JP2004013357A - Content distributing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To distribute rich contents by using a small and highly mobile device. <P>SOLUTION: This content distributing system is a content distributing system for distributing contents produced at a producer side to a terminal unit of a distribution mate, and is provided with a content sending-out means 11 for sending out contents produced at a producer side, a sending-out control means 43 for controlling the sending-out state of the contents in the content sending-out means 11, a distributing means 61 for distributing the contents sent out of the content sending-out means 11 to the terminal unit 13 of the distribution mate, a distribution control means 45 for controlling a distribution state by the distributing means 61 and a control state presenting means 47 for presenting a control state by a reception control means 43, the sending-out control means 45 and the distribution control means 45 to a producer side terminal 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a content distribution system for distributing content using two-way satellite communication and various communication lines.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, real-time information has been required, and it has been necessary to immediately distribute information even in a remote place. On the other hand, in the conventional content distribution, the content is mainly collected in a broadcast station such as a terrestrial broadcast or a satellite broadcast, and is distributed from there through a broadcast wave. The information content is produced by a production company such as a production company, and the completed content is mailed to a broadcasting station by videotape.
[0003]
Conventionally, content that requires real-time properties such as live broadcasting can be distributed via satellite broadcasting, but such live broadcasting requires a large and expensive relay van and staff holding a license. , And from there it is broadcast live.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, realizing the real-time property in the above-described conventional method requires a relay truck and a large number of specialized staffs, and thus has a problem of poor mobility. Further, the conventional method requires a large-scale device and specialized staff, so that the cost of producing the content increases, and the amount of produced content is limited. Was.
[0005]
Furthermore, in order to obtain good image quality in transmitting moving images by conventional broadcasting, a radio band of about 4 Mbps to 6 Mbps was required, and it was difficult to effectively use radio wave resources.
[0006]
Further, in the above-described content distribution system, there is no means for managing the distribution status of the content, and therefore, there is a problem that the creator cannot know the distribution status after mailing the content.
[0007]
An object of the present invention is to provide a content distribution system that enables a creator to grasp the distribution status of content and that enables abundant content distribution using a small and highly mobile device. Aim.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a content distribution system for distributing content produced on a producer side to a terminal device of a distribution destination, and a content transmission unit for transmitting content produced by the producer. Transmission management means for managing the content transmission status of the content transmission means, distribution means for distributing the content transmitted from the content transmission means to a destination terminal device, and distribution management means for managing the distribution status of the distribution means And a management status presentation means for presenting the management status by the reception management means, the transmission management means, and the distribution management means to the creator-side terminal.
[0009]
According to the present invention, since the distribution status from the content creator side terminal device to the distribution destination terminal device is presented via the management status presentation means, the content creator can grasp the current content distribution status. can do.
[0010]
In the above invention, the content transmission means, the transmission management means, the distribution means, and the distribution management means are provided in the creator terminal device used by the creator, and the management status presenting means is connectable to the creator terminal device. Preferably, it is provided in the relay server.
[0011]
In the above invention, it is preferable that the content sending means, the sending management means, the delivery means, the delivery management means, and the management status presenting means are provided in a relay server to which the creator terminal device can be connected.
[0012]
In the above invention, the content sending means, the sending management means, and the management status presenting means are provided in a relay server to which the creator-side terminal device can be connected, and the delivery means and the delivery management means are connected to the relay server, and It is preferable to be provided in a distribution server that distributes content in response to a request from a terminal device.
[0013]
In the above invention, the management status presentation means is provided in a relay server to which the creator-side terminal device can be connected, and the content sending means, the sending management means, the distribution means, and the distribution management means are connected to the relay server, and It is preferable to be provided in a distribution server that distributes content in response to a request from a terminal device.
[0014]
In the above invention, it is preferable that a content storage unit is provided between the transmission unit and the distribution unit and temporarily stores the content transmitted from the transmission unit. In the above invention, it is preferable that the content storage means is arranged in the creator-side terminal device, the relay server, or the distribution server.
[0015]
In the above invention, the transmission of the content from the creator-side terminal device, the transmission and reception of the content between the relay server and the distribution server, or the distribution of the content to the destination terminal device is performed via a satellite communication line. Is preferred.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[First Embodiment]
(overall structure)
An embodiment of a content distribution system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a content distribution system according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the content distribution system.
[0017]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the content distribution system according to the present embodiment is configured such that an end user 10 a as a transmission destination of a content produced on the producer side from a terminal device 1 on the producer side via a satellite 3 or 5. To 10d. More specifically, the content distribution system according to the present embodiment includes a creator-side terminal device 1, satellites 3 and 5, a relay server 4 to which the creator-side terminal device 1 can connect, an end user, And distribution servers 6a to 9a for distributing contents in response to a request from the terminal device 13.
[0018]
The terminal device 1 is a satellite communication terminal device for performing satellite communication, and includes a main body for creating and transmitting content and an antenna 2 for satellite communication, through which the content created by the creator is transmitted to the satellite 3. Is transmitted by two-way communication via.
[0019]
The satellites 3 and 5 are communication satellites that perform two-way communication. In the present embodiment, the satellites 3 and 5 are separate satellites. However, the satellites 3 and 5 can be implemented by the same satellite. .
[0020]
The relay server 4 is a communication server that receives the content transmitted from the creator-side terminal device 1 and relays the content to another server (for example, the distribution servers 6a to 9a). Specifically, the relay server 4 according to the present embodiment monitors the antenna 49, the receiving unit 42 that receives the content transmitted from the creator-side terminal device 1, and monitors the reception status of the content by the receiving unit 42. Transmission / reception management means 43 for managing the transmission status of the terminal device 1, content storage means 46 for temporarily storing the content received by the reception means 42, and transmission means 48 for transmitting the content stored in the content storage means 46; , And a distribution management unit 45 that manages the transmission status of the transmission unit 48 and the distribution status of the distribution unit 61.
[0021]
The relay server 4 includes a management status storage unit 44 for acquiring and storing the management status of each of the management units 43 and 45, and stores the management status stored in the management status storage unit 44 in the creator terminal. A management status presenting unit 47 for presenting to the device 1 is provided.
[0022]
The distribution servers 6a to 9a are servers that distribute contents to end users 10a to 10d, which are destinations. The distribution servers 6a to 9a and the end users 10a to 10d are connected by various communication lines. . Examples of the communication line include a wireless line (2 Mbps), a telephone line (1 to 8 Mbps), a cable television (1.5 to 6 Mbps), an optical fiber (10 Mbps), and the like. In this embodiment, the distribution servers 6a to 9a receive the content from the relay server 4 via the satellites 5 via the antennas 6b to 9d, and distribute the content to the end users 10a to 10d. The content storing means 62 temporarily stores the content received by the means 61.
[0023]
(Configuration of the creator's terminal device)
As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 1 on the creator side includes an encoder unit 107 that converts the content created on the creator side of the content into data that can be transmitted, and a terminal device that is a transmission destination for the converted data. It includes an IDU 113 for adding a destination identifier for identification and transmitting and receiving this data by two-way communication via a satellite, and a control unit 108 for controlling each device.
[0024]
The encoder unit 107 is a unit that converts content into transmission data that can be transmitted, and is specifically realized by hardware or software that encodes a video / audio signal and transmits the video / audio signal to a streaming server. Further, the encoder unit 107 has a function of generating a content ID for identifying content to be transmitted and adding the generated content ID to transmission data. The addition of the content ID can be performed, for example, by a method such as watermarking the image data. Further, the encoder unit 107 has a function of adding the position and altitude information detected by the position detection unit 103 to the transmission data.
[0025]
The creator-side terminal device 1 includes a TV tuner unit 101 and a satellite capturing unit 102 as means for capturing the satellite 3. The TV tuner unit 101 outputs a satellite broadcast image from the monitor 114 by adjusting the frequency of a radio wave such as a satellite broadcast, and can adjust the direction of the antenna 2 according to the image quality of the image. Further, the satellite capturing unit 102 is a unit that measures a radio wave and a signal intensity from a satellite, and presents a reception state of the radio wave by displaying the measurement result.
[0026]
Further, the creator-side terminal device 1 has a position detection unit 103. The position detection unit 103 acquires a signal from a satellite using a device such as a GPS, and calculates position / altitude information of the terminal device 1 such as latitude, longitude, and altitude.
[0027]
In addition, the creator-side terminal device 1 includes a distributor 109 that distributes a transmitted / received signal to each unit, an address allocation path securing unit 110, and a HUB 111. The address allocation path securing unit 110 is a device that allocates addresses necessary for data transfer, and the HUB 111 is a network device that connects the terminal device 1 to the network to which the terminal 11 is connected.
[0028]
The creator-side terminal device 1 includes an OS (control unit) 108 for controlling the above-described components, an operation unit 104 for the creator to perform various input operations, and external devices such as the video camera 12 and the terminal device 11. (I / F) 105 and 112 for connecting Applications used on a personal computer connected via this interface include e-mail transmission / reception software, Web site browser software, remote control software, net news subscription posting software, and the like.
[0029]
In particular, the browser software of the Web site according to the present embodiment has a function of accessing the management status presenting means 47, whereby the distribution status of the content provided by the management status presenting means 47 can be viewed.
[0030]
The form of the creator-side terminal device 1 described above can be realized by a small portable device as shown in FIGS.
[0031]
(motion)
The content distribution system according to the present embodiment having the above configuration operates as follows.
[0032]
First, as shown in FIG. 2, a content creator produces content on the creator side terminal device 1 side, and transmits the content to the relay server 4 via the satellite 3. The transmitted content is received by the receiving unit 42 of the relay server 4 and stored in the content storage unit 46. The reception status of the receiving unit 42 is monitored by the transmission / reception management unit 43, and the monitoring result is sent to the management status storage unit 44.
[0033]
The content stored in the content storage unit 46 is transmitted by the transmission unit 48 to the distribution servers 6a to 9a via the satellite 5. The transmission status of the transmission unit 48 is monitored by the distribution management unit 45, and the monitoring result is sent to the management status storage unit 44.
[0034]
The distribution servers 6a to 9a receive the content transmitted from the relay server 4 and store the content in the content storage unit 62. Then, in response to a distribution request from the end users 10a to 10d, the distribution unit 61 distributes the content stored in the content storage unit 62 to the end users 10a to 10d. The distribution status of the distribution unit 61 is sequentially notified to the distribution management unit 45.
[0035]
The management status accumulating unit 44 generates distribution status data indicating the distribution status of the content based on the monitoring result of each of the management units 43 and 45, and sequentially sends the data to the management status presenting unit 47. The management status presenting means 47 generates display data such as HTML based on the acquired distribution status data, and presents the distribution status on the Web. By obtaining and browsing the display data using the creator-side terminal device 1, the creator can grasp the distribution stage of the content transmitted by the creator at present.
[0036]
(Example of change)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the following changes can be made.
[0037]
{Circle around (1)} As shown in FIG. 6, the IDU 113, the reception unit 42, the transmission / reception management unit 43, the distribution management unit 45, and the distribution unit 61 are provided in the producer terminal device 1, and the management status presentation unit 47 is provided in the relay server 4. Can be arranged. In this case, the creator-side terminal device 1 also serves as a distribution server, and distributes contents directly from the creator-side terminal device 1 to the end users 10a to 10d, and the distribution servers 6a to 9a Can be omitted.
[0038]
{Circle around (2)} As shown in FIG. 7, the receiving unit 42, the transmission / reception managing unit 43, the distribution managing unit 45, the distribution unit 61, and the management status presenting unit 47 may be arranged in the relay server 4. In this case, the relay server 4 also serves as a distribution server, and the distribution servers 6a to 9a can be omitted.
[0039]
(3) As shown in FIG. 8, the receiving means 42, the transmission / reception managing means 43, and the management status presenting means 47 are arranged on the relay server 4, and the distribution means 61 and the distribution managing means 45 are arranged on the distribution servers 6a to 9a. You may do so.
[0040]
{Circle around (4)} As shown in FIG. 9, the receiving means 42, the transmission / reception managing means 43, the delivery managing means 45, and the delivering means 61 are provided in the delivery servers 6a to 9a, and only the management status presenting means 47 is arranged in the relay server 4. You can make it. In this case, the creator-side terminal device 1 directly distributes the content to the distribution servers 6a to 9a without passing through the relay server 4, and the relay server 4 only presents the distribution status. .
[0041]
{Circle around (5)} As shown in FIG. 10, the IDU 113, the receiving unit 42, the transmission / reception managing unit 43, the distribution managing unit 45, the distribution unit 61, and the content storage unit 46 are provided in the creator-side terminal device 1. The management status presenting means 47 may be arranged. In this case, the creator-side terminal device 1 also plays a role of a distribution server, and distributes contents directly from the creator-side terminal device 1 to the end users 10a to 10d, omitting the distribution servers 6a to 9a. can do. The relay server 4 has only the function of presenting the distribution status of the content.
[0042]
(6) As shown in FIG. 11, the receiving unit 42, the transmission / reception managing unit 43, the distribution managing unit 45, the distribution unit 61, the management status presenting unit 47, and the content storage unit 46 may be arranged in the relay server 4. Good. In this case, the relay server 4 also serves as a distribution server, and the distribution servers 6a to 9a can be omitted.
[0043]
{Circle around (7)} As shown in FIG. 12, the receiving unit 42, the transmission / reception managing unit 43, and the management status presenting unit 47 are arranged in the relay server 4, and the distribution unit 61, the distribution management unit 45, and the content storage unit 46 are arranged in the distribution servers 6a to 6a. 9a.
[0044]
(8) As shown in FIG. 13, the distribution servers 6a to 9a are provided with the receiving unit 42, the transmission / reception managing unit 43, the distribution managing unit 45, the distribution unit 61, and the content storage unit 46, and the relay server 4 presents the management status. Only the means 47 can be arranged. In this case, the creator-side terminal device 1 directly distributes the content to the distribution servers 6a to 9a without passing through the relay server 4, and the relay server 4 only presents the distribution status. .
[0045]
In the above-described embodiment and the modified example, the communication between the creator-side terminal device 1 and the relay server 4 and the communication between the relay server 4 and the distribution servers 6a to 9a are performed using satellite lines. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various communication lines can be used instead of the satellite lines.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the creator can grasp the distribution status of the content through the management status presentation means. Further, according to the present invention, when content produced on the producer side is transmitted from a terminal device to a destination via a satellite, satellite distribution of abundant content is performed using a small and highly mobile device. Can be possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the content distribution system according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the terminal device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the terminal device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the terminal device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modified example (1) of the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modified example (2) of the first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modified example (3) of the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modified example (4) of the first embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modified example (5) of the first embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modification example (6) of the first embodiment.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modification example (7) of the first embodiment.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a content distribution system according to a modification (8) of the first embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Producer side terminal device 2 ... Antenna 3, 5 ... Satellite 4 ... Relay server 6a-9a ... Distribution server 6b-9d ... Antenna 10a-10d ... End user 11 ... Terminal 12 ... Video camera 13 ... Terminal device 42 ... Reception Means 43 transmission / reception management means 44 management status storage means 45 distribution management means 46 content storage means 47 management status presentation means 48 transmission means 49 antenna 61 distribution means 62 content storage means 101 TV tuner section 102 ... Satellite capture unit 103 ... Position detection unit 104 ... Operation units 105 and 112 ... Interface 107 ... Encoder unit 108 ... Control unit 109 ... Distributor 110 ... Route securing unit 111 ... HUB
113 ... IDU
114… Monitor

Claims (12)

A content distribution system that distributes content produced on the creator side to a distribution destination terminal device,
Content sending means for sending content created by the creator,
Transmission management means for managing a content transmission status in the content transmission means;
Distribution means for distributing the content transmitted from the content transmission means to the destination terminal device;
Distribution management means for managing a distribution state by the distribution means,
A content distribution system comprising: a reception management unit, a transmission management unit, and a management status presentation unit that presents a management status of the distribution management unit to the creator terminal. The content transmission unit, the transmission management unit, the distribution unit, and the distribution management unit are provided in a creator-side terminal device used by the creator,
2. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the management status presentation unit is provided in a relay server to which the creator-side terminal device can be connected. 3. The content transmission means, the transmission management means, the distribution means, the distribution management means, and the management status presenting means are provided in a relay server to which the producer terminal device can be connected. Item 2. The content distribution system according to item 1. The content transmission unit, the transmission management unit, and the management status presentation unit are provided in a relay server to which the creator-side terminal device can be connected,
2. The distribution server according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit and the distribution management unit are connected to the relay server, and are provided in a distribution server that distributes a content in response to a request from the terminal device of the distribution destination. Content distribution system. The management status presenting means is provided in a relay server to which the creator-side terminal device can be connected,
The content transmission means, the transmission management means, the distribution means, and the distribution management means are connected to the relay server, and are provided in a distribution server that distributes a content in response to a request from the distribution destination terminal device. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: A content distribution system, comprising: a content storage unit that is provided between the transmission unit and the distribution unit and temporarily stores content transmitted from the transmission unit. The content distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the content storage unit is arranged in the creator-side terminal device. The content distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the content storage unit is arranged in the relay server. 7. The content distribution system according to claim 6, wherein said content storage means is arranged in said distribution server. The content delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the content is transmitted from the creator-side terminal device via a satellite communication line. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein transmission / reception of content between the relay server and the distribution server is performed via a satellite communication line. 12. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein distribution of the content to the destination terminal device is performed via a satellite communication line.

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