Content reproduction system, content reproduction apparatus, program, content reproduction method, and providing content server

Abstract

A method, apparatus, encoder, and decoder for receiving, transmitting, encoding and decoding content is provided. The method includes receiving a first segment of the content, the first segment having a first format, receiving, from a transmitting apparatus, a second segment of the content, the second segment having a second format, monitoring a network status between the receiving apparatus and the transmitting apparatus, and selecting the first segment or the second segment based on the monitored network status.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An information processing apparatus, comprising:
 processing circuitry configured to transmit information associated with electronic content to a device, wherein the electronic content, stored in a plurality of different bit rates, comprises a plurality of segments and the information associated with the electronic content comprises location information for each segment of the plurality of segments;   receive a request from the device for at least one segment of the stored electronic content selected by the device based on the location information for each segment of the plurality of segments; and   transmit the requested at least one segment to the device.   
     
     
         2 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the location information comprises a respective uniform resource locator (URL) corresponding to each segment of the plurality of segments.   
     
     
         3 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the information associated with the electronic content comprises bit rates of the plurality of segments of the electronic content.   
     
     
         4 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the electronic content comprises an index of each segment.   
     
     
         5 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the electronic content comprises an index to byte range of each segment of the plurality of segments.   
     
     
         6 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one segment of the electronic content is selected by the device based on network conditions.   
     
     
         7 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the request from the device comprises the location information for each segment of the plurality of segments.   
     
     
         8 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
 receive a request from the device for the information associated with the electronic content.   
     
     
         9 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
 access the requested at least one segment based on the location information for the requested at least one segment.   
     
     
         10 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to
 access the requested at least one segment based on the location information for the requested at least one segment and the index of each segment of the plurality of segments.   
     
     
         11 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to
 transmit the requested at least one segment to the device as an HTTP response.   
     
     
         12 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the electronic content comprises at least one of encoded audio content or encoded video content.   
     
     
         13 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the information associated with the electronic content is stored in a plurality of data files corresponding to the plurality of different bit rates.   
     
     
         14 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the data files correspond to an MP4 format.   
     
     
         15 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the request from the device comprises information identifying a predetermined bit rate of the plurality of different bit rates.   
     
     
         16 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the request from the device requests for segments of the plurality of segments having the predetermined bit rate.   
     
     
         17 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the at least one segment of the electronic content is selected by the device based on bit rate of the at least one segment.   
     
     
         18 . An information processing method, comprising:
 transmitting information associated with electronic content to a device, wherein the electronic content, stored in a plurality of different bit rates, comprises a plurality of segments and the information associated with the electronic content comprises location information for each segment of the plurality of segments;   receiving a request from the device for at least one segment of the electronic content selected by the device based on the location information for each segment of the plurality of segments; and   transmitting the requested at least one segment to the device.   
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a method, the method comprising:
 transmitting information associated with electronic content to a device, wherein the electronic content, stored in a plurality of different bit rates, comprises a plurality of segments and the information associated with the electronic content comprises location information for each segment of the plurality of segments;   receiving a request from the device for at least one segment of the electronic content selected by the device based on the location information for each segment of the plurality of segments; and   transmitting the requested at least one segment to the device.