Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Testsuo Maeda

Tetsuo Tomimoto

Ryo Akiyama

Kouji Arii

An optical-disk playback apparatus plays back an optical-disk on which control programs defining the operations of the optical-disk playback apparatus and other information are recorded. Such optical-disk playback apparatus is operable by a combination of an optical-disk, such as a laser disk or CD, and printed materials on which barcodes are printed. Predetermined programs are recorded defining the operation of the optical-disk playback apparatus corresponding to the barcodes. As a result, variable, complex and yet flexible optical-disk playback operations which are not fixed at the initial system designing stage can be accomplished by simply tracing the printed barcode. The operation of the optical-disk playback apparatus is controlled by the control programs recorded in the optical disk. Difficulties which might occur when an optical-disk and barcode of different systems are combined can be prevented since a one-to-one correspondence between the barcode and the optical disk code is established beforehand.

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Neyagawa, Japan

Testsuo Maeda