Abstract:
In response to a request from a playback apparatus over a network to play back content, a first recording/playback apparatus transmits data indicating content satisfying the request to the playback apparatus over the network. When selecting desired content from the transmitted data, the playback apparatus requests the first recording/playback apparatus to transmit data of the selected content to the playback apparatus over the network. When the data of the desired content is transmitted to the playback apparatus from the first recording/playback apparatus over the network in response to the request, the content being transmitted is played back via streaming. When the playback apparatus transmits data indicating the played back content and an address of a second recording/playback apparatus to the first recording/playback apparatus over the network, the first recording/playback apparatus transmits data of the played back content to the second recording/playback apparatus over the network in accordance with the address.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application JP 2008-000978 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Jan. 8, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a method for providing content. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Hard disk recorders as video recorders for recording content such as television programs have become more and more popular. The hard disk recorders use large-capacity hard disk drives (HDDs) as recording media, and are capable of quickly selecting and playing back a desired content item from among a plurality of recorded content items or playing back only a portion of a desired content item. 
     Playback systems which allow users to view content, which is recorded on hard disk recorders in their home, from various locations even outside their home using portable video players or mobile phones have been developed. For example, a program broadcast at midnight is timer-recorded on a hard disk recorder at home and is copied to a portable video player so that a user can view the program in the workplace during his or her lunch break. 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-156804 is an example of related art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Allowing a user to carry content from his or her home to view it outside the home, as described above, may provide an opportunity for the user to show the content to a second user using a portable video player. Portable video players have generally a small screen, and the second user may wish to obtain the content in order to view it on a larger display screen in his or her home. 
     This may involve an operation which is time-consuming for the first user, that is, copying the content onto a certain medium after he or she comes home and mailing the medium. 
     It is desirable to avoid such a time-consuming operation. 
     An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for providing content, including the steps of, in response to a request from a playback apparatus over a network to play back content, transmitting data indicating content satisfying the request from a first recording and playback apparatus to the playback apparatus over the network; when the playback apparatus selects desired content from the transmitted data, requesting the first recording and playback apparatus to transmit data of the selected content to the playback apparatus over the network; when the data of the desired content is transmitted to the playback apparatus from the first recording and playback apparatus over the network in response to the request, playing back, via streaming, the content being transmitted; and when the playback apparatus transmits data indicating the played back content and an address of a second recording and playback apparatus to the first recording and playback apparatus over the network, transmitting data of the played back content from the first recording and playback apparatus to the second recording and playback apparatus over the network in accordance with the address. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, content recorded on a recorder can be selected using a portable player and can be played back via streaming. Therefore, a user can view desired content at any location at any time. 
     The recorder can also serve as a video server which allows the content played back via streaming using the portable player to be copied to another recorder to provide easy viewing of the content at any time or provide display of the content on a display of another user via streaming playback. 
     Moreover, a user only selects a desired content item from among a plurality of content items recorded on a recorder, which is simple as with the playback of the desired content item at home. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a system diagram of an entire system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a system diagram of a recording system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a system diagram of a playback system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 5A to 5F  are diagrams showing an example of display according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     For more easily understanding, an overview of an embodiment of the present invention will be described separately with respect to the following two cases: 
     (1) Content recorded on a recorder is played back via streaming using a portable video player. 
     (2) Content recorded by a user is provided to another user. 
     An overview of streaming playback will now be described. 
     A description will be given of a case where a television program recorded by a user A in his or her home is played back via streaming using a portable video player outside the home. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram showing an overview of an exemplary system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the system, a hard disk recorder  100  serving as an apparatus for recording or playing back television programs is located in a home, and a display  200  serving as a monitor is connected to the hard disk recorder  100 . A wide area network  300  such as a telephone network or the Internet and a mobile phone  400 , which is an example of a portable video player, are further provided. 
     The hard disk recorder  100 , a structure of which will be described in detail below, has functions for receiving content via services such as terrestrial digital television broadcasting, Broadcasting Satellite (BS) broadcasting, and Communication Satellite (CS) broadcasting and recording and playing back the content, namely, programs, as well as outputting signals of a program being recorded or played back to the display  200 . The hard disk recorder  100  is configured to be connected to the wide area network  300  to supply a playback signal of a program recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300  so that the program can be played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 . 
     Note that in the hard disk recorder  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention, a “scene” of a program is a unit of streaming playback. The term “scene” as used herein refers to an entity (or section) having a complete meaning alone, such as an entire program or a certain part in a program.  FIG. 6A  shows a scene which represents one entire program, e.g., a cooking program, and  FIG. 6B  shows a scene which represents a cooking corner in a gossip show. 
     In order to play back a scene recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  via streaming using the mobile phone  400 , for example, a scene table SCNT as shown in  FIG. 7  is created in a portion of an internal hard disk drive (not shown) of the hard disk recorder  100 . The scene table SCNT is a list of pieces of information relating to a program being broadcast, and is created for every scene. The scene tables SCNT may be created from electronic program guide (EPG) data, electronic content guide (ECG) data, relevant broadcast data attached to a program being broadcast, and data provided from various data services. The details of the scene tables SCNT will be described below. 
     ECG is a method in which a certain program is associated with metadata of the program in accordance with predetermined conditions. Examples of the metadata include, but not limited to, a corresponding program&#39;s identification code, name (program name), broadcast date, broadcast start time, broadcast time period (time length), genre, cast, other various relevant information, and search keywords. 
     The scene table SCNT includes an identification code of a scene, a category name of the scene, a program title, a subtitle, a broadcast date and time, a broadcast time period, the cast, search keywords useful to search for the scene (for example, for cooking, ingredients), and a link pointer indicating a recording position at which the scene is recorded on the hard disk drive (recording start address). The scenes shown in  FIGS. 6A ,  6 B, and  7  are cooking scenes. 
     In a normal recording process, which is similar to that of general video recorders, when recording is performed for the hard disk recorder  100  or, if scheduled recording based on a timer or EPG is set in advance, at the scheduled recording time, the hard disk recorder  100  records a program (or scene) in a currently selected channel onto the hard disk drive. 
     When a user performs a predetermined operation on the hard disk recorder  100  and the display  200 , the program currently being recorded is displayed on the display  200 . In accordance with the recording, a scene table SCNT is created. 
     In a normal playback process, which is also similar to that of general video recorders, when a playback operation is performed on the hard disk recorder  100 , a program recorded on the hard disk drive of the hard disk recorder  100  is selected and played back so that the played back program is displayed on the display  200 . 
     The viewing of a program (streaming playback) using the mobile phone  400  will now be described. 
     In the following description, by way of example, a user selects a “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” scene shown in  FIG. 6A  and views it via streaming playback using the mobile phone  400 . 
     In this case, the user accesses the hard disk recorder  100  from the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300  to authenticate the mobile phone  400 . If the mobile phone  400  is authenticated by the hard disk recorder  100 , the mobile phone  400  notifies the hard disk recorder  100  of a recorded program being played back. 
     Then, data indicating category names of scene tables SCNT created in the hard disk recorder  100  is transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 , and a list of category names included in the scene tables SCNT is displayed on a screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400  as shown in, for example,  FIG. 5A . A cursor  42 C is positioned on the first row of the list. If a plurality of scenes have an identical category name, one of them is presented as a representative scene. For example, if two scenes meeting the category name “cooking&gt;homemade” exist, one of them is selected and displayed. 
     Then, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the cursor  42 C is moved to, for example, the category name “cooking&gt;homemade” by operating a cursor key (not shown) of the mobile phone  400 , and a set key (not shown) is operated. Then, the mobile phone  400  notifies the hard disk recorder  100  of the selection of the category name “cooking&gt;homemade” over the wide area network  300 . 
     Then, in the hard disk recorder  100 , all scene tables SCNT ( FIG. 7 ) including the specified category name “cooking&gt;homemade” are selected from among the scene tables SCNT registered in the hard disk drive, and keywords registered in the selected scene tables SCNT are transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 . As a result, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5C , a list of ingredients registered in the scene tables SCNT selected by the immediately preceding operation is displayed on the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 , and the cursor  42 C is positioned on the first row of the list. 
     In this example, the user wishes to cook with eggplant, and the cursor  42 C is positioned on the item or row “eggplant”. The user operates the set key in the state shown in  FIG. 5C . Then, the mobile phone  400  notifies the hard disk recorder  100  of the selection of the item “eggplant” over the wide area network  300 . 
     Then, in the hard disk recorder  100 , data of program names and subtitles of scenes having keywords including “eggplant” is retrieved from the scene tables SCNT ( FIG. 7 ) having the category name “cooking&gt;homemade”. The retrieved data is transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 . On the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 , therefore, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5D , a list of program names and subtitles of the corresponding scenes from among the scenes registered in the scene tables SCNT is displayed, and the cursor  42 C is positioned on the first program name and name of dish. 
     In this example, the user wishes to cook “pasta with eggplant and ground meat”, and the cursor  42 C is positioned at the display position of the item “pasta with eggplant and ground meat”. The user operates the set key in the state shown in  FIG. 5D . Then, the mobile phone  400  notifies the hard disk recorder  100  of the selection of the item “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” over the wide area network  300 . 
     As a result, in the hard disk recorder  100 , the “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” scene is selected and played back from an address specified by the link pointer in the scene table SCNT, and a playback signal is transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 . On the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 , therefore, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5E , the program showing “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” is played back via streaming and displayed. 
     According to the system described above, therefore, a scene (an entire program or a desired portion thereof) recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  can be hierarchically selected using the mobile phone  400 , and can be played back via streaming. 
     An example structure and operation of the hard disk recorder  100  will now be described. 
       FIG. 3  shows an example of the hard disk recorder  100 . In this example, the hard disk recorder  100  is configured to receive terrestrial digital broadcasts, BS broadcasts, and CS broadcasts and to record and play back them. That is, a digital broadcast is received by an antenna  101 , and a received signal is supplied to a digital tuner  102  to extract digital data in a desired channel. The digital data is supplied to a switching circuit  103 . 
     The hard disk recorder  100  is further provided with a large-capacity recording medium, for example, a hard disk drive  121 , for recording programs (scenes). An output signal of the digital tuner  102  is supplied to the hard disk drive  121  as a recording signal. An output signal (recording monitor signal or playback signal) of the hard disk drive  121  is supplied to the switching circuit  103  and a separation circuit  122  to extract various digital data DD attached to a program. The digital data DD is supplied to a microcomputer  130  described below. The operation of the hard disk drive  121  is controlled by the microcomputer  130 . 
     The switching circuit  103  is controlled by the microcomputer  130 , and the output signal of the digital tuner  102  or the hard disk drive  121  is selectively extracted from the switching circuit  103  and is supplied to a separation circuit  104  to separate it into a digital video signal DV, a digital audio signal DA, and digital data DD, which are then output. 
     The digital video signal DV extracted from the separation circuit  104  is supplied to a decoder circuit  111  and is expanded into a digital video signal of the original size. The resulting signal is further digital-to-analog (D/A) converted into the original analog video signal SV. The analog video signal SV is subjected to various corrections or the like by a video processing circuit  112  and is fed to an output terminal  113 . The analog video signal SV fed to the output terminal  113  is supplied to the display  200  to display an image. 
     The digital audio signal DA extracted from the separation circuit  104  is supplied to a decoder circuit  114  and is expanded into a digital audio signal of the original size. The resulting signal is further D/A converted into the original analog audio signal SA. The analog audio signal SA is subjected to various corrections or the like by an audio processing circuit  115  and is then fed to an output terminal  116 . The analog audio signal SA fed to the output terminal  116  is supplied to built-in speakers (not shown) of the display  200  to output sound. The digital data DD extracted from the separation circuit  104  is supplied to the microcomputer  130 . 
     The output signal of the switching circuit  103  is also supplied to an interface circuit  123  and is converted into a communication or delivery signal format, which is then extracted. The resulting signal is fed to an output terminal  124  and is then delivered to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 , as described above. Further, data delivered from the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300  is input to the microcomputer  130  through the output terminal  124  and the interface circuit  123 . 
     The microcomputer  130  described above is provided as a system control circuit. The microcomputer  130  includes a central processing unit (CPU)  131 , a read only memory (ROM)  132 , a random access memory (RAM)  133 , and a non-volatile memory  134 . The ROM  132 , the RAM  133 , and the non-volatile memory  134  are connected to the CPU  131  through a system bus  139 . The CPU  131  is configured to execute various programs, and the ROM  132  contains the program executed by the CPU  131  and basic data. The RAM  133  serves as a work area when the CPU  131  executes a program, and the non-volatile memory  134  stores various data even during a power-off state. 
     The microcomputer  130  further includes a clock circuit  135 , various operation keys  136 , and a remote control receiving circuit  137 . The clock circuit  135 , the operation keys  136 , and the remote control receiving circuit  137  are also connected to the system bus  139 . The clock circuit  135  serves to give the current time of day. The operation keys  136  are configured to directly perform a basic operation on the hard disk recorder  100 . The receiving circuit  137  is configured to be paired with a remote control transmitter  140 . The remote control transmitter  140  and the receiving circuit  137  may implement, for example, an infrared remote control unit. 
     The microcomputer  130  further supplies control signals to the digital tuner  102 , the hard disk drive  121 , and the switching circuit  103  to control them. 
     With this structure, the operation keys  136  or the remote control transmitter  140  is operated to control the digital tuner  102 , the hard disk drive  121 , and the switching circuit  103  through the microcomputer  130 . When the digital tuner  102  is controlled, a channel to be received is changed and a desired channel is received. 
     When the recording or playback of the hard disk drive  121  is controlled, a program (scene) currently being received is recorded or played back. Along with this, the switching operation of the switching circuit  103  is performed to select the signal of the program currently being received by the digital tuner  102  or the signal of the program currently being recorded or played back by the hard disk drive  121 , and the selected signal is supplied to the separation circuit  104 . 
     Therefore, the program can be received, recorded in the manner described above (normal recording operation), and played back in the manner described above (normal playback operation). A specific operation and method for performing streaming playback will be described below. 
     An example structure and operation of the mobile phone  400  will now be described. 
       FIG. 4  shows an example of the mobile phone  400 . In this example, the mobile phone  400  may have an original function of a mobile phone and, as described above, a function of a portable video player. That is, the mobile phone  400  is configured to play back a program recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  via streaming over the wide area network  300 . 
     In  FIG. 4 , the mobile phone  400  includes a talking circuit  410 . During reception of a call using the mobile phone function, a transceiver antenna  411  receives radio wave from the wide area network  300 , and the received signal is fed to a transceiver circuit  412  to extract a baseband digital signal. The digital signal is supplied to a baseband processing circuit  413 . 
     The baseband processing circuit  413  performs call-reception baseband processing on the digital signal supplied thereto to extract a digital audio signal. The extracted signal is supplied to a coder-decoder (codec) circuit  414  to decode it into the original analog audio signal. The resulting audio signal is supplied to a receiver  415 . 
     During transmission of a call, an audio signal from a transmitter  416  is supplied to the codec circuit  414  to encode it into a digital audio signal. The resulting signal is supplied to the baseband processing circuit  413  to perform call-transmission baseband processing and then supply the result to the transceiver circuit  412  to produce a transmission signal. The transmission signal is transmitted to the wide area network  300  through the transceiver antenna  411 . Therefore, the user can talk with the other party using the talking circuit  410 . 
     At the time of call-out, by operating operation keys  435 , the transmission or reception of the transceiver circuit  412  is permitted, and data of a telephone number corresponding to the operation of the operation keys  435  is supplied to the transceiver circuit  412  from a microcomputer  430  described below through the baseband processing circuit  413 . The data is then transmitted from the transceiver antenna  411 . Therefore, the user can call the other party. 
     At the time of call-in, a signal indicating an incoming call is extracted from the baseband processing circuit  413 . Based on this signal, a ringer  436  is driven by the microcomputer  430  and is notified of the incoming call. At this time, data such as a telephone number of a party that has delivered the incoming call is supplied to a display control circuit  421  to produce a display signal. This display signal is supplied to a display, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD)  422 , and the telephone number of the party and any other suitable information are displayed. 
     The microcomputer  430  described above is further provided as a system control circuit. The microcomputer  430  includes a CPU  431 , a ROM  432 , a RAM  433 , and a non-volatile memory  434 . The ROM  432 , the RAM  433 , and the non-volatile memory  434  are connected to the CPU  431  through a system bus  439 . The CPU  431  is configured to execute various programs, and the ROM  432  contains the programs executed by the CPU  431  and basic data. The RAM  433  serves as a work area when the CPU  431  executes a program, and the non-volatile memory  434  stores various data even during a power-off state. 
     The microcomputer  430  further supplies control signals to the transceiver circuit  412  and the baseband processing circuit  413  to control them, and receives predetermined data from the circuits  412  and  413 . This allows call-out, call-in, and talking in the manner described above. A specific operation and method for performing streaming playback will be described below. 
       FIG. 7  shows an example of a scene tables SCNT. As described above, the scene table SCNT is created in association with the recording of programs so that a scene recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  can be played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 . 
     The scene table SCNT includes an identification code, a category name of a scene, a program name, a subtitle, a broadcast date and time, a broadcast time period (length), the cast, a search keyword, and a pointer indicating a recording position at which the scene is recorded on a hard disk drive. 
     The identification code is unique data for identifying the scene table SCNT. The category name is, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5A , an item name in a top category from which a desired scene is to be selected. In the scene table SCNT shown in  FIG. 7 , a cooking scene is illustrated by way of example. The program name is the title of the recorded program, and the subtitle is a theme of the program, which is created at a broadcast station. The scene table SCNT shown in  FIG. 7  relates to a “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” dish. 
     The broadcast date and time and the broadcast time period (length) represent the time and time length at and for which the program was broadcast, respectively. The cast represents, for example, the main and guest cast of the program. The keyword represents search data useful for searching for the corresponding scene. For example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , for cooking, data of the ingredients or any other suitable data for the cooking is presented. The link pointer is a pointer indicating a recording position (recording start address) at which the scene corresponding to the scene table SCNT is recorded on the hard disk drive  121 . 
     The viewing of a program (streaming playback) using the mobile phone  400  will now be described. 
     In the following description, by way of example, a user selects the “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” scene shown in  FIG. 6A  and views it via streaming playback using the mobile phone  400 . 
     When a scene recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  is to be played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 , as described above with respect to the structure and operation of the mobile phone  400 , the mobile phone  400  sends a call and accesses the hard disk recorder  100 . Thereafter, the mobile phone  400  is authenticated by operating the operation keys  435 . When the mobile phone  400  is authenticated by the hard disk recorder  100 , the operation keys  435  are operated to allow the mobile phone  400  to notify the hard disk recorder  100  of a recorded program being played back. 
     Then, in the hard disk recorder  100 , data indicating category names of scene tables SCNT created in the hard disk drive  121  is collected from the individual scene tables SCNT, and is transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 . As described above, if a plurality of scenes have an identical category name, one of them is selected as a representative scene to prevent data of the identical category name from being redundantly transmitted. 
     Therefore, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5A , a list of category names is displayed on the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 , and the cursor  42 C is positioned on the first row of the list. 
     Then, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the cursor  42 C is moved to, for example, the category name “cooking&gt;homemade” by operating a cursor key among the operation keys  435  of the mobile phone  400 , and the set key is operated. Then, the mobile phone  400  notifies the hard disk recorder  100  of the selection of the category name “cooking&gt;homemade” over the wide area network  300 . 
     Then, in the hard disk recorder  100 , all scene tables SCNT including the specified category name “cooking&gt;homemade” are selected from among scene tables SCNT registered in the hard disk drive  121 , and identification codes corresponding to the category name, which are associated with all the plurality of scenes even if the same category name has been assigned, are saved in, for example, the RAM  133 . 
     In the hard disk recorder  100 , furthermore, keywords registered in the scene tables SCNT including the specified category name “cooking&gt;homemade”, in this example, data indicating ingredients, are transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 . As a result, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5C , from the scene tables SCNT selected by the immediately preceding operation, a list of ingredients registered in the scene tables and a list of dishes using the ingredients are displayed on the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 , and the cursor  42 C is positioned on the first row of the lists. 
     In this example, the user wishes to cook with eggplant, and the cursor  42 C is positioned on the item or row “eggplant”. The user operates the set key among the operation keys  435  in the state shown in  FIG. 5C . Then, the mobile phone  400  notifies the hard disk recorder  100  of the selection of the item “eggplant” over the wide area network  300 . 
     Then, in the hard disk recorder  100 , data of program names and subtitles of scenes in scene tables SCNT having scenes whose identification codes are saved in the RAM  133 , wherein the scenes are associated with “eggplant” as an ingredient, is retrieved and is transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 . On the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 , therefore, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5D , a list of program names and subtitles of the corresponding scenes from among the scenes registered in the scene tables SCNT is displayed, and the cursor  42 C is positioned on first program name and name of dish. 
     In this case, the user wishes to cook “pasta with eggplant and ground meat”, and the cursor  42 C is positioned at the display position of the item “pasta with eggplant and ground meat”. The user operates the set key among the operation keys  435  in the state shown in  FIG. 5D . Then, the mobile phone  400  notifies the hard disk recorder  100  of the selection of the item “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” over the wide area network  300 . 
     As a result, in the hard disk recorder  100 , the scene table SCNT for “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” shown in  FIG. 7  is selected and the “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” scene is played back from an address in the hard disk drive  121  which is specified by the link pointer in the scene table SCNT. A playback signal is transmitted from the interface circuit  123  to the mobile phone  400  over the wide area network  300 . On the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 , therefore, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5E , the program showing “pasta with eggplant and ground meat” is played back via streaming and displayed. 
     According to the system described above, therefore, a scene (an entire program or a desired portion thereof) recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  can be hierarchically selected using the mobile phone  400 , and can be played back via streaming. 
     Next, the case where content is provided to another user will be described. 
     A description will be given of a case where a program (scene) recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  by a user A is allowed to be copied to an audio-visual (AV) device of another user B or viewed by the user B. 
     An example structure of a system in this case will now be described. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the hard disk recorder  100  of the user A and a hard disk recorder  100 B of the user B are connected to the wide area network  300 . The hard disk recorder  100 B may have substantially the same structure as the hard disk recorder  100 , and a display  200 B is connected to the hard disk recorder  100 B. 
     An example of the operation of the system will be described. 
     As described above, when the user B wishes to obtain a program recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  and played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 , that is, when the user B wishes to copy the program to the hard disk recorder  100 B or when the user B wishes to view the program on the display  200 B, an address of the hard disk recorder  100 B of the user B is entered and copying or viewing is set in the mobile phone  400 . 
     Then, for example, as shown in  FIG. 5F , the program name of the corresponding program, a forwarding destination input field  42 A, and a forwarding method selection list  42 L are displayed on the screen  42 S of the mobile phone  400 . The forwarding destination input field  42 A is used to enter the address of the hard disk recorder  100 B of the user B. The forwarding method selection list  42 L is used to select whether to copy the data of the program (copying thereof is permitted) or to view the program (only viewing thereof is permitted). In the forwarding method selection list  42 L, characters “copy” and “view” are displayed and the cursor  42 C is positioned on one of them. 
     The address of the hard disk recorder  100 B of the user B is entered in the forwarding destination input field  42 A, and the cursor  42 C is moved to “copy” or “view” by operating the cursor key of the mobile phone  400 . Thereafter, the set key is operated. Then, for example, a forwarding request list FRLT as shown in  FIG. 8  is created in the mobile phone  400 , and is transmitted to the hard disk recorder  100  over the wide area network  300 . 
     The forwarding request list FRLT includes an identification code, a forwarding destination address, and a copy flag. The identification code is information for identifying the corresponding program, and is equivalent to the identification code shown in  FIG. 7 . The forwarding designation address is an address of a forwarding destination entered in the forwarding destination input field  42 A on the screen  42 S shown in  FIG. 5F , namely, in this example, the address of the hard disk recorder  100 B. The copy flag is a flag indicating the selection of copying or viewing on the screen  42 S shown in  FIG. 5F . When copying is selected (copying is permitted), the copy flag is set to “1” while when viewing is selected (only viewing is permitted), the copy flag is set to “0”. Then, the following process is executed between the hard disk recorder  100  and the hard disk recorder  100 B in accordance with the value of the copy flag. 
     When copying is selected, the hard disk recorder  100  is connected to the hard disk recorder  100 B over the wide area network  300  in accordance with the forwarding destination address in the forwarding request list FRLT transmitted from the mobile phone  400  to the hard disk recorder  100 . In the hard disk recorder  100 , furthermore, in accordance with the identification code in the forwarding request list FRLT transmitted from the mobile phone  400 , the data of the program played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400  and the data of the corresponding scene table SCNT are selected and extracted from the hard disk drive  121 , and are transmitted to the hard disk recorder  100 B over the wide area network  300 . 
     Then, in the hard disk recorder  100 B, the data being transmitted is saved in the hard disk drive  121 . This allows the user B to readily view the program, which has been played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 , on the hard disk recorder  100 B and the display  200 B in his or her home any number of times at any time. 
     Using the hard disk recorder  100 B, the user B can readily select and play back the program transmitted using the transmitted scene table SCNT in a similar manner to that in which the user A can readily select and play back the corresponding program on the hard disk recorder  100  using the scene table SCNT. 
     When viewing is selected, the hard disk recorder  100  is connected to the hard disk recorder  100 B over the wide area network  300  in accordance with the forwarding destination address in the forwarding request list FRLT transmitted from the mobile phone  400  to the hard disk recorder  100 . In the hard disk recorder  100 , furthermore, a scene table SCNT having the identification code contained in the forwarding request list FRLT transmitted from the mobile phone  400  is extracted from the hard disk drive  121 , and the address of the hard disk recorder  100 , which is the source, is added to the extracted scene table SCNT. The resulting scene table SCNT is transmitted to the hard disk recorder  100 B over the wide area network  300 . 
     In this case, in the hard disk drive  121  of the hard disk recorder  100 , if the data of the program played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400  (the data of the program corresponding to the transmitted scene table SCNT) contains is permitted to be deleted, the deletion permission is changed to deletion prohibition. 
     Then, in the hard disk recorder  100 B, the scene table SCNT being transmitted (which has the address of the hard disk recorder  100 ) is saved in the hard disk drive  121 . This allows the user B to connect the hard disk recorder  100 B to the hard disk recorder  100  over the wide area network  300  at any time in accordance with the address of the hard disk recorder  100  transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100 . 
     After the connection, the program played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400  can be played back via streaming in accordance with the transmitted scene table SCNT using the hard disk recorder  100 B and the display  200 B at home at any time. 
     In this case, in the hard disk recorder  100 , when the hard disk recorder  100 B completes the streaming playback of the program played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 , the deletion prohibition, which has been set after the scene table SCNT was transmitted from the hard disk recorder  100  to the hard disk recorder  100 B, is changed to the original state before the transmission of the scene table SCNT. Thus, the program can be deleted if it is not necessary after the hard disk recorder  100 B has completed the streaming playback of the program played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 . 
     In the hard disk recorder  100 B, furthermore, the transmitted scene table SCNT is deleted after the streaming playback has been completed, thus preventing the program from being played back via streaming multiple numbers of times. 
     Therefore, the hard disk recorder  100  also serves as a video server which allows a program played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400  to be copied to the hard disk recorder  100 B to provide easy viewing of the program on the display  200 B or provide viewing of the program displayed on the display  200 B via streaming playback. 
     According to the system described above, therefore, a scene recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  can be selected and played back via streaming using the mobile phone  400 . This allows t user to record a desired program using the hard disk recorder  100  and to view it at any time at any location using the mobile phone  400 . 
     When another user, or the user B, wishes to obtain the program viewed using the mobile phone  400 , the user A merely performs a simple operation on the mobile phone  400  to allow the user B to copy the program to the hard disk recorder  100 B of the user B or to play back it via streaming. This only involves a simple operation without performing an operation which is time-consuming for the user A, such as duplicating the corresponding program to a certain medium and mailing the medium to the user B. 
     Furthermore, it is not necessary for the user A to copy a scene recorded on the hard disk recorder  100  to the mobile phone  400 . The user A only selects a desired scene from among a plurality of scenes recorded on the hard disk recorder  100 . That is, the user A merely performs substantially the same operation as that when he or she plays back the desired scene using the display  200  at home. The operation is very simple. 
     Furthermore, a desired scene is hierarchically selected and can be easily selected. Although the CPU  431  used in the mobile phone  400  has generally a lower performance than the CPU  131  used in the hard disk recorder  100 , data in each hierarchal layer is managed or processed in the hard disk recorder  100 , resulting in a reduction in a load imposed on the CPU  431 . 
     Other Embodiments 
     Instead of a table format as shown in  FIG. 7 , each scene table SCNT may be formed in an extensible markup language (XML) format with individual items represented by tags. A keyword or keywords in each scene table SCNT may be created or added after the program name, subtitle, and the like have been analyzed in the hard disk recorder  100 . 
     In a further embodiment, one entire program may be recorded, and thereafter a portion of the program may be left as a scene in accordance with conditions set by a subscriber in the manner shown in, for example,  FIG. 6B . In a further embodiment, scheduled recording of a program on the hard disk recorder  100  may be set using the mobile phone  400 . In the foregoing description, a program broadcast by a television station is employed. An embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to content delivered at a predetermined time from a provider or any other suitable party. 
     In a further embodiment, each scene table SCNT may be provided with a copy counter, and the maximum number of times copying is allowed may be set in the copy counter in advance. The value of the copy counter may be decremented by “1” every time the program is copied, and when the value of the copy counter reaches “0”, as with the copy flag set to “0”, a user may be allowed to only view the program. 
     In the foregoing description, a television program is recorded on and played back from the hard disk recorder  100 , by way of example. Alternatively, content provided from an external object such as a company may be recorded on and played back from the hard disk recorder  100 , in which case a billing system can be combined. 
     It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.