Abstract: According to an embodiment of the invention, in an information reproducing apparatus and a method of managing specified information are disclosed. In reading and reproducing predetermined part of the information recorded in a recording medium, specified information permitting the reproduction of the information is generated, each time the apparatus is activated, using the identification information unique to a signal processing unit and a main control unit used for reproduction of the information including the number of the elements included in the signal processing unit and the main control unit. In this way, the illegal duplication and alteration of the content and the illegal reproduction thereof are prevented.

Abstract: A content combining apparatus of this invention includes a control unit which designates, to a content distributing apparatus, a playback condition for the playback of content to be distributed from a content distributing apparatus and a playback condition for the playback of content to be read out from a recording medium. A receiving unit receives the content distributed from the content distributing apparatus in accordance with the playback condition designated by the control unit. This apparatus also includes a circuit which combines the received content and the content read out from the recording medium such that scenes to be simultaneously displayed are synchronously displayed on a video display unit so as to be correlated with each other.