Patent ID: 7657661

Claim:
A data output apparatus comprising: a reproducing unit adapted to reproduce data from a recording medium; an output terminal adapted to output the data reproduced from the recording medium; and a control unit adapted to control the output terminal, wherein the control unit sets the output terminal to a state locked to one data format if the data output apparatus receives a first command from an external device, wherein the control unit sets the output terminal to a state not locked to one data format if the data output apparatus receives a second command from the external device, wherein the control unit changes a current data format of the output terminal into a data format designated by a third command irrespective of whether the output terminal is being locked to one data format, if the data output apparatus receives the third command from the external device, wherein the control unit changes the current data format of the output terminal into the data format of the data being reproduced from the recording medium, if the output terminal is not being locked to one data format, and wherein the control unit controls the data reproduced from the recording medium not to be outputted from the output terminal, if a data format of the data reproduced from the recording medium is not conformed to the current data format of the output terminal after the control unit changes the current data format of the output terminal into the data format designated by the third command.