content searched by the related content search means , It is characterized by performing either skip playback or high speed playback.

According to a fifth technical means, in any one of the first to third technical means, the related content reproduction means executes reproduction of only a predetermined portion in the other content searched by the related content search means. It is a feature.

According to a sixth technical means, in any one of the first to fifth technical means, the reproduction target content is broadcast content that is not broadcast content being broadcast in real time.

According to a seventh technical means, in any one of the first to fifth technical means, the reproduction target content is broadcast content being broadcast in real time, and the content reproduction device always records the reproduction target content. It is characterized by having a constant recording means.

The eighth technical means is a program for causing a computer to function as each means in the content reproduction apparatus of any one of the first to seventh technical means.

The ninth technical means is a computer-readable recording medium on which the program of the eighth technical means is recorded.

According to a tenth technical means, in a content reproduction method for reproducing content, a reproduction instruction reception step for receiving a content reproduction instruction from a user, and the content reproduction instruction indicated by the content reproduction instruction received in the reproduction instruction reception step A content playback step of playing back the playback target content that is the playback target, and content that is the target of the playback instruction in the playback instruction receiving step and for which the playback instruction is not received as the playback target in the playback instruction receiving step there are a related content searching step of searching the other contents relating to the reproduction target content that has been received in the reproduction instruction receiving step, before reproduction of the reproduction target content in the content playback step, and search the associated content search step other A related content playback step of playing back the content, wherein the related content search step is based on the content information added to the content or the periodic distribution time of the content, and the other content from the playback target content It is characterized by searching for content.

According to the present invention, when content is reproduced, it is possible to search and reproduce other content related to the content in advance.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a content reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of content reproduction processing in the content reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1, and is also a flowchart for explaining a content reproduction method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The content playback device according to the present invention is a device for playing back content stored in any storage location, such as a hard disk recorder, a DVD recorder, a hard disk built-in DVD recorder, a video recorder, a DVD player, and a CD player. The present invention can be suitably applied to a playback device. Furthermore, a television receiver with a recording / playback function (always recording function), a television receiver without a recording / playback function, a content playback program, a video card (also referred to as a video adapter), etc. The present invention can also be applied to a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) provided with a module.

  The content playback apparatus 1 according to the embodiment described in FIG. 1 includes at least a playback instruction receiving unit 11, a content playback unit 12, a related content search unit 13, and a related content playback unit 14. As content input means provided in the content reproduction apparatus 1, a tuner, a recording medium, a network communication means, and the like may be provided as appropriate.

  The content to be played back by the content playback device 1 is generally stored in a storage unit (for example, a recording medium 15 such as a hard disk or a DVD) in the content playback device 1, and the content playback device 1 It may also be content stored in a device or server having a storage unit connected to the network. The content includes not only digitally broadcasted content, collection of still image content distributed over the network, moving image content, digitally recorded content and other digital content, but also analog broadcasted content and analog recorded content. The present invention can be applied to the present invention even if it is analog content, or even digital or analog audio content. The same applies to not only the content to be played but also the related content described later, but the related content is stored in the content playback device 1 or stored in a recording medium attached to the content playback device 1. It is preferable in terms of the speed of search, and conversely, the content acquired via the network is preferable in terms of the number of search targets.

  The reproduction instruction accepting unit 11 is a unit that accepts a content reproduction instruction from a user. For example, the reproduction instruction button 11 is pressed on a main body of the content reproduction apparatus 1 or a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller), and in some cases, OSD. What is necessary is just to be comprised so that a reproduction | regeneration instruction | indication can be performed by the selection input using screen display means etc., such as (On Screen Display).

  The content reproduction means 12 is means for reproducing the content C to be reproduced indicated by the content reproduction instruction in response to the content reproduction instruction received by the reproduction instruction reception means 11, and the actual reproduction circuit configuration or the like depending on the content format or the like Normally, the control and the like are different, but it is only necessary that the reproduction target content C can be reproduced.

  The related content search unit 13 is a unit that searches for the related content R related to the reproduction target content C received by the reproduction instruction reception unit 11. The search destination may be only the recording medium 15 or a network connection destination recording medium, or both of them may be set as search destinations.

  In addition, as a search key, when the reproduction target content C is already stored in the content reproduction apparatus 1 so as to be reproducible, the content cycle such as the content acquisition date (broadcast date in the broadcast content) is used. It is preferable to use a typical distribution time (broadcast information in terms of broadcast content). For example, when the related content R is searched using the acquisition date and time of the reproduction target content C as a search key, the search destination has the acquisition date and time just one day before the acquisition date and one week before the acquisition date of the reproduction target content C. The content may be searched and output as related content R. Alternatively, in the case of digital content, a part of the content information added to the content may be used as a search key. In the case of analog content, a part of the content information acquired by requesting user input is used. It may be used as a search key. Note that the content information refers to information such as the content of the subsections in the content, information on time zones, producers, performers, copyright information, genres, etc. Information that can be suitably used in this embodiment is time zones. Information.

  The related content reproduction unit 14 is a unit that reproduces the related content R searched by the related content search unit 13 before the reproduction target content C is reproduced by the content reproduction unit 12. The related content playback unit 14 may be configured to be able to play back the content in the same manner as the content playback unit 12, and preferably may be configured to use the content playback unit 12. It is necessary to control the related content R to be played before playback.

  Further, if the content playback device 1 is provided with a playback mode with a related content playback function and a normal playback mode, and the related content search unit 13 and the related content playback unit 14 function only in the playback mode with the related content playback function. Good. The playback mode with the related content playback function may include, for example, an operation button for playing “related content R + playback content C”. That is, the reproduction instruction accepting unit 11 receives an instruction to reproduce only the reproduction target content C as a content reproduction instruction, and accepts an instruction to reproduce the reproduction target content C and the related content R as a content reproduction instruction. Is provided. Then, the related content search unit 13 and the related content reproduction unit 14 do not execute the search and reproduction of the related content R when the instruction received by the reproduction instruction reception unit 11 is a reproduction instruction for only the reproduction target content C. It is configured as follows.

  As described above, in the content reproduction apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the related content R is reproduced before the reproduction target content C is reproduced. Therefore, the related content R is viewed and referred to, and then the original content is desired to be viewed. The degree of user comprehension when viewing the playback target content C is increased. Further, according to the present embodiment, when content is reproduced, it is possible to perform reproduction of related content in advance with a simple operation without user trouble.

  As another embodiment, it is preferable that the related content playback unit 14 is configured to perform thumbnail playback, skip playback, or high speed playback of the related content R when the related content R is played back. Further, the related content reproduction means 14 may be configured to perform reproduction of only a predetermined part in the related content R. Here, the predetermined portion may be a user-specified portion or a default-specified portion, and reproduction from a specified portion (for example, the last five minutes of the related content R) may be executed. Of course, the above-mentioned thumbnail reproduction, skip reproduction, high-speed reproduction, and predetermined partial reproduction may be used in combination.

  These forms are very effective in view of the fact that the reproduction of the related content R (the previous content in the case of a series to be described later) is as short as possible and can be understood. As for the content to be searched as the related content R, content that can be reproduced by thumbnail reproduction or predetermined partial reproduction as described above may be prepared separately. In any case, a mode in which viewing of a certain part in the related content R as described above is omitted is, for example, that a user who has recorded a series program plays a program corresponding to the previous recording when the recorded program is played back. Can be played back at high speed (normal playback is also possible), the outline of the previous program content can be grasped in a short time, and the program content can be enjoyed more.

  In another embodiment, the related content search unit 13 may search the related content R for the previous content in the same series as the reproduction target content C. Of course, it is possible to search not only for the previous time but also for the previous content as related content after the previous content, and to reproduce it by the related content reproduction means 14. However, it is a condition that the reproduction target content C is a series program and the previous program exists in any storage location. In this form, the content of the series program is naturally connected between the previous program and the current program, so that viewers can deepen their understanding of the current program by viewing the previous program in advance. .

  Further, when the reproduction target content C is content other than broadcast content, it can be reproduced by the content reproduction means 12 without any problem. However, the reproduction target content C is broadcast content and the broadcast content is received in real time. If the user wants to view the content by displaying it (a kind of playback), the content playback device 1 must be provided with a constant recording means for constantly recording the content to be played back. Examples of the device provided with the constant recording means include the above-described television receiver with a recording / reproducing function (always recording function), a recorder with the same function, and the like.

  Next, an example of processing in the playback mode with a related content playback function among the content playback processing in the content playback device 1 according to each embodiment as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, it is determined whether or not a reproduction operation has been performed (step S1). When the reproduction operation is performed and the reproduction operation is accepted, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, a list of contents that can be selected as playback targets is displayed on the screen. When the user selects the reproduction target content C from the displayed content list, the reproduction target content C is determined (step S3).

  Next, the related content R related to the reproduction target content C is searched from, for example, the recording medium 15 (step S4). In step S4, it is determined whether or not there is related content R (step S5). If there is no related content R, playback target content C is played back (step S7), and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if the related content R exists in step S5, the related content R is first played back (step S6), and then the playback target content C is played back (step S7). Depending on the search method of the related content R, if there are a plurality of related content R (for example, the previous and previous content of the series) as a search result, all may be played back, The user may select one or a plurality of related contents R to be presented and reproduced on the screen, and only the selected related contents R may be reproduced before the reproduction target contents C. In addition, even when the related content R is being reproduced, if the user does not need to reproduce the related content R any more, the operation buttons and the control circuit are configured so that the user can immediately shift to the reproduction of the reproduction target content C. It may be incorporated.

  Next, an application example to the program reproduction recording apparatus as the content reproduction apparatus according to each embodiment described above will be described. The details of the processing as the content reproduction apparatus are as described above, and the description thereof is basically omitted. However, this program reproduction recording apparatus, for example, records the previous recording when instructed to reproduce the recorded content. It is possible to have a function of reproducing the content of the minute.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a program playback / recording apparatus as a configuration example of a content playback apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, description of a part common to each embodiment mentioned above is abbreviate | omitted.

  The program recording / reproducing apparatus 30 includes an antenna 31, a tuner 32, a decoding unit 33, a related content reproduction processing unit 34, an encoding unit 35, an output control unit 36, a network interface (hereinafter abbreviated as I / F) unit 37, and an input unit. 38, an external recording medium I / F unit 39, a storage unit 40, a CPU 41, a memory 42, and a system bus 43. The storage unit 40 is composed of a magnetic disk and the like, and the memory 42 is composed of ROM, RAM, etc., and a tuner 32, a decoding unit 33, a related content reproduction processing unit 34, an encoding unit 35, an output control unit 36, and a network I / F unit. 37, the input unit 38, the external recording medium I / F unit 39, the storage unit 40, the CPU 41, and the memory 42 are connected to each other via a system bus 43. Further, the decoding unit 33, the related content reproduction processing unit 34, the encoding unit 35, the output control unit 36, the CPU 41, the memory 42, the system bus 43, and other parts may be configured as a system large scale integration (LSI). .

  Further, the program recording / reproducing apparatus 30 is a remote controller (hereinafter abbreviated as “remote control”) 45 for remotely inputting various operations to the program recording / reproducing apparatus 30, a speaker 46 that is an audio data output device, and a video data output device. A display device 47 such as a certain CRT (Cathode-ray Tube), LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), ELD (Electroluminescence Display), DVD, video tape, semiconductor, and the like. An external recording medium 48 such as an HD is connected, the speaker 46 and the display device 47 are connected via the output control unit 36, and the external recording medium 48 is detachably connected via the external recording medium I / F unit 39. , Net Through the workpiece I / F section 37 to be connected to a network 44 such as the Internet. The input unit 38 includes a light receiving unit and inputs an operation signal from the remote controller 45.

  Here, as described above, the program recording / playback apparatus 30 of the present invention can be suitably applied to, for example, a hard disk recorder, a DVD recorder, and a hard disk built-in DVD recorder, and further applied to a personal computer having a tuner function. May be. In the description here, a DVD recorder with a built-in hard disk will be described as a representative example.

  In FIG. 3, a tuner 32 demodulates a broadcast signal from a broadcast wave received by an antenna 31 and separates it into a video signal component, an audio signal component, and (and information related to content). Here, the information regarding the content may be acquired from the EPG data. The EPG data includes, for example, information on each program such as program name, genre, broadcast time zone (start time / end time), performers, program content (synopsis), and other than obtaining from broadcast waves, EPG distribution The network I / F unit 37 may obtain the information from a server device such as a service provider that provides the service via the network 44. The broadcast wave may be a digital broadcast wave (BS, CS, terrestrial wave) or an analog broadcast wave.

  When recording a program using an analog broadcast wave, the tuner 32 demodulates a high-frequency signal (analog modulation signal) received via the antenna 31 and inputs the separated video signal and audio signal to the encoding unit 35. The encoding unit 35 encodes the input video signal and audio signal using, for example, the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) method. The encoded video signal and audio signal are stored in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48. Such a recording may be executed also in the above-described constant recording means.

  When reproducing analog broadcast recording data, the video signal and audio signal stored in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48 are output to the decoding unit 33, and the decoding unit 33 converts the input video signal and audio signal into MPEG. The data is decoded by the method and output to the output control unit 36. The output control unit 36 controls display output based on the decoded video signal to cause the display device 47 to output video, and controls audio output based on the audio signal to cause the speaker 46 to output audio. The viewer can view an analog broadcast program corresponding to each signal of the art. The related content reproduction processing unit 34 executes related content search and reproduction processing according to the present invention. Here, when content (program) is reproduced, the related content recorded in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48 is reproduced through the input of the content reproduction operation by the user at the input unit 38, and then the content to be reproduced is selected. Reproduce.

  When recording a program using digital broadcast waves, the tuner 32 demodulates a high-frequency signal (digital modulation signal) received via the antenna 31, and stores the separated video signal, audio signal, and content information in the storage unit 40 or The data is output to the external recording medium 48 and stored. Digital broadcast wave recording is the same as analog broadcast wave recording processing, except that content information received as a broadcast wave can be used.

  When reproducing recorded data of digital broadcasting, the video signal and audio signal stored in the storage unit 40 or the external recording medium 48 are output to the decoding unit 33, and the decoding unit 33 decodes the input video signal and audio signal. And output to the output control unit 36. The output control unit 36 controls display output based on the decoded video signal to cause the display device 47 to output video, and controls audio output based on the audio signal to cause the speaker 46 to output audio. Here, when a user operation is performed, the history information is acquired and stored in the storage unit 40. The viewer can view a digital broadcast program corresponding to each signal described above. In the case of digital broadcast wave reproduction, the related content reproduction processing unit 34 also performs the same reproduction process, except that content information received as a broadcast wave can be used.

  Here, regarding each embodiment described above, regarding processing of various information when applied as a program in a general-purpose computer such as a PC, a mobile computer such as a PDA (personal digital assistant), or a mobile phone, A brief description will be given with reference to a configuration example of a general information processing apparatus applicable to the present invention shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, 50 is an information processing device, 51 is a CPU (central processing unit), 52 is a RAM (Random Access Memory), 53 is a hard disk drive (HDD), 54 is an input device, 55 is a display device, and 56 is a communication device. , 57 is an output device, 58 is a system bus, and 59 is an external recording medium.

  Information handled in this system is temporarily accumulated in the RAM 52 during the processing, and thereafter stored in a storage means such as the HDD 53, and is read out, corrected, and written by the CPU 51 as necessary. A program for causing the computer to function as each unit of the content reproduction apparatus (content reproduction program) or a program for causing the computer to execute each step of the content reproduction method is stored in each ROM, HDD 53, and the like. Is executed by reading.

  In addition, the progress and result of the process are presented to the user through a display device 55 such as a CRT, LCD, PDP, or ELD. If necessary, the user can input from the input device 54 such as a keyboard or mouse (pointing device). It is only necessary to input parameters and responses such as user operations necessary for processing. This content reproduction program may be provided with a graphical user interface (GUI) for the display device 55 so as to be easy for the user to use. The communication device 56 is a device for performing communication by connecting to a network or the like, and serves as a content input path together with the HDD 53. Note that the CPU 51, RAM 52, HDD 53, input device 54, display device 55, communication device 56, other printer, output device 57 such as a drive device for the external recording medium 59, and the like may be connected by a bus 58 or the like. .

  When the present invention is applied to a PC or the like, it is composed of an LSI (Large Scale Integration) chip for image drawing, a memory (VRAM) for holding a screen image, a terminal for connecting to a display device, etc. From the viewpoint of processing speed, it is preferable to attach an expansion card (video adapter) to which a screen display function is added to the PC.

  As described above, the embodiments have been described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 centering on the content reproduction apparatus and method of the present invention. However, as described with reference to FIG. A content reproduction program for causing an information processing device (for example, a computer) as an apparatus in the apparatus to function as each means, or a content reproduction program for causing a computer to execute the processing procedure of each apparatus or each step of the method, or Also, a form as a recording medium readable by an information processing device in which the content reproduction program is recorded is also possible.

  An embodiment of a recording medium storing a program and data for realizing a content reproduction function according to the present invention will be described. As the recording medium, specifically, various CDs, MOs (magneto-optical disks), DVDs, FDs, flash memories, and other various ROMs and RAMs can be assumed. This function can be easily realized by recording and distributing on a recording medium. Then, the information reproduction apparatus such as a computer illustrated in FIG. 4 is loaded with the recording medium as described above, and the content reproduction program is read out by the information processing apparatus, or the content is stored in the recording medium included in the information processing apparatus. By storing the reproduction program and reading it out as necessary, the content reproduction function according to the present invention can be executed.

It is a figure which shows the example of 1 structure of the content reproduction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of a content reproduction process in the content reproduction apparatus of FIG. 1, and is also a flowchart for demonstrating the content reproduction method which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the program recording / reproducing apparatus as one structural example of the content reproduction apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the general information processing apparatus applicable to this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Content reproduction apparatus, 11 ... Reproduction instruction reception means, 12 ... Content reproduction means, 13 ... Related content search means, 14 ... Related content reproduction means, 15 ... Recording medium, 30 ... Program recording / reproduction apparatus, 31 ... Antenna, 32 ... Tuner, 33 ... Decoding unit, 34 ... Related content reproduction processing unit, 35 ... Encoding unit, 36 ... Output control unit, 37 ... Network I / F unit, 38 ... Input unit, 39 ... External recording medium I / F unit, 40: storage unit, 41, 51 ... CPU, 42 ... memory, 43, 58 ... system bus, 44 ... network, 45 ... remote controller, 46 ... speaker, 47, 55 ... display device, 48, 59 ... external recording medium, 50 ... Information processing device, 52 ... RAM, 53 ... HDD, 54 ... Input device, 56 ... Communication device, 57 ... Output device, C ... Content, R ... Communication content.

Claims (10)

In a content playback apparatus for playing back content, playback instruction receiving means for receiving a content playback instruction from a user, and playback that is a playback target indicated by the content playback instruction with respect to the content playback instruction received by the playback instruction receiving means Content reproduction means for reproducing the target content; content that is a target of the reproduction instruction by the reproduction instruction reception means and for which the reproduction instruction is not accepted as the reproduction target by the reproduction instruction reception means , the reproduction instruction reception means Related content search means for searching for other content related to the playback target content received in step (2), and related content for playing back the other content searched by the related content search means before playback of the playback target content in the content playback means A reproducing means, Serial related content search unit, content information added to the content or based on periodic delivery time of content, the content playback apparatus characterized by retrieving the other content from the reproduction target content.   The reproduction instruction accepting unit is a unit that accepts an instruction to reproduce only the reproduction target content as the content reproduction instruction, and a unit that accepts an instruction to reproduce the reproduction target content and other content as the content reproduction instruction; And the related content search means and the related content playback means, when the instruction received by the playback instruction receiving means is a playback instruction for only the playback target content, 2. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein search and reproduction of content are not executed.   The content playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the related content search unit searches for the previous content in the same series as the playback target content as the other content.   2. The related content reproduction unit, when reproducing other content searched by the related content search unit, performs thumbnail reproduction, skip reproduction, or high-speed reproduction of the other content. 4. The content reproduction apparatus according to any one of items 3.   4. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the related content reproduction unit reproduces only a predetermined portion of the other content searched by the related content search unit.   6. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction target content is broadcast content that is not broadcast content being broadcast in real time.   The content to be played back is broadcast content being broadcast in real time, and the content playback device includes a constant recording unit that always records the content to be played back. The content reproduction device according to item.   The program for functioning a computer as each means in the content reproduction apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 7.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 8 is recorded. In a content playback method for playing back content, a playback instruction receiving step for receiving a content playback instruction from a user, and playback that is a playback target indicated by the content playback instruction with respect to the content playback instruction received in the playback instruction receiving step a content reproduction step of reproducing the target content, a the reproduction instruction content the reproduction instruction for playback at the reception is in the reproduction instruction of the target step and the reproduction instruction receiving step is not accepted, the playback instruction accepted A related content search step of searching for other content related to the playback target content received in the step, and playback of the other content searched in the related content search step before playback of the playback target content in the content playback step A related content retrieval step, wherein the related content retrieval step retrieves the other content from the reproduction target content based on content information added to the content or a periodic distribution time of the content. A content reproduction method characterized by the above.

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