HK1104860A - Information storage medium for storing metadata supporting multiple languages, and systems and methods of processing metadata - Google Patents

Description

Information storage medium storing metadata, system and method for processing metadata

Technical Field

The present invention relates to metadata, and more particularly, to an information storage medium for storing metadata supporting multiple languages, a system and method of processing the metadata.

Background

An information recording medium, such as a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), may store content, such as audio/video (AV) data, and information regarding the content, i.e., metadata. Examples of the metadata include information on a title of a movie stored on a disc, information on a production date of the movie, information on actors and actresses who are protuberant in the movie, and information on a director of the movie. Accordingly, the user can search for contents with a desired title or contents of a specific actor or actress starring with reference to the metadata.

If the metadata is provided in a plurality of languages, persons from different countries can easily search for contents with reference to different versions of the metadata written in the plurality of languages. In other words, the user can search and browse the metadata by using a language that he or she can understand. In addition, for the convenience of the user, metadata written in languages other than those stored on the information recording medium may be downloaded through a network or may be copied from another memory.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary format of subtitle data 100. Referring to fig. 1, subtitle data 100 includes: text data 110 to be displayed as subtitles; synchronization information 120 specifying when the text data 110 is to be displayed in synchronization with the AV stream; display area information 130 specifying where text data 110 is to be displayed; and display style information 140 specifying that the text data 110 is to be displayed in a specific display style. The display region information 130 may be represented as region (1, t, w, h) to indicate that the text data 110 will be displayed in a region having a width "w" and a height "h" at point (1, t). The display style information 140 includes font information, output direction information, and line interval information on the text data 110 to be displayed in the same region.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary reproducing apparatus 200 for reproducing subtitle data in synchronization with an AV stream. Referring to fig. 2, the reproducing apparatus 200 reads subtitle data 100 as shown in fig. 1 from an information storage medium 210, downloads the subtitle data 100 from a server 220 through a network such as the internet 230, and reproduces the subtitle data 100 in synchronization with an AV stream 240. The subtitle data 100 may be stored on the information storage medium separately from the AV stream 240 in different units. In other words, the subtitle data 100 placed on the image generated by decoding the AV stream can be recorded on the information storage medium separately from the AV stream. In order to provide the subtitle data 100 or various types of subtitle data 100 to the user in various languages, the reproducing apparatus 200 may also download the subtitle data 100 from the server 220 through a network such as the internet 230 and may reproduce the downloaded subtitle data in the same manner as the subtitle data obtained from the information storage medium 210.

As described above, for example, as shown in fig. 2, the user may be provided with subtitle data 100 read from an information storage medium or subtitle data 100 downloaded from the server 220 through the internet 230. As with the subtitle data, for example, as shown in fig. 2, the metadata may be obtained from an information storage medium or from a remote server through the internet and provided to the user. In other words, metadata written in a plurality of languages may be recorded in an information storage medium, and metadata written in some other languages may be stored in a remote server through the internet, so that the metadata may be downloaded from the information storage medium and from the server through the internet. However, in the conventional method representing downloading metadata through a network, a large amount of storage capacity may be wasted in order to store the metadata. In addition, in the research of metadata, even if two words written in different languages have the same meaning, they may be determined to represent different meanings.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

Accordingly, even if memory resources in a reproducing apparatus and/or an information storage medium are limited, it is required to provide metadata written in a plurality of different languages, which can be accessed and updated, so that a user can easily search for contents in a desired language that can be understood. There is also a need for techniques to improve metadata searching so that multiple words that have the same meaning but are written in different languages are not mistaken for different metadata.

Technical scheme

Aspects of the present invention conveniently provide an information storage medium for storing metadata supporting multiple languages, which may enable a user to browse metadata using a desired language through a reproducing apparatus and search for desired content with reference to the metadata, by using the metadata stored in the information storage medium or metadata of different languages downloaded from other storage media, and a method of processing the metadata.

Advantageous effects

As described in the present invention, only one language list that can be provided by the reproducing apparatus is provided, and metadata written in a desired language can be downloaded from a server in which the metadata is stored with reference to the stored language list. Accordingly, metadata of more than one language can be provided to a user even for a reproducing apparatus having limited memory resources. This is achieved by simply downloading the metadata from the server. In addition, in the metadata search, it can now be easily determined whether a plurality of metadata written in different languages has the same meaning as another metadata representation by using a plurality of parameter sets under descriptors written in different languages.

Drawings

A better understanding of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments and the claims when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the disclosure of the invention. While the following written and illustrated disclosure focuses on disclosing example embodiments of the invention, it should be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and the invention is not limited thereto. The spirit and scope of the present invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims. The following represents a brief description of the drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary format of subtitle data;

fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary reproducing apparatus 200 for reproducing subtitle data in synchronization with an AV stream;

fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of providing metadata in a plurality of languages using a manifest file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of displaying contents using a manifest file according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a method of naming each of a plurality of metadata files written in different languages;

fig. 6 is a block diagram explaining a method of providing metadata in a plurality of languages using representative metadata in which language-independent parts of metadata that can be written in a common language are set as the representative metadata according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a method of providing metadata in a plurality of languages using a plurality of parameter sets related to descriptors according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 8 is a system diagram for explaining a method of updating metadata using a manifest file obtained from an information storage medium and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Best mode for carrying out the invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information storage medium storing metadata used to search for other information storage media. The information storage medium is provided with: content; and at least one metadata file in which information on the content is recorded in at least one language. The metadata file includes a plurality of language files in which a plurality of versions of information on the content written in a plurality of languages are stored and which are identified by names of the respective language files.

The names of the respective language files may include language identifiers according to the ISO639-2 standard.

The information may further include download information regarding a plurality of downloadable metadata files that are downloadable from other storage media.

The download information may include server location information for specifying locations of one or more servers in which downloadable metadata files are respectively stored.

The download information includes: disc Identification (ID) information for identifying the information storage medium; language code information regarding a plurality of languages in which the downloadable metadata file is written; and server location information specifying the location of one or more servers storing downloadable metadata files.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information storage medium storing metadata used to search for other information storage media. The information storage medium includes: content; and at least one metadata file in which information on the content is recorded in at least one language. The metadata file includes at least one representative metadata file in which language-independent information parts on the content are recorded in a common language.

The metadata file may further include at least one language-dependent metadata file in which a language-dependent information part on the content is written in one of a plurality of languages other than the common language.

The language dependent metadata file may be downloaded over a network.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information storage medium storing metadata used to search for other information storage media. The information storage medium includes: content; and a metadata file in which information on the content is recorded in at least one language. The metadata file includes at least one descriptor including a plurality of parameter sets representing information about a plurality of versions of content written in a plurality of languages.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for reproducing data from an information storage medium includes: a local storage unit storing at least one metadata file in which information about content stored in an information storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and a search unit searching for a specific information storage medium matching the specific condition with reference to the metadata file stored in the local storage unit. The metadata file includes a plurality of language files in which a plurality of versions of information on content written in a plurality of languages are stored, and the languages are identified by names of the respective language files.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of reproducing data from an information storage medium includes: reading at least one metadata file in which information about contents stored in an information storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and searching for a specific information storage medium matching the specific condition with reference to the read metadata file. The read metadata file includes a plurality of language files in which a plurality of versions of information on the content written in a plurality of languages are stored, and the languages are identified by names of the respective language files.

In addition to the exemplary embodiments and aspects described above, further aspects and embodiments of the invention will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following descriptions.

Detailed Description

The present invention is applicable for use with all types of memory or computer readable media, recording and/or reproducing devices, and computer systems that implement methods described in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

According to various aspects of the present invention, metadata for multiple languages may be provided through three methods. In the first method, various versions of metadata written in a plurality of languages other than a predetermined language of metadata stored on a disk may be provided by using a manifest file (manifest file) including language code information on a language in which the various versions of metadata are written, and Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) specifying locations of one or more remote servers storing the various versions of metadata in different languages over a network. As a result, it is possible to conveniently provide metadata in a plurality of languages by using a manifest file including language code information, disc identification information identifying a disc, and URL information with a reproducing apparatus having limited memory resources.

In a second approach, the metadata may be classified into language-dependent portions and language-independent portions. Thereafter, representative metadata can then be formed using common metadata that includes Identifiers (IDs) of the language-independent components of the metadata, the language in which the language-dependent portions were written. As a result, metadata of a plurality of languages can be conveniently provided with limited memory resources.

In a third method, metadata for multiple languages may be provided by using multiple parameter sets written at each descriptor. Each descriptor may include multiple parameter sets written in different languages (e.g., english, chinese, and korean). As a result, specific words written in different languages having the same meaning can be clearly and conveniently determined during a metadata search.

Therefore, according to aspects of the present invention, metadata can be easily updated even if an information recording medium such as a disc is released in the market. In other words, addresses of a plurality of remote servers from which metadata of a plurality of versions other than the metadata version stored on the disc can be downloaded may be stored in a manifest file stored on the disc (first method) or in a common metadata file (second method). Accordingly, the user can determine which remote server stores the metadata of the desired version, and can download the metadata of the desired version based on the result of the determination. In the third method, metadata may be updated in descriptor units.

The above-mentioned first to third methods will now be described in detail with reference to fig. 3 to 8.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of providing metadata in a plurality of languages using a manifest file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 3, a plurality of versions of metadata to be written in a plurality of languages are stored as separate metadata files, for example, an english metadata file 310, a japanese metadata file 320, and a korean metadata file 330. Server location information about a plurality of servers from which metadata in some other respective languages is downloaded is stored in each of the respective metadata files 310, 320, and 330. The location information of the server may be Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information. The english metadata file 310, the japanese metadata file 320, and the korean metadata file 330 may have different URL information. The available languages are identified by the names of respective language metadata files, such as english metadata file 310, japanese metadata file 320, and korean metadata file 330. The names used may include language identifiers according to the ISO639-2 standard.

Manifest file 340 may include: disc ID information 342 for identifying an information storage medium such as a disc; language code information 344 for specifying language codes corresponding to the language metadata files 310, 320, and 330, for example, english, japanese, and korean; server location information 346 identifying one or more remote servers from which metadata in some other language may be downloaded over a network.

Thus, referring to the manifest file 340, the user can check the list of languages supported by the disc and select one of the listed languages, or as shown in fig. 4, additionally download a version of metadata written in a desired language from the server 420. For example, if a user wishes to download a French version of metadata, the user may check the manifest file 340 storing the URL of the server 420 in which the French version of metadata is stored 420. Thereafter, the user accesses the server 420 by clicking the URL of the server 420, and then downloads the french version of metadata from the server 420. The manifest file 340 may be formed to have information about each language with a size of 512 bytes, for example, as shown in fig. 3, the manifest file 340 includes disc ID information 342, language code information 344, and server location information 346. Accordingly, assuming that 32 versions of metadata written in 32 languages can be provided through a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), the manifest file 340 can be formed to have a size of about 16 kbytes (═ 32 × 512 bytes), in which case the maximum storage capacity required to store 1000 manifest files is about 16 mbytes. In other words, the information storage medium only needs to store server location information for a small number of metadata files for some languages and desired metadata files for other languages to minimize the used memory resources.

Accordingly, even though the reproducing apparatus does not have sufficient memory resources, it is possible to provide multiple versions of metadata written in multiple languages with reference to the manifest file 340 without having to store the multiple versions of metadata therein, the manifest file 340 including disc ID information identifying a disc, language code information on the multiple languages available, and server location information specifying where the multiple versions of metadata can be found. Since multiple versions of metadata written in different languages may be stored in one or more remote servers or other storage media and conveniently accessible by a user, memory resources allocated for the metadata in the information storage medium may be conveniently minimized.

Turning now to fig. 4, fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of displaying content using a manifest file in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 4, when an information storage medium, such as a disc 410, is inserted into a reproducing apparatus 400, a manifest file 340 of the disc 410 is stored in a memory of the reproducing apparatus 400 in operation S410. As shown in fig. 3, the manifest file 340 includes disc ID information 342 for identifying a disc, language code information 344 for specifying languages supported by the disc, and server location information 346 for identifying at least one server 420. In operation S420, the URL of the server 420 storing the desired version of metadata written in the desired language is accessed with reference to the server location information 346 included in the manifest file 340. In operation S430, a desired version of metadata is downloaded from the server 420 accessed in operation S420, and the downloaded content is displayed on the display unit 430.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of naming each of a plurality of metadata files written in different languages, for example, an english metadata file 310, a japanese metadata file 320, and a korean metadata file 330 as shown in fig. 3. Referring to fig. 5, if a metadata file is named to specify (1) a disc ID to which the metadata file belongs and (2) a language code supported by the disc, disc ID information and language code information can be easily obtained from the name of the metadata file. For example, as shown in fig. 5, the metadata file is named "disc _ id.kor.meta" for identifying not only the disc ID but also the korean language in which the metadata is written. Similarly, the metadata file is also named "disc _ ID _ eng.meta" for not only identifying a disc ID but also english in which metadata is written. Likewise, the metadata file is also named "disc _ id.jpn.meta" for identifying not only the disc ID but also the japanese language in which the metadata is written. Therefore, only the server location information (e.g., URL information) needs to be included in the manifest file 340. In other words, the manifest file 340 may only need to include server location information, and need not include disc ID information and language code information. Thus, the size of the manifest file 340 may be about 8 kbytes (═ 256 bytes × 32), in which case the maximum storage capacity required to store 1000 manifest files 340 is about 8 mbytes. As a result, a small memory device such as a flash memory can be used instead of the hard disk. Accordingly, the reproducing apparatus 400 having a small storage capacity (e.g., a reproducing apparatus having a flash memory instead of a hard disk) can still provide metadata in a plurality of languages.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram explaining a method of providing metadata in a plurality of languages using representative metadata in which language-independent parts of metadata that can be written in a common language are set as the representative metadata according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 6, metadata may be classified into language-dependent parts and language-independent parts. For example, language-dependent portions of metadata (e.g., names of actors or actresses, disc names, and names of content manufacturers) are contents that can be input by content providers in different languages, and thus, can be stored as independent metadata files, i.e., the first to fourth language-dependent metadata files 610 to 640. On the other hand, language-independent portions of the metadata are stored as a common metadata file 650. The language independent portions included in the common metadata file 650 may include: a content running time, an audio file type and a spatial resolution provided by the disc 410 that are identically expressed regardless of language, genre information that is selected from a list and can be mechanically translated by the reproducing apparatus 400 as shown in fig. 4.

The common metadata file 650 includes common data that can be reproduced from any one of the language-dependent metadata files 610, 620, 630, 640 on the disc 410 regardless of the language of the reproduced content. Accordingly, the common metadata file 650 may be designated as a representative metadata file. Language code information about the first to fourth language-dependent metadata files 610 to 640 may also be included in the common metadata file 650. The language-dependent portion of the metadata for another language (unavailable from the first to fourth language-dependent metadata files 610 to 640) may be additionally downloaded from other storage media or from a remote server through a network so that the additional language can be supported.

Fig. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a method of providing metadata in multiple languages using multiple parameter sets under a descriptor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 7A and 7B, metadata may be represented in the form of a metadata file 700, the metadata file 700 including a header 710 and a plurality of descriptors 720A-720N, each including a plurality of parameter sets written in a plurality of languages. As a result, a plurality of language settings for each descriptor are generated in a plurality of languages supported by an information storage medium such as the disc 410, instead of storing a plurality of versions of metadata written in a plurality of languages as separate metadata files. For example, the descriptor "actions/actions" may include: korean parameter sets including names of a plurality of actors written in korean, for example, Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tom Wilkinson, and Tzi Ma; english parameters including the names of actors written in English; and chinese parameter sets, including names of actors written in chinese. A plurality of descriptors 720A-720N each including a plurality of parameter sets written in a plurality of languages may constitute a single metadata file 700 usable in an information storage medium such as a disc 410 as shown in fig. 4. In addition, as shown in fig. 4, parameter sets written in languages other than the plurality of languages may also be downloaded from the remote server 420 through the network. In this way, the metadata file 700 can be updated in descriptor units. When the metadata file 700 is updated, update information may be stored in the header 710 of the metadata file 700. For example, referring to fig. 7A, if a japanese parameter set and a french parameter set are added to the descriptor "actions/actions", information on the added languages may be recorded in the header 710 of the metadata file 700.

In the method as shown in fig. 7A and 7B, it is easy to determine whether a plurality of parameter sets written in a plurality of languages represent the same thing. For example, in the method as shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the names of actors Jackie Chan written in different languages (e.g., english, chinese, and korean) may be categorized as belonging to different parameter sets under one descriptor, so that it can be easily determined whether the names of actors written in different languages represent the same person. As a result, the possibility of determining multiple versions of metadata written in multiple languages as different metadata can be reduced.

In summary, the metadata can also be easily updated according to the method as shown in fig. 3, 6 and 7A, 7B. In other words, according to the methods as shown in fig. 3, 6 and 7A, 7B, metadata can be easily updated by: (1) as described in connection with fig. 3, a plurality of metadata files for a plurality of languages are downloaded from respective servers; (2) as described in connection with fig. 6, a plurality of language-dependent metadata files are downloaded from respective servers; or alternatively, (3) download multiple parameter sets under descriptors written in multiple languages from various servers as described in connection with fig. 7A-7B. In the case of updating metadata, a disc may be identified using disc ID information, and version information of metadata that may be updated may be managed using additional ID information or URL information.

Fig. 8 is a diagram of a system for updating metadata using a manifest file stored on an information storage medium and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 8, the system includes: a reproducing apparatus 800, an information storage medium 810, and a remote server 820. The reproducing apparatus 800 is provided with a memory (i.e., a local storage unit) 802 and a search mechanism (not shown) to enable a user to search for content with reference to metadata. The manifest file 340 stored on the information storage medium 810 (e.g., a disk) includes URLs regarding a plurality of servers accessible through a network, and the manifest file 340 stored in the remote server 820 includes a list of languages that can be supported. Accordingly, metadata written in one of the listed languages may be selected and downloaded from the server 820. For example, if the user has stored metadata of english versions on the information storage medium 810 and wishes to download metadata of another version stored elsewhere written in a language other than english (e.g., japanese or korean), the user may check a list of websites, which are built in a plurality of languages other than english, and may download metadata of a plurality of versions written in a plurality of languages other than english from the websites, using the manifest file 340 stored in the remote server 820. Then, the user can download the metadata file by selecting and downloading any one of a plurality of versions of metadata written in a plurality of languages other than english. Similarly, metadata categorized into language-dependent portions and language-independent portions as described in connection with FIG. 6, and a metadata file including descriptors as described in connection with FIGS. 7A-7B may be updated in the same manner as described in connection with FIG. 8.

Various embodiments of the present invention for processing metadata can be written as computer programs and can be implemented in general-use digital computers that execute the programs using a computer readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include: magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy disks, hard disks, etc.), optical recording media (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc.), and storage media such as carrier waves (e.g., transmission through the internet). The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for accomplishing the present invention can be easily deduced by programmers skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

While there has been shown and described what are considered to be example embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof. For example, other computer-readable media, such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tape, floppy disks, optical or data storage devices, and carrier waves, may also be utilized, as long as the metadata processing techniques are utilized, as described in connection with FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7A-7B, and 8. Likewise, the central controller may be implemented as a chipset, or alternatively, as a general or special purpose computer programmed to perform the methods described with reference to fig. 3, 6, and 7A-7B. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the various example embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (30)

1. An information storage medium comprising:

content; and

at least one metadata file in which information on content is recorded in at least one language,

wherein the metadata file includes a plurality of language files in which information on different versions of the content written in different languages is provided and the different languages are identified by names of the respective language files.

2. The information storage medium of claim 1, wherein the names of the respective language files include language identifiers according to ISO639-2 standard.

3. The information storage medium of claim 1, wherein the information on the content further comprises download information on a plurality of downloadable metadata files downloadable from other storage media.

4. The information storage medium of claim 3, wherein the download information includes server location information for specifying locations of one or more remote servers in which the metadata files downloadable through the network are respectively stored.

5. The information storage medium of claim 3, wherein the downloading information comprises:

disc identification information for identifying the information storage medium;

language code information regarding different languages in which downloadable metadata files are written; and

server location information specifying the location of one or more servers storing downloadable metadata files.

6. An information storage medium comprising:

content; and

at least one metadata file in which information on content is recorded in at least one language,

wherein the metadata file includes at least one representative metadata file in which language-independent information parts on the content are recorded in a common language.

7. The information storage medium of claim 6, wherein the metadata file further comprises at least one language-dependent metadata file in which a language-dependent information part about the content is written in one of a plurality of languages other than a common language.

8. The information storage medium of claim 7, wherein the language-dependent metadata file is downloadable through a network.

9. An information storage medium comprising:

content; and

a metadata file in which information on content is recorded in at least one language,

wherein the metadata file includes at least one descriptor including a plurality of parameter sets representing information about a plurality of versions of the content written in a plurality of languages.

10. An apparatus to reproduce data from an information storage medium, comprising:

a local storage unit storing at least one metadata file in which information about content stored in an information storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and

a search unit searching for a specific information storage medium matching a specific condition with reference to the metadata file stored in the local storage unit,

wherein the metadata file includes a plurality of language files in which information on a plurality of versions of the content written in different languages is provided, and the languages are identified by names of the respective language files.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the names of the respective language files include language identifiers according to ISO639-2 standard.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the local storage unit further stores download information regarding a plurality of downloadable metadata files that are downloadable from other storage media.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the download information includes server location information for specifying a location of one or more remote servers in which the metadata file downloadable through the network is stored.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the metadata file includes at least one representative metadata file in which language-independent information parts on the content are recorded in a common language.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the metadata file further comprises at least one language-dependent metadata file in which a language-dependent information part about the content is written in one of a plurality of languages other than a common language.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein downloading information comprises:

disc identification information for identifying the information storage medium;

language code information regarding different languages in which downloadable metadata files are written; and

server location information specifying the location of one or more servers storing downloadable metadata files.

17. An apparatus to reproduce data from an information storage medium, comprising:

a local storage unit storing a metadata file in which information about contents stored in an information storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and

a search unit searching for a specific information storage medium matching a specific condition with reference to the metadata file stored in the local storage unit,

wherein the metadata file includes at least one descriptor including a plurality of parameter sets representing information about a plurality of versions of the content written in a plurality of languages.

18. A method of reproducing data from an information storage medium, comprising:

reading at least one metadata file in which information about contents stored in an information storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and

searching for a specific information storage medium matching a specific condition with reference to the read metadata file,

wherein the read metadata file includes a plurality of language files in which information on different versions of the content written in different languages is stored, and the languages are identified by names of the respective language files.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the names of the respective language files include language identifiers according to ISO639-2 standard.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the read metadata further includes download information regarding a plurality of downloadable metadata files that are downloadable from other storage media.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the download information includes server location information specifying a location of one or more remote servers storing the downloadable metadata files.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein,

the read metadata file includes at least one representative metadata file in which language-independent information parts on the content are recorded in a common language.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the read metadata file further includes at least one language-dependent metadata file in which a language-dependent information part on the content is written in one of a plurality of languages other than a common language.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein downloading information comprises:

disc identification information for identifying the information storage medium;

language code information regarding different languages in which downloadable metadata files are written; and

server location information specifying the location of one or more servers storing downloadable metadata files.

25. A method of reproducing data from an information storage medium, comprising:

reading a metadata file in which information about contents stored in an information storage medium is recorded in at least one language; and

searching for a specific information storage medium matching a specific condition with reference to the read metadata file,

wherein the read metadata file includes at least one descriptor including a plurality of parameter sets representing information about a plurality of versions of the content written in a plurality of languages.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

an information storage medium storing content and metadata about the content written in one or more languages, the metadata including location information of metadata about different versions of the content written in other languages that is not available in the information storage medium; and

means for enabling a user to browse and select metadata about content in a specified language for visual display,

wherein if the selected metadata about the content written in the specified language is not available in the information storage medium, the selected metadata about the content written in the specified language is accessed and downloaded from another storage medium or from one or more remote servers through a network using the location information.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the metadata comprises:

one or more language files in which metadata about one or more versions of content written in one or more languages is stored; and

a manifest file containing location information of metadata written in other languages regarding different versions of the content, which is not available in the information storage medium.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the metadata comprises:

one or more language-dependent metadata files containing metadata about one or more versions of content written in one or more languages;

a common metadata file that is language-independent and contains at least location information regarding different versions of metadata for content written in other languages that is not available in the information storage medium.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the metadata comprises:

a header containing header information and location information of metadata written in other languages regarding different versions of content, which are not available in the information storage medium; and

a plurality of descriptors, each descriptor comprising a plurality of parameter sets written in one or more languages.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising: a display unit providing a visual display of metadata about content browsed and selected for visual display in a specified language.