Patent ID: 7966086

Claim:
A playback apparatus to communicate with a second server, the second server temporarily storing in a first buffer compressed digital data that is received from a first server and, when the first buffer has stored a first data volume of the compressed digital data, which is a volume that is sufficient for a decoding of the compressed digital data, reading the compressed digital data out of the first buffer and decoding it into decompressed digital data, the playback apparatus comprising: a communication portion that transmits data to and receives data from the second server; a second buffer that temporarily stores the decompressed digital data that is received from the second server through the communication portion; a digital to analog (D/A) conversion portion that performs a D/A conversion of the decompressed digital data, which is read out from the second buffer, and outputs analog data; a control portion that performs control such that, when a second data volume of the decompressed digital data, which is a volume that is sufficient for the D/A conversion portion to operate without an interruption of its output, has been temporarily stored in the second buffer, the decompressed digital data that is temporarily stored in the second buffer is transferred to the D/A conversion portion; and a notification information generation portion that generates notification information that conveys storage statuses of the first buffer and the second buffer, when the control portion receives from the second server through the communication portion an end notification that indicates that the first data volume of the compressed digital data has been stored in the first buffer, the control portion transmits through the communication portion request information that requests the decompressed digital data, and when the decompressed digital data that is transmitted from the second server in response to the request information is received through the communication portion, the decompressed digital data is temporarily stored in the second buffer.