WO2011026380A1

WO2011026380A1 - Method, device and epg server for live broadcast reminding in iptv system

Info

Publication number: WO2011026380A1
Application number: PCT/CN2010/074905
Authority: WO
Inventors: 武炳亮
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2009-09-03
Filing date: 2010-07-02
Publication date: 2011-03-10
Also published as: CN101707690A

Abstract

A method, a device and an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) server for live broadcast reminding in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system are provided. Said method includes: a Set Top Box (STB) in the IPTV system provides a setting page for live broadcast reminding, and sends a live broadcast reminding setting request to the EPG server according to the live broadcast reminding content set by a user, wherein said request includes the live broadcast reminding content set by said user and said user's information; the EPG server generates said user's live broadcast reminding record according to said live broadcast reminding content in the received live broadcast reminding setting request, saves the live broadcast reminding record and reports it to a service management platform; the EPG server sends said user's live broadcast reminding record to the STB, and the STB displays said live broadcast reminding record to said user. Using the solution of the present invention, users can independently choose and customize program live broadcast reminding, and the user customized live broadcast reminding can be pushed to the STB by the EPG server, to be displayed on television, thereby improving user experience.

Description

Method, device and EPG server for live broadcast reminding in IPTV system

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) technology, and in particular, to a method and device for live broadcast reminding in an IPTV system, and an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) server. Background technique

The IPTV system uses IP set-top box (STB) + analog TV (TV) or computer (PC) as the main terminal equipment, integrating streaming media, data, communication and other technologies into one, providing users with live TV including A variety of interactive services, including services, already have a complete video and audio playback technology, users can experience the shocking experience brought by the digital home theater provided by the IPTV system through the IP network.

However, in the current IPTV technology implementation plan, the main focus is on the research and development of mainstream technologies such as audio/video playback and interactive page display. From the user's point of view, for traditional live channel programs, IPTV is compared with traditional digital TV. There is no obvious advantage. For example, for a program of interest, the user can only passively memorize the start time of the program, or by reminding by other means (such as an alarm clock), and the reminder cannot be directly popped up on the television.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a solution for the user to customize the live broadcast notice reminding function, and remind the user to watch the program of interest according to the customized content of the user, thereby increasing the user experience. Summary of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method, a device and an EPG server for a live broadcast reminder in an IPTV system, so that the user can independently select a live broadcast reminder for the customized program, so that the user can better view the content of his or her favorite content.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a method for a live broadcast reminder in an interactive network television (IPTV) system, including:

The set-top box (STB) of the IPTV system provides a live broadcast reminder setting page, and is set according to the user. The live broadcast reminder content sends a live broadcast reminder setting request to an electronic program guide (EPG) server, where the request includes the live broadcast reminder content set by the user and the information of the user;

The EPG server generates a live broadcast reminder record of the user according to the live broadcast reminder content in the received live broadcast reminder setting request, and saves and reports to the service management platform;

The EPG server sends the live broadcast reminder record of the user to the STB, and the STB presents the live broadcast reminder record to the user.

Preferably, the live broadcast reminder content at least includes: a reminder time and a program name.

Preferably, the EPG server sends the live broadcast reminder record of the user to the STB according to the live broadcast reminder acquisition request initiated by the STB.

Preferably, the STB periodically initiates the live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the EPG server;

The EPG server sends only the live broadcast reminder record of the current launch period to the STB according to the initiation period of the live broadcast reminder acquisition request.

Preferably, the method further includes:

The user deletes the set live broadcast reminder through the STB, and the STB sends a live broadcast reminder delete request to the EPG server;

The EPG server deletes the saved live broadcast reminder record of the user according to the received live broadcast reminder deletion request, and notifies the service management platform.

The invention also provides an apparatus for realizing live broadcast reminder in an interactive network television (IPTV) system, comprising: a set top box (STB), a service management platform and an electronic program guide (EPG) server, and the STB includes a live broadcast reminder setting module and an STB live broadcast reminder. Module, EPG server includes live broadcast reminder management module, where:

The live broadcast reminder setting module is configured to: provide a live broadcast reminder setting page, and send a live broadcast reminder setting request to the live broadcast reminder management module according to the live broadcast reminder content set by the user, where the request includes the live broadcast reminder content and the set by the user Describe the user's information;

The live broadcast reminder management module is configured to: generate a live broadcast reminder record of the user according to the live broadcast reminder content in the received live broadcast reminder setting request, save and report the report to the service management platform; Sending a reminder record to the STB live broadcast reminder module; The STB live broadcast reminder module is configured to: display the live broadcast reminder record, and display the content to the user;

The service management platform is configured to: save the received live broadcast reminder record, and provide the user's live broadcast reminder record query service to the EPG server.

Preferably, the live broadcast reminder setting page provided by the live broadcast reminder setting module includes at least the following settings of the live broadcast reminder content: reminder time and program name.

Preferably, the live broadcast reminder setting module is further configured to: provide a live broadcast reminder deletion page for the live broadcast reminder content set by the user, and send a live broadcast reminder deletion request to the live broadcast reminder management module according to the user delete operation;

The live broadcast reminder management module is further configured to: delete the saved live broadcast reminder record of the user according to the received live broadcast reminder deletion request, and notify the service management platform.

Preferably, the live broadcast reminder setting module is further configured to: send a live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the live broadcast reminder management module;

The live broadcast reminder management module is further configured to: after receiving the live broadcast reminder acquisition request, send the live broadcast reminder record of the user to the STB live broadcast reminder module.

Preferably, the live broadcast reminder setting module is further configured to: periodically initiate a live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the live broadcast reminder management module;

The live broadcast reminder management module is further configured to: send only the live broadcast reminder record in the current launch period to the STB live broadcast reminder module according to the launch period of the live broadcast reminder acquisition request.

The invention also provides an electronic program guide (EPG) server for live broadcast reminder in an interactive network television (IPTV) system, comprising a live broadcast reminder management module, configured as:

After receiving the live broadcast reminder setting request sent by the set top box (STB), the live broadcast reminder record of the user is generated according to the live broadcast reminder content and the user information, and is saved and reported to the service management platform;

After receiving the live broadcast reminder acquisition request sent by the STB, the live broadcast reminder record of the user is sent to the STB for the STB to display to the user.

Preferably, the live broadcast reminder management module is further configured to: after receiving the live broadcast reminder deletion request sent by the STB, delete the saved live broadcast reminder record of the user, and notify the service management level Through the above technical solution, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: By pushing a customized live broadcast reminder from the EPG to the STB in the IPTV environment, and displaying it on the television, the interaction between the user and the system is realized, and the compensation is well compensated. In the traditional IPTV system, the user can only passively watch, and the user cannot customize the defect of the reminder; the live broadcast reminder device of the present invention formulates a perfect live broadcast reminder management, delivery, storage, and display process, and the device can be timely The live broadcast reminder is sent to the STB for display. BRIEF abstract

1 is a schematic diagram of a live broadcast reminder device in an IPTV system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic diagram showing the composition of an STB according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic flowchart of a live broadcast reminder record generation, pushdown, and display according to an application example of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a live broadcast reminder method in an IPTV system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Preferred embodiment of the invention

The present invention provides a method for a live broadcast reminder in an IPTV system, including:

Step 1: Publish the live broadcast notice of each live channel on the service management platform, and send it to the EPG server through the data synchronization message;

The service management platform may perform an addition or deletion of a live broadcast notice on a live channel;

Step 2: The EPG server receives and parses the data synchronization message sent by the service management platform, and downloads the live broadcast notice file to the third-party FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server. After parsing the live broadcast notice file, the program preview is saved to In the local database;

The service management platform sends data synchronization messages through HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or XML (Extensible Markup Language).

Step 3: After the user logs in to the IPTV system successfully, the STB obtains the live channel from the EPG server. The list information and the program preview information are displayed on the television; the user watches the program preview of the live channel through the television, and sets the live broadcast reminder to the program of interest through the live broadcast reminder setting page provided by the STB, and the STB will include the live broadcast set by the user. A live broadcast reminder setting request for reminding content and user information is sent to the EPG server;

The live broadcast reminder content that can be set by the live broadcast reminder setting page provided by the STB includes but is not limited to: reminder time, program name, channel name, etc.; the STB includes the content set by the user in the live broadcast reminder setting request and sends it to the EPG server, the live broadcast Remind the setup request to use the format of the HTTP request.

Step 4: After receiving the live broadcast reminder setting request, the EPG server determines whether the request is legal. If it is legal, the EPG server processes the request, generates a live broadcast reminder record related to the user, and reports the record to the service management platform. After successful, save the live broadcast reminder record in a local database;

In this step, after the data is successfully saved, the local database can return the result to the STB, and the STB reminds the user that the save is successful.

Step 5: The STB periodically initiates a user live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the EPG server.

The STB periodically initiates a live broadcast alert acquisition request through a timer, and the live broadcast alert acquisition request can also use the format of the HTTP request.

In addition, the EPG server can also periodically send the user's live broadcast reminder record to the STB. Step 6: The EPG server obtains the request according to the received live broadcast reminder, queries the local database, and sends the user-related live broadcast reminder record to the STB;

Step 7: After receiving the live broadcast reminder record, the STB judges the reminding time point, and displays the live broadcast reminder to the user by setting the timer to suit the suitable time before the program starts.

The implementation of the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1, the live broadcast reminding device of the IPTV system in the embodiment of the present invention mainly includes: a service management platform 110, an EPG server 120, and an STB 130, where:

The management function of the IPTV live channel program preview is implemented on the service management platform 110 side of the IPTV system. Through the live broadcast notice management module (not shown) inside the service management platform 110, a specific program preview can be customized for the live channel. Add, modify, and delete program previews, And the data synchronization message of the program preview is sent to the EPG server 120.

As a WEB server, the EPG server 120 is a display portal in the IPTV system, and is responsible for the customization of the STB 130 display page and the redirection of the video playback. The EPG server 120 can synchronize with the live broadcast notice data of the service management platform 110, and can ensure the timeliness of the program preview information through a certain trigger mechanism. In this embodiment, the EPG server 120 further includes: a message receiving processing module 121; the message receiving processing module 121 receives the data synchronization message sent by the live broadcast notice management module in real time, and performs SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) in HTTP+XML mode. The simple object access protocol) message is parsed, and the parsed program preview information, including the address information of the third-party FTP server 140, is sent to the file download parsing module 122; the file download parsing module 122; The information is transmitted by the third-party FTP server 140 according to the agreement with the service management platform 110. Specifically, the file download parsing module 122 receives the address information of the third-party FTP server 140 according to the message receiving processing module 121. Downloading and parsing the file from the FTP server 140, extracting the live broadcast notice data, assembling the message according to a certain format, and saving the assembled message in the local database 123;

The live broadcast reminder management module 124; the module mainly implements the management of the live broadcast reminder record of the user, including: after receiving the live broadcast reminder setting request sent by the STB 130, generating a live broadcast reminder record of the user, and saving the same in the EPG server 120 In the local database 123, after receiving the user live broadcast reminder deletion request sent by the STB 130, the corresponding live broadcast reminder record is deleted; and the live broadcast reminder acquisition request sent by the STB 130 is monitored in real time, and the user-related live broadcast in the local database 123 is queried. Remind the record, the following way to push the JSP page to push the live broadcast reminder message to the STB 130.

As shown in FIG. 2, the STB 130 of this embodiment includes:

The live broadcast reminder setting module 131; the user sets a live broadcast reminder to the program of interest when watching the program preview, and the live broadcast reminder setting module 131 sends the live broadcast reminder set by the user to the EPG server 120 through the live broadcast reminder setting request; The set live broadcast reminder is canceled, and the live broadcast reminder delete request is sent to the EPG server 120; the module is further configured to periodically initiate a live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the live broadcast reminder management module 124;

STB message cache module 132; the module receives the live broadcast reminder management of the EPG server 120 After the live broadcast reminder message is pushed down by the module 124, it is stored in the corresponding storage module in the STB cache;

The STB message pushing module 133; the module periodically (for example, by a timer) the live broadcast reminder message cached in the STB cache is sequentially taken out according to the message level and the message type, and pushed down to the STB message display module 134;

The STB message display module 134; after receiving the direct broadcast reminder message pushed down by the STB message pushing module 133, the module displays the message to the user on the television.

The STB message cache module 132, the STB message push module 133, and the STB message display module 134 may be collectively referred to as an STB live broadcast reminder module.

The live broadcast reminder management module 124 may initiate a live broadcast reminder acquisition request initiation period according to the STB 130, and only send the live broadcast reminder record to the STB 130 during the current launch period.

In addition, the present invention also provides an EPG server for live broadcast reminding in an IPTV system, the function of which is as described above, and will not be further described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates the live broadcast reminder query and display process of the application example of the foregoing technical solution, including the following steps: Step 301: The user logs in to the set top box successfully, triggering the STB to initiate a request to the EPG server to query the user related live broadcast reminder;

In addition, during the process of watching the video, the STB also periodically initiates a request to the EPG server to query the user for a live broadcast reminder.

Step 302: The EPG server receives the request, and first determines the trigger mode of the request, and determines whether it is triggered for the first time after the user logs in.

Step 303: The EPG queries the related live broadcast reminder record according to different trigger modes. If the user triggers for the first time after logging in, it finds all live broadcast reminders that need to be sent to the user; if not triggered for the first time, the request is triggered by the timer. Only the live broadcast reminder that has not been delivered to the user is queried, and is not sent to the user.

Step 304, the EPG organizes the result of the query into a relatively friendly live broadcast reminder according to a certain format, such as "The XX program of the XX channel that you set is about to start, please pay attention to watch on time" and send it to the STB;

Step 305, the STB receives the live broadcast reminder record returned by the EPG, and parses the record, The message that needs immediate reminding is directly sent to the STB message pushing module; for the message that does not need immediate reminding, the message is sent to the STB message buffering module;

Step 306: The STB message caching module caches the live broadcast reminder message, and sorts the message according to a certain policy, and sets a timer for the cached message to periodically check whether the set reminder time point arrives, for the arrival reminding time. Point the message, send the message to the STB message push module, and delete it from the cache queue;

Step 307: The STB message pushing module is responsible for sending the live broadcast reminder message to the STB message display module, that is, the JVM message display module;

Step 308: The JVM message display module dynamically displays the text message in a page or play state, and can flexibly set the font, format, and scroll mode of the reminder message according to the client request. In addition, the display method is not limited to displaying the reminder information only in the form of a text message, and the live broadcast reminder message can be displayed in a more complicated form such as an image or an interactive page, so as to realize the diversification of the reminder manner.

Figure 4 shows the complete process of how to set the live broadcast reminder after the user logs in to the system, and how the STB displays the live broadcast reminder to the user, including the following steps:

Step 401: The user logs in to the STB of the IPTV system, and the STB initiates a live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the EPG server. Step 402: The EPG server obtains a live broadcast reminder list of the user from the service system of the IPTV system, such as a service management platform.

Since the IPTV system has multiple EPG servers, after the user sets the live broadcast reminder, the EPG server at the next re-login may not be the EPG server when the live broadcast reminder is set. Therefore, the EPG server needs to report after generating the live broadcast reminder record. The service management platform is uniformly saved, so that each time the user logs in, the EPG server can query the live broadcast reminder record of the user from the service management platform.

Step 403: The service management platform returns a result to the EPG server.

Step 404: After receiving the live broadcast reminder list of the user returned by the service management platform, the EPG server first clears the expired live broadcast reminder. Step 405, the EPG server saves the user's live reminder list to a local database (for example, xbase, mysql, sysbase, etc.);

Step 406: The EPG server queries the local database for the live broadcast reminder that needs to be displayed. Step 407, the EPG server returns the live broadcast reminder that needs to be displayed to the STB and the time of the next query;

In this embodiment, the EPG server sends a live broadcast reminder record in batches, and each batch delivered is a message within a time period. When all the batches of messages are displayed, the next query can be initiated. The EPG server returns to the STB the time of the next inquiry, that is, the end time of the time period.

Step 408, reminding the time to arrive, the STB presents the live broadcast reminder to the user;

Step 409, the user watches the live broadcast notice, sets a live broadcast reminder for a certain program, and the STB sends a direct broadcast reminder setting request to the EPG server;

Step 410: The EPG server reports the generated live broadcast reminder record to the service management platform. Step 411, the service management platform is successfully set, and the operation result is returned.

Step 412: The EPG server inserts the live broadcast reminder record into a local database.

Step 413, because the live broadcast reminder record is updated, the EPG server re-query the live broadcast reminder that needs to be displayed this time;

Step 414, the EPG server returns to the STB the live broadcast reminder that needs to be displayed, and the time of the next query;

Step 415, reminding the time to arrive, the STB presents the live broadcast reminder to the user.

Through the above implementation scheme, the function of performing live broadcast reminding on the live channel can be realized, which is convenient for the user to better watch the program of interest and improve the user experience, and is another embodiment of the advantage of the IPTV over the traditional television viewing mode. .

The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability In the technical solution provided by the present invention, the user-customized live broadcast reminder is pushed from the EPG to the STB in the IPTV environment, and displayed on the television, thereby realizing the interaction between the user and the system, and the traditional IPTV system is well compensated. The user can only watch passively, and the user cannot customize the defect of the reminder.

Claims

Claim

1. A method for live broadcast reminder in an interactive network television (IPTV) system, comprising:

The set top box (STB) of the IPTV system provides a live broadcast reminder setting page, and sends a live broadcast reminder setting request to the electronic program guide (EPG) server according to the live broadcast reminder content set by the user, where the request includes the live broadcast reminder content set by the user and the User information;

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

The live broadcast reminder content includes at least: a reminder time and a program name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

The EPG server sends the live broadcast reminder record of the user to the STB according to the live broadcast reminder acquisition request initiated by the STB.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

The STB periodically initiates the live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the EPG server;

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

The user deletes the set live broadcast reminder through the STB, and the STB sends a live broadcast reminder to delete the request.

EPG server; and

6. A device for live broadcast reminder in an interactive network television (IPTV) system, comprising: a set top box (STB), a service management platform and an electronic program guide (EPG) server, the STB includes a live broadcast reminder setting module and an STB live broadcast reminder module, EPG The server includes a live broadcast reminder management module, where: The live broadcast reminder setting module is configured to: provide a live broadcast reminder setting page, and send a live broadcast reminder setting request to the live broadcast reminder management module according to the live broadcast reminder content set by the user; the live broadcast reminder setting request includes the live broadcast set by the user The content of the reminder and the information of the user; the live broadcast reminder management module is configured to: generate a live broadcast reminder record of the user according to the live broadcast reminder content in the received live broadcast reminder setting request, save and report to the service management a platform, and sending the live broadcast reminder record of the user to the STB live broadcast reminder module;

The STB live broadcast reminder module is configured to: display the broadcast reminder record to the user after receiving the live broadcast reminder record;

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

The live reminder setting page provided by the live broadcast reminder setting module includes at least the following settings of the live broadcast reminder content: reminder time and program name.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

The live broadcast reminder setting module is further configured to: provide a live broadcast reminder deletion page for the live broadcast reminder content set by the user, and send a live broadcast reminder deletion request to the live broadcast reminder management module according to the user delete operation;

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein

The live broadcast reminder setting module is further configured to: initiate a live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the live broadcast reminder management module; the live broadcast reminder management module is further configured to: after receiving the live broadcast reminder acquisition request, the live broadcast of the user The reminder record is sent to the STB live broadcast reminder module.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

The live broadcast reminder setting module is further configured to: periodically initiate a live broadcast reminder acquisition request to the live broadcast reminder management module; The live broadcast reminder management module is further configured to: send only the live broadcast reminder record in the current launch cycle time to the STB live broadcast reminder module according to the initiation period of the live broadcast reminder acquisition request.

11. An electronic program guide (EPG) server for live broadcast reminder in an interactive network television (IPTV) system, comprising a live broadcast reminder management module, configured to:

The EPG server according to claim 11, wherein the live broadcast reminder management module is further configured to: after receiving the live broadcast reminder deletion request sent by the STB, delete the saved live broadcast reminder record of the user, and notify the The business management platform.