JP4408383B2 - Information distribution apparatus, information distribution system, and information distribution method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information distribution device capable of varying the quality of information for each category of information when reproducing multimedia information within a specified time limit. <P>SOLUTION: The information distribution device includes a first information storage part for storing multimedia information including images and voice; a second information storage part for storing user request information including information related to the desired quality of the multimedia information set by a user who desires the distribution of the multimedia information; an information processing part that, based on the user request information, changes the quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage part, for each category imparted to the multimedia information, so as to create information for sending to an information terminal that the user owns; and a sending part that sends the pieces of information created by the information processing part to the information terminal in sequence. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information distribution apparatus and an information distribution method, and in particular, when distributing multimedia information including images and sounds to a mobile terminal or the like, the information distribution apparatus and information considering the situation on the mobile terminal side that is the distribution destination Regarding the delivery method.

In recent years, with the increase in communication speed and the progress of image and audio data compression technology, moving image distribution using the Internet and moving image distribution to mobile terminals using wireless communication are performed.
For example, there is an information distribution service in which multimedia information composed of moving images, still images, audio, text, etc. stored in a server is transmitted as streaming information to a PDA or notebook computer via the Internet.

In addition, a system in which multimedia information recorded by a large-capacity video recorder is recorded on a memory card, and the multimedia information is reproduced by inserting the memory card into a mobile terminal.
However, portable terminals such as PDAs, notebook PCs, and mobile phones can enjoy streaming playback anytime and anywhere at the convenience and convenience of the user. However, large power consumption is required for multimedia information playback. Since it is necessary, the user needs to perform reproduction while paying attention to the remaining battery capacity. Thus, several methods for controlling the power consumption on the portable terminal side that reproduces multimedia information have been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In Patent Document 1, when the actual remaining battery level is detected, the battery capacity required to play back the received content is predicted, and the remaining battery level is compared with the required battery capacity, so that the remaining battery level is low Describes a method for suppressing power consumption of a mobile terminal, which notifies power shortage and transmits the moving image data with a reduced quality (number of frames, etc.) from the distribution server.
Also, in Patent Document 2, based on the operation mode and operation restriction processing set by the user, reception restriction is performed so that only a part of the encoded data transmitted from the server is received, or determination is made based on user preference data. A data reproducing apparatus that controls reception, decoding, or reproduction output processing based on the importance level and the remaining battery level is described.
JP 2002-77377 A JP 2003-264767 A

However, in the conventional video distribution service via the Internet, the user can select the quality of the image to be transmitted from among several types of quality images prepared in advance according to the request from the user. The battery capacity of the user's mobile terminal was not taken into consideration. Therefore, when the user requests high-quality video distribution even though the remaining capacity is small, there is a problem that the reproduction time is shortened against the user's intention.
In addition, in the battery described in Patent Document 1, the remaining capacity of the battery is taken into account, but if the remaining capacity decreases, the quality is reduced under a predetermined condition and transmitted, so that the user sees with high quality. There is a problem that the quality of the reproduced image deteriorates against the user's intention despite the desired scene.

Furthermore, in the thing of patent document 2, although encoded data can be received and reproduced | regenerated with the importance corresponding to the preference which the user set, it is the user's preference about the whole received multimedia information. It is only reflected, and the distinction between the scene that the user really wants to see and the scene that the user does not want to see in the multimedia information is not considered.
In addition, although the remaining amount of battery power is taken into account, if the remaining amount is low, the playback quality deteriorates even if the importance set by the user is high, and playback with the quality requested by the user is not possible. there were.

By the way, even if the multimedia information that the user desires to be distributed, it is considered that there are few cases where the user wants to look at the same importance, that is, the same quality from the beginning to the end.
For example, when playing a sports program such as soccer or baseball, it is considered that the scene that the user really wants to watch is limited. While shooting scenes in soccer, set play scenes, and scoring scenes in baseball are thought to be of high quality, you may not want to see scenes where play is interrupted or where the ball is simply being turned. In some cases, it may be good or may be reproduced with low quality.
In other words, the quality of the received multimedia information is not uniformly reduced, but if the playback quality changes according to the importance of each scene specified by the user, the playback can be satisfied with the user. It is possible to use the battery capacity of the mobile terminal effectively.

In addition, if the remaining capacity of the battery is reduced, for example, if there is only one hour remaining, the power saving function will work and the playback quality will be reduced evenly. The scene (for example, a shooting scene) cannot be seen with satisfactory quality.
In other words, with the conventional reproduction method considering reduction of power consumption, it is difficult to answer the needs of users who want to reproduce the scene that they really want to see with high quality even when the remaining capacity of power is small.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and when reproducing multimedia information at a designated time, the quality of the multimedia information is referred to as a scene feature (hereinafter referred to as a category). It is an object of the present invention to provide an information distribution apparatus that can be reproduced in a manner that is satisfactory for the user.

The present invention includes a first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds,
A second information storage unit storing user request information including information related to desired quality of the multimedia information set by the user, and multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit based on the user request information Information processing unit that determines the information quality of each category assigned to the multimedia information and generates transmission information for transmission to the information terminal owned by the user, and transmission information generated by the information processing unit Is transmitted to the information terminal sequentially, and the user request information stored in the second information storage unit includes information Iq indicating the desired reproduction quality for each category, and is determined by the information processing unit If the information quality of the specified category i is higher than the desired reproduction quality requested by the user, the information quality of the category i is desired Change reduction in raw quality, there is provided an information distribution apparatus, characterized in that the widening modification by prorating information quality of the other categories.
A first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds; a second information storage unit storing user request information including information related to desired quality of the multimedia information set by the user; In order to determine the information quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit for each category assigned to the multimedia information based on the user request information, and to transmit to the information terminal owned by the user An information processing unit for generating the transmission information, and a transmission unit for sequentially transmitting the transmission information generated by the information processing unit to the information terminal, and the user request information stored in the second information storage unit includes: The information quality of the specific category i determined by the information processing unit, including information Iq indicating the desired reproduction quality for each category, is requested by the user. Information distribution apparatus characterized in that, when the quality is lower than the desired reproduction quality, the information quality of the category i is enlarged and changed to the desired reproduction quality, and the information quality of other categories is proportionally distributed and reduced. Is to provide.
A first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds; a second information storage unit storing user request information including information related to desired quality of the multimedia information set by the user; In order to determine the information quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit for each category assigned to the multimedia information based on the user request information, and to transmit to the information terminal owned by the user An information processing unit for generating the transmission information, and a transmission unit for sequentially transmitting the transmission information generated by the information processing unit to the information terminal, and the user request information stored in the second information storage unit includes: includes a power remaining capacity of the information terminal, while sending the transmission information to the information terminal, the power prediction unit for predicting a current power remaining capacity E ₁ of the information terminal, the transmission A receiver for receiving the power remaining capacity E ₂ from the information terminal during the transmission of information, whether the difference between the predicted power remaining capacity E ₁ power remaining capacity E ₂ received and exceeds a predetermined value And a comparison unit that compares the estimated remaining capacity E ₁ and the received remaining capacity E ₂ when the difference exceeds a predetermined value, the information processing unit applies a category to untransmitted multimedia information. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information distribution apparatus characterized by recalculating and changing the information quality of each.

  The user request information stored in the second information storage unit includes the remaining power Er of the information terminal, the desired multimedia information name Id, the desired power consumption information Eo, the desired reproduction time To, and the multimedia information. The multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit includes time-division and a plurality of categories to which categories are assigned, including the importance P for the assigned categories and information Iq indicating the desired reproduction quality for each category. It consists of scene information and reflects the user's desired playback quality for each category assigned to the multimedia information within the desired playback time To and within the power range indicated by the desired power consumption information requested by the user. The information processing unit performs information quality for each category of the stored multimedia information so that information can be reproduced on the information terminal. There is provided an information distribution apparatus and changes.

Furthermore, the information quality for each category changed by the information processing unit is the degree of importance Pn assigned to the category n of the total power consumption determined by the desired power consumption information and the scene to which the category is assigned. It is determined by the power consumption amount En of the category obtained from the playback time Tn and information Iq indicating the desired playback quality of the category. Here, the information Iq indicating the desired reproduction quality of the category includes a ratio of reproduction characteristics for each category of the transmission information. The reproduction characteristic means, for example, image quality, smoothness of motion, color depth, and the like, and the ratio of the reproduction characteristic is given by a numerical ratio representing a relative priority.
When the multimedia information includes a moving image, the information quality for each category includes the number of pixels r, the frame rate f, and the bit rate b of the moving image, and the information processing unit Three pieces of information are determined.
When the information quality of a specific category i determined by the information processing unit is excessive than the desired reproduction quality requested by the user, the information quality of the category i is reduced and changed to the desired reproduction quality. The information quality of other categories may be enlarged and changed in proportion. Conversely, if the information quality of the determined category i is lower than the desired reproduction quality, the information quality of the category i is expanded and changed to the desired reproduction quality, and the information quality of other categories is proportionally distributed. You may reduce and change.

Furthermore, during transmission of the transmission information to the information terminal, a power prediction unit that predicts the current power remaining capacity of the information terminal, and receiving the power remaining capacity information from the information terminal during transmission of the transmission information A reception unit; and a comparison unit that compares whether or not a difference between the predicted remaining power E ₁ and the received remaining power E ₂ exceeds a predetermined value, and receiving the predicted remaining capacity E ₁ and the reception If the difference between the remaining capacity E ₂ exceeds a predetermined value, the information processing unit may be changed to recalculate the information quality of each category to the multimedia information unsent.

In addition, when the multimedia information is composed of scene information of a plurality of categories having different importance levels, the transmission unit reproduces the transmission information of the category with lower importance while the information terminal is playing back. A part of the transmission information of the category with high importance may be transmitted to the information terminal in advance.
Here, the third information storage unit includes a third information storage unit that stores transmission information generated by the information processing unit with respect to the entire multimedia information of the desired multimedia information name included in the user request information. May be a removable recording medium.

Moreover, this invention provides the information terminal provided with the receiving part which receives the transmission information transmitted by the said information delivery apparatus, and the information reproduction | regeneration part which reproduces | regenerates the received transmission information.
Furthermore, an attachment part into which the third information storage part storing the transmission information generated by the information distribution device can be inserted, and information for reproducing the transmission information stored in the third information storage part inserted into the attachment part. An information terminal including a reproduction unit is provided.

  The present invention also provides a first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds, and second information storing user request information including information related to desired quality of the multimedia information set by the user. Based on the storage unit and the user request information, the quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit is changed for each category assigned to the multimedia information, and the information terminal owned by the user is changed. An information distribution apparatus comprising: an information processing unit that generates transmission information for transmission; and a transmission unit that sequentially transmits transmission information generated by the information processing unit to the information terminal; and information distribution An information distribution system comprising an information terminal having a function of reproducing transmission information transmitted from an apparatus is provided.

  Further, the present invention acquires multimedia information including images and sounds to be distributed, acquires user request information including information related to desired quality of multimedia information set by a user, and includes the user request information in the user request information. Based on the category, the quality of the multimedia information that the user wishes to distribute is changed for each category assigned to the multimedia information, and the transmission information for transmission to the information terminal owned by the user is generated and generated. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information distribution method for an information distribution apparatus, which sequentially transmits the transmitted information to the information terminal.

  Furthermore, the present invention stores multimedia information including images and sounds, and determines the quality of the multimedia information based on user request information including information related to the desired quality of the multimedia information set by the user. An information distribution method for an information distribution system comprising an information distribution device that generates transmission information by changing for each category assigned to the multimedia information, and an information terminal owned by the user, wherein the information terminal reproduces the information The identification name of the desired multimedia information is transmitted to the information distribution device, and the information distribution device acquires meta information related to the category assigned to the multimedia information specified by the identification name and transmits it to the information terminal. For each category of meta information received by the user, the importance of the category set by the user and the desired playback item for each category Is transmitted to the information distribution apparatus as user request information together with the desired reproduction time and desired power consumption information, and the information distribution apparatus within the desired reproduction time included in the user request information and the desired power Change the information quality for each category of multimedia information to be distributed so that information reflecting the user's desired playback quality is played back on the information terminal for each category within the power range indicated by the consumption information. An information distribution method for an information distribution system, characterized in that information is generated, the transmission information is transmitted to an information terminal, and the information terminal reproduces multimedia information with different information quality for each received transmission information for each category. It is to provide.

According to the present invention, since the quality of the multimedia information distributed for each category is changed based on the information related to the desired quality included in the user request information, the user's request for each scene included in the category is changed. Multimedia information can be reproduced with the quality to be achieved.
In addition, since the information processing unit changes the information quality so as to reproduce the information within the range indicated by the user's desired reproduction time and desired power consumption information, the user does not care about the remaining battery capacity of the information terminal. Multimedia information can be reproduced without having to In addition, because the scene that the user thinks important is played with high quality within the specified playback desired time, and the scene that is not so is played with relatively low quality, even if the power capacity used for playback processing is the same, It can be played back with the quality intended for the user, and the power can be used effectively.

In addition, since the user can specify the desired power consumption, it is possible to leave the power capacity that the user deliberately needs in a state other than playback, and other processing in the information terminal can be performed even when playback is completed. Can be executed.
In addition, if the information quality of a certain category determined by the information processing department is excessive or too low than the desired quality, it can be made closer to the desired quality by reducing or expanding the determined information quality. , Can make effective use of electric power.
Furthermore, even during transmission of transmission information, information quality reflecting the actual remaining capacity more accurately can be obtained by periodically transmitting the remaining power capacity of the information terminal.
In addition, while transmitting the transmission information of the category with low importance, by transmitting in advance a part of the transmission information of the category with high importance that is reproduced later, the information distribution apparatus It is possible to reproduce a moving image at a bit rate higher than the available communication band between information terminals.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this.
<Overall configuration of information distribution system>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an information distribution system including the information distribution apparatus of the present invention.
The information distribution system of the present invention comprises an information distribution apparatus 1 that stores multimedia information and transmits it to an information terminal, and a plurality of information terminals 2 that receive and reproduce the multimedia information, both of which are connected to the Internet. Are connected via the network 3.

The network 3 is not limited to the Internet, and any network that can transmit and receive information in both directions may be used. In addition to wired networks such as wired LAN, dedicated line, ADSL, ISDN, and FTTH, all wireless networks including wireless LAN, Bluetooth, CDMA, etc. can be used.
The information terminal 2 includes various information communication devices such as a personal computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, a notebook personal computer, and a portable video player. In the present invention, particularly, from the viewpoint of effective use of limited power. Primarily intended for battery-powered portable terminals.

The information distribution apparatus 1 mainly includes a server function having a large recording capacity capable of storing a large number of multimedia information, and an information processing and communication relay function for processing the multimedia information into information requested by the user and transmitting it. .
The information distribution apparatus 1 can be configured as a stand-alone apparatus having both a server function and an information processing / communication relay function in one housing, but the content server 11 having the server function, the information processing, -You may comprise separately with the relay apparatus 12 with a communication relay function.

In this case, the relay device 12 and the information terminal 2 are connected via the network 3. The content server 11 and the relay device 12 may be installed in the same premises or in the same room and connected via a network such as a LAN. However, the content server 11 and the relay device 12 are not necessarily installed in the same premises and are connected by a dedicated line or the Internet. You may make it install in the remote place.
In the following embodiments, the information distribution apparatus 1 will be described as one apparatus having both a server function and an information processing / communication relay function.

In addition, the information delivery apparatus 1 and the information terminal 2 may be used in a situation where they are not connected via the network 3.
In this case, the multimedia information stored in the information distribution apparatus 1 is recorded on a portable memory card or the like, and the information is reproduced by inserting the memory card into the information terminal 2. . Various types of memory cards are already on the market, but the present invention is not limited to any one, and any removable recording medium can be used. This memory card corresponds to the third information storage unit described above. Moreover, what is necessary is just to provide the information delivery apparatus 1 and the information terminal 2 with the attaching part which can insert a predetermined | prescribed memory card.

  In the following embodiments, the distributed multimedia information includes a mixture of moving images, still images, sounds, and data. Each information is given a category, and the importance of reproduction is given for each category according to request information from the user. In the following embodiments, a moving image is mainly taken as representative information, and information processing and transmission processing will be described. However, processing and transmission processing of other information such as voice can be performed in the same manner.

In FIG. 1, an outline of information exchanged between the information terminal 2 and the information distribution apparatus will be described.
On the premise that a large number of information contents are stored in the information distribution apparatus 1, information desired by the user among the stored contents is transmitted to the mobile terminal 2 owned by the user.

First, when the user knows the information stored in the information distribution apparatus 1, first, user request information 5 including the multimedia information name Id desired to be reproduced is received from the portable terminal 2 as the information distribution apparatus 1. Sent to.
Alternatively, when the user does not yet know the information stored in the information distribution apparatus 1, the information distribution apparatus 1 that has received only the connection request from the portable terminal 2 is stored in its own storage unit and can be distributed. A list of information may be transmitted to the mobile terminal 2, and the mobile terminal 2 that has received the list may display the list and select information that the user wants to reproduce. When this selection operation is performed, the user request information 5 including the desired multimedia information name may be sent to the information distribution apparatus 1. The user request information 5 may include preference data S and terminal information Te as will be described later.

The information distribution device 1 that has received the user request information 5 analyzes the contents of the information, determines the information quality, acquires multimedia information (moving image data, etc.), converts the information, and converts the information as will be described later. Create transmission information that has been processed so that it can be transmitted to. Then, the transmission information 6 (converted multimedia information) is transmitted to the portable terminal 2. The mobile terminal 2 that has received the transmission information 6 decrypts the data as necessary, converts it into a reproducible format, and displays the multimedia information on a display device such as an LCD.
The above is the outline of the information distribution process of the information distribution system of the present invention. The present invention is particularly characterized by the contents of data transmitted and received between them and the contents of the information processing performed by the information distribution apparatus 1. Is.

<Configuration of information terminal (mobile terminal)>
FIG. 2 shows a detailed configuration block diagram of the information distribution system of the present invention.
In FIG. 2, an information terminal (hereinafter referred to as a portable terminal 2) stores an input unit 103 for inputting various information, a communication unit 102 for transmitting / receiving information to / from the information distribution apparatus 1 via the network 3, and preference data S. Preference data storage unit 104, terminal information storage unit 105 that stores information unique to the mobile terminal, video data storage unit 106 that stores distributed video data, terminal information detection unit 107 that detects terminal information, and removable battery 108, an output unit 110 that outputs in a form that can be understood by the user, such as displaying video data, a playback unit 109 that plays back the received video data and gives it to the output unit 110, and a control unit 101 that controls the operation of the above components Is done.

Here, the input unit 103 includes a pointing device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a pen, and is used to input characters, symbols, and the like, and to select and input any of the items displayed on the output unit 110. .
The communication unit 102 is a part that connects to the network 3 and transmits and receives data, and performs communication according to a predetermined protocol such as TCP / IP.

The control unit 101 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O controller, timer, and the like, and the operation of each component (102 to 110) based on a control program stored in advance in the ROM or RAM. To control. That is, the CPU operates the hardware of each component (102 to 110) according to the procedure described in the control program, and realizes an information reproduction function or the like in the portable terminal.
The control program is provided in a form recorded in a medium such as an IC card, a hard disk, or a CD-ROM, in addition to the case where the control program is stored in advance in a ROM or the like.
Further, the control program may be provided by being downloaded from another server via a network.

The output unit 110 includes a speaker and the like in addition to various display devices such as a CRT, LCD, and EL display.
The playback unit 109 provides the received multimedia information in a format that can be understood by the user. In the case of image or character data, the playback unit 109 converts it into a visible format and plays it. Convert to and play. In the case of a moving image, since it is generally compressed and transmitted, reproduction processing is performed after decoding.

  Each storage unit (104, 105, 106) can use various semiconductor memories, but may also use a recording medium such as a hard disk or an IC memory card. In addition, a storage unit including a removable storage medium may be provided, or a storage medium in which image data or the like is stored in advance may be mounted and the data may be played back by the playback unit 109.

The user request information 5 transmitted from the portable terminal 2 to the information distribution apparatus 1 includes, for example, a desired reproduction information name Id, a desired reproduction time To, desired electric power consumption information Eo, preference data S, and the like, as shown in FIG. Terminal information Te is included.
The reproduction desired information name Id means an identification name of multimedia information that the user desires to distribute. As will be described later, this is input in step S21 of FIG.

  The desired playback time To means the playback time desired by the user, and is input in step S23. The desired power consumption information Eo means the power consumption that the user may consume when playing back certain multimedia information out of the current remaining power of the mobile terminal 2, for example, a percentage value It is input as information.

In general, there are few cases where the user grasps the power capacity of the mobile terminal 2 by an absolute value.
Also, if all the remaining capacity is used up for multimedia information playback processing, even if the playback information can be viewed with satisfactory quality, subsequent input processing and display processing can be performed. There is a risk of disappearing. That is, there is a case where the user wants to reproduce information, but wants to leave a power capacity that can perform a minimum necessary input process after the reproduction is completed.

Therefore, it is very convenient for the user to use the mobile terminal if the user's intention can input what percentage of the current remaining capacity can be used for reproducing information.
Although the user does not directly grasp the remaining power capacity, if the user inputs “70” as the information Eo, the remaining power capacity is 70% of the current remaining power capacity when the multimedia information is reproduced. This means that it may consume more power.
This desired power consumption information Eo is input in step S23, and is used as a condition for determining the quality of information to be transmitted by the information distribution apparatus 1 together with the desired reproduction time To.

The preference data S is data corresponding to parameters that determine the reproduction quality of multimedia information desired to be distributed. The preference data S is given for each category assigned to the multimedia information, and is composed of a combination of category C, importance P for each category, and desired reproduction quality information (priority) Iq.
Category C means an identifier assigned to each division unit when multimedia information is time-divided into a plurality of pieces of information.

For example, if the multimedia information is image data, an identifier for distinguishing scene information of each division unit when the moving image data is time-divided is a category.
Taking a soccer game as an example, there are several types of soccer video data such as shoot scenes, set play scenes, set play scenes, halftime, player changes, and normal play scenes such as ball passes. Can be divided into scene information.

At this time, information such as “shoot”, “set play”, and “normal play”, which are identifiers for distinguishing each scene information, is a category. The category C itself is not assigned by the user, but is assigned by the information distribution apparatus 1.
The category C assigning process may be performed manually by the person in charge of the information distribution apparatus 1 while viewing the multimedia information, but using the characteristics (volume, color histogram, object outline, etc.) of the information. It can also be automatically given based on preset conditions. That is, the category may be automatically assigned by the automatic assignment program using the characteristics for each scene information.

The category importance P is data provided by the user for each category, and is a condition for determining the degree of reproduction quality for each category.
For example, the importance P is represented by a numerical value. If the importance (reproduction quality) is higher as the numerical value is larger, the importance P “4” in the category “shoot” in FIG. Shown, the shooting scene means that you want to play with high quality.
Also, the importance P of “normal play” is “1”, which indicates a relatively low importance, meaning that normal play such as a player change may be reproduced with low quality.

The desired reproduction quality information Iq is information indicating the desired reproduction quality for each category, and is information specifying a characteristic (reproduction characteristic) that determines the reproduction quality. Here, the four reproduction characteristics are given in the form of priority (ratio) Iq. This is because it is difficult for the user to grasp the specific numerical values of each characteristic, and it is considered that it is only necessary to roughly set each characteristic from the viewpoint of the user.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, for each category, the user inputs the ratio Iq of four reproduction characteristics in the form of (r: f: k: d) = (1: 2: 1: 2).
The four playback characteristics are as follows: in the case of moving images (video data) including sound, image quality (number of pixels) r, smoothness of motion (frame rate) f, color depth (number of gradations) k, sound (bit rate) d. However, the contents of the reproduction characteristics are not limited to these four, and other characteristics may be used corresponding to the information to be reproduced.

Here, “image quality” is a parameter that determines the so-called resolution, and if priority is given to this, a clearer image will be displayed. A blurred image will be displayed.
“Smoothness of motion” is a parameter that determines the continuity of moving images, and corresponds to the frame rate f indicating how many images are formed per second. When the frame rate is high (priority is high), the movement is smooth, but when the frame rate is low, the movement is awkward and the display looks like a piece.

  “Color depth” corresponds to the number of colors when displaying color. When the priority is high, the color looks more natural. It becomes unnatural. “Sound” is a parameter that determines the sound quality of the sound to be reproduced, and the bit rate of the sound corresponds to this. When the priority is high, the sound quality is improved, but when the priority is low, the sound quality is deteriorated.

The priority Iq of the reproduction characteristic is expressed as a ratio as shown in FIG. 7, and the numerical value 1 means the highest priority, and the larger numerical value means that the priority becomes lower.
For example, the priority Iq of “normal play” in FIG. 7 is represented by (r: f: k: d) = (3: 2: 1: 2). , “Color depth k” has the highest priority, “motion smoothness f” and “sound d” have the highest priority, and “image quality r” may have the lowest priority. Means.

In other words, for the category “normal play”, the image quality may be poor, but the sound and movement are normal, and only the color is set to be reproduced in a natural color.
Further, the reproduction quality of the scene information of category C is determined from the ratio information of these four characteristics.

In FIG. 7, the terminal information Te includes the remaining battery level Te1, the model information Te2, and the communicable transmission rate Te3. These pieces of information Te are not directly input by the user, but are acquired from the hardware of the mobile terminal 2 by the terminal information detection unit 107 shown in FIG.
The battery remaining amount Te1 means the remaining capacity of the battery 108, and can be obtained by measuring the current voltage, output current value, etc. of the battery.
The model information Te2 is identification information unique to the portable terminal, and is normally stored in the ROM, and can be acquired by reading it.
This model information Te2 is also transmitted to the information distribution apparatus 1. This model information Te2 is a quality (r, f, b) that can be reproduced with a specific power, for example, for searching and checking the rated power of the mobile terminal 2. Used to determine

The communicable transmission rate Te3 means the maximum communication rate possessed by the portable terminal 2, and it is only necessary to read this information stored in advance in a ROM or the like.
When the transmission rate Te3 is transmitted to the information distribution apparatus 1, the compression rate of the multimedia information to be transmitted is determined, and the transmission information of the category with low importance is reproduced, and then the category with high importance is reproduced. Is used for processing such as determination of a part of transmission data amount when part of the transmission information is transmitted in advance.

<Configuration of information distribution device>
On the other hand, in FIG. 2, the information distribution apparatus 1 includes a communication unit 32, an information quality determination unit 33 that determines the quality of multimedia information to be distributed, and a preference data storage unit 34 that stores preference data transmitted from a mobile terminal. , A metadata storage unit 35 that stores metadata including categories assigned to multimedia information, a terminal information storage unit 36 that stores terminal information transmitted from a mobile terminal, and recorded among multimedia information The pre-conversion video data storage unit 38 that stores the raw video, the video conversion unit 37 that converts the raw video into a transmittable state based on the determined information quality, and the video generated by the video conversion unit 37 It comprises a post-conversion video data storage unit 39 to be stored and a control unit 31 for controlling the operation of the above components.

Like the control unit 2 of the portable terminal 2, the control unit 31 is configured by a so-called microcomputer, and performs information processing processing, distribution processing, etc. while operating the hardware of each element (32-39) by a control program. It is something to execute.
The information quality determination unit 33 changes the information quality for each category assigned to the multimedia information to be transmitted based on the user request information transmitted from the mobile terminal.

  Here, in the received user request information, for each category of multimedia information desired to be distributed within the range of desired playback time To and within the range of power indicated by the desired power consumption information Eo requested by the user. Reflecting the desired reproduction quality information Iq set by the user, the information quality for each category is determined.

The information quality generally means image quality, sound quality, etc. For example, the information quality of moving image data is the three parameters “number of pixels r”, “frame rate f”, and “bit rate b”. Determined by. Details of the information quality determination process will be described later.
The moving image conversion unit 37 converts the moving image data for each category based on the determined information quality. Specifically, the “number of pixels r” and “frame rate f” for the raw image data for each category. And “bit rate b” is converted into (r, f, b) determined respectively.

The information quality determination unit 33 and the moving image conversion unit 37 correspond to an information processing unit.
The pre-conversion moving image data storage unit 38 corresponds to a first information storage unit, and the preference data storage unit 34 and the terminal information storage unit 36 correspond to a second information storage unit.
The processing of the information processing unit is mainly performed by the CPU of the control unit 31 operating based on the control program while accessing each storage unit.
In the metadata storage unit 35, for example, meta information Me as shown in FIG. 7 is stored. In the case of moving image data, the meta information Me includes a category and information on a time zone in which scene information of the category is recorded.
For example, in FIG. 7, scene information whose category is “shoot” is recorded for a specific pre-conversion image data from the time zone “00:02:13 to 00:03:30”. Show.

The meta information Me is stored in association with the acquired pre-conversion video data, but is created when a category is assigned.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the information distribution device 1 is configured to be divided into the content server 11 and the relay device 12, the pre-conversion video data and the meta information Me for this video data are stored in the content server 11. The video data stored in advance and corresponding to the reproduction desired information name given from the portable terminal 2 is read from the content server 11 to the pre-conversion video data storage unit 38, and at the same time, the meta information Me is also stored in the meta information storage unit 35. What is necessary is just to read.

<Communication processing between information distribution device and portable terminal>
Next, an outline of an embodiment of various data transmission / reception processes performed between the information distribution apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 2 will be described.
FIG. 3 shows an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of a transmission procedure between the information distribution apparatus 1 and the portable terminal 2.
In this embodiment, it is assumed that multimedia information (moving image data) desired by the user has already been acquired on the information distribution apparatus side. That is, it is assumed that corresponding “video data before conversion” and “meta information” are stored.
In FIG. 3, first, on the mobile terminal 2, the user inputs a desired reproduction information name Id (for example, “soccer ABCD game”) from the input unit 103. The user may input this Id as character data using a keyboard or the like, or may select a game name from a selection menu displayed on the display unit 110.
The communication unit 102 of the portable terminal 2 transmits the input desired reproduction information name Id to the information distribution apparatus 1 (step S21 in FIG. 5 described later).
Next, the information distribution device 1 acquires the meta information Me of the image data corresponding to the information name Id based on the received reproduction desired information name Id, and transmits it to the portable terminal 2 (described later in FIG. 6). Step S33).
On the mobile terminal 2 side that received the meta information Me, the meta information is displayed, and the user inputs information constituting the user request information 5. The input user request information 5 is transmitted to the information distribution apparatus 1 (step S13 in FIG. 4 described later).

Next, the information distribution apparatus 1 that has received the user request information determines information quality based on this information, converts the pre-conversion video data, and transmits the generated post-conversion video data to the mobile terminal 2. (Step S38 in FIG. 6).
The mobile terminal 2 reproduces the received converted video data.
The above is the outline of the transmission procedure of the information distribution process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of operation of portable terminal 2>
Here, processing such as information input, acquisition, transmission / reception, and reproduction in the mobile terminal 2 will be described.
FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of main processing of the portable terminal of the present invention.
FIG. 5 shows a detailed flowchart of the input process of preference data and the terminal information acquisition process (step S11 in FIG. 4) in the mobile terminal.

First, in step S11, preference data S as shown in FIG. 7 is input and terminal information Te is acquired. A specific example of this processing content is shown in the flow of FIG.
In step S <b> 21 of FIG. 5, the user inputs a desired reproduction information name Id from the input unit 103. The transmission unit 102 transmits this information name Id to the information distribution apparatus 1.
In step S22, the communication unit 102 acquires the meta information Me, and displays the meta information Me acquired by the output unit 110.
As described above, the meta information Me is transmitted from the information distribution apparatus 1 as information as shown in FIG.
The display section displays category C and its time zone.

In step S <b> 23, the user inputs the desired reproduction time To and the desired power consumption Eo (%) from the input unit 103. For example, “To = 60 minutes, Eo = 70%” is input.
In step S24, the user inputs preference data S as shown in FIG. 7 for each category C displayed. These data may be performed while displaying the input assistance screen as necessary so that the user can easily input the data.
In step S25, the terminal information detection unit 107 acquires terminal information Te as shown in FIG.
The data input or acquired in the above steps is stored in the storage unit (104, 105).

Returning to FIG. 4, in step S <b> 12, the control unit 101 creates user request information 5 using the input and acquired data.
In step S <b> 13, the communication unit 102 transmits the created user request information 5 to the information distribution apparatus 1.
In step S14, although not shown, the communication unit 102 waits for the moving image data to be transmitted, and receives the transmitted moving image data.
If the moving image data is compressed, it is decrypted in step S15. The decrypted moving image data is stored in the moving image data storage unit 106.

In step S16, the reproducing unit 16 reproduces the stored moving image data.
The reproduced moving image is displayed on the display unit 110 with the information quality for each received category.
In step S17, the control unit 101 confirms whether or not the desired playback time To set by the user has elapsed.
If the desired playback time To has elapsed, the playback process is terminated. On the other hand, if it has not yet elapsed, the process proceeds to step S18, and the control unit 101 confirms whether the monitoring set time has elapsed.

Here, the monitoring set time is an interval (seconds) for the terminal information detection unit 107 to detect the remaining battery level Te1, which is set in advance and moved to the storage unit 105.
Although the battery capacity decreases as a result of image reproduction, in reality, it may decrease faster than expected due to various environmental conditions, and in some cases it may be less likely to decrease.
Therefore, such a condition is provided to check the current remaining battery level for a certain period of time. However, this condition may not be essential.
If it is determined in step S18 that the monitoring set time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S19, where the terminal information detection unit 107 acquires battery remaining amount information Te1, and the transmission unit 102 transmits the information to the information distribution apparatus 1.
Thereafter, the process returns to the moving image data reception process in step S14.
Similarly, if time has not elapsed in step S18, the process returns to step S14.
The above is the processing content on the mobile terminal side.

In the portable terminal 2, there is a demand for reducing battery consumption as much as possible, so the processing is limited to processing necessary for reproducing information such as images.
For example, it is possible to adjust the playback quality of the received image on the terminal side. However, if such adjustment processing is performed, power is consumed by the operation of the CPU and the like, and battery consumption is accelerated. . However, the adjustment function concerning the portable terminal 2 may be provided, and you may make it perform as needed.

<Description of operation of information distribution apparatus>
Here, processes such as information processing including transmission / reception, acquisition, quality determination, and image conversion of various information in the information distribution apparatus 1 and transmission of image data will be described.
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the main processing of one embodiment of the information distribution apparatus 1 of the present invention.
First, in step S <b> 31, the communication unit 32 receives the reproduction desired information name Id transmitted from the mobile terminal and stores it in the preference data storage unit 34.

In step S32, the metadata storage unit 35 is searched for whether there is meta information Me of image data corresponding to the received information name Id, and the meta information Me corresponding to the information name Id is acquired.
Here, if it exists in the metadata storage unit 35, it may be read as it is, but if not, the information distribution apparatus 1 connects to another content server (not shown), and the video data and meta information requested by the user. You may make it acquire Me.
In step S <b> 33, the acquired or read meta information Me is transmitted to the mobile terminal 2.

In step S34, although not shown, when the user request information is sent from the portable terminal and the communication unit 32 receives the user request information including the preference data and the terminal information as described above, each storage unit (34, 36).
In step S35, information quality of information to be distributed is determined for each category based on the received information.
When the information to be distributed is moving image data, three parameters (number of pixels r, frame rate f, bit rate b) that determine the quality of the moving image are calculated using a predetermined formula. This will be described later.

  Next, in step S36, the pre-conversion moving image data of the information name Id desired by the user is read from the storage unit 38. If the content server storing the moving image data is in another location via the network, it is obtained by downloading.

In step S37, the moving image conversion unit 37 converts the acquired pre-conversion moving image data for each category so as to satisfy the information quality determined in step S35. In the case of moving image data, the number of pixels r, the frame rate f, and the bit rate b are converted to reconstruct the moving image data. The specific processing content can be performed using a known technique.
The converted moving image data is stored in the converted moving image data storage unit 39 for each category.

In step S <b> 38, the communication unit 32 transmits the converted moving image data to the mobile terminal 2. Here, when the moving image data is transmitted for the first time, a timer is started in order to confirm the elapse of the desired reproduction time.
In step S39, it is confirmed by checking the timer whether or not the desired reproduction time To included in the user request information has elapsed. Or you may confirm progress of reproduction | regeneration desired time using the time slot | zone information contained in meta information.

If the desired playback time has elapsed in step S39, the distribution process is terminated. On the other hand, if it has not yet elapsed, the process proceeds to step S40, and thereafter it is checked whether or not the battery remaining amount information Te1 is received.
When the communication unit newly receives the remaining battery level information Te1, the process returns to step S35 in order to update the information quality again. If not received, the process returns to step S36 to transmit the subsequent moving image data.

The series of processing from step S35 to step S38 may be performed, for example, with a category as one unit. Further, when the time of one category is long, it may be divided into appropriate times (for example, several seconds), and the above series of processing may be performed in units of the time.
The above is the information processing and distribution processing in the information distribution apparatus.
According to this, the reproduction quality of multimedia information to be distributed can be changed to the reproduction quality desired by the user for each category in consideration of the remaining power of the mobile terminal.

  In addition, since the user inputs desired playback time and desired power consumption information and the information is distributed so as to satisfy this information, the user plays multimedia information without worrying about the remaining battery level. be able to. Moreover, since the power specified in advance should remain after the playback is completed, the mobile terminal can be used with confidence.

<Description of information quality determination method>
Next, the information quality determination method in step S35 will be described.
As described above, generally, when streaming moving image data, the information quality can be specified mainly by three parameters of the number of pixels r, the frame rate f, and the bit rate b. That is, determining the values of these three parameters corresponds to determining the information quality. The three parameters (r, f, b) are information indicating the power consumption Ei for each category obtained from the importance Pi for each category and the playback time Ti for the scene of that category, and the desired playback quality for that category. And (priority Iq).

First, in the case where certain moving image data is reproduced for the desired reproduction time To specified by the user, each reproduction time of the category C included therein is assumed to be Ti (i = 1, 2,...). If there are n categories, To = T ₁ + T ₂ +... + Tn.
The desired power consumption amount information Eo set by the user is given as a percentage, and a power value that can be used obtained from this percentage value is defined as Eoo. If the current remaining battery capacity of the portable terminal is Te1, then naturally, Eoo <Te1, and if the set percentage is 80%, Eoo = Te1 × 0.8.

Also, let Ei be the amount of power that may be consumed in the i-th category Ci.
In addition, in the mobile terminal 2, in reality, apart from the amount of power used for the playback process itself, there is power (power consumption other than playback) supplied to the hardware constituting the mobile terminal even during the playback time To. Therefore, it is necessary to consider this amount of power. Assuming that the power consumption per unit time other than the reproduction processing is So, only So × To is consumed during the reproduction time To, so that the actual usable electric energy Emax is Emax = Eoo−So · To It becomes.

Here, the amount of power that may be consumed for each of n categories Ci (i = 1, 2,... N) is Ei, and the importance given to category Ci is Pi. If the importance Pi is not taken into account, Emax = E ₁ + E ₂ +... + En, and Emax may be simply allocated by the reproduction time Ti of the category. Consider degree Pi.

That is, using the product of the reproduction time Ti and the importance Pi for each category Ci as a proportional constant, the usable electric energy Emax is proportionally distributed for each category.
In this case, the electric energy Ei (i = 1 to n) assigned to one category Ci is expressed by the following equation.
Ei = Emax · (Pi · Ti) / ΣPi · Ti
In this expression, since all variables on the right side are obtained from given data, Ei is obtained for all categories.

On the other hand, information quality (r, f, b) of a certain category, power consumption Ei, and reproduction time Ti can be generally expressed by the following equations using constants α, β, γ.
Ei = (α · r · f + β · b + γ) · Ti
Here, Ei and Ti are known, but other variables are unknown. Therefore, first, the ratio of (r, f, b) is calculated using the image quality r and the smoothness f of the motion among the priority levels Iq in the preference data set by the user.
Then, by using the ratio of (r, f, b) and the relational expression of Ei and Ti, the numerical values of the three parameters (r, f, b) of a certain category Ci are determined. Since this determination process is performed by a predetermined mathematical process, details are omitted.
However, the relational expression between Ei and Ti is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 8 shows a simulation result of a set of reproduction quality parameters (r, f, b) obtained in this way.
Here, it is assumed that there are three categories Ci, and the reproduction time Ti of each category Ci is 678 seconds, 662 seconds, and 460 seconds, respectively.
In FIG. 8, Example 1 is a case where the importance Pi is the same, and the sets of reproduction quality parameters (r, f, b) are all the same among the categories. That is, (r, f, b) = (245 × 184, 17.60, 250K).

In the second, _third , and fourth embodiments, the importance level Pi is changed between categories. The category C3 having the highest importance level Pi is high in any of the number of pixels r, the frame rate f, and the bit rate b. The value indicates that it is played back with a relatively high quality.
In the third and fourth embodiments, the magnitude relationship between the frame rate fi and the number of pixels ri of each category is specified in addition to the importance level Pi.
The three reproduction quality parameters (r, f, b) obtained as described above are used for the conversion process in step S37.

FIG. 9 shows a graph of the relationship between the information quality determined in the present invention and the proportion of highly important scenes.
The vertical axis indicates the degree of information quality to be reproduced. 1 indicates that the information is reproduced with the highest quality, and the lower the value, the worse the reproduction quality.
Also, the horizontal axis shows (ratio) how many scenes with high importance P are included in the distribution information for a plurality of importance P given by the user. This indicates that many screens with high P are included, and that the more left the graph is, the smaller the proportion of scenes with high importance P is included.

First, in FIG. 9, there is a dotted straight line where the degree of reproduction quality is about 0.42, but this straight line shows the quality when the importance P is not taken into account.
That is, if the user does not give importance P and sets all categories to the same average importance, it means that the reproduction quality of moving images of all categories is about 40% of the highest quality. In other words, even when a user wants to watch with high quality, such as a “shooting scene” at this time, it can be seen only with poor quality.
On the other hand, the other graphs (G11 to G24) in FIG. 9 show the quality when the importance P is considered in the present invention. Here, G11 and G21 correspond, and similarly (G12, G22), (G13, G23), and (G14, G24) correspond to each other.

For example, when the ratio of scenes with high importance is 0.3, the graphs (G11 to G14) of scenes with high importance show values of reproduction quality of about 0.55 to 0.9. Therefore, it can be seen that the reproduction is performed with a quality higher than 0.42 when the same importance is set.
In addition, in the scenes with lower importance (G21 to G24), the playback quality is about 0.22 to 0.38, so that the playback quality is lowered compared to the case of the same importance. You can see that it is played.
From the above, if the user desires high-quality playback, playback is performed with higher quality, and if not desired, playback is performed with low quality. It becomes possible.

<Readjustment of information quality>
By the way, the information quality for each category is determined by the method as described above, but when there are a plurality of categories, the quality is determined by proportionally allocating the power capacity. In some cases, the determined priority of information quality does not match the priority Iq of reproduction quality information set by the user.
For example, even though the image quality r: smoothness of motion f desired by a user for a certain category is r: f = 1: 1, since the importance of the category is low, r: f = 1: It may not be 1.
In other words, the determined information quality may be higher (excessive) or lower (underestimated) than the information quality desired by the user.

In such a case, if the information quality of the category can be readjusted based on the desired quality of the user and the quality information for each category set in advance, the reproduction can be performed with a more satisfactory quality of the user.
For example, if the information quality once determined for a certain category i is more than the desired quality of the user, the information quality of the category i is reduced to match the desired quality, and the remainder is left by this reduction change. A portion corresponding to the quality may be proportionally distributed to a plurality of other categories, and the information quality of the other categories may be enlarged and changed.
Specifically, if the number of pixels in a certain category is larger than what the user desires, the number of pixels in that category may be reduced to a desired value and the number of pixels in another category may be adjusted again. .

On the other hand, if the information quality once determined for a certain category i is lower than the desired quality, the information quality of the category i is enlarged and matched to match the desired quality, The portion may be proportionally distributed to other categories, and the information quality of the other categories may be reduced and changed.
For example, when the frame rate of a certain category is too lower than the desired frame rate, the frame rate of the desired category may be enlarged and changed to lower the frame rate of another category.

<Comparison of remaining power capacity>
Further, when the information distribution apparatus 1 receives the information on the remaining battery level in step S40, the process returns to the process of determining the information quality again (step S35). In this case, the current power remaining capacity of the information terminal is determined. It is preferable to provide a power prediction unit for prediction.
That is, the difference between the remaining power E ₁ predicted by the power prediction unit and the received remaining battery capacity E ₂ is compared. The information quality may be calculated again for the media information.
This is because if the re-determination process is always performed every time the battery capacity is received, the re-determination process may be performed even if there is only a slight deviation in the remaining capacity, resulting in unnecessary processing. This is because there is a case where it is done.
What is necessary is just to obtain | require prediction of remaining electric power from the information specific to a portable terminal acquired beforehand.

Therefore, if the constant value to be compared with the remaining capacity difference (E ₁ −E ₂ ) for recalculation is set to an appropriate value, the information quality can be re-determined more effectively.
However, since the characteristics of the power consumption of the mobile terminal are different from each other, it is not possible to uniquely determine how to determine this constant value, but for example, it can be determined based on the power consumption rate of the mobile terminal. .
As an example, when the difference between the predicted remaining capacity E ₁ and the received remaining capacity E ₂ is 10% or more of the remaining received capacity E ₂ (| E ₁ −E ₂ | / E ₂ ≧ 0.1). In addition, the information quality may be redetermined.

<Improvement of playback quality considering transmission procedure>
Furthermore, in consideration of the transmission speed between the information distribution device 1 and the portable terminal 2, information can be transmitted more efficiently and the reproduction quality of information can be improved by devising the information transmission procedure for each category. You can also. Specifically, information on a category with high importance is transmitted in advance.
Here, when there are a plurality of categories in the multimedia information to be transmitted, it is assumed that a scene of a category with high importance is set after a scene of a category with low importance. Generally, the information transmission time is considered to be relatively short because the low-importance category part has low information quality, and conversely the high-importance category part has high information quality and the information transmission time is long. Conceivable.

  At this time, if the information transmission of the lower category is completed, and if a part of the subsequent higher category information is transmitted in advance during the streaming reproduction, the information on the higher category is substantially transmitted. Since it is possible to allocate a long time for transmission, it is possible to send data of higher quality than when transmission is not performed in advance.

For example, if high-level information is not transmitted in advance, the transmission takes only Ta time, and if the low-category playback time is only Tb time during reproduction of the low category, including this Tb time, If the (Ta + Tb) time can be used for transmission of high category information, it means that the quality of the high category corresponding to the Ta time can be expanded and changed to a quality corresponding to a longer (Ta + Tb) time.
Specifically, the bit rate b ₁ of the category information when transmitting in Ta time can be enlarged and changed to a bit rate b ₂ (> b ₁ ) that can be transmitted in (Ta + Tb) time. . That is, if information of a subsequent high category is transmitted in advance using the communication idle time, the information quality of the category with high importance can be further improved.
Specifically, in the information reproduction of the category with high importance, the moving image reproduction can be performed at a bit rate higher than the usable communication band between the information distribution apparatus and the portable terminal.
As described above, when high-category information is transmitted in advance, the relational expression between Ei and Ti for determining the information quality (r, f, b) of a certain category uses the following expression different from the above.
Ei = (α · r · f + β · b + P (b, bmax)) · Ti
Here, P (b, bmax) is a function calculated from b, bmax, and a constant. Further, bmax is the maximum transmission speed that can be used between the information distribution apparatus and the portable terminal, and the same value as the communicable transmission speed Te3 is used.

  In this way, when a part of the information of the subsequent high category is transmitted in advance, the mobile terminal side buffers the part of the information and receives other information about the subsequent high category. Then, they may be combined and played back at a predetermined time.

It is a schematic block diagram of the information delivery system of this invention. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of an information distribution apparatus and a mobile terminal according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of the transmission procedure between the information delivery apparatus of this invention, and a portable terminal. It is a flowchart of the main processes of the portable terminal of this invention. It is a flowchart of the input and acquisition process of the portable terminal of this invention. It is a flowchart, such as the information processing process of the information delivery apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of the information input and acquired by the portable terminal of this invention, and meta information. In one Example of this invention, it is explanatory drawing of the reproduction quality parameter for every determined category. In this invention, it is explanatory drawing of the relationship between the importance for every category, and reproduction | regeneration quality.

Explanation of symbols

1 Information terminal (mobile terminal)
2 Information distribution device 3 Network 5 User request information 6 Transmission information 11 Relay device 12 Content server 31 Control unit 32 Communication unit 33 Information quality determination unit 34 Preference data storage unit 35 Metadata storage unit 36 Terminal information storage unit 37 Video conversion unit 38 Video data storage unit before conversion 39 Video data storage unit after conversion 101 Control unit 102 Communication unit 103 Input unit 104 Preference data storage unit 105 Terminal information storage unit 106 Video data storage unit 107 Terminal information detection unit 108 Battery 109 Playback unit 110 Output unit (Display section)

Claims (12)

A first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds;
A second information storage unit storing user request information including information related to desired quality of multimedia information set by a user;
Based on the user request information, the information quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit, and determined for each granted category to the multimedia information, for transmission to the information terminal owned by the user An information processing unit for generating transmission information of
A transmission unit that sequentially transmits the transmission information generated by the information processing unit to the information terminal;
The user request information stored in the second information storage unit includes information Iq indicating desired reproduction quality for each category,
When the information quality of the specific category i determined by the information processing unit is excessive than the desired reproduction quality requested by the user, the information quality of the category i is reduced and changed to the desired reproduction quality, An information distribution apparatus characterized in that the information quality of the category is expanded and changed by proportional distribution . A first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds;
A second information storage unit storing user request information including information related to desired quality of multimedia information set by a user;
In order to determine the information quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit for each category assigned to the multimedia information based on the user request information, and to transmit to the information terminal owned by the user An information processing unit for generating transmission information of
A transmission unit that sequentially transmits the transmission information generated by the information processing unit to the information terminal;
The user request information stored in the second information storage unit includes information Iq indicating desired reproduction quality for each category,
When the information quality of the specific category i determined by the information processing unit is lower than the desired reproduction quality requested by the user, the information quality of the category i is expanded and changed to the desired reproduction quality, An information distribution device characterized in that the information quality of the category is reduced and changed by proportional distribution. A first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds;
A second information storage unit storing user request information including information related to desired quality of multimedia information set by a user;
In order to determine the information quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit for each category assigned to the multimedia information based on the user request information, and to transmit to the information terminal owned by the user An information processing unit for generating transmission information of
A transmission unit that sequentially transmits the transmission information generated by the information processing unit to the information terminal;
The user request information stored in the second information storage unit includes the remaining power of the information terminal,
While transmitting the transmission information to the information terminal, the current remaining power E of the information terminal E ₁ A power prediction unit that predicts
During the transmission of the transmission information, the remaining power E from the information terminal ₂ A receiving unit for receiving
Predicted remaining power E ₁ And the remaining power E received ₂ A comparison unit for comparing whether or not the difference between and exceeds a predetermined value,
Predicted remaining capacity E ₁ And remaining reception capacity E ₂ When the difference between and exceeds the predetermined value,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the information processing unit recalculates and changes information quality for each category with respect to untransmitted multimedia information. User request information stored in the second information storage unit is
The remaining power Er of the information terminal Er,
Desired multimedia information name Id,
Desired power consumption information Eo,
Desired playback time To,
Further includes an importance P for the category given to the multimedia information,
The multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit comprises a plurality of scene information that is time-divisionally assigned categories.
Within the desired playback time To and within the power range indicated by the desired power consumption information requested by the user, information reflecting the desired playback quality for each category assigned to the multimedia information is the information terminal. So that you can play with
The information distribution apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the information processing unit determines information quality for each category of the stored multimedia information. The information quality for each category determined by the information processing unit is the importance Pn assigned to the category n and the playback time of the scene to which the category is assigned out of the total power consumption determined by the desired power consumption information. 5. The information distribution apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the information distribution apparatus is determined by power consumption amount En of the category obtained from Tn and information Iq indicating the desired reproduction quality of the category. When the multimedia information includes a video image, information quality for each of the categories, the number of pixels of the moving image r, in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it consists of the frame rate f and the bit rate b The information distribution apparatus described . When the multimedia information is composed of scene information of a plurality of categories having different importance levels, the transmission unit is reproduced later while the transmission information of the category with lower importance is reproduced on the information terminal. 5. The information distribution apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a part of transmission information of a high importance category is transmitted in advance to the information terminal. A third information storage unit for storing transmission information generated by the information processing unit for the entire multimedia information of the desired multimedia information name included in the user request information, wherein the third information storage unit is detachable 5. The information distribution apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the information distribution apparatus is a recording medium. An information terminal comprising: a receiving unit that receives transmission information transmitted by the information distribution apparatus according to claim 1; and an information reproducing unit that reproduces the received transmission information. The information distribution device according to claim 8 , further comprising: an attachment portion into which the third information storage portion can be inserted; and an information reproduction portion that reproduces transmission information stored in the third information storage portion inserted into the attachment portion. Information terminal. A first information storage unit storing multimedia information including images and sounds and assigned categories;
A second information storage unit that stores user request information including information related to desired quality of multimedia information set by a user, and includes information Iq indicating desired reproduction quality for each category in the user request information;
Based on the user request information, the quality of the multimedia information stored in the first information storage unit is determined for each category assigned to the multimedia information, and is transmitted to the information terminal owned by the user An information processing unit for generating transmission information;
A transmission unit that sequentially transmits the transmission information generated by the information processing unit to the information terminal;
The information quality of the specific category i determined by the information processing unit is
If it is in excess of the desired playback quality requested by the user,
Reduce the information quality of category i to the desired playback quality,
An information distribution device for proportionally allocating and expanding the information quality of other categories;
An information distribution system comprising an information terminal having a function of reproducing transmission information transmitted from an information distribution apparatus. Acquire multimedia information including images and audio to be delivered,
Obtain user request information including information related to the desired quality of multimedia information set by the user,
Based on the user request information, the quality of the multimedia information desired by the user is determined for each category assigned to the multimedia information,
Generate transmission information to transmit to the information terminal owned by the user,
The generated transmission information is sequentially transmitted to the information terminal,
The information quality of the specific category i determined by the information processing unit is
If it is in excess of the desired playback quality requested by the user,
Reduce the category i information quality to the desired playback quality,
An information distribution method of an information distribution apparatus, wherein information quality of another category is proportionally distributed and enlarged and changed.

Images