JP3225956B2 - Program information providing system, program information providing device, and recording / playback control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video recording / reproducing control device such as a video deck or a video server capable of recording a plurality of contents at the same time. The present invention relates to recompression processing of encoded content data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As disclosed in JP-A-10-243303 and JP-A-7-21619, in order to simultaneously record a plurality of contents in the same time zone, a plurality of VTRs are reserved for recording by a remote controller. Control which V
There has been proposed a recording reservation control device that manages the schedule of whether to make a TR perform recording. Each of the proposed VTRs can only operate recording of one content in the same time zone. Therefore, in schedule management,
VTR is the maximum number of recordable contents of the same time zone
Schedule management.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-307846, a plurality of contents in the same time zone are recorded by reducing and synthesizing an image size on a single tape-shaped storage medium and recording the reproduced image, and performing enlargement reproduction during reproduction. Is done. In this case, the maximum recordable number of a plurality of contents in the same time zone can be calculated from the bit rate of the contents for which the VTR compresses the image and the throughput performance of the VTR. Is known.

Further, a video coding technique for recompressing a video once coded and compressed is disclosed in JP-A-7-107461 and JP-A-11-98478. By using these techniques, it is possible to increase the free space of the storage device by recompressing the video once stored in the storage device and re-accumulating the video in the storage device. FIG. 24 is a block diagram for increasing the free space of a storage device using a conventional recompression method. 901 is a content reading means for reading the content from the storage device, 902 is a recompression means for recompressing the read encoded information, 903 is a content writing means for writing the recoded data to the storage device, and 904 is a content writing means. This is a storage device in which contents are stored. In the related art, the user specifies the content to be recompressed and the timing, and recompresses the content.

[0005]

However, in digital broadcasting, video images are compressed and broadcast by an encoding system having various image qualities, as represented by HDTV and SDTV. Since each content is image-compressed so that the characteristics of each encoding method and the characteristics of the content match, the bit rate of the broadcasted content varies, and the difference between the bit rates may be four times or more. is there.

In such digital broadcast recording, it is possible to simultaneously record a plurality of contents with the processing capability of the recording and reproduction control device by image compression, but the contents are transmitted at various bit rates. In digital broadcasting, since it is not known how many images can be recorded simultaneously, JP-A-10-243303 and JP-A-07-0216
As shown in FIG. 19, each VTR can make a recording reservation for only one content at a time. In addition, higher R /
A hard disk drive with a bit rate of W and random characteristics can record and play back more contents at the same time, but if the bit rate of the content is treated as a high bit rate because the bit rate of the content is unknown, There is a problem that only the number of simultaneous recording reservations that is significantly lower than the capacity of the hard disk drive can be set.

An object of the present invention is to set the number of simultaneous recording reservations at the time of digital recording of a digital broadcast by making maximum use of the reproduction / recording processing capability of the recording / reproduction control device in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. Enables simultaneous recording reservations. In addition, the sum of the bit rates of each content is set to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capacity of the storage device so that the reservation can be appropriately made at the time of recording reservation, and the content already stored in the storage device is secured in order to secure the free space of the storage device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording / reproduction control device for recompressing a program and a program information providing device for distributing the program information.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a program information providing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises:
Distribution request receiving means for receiving a request for distributing an electronic program guide (hereinafter referred to as EPG), distribution control means for managing a distribution request of the EPG and controlling the distribution, program information distribution means for distributing the EPG, Bit rate to EP
At least a program information creation means described in G,
The EPG describing the bit rate of the content is distributed using an external communication line, terrestrial broadcasting, or satellite broadcasting. That is, a recording / reproduction control device capable of simultaneously recording / reproducing a plurality of contents receiving an EPG can know the bit rate of the contents in advance. For this reason, it is possible to determine whether or not the content can be recorded at the time of the recording reservation before the content broadcast, and it is possible to make an appropriate recording reservation.

In order to achieve the above object, in a program information providing system according to a second aspect of the present invention, a distribution request receiving means for receiving a request for distributing an EPG, a distribution request management of the EPG, and controlling distribution. Delivery control means and EPG
, A program information providing device having at least program information distributing means for distributing content, a program information creating device having at least program information creating means for describing a bit rate of content in an EPG, and providing program information from the program information creating device to the EPG It is composed of a local area network passed to the device, and is characterized in that an EPG describing the bit rate of the content is distributed by an external communication line, terrestrial broadcast or satellite broadcast. That is, by the same operation as that of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not recording of content is possible at the time of recording reservation before content broadcasting, and appropriate recording reservation becomes possible.

In order to achieve the above object, in a program information providing system according to a third aspect of the present invention, a distribution request receiving means for receiving a request for distributing an EPG, and controlling distribution by managing a distribution request for an EPG. Delivery control means and EPG
, A program information providing device having at least program information distributing means for distributing content, a program information creating device having at least program information creating means for describing a bit rate of content in an EPG, and providing program information from the program information creating device to the EPG It is characterized in that an EPG describing a bit rate of a content is delivered by an external communication line, a terrestrial broadcast or a satellite broadcast when it is delivered from a storage medium to a device. That is, by the same operation as the above-mentioned invention, it is possible to determine whether or not recording of the content is possible at the time of recording reservation before the content broadcast, so that appropriate recording reservation can be made.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, a recording / reproduction control device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention extracts bit rate information of each content described inside a distributed EPG, and sets the information at the time of recording reservation. By comparing the total bit rate of the content for simultaneous playback / recording reservation with the bit rate of the processing capacity of the storage device, it is determined whether or not recording is possible. It is characterized in that the sum of the bit rates of respective contents for simultaneous reproduction and recording reservation is set to a bit rate equal to or lower than the processing capacity of the storage device. That is, when a recording reservation is made that exceeds the capacity of the storage device, the bit rate can be set to a value lower than the processing capability of the storage device at the time of recording reservation. For this reason, it is possible to process the scheduled recording processing without fail.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording / reproduction control device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a recording reservation is refused when an EPG cannot be obtained. That is, when the EPG is not available, it is possible to avoid a recording reservation exceeding the processing capacity of the storage device, which is caused by forcibly making a recording reservation.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording / reproducing control apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention treats a bit rate of a content stored in advance as a bit rate of a content reserved for recording when an EPG cannot be obtained. By comparing the total bit rate of the content for simultaneous playback / recording reservation at the time of recording reservation and the bit rate of the processing capacity of the storage device, it is determined whether or not recording is possible, and when the bit rate of the processing capability of the storage device is exceeded, It is characterized in that the sum of the bit rates of the respective contents of the simultaneous reproduction / recording reservation at the time of recording reservation is a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capacity of the storage device. That is, when a recording reservation exceeding the capacity of the storage device is made, the total bit rate of the content for simultaneous playback and recording reservation at the time of the recording reservation can be set to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capability of the storage device. For this reason, it is possible to process the scheduled recording processing without fail.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording / reproduction control device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention provides a recording / reproducing control device for setting the total bit rate of a content at a time when the total bit rate of the content is maximum in the same time slot of a new recording reservation. It is characterized in that it is used to determine whether or not a recording reservation can be made. That is, when a part of the recording time zones of a plurality of contents is overlapped, the recording time zone of the most overlapped part is used to determine whether or not the recording reservation can be made. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

[0015] To achieve the above object, a recording and reproduction control device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention provides a recording and reproduction control apparatus that, when newly making a recording reservation, sets the bit rate of the already-recorded reservation and the content to be reserved for reproduction in the same time zone. If the sum of the bit rate of the content to be newly reserved and the bit rate of the processing capacity of the storage device exceeds the bit rate of the audio / video data of each content, the already-recorded reservation and the The sum of the bit rate of the content to be reserved for reproduction and the bit rate of the content to be newly reserved is set to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capacity of the storage device. That is, when a recording reservation is made that exceeds the capacity of the storage device, the bit rate can be set to a value lower than the processing capability of the storage device at the time of recording reservation. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a recording and playback control apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention provides a recording and playback control apparatus that, when a new recording reservation is made, determines the bit rates of the already-recorded reservation and the content to be reproduced in the same time zone. If the sum of the bit rate of the content to be newly reserved for recording exceeds the bit rate of the processing capacity of the storage device, the color difference information of each content is controlled to control the bit rate of the content to be reserved for recording and playback for the same time zone. It is characterized in that the sum of the bit rate of the content to be newly reserved for recording and the bit rate is equal to or lower than the processing capacity of the storage device. That is, when a recording reservation is made that exceeds the capacity of the storage device, the bit rate can be set to a value lower than the processing capability of the storage device at the time of recording reservation. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

To achieve the above object, the tenth aspect of the present invention
The recording / playback control device according to the aspect of the present invention, when a new recording reservation is made, the sum of the bit rates of the already reserved recording and playback reservation content and the new recording reservation content bit rate in the same time zone is stored in the storage device. If the processing capacity bit rate is exceeded, the luminance information of each content is controlled to store the sum of the bit rates of the content already reserved for recording and playback and the bit rate of the content newly reserved for recording in the same time zone. It is characterized in that the bit rate is lower than the processing capacity. That is, when a recording reservation is made that exceeds the capacity of the storage device, the bit rate can be set to a value lower than the processing capability of the storage device at the time of recording reservation. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

To achieve the above object, an eleventh aspect of the present invention is provided.
The recording and playback control device according to the aspect of the present invention makes the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the contents of the new recording reservation and the already-recorded reservation, so that the data of the content already stored in the storage device is Is recompressed. That is, when a recording reservation is made that exceeds the free space of the storage device, the free space of the storage device can be made larger than the sum of the data amounts of the contents of the new recording reservation and the contents of the already-recorded reservation at the time of the recording reservation. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a twelfth aspect.
The recording / reproduction control device according to the aspect of the present invention, in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the content of the new recording reservation and the content of the already-recorded recording, to reduce the content data stored in the storage device. Reading, decoding the read data, re-encoding the decoded data, and writing the re-encoded data to a storage device. That is, when a recording reservation exceeding the free space of the storage device is made, the free space of the storage device at the time of the recording reservation can be made larger than the total data amount of the contents of the new recording reservation and the contents of the already-recorded reservation. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

To achieve the above object, a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is provided.
The recording / playback control device according to the aspect of the present invention makes the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded reserved contents, so that the free space of the storage device is set to the first designated in advance. It is characterized in that the content is recompressed when the value becomes equal to or less than the parameter. According to the recording / reproducing control device, a value to be left as the free space of the storage device is set in the first parameter. The recording / reproducing control device periodically checks the remaining capacity of the storage device, and starts recompression when the remaining capacity falls below this value. Therefore, the user does not have to specify the timing of recompression. In this recording / reproduction control device, re-compression of the content may be repeated until the free space of the storage device becomes equal to or larger than the second parameter specified in advance.
As a result, even when the specified free space cannot be obtained by one recompression, the specified free space can be obtained by repeatedly performing recompression. That is, at the time of recording reservation, the free space of the storage device is larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded contents. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fourteenth aspect.
The recording / playback control device according to the aspect of the present invention makes the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded reservation contents, so that the content stored in the storage device at a predetermined time is specified. The recompression is started. According to this recording / reproducing control device, a time designated in advance by the user is held, and at that time, recompression is performed. For this reason, it is possible to increase the free space by performing recompression during a time period such as midnight when the user does not use the capability of the recording / reproduction control device. That is, at the time of recording reservation, the free space of the storage device can be made larger than the sum of the data amounts of the contents of the new recording reservation and the already-recorded recording. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

In order to achieve the above object, a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is provided.
The recording / playback control device according to the aspect of the present invention makes the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded reservation contents, so that the content stored in the storage device at a predetermined time is specified. The recompression is started. According to this recording / reproducing control device, a time designated in advance by the user is held, and at that time, recompression is performed. For this reason, it is possible to increase the free space by performing recompression during a time period such as midnight when the user does not use the capability of the recording / reproduction control device. That is, at the time of recording reservation, the free space of the storage device can be made larger than the total of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded contents. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sixteenth aspect.
The recording / reproduction control device according to the aspect of the present invention checks the free time by referring to the recording reservation information to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded contents. It is characterized in that the content stored in the storage device during the time is scheduled to be recompressed. According to this recording and playback control device, when scheduling the time for performing recompression,
Refer to the recording reservation information set by the user. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a time zone in which the user does not use resources necessary for recompression. That is, the free space of the storage device at the time of recording reservation can be made larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded contents. For this reason, it is possible to set such that the recording of the reserved content is not partially lost.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a seventeenth aspect.
The recording / reproduction control device according to the aspect of the present invention selects and replays the content stored in the storage device in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded content. Compress. At this time, as a criterion for selecting the content to be recompressed, the content is selected based on the importance specified by the user. According to this recording / playback control device, the user can specify the importance of the content in advance. Therefore, when there are a plurality of contents to be re-compressed, the re-compression is performed by preferentially selecting the less important content. Can be compressed. That is, according to the present invention, the free space of the storage device can be made larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded reserved contents in consideration of the user's request.

To achieve the above object, an eighteenth aspect of the present invention
The recording / reproduction control device according to the aspect of the present invention selectively recycles the content stored in the storage device in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded content. Compress. Then, as a criterion for selecting content to be recompressed, the content is selected based on the time at which the content was generated. According to the recording / reproduction control device, the generation time of the content is added in advance as the additional information of the content. For this reason, when there are a plurality of contents to be recompressed, the recompression can preferentially select the content having the oldest generation time and recompress it. As a result, at the time of recording reservation, the free space of the storage device can be made larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and the already-recorded reservation contents, and the setting can be made such that the recording of the reservation-set contents is not partially missing. .

To achieve the above object, a nineteenth aspect of the present invention is described.
The recording / reproduction control device according to the aspect of the present invention selectively recycles the content stored in the storage device in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded content. Compress. As a criterion for selecting content to be recompressed, the content is selected based on the size of the content. According to the recording and reproduction control device, the size of the content is added in advance as the additional information of the content. For this reason, when there are a plurality of contents to be recompressed, it is possible to preferentially select a large content and recompress it. As a result, at the time of recording reservation, the free space of the storage device can be made larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded contents, and setting can be made so that recording of the reserved contents is not partially lost. .

[0027] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a twentieth aspect.
The recording / reproduction control device according to the aspect of (1) above uses a GOP (Group of Pilot) in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded reserved contents.
(ctures) unit. In addition, in order to enable the recompression to be interrupted,
It is characterized in that it is configured to hold the position of the OP and to restart data compression from the position of the GOP held by the holding unit. According to this recording / reproduction control device, the minimum processing unit of recompression is a GOP, and when an instruction to suspend recompression is received from a higher order, the last GOP for which recompression processing has been completed.
Hold the position of. Therefore, when an instruction to restart recompression is received from a higher order, the position of the last GOP held can be read and the recompression process can be restarted. That is, in this case, it is possible to suspend / resume recompression.

To achieve the above object, the twenty-first aspect of the present invention
The recording and playback control device according to the aspect of the present invention uses a plurality of recompressors at the time of recompression in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the sum of the data amounts of the new and already-recorded reserved contents. It is characterized in that content is divided at GOP breaks close to the size, and recompression is performed in GOP units in divided data units. According to this recording / reproduction control device, the content is divided at the size specified at the time of recompression, and recompression is performed by a plurality of recompressors that operate independently for each of the divided data. Therefore, it is possible to recompress the content at high speed.

[0029]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a program information providing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a communication line 16 from a recording / reproduction control device 17 is used as shown in FIG.
A distribution request receiving unit 13 for receiving a request for an electronic program guide (EPG) of 3 or 4; a distribution control unit 14 for determining whether the EPG can be distributed; and a bit rate for each program, channel, or station. Described EP
It comprises a program information creating means 15 for creating G and a program information delivering means 12 for delivering the EPG to the recording creation control device 15 via the communication line 16.

Next, the operation of the program information providing apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording / reproduction control device 1
7 via the communication line 16 in FIG.
When the PG request is received by the distribution request receiving unit 13, the distribution request receiving unit 13 passes the request to the distribution control unit 14. The distribution control means 14 determines whether or not the distribution of the EPG in response to the request is possible. If it is determined that the distribution is possible, the EPG created by the program information creation means 15 is passed to the program information distribution means 12, and the program information distribution means 12 Distribution is performed to the recording / reproduction control device 17 via the communication line 16. When the distribution control unit 14 determines that distribution is impossible, the distribution control unit 14 notifies the recording / reproduction control device 17 via the communication line 16 that distribution is impossible. The program information creating means 15 describes the bit rate in the EPG for each program shown in FIG. 2, for each channel shown in FIG. 3, or for each station shown in FIG. In this way, the recording and reproduction control device 17 to which the EPG in which the bit rate is described is distributed can easily determine whether or not recording is possible at the time of recording reservation.

Next, the EPG shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 will be described. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the broadcast bit rate 26 is described in the EPG described for each program. This EP
In G, at least six pieces of information including a station name 21, a broadcast date 22, a program identifier 23, a broadcast start time 24, a broadcast end time 25, and a broadcast bit rate 26 are described. FIG. 3 shows an EPG in which at least a channel name 31 and a broadcast bit rate 32 are described for each channel. FIG.
For each station, at least station name 41 and broadcast bit rate 4
2 indicates the described EPG.

In the above description, the EPG is distributed when there is a request from the recording / reproduction control device 17, but the EPG is unilaterally distributed as a push type service such as a point cast used on the Internet. In such a case, the same effect can be obtained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, E including the bit rate of the content created by the program information creating means 54
The PG is passed to the distribution control means 53, and the distribution control means 53 passes the EPG to the program information distribution means 52 when the distribution timing comes, and distributes the EPG via the terrestrial broadcast 57 or the satellite broadcast 56. The same effect can be obtained in the program information providing device.

In the above description, the EPG is created by the program information creating means in the program information providing apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 6, the EPG created by the program information providing device 106 having the program information creating means 107 is transferred to a local area network 10 such as Ethernet or ATM.
5 and a program information providing device 10 via a storage medium (not shown)
The same effect can be obtained also in the program information providing system 110 provided to the distribution control means 104 in 1.

Further, in the above description, the EPG describing the bit rate of the content is distributed via a communication line or a broadcast. However, the same effect can be obtained even when the EPG is distributed via an exchangeable medium (not shown) storing the EPG. It is possible. Replaceable media include floppy disks, hard disks, mini disks, compact disks,
A magneto-optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, a magnetic tape, and the like can be considered.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a recording / reproducing control device showing an embodiment of the present invention. Recording / playback control device 605
Is a recording reservation input means 607 for receiving and interpreting recording reservation input information from the remote controller 604 for inputting recording reservation information.
A recording reservation availability judging unit 608 for judging whether the recording reservation information passed from the recording reservation input unit 607 is available for recording reservation, and a recording reservation availability display unit 606 for displaying a recording reservation availability status on the monitor 603. A program information obtaining and extracting means 612 for obtaining and extracting an EPG from the program information providing apparatus 601 via a communication line 602 using a wire such as a telephone line or an ISDN line and storing the EPG;
A program information storage unit 613 which is a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk for storing G; a recording / reproduction reservation storage unit 611 which is a storage medium for storing a recording / reproduction reservation, such as a memory or a hard disk; Recording that is read from the information storage unit 613 and that has already been reserved for recording / reproduction reserved in a time zone that overlaps with the new recording reservation is read from the recording / reproduction reservation storage unit 611 to calculate the total bit rate of the content that is reserved for recording / reproduction. / Reservation reservation total bit rate calculation means 610 and recording reservation registration means 609 and recording reservation permission determination means 608 for storing the recording reservation determined to be possible by the recording reservation permission determination means 608 in the recording / reproduction reservation storage means 611. If it is determined that the recording / playback is impossible, the recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculation means 61 Based on the data calculated in the above, the bit rate of the content reserved for recording / playback is processed so as to be equal to or less than the bit rate of the storage device, and the result is registered in the recording / playback reservation storage means 611, Bit rate control means 621 for generating a bit rate control signal in response to data, and decoding means 6 for decoding input content data and outputting the decoded content data
And encoding means 623 for compressing and encoding the content data decoded based on the bit rate control signal and outputting the compressed and encoded content data.

Next, the operation of the recording / reproduction control device of this embodiment will be described. In step S101 of FIG. 8, the program reservation input means 607 of FIG. If there is no recording input, the process returns to step S101. If there is a recording reservation input, the program reservation input means 607
08 to make a judgment on the availability of recording reservation
The control is transferred to 102.

The recording reservation availability judging means 608 sends the total bit rate of all the contents to be recorded / reproduced to the recording / reproduction reservation total bit rate calculating means 610 at steps S102, S103, S104, S105,
The calculation is performed in S106 and S107.

In step S102, the recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculation means 610 reads the EPG of the new recording reservation from the program information storage means 613 to read the bit rate of the content of the new recording reservation. If there is an EPG to be reserved for new recording in the program information storage means 613, the control is transferred to step S106, and if no EPG is present, the program information acquisition and extraction means 612 is sent to the program information acquisition and extraction means 612 via the communication line 602. A step S103 of obtaining / extracting the EPG from the information providing device 601 and storing it in the program information storage means 613 is performed.

In step S103, if the program information obtaining / extracting means 612 can obtain the EPG from the program information providing device 601, the control is transferred to step S106. If the communication line 602 cannot be used in step S103, or if the program information providing device If the EPG cannot be obtained, for example, if the user cannot access the 601, the process proceeds to step S <b> 104.
If the retry is performed one or more times and the retry is over, the bit rate of the content stored in advance in step S105 is stored in the program information storage unit 613 as the bit rate of the content for new recording reservation, and control is performed in step S106. Transfer.

In step S106, the recording / reproduction reservation total bit rate calculation means 610 reads the reservation information of the recording / reproduction already reserved in the same time zone as the new recording reservation from the recording / reproduction reservation storage means 611, and repeats the same. The total bit rate of the content which is the maximum in the time zone in which the recording is made is calculated and passed to the recording reservation availability determination means 608.

In step S107, the recording reservation availability determination means 608 determines whether the following expression is satisfied.

Bit rate of storage device> Total recording / playback reserved bit rate + α (1) Here, the bit rate of the storage device is the throughput of the storage device. Α is a predetermined margin.

In step S107, if equation (1)
Is not satisfied, in step S108,
The bit rate control unit 621 is notified so that the bit rate of the total reproduction reservation is equal to or less than the bit rate of the storage device.
The bit rate control means 621 processes the bit rate of each content for recording and reproduction so that the sum of the bit rates of each content is equal to or less than the bit rate of the storage device, and records the result in the recording / reproduction reservation storage means 611. The bit rate of each content to be reproduced is re-registered, and the control is moved to step S111. In step S111, the recording reservation availability determination unit 608 causes the recording reservation registration unit 609 to register the recording reservation in the recording / playback reservation storage unit 611. In step S112, the recording reservation availability display unit 606 displays the contents of the recording / playback. The bit rate is re-registered, and the monitor 603 displays that the recording reservation is completed, notifies the user, and shifts the control to step S101. If Expression (1) is satisfied, the control is moved to Step S109.

In step S109, the recording reservation possibility determination means 608 causes the recording reservation registration means 609 to register the recording reservation in the recording / playback reservation storage means 611. In step S110, the recording reservation display means 606 completes the recording reservation. This is displayed on the monitor 603 to notify the user, and the control moves to step S101.

In this way, by comparing the processing amount of the recording reservation at the time of recording reservation with the processing capacity of the storage device required for the recording reservation at the bit rate, it is possible to make an appropriate recording reservation without failure at the time of recording. Become.

In the description of the recording / reproduction control device, if the EPG cannot be obtained in step S104, the control is shifted to step S105, and it is determined whether or not the bit rate of the content stored in advance is applied as the bit rate of the content for new recording reservation. If not applied, control is transferred to step S113, and if applied, control is transferred to S106, and it is possible to make an appropriate recording reservation without recording failure.

The program information obtaining / extracting means 612 of the recording / reproducing control device 605 obtains the EPG when there is a request for obtaining the program information. The same effect can be obtained when the EPG unilaterally delivered as a service is received and stored in the program information storage unit 613. When the recording / playback operation time comes, the bit rate control unit 621 starts recording / playback reservation storage unit 61.
1, the bit rate of the registered content is read, and the bit rate control unit 621 is controlled by the registered bit rate.
Output a bit rate control signal to the encoding means 623. At the same time, the decryption means 622 decrypts the input content data. At the time of reproduction, the decrypted content data is sent to the monitor 603 to display the content. At the time of video recording, the encoding means 623 receives the decoded content data, and under the control of the bit rate control signal, the encoding means 623 compresses and encodes the decoded content data and stores it in the storage device 625. As an example of a method of controlling the bit rate, a method of controlling a time average value of a bit rate to which codes are assigned according to the value of the bit rate can be adopted. Further, as another example of the method of controlling the bit rate, a method of controlling the color difference information according to the value of the bit rate can be adopted. As another example of the method of controlling the bit rate, a method of controlling the luminance information according to the value of the bit rate can be adopted. Further, the storage device 625 and the program information storage means 613 do not need to be provided separately, and may be the same.

Further, the same effect can be obtained in the case of distribution via terrestrial broadcast 703 or satellite broadcast 702 instead of the communication line as shown in FIG.

The configuration of the recording / reproduction control device 706 shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the configuration of the recording / reproduction control device 605 shown in FIG. Unlike satellite broadcasting 702,
Further, the program information obtaining means 709 is provided for the program information providing device 70.
1. Obtain and interpret the EPG sent by broadcast from 1,
The difference is that the information is stored in the program information storage means 713 as needed.

Next, a recording / reproduction control device 706 shown in FIG.
The operation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In step S201 of FIG. 10, the program reservation input means 7 of FIG.
At 08, it is determined whether or not there is a recording reservation input from the remote controller 705. If there is no recording input here, step S20
Return to 1. If there is a recording reservation input, the program reservation input unit 708 shifts the control to step S202 in order to make the recording reservation availability determination unit 710 determine whether the recording reservation is available.

The recording reservation availability judging means 710 causes the recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculating means 712 to calculate the sum of the bit rates of all the contents to be recorded / playback reserved in steps S202, S203, S204 and S205. .

In step S202, the recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculation means 712 reads the EPG of the new recording reservation from the program information storage means 713 to read the bit rate of the content of the new recording reservation. If an EPG for which a new recording reservation is to be made exists in the program information storage means 713, control is transferred to step S204, and if no EPG is present, control is transferred to step S203.

In step S203, since the EPG corresponding to the new recording reservation does not exist in the program information storage unit 713, the bit rate of the content stored in advance is set as the bit rate of the content of the new recording reservation. The control is transferred to step S204.

In step S204, the recording / reproduction reservation total bit rate calculation means 712 reads the reservation information of the recording / reproduction already reserved in the same time zone as the new recording reservation from the recording / reproduction reservation storage means 714, and repeats the same. Calculating the total bit rate of the content which is the maximum in the time zone in which the content is recorded, and passes the total bit rate to the recording reservation availability determination means 710.
Control is transferred to 205.

In step S205, if the recording reservation availability determination means 710 does not satisfy the expression (1), in step S206 the bit rate control means 721 controls the bit rate of the recording / playback total reservation to be equal to or less than the bit rate of the storage device. Notify. Bit rate control means 72
1 performs bit rate processing of each recording / playback content so that the sum of the bit rates of each content is equal to or less than the bit rate of the storage device, and stores the result in the recording / playback reservation storage means 714. The bit rate is re-registered, and the control moves to step S211. In step S211, the recording reservation availability determination unit 710 stores the recording / playback reservation storage unit 71 in the recording reservation registration unit 711.
Then, in step S212, the completion of the recording reservation is displayed on the monitor 704 by the recording reservation availability display means 707 to notify the user, and the control is shifted to step S201.

On the other hand, if the equation (1) is satisfied in step S205, control is transferred to step S207. In step S207, recording reservation availability determination means 710
Is the recording / playback reservation storage means 7 in the recording reservation registration means 711
14 to register the recording reservation, and in step S208, the recording reservation availability display means 707 displays the completion of the recording reservation on the monitor 704 to notify the user, and shifts the control to step S201.

In this manner, by comparing the processing amount of the recording reservation at the time of recording reservation with the processing capacity of the storage device required for the recording reservation at the bit rate, it is possible to make an appropriate recording reservation without failure at the time of recording. Become.

In the above description of the recording / reproduction control device,
If the EPG cannot be obtained in step S202, the control is transferred to step S203, and it is determined whether or not the bit rate of the content stored in advance is to be applied as the bit rate of the content for new recording reservation. If not, step S213 is applied. Shifts the control to S204, and makes an appropriate recording reservation without recording failure. When the recording / playback operation time comes, the bit rate control unit 721 reads out the bit rate of the registered content from the recording / playback reservation storage unit 714 and uses the bit rate control unit 7 based on the registered bit rate.
21 is controlled, and a bit rate control signal is output from the bit rate control unit 721 to the encoding unit 723. At the same time, the decryption means 722 decrypts the input content data. At the time of reproduction, the decrypted content data is sent to the monitor 704 to display the content. At the time of video recording, the encoding means 723 receives the decoded content data, and under the control of the bit rate control signal, the encoding means 723 compresses and encodes the decoded content data and stores it in the storage device 725.

As an example of the method of controlling the bit rate, a method of controlling the time average value of the bit rate to which codes are assigned according to the value of the bit rate can be adopted. Further, as another example of the method of controlling the bit rate, a method of controlling the color difference information according to the value of the bit rate can be adopted. As another example of the method of controlling the bit rate, a method of controlling the luminance information according to the value of the bit rate can be adopted.

In the description of the recording / reproduction control device,
Although the EPG describing the bit rate of the content is obtained through a communication line or a broadcast, the same effect can be obtained when the EPG is obtained from a storage medium (not shown) in which the EPG is recorded.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of recompression of the recording / reproduction control device applied to this embodiment. 201 is a content reading means for retrieving the content from the storage device, 202 is a recompression means for recompressing the read encoded information, and the recompression means 202 is a decoding means and an encoding means in FIGS. Are realized by serial connection. 203 is a content writing unit for writing the recompressed content data to the storage device. Reference numeral 204 denotes a recompression control unit that issues a start / end instruction to the recompression unit 202, and reference numeral 205 denotes a storage device in which contents are stored. Note that the storage device 205 is the same as the storage device in FIGS. 7 and 9. An instruction for recompression is sent from the recompression control unit 204 to the content reading unit 20.
1 and to the recompression means 202. Then, the content reading means 201 reads the content from the storage device 205 and sends it to the recompression means 202. Recompression means 20
In step 2, the transmitted content data is recompressed sequentially and sent to the content writing means 203. The content writing means 203 writes the recompressed content data into the storage device 205. At this time, the recompressed data may be temporarily written out to the depot, and may be replaced with the original content after the recompression. However, since the data once recompressed is smaller than the original data, the same content read out may be used. May be overwritten. As for the ratio at the time of recompression, the recompression control unit 204 may notify the recompression unit 202 of the recompression ratio (for example, 0.8) or may store the recompression ratio in the recompression unit 202 in advance. You can keep it.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control processing executed by the recompression control means 204 of FIG. First,
Acquire the free space of the storage device 205 (step S20)
1) Here, a comparison is made with a start threshold value set in advance in the recompression control means 204 (step S202). At this time, if the free space is larger than the start threshold, the process ends. If the free space is equal to or less than the start threshold value, step S
Go to 203. In step S203, the recompression means 20
2 is instructed to start recompression, and ends when recompression is completed. By repeating the processing of FIG. 12 at appropriate intervals (for example, every few seconds), even if a free space equal to or larger than the start threshold cannot be obtained by one recompression, the free space up to the specified value is obtained by repeatedly recompressing. It is possible to increase the capacity.
The content to be recompressed may be the same content or another content may be selected.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart when the recompression control means 204 has an end threshold. Step S2
03, but when the recompression ends in step S203, the free space is compared with a preset end threshold.
(Step S204). If the free space is smaller than the end threshold, the flow returns to step S203 to execute recompression, and if the free space is equal to or larger than the end threshold, the process ends. This allows
When the free space of the storage device decreases so much that recompression has to be performed, it is possible to collectively perform recompression until the free space has sufficient margin. By periodically repeating the processing in FIG. 13, the content can be recompressed when the free space of the storage device becomes equal to or less than the start threshold value. The start timing from the recompression control unit 204 to the recompression unit is not only when the storage device 205 runs out of free space, but also when the recompression is performed in a designated time zone.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a process for executing recompression in a designated time zone. The recompression control unit 204 acquires the current time (step S401), and checks whether or not the specified time is reached (step S402). This check can be made, for example, according to the following mathematical formula.

Designated time A ≦ current time ≦ designated time B Expression 1

If Expression 1 is not satisfied, the process ends.
If it satisfies, the free space of the storage device 205 is acquired.
(Step S403), it is compared whether the free space is equal to or less than the start threshold value (Step S404). If it is larger than the threshold value, the process ends. If it is smaller than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S405. In step S405, the recompression unit 202 is instructed to start recompression, and recompression is performed. By repeating the operation shown in FIG. 14 periodically (for example, every few seconds), recompression can be executed at the specified time and when the free space of the storage device becomes equal to or less than the specified threshold value. . In Expression 1, if the specified time A and the specified time B are substantially the same, recompression can be performed at the specified time. However, Expression 2 may be used.

Specified time A ≦ current time... Formula 2

Further, as a timing for executing the recompression, it is also possible to schedule at a time when no program reservation is made.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recording / reproducing control device for adjusting a recompression schedule based on program reservation information applied to this embodiment. Upon detecting that the free space of the storage device 205 becomes equal to or less than the specified value, the recompression control unit 204 acquires the program reservation information from the program reservation information storage unit 206. Note that the program reservation information storage means 206 may use the recording / reproduction reservation storage means in FIGS.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing program reservation information. This indicates that recording reservation is made from 17:00 to 18:00 and from 21:00 to 23:00. Upon receiving such information, the recompression control means 204 determines that the time is before 17 o'clock and between 18 o'clock and 21 o'clock, and that after 23 o'clock is vacant, and it is possible to schedule the recompression within that time. Become. For example, if the time required for recompression is the same as the time required to reproduce the content, it is conceivable to check the reproduction time of the target content and schedule it at the earliest possible time in comparison with the available time zone. .

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recording / reproducing control device for automatically selecting content and recompressing the content applied to the present embodiment. A content selection unit 207 selects content to be recompressed.
The recompression control unit 204 issues a recompression instruction to the content selection unit 207 and the recompression unit 202.
The content selection means 207 selects content according to the content selection criteria stored therein, and instructs the content reading means 201 on the content to be read. The other steps are the same as those described with reference to FIG.

As a method of selecting content by the content selection means 207, the following method can be considered.
First, there is a method of selecting according to the importance of the content. When recording the content, the user records the importance of the content together. For example, rank as A, B, C, where A is not subject to recompression, B is normal, C
Defines that recompression is aggressive. Then, when the re-compression instruction is received from the re-compression control unit 204, the content selection unit 207 accesses the content list in the storage device 205, selects the content ranked C, and transmits the content to the content reading unit 201. In this way, it is possible to re-compress the content having low importance. Of course, the importance of the content can be changed later by the user.

Next, a method of selecting a content by date can be considered. When recording the content, the recording date and time are recorded together. Then, when receiving the instruction of recompression, the content selection unit 207 accesses the content list in the storage device 205, selects the content with the oldest date, and transmits it to the content reading unit 201. By doing so, it becomes possible to recompress each content in chronological order. In addition to the content recording date and time, it is also possible to record the date and time when the content was accessed, and to re-compress the content in the order of older access time.

Further, a method of selecting the content based on the size of the content is also conceivable. When recording content, record its size together. Then, the content selection means 207
Receives a recompression instruction, accesses the content list in the storage device 205, selects the largest content size, and transmits it to the content reading means 201. By doing so, it is possible to secure a large free space with a small number of times.

[0077] These methods can be used in combination. For example, when both the importance of the content and the date of the content are considered, it is possible to recompress the oldest content among the ranks with the lower importance of the content.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recording / reproduction control device capable of interrupting / resuming the recompression processing applied to this embodiment. First, the processing up to the interruption will be described. An instruction to start recompression is sent from the recompression control unit 204 to the content reading unit 201 and the recompression unit 202.
Issued for The content reading means 201 reads the content from the storage device 205, and
Send to 02. In the recompression means 202, the transmitted data is divided into GOP units, and the last division corresponds to what byte of the content (this is called a read interruption position).
Is stored. Further, the data is recompressed in data units divided for each GOP and sent to the content writing means 203. Here, the interruption instruction is sent from the recompression control unit 204 to the content reading unit 201 and the recompression unit 202.
, The content reading means 201 stops reading the content. On the other hand, the recompression means 202 terminates the current recompression in GOP units, and stores the read interruption position stored therein in the interruption position storage means 2.
08. The content writing means 203 writes up to the last received data after recompression in the storage device 205 and ends. If the recompressed data overwrites the called content, the write interruption position is also stored in the interruption position storage means 208.

Next, the restart process will be described. The recompression control unit 204 receives the interruption position read from the interruption position storage unit 208, and
Send to 01. The content reading unit 201 opens the content at the time of the interruption, skips the pointer to the reading interruption position, reads the data after the reading interruption position, and sends it to the recompression unit 202. On the other hand, the content writing unit 203 opens the content at the time of interruption and advances the pointer to the end. However, when the recompressed data is overwritten on the read content, the pointer is advanced to the write interruption position read from the interruption position storage means 208. Subsequently, the recompression means 20
2 is written from the current pointer. The rest is the same as the normal operation. Incidentally, the interruption position storage means 208 may be a memory, but in this case,
When the power of the system is turned off, the read interruption position also disappears. When it is desired to retain the read interruption position even when the power is turned off, a nonvolatile medium, for example, a nonvolatile memory, a memory backed up by a power supply, or a disk device may be used as the interruption position storage means 208. When a disk device is used, the interruption position storage means 208 and the storage device 2
05 can also use the same disk.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a recording / reproducing control device capable of performing recompression processing at high speed applied to this embodiment. In this embodiment, when the content 301 is input to the recompression means 311 and the recompression means 312, two pieces of one content 1 that have passed through the division means 305 (the first half and the second half of the content)
Is input separately. When outputting, the output from the recompression means 311 and the output from the recompression means 312 are
06 is generated and stored in one content 303 recompressed. Thereby, recompression can be performed at high speed.

Next, a method of dividing one content and simultaneously recompressing the content will be described in two parts. First, a method of dividing content will be described. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of content division position detection. 401
Is a temporary dividing position designating means for storing a temporary dividing position. Reference numeral 402 denotes content reading means for reading the content from the storage device 403, skipping the content to the position received from the temporary division position designating means 401, and outputting the subsequent data. GOP detection means 404 analyzes the data output from the content reading means and detects the head of the GOP. 405 is a GOP
This is an actual division position storage unit that records the output of the detection unit.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing processing for dividing the content. Substitute 1 for the control variable n (step S41). Subsequently, the content reading means 402
Opens the contents of the storage device 403, advances the pointer to a value obtained by multiplying the value received from the temporary division position indicating means 401 by n and subtracting 1 (step S42). It is checked whether this position has reached the end position of the content (step S43). If so, the process ends. If not, the process proceeds to step S44. In step S44, the GOP detection means 404 is determined based on the current pointer.
Send data to The head of the GOP is detected (step S
45). It is checked whether it has been detected (step S46), and if not detected, the process ends. If it is detected, the content position at the head of the detected GOP is stored in the actual division position storage means 405 (step S47). N for the control variable n
+1 is substituted (step S48), and the process returns to step S42. As the actual division position obtained in this way, a position where the length is close to the provisional division length and is a GOP break is stored.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a modification of the recording / reproduction control device capable of performing the recompression processing at high speed.
In this embodiment, n recompression units are provided, and the content 30 is transferred from the recompression unit 321 to the recompression unit 32n.
When inputting 1, one content that has passed through the dividing means 305 is input after being separated into n pieces. Then, at the time of output, one content 303 in which the output from the recompression unit 321 to the recompression unit 32n is recompressed by the combining unit 306 is generated and stored. Thereby, recompression can be performed at high speed.

Next, a method for simultaneously recompressing a plurality of divided contents will be described. FIG. 23 is a block diagram thereof. Here, there is an example in which there are three recompression means. 511, 512, and 513 are content reading means A, B, and C for reading content from the storage device.
521, 522, 523 are recompression means A, B, C for recompressing the read data. 531, 532, and 533 are content writing units A, B, and C for writing recompressed data to a storage device. 501 denotes recompression means 521, 5
Recompression control means for instructing start / end to 22, 523. A storage device 503 stores the content. An instruction for recompression is sent from the recompression control unit 501 to the content reading unit 511 and the recompression control unit 521.
Be issued to Then, the contents reading means 511 reads the contents from the storage device 503 and reads the contents.
Send to 21. Similarly, the recompressing means 521 sequentially recompresses the transmitted data, and
Send to 1. The content writing unit 531 writes the recompressed data to the storage device 503. The same operation is performed for B and C at the same time. At this time, the recompressed data may be temporarily written out and replaced with the original content after the end of the recompression, but since the data once recompressed is smaller than the original data, You may overwrite. Regarding the recompression ratio, the recompression control unit 501 may notify the recompression unit (521, 522, 523) of the recompression ratio (for example, 0.8) or may store the recompression ratio in the recompression unit in advance. It is conceivable to keep it. Then, when the recompression is completed, the data is merged to produce a recompressed content.

[0085]

As described above, according to the present invention, by describing the bit rate of a content in an electronic program guide, a recording and reproduction control device capable of simultaneously performing a plurality of recording reservations can be used to make a recording reservation. It is possible to provide information that enables appropriate recording reservation at the recording reservation stage.

When making a recording reservation, the total bit rate of the content reserved for recording / playback in the same time zone and the bit rate of the processing performance of the recording / playback control device are referred to by referring to the bit rate of the content described in the EPG. And compare
When the total bit rate of the content is large, the bit rate of the content is set to be equal to or lower than the bit rate of the processing performance of the recording and reproduction control device, and it is possible to make an appropriate recording reservation without failing in the recording reservation stage. .

When an EPG in which the bit rate of the content is described is not available, the recording reservation cannot be made, so that the recording failure of the recording reservation can be easily prevented.

When the EPG describing the bit rate of the content is not available, the bit rate of the content stored in advance is used as a substitute for the bit rate of the content for new recording reservation, so that the EPG cannot be used. It is also possible to appropriately make a recording reservation.

Further, at the time of judging whether or not recording reservation is possible, the total bit rate of the content at the time when the total bit rate of the content is maximum in the same time zone of the new recording reservation is used, and the recording reservation of which recording time only partially overlaps is used. Also in this case, it is possible to make an appropriate recording reservation without causing a recording failure.

Further, when the free space of the storage device becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, recompression can be performed, and the time at which the recompression is performed can be specified. Recompression can be performed when is not used. It is also possible to execute recompression outside the time zone reserved for recording. In addition, since the content to be recompressed can be automatically selected based on the user's designation criteria, it is possible to select an appropriate file and recompress even if the user is not present. Also, the recompression process can be interrupted / restarted. Further, by dividing and recompressing the content, recompression can be performed at a higher speed than when recompressing while reproducing the content.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a program information providing apparatus using an external communication line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an electronic program guide showing program information according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an electronic program guide showing channel bit rate information in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an electronic program guide showing bit rate information of each station in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a program information providing apparatus using terrestrial broadcasting or satellite broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a program information providing system using an external communication line and a local area network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording / reproduction control device using an external communication line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing of a recording / reproduction control device using an external communication line according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording and reproduction control device using terrestrial broadcasting or satellite broadcasting according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a recording / reproduction control device using terrestrial broadcasting or satellite broadcasting in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of recompression in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows recompression control means 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a control process executed by the control unit 04.

FIG. 13 shows recompression control means 2 in the embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a flowchart in a case where 04 has a final threshold value.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process of executing recompression during a designated time zone according to the embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration for adjusting a recompression schedule based on program reservation information in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a program reservation status.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration for automatically selecting content and performing re-compression according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a recompression configuration capable of suspending / resuming recompression processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration for performing high-speed recompression in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a modification of the configuration for performing high-speed recompression in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram of content division position detection for high-speed recompression in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing processing for dividing high-speed recompressed content according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram for simultaneously recompressing a plurality of contents divided by high-speed recompression according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram for increasing the free space of a storage device by using recompression means according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 51, 101, 601, 701 Program information providing device 12, 52, 102 Program information distribution means 13, 103 Distribution request receiving means 14, 53, 104 Distribution control means 15, 54, 107 Program information creation means 16, 602, 108 Communication Line 17, 55, 109, 605, 706 Recording / Reproduction Control Device 105 Local Area Network 106 Program Information Creation Device 110 Program Information Provision System 21, 41 Station Name in Electronic Program Guide 22 Broadcast of Broadcast Program in Electronic Program Guide Date 23 Program identifier of broadcast program in electronic program guide 24 Broadcast start time of broadcast program in electronic program guide 25 Broadcast end time of broadcast program in electronic program guide 32, 42 Broadcast bit rate in electronic program guide 31 Electronic program Channel names in the guide 56, 702 Satellite broadcasting 57, 70 Terrestrial broadcast 603, 704 Monitor 604, 705 Remote control 606, 707 Recording reservation availability display means 607, 708 Recording reservation input means 608, 710 Recording reservation availability determination means 609, 711 Recording reservation registration means 610, 712 Total recording / playback bit rate Calculation means 611, 714 Recording / playback reservation storage means 612, 709 Program information acquisition and extraction means 613, 713 Program information storage means 621, 721 Bit rate control means 622, 722 Decoding means 623, 723 Encoding means 625, 725 Storage device 201 Content reading means 202 Recompression means 203 Content writing means 204 Recompression control means 205 Storage device 206 Program reservation information storage means 207 Content selection means 208 Interruption location storage means 301 Content 311 312, 321, 322, 32n Recompressing means 303 Recompressed contents 305 Dividing means 306 Joining means 401 Temporary dividing position designating means 402 Content reading means 403 Storage device 404 GOP detecting means 405 Real dividing position storing means 511, 512, 513 Content reading means 521, 522, 523 Recompression means 531 532, 533 Content writing means 501 Recompression control means 503 Storage device 502 Real division position storage means 901 Content reading means 902 Recompression means 903 Content writing means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI H04N 7/173 610 H04N 5/92 H (72) Inventor Katsuaki Yamamoto 5-7-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo NEC Corporation (56) References JP-A-2000-90512 (JP, A) JP-A-11-136646 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 5/76-5 / 956 G11B 20/10-20/12 H04N 7/14-7/173

Claims (33)

(57) [Claims] 1. A program information providing device for distributing an electronic program guide.
Receiving the distribution request of the electronic program guide
Request request means and manages the distribution request of the electronic program guide
Distribution control means for controlling distribution and an electronic program guide.
Program information distribution means to be distributed and bit rate of contents
Program information creation means that describes
At least have the content bit rate described
Program information characterized by delivering an electronic program guide
Information providing device. 2. A program information providing apparatus for distributing an electronic program guide using an external communication line, comprising: a distribution request receiving means for receiving a distribution request of the electronic program guide; Distribution control means for controlling a program information distribution means for distributing an electronic program guide,
A program information providing apparatus comprising at least program information creation means for describing a bit rate of content in an electronic program guide, and distributing an electronic program guide in which a bit rate of content is described. 3. A program information providing system for distributing an electronic program guide.
System to determine the bit rate of content
Program information creation having program information creation means described in the guide
Distribution device that receives a distribution request for an electronic program guide.
Request / receive means and whether to manage the distribution request of the electronic program guide
Distribution control means for controlling the distribution and the electronic program guide.
Program information providing device having program information distribution means for communicating
And an electronic program created by the program information creating device.
Local area network that passes guides to program information providing devices
And bit rate of the content
Characterized by the distribution of electronic program guides
Program information providing system. 4. A program information providing system for distributing an electronic program guide using an external communication line, comprising: a program information creating device having program information creating means for describing a bit rate of content in the electronic program guide; Arrangement
Distribution request receiving means for receiving a communication request, and an electronic program guide
A program information providing device having a distribution control means for managing a distribution request and controlling distribution, a program information distributing means for distributing an electronic program guide, and an electronic program guide created by the program information creating device. A program information providing system comprising a local area network to be provided to a providing device, and delivering an electronic program guide in which a bit rate of content is described. 5. A program information providing system according to claim 3 or 4.
In place of the local area network
Passing an electronic program guide describing the bit rate of the content created by the program information creating device to a program information distribution device by a storage medium, and distributing the electronic program guide describing the bit rate of the content. A program information providing system characterized by the following. 6. The program information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bit rate of the content described in the electronic program guide is described for each station. 7. The program information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the bit rate of the content described in the electronic program guide is described for each station. . 8. The program information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bit rate of the content described in the electronic program guide is described for each channel. 9. The program information provision according to claim 3, wherein the bit rate of the content described in the electronic program guide is described for each channel. system. 10. The program information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bit rate of the content described in the electronic program guide is described for each program. 11. The program information provision according to claim 3, wherein the bit rate of the content described in the electronic program guide is described for each program. system. 12. A content bit rate is described.
In a recording and playback control device that obtains an electronic program guide,
Enter program information for requesting / acquiring / extracting the electronic program guide
Manual means and program information storage for storing the electronic program guide
Means, recording reservation input means for inputting recording reservation information,
Recording / playback contents at a specific time Total bitley
Recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculation means
Recording / playback reservation storage means for storing recording / playback reservations
Recording schedule registration means for registering a new recording schedule;
Recording reservation availability display means for displaying whether reservation was possible
And the content described in the electronic program guide
Recording to determine whether recording reservation is possible using the bit rate of
Recording / reproducing system characterized by having reservation availability determination means
Control device. 13. A recording / reproduction control device for obtaining an electronic program guide in which a bit rate of a content is described using an external communication line, wherein: a program information obtaining means for requesting, obtaining, and extracting the electronic program guide; Program information storage means for storing an electronic program guide, recording reservation input means for inputting recording reservation information, and recording / reproduction reservation total bit rate calculation means for calculating the total bit rate of recording / reproduction reservation content at a specific time Recording / playback reservation storage means for storing a recording / playback reservation, recording reservation registration means for registering a new recording reservation, and recording reservation availability display means for displaying whether or not the recording reservation was possible; A recording reservation determining unit that determines whether recording reservation can be performed using the bit rate of the content described in the guide; The control device. 14. When a new recording reservation is made, the sum of the bit rates of the contents to be already recorded and reproduced for the same time zone and the bit rates of the contents to be newly recorded is determined by the processing capacity of the recording and reproduction control device. When the recording reservation availability determination unit determines that a new recording reservation is not possible, the total of the bit rates of the respective contents is set to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capability of the recording / reproduction control device. 12. The method according to claim 12, wherein
3. The recording / reproduction control device according to any one of 3 . 15. A content bit using a storage medium.
Recording and playback to obtain an electronic program guide with a described rate
The control device obtains and extracts the electronic program guide.
Program information obtaining means, and storing the electronic program guide.
Program information storage means and recording reservation for inputting recording reservation information
Input means and the contents of the recording / playback reservation at a specific time
Recording / playback reservation total bit rate to calculate total bit rate
Recording / reproduction schedule for storing recording / reproduction reservation
About storage means and new recording reservation Recording schedule registration person to record
Recording reservation is possible to display the stage and whether recording reservation was possible
Rejection display means and a content described in the electronic program guide.
The recording reservation using the content bit rate
It has a recording reservation availability determination means, When you make a new recording reservation,
Bit rate and new recording
Recording and playback of the sum of the bit rate of the content to be reserved
Exceeding the bit rate of the processing capacity of the
When the agreement determination unit determines that a new recording reservation cannot be made,
Record and play back the sum of the bit rates of each content
There is a means to reduce the bit rate below the processing capacity of the control unit.
Recording / reproduction control device. 16. The recording / reproduction control device according to claim 12 , wherein when an electronic program guide cannot be obtained when a new recording reservation is made, said recording / reproduction reservation total bit rate calculating means comprises: The bit rate of the pre-stored content is used as the bit rate of the content to be reserved for new recording. The total bit rate of each content is calculated. Based on the calculation result, it is determined whether or not a new recording reservation is possible. A recording / reproducing control device having means for setting a bit rate of 17. Bits of content using a storage medium
Recording and playback to obtain an electronic program guide with a described rate
The control device obtains and extracts the electronic program guide.
Program information obtaining means, and storing the electronic program guide.
Program information storage means and recording reservation for inputting recording reservation information
Input means and the contents of the recording / playback reservation at a specific time
Recording / playback reservation total bit rate to calculate total bit rate
Recording / reproduction schedule for storing recording / reproduction reservation
Recording means and a recording reservation registration method for registering a new recording reservation
Recording reservation is possible to display the stage and whether recording reservation was possible
Rejection display means and a content described in the electronic program guide.
The recording reservation using the content bit rate
It has a recording reservation availability determination means, When making a new recording reservation, the electronic program guide cannot be obtained.
The recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculating means.
Is the bit rate of the content stored in advance The new
The same as the bit rate of the
Bit Rate and Playback of Recorded Scheduled Content in Time Zone
The bit rate of the reserved content and the
Calculate the total bit rate with the bit rate of the content
Is determined based on the calculation result of
If it is determined that a reservation cannot be made,
The total sum of the traits should be less than the processing capacity of the recording and
Recording means having means for setting the
Raw control device. 18. The recording / reproduction reservation using the total bit rate of the content at the time when the total bit rate of the content becomes maximum in the same time zone of the new recording reservation calculated by the recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculation means. When the reservation availability determination means determines availability of a video recording reservation and determines that a new video recording reservation is not possible, a means for reducing the sum of the bit rates of the respective contents to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capability of the recording / reproduction control device is provided. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein
Or the recording / reproducing control device according to any one of claims 13 to 13 . 19. Bits of content using a storage medium
Recording and playback to obtain an electronic program guide with a described rate
The control device obtains and extracts the electronic program guide.
Program information obtaining means, and storing the electronic program guide.
Program information storage means and recording reservation for inputting recording reservation information
Input means and the contents of the recording / playback reservation at a specific time
Recording / playback reservation total bit rate to calculate total bit rate
Recording / reproduction schedule for storing recording / reproduction reservation
Recording means and a recording reservation registration method for registering a new recording reservation
Recording reservation is possible to display the stage and whether recording reservation was possible
Rejection display means and a content described in the electronic program guide.
The recording reservation using the content bit rate
It has a recording reservation availability determination means, The recording / playback reservation total bit rate calculation means calculates
Content in the same time slot of the new recording reservation issued
Of content at the time when the total bit rate of the
The recording reservation availability determination means uses the
Judgment of image reservation is made and new recording reservation is judged to be impossible
The total bit rate of each content.
To set the bit rate below the processing capacity of the recording / playback controller
A recording / reproduction control device comprising a step. 20. When a new recording reservation is made, the sum of the bit rates of the contents already reserved and reserved for reproduction in the same time zone and the bit rates of the contents reserved for new recording is determined by the processing capacity of the recording / reproduction control device. If the recording rate exceeds the bit rate and the recording reservation availability determination unit determines that a new recording reservation is not possible, the sum of the bit rates of the respective contents is set to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capability of the recording and playback control device. claim, characterized in that it comprises means for automatically adjusting the bit rate of the video data 1
20. The recording / reproduction control device according to any one of 4 to 19 . 21. When a new recording reservation is made, the sum of the bit rates of the contents already reserved for recording and reproduction for the same time zone and the bit rates of the contents newly reserved for recording is determined by the processing capacity of the recording and reproduction control device. If the recording rate exceeds the bit rate and the recording reservation availability determination means determines that a new recording reservation is not possible, the color difference information is used as means for setting the sum of the bit rates of the respective contents to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capacity of the recording and reproduction control device. 20. The recording / reproducing control device according to claim 14, further comprising: means for controlling the recording / reproduction. 22. When a new recording reservation is made, the sum of the bit rate of the content to be reserved for recording and reproduction and the bit rate of the content to be newly reserved for recording in the same time zone is the processing capacity of the recording and reproduction control device. When the recording reservation availability determination unit determines that a new recording reservation is not possible when the bit rate exceeds the bit rate, the luminance information is used as a means for setting the sum of the bit rates of the respective contents to a bit rate equal to or less than the processing capability of the recording and reproduction control device. 20. The recording / reproducing control device according to claim 14, further comprising: means for controlling the recording / reproduction. 23. Means for recompressing the stored content data in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of the new and already-recorded content. 23. The recording / reproduction control device according to claim 12 , wherein data of the content of the already-recorded recording can be stored in the storage device. 24. Means for recompressing content data stored in said storage device so as to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of new and already-recorded reserved content. The means for recompressing comprises:
The decoding device reads out the content data stored in the storage device, decodes the read data, and re-encodes the data decoded by the decoding device; 24. The recording / reproduction control device according to claim 23 , further comprising means for accumulating the content in the storage device, whereby the data of the new and already-recorded content can be accumulated in the storage device. 25. When the free space of the storage device becomes equal to or less than a parameter specified in advance, the free space of the connected storage device is made larger than the total data amount of the new and already-recorded reserved contents. Decoding means for re-compressing content data stored in the device, the re-compression means reading the content data stored in the storage device, and decoding the read data; And re-encoding means for re-encoding the data which has been subjected to the decoding processing, and further comprising means for accumulating the re-encoded data in the storage device. 23 can be stored in the storage device.
3. The recording and reproduction control device according to item 1. 26. In order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of the new and already-recorded reserved contents, the storage device is set so that the free space of the storage device becomes equal to or larger than a parameter designated in advance. Means for recompressing the content data stored in the storage device, the recompression means reading out the content data stored in the storage device, and decoding means for decoding the read data; and Re-encoding means for re-encoding the decoded data, and further comprising means for accumulating the re-encoded data in the storage device. 24. The storage device according to claim 23, wherein the data can be stored in the storage device.
3. The recording and reproduction control device according to item 1. 27. Recompressing the content data stored in said storage device at a predetermined time in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of the new and already-recorded reserved content. Decoding means for reading the content data stored in the storage device, decoding the read data, and re-encoding the data decoded by the decoding means. Means for storing the re-encoded data in the storage device, whereby the data of the new and already-recorded reservation contents can be stored in the storage device. Term
24. The recording / reproduction control device according to 23 . 28. In order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of the new and already-recorded reserved contents, the free time is checked by referring to the recording / playback reservation information. Decoding means for recompressing the content data stored in the storage device, the recompression means reading the content data stored in the storage device, and decoding the read data; Re-encoding means for re-encoding the data decoded by the means, and means for storing the re-encoded data in the storage device. 24. The recording / reproduction control device according to claim 23 , wherein data can be stored in the storage device. 29. In order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of new and already-recorded reserved content, the importance of the content data stored in said storage device specified by the user is specified. Means for selectively recompressing as a reference, the recompressing means reading out the content data stored in the storage device, decoding means for decoding the read data, and decoding processing by the decoding means Means for re-encoding data, and means for accumulating the re-encoded data in the storage device. 24. The recording / reproducing control device according to claim 23 , wherein the recording / reproducing control device can be stored in a storage device. 30. In order to make the free space of a connected storage device larger than the total data amount of new and already-recorded reserved contents, the content data stored in the storage device is stored at the time when the content was generated. Means for selectively recompressing the content data stored in the storage device, the decoding means for decoding the read data, and the decoding processing performed by the decoding means. Means for re-encoding data, and means for accumulating the re-encoded data in the storage device. 24. The recording / reproducing control device according to claim 23 , wherein the recording / reproducing control device can be stored in a storage device. 31. In order to make the free space of a connected storage device larger than the total data amount of new and already-recorded reserved contents, data of the contents stored in the storage device is determined based on the size of the contents. Means for selectively recompressing, the means for recompressing reads the content data from the storage device, decodes the read data, and re-encodes the data decoded by the decoding means. A storage unit for storing the re-encoded data in the storage device, whereby the data of the new and already-recorded reservation contents can be stored in the storage device. A recording / reproduction control device according to claim 23 . 32. Means for recompressing content data stored in said storage device in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of new and already-recorded reserved content. , The means for re-compressing the data from the storage device into a GOP (Group of Pict).
(ures) unit, comprising: decoding means for reading out the content data in units of GOP, and decoding the read out data in GOP units; and re-encoding means for re-encoding the data decoded by the decoding means. Holding means for holding the position of the GOP in which the recompression has been interrupted, and restarting the data recompression from the GOP position held in the holding means, thereby performing recompression in GOP units. Means for interrupting and resuming, and means for accumulating the recompressed data in the storage device, whereby the data of the new and already-recorded reservation contents can be accumulated in the storage device. The recording / reproduction control device according to claim 23 , wherein: 33. A means for rapidly recompressing content data stored in said storage device in order to make the free space of the connected storage device larger than the total data amount of new and already-recorded reserved content. The high-speed re-compression means divides the content data read from the storage device into re-encodable blocks using GOPs as delimiters, and independently operates the content data divided by the division means. Means for recompressing by the plurality of decoding means and re-encoding means, and means for storing the recompressed data in the storage device. 24. The recording / reproducing control device according to claim 23 , wherein the recording / reproducing control device can be stored in the storage device.