Patent ID: 6201928
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: G09B,G11B,H04N

Abstract:
A reproduction apparatus for reproducing an optical disc having a data region for storing a plurality of video objects including video data and an index region for storing reproduction order information indicating a reproduction order of two or more of the video objects, position information indicating positions in the data region of all of the two or more video objects, and flag information indicating a reproduction mode of the two or more video objects in the reproduction order indicated by the reproduction order information, wherein the flag information indicates one of a random mode and a sequential mode as the reproduction mode, to random mode being a mode in which at least one of the two or more video objects is reproduced at a random irrespective of the reproduction order, the sequential mode being a mode in which all of the two or more video objects are reproduced in accordance with the reproduction order, and wherein the flag information further indicates whether or not reproduction of the same one of the two or more video objects is allowed to be repeated when the random mode is indicated as the reproduction mode, comprising:a read means for reading the video objects, the reproduction order information, the position information and the flag information from the optical disc;a reproduction means for reproducing the video data from the read video objects;a buffer for storing identifiers of video objects that have been reproduced; anda controller for controlling the read means, the reproduction means and the buffer,wherein the controller controls the read means to read the reproduction order information, the position information and the flag information from the optical disc, and judges which one of the random and sequential modes is indicated as the reproduction mode,wherein, on judging that the sequential mode is indicated, the controller controls the read means to read all of the two or more video objects sequentially in accordance with the reproduction order,wherein, on judging that the random mode is indicated, the controller further judges whether or not the same video object is allowed to be repeated, andwherein, when the reproduction of the same video object is not allowed to be repeated, the controller controls the buffer to reset the contents of the buffer, and controls the read means to read identifiers that have been stored in the buffer and read means to read at least one of the two or more video objects in the reproduction order in a random order without having any video object two or more times.