Transmission apparatus

A content distribution system including a transmission apparatus that sequentially transmits stream data to a plurality of playback apparatuses according to requests from the plurality of playback apparatuses, and the plurality of playback apparatuses that receive the stream data requested from the transmission apparatus and playback the received stream data,

• each of the plurality of playback apparatuses comprising:
• an accumulation unit operable to receive up to a given amount of the stream data and accumulate the received stream data;
• and
• a distribution unit operable to distribute, based on an instruction of the transmission apparatus, the stream data accumulated by the accumulation unit to another of the plurality of playback apparatuses, and
• the transmission apparatus comprising:
• a storage unit operable to prestore the stream data;
• a user buffer management unit operable to acquire and manage, for each of the plurality of playback apparatuses, an accumulation position showing, on a time-axis of the stream data, a position at which the accumulation unit is performing reception and accumulation, and a buffer capacity showing an amount of the stream data that can be accumulated by the accumulation unit;
• an accumulated data detection unit operable, if there is a transmission request for the stream data from a first playback apparatus, to detect that the stream data requested by the first playback apparatus has been accumulated by a second playback apparatus;
• and
• a playback apparatus control unit operable, if the detection has been performed, to control the second playback apparatus such that the distribution unit thereof distributes the stream data from the second playback apparatus to the first playback apparatus.