Video Content Reproducing Apparatus and Video Content Reproducing Method

A video content reproducing apparatus for reproducing video content recorded with prescribed copyright protection processing on an information recording medium, having a video output means for outputting the reproduced video signal, the video content reproducing apparatus comprising:

• a display device authentication decision unit for authenticating a video display apparatus connected to the video content reproducing apparatus and deciding, based on a result of the authentication, whether to output a video signal of the video content protected by the copyright protection processing as a digital video signal or after conversion to an analog video signal;
• an analog output decision unit for determining, for each play interval forming a unit of reproduction of the video content in the video signal of the video content recorded on the information recording medium, whether or not a restriction has been imposed by the copyright protection processing on output after conversion to an analog video signal;
• and
• a system control unit for controlling the video output means according to results of decisions by the display device authentication decision unit and the analog output decision unit so as, if the video display apparatus is determined to be an apparatus requiring the video signal of the video content to be converted to an analog video signal, to convert the video signal of the play interval on which said restriction has been determined to be imposed to an analog video signal with lowered resolution, then output the analog video signal to the video display apparatus.

A video content reproducing method for playing an information recording medium on which a video signal of video content is recorded with prescribed copyright protection processing and outputting the reproduced video signal, the video content reproducing method comprising:

• a display apparatus decision step in which a video content reproducing apparatus authenticates a video display apparatus connected to the video content reproducing apparatus and decides, based on a result of the authentication, whether to output a video signal of the video content protected by the copyright protection processing as a digital video signal or after conversion to an analog video signal;
• an analog output decision step in which the video content reproducing apparatus determines, for each play interval forming a unit of reproduction of the video content in the video signal of the video content recorded on the information recording medium, whether or not a restriction has been imposed by the copyright protection processing on output after conversion to an analog video signal;
• and
• a video output control step in which the video content reproducing apparatus controls the video output according to results of decisions in the display apparatus decision step and the analog output decision step so as, if the video display apparatus is determined to be an apparatus requiring the video signal of the video content to be converted to an analog video signal, to convert the video signal of a play interval on which said restriction has been determined to be imposed to an analog video signal with lowered resolution, then output the analog video signal to the video display apparatus.