KR100749079B1 - Broadcast storage arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

A broadcast storage device in a communication network is provided, the device comprising a broadcast service provider (TV), a distribution network (NW, DVB) and at least one mobile node (MN). The broadcast transmission provided by the broadcast service provider is compressed and delivered through the distribution network to the mobile node in a form suitable for mobile node reception. The mobile node sends a request to a server (SRV) functionally connected to the broadcast service provider for storing at least part of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format. The server is then arranged to store at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed or uncompressed format.

Description

Broadcast storage arrangement

The present invention relates to broadcast services, and more particularly, to a broadcast storage device.

With the digitization of various broadcast services, such as terrestrial, cable and satellite TV and radio broadcasts, several entirely new transmission paths and receiving terminals have become viable solutions. For example, TV and radio broadcasts over the Internet to a personal computer (PC) provided with suitable hardware / software are well known applications. Also in the past years, the ability to receive broadcast transmissions at handheld devices and wireless terminals, such as mobile phones, has become more desirable.

There are several possibilities for delivering broadcast data content to wireless terminals. For example, US patent application US2002 / 0065074 discloses a server-based system that includes a single use content server and a repeat use content server. Single-use content servers store and transmit data that can only be used once by a particular user, such as real-time TV and radio broadcasts. Repeated use The content server stores and transmits data that can be repeatedly accessed by a user, such as various video clips. In response to an order from a terminal, the content data of the servers is delivered to a proxy server, which forwards the data to a transmitting device, such as a base station of a mobile network, via a data network such as the Internet and a packet wireless network. do. The multimedia data is then transmitted wirelessly to the terminal, the terminal comprising a memory subsystem and a storage area for storing, playing back and managing the multimedia data.

Additionally, Applicant's previous application EP 1168880 discloses a network device with a number of alternative radio access networks and an IP-based transport network for transmitting broadcast services to a wireless subscriber device.

Mobile networks are designed for point-to-point services and transmissions. In order to maximize the user capacity of the mobile network, the bandwidth of the traffic channel is very limited. Thus, one feature common to all solutions in which broadcast data content is delivered to a wireless terminal is that multimedia data to be transmitted is reproduced on the one hand to fit the channel and on the other hand with the limited processing and memory capacity of the terminal. It must be heavily compressed to be managed.

One of the disadvantages associated with the above arrangement is that the severe compression impairs the quality of the multimedia data. Typically both video and audio resolutions are significantly degraded due to lossy compression. Thus, while the received multimedia data is satisfactorily available in wireless terminals, it is typically not useful in devices such as PCs or TV sets with better resolution and other high quality video and audio characteristics. This has a significant disadvantage if the terminal user wishes to store at least part of the broadcast as a video clip which will later be accessed via another playback device while receiving the broadcast of interest.

1 shows a block diagram of a network device in which the present invention may be used.

2 shows a data flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

3 shows a data flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a subscriber station in which the present invention is used.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved method and improved apparatus for alleviating the above drawbacks. The objects of the invention are achieved by a method, a communication network device, a network element, a mobile terminal and a computer program, which are characterized in what is set out in the independent claims. Some embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The invention is based on the idea of managing broadcast data content in a communication network device comprising a broadcast service provider, a distribution network and at least one mobile node, wherein the at least one broadcast transmission provided by the broadcast service provider is dependent upon the mobile node reception. It is compressed into a suitable form and passed through the distribution network to the mobile node. If more interested in the broadcast transmission, the mobile node subscriber sends a request from the mobile node to a server functionally connected to the broadcast service provider to store at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format. The server then stores at least part of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed or uncompressed format.

According to one embodiment, the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission comprises the option of storing the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission in a database included by the server; Storing the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission in a database of the mobile node subscriber; Uploading the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission to an internet web-page; And at least one of the option to send the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission to the mobile node subscriber as an email attachment.

According to another embodiment, the mobile node includes at least the identification information definition of the broadcast to be stored and the duration of the portion of the broadcast to be stored in the storage request. The storage request may further include a definition of the multimedia file format of the broadcast to be stored, a desired compression level definition, and a definition for further storage or delivery of the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission.

According to another embodiment, the broadcast transmission is buffered at the server in a less compressed or uncompressed format prior to the compression, in response to a request made by the mobile node subscriber, at least a portion of the buffered broadcast transmission It may be included in a part of the broadcast to be stored.

The method and apparatus of the present invention provide several advantages. The main advantage is that it provides the mobile node subscriber with the possibility of storing broadcasts with improved video and audio quality for subsequent retrieval by other terminals with better playback characteristics such as TV sets or personal computers (PCs). Another advantage is that various options for how a subsequent search can be performed are provided to the mobile node subscriber, from which the subscriber can select the one best suited to him / her. Another advantage is that broadcasts, which have just begun or even ended, can be stored from the very beginning thanks to the buffer memory of the server. In view of the service provider, another advantage is that the present invention enables additional revenue, including delivering the broadcast at least twice. In addition, the price for storing a part of the broadcast may be set according to the compression level used for storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As mentioned above, there are several possibilities for delivering broadcast data content to a wireless terminal. In the following, examples of implementations of the invention will be further disclosed in connection with network devices known from the applicant's previous application EP 1168880. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and it can be implemented in any network device that provides compressed broadcast data content to a wireless terminal.

1 is a block diagram of a network device in which the present invention may be used. The network apparatus, thus known, is configured to provide broadcast services to the mobile nodes MN1, MN2 as individual point-to-point transmission or point-to-multipoint multicast transmission. Mobile nodes MN1, MN2 require broadcast services from one or more servers Srv1, Srv2. The mobile nodes can access the services via some alternative radio access networks AN1, AN2, AN3. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the access networks are a network AN1 enabling digital video broadcasting (DVB), a network AN2 enabling digital audio broadcasting (DAB) and a general packet radio service (GPRS). Network AN3 to enable Packet Radio Service. Other typical access networks, especially mobile phone networks such as GPRS, are GSM High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), CDMA2000 or any other equivalent 3G-network (3). Generation) solution. Another example of a radio access network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).

In access networks using wireless transmission, the total capacity is limited by the assigned frequency bandwidth. In this example, the servers Srv1 and Srv2 providing the broadcast data content are connected to the service networks SNW1 and SNW2 of the servers, which can be for example a local area network of a service provider. In mobile communication networks, air interface resources are very limited and bandwidth is typically very narrow, whereas broadcast networks such as DAB and DVB are generally known to have wider bandwidth. However, DAB and DVB also have a data service capability in addition to the broadcast, for example with 20 Mbyte / s bandwidth. This is wider compared to cellular telephone networks, but not enough for flexible group transmission and still much smaller services (eg via ADSL or regular TV broadcasts) than the available services will be available. The service networks SNW1 and SNW2 are connected to the Internet via gateways GW1 and GW2. The access networks AN1, AN2, AN3 are connected to the Internet via corresponding gateways G _DVB , G _DAB , G _GPRS .

Thus, the present invention can be used in a network device having a number of alternative radio access networks for transmitting services located in a server to a wireless subscriber device, as shown in FIG. However, the invention is also applicable to network devices having only one access network, such as a GPRS network.

In the network apparatus, the service networks SNW1 and SNW2 comprise a group forming unit GFU or are functionally connected to the group forming unit. The group forming unit collects or monitors service requests from the mobile node subscribers MN1 and MN2. It evaluates the information of the service requests. If the information has an indication to join a point-to-multipoint group, the GFU forms a group of subscribers who requested the service and sends the service as a group transmission (multicast) (or transmission of the service). Allow / control). If the request information has an indication that the desired transmission mode is individual, the GFU transmits the service (or the service of the service) via a sufficient number of individual transmissions (point-to-point) as long as there is available allocated bandwidth. Allow / control transmission).

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the first group forming unit GFU1 is integrated with the gateway GW1 or disposed at the same place as the gateway GW1. In this case, if the criteria for group information are met, the GFU1 requests the gateway to associate group members with the group. It also requires a suitable service-providing server Srv1 to send the service to the gateway GW1 so that the destination field of data packets indicates the group as a recipient. The second group forming unit GFU2 is integrated into the server Srv2 or disposed at the same place as the server Srv2. In this case, if the criteria for group formation are met, the GFU2 / Srv2 combination applies source routing to the corresponding destination. For example, when subscribers in the DVB network generate requests indicating group transmission, the GFU2 / Srv2 combination sends the service directly to a gateway (G _DVB ) that transmits the service as a group transmission, such as multicast. . For details of group formation, reference is made to EP 1168880.

The capacity control and allocation of channels in the access network is performed in a base station controller (BSC) in the case of a mobile telephone network. Capacity control may also be performed by the group forming unit (GFU) when a group forming unit (GFU) is located in the access network and associated with, for example, the BSC or base station (BS). In the case of a multicast transmission, the server would have already transmitted the service as a multicast transmission, delivered to subscribers via the access network.

In addition to the network device disclosed in EP 1168880, FIG. 1 further illustrates the broadcast transmission path, a highly compressed TV program suitable for a conventional digital television distribution network (DVB _MOBILE ) to be received and played back by mobile terminals. Used to convey them. Thus, no IP-based networks are needed in this embodiment. Television broadcast operator (TV) provides compressed broadcast delivery to mobile nodes (MN) via digital television network multiplex (DVB _MOBILE ). The service provider and its server SRV may be an independent party, or the TV broadcast operator may also provide the services. For illustration purposes, digital television networks DVB _MOBILE and the DVB (access network AN1) are shown in FIG. 1 as separate networks, but preferably a common digital television network (terrestrial digital broadcast network) is used in practical implementation. will be.

2 shows a data flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the invention. In this example, the parties involved are its server SRV, which provides compressed broadcast delivery to mobile nodes MN via the TV broadcast operator TV and the service provider and network device NW. Since the present invention is not limited by the implementation of a broadcast delivery network, the function of the network NW in FIG. 2 represents all necessary networks and network elements required for broadcast delivery. Thus, if an IP-based transmission medium is used, the network NW may be configured, for example, by means of FIG. 1, the network SNW1, SNW2 of the service provider, the corresponding gateways GW1, GW2 for the Internet and It may include access networks AN1, AN2, AN3 with corresponding Internet gateways G _DVB , G _DAB , G _GPRS .

In this example, the mobile node subscriber (MN) wants to access a real time TV broadcast via his / her mobile terminal. The mobile node subscriber (MN) sends a service request (200) to the server (SRV) of the service provider. The service request may for example be a service request by the network device of FIG. 1. The service request is for example as a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message over the GPRS connection or using any instant messaging or short message service (SMS), the server SRV over the network (NW). Can be delivered. The TV broadcast operator (TV) constantly delivers a real-time TV broadcast 202 to the service provider, the service provider making the broadcast at its server SRV in a form suitable for delivery to mobile nodes MN. Compress.

In response to the service request of the mobile node subscriber (MN), the service provider evaluates the information of the service request, for example in a group forming unit (GFU) of FIG. Based on the evaluation, the service provider selects a suitable transmission mode and begins transmitting (206, 208) the broadcast to the mobile node (MN) via the network (NW). The mobile node subscriber (MN) begins playing 210 the real-time TV broadcast via his / her mobile terminal. After a while, the subscriber realizes that the broadcast is interesting and decides to store at least a portion thereof, i.e. a video clip, for later retrieval by another playback device with enhanced video and audio characteristics. To this end, the mobile node subscriber (MN) sends a storage request (212) to the server (SRV) of the service provider. The message may also be delivered to the server SRV via the network NW, for example as a SIP message or using any instant messaging or SMS sent directly to the server. In response to the storage request, the server SRV stores (214) the desired clip on the desired storage device in an uncompressed or at least less compressed format for further use. The uncompressed broadcast and the desired clip may be stored as digitally or analogously formatted, but the broadcast sent to the mobile node MN is in digital format.

According to one embodiment, the store request sent by the mobile node subscriber (MN) may also be included in the service request 200 sent to the server SRV. Thereby, if the subscriber determines that he wants to save a clip of the broadcast without first reviewing it, the server SRV starts storing the clip at the same time as the broadcast delivery.

There are several options regarding how the stored clip can be further processed. The server SRV may store the clip in a database of the mobile node subscriber whose database or location connected to the server is predefined in the subscriber profile or defined in the storage request. Alternatively, the clip may be sent to the mobile node subscriber as an email attachment or it may be uploaded to a predefined web-page. The stored clip can also be streamed later from its location using a streaming server, from which the recipients retrieve the stored multimedia data via a streaming application included in the terminal.

Preferably the server SRV comprises a buffer memory for buffering the transmitted broadcast for at least a few minutes, preferably for a longer period of time. This gives the user the possibility to store the broadcast, which was started just before. If the buffer memory is large enough, the user may be given the possibility to store a broadcast that is already over but still available in the buffer memory.

From the service provider's point of view, the less severely the broadcast is compressed, the larger the clip size is, and more bandwidth capacity is needed to deliver the clip to the end user. Therefore, the service provider may set different prices for storing the clip, preferably at different compression levels. Thus, an uncompressed clip with the best possible video and audio quality will have a smaller size but be more expensive than a clip with inferior video and audio quality due to some compression.

Thus, the storage request message sent by the mobile node must contain the necessary definitions for determining at least some of the options. The storage request message must include at least the minimum definitions of the clip to be stored: broadcast ID and duration of the clip. The duration may be defined as a start and stop time, or may be defined as a predefined / immediate start time with a predefined / undefined duration. Additional definitions include definitions for the desired multimedia file format, compression level (possibly including some compression parameters), past buffered broadcasts over a period of N minutes, and further delivery (database storage address / email delivery / Web-page uploads, etc.). The selection of the definitions and the formation of the storage request message may preferably be achieved by an application executed on the mobile terminal. The application's user interface may preferably be similar to a video recorder with user-friendly buttons and a selection menu to facilitate use of the application.

3 shows a data flow illustrating another embodiment of the present invention. With the introduction of digital television (DVB), proposals have been made in which at least some channels of individual broadcast multiplexes or multiplexes can be secured for mobile broadcast transmission. Thus, the television operators can use existing digital television distribution networks to deliver highly compressed TV programs suitable for reception and playback by mobile terminals. No IP-based networks are needed in this embodiment. Accordingly, the parties involved in this example are TV broadcast operators (TVs) that provide compressed broadcast delivery to mobile nodes (MN) via the digital television network multiplex (DVB _MOBILE ), as shown in FIG. . The service provider and its server SRV provide a storage and delivery service of less heavily compressed video clips in response to requests made by the mobile node subscriber MN. The service provider may be an independent party or the TV broadcast operator may also provide the storage and delivery service. The latter option is shown in FIG. 3 by dashed lines that combine the TV broadcast operator (TV) and the server (SRV).

Also in the second example, the mobile node subscriber (MN) wants to access a real-time TV broadcast via his / her mobile terminal. The television operator (TV) also typically transmits the broadcast in an uncompressed format, which is also constantly transmitted 300 to the server SRV. The television operator (TV) compresses the broadcast (302) and further transmits (304) it to an existing digital television distribution network for transmission. The same broadcast is constantly transmitted to the server SRV in an uncompressed or less compressed format. Since the broadcast is transmitted 306 through the digital television network multiplex (DVB _MOBILE ), no service requests by the mobile node subscriber (MN) are needed, but the mobile terminal is tuned to receive the broadcast. Can be. In response to the tuning, the mobile terminal begins playing 308 the real-time TV broadcast. Again, after a while, the subscriber realizes that the broadcast is interesting and decides to store at least a portion thereof, i.e. a video clip, for later retrieval by another playback device with enhanced video and audio characteristics. For this purpose, the mobile node subscriber (MN) sends a storage request (310) to the server (SRV) of the service provider. The message may be delivered to the server SRV via any viable communication network, for example as a SIP message or using some instant messaging or SMS sent directly to the server. In response to the storage request, the server SRV stores 312 the desired clip in the desired storage device in an uncompressed or at least less severely compressed format for further use.

4 shows a block diagram of a subscriber station 400 in which the present invention is used. The subscriber station is the mobile node in the network structure. The mobile node may be, for example, a mobile phone capable of GPRS or 3G compatible packet data communication. Mobile network transceiver 402 is used for this. The terminal also has a network receiver 404 that is used to receive broadcast or multicast data, such as DVB or DAB data. The data storage device 406 may be a memory unit such as, for example, flash memory or RAM, a hard disk drive, which is used to store received data, such as, for example, a received data file. The output to be transmitted from the terminal 400 may be visible information (such as text, picture or video), audio information (such as sound or voice), or data to be retransmitted, to the mobile transceiver 402 and antenna 410. By the network. The input coming from the network to the terminal may be received data, such as text, picture, video or audio information and is provided to the user via the user interface 408. The antenna element 410 may be a dual mode antenna capable of at least two-frequency operation. The antenna element 410 may also have several antennas in the terminal, each operating for a particular network. The operation and timing of all blocks of the terminal 400 are controlled by a central processing unit 412 such as a microprocessor. Various user profile information may be stored in the data storage device 406 and input by the user through, for example, a user interface 408 including a keypad, display, speaker, and microphone.

It should be noted that the functional elements of the terminal according to the invention can be implemented, for example, as software, hardware solutions or a combination of both. The process of defining a clip to be stored according to the invention is particularly suitable to be implemented as computer software containing computer-readable instructions for carrying out the necessary process steps. A method of implementing the process is to store it in storage means as program code, ie an application, which can be executed by a computer-like device, such as a mobile station, to provide clip definition functions on the device.

Thus, the application software is preferably functional in software code for receiving and managing compressed broadcast transmissions, software code for forming a storage request for storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format and a broadcast service provider. It may include a software code for transmitting the storage request to the server connected to.

As technology advances, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inventive concept may be implemented in a variety of ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims (13)

A method of managing broadcast data content in a communication network device comprising a broadcast service provider (TV), a distribution network (NW, DVB), and at least one mobile node (MN), comprising: broadcasting transmission provided by the broadcast service provider; Compressing by a server (SRV) functionally connected to the broadcast service provider or the broadcast service provider; And forwarding, by the server, the compressed broadcast transmission in a form suitable for mobile node reception to the mobile node via the distribution network. The mobile node sending a request to the server SRV to store at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format; And The server storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed or uncompressed format. The method of claim 1, Storing the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission in a database included by the server; Storing the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission in a database of the mobile node subscriber; Uploading the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission to an internet web-page; And Processing, at the server, the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission in accordance with at least one of the options for transmitting the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission to the mobile node subscriber as an email attachment. How to. 2. The method of claim 1, comprising at least defining identification information of the broadcast to be stored and duration of the portion of the broadcast to be stored in the storage request by the mobile node. The method of claim 3, A multimedia file format of the broadcast to be stored; Desired compression level; And Further including at least one of the definitions for further storage or delivery of the stored portion of the less compressed broadcast transmission in the storage request by the mobile node. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Prior to the compression, buffering the broadcast transmission in the server in a less compressed or uncompressed format; And In response to a request made by the mobile node subscriber, including at least a portion of the buffered broadcast transmission in the portion of the broadcast to be stored. 5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising setting a price for storage of the portion of the broadcast in accordance with the compression level used for storage. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the server is dependent on the broadcast service provider. A broadcast service provider (TV) configured to transmit broadcast transmissions, comprising: a broadcast service provider (TV) in which at least one of the broadcast transmissions is compressed into a form suitable for mobile node reception; At least one mobile node (MN) configured to receive and manage the broadcast transmission; And A communication network device comprising a distribution network (NW, DVB) for delivering the compressed broadcast transmission to the mobile node, The communication network device further includes a server (SRV) functionally connected to the broadcast service provider, The mobile node is configured to send a storage request to the server for storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format, In response to the storage request, the server is configured to store at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed or uncompressed format. A server functionally connected to a broadcast service provider (TV) configured to transmit broadcast transmissions, wherein at least one of the broadcast transmissions is compressed into a form suitable for mobile node reception, comprising: The server is configured to receive a storage request from a mobile node to store at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format, In response to the storage request, storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed or uncompressed format. 10. The server of claim 9, wherein the server comprises a buffer memory for buffering the transmitted broadcast transmission for a predetermined time period in a less compressed or uncompressed format. A computer readable medium storing a program executable on a server connected to a communication network, the program code comprising program code for transmitting broadcast transmissions, wherein at least one of the broadcast transmissions is compressed into a form suitable for mobile node reception. In a computer-readable medium, the program, Program code for receiving a storage request from a mobile node for storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format; And And in response to the storage request, program code for storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed or uncompressed format. A mobile terminal in a communication network, configured to receive and manage compressed broadcast transmissions, the method comprising: The mobile terminal is configured to transmit a storage request to a server (SRV) functionally connected to a broadcast service provider for storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format. A computer readable medium storing a program executable in a mobile terminal of a communication network, the program code including program code for receiving and managing compressed broadcast transmissions. The program, Program code for forming a storage request for storing at least a portion of the broadcast transmission in a less compressed format; And And program code for transmitting the storage request to a server (SRV) functionally connected to a broadcast service provider.