Patent ID: 7779115

Claim:
A non-transitory computer readable medium for storing a computer program that includes instructions which when executed on a computer causes the computer to execute a process, the computer being responsible for controlling a first information processing apparatus which communicates via a network with a plurality of other information processing apparatuses registered in advance as information processing apparatuses to communicate with, the process comprising: outputting first information associated with at least one capability of the first information processing apparatus, to the other information processing apparatuses, said at least one capability indicating a presence of a channel used by the first information processing apparatus to perform at least one of transmitting and receiving streaming content data for a particular compression standard, wherein each separate capability outputted in the first information corresponds to a separate processor on the first information processing apparatus, each separate processor on the first information processing apparatus being configured to perform one of transmitting and receiving streaming content data for a particular compression standard; registering, in response to a request of a second information processing apparatus of the other information processing apparatuses, a capability of the second information processing apparatus in correspondence with an identification of the second information processing apparatus and the at least one capability of the first information processing apparatus, thereby producing registration information, said capability of the second information processing apparatus being associated with the at least one capability of the first information processing apparatus such that if the separate processor on the first information processing apparatus performs one of transmitting and receiving streaming content data for a particular compression standard, the capability of the second information processing apparatus corresponds to a separate processor on the second information processing apparatus, the separate processor on the second information processing apparatus being configured to perform at least the other of transmitting and receiving streaming content data for the particular compression standard; monitoring a state of the at least one capability of the first information processing apparatus, said state indicating an availability of the channel; and if a change in the state of the at least one capability is detected, outputting, in accordance with the registration information, second information indicating a change in the state of the at least one capability of the first information processing apparatus, to the second information processing apparatus, but not outputting the second information to the other information processing apparatuses that are registered in advance as information processing apparatuses to communicate with but do not have a capability associated with the at least one capability registered in the registration information.