KR20020006126A - Web personal video recorder via internet and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A web PVR system and method using the Internet are provided to record broadcasting signals of all channels through a recording controller on the Internet and transmit specific broadcasting information to a personal video recorder through the Internet. CONSTITUTION: A web PVR(Personal Video Recorder) system using the Internet includes a PVR device for tuning an input broadcasting signal to reproduce the signal and transmitting recording request information received from a user through the Internet. The system further has a recording controller for receiving and storing broadcasting signals of all channels and sending a broadcasting signal corresponding to recording information requested by the user to the PVR device according to the recording request information transmitted from the PVR device.

Description

Web personal video recorder via internet and method therefor}

The present invention relates to a PVR system using an internet network and a recording method using the same. In particular, the present invention includes recording control means for pre-recording and storing broadcast signals of all channels, so as to record recording information of a desired channel at a desired time. It relates to a PVR system and method that can be shown in real time.

The conventional PVR (Personal Video Recorder) device is a personal video recording / playback device having a large storage device (generally an HDD) therein for storing recorded data, thereby extracting and reproducing data from such a storage device. Have At this time, the storage method is different from storing analog signals on a cassette tape in a VCR device, and converts the broadcast signal into digital information in real time and compresses the digital data in the MPEG2 method into the HDD built into the device. This is how you save it. Therefore, in the conventional PVR apparatus, the recording time is determined according to the capacity of the HDD built therein. On the other hand, when the video image recorded in the PVR device is played back, data stored in the HDD is decoded in real time to be reproduced as an image.

This conventional PVR apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

1 is a system configuration diagram in which a conventional PVR apparatus is installed.

The PVR device 20 performs a function of receiving and reproducing over-the-air broadcast signals transmitted from a broadcasting station through the aerial antenna 21, or recording them later when requested by a user. Then, various kinds of point-to-point (PPP) information about a broadcast schedule is transmitted from a broadcasting station using a communication line through a telephone line. In addition, the PVR apparatus 20 is connected to the cable converter 40 to receive various cable broadcast signals transmitted from the cable broadcasting station 41. In this case, the type of cable converter 40 connected to the PVR device 20 is preset in the setup mode of the PVR device 20. The cable converter 40 receives the cable broadcast signal applied from the cable broadcasting station 41 and processes the signal, and applies the AV (Audio / video) signal thus obtained to the PVR device 20. The PVR device 20 records broadcast information when a user requests through an AV signal applied from the cable converter 40.

For example, when a user wants to record a video while watching a cable broadcast, the user presses a number and a record button of a broadcast channel to be recorded through an operation panel (not shown) provided in the PVR device 20. In addition, when the scheduled recording of the broadcast to be watched is pushed through the operation panel of the PVR device 20, the number and broadcast time of the broadcast channel to be recorded are pressed. The PVR device 20 transmits the broadcast recording request information input by the user to the IR transmitter 50 when the recording button is input or the scheduled broadcast time arrives. The IR transmitter 50 transmits the broadcast recording request information set by the user as a remote controller to a cable converter 40. The cable converter 40 includes a remote controller receiver (not shown) to output the cable broadcast signal of the channel received through the IR transmitter 50 to the PVR device 20. The PVR device 20 records and reproduces the cable broadcast signal of the selected channel in real time through the AV signal applied from the cable converter 40. The video signal output from the PVR device 20 is input to the TV 10 so that the user can watch the image reproduced through the TV 10 in real time.

2 is a block diagram of a conventional PVR apparatus.

The functions of the PVR apparatus 20 can be broadly classified as a first function of receiving and reproducing over-the-air broadcast signals transmitted from a broadcasting station through the aerial antenna 21, or recording them on a user's request and later replaying them. The second function is to reproduce the AV signal received from the cable broadcasting station 41 through the cable converter 40.

First, as a component related to the first function of reproducing and recording an airwave broadcasting signal, an aerial antenna 21, a tuner unit 24, an MPEG encoder 25, an HDD 26, an MPEG decoder 27, a video processor 28, A / V switching unit 29, CPU 30, ROM 31, RAM 32, and modem 33.

The CPU 30, which is a system controller, has a function of controlling the entire system by being connected to control lines that control each component. The ROM 31 is a part in which a driven program is stored. As the program is executed, the operation of the device is performed.

The tuner 24 tunes the broadcast signal input through the antenna 21 and tunes to a desired specific frequency under the control of a system controller (not shown) to output the AV signal. The output AV signal is input to the MPEG encoder 25 and the A / V converting unit 29. When the input AV signal is input to the MPEG encoder 25, the output AV signal is a path for playback after recording. If it is input directly, it is a path for direct playback.

As a component for reproducing after recording, the MPEG encoder 25 incorporates an analog digital converter (ADC) to convert an input analog broadcast signal into a digital signal. That is, the MPEG encoder 25 receives the AV signal from the tuner unit 24, digitizes it in real time, codes it into compressed MPEG data, and outputs it to a HDD (Hard disk drive) 26, which is a storage location for storing MPEG data. .

In addition, the MPEG decoder 27 receives the MPEG data stored in the HDD 26 and decodes the signal to generate an image signal. That is, the MPEG decoder 27 incorporates a digital analog converter (DAC) to convert digital data stored in the HDD 26 into an analog signal. The analog signal converted by the MPEG decoder 27 is output to the A / V switching unit 29.

On the other hand, the video processor 28 configures a screen other than a broadcast screen such as a reservation recording function and outputs it to the A / V switching unit 29. In addition, the video processor 28 has a picture-in-picture (PIP) function to simultaneously output two screens on one screen of the TV, or has an alpha-blending function to translucent the image together. Subtitles may be output on the screen of the TV 10.

At this time, the A / V switching unit 29 synthesizes an analog signal from the MPEG decoder 27 and a screen other than the broadcast screen from the video processor 28 and outputs it to the input terminal of the TV 10.

The PVR apparatus 20 generally includes a function of displaying broadcast programming information to a user in order to provide a recording function. A modem 33 is connected to a communication connection line via a telephone line and is required for scheduled recording from a broadcasting station. It is responsible for receiving information. The transmitted broadcast program information is temporarily stored in the RAM 32 and then outputs the stored broadcast information to the video processor 28 under the control of the CPU 30. The RAM 32 also functions as a temporary storage location for storing data necessary during program execution.

In the following, the components related to the second function of the PVR apparatus 20 for reproducing the AV signal received from the cable broadcasting station 41 through the cable converter 40 will be described.

The external device AV signal input terminal 23 is a terminal for receiving an AV signal from the cable converter 40 and applies an AV signal applied from the cable converter 40 to the A / V switching unit 29. The A / V switching unit 29 selects the video input from the external device AV signal input terminal 23 under the control of the CPU 30, and outputs the selected cable broadcast signal to the TV 10.

As described above, the A / V switching unit 29 includes an AV signal for direct playback applied from the tuner unit 24, a recorded analog broadcast signal applied from the MPEG decoder 27, and an AV signal input terminal of an external device ( 23, one of the AV signals applied from the cable converter 40 is selectively processed. That is, the A / V switching unit 29 selects one video signal from the three video signals input under the control of a central processing unit (CPU) 30.

Finally, the external device control port 22 is a port connected to the IR transmitter 50, and transmits the recording request information set by the user to the IR transmitter 50 under the control of the CPU 30.

The conventional PVR apparatus having such a configuration and operation records over-the-air broadcasting of multiple channels transmitted from broadcasting stations and cable broadcasting of multiple channels transmitted from wire broadcasting stations, and stores recorded information in order to provide a recording function of this type. HDD is required as a storage medium.

Therefore, storing a large amount of recording information requires a large capacity HDD, thus increasing the cost burden. In addition, in order to increase the capacity of the HDD, it is troublesome to disassemble the device, replace the HDD, and reassemble it. In addition, if the amount of recorded broadcast content increases, the recorded content must be deleted according to the capacity of the HDD, so there is a problem in that the user needs to re-record the content directly to a VCR or the like.

The present invention was created to solve the above-described problems, and to record and store broadcast signals of all channels through recording control means on the Internet, and to transmit specific broadcast information desired by the user to the PVR through the Internet network. Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a web PVR system using the Internet which has reduced the configuration of hardware required for a recording function and a recording method using the same.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a recording system of a web PVR using the Internet to enable recording of a large amount of broadcast information without having a separate HDD as a data storage medium.

1 is a configuration diagram of a recording system of a conventional PVR;

2 is a block diagram of a conventional PVR apparatus;

3 is a block diagram of a web PVR device according to the present invention;

4 is a block diagram of a recording system of a web PVR using the Internet according to the present invention;

5 is a block diagram of an MPEG encoder according to the present invention;

6 is a block diagram of an entire broadcast storage unit according to the present invention;

7 is a flowchart illustrating a recording method of a web PVR using the Internet according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

100: web PVR 105: stream playback unit

200: Internet network 310: Web server

320: Individual broadcast storage unit 330: All broadcast storage unit

340: MPEG encoder device 350: cable converter

360: satellite broadcasting receiver

In the recording system of the web PVR using the Internet of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the system for recording and reproducing the broadcast signal, the recording signal is tuned and reproduced, the recording request information input from the user Receives and stores the broadcast signal of the PVR device and all channels transmitted to the Internet network, and the broadcast information corresponding to the recording information requested by the user among the broadcast signals of all the channels stored according to the recording request information transmitted from the PVR device. It includes recording control means for transmitting to.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording method of a web PVR using the Internet, the method for recording and reproducing a broadcast signal, the method comprising: receiving and storing a broadcast signal of all channels in a storage medium; Receiving recording request information for a specific broadcast signal, extracting a broadcast signal requested by the user from a storage medium when the recording request information is input from the user, and transmitting the extracted broadcast information to the user; .

The present invention is to implement the recording function of the conventional PVR device through the recording control means on the Internet. That is, in the related art, the recording of the broadcast was performed by using a HDD or the like embedded in the device as a data storage medium. According to the present invention, a recording control means for embedding a storage medium for recording a broadcast is connected to a web server connected to the Internet network. The user will record the desired broadcast. In addition, by using the Internet stream technology to transmit the recorded broadcast to the PVR device, it is possible to reproduce the recorded broadcast in real time through the PVR device.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a configuration diagram of a web PVR system using the Internet according to the present invention, and the same components as in the prior art will be described with the same reference numerals.

Referring to FIG. 3, the tuner unit 102 tunes a broadcast signal input through the antenna 101, tunes to a desired specific frequency under the control of a system controller, and outputs an AV signal to the A / V switching unit 108. . The external device AV signal input terminal 104 is a terminal for receiving an AV signal from the cable converter 40 and applies an AV signal applied from the cable converter 40 to the A / V switching unit 108. Therefore, the user can watch the over-the-air broadcast and the cable broadcast in real time.

When the user wants to record a broadcast channel desired by the user during viewing of the airwave broadcasting and cable broadcasting signals, the recording request information is input through an operation panel (not shown) provided in the web PVR apparatus 100. When the recording request information from the user is input, the CPU 109 is connected to the network connection 105, for example, Ethernet, Modem, Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). Internet access is provided through the back. The network connection unit 105 is connected to the communication connection line 113 through the connection terminal 112 and connected to the Internet network 200, thereby transmitting and receiving the necessary broadcast recording information with the web server 310. The broadcast recording request information input from the user is transmitted to the web server 310 through the modem 105.

When receiving the recording information requested by the user, the broadcast recording information input from the network connection unit 105 through the Internet network 200 is controlled by the CPU 109 when the reproduction request signal is input from the user. (Stream player; 106) The stream reproducing unit 106 is a multi-media reproducing apparatus for reproducing a data stream transmitted from the Internet network 200. The stream reproducing unit 106 generally includes a media player and a real player. The stream reproducing unit 106 outputs the reproduced video signal to the video processor 107. The video processor 107 receives a video signal reproduced from the stream reproducing unit 106, composes a screen other than the broadcast screen, and outputs it to the A / V switching unit 108. The A / V switching unit 108 selects and outputs an image signal applied from the video processor 107 among the input image signals under the control of the CPU 109. The external device control port 103 is a port connected to the IR transmitter 50 and outputs various channel control signals to the IR transmitter 50. The ROM 110 is a part in which a program to be driven is stored. As the program is executed, the operation of the device is performed.

4 is a block diagram of a recording control unit of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an MPEG encoder device, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an entire broadcast storage unit.

Recording control means 300 shown in Figure 4 is a web server 310, individual broadcast storage unit 320, all broadcast storage unit 330, MPEG encoder 340, cable converter 350 and satellite broadcasting receiver It consists of 360. The MPEG encoder device 340 is connected to an antenna 341 for receiving over-the-air broadcasting, a cable converter 350 for receiving cable broadcasting of all channels, and a satellite broadcasting receiver 360 for receiving satellite broadcasting of all channels. do. The MPEG encoder device 340 MPEG-encodes broadcast signals of all channels input from the antenna 341, the cable converter 350, and the satellite broadcast receiver 360, respectively, and outputs them in real time to the entire broadcast storage unit 330. The entire broadcast storage unit 330 stores over-the-air, cable and satellite broadcasts of all channels applied from the MPEG encoder device 340. In addition, the entire broadcast storage unit 330 may be configured together with the MPEG encoder 340. The individual broadcast storage unit 320 is assigned to each user to a service using certified user who has obtained a service use certification through the web server 310. In addition, when there is a recording request signal from the user, the web server 310 extracts the corresponding broadcast information from the recording contents of the entire broadcast storage unit 330 and stores it in the individual broadcast storage unit 320. Web server 310 is a server for web services, such as member management, recording list management, recording content management for each individual. In addition, according to the recording request information input from the user to find the recording information stored in the individual broadcast storage unit 320 is transmitted to the web PVR device 100 via the Internet network 200. The web PVR apparatus 100 is connected to the TV 10 so that the recorded airwave broadcasting, cable broadcasting and satellite broadcasting can be viewed in real time at a desired time.

5 is a configuration diagram of an MPEG encoder device.

Referring to FIG. 5, the MPEG encoder apparatus 340 is an apparatus for receiving MPEG signals in real time by receiving broadcast signals of all channels input from the antenna 341, the cable converter 350, and the satellite broadcasting receiver 360, respectively. Also, a tuner 342 for receiving respective over-the-air broadcasts from an antenna 341 therein, an MPEG encoder 343 for receiving respective over-the-air broadcasts from the tuner 342 and converting them into MPEG data, and a cable converter. Each MPEG encoder 344 that receives all cable broadcast signals from the 350 and converts them into MPEG data, and each MPEG encoder that receives satellite broadcasts of all channels from the satellite broadcast receiver 360 and converts them into MPEG data ( 345.

6 is a block diagram of the entire broadcast storage device.

Referring to FIG. 6, the entire broadcast storage unit 330 has a respective HDD 331 for storing over-the-air, cable and satellite broadcasts of all channels received therein, and is inputted from the MPEG encoder device 340. Save the data. That is, data streams for all broadcast channels are stored here. In addition, the entire broadcast storage unit 330 to solve the lack of capacity of the HDD 331 by deleting the previous broadcast data after a certain time.

The recording method of the web PVR using the Internet according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The user for using the recording service through the Internet accesses an Internet site provided by the company and acquires a certificate for using the service. (Step 100) Upon obtaining the certificate, the web server receives other personal information such as ID and password from the user. Register to receive membership and provide various services. The registered user must press the record button provided in the web PVR device or IR transmitter when the broadcast he wants to record comes out while watching the broadcast on TV or if he wants to reserve the broadcast he wants to watch. (Step 101) When the user presses the record button, the web PVR device is connected to the Internet network through the network connection unit and connected to the web server of the corresponding company (step 102). Alternatively, information about the type of broadcast to be recorded (airwave, CATV, satellite broadcast), channel number, and recording request time is transmitted to the web server along with a recording request signal for recording a broadcast to be scheduled.

Meanwhile, the MPEG encoder device provided by the company receives and processes all broadcast channels received through an antenna, a cable converter, and a satellite broadcast receiver, and stores them in the entire broadcast storage unit. Subsequently, when the recording request information is input from the user, the web server extracts index information of the broadcasting information corresponding to the recording request information from all the broadcasting information previously stored in the all broadcasting storage unit (step 103). (Step 104) The individual broadcast storage stores the broadcast recording information in a separate storage medium assigned to each user, that is, the HDD area, which is allowed to be reproduced only by each user. If the user attempts to play the recorded broadcast, the user accesses the web server of the corresponding site and inputs a play request signal. (Step 105) The web site records recording information assigned to the user when the play request signal is input, that is, recorded. Download the list of broadcasting, broadcasting type (airwave, satellite, cable, internet), channel information, broadcasting title, recording start time, recording end time and total recording time and send them to the web PVR for viewing. The web PVR displays this recording information on the screen of the TV. Subsequently, when the user selects a broadcast to be played from the list of recorded information, the web server converts only the broadcast information selected by the user from the entire broadcast information stored in the entire broadcast storage into Internet stream data and transmits it to the web PVR provided by the user. Enable viewing (step 106).

As described above, the recording system and method of the web PVR using the Internet according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, since the HDD, real-time MPEG encoder and MPEG decoder are not required inside the PVR device, the price of the web PVR device can be lowered.

Second, the upgrade of the PVR device becomes unnecessary. That is, in the related art, in order to extend the recording time, the HDD should be replaced with a larger capacity, but in the case of the present invention, the recording time can be easily extended because the capacity allocation is added in the web server.

Third, since the desired broadcast program is recorded through the Internet web server, the user can play the recorded program in real time through the web PVR device.

Fourth, the broadcast recording service is supported for each user who has subscribed to the site, thereby enabling the development of new businesses such as broadcasting-related advertisements.

Fifth, the business of recording and selling the recorded content on a VCR or CD is possible later.

Claims (9)

In the system for recording and playing back a broadcast signal, A PVR apparatus for tuning and reproducing an input broadcast signal and transmitting recording request information input from a user to an internet network; And Recording control for receiving and storing broadcast signals of all channels and transmitting broadcast information corresponding to recording information requested by a user among broadcast signals of all the stored channels according to the recording request information transmitted from the PVR device to the PVR device. WebPVR recording system using the Internet, including means. The method of claim 1, wherein the PVR device A network connection unit for receiving a data stream for recording information from the Internet network; And And a stream reproducing unit receiving the data stream from the network connection unit and reproducing the received broadcast signal. 2. The recording control means according to claim 1, wherein the recording control means An MPEG encoder apparatus for receiving broadcast signals of all channels and signal processing them into encoded data; An entire broadcast storage unit storing encoded data received from the MPEG encoder device; An individual broadcasting storage unit classifying and storing the recording information requested for each user; And When the recording request information is input from the user, the recording information requested by the user is extracted from the broadcasting data stored in the entire broadcasting storage unit and stored in the individual broadcasting storage unit, and the data stream of the extracted recording information is transmitted to the PVR device. Recording system of a web PVR using the Internet, including a web server. The method of claim 1 or 3, wherein the broadcast signal is Web PVR recording system using the Internet, characterized in that made of at least one of over-the-air, cable and satellite broadcasting. The recording control means according to claim 1 or 3, wherein A cable converter which processes the received cable broadcasting signals of all channels and outputs them to the MPEG encoder device; And And a satellite broadcast receiver which processes satellite signals of all channels received and outputs them to the MPEG encoder device. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the MPEG encoder device A tuner which tunes an input broadcast signal; An ADC for converting an analog broadcast signal input from the tuner into a digital signal; And The recording system of the web PVR using the Internet including an MPEG encoder for encoding the digital signal applied from the ADC into MPEG data for signal processing. In the method for recording and playing back a broadcast signal, (1) receiving broadcast signals of all channels and pre-stored in a storage medium; (2) receiving recording request information on a specific broadcast signal from a user; (3) extracting a broadcast signal requested by the user from the storage medium when the recording request information is input from the user; (4) a recording method of a web PVR using the Internet, comprising transmitting the extracted broadcast information to the user. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (3) And classifying and storing the extracted recording information for each individual in a separate storage area allocated for each individual. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (4) A method of recording a web PVR using the Internet, the method comprising: transmitting a list of recorded broadcasts, broadcast types, broadcast titles, recording start time, recording end time, and total recording time to a user.