FR3044190A1 - AUDIO AND VIDEO CONTENT BROADCASTING SYSTEM - Google Patents

Abstract

Broadcast central station (1) comprising: - an output stage broadcasting audio and / or video content data on at least two types of channels and according to at least two types of broadcast among unicast, multicast, and wide broadcast a broadcast manager (72) associated with a usage limit data memory relating to at least one of the channel types and at least one of the broadcast types, - an input stage for selectively receiving data from respective terminals (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) via a signaling path (89), and for recognizing sets (91) of status data including connectivity data , geographical data and usage data relating to one of the terminals, and transmit them to the broadcast manager (72). The broadcast manager (72) is configured to process said sets (91) of state data, to derive a ranking of the terminals (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), and assign to each terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) a channel type and a broadcast type for receiving the audio and / or video content data according to the rating and usage limit data.

Description

The invention relates to the broadcasting of audio and / or video contents to remote terminals.

Audio / video content broadcasters use unicast to ensure good quality. Thus, each user is identified and a two-way communication can be established between the broadcaster and the user, so that, for example, the badly received digital packets can be sent again. But this is only possible with a limited number of users. The number of simultaneous two-way calls is technically limited by the broadcaster's hardware and / or software because of the processing load involved. When the number of users wishing to access the service reaches this technical limit, the establishment of a new connection is impossible, or it is necessary to temporarily increase the limit of simultaneous users, by reducing the treatments, which degrades the quality of the service. service.

When the broadcaster wishes to sustainably satisfy a larger number of users, it can increase the processing capabilities of hardware and / or software, which is very expensive. It can also implement a broad broadcast ("broadcast" in English), which comprises a one-way data transmission type transmitter to receiver (s). No return is possible. The broadcaster does not have information about users, not even their number. An adaptation of the broadcast according to the users is impossible. The invention improves the situation.

The Applicant proposes a central broadcast station comprising: an output stage for broadcasting audio and / or video content data on at least two types of channels from a wired connection, a Wifi connection, a mobile network connection, radio waves, and according to at least two types of broadcast among unicast, multicast, and wide broadcast, - a broadcast manager associated with a usage limit data memory relating to at least one of the channel types and at least one of the broadcast types, - an input stage for selectively receiving data from respective terminals remote from the central station via a signaling channel, and for recognizing, in said received data, sets of data of state including connectivity data, geographic data and usage data relating to one of the terminals, and transmitting them to management dissemination. The broadcast manager is configured to process said sets of status data to derive a ranking of the terminals, and, based on the rank and usage limit data, assign to each terminal a type of channels and a broadcast type for receiving the audio and / or video content data.

Such a central station makes it possible to control the number of terminals connected to the central station in unicast and / or multicast at any time. At least some of the broadband connected terminals remain identified by the central station. The central station requires each terminal the communication channel to use. It can force a terminal to change communication path during the broadcast. The selection of the path taken by a first terminal can be a function of many parameters, in particular the state of the other terminals. Even if the first terminal technically has access to a preferred first channel and a first type of broadcast, the use of a second channel and / or a second type of broadcast may be imposed by the central station. The quality of service provided to the other terminals can thus be preserved. Regulatory or commercial restrictions may be imposed. For example, it may be prohibited to broadcast content in previously identified geographical areas, to previously identified audiences, or through third-party networks. The limitation of diffusion or the adaptation of the contents is controlled from the central station. In addition, preserving the technical capacities of diffusion to the greatest number makes it possible to ensure a massive diffusion, whatever the quality of the service provided, for example during the occasion of a security alert or emergency. The quality of the broadcast can be optimized in real time, in particular by ensuring continuity of flows. Additional functionalities can be implemented from the central station without having to physically intervene on the terminals or update the terminal software. Technological evolution is improved.

The central station may have the following optional features, alone or in combination with each other: - the connectivity data comprises representative dynamic data - of the terminal types accessible to the terminal, and / or - of a corresponding signal strength to each type of path accessible to the terminal.

This makes it possible to assign each terminal a type of channels and a type of broadcast to receive the audio and / or video content data according to its reception capabilities. the geographical data comprise dynamic data representative of a geographical position of the terminal, and / or of a geographical displacement of the terminal.

This makes it possible to assign each terminal a type of channels and a type of broadcast to receive the data of audio and / or video content according to a tracking of its geographical position. the usage data comprise representative dynamic data of an audio and / or video file being played on the terminal; a reading position in an audio and / or video file being played on the terminal; terminal, - the state of a terminal buffer, and / or - latency between the central station and said terminal.

This makes it possible to assign each terminal a type of channels and a type of broadcast to receive the audio and / or video content data according to its reception needs. the state data furthermore comprise static data representative of the identity of a user of the terminal, a hardware and / or software configuration of the terminal, limitations of the use by the terminal of the terminal, at least one of the channel types and / or at least one of the broadcast types.

This makes it possible to assign to each terminal a type of channels and a type of broadcast for receiving the audio and / or video content data according to the characteristics of the terminal and / or its user. the signaling channel supplying the input stage comprises a bidirectional unicast channel.

This allows a better control of the transmitted data and in particular to return the packets not received. the signaling channel supplying the input stage is distinct from the channels through which the audio and / or video content data are transmitted.

This makes it possible to adapt the channels used to the type of content to be transmitted and allows a better dimensioning of the equipment. - The central station further comprises at least one interface stage to exchange with at least one remote computer via a bidirectional channel.

This makes it possible to provide the remote computer with data for analyzing exchanges between the central station and the terminals and to receive from the remote computer additional content data to be transmitted to the terminals.

According to a second aspect, the invention also relates to a method of broadcasting audio and / or video content comprising the following steps: a) selectively transmitting via a signaling channel from a terminal to a broadcast manager of a central station sets state data including connectivity data, geographic data and usage data relating to the terminal; b) having said sets of status data processed by the broadcast manager to derive a ranking of the terminals; ) have the broadcast manager assign to each terminal a type of channel among a wired connection, a Wi-Fi connection, a mobile network connection, radio waves, and a broadcast type among unicast, multicast and wide broadcast to receive audio and / or video content data based on the rating and usage limit data relating to at least one type of channel and at least one type of broadcast, and d) broadcasting audio and / or video content data to the terminal via at least one channel of the type assigned by broadcast of the assigned type. Other features, details and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following detailed description, and the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates the general structure of the interactions which may exist between a central station of diffusion and a terminal, - Figure 2 shows a diagram of interactions of the central station according to the invention with its environment, - Figure 3 shows a diagram of information transmission between the central station according to the invention and its environment, and FIG. 4 shows an example of diffusion by a central station according to the invention.

The drawings and the description below contain, for the most part, elements of a certain character. They can therefore not only serve to better understand the present invention, but also contribute to its definition, if any.

Reference is made to FIG. 1, which represents the general block diagram of a system to which the invention can be applied.

A central station 1 communicates with content servers 100. The central station comprises an encoder selector 71, which makes it possible to decide on the sending of a content that is broadcast-wide by a channel 81,

Either in multicast, by a channel 82,

Either in mono-diffusion of contents ("unicast"), by a way 83.

The wide diffusion or the multi-diffusion can be carried out on a network, for example a telephone network with the LTE ("Long-Term Evolution") standard. It will also be possible to work according to the Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS) standard, which specifies a point-to-multipoint interface for 3GPP cellular telephone networks. A wired network is also possible.

Broad broadcasting can also be performed in airwaves, AM / FM, VHF / FM, or according to the new DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) or DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) standards. ), in which case this broad diffusion does not physically pass through the channel 81.

The broadcast audio and / or video contents are in principle digital, except possibly for broadband broadcasting in AM / FM.

The mono-broadcast can be carried out on a network, for example a wired internet network or a telephone network with the GSM standard ("Special Mobile Group") or UMTS ("Universal Mobile Telecommunications System"). It can include a one way and a return way.

Figure 1 shows another unicast channel 89, dedicated to signaling, in principle bidirectional. This path 89 is illustrated separately for clarity. In practice, it can use the same hardware elements as the channel 83. In this signaling channel, there are as many channels as there are simultaneous users. This does not pose a problem of sizing, because the amount of data exchanged remains in principle low or very low, typically a few kilobits per second. In addition, signaling between the central office and a user is necessary, but only serves from time to time. In the worst case, in the temporary absence of signaling, the user terminal alone would determine what is the best network for him.

In the same figure, the terminal T comprises content reception stages:

Either in terrestrial reception ("in the air"), by a way T80, provided with an antenna,

Either broadband broadcast, via a T81 channel,

Either in multi-diffusion ("multicast"), by a way T82,

Either in mono-diffusion of contents ("unicast"), by a way T83.

In the case of an IP network, wired or not, broad broadcasting ("broadcast") relates to data accessible to all members of the network. Multicast refers to data broadcast in one go, so that it is accessible to a designated subset of network members. This can be done by properly processing the IP addresses (sometimes called MAC addresses, for "Medium Access Control"). However, one could also qualify as multi-broadcast a set of unicasts to different recipients. One of the contents is selected by a decoder selector T71, to be transmitted to a T60 audio / video player, under the control of a terminal-side broadcast manager T72. This is controlled by a broadcast manager 72 of the central station, through the single-broadcast signaling channel 89, the central side, and T89, the terminal side.

If necessary, the broadcast manager T72 informs the reader T60 of the nature of the signals that he will receive. It can also provide configuration parameters for T80 to T83 receive modules.

Figure 1 distinguishes diffusion modes such as wide diffusion, multi-diffusion and mono-diffusion, and applies them relatively independently of the nature of the transmission medium used: pure radio link in the air, mobile telephone connection, link short distance radio arranged in a network (Wifi, Bluetooth, for example). Indeed, there are currently quasi-standardized modules for passing the transmitted physical signal to a baseband signal that does not depend much on the transmission medium. It remains, on the other hand, that certain media of transmission do not allow everything. For example, the pure radio hertzian link in the air is not easily compatible with bidirectional mono-diffusion.

The central station also includes a user account manager and services 50, which communicates with a T50 user account and service data manager, located in the terminal. Here too, the communication can be done through the single-broadcast signaling channel 89, central side, and T89, terminal side.

The user account and services manager 50 works with a memory 3 which houses a database of users, user profiles and services. User profiles can include Content Access Rules (ARM) management.

Service management can be done using Radio Services Rules (RSR), for example:

Management of a service plan for the user (radio catalog and metadata, electronic program guide information (EPG), update of services, update of applications),

Customer order management (choice of a stream or stream, Customer interactions, Advertising, Localization, Profile of social networks, Purchase, in particular), Location of flows (url, frequency), Protocol identifiers (DAB / DAB +, AM / FM, DRM, HD Radio, DVB / Internet streaming),

Client reader IDs (version and license).

The "Customer interactions" can be done by transmission from the central of a url which will be displayed on the screen part and serve as an interaction button to the user. "Customer interactions" can also include pieces of java code for example, which can be resident, or also transmitted from the central office.

Reference is made to FIG. 2. A central station 1 is arranged to have access to at least one storage unit 3. In the following, the storage unit 3 is unique. As a variant, several complementary or redundant storage units are implemented. The storage units can be physically distant from each other. Here, the term "terminal" means remote devices of the central station 1, including means of communication and / or reception and able to display videos and / or sound. In the example described here, several users 17, 19, 21 each have at least two terminals. The terminals take, for example, the form of computers 5, 7, a tablet 9, a smartphone 11, an automobile radio 13 and a television 15. In the example described here, the terminals are used mainly by individuals. Computers 51 are connected to the central station 1 and controlled by third parties, for example service companies that are independent of the manager of the central station 1.

The letter T of FIG. 1 can correspond in the following to one of the terminals 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15.

Each of these terminals 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 (generically T) is able to receive audio-video content from the central station 1 by different types of channels 31.

There is a first type of channel 31, which provides a broad type of broadcast broadcast, or "broadcast" to the terminal T. The channels 31 of the first type include, for example, a wired connection, a Wi-Fi connection, a connection via mobile telephone network, a radio wave connection, or a combination thereof. They lead to one of the organs T80, T81 and T82 of FIG.

To receive the audio / video contents via a channel of the first type 31, each terminal 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 can make a request on the signaling link (T89 89, in FIG. ), for example on a network of the internet type. The terminal receives the content in response, in a manner known per se.

In another example, the terminal captures and processes a signal carried by radio waves for radio-type operation. Each terminal 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 can then function as a receiver only on the first type 31 channel. The signaling channel can provide the terminal with the information necessary to decode the signal it receives. .

There is a second type of path 33, which can ensure that each of the terminals 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, is able to establish a connection with the central station 1. The channels of the second type lead to one of the organs T83 and T89 of Figure 1 (or T89 only). Thus, the second type of channel 33 allows a type of unicast and / or multicast broadcast, from the central station 1 to the terminal 5, 7, 9, 11, 15. Each of the channels 33 of the second type includes, for example, a wired connection, a Wi-Fi connection, a mobile network connection, or a combination thereof. In addition to receiving audio / video content or other contents, the second type of channel 33 allows data transmission from each terminal 5, 7, 9, 11, 15 to the central station 1. Each terminal 5, 7, 9, 11, 15 can then operate, on the second type channel 33, both as a transmitter and as a receiver.

Each terminal 5, 7, 9, 11, 15 is provided, for example by means of a resident application, an audio / video player T60. The reader is arranged so as to allow the progressive download, or reading on the fly ("progressive download") so that it is able to read content being downloaded, here from the central station 1. The reader allows to play content recorded on an external server ("replay" mode) as well as content from a live stream. The player also features features known as such as pause, including a live stream, the launch of chapter-based playback, the start of playback at a chosen time of the audio / video content, or the recovery of direct.

The reader T60 can be specifically dedicated to cooperation with the central station 1. Alternatively, an existing reader is used. The functions required for it to cooperate with the central station 1 can be performed by means of a software development kit, or "SDK" (for "Software Development Kit"). The central station software is adapted to interface with these functions in SDK.

For example, a terminal can cooperate with the central station 1 including an SDK function that allows it to return the entire profile of the terminal and its user, or to return his geolocation. This allows the central office to evaluate the number of people who are in use of a particular program.

In any case, it is possible to exchange data between the terminal T and the central station, either by the single-diffusion mode or by the signaling link (T89 -> 89, in FIG. 1).

Thus, the storage unit 3 of the central station 1 will store static data, and dynamic data, which it receives, at least in part, the terminals. Here dynamic data are termed data that have an instantaneous validity period or almost (short term). Static data have a longer validity period (medium or long term) than dynamic data.

The static data here includes: usage limit data representative of the hardware and / or software boundaries specific to the central station 1. For example, the usage limit data includes a maximum number of simultaneous unicast connections on the central station. 1 beyond which the risk of malfunction of the central station 1 is considered unacceptable. The value of this number can be calculated automatically by the central station 1 or fixed by a manager of the central station 1. data directives (or "instructions"), representing a set of rules applicable in the management of the dissemination of content and adapted to be interpreted by a rules engine of the central station 1 described below, user data representative of each user registered on the service. User data includes, for example, a personal identifier, a password, surname, first name, age, sex, nationality, languages used and / or preferred, contact details, address and country of residence usually, means of payment, third party subscription characteristics of the mobile telephony type and / or fixed internet provider, service usage preferences and an identifier of each of the terminals associated with the user. The user data are filled in by the user during his registration to the service, updated by the user, collected automatically via the terminals and / or prefilled by default. The usual precautions and the regulations in force are strictly applied, in particular to secure the collection and storage of these data. At least some of the user data may be made optional or assigned by default an "unknown" type value without the user having to provide such information to access at least part of the service. terminal data representative of each of the terminals registered by the users. The static terminal data comprise, for example, the personal identifier stored in the user data, the type of terminal (mobile or fixed), the hardware configuration and in particular the communication means (2G, 3G, 4G, eMbms, Wifi, Radio, Bluetooth®, wired), hardware and / or software limits such as the maximum resolution of a terminal screen or indicators of the support of certain formats, as well as the configuration of the software installed on the terminal, recorded audio and / or video content data.

Although considered as static, this data can be modified manually, or automatically for example following a software update of the terminal.

The dynamic data includes status data of each terminal at a time t. For example, for the terminal 5, they can take the form of the following data set: i) connectivity data including for example - a list of the ListPath (t) channels accessible to the terminal 5 to receive a broadcast from the central station 1; a Strength Signal signal strength (t) for each of the listed channels; ii) space or geographical data, including for example - a geographical position Position (t) of the terminal 5; an instantaneous speed of movement Speed (t) of the terminal 5; iii) connectivity data including for example - a Video_ID (t) identifier of audio / video content being played on the terminal 5; a reading position Cursor (t) of the audio / video content being read on the terminal 5; reading can be done using a rotating bufifer also called circular buffer, or storage ring; an estimate of the congestion of the Buffer buffer (t) of the terminal 5; an estimate of the latency Lag (t) of communication between the terminal 5 and the central station 1.

The dynamic data is updated with a recurrence that can be fixed or made dependent on at least some of the data, for example depending on the mobility of the terminal. Unlike static data, dynamic data can be considered as obsolete, in the absence of updating after a short and predetermined duration. Being rapidly obsolete, the dynamic data can be automatically deleted when the connection between the central station 1 and the terminal 5 is lost or the service is interrupted.

The transmission of the state data by the terminal 5 is here carried out via an application installed on the terminal 5. For the collection of certain data, this application may have to communicate in low level language with the hardware. ("Hardware") of the terminal. This includes accessing terminal operating data, such as signal strength, or the operator name. This access depends very much on the OS (operating system) and firmware (Android type, or iOS) used by the manufacturer (Apple, Samsung, in particular). Thus, the application 5 installed on the terminal is adapted to the type of terminal and its OS.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which shows the transmission of data from terminals 5, 6 to central station 1 via a second type 33 channel. Here, terminal 6 is a smart phone. Each terminal 5, 6 transmits to the central station 1 sets 91 of state data. The state data of each set 91 includes the data set described above. Alternatively, other data may be included in the data representative of the state of the terminal at time t, for example the remaining energy autonomy when it is a mobile terminal. The data representative of the state of the terminal includes, as a variant, only a portion of the aforementioned data. Each set 91 is representative of the state of the terminal 5, respectively 6, which transmits them.

Each set 91 further includes static data update data when the corresponding information has been changed since the last state data transmission.

The car radio station 13 of FIG. 2 is, here, devoid of communication means enabling it to transmit data to the central station 1. The car radio station 13 receives contents by wide diffusion and by means of radio waves. The car radio station 13 comprises connection means capable of establishing a connection at a short distance with another intermediate terminal. For example, a wired USB type connection or a Bluetooth ® type antenna allowing the user to connect a smartphone. The car radio station 13 then communicates with the central station 1 via the intermediary terminal relay. The status data of the car radio station 13 is thus transmitted to the central station 1. Upon receipt of the data sets 91, the central station 1 updates the corresponding data on the storage unit 3.

The central station 1 comprises a selector 71. The selector 71 receives as input the status data of the terminals 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and the usage limit data of the central station 1. The selector 71 includes a rule engine adapted to apply to the input data the regulation rules contained in the instruction data or "instruction data". The selector 71 calls the rule engine with the input data and applies the regulation rules thereto.

The directive data may further contain data relating to restrictions of use. For example, if the third party subscription characteristics of the mobile telephony type and / or the fixed internet provider indicate a billing dependent on a consumed data volume, then a restriction on the use of certain communication channels by the corresponding terminal can be provided. to limit the costs borne by the user. If contractual or legal restrictions or rules prohibit the dissemination of certain content via certain channels and / or certain types of broadcast and / or to certain users and / or geographical areas, then such restrictions are transcribed in the storage unit directive data 3.

After application of the regulation rules, the selector 71 derives a classification of the terminals 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. The selector 71 assigns to each terminal 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 a type of channel and a type of broadcast according to the classification and the usage limits so that for each type of channel and each type of broadcast the total number of attribution remains lower than the corresponding usage limits. For example, the directive data may require that the allocation of a multicast be reserved in priority to the terminals 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 of which the user holds a subscription with the manager of the service. central station 1. Thus a first group of terminals 5, 6, 7, 9 is assigned a multicast while a second group of terminals 11, 13, 15 is assigned a wide broadcast.

The central station 1 transmits, by a channel of the second type 33, to each of the terminals 5, 6, 7, 9 of the first group of individual connection data. Each terminal 5, 6, 7, 9 is then able, for example by means of a dedicated application, to connect and identify itself by means of the individual connection data received from the central station 1 in order to multicast a audio / video content.

In the example described here, the central station 1 also broadcasts additional personalized content during the playback of the audio / video content.

The central station 1 transmits to each of the terminals 11, 13, 15 of the second group of common connection data. Each terminal 11, 13, 15 is then able, for example by means of an internet browser, a dedicated application or a radio receiver of the AM / FM type, to connect without identifying itself with a service of wide broadcast in order to receive broadcasts of audio / video content.

The car radio station 13 receives the connection data via the intermediate terminal. The connection data here take the form of wavelength indications allowing the car radio station 13 to receive the audio / video content by broadcasting, for example by frequency modulation (FM).

The audio / video content received by the first group and the second group may be identical or have differences, for example quality or resolution. The audio / video content received by each of the terminals 11, 13, 15 of the second group is identical. During the playback of the audio / video content, the central station 1 may further broadcast additional contents identical to the terminals 11, 13, 15 of the second group. These additional content may be third-party content service, information, commercial that will appear on the screen portion of these terminals. The assignment of a first type of channel 31 or a second type of channel 33 is performed by the selector 71 on the same principle as the allocation of the type of broadcast. The resulting directive data and channel type assignments may nevertheless be different from those applied for the assignment of a broadcast type. In other words, the rules applied to classify the terminals and then assign them a type of channel can take as input data different from those used in input to assign the types of diffusion and / or to be treated differently according to the wishes of the manager of the central station 1 translated into the directive data. At a time t + 1, later than the instant t, for example during the playback of the audio / video content, the selector 71 receives again at input the dynamic state data of at least some of the terminals 5, 6 , 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. The selector 71 updates the dynamic data according to the received data. The selector 71 repeats the process of assigning the type of channel and the type of broadcast to each terminal 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. The allocation is made so that for each type of channel and each type of broadcast the total number of awards remains below the corresponding usage limits. The allocation for each terminal 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 is determined by the regulation rules stored on the storage unit 3.

Here, if the user 19 of a first terminal 11 belonging to the second group subscribes to a subscription between the instant t and the instant t + 1, then said first terminal 11 is assigned a multicast. In this case, and in order to respect the usage limits, a second terminal 5 belonging to the first group can be downgraded and given a wide distribution. In other words, the first terminal 11 goes from the second group to the first group and the second terminal 5 goes from the first group to the second group.

The central station 1 transmits to the first terminal 11 multicast, individual connection data. The terminal 11 connects, for example by means of a dedicated application, and identifies itself in order to multicast audio / video content.

The central station 1 transmits to the second terminal 5 which has just been allocated a wide broadcast, the connection data common to the terminals 5, 13, 15 of the second group. The terminal 5 then connects, without identifying itself, for example by means of an internet browser or a dedicated application, to a broad broadcast service in order to receive broadcasts of audio / video content.

A terminal receiving broadcast audio / video content is not identified through the first type channel 31 used to broadcast the audio / video content. It remains identified at the central station 1 via the second type of channel 33, or by the signaling pathway. One of the channels is therefore used for broadcasting content while the other channel is also used for communication between central unit 1 and terminal. Such a configuration is shown in FIG. 4. The terminal 5 is identified and receives content by unicast and by a channel of the second type 33 while the terminal 6 is identified near the central station 1 by a channel of the second type 33 and receives from the wide broadcast content and a first type channel 31.

The loss of connection via the second type 33 does not interfere with the reading and downloading of the audio / video content in progress as long as the connection through the first channel 31 remains active. An intermittent or poor quality connection through the second type 33 is sufficient to obtain the connection information necessary to initialize the broadcasting of audio / video content. Reconnection via the second type 33 becomes necessary only to obtain new connection information when the previous ones have become obsolete. Such a system is particularly effective when only the content broadcast channels remain active while the information exchange channels are often cut off. For example, when the terminal 6 is moving the communication channels using the mobile telephone networks can be regularly cut while the communication channels such as radio waves, audio or video, remain accessible to the terminal.

The reader of each terminal may be configured to mix the audio / video content received broadly with additional content transmitted by the central station 1. When the additional content is transmitted by the first type 31 wide diffusion channel, then it is common to each terminal of the second group. When the additional content is transmitted by way of the second type 33 multicast, then it can be specific to each terminal.

The remote computers 51 connected to the central station 1 generally belong to third parties. These third parties are separate players from the manager of the central station 1 and the users 17, 19, 21 of the terminals 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. The computers 51 are generally controlled by service companies. The computers 51 identify themselves with the central station 1 in order to establish a two-way connection.

The central station 1 transmits information, raw or processed, concerning the use of the services provided by the central station 1 to the users 17, 19, 21 of the terminals 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. For example, the information include the number of users according to the content broadcast by the central station 1, or data characterizing the audience (number, age, sex) according to the type of audio / video content and the listening context (date, time, type of channels used, type of terminals). The type and quantity of data transmitted are adapted according to the agreements linking the manager of the central station 1 and the third-party managers of the computers 51. The transmission of such data can be performed in real time. The number and diversity of data allows for fine, targeted, varied and representative analyzes of the consumption of audio / video content by the users of the terminals.

In response, the central station 1 receives from the computers 51 additional content. The additional contents are here associated with the audio / video contents. They include, for example, subtitles, hyperlinks, contextual information, promotional offers, advertising, questionnaires or surveys to be submitted to users. The additional transmitted contents are furthermore selected according to each terminal 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, and in particular as user information functions 17, 19, 21 which are associated therewith according to the data stored on the storage unit 3. For example, the additional contents may include targeted advertising according to the users 17, 19, 21 and depending on the video / audio content being played.

The central station 1 provides the third-party computer managers 51 with the possibility of reaching precisely a category of users selected according to precise and parameterizable criteria while having, in real time, a reliable estimate of the number of users concerned and of the effectiveness of such operations.

Regardless of the targeting parameters provided by the users of the computers 51, the central station 1 can apply upstream selection criteria, or priority criteria, with respect to the criteria desired by the managers of the computers 51 and those of the users 17 , 19, 21 of the terminals 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. For example, promotional content relating to products of the tobacco or alcohol industry may be prohibited to some least of the terminals 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 depending on the age of the user 17, 19, 21.

Alternatively, the additional contents are selected only according to the video / audio content being played, or only according to the users or independently of the video / audio content being played and the users.

In another example, one of the computers 51 is controlled by at least one public utility institution. Such a computer 51 transmits service information or alerts to all or only some of the terminals. For example, meteorological warning messages, search notices, information relating to motorway traffic may be transmitted. Such messages may be transmitted to all the connected terminals or to a selected set selected for example according to their geographical position, the type of mobile or fixed terminal, the content being read, or according to their own characteristics. 17, 19, 21. The central station 1 can temporarily replace the broadcasting of audio / video content and / or additional commercial content with alerts defined as priorities.

The selector 71 is thus arranged to comply with the usage limits, for example so that the number of channels of the second type 33 at each instant is less than the maximum operating value of the hardware and software of which the central station 1 is equipped. the number of unicasts and / or multicasts is also kept below the maximum value allowed by the hardware and software of the central station 1. The regulation rules can be modified by the manager of the central station 1. the user, for example recorded in the form of static data and filled in during registration can become a secondary selection criterion behind a priority rule imposed by the regulation rules applied by the selector 71.

For example, the selector 71 may require a first terminal to use a broad broadcast rather than a monodiflfusion when both types of broadcast are technically accessible to the first terminal at time t. This allows for example to reserve a unicast channel for a second terminal whose user has specific needs. If the user of the second terminal needs additional content available only in multicast, such as subtitling, then the selector 71 gives priority to the user of the second terminal to connect in unicast. When the playback of the content is complete, then the selector 71 can reverse the ranking and this order of priority, for example if the user of the first terminal has a higher-end subscription than that of the user of the second terminal. The invention is not limited to the examples of central station described above, only by way of example, but it encompasses all the variants that may be considered by those skilled in the art within the scope of the claims below.

Claims (9)

claims A central broadcast station (1) comprising: an output stage for broadcasting audio and / or video content data on at least two types of channels from a wired connection, a Wifi connection, a mobile network connection , radio waves, and according to at least two types of broadcast among unicast, multicast, and wide broadcast, - a broadcast manager (72) associated with a usage limit data memory relating to at least one of channel types and at least one of the broadcast types; - an input stage for selectively receiving data from respective terminals (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) remote from the central station; (1) via a signaling path (89), and for recognizing, in said received data, sets (91) of state data including connectivity data, geographic data, and usage data relating to the one of the terminals, and the s transmitting to the broadcast manager (72), the broadcast manager (72) being configured to process said sets (91) of state data to derive a ranking of the terminals (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), and according to the classification and usage limit data, assign to each terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) a channel type and a broadcast type for receive audio and / or video content data. The central station (1) according to claim 1, wherein the connectivity data comprises dynamic data representative of terminal types accessible to the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), and / or a signal strength corresponding to each type of channel accessible to the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), which makes it possible to assign to each terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) a channel type and a broadcast type for receiving the audio and / or video content data according to its reception capabilities. 3. central station (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the geographic data comprises representative dynamic data - a geographical position of the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), and / or - a geographical displacement of the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), which makes it possible to assign to each terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) a type of channels and a type of broadcast for receiving the data of audio and / or video content according to a tracking of its geographical position. 4. Central station (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the usage data comprises representative dynamic data - an audio file and / or video being played on the terminal (5, 6, 7). , 9, 11, 13, 15), a reading position in an audio file and / or video being played on the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), - state of a buffer of the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), and / or - latency between the central station (1) and said terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), which enables each terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) to be assigned a channel type and a broadcast type for receiving the audio content data and / or video according to its reception needs. 5. Central station (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the state data further comprises static data representative - the identity of a user (17, 19, 21) of the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), - a hardware and / or software configuration of the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), - limitations of the use by the terminal of at least one of the channel types and / or at least one of the broadcast types, thereby assigning to each terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) a type of channels and a type of broadcast for receiving the audio and / or video content data according to characteristics of the terminal and / or its user. 6. Central station (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the signaling channel (89) supplying the input stage comprises a bidirectional unicast channel. 7. Central station (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the signaling channel (89) supplying the input stage is distinct from the channels by which the audio and / or video content data are transmitted. 8. Central station (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one interface stage for exchanging with at least one remote computer (51) via a bidirectional channel which allows to provide the remote computer (51) exchange analysis data between the central station (1) and the terminals (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) and receiving from the remote computer (51) content data additional to be transmitted to the terminals (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15). A method of broadcasting audio and / or video content comprising the steps of: a) selectively transmitting via a signaling channel (89) from a terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) to a manager of broadcasting (72) a central station (1) sets (91) of state data including connectivity data, geographical data and usage data, relating to the terminal, b) treating said sets ( 91) of state data by the broadcast manager (72) to derive a classification of the terminals (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), c) to be assigned by the broadcast manager (72) at each terminal (5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) a type of channels among a wired connection, a Wifi connection, a mobile telephone network connection, radio waves, and a type of diffusion among the unicast multicast and broadcast to receive audio and / or video content data based on classification and usage limit data relating to at least one type of channel and at least one type of broadcast, and d) broadcasting audio and / or video content data to the terminal (5, 6, 7, 9 , 11, 13, 15) via at least one channel of the type assigned by a broadcast of the assigned type.