Patent ID: 6804297
Filing Date: 2004-10-12
Classification: G06F,G11B,H04N

Abstract:
A reproduction protection method for operating on main data which are conveyed by a data medium with a video data encoding method using a DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) method of an MPEG algorithm, the method comprising the steps of:detecting medium protection data which are specific to each of predetermined data pieces within said main data and are also conveyed by said data medium; detecting protection position information which specifies a position of said predetermined data pieces within said main data at which to apply said reproduction protection, said protection position information also being conveyed by said data medium; generating apparatus protection data which comprise at least first apparatus protection data and second apparatus protection data, wherein said first apparatus protection data are specific to a reproduced main data, and wherein said second apparatus protection data can be modified by the recipient to selectively define a plurality of protection levels including at least two levels which are respectively specific to adults and to children; defining a protection level based on said medium protection data and said apparatus protection data in combination; and executing reproduction of said main data in accordance with said protection level, wherein the combination of said medium protection data and said first apparatus protection data determines whether said main data are reproduced in their entirety or not at all, and the combination of said medium protection data and said second apparatus protection data determines whether said main data are reproduced in their entirety, partially, or not at all, wherein said data medium conveys both said medium protection data and said main data in an identical form.