JP2003525559A - Internet distributed broadcasting system and method using camera and screen capture - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The present invention relates to a distributed Internet broadcasting system and method that allows anyone to easily produce a broadcast without expensive equipment and to broadcast on the Internet in real time. Existing Internet broadcasting requires expensive broadcasting equipment, and software for broadcasting must be installed on a broadcasting computer. However, the present invention does not require a separate software installation process, and requires Active X. By executing the creator client of the Internet distributed broadcasting system performed in a web environment using techniques such as), it is possible to capture and broadcast desired video, audio, and text data. Another advantage of the present invention is that, in addition to video data generated through a web camera, moving image data and still image data stored in a computer can be captured and broadcast. In addition, not only audio data generated through a microphone but also audio data executed through an audio reproduction application can be broadcast. That is, it is also possible to directly broadcast the real voice of the producer client or to broadcast a music file or the like executed on the computer of the producer client. A further advantage of the present invention is that the producer client and the web server of the present invention can be positionally independent, so that the producer client can broadcast over an upstream network with few.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method, and more specifically,
Anyone can easily create a personal broadcast by using a webcam attached to the computer to generate data, or by executing a movie file stored in the computer with a movie playback application to generate the data. In addition, the present invention relates to an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method using a camera and screen capture capable of broadcasting in real time on the Internet.

Background Art [0002] Broadcasting has been developed for many years by being divided into both fields of airwave broadcasting and cable television broadcasting. However, recently, with the development of the Internet, a new concept of broadcasting has appeared. In other words, the era is coming in which anyone can broadcast through the Internet with less cost and broadcasting equipment than in the past. To put this more realistically, the era has come when it is possible to easily broadcast a broadcast to anyone anywhere in the world with unique content. In general, Internet broadcasting is a TV program such as airwave broadcasting or cable TV.
Information that was transmitted to viewers using V and radio as media (generally, audio,
It is a new concept of transmitting multimedia information such as audio, video, text, images, etc. to Internet users (including existing viewers) by using the Internet as a medium (recently transmitting video information and also text information) Refers to broadcasting. From the visual sense of understanding the Internet as a medium and culture, to ultra-high-speed communication networks [eg, cable communication networks, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital)
Subscriber Line), ISDN (Integrated Serv)
Ice Digital Network) etc.], software that can speed up and increase the capacity of user network environment, and transmit voice, video, etc.
For example, streaming solutions (streaming solutions)
[ns] -Real system, window media, stream works, etc.] has accelerated the development of Internet broadcasting. Also, it will be possible to transmit multimedia data such as voice, video and animation in the WWW (World Wide Web that enabled multimedia of Internet services) service where texts and stop images were the mainstream services in the early days. As a result, the appearance of multimedia websites such as Internet broadcasting stations is being accelerated. The multimedia information such as audio and video has a large file capacity, which is tens or hundreds of times larger than other information. Accordingly, streaming has been introduced to supplement the disadvantages of the multimedia information transmission method, which takes a lot of time.
g) Technology. Streaming technology means that Internet users do not see the relevant files after all the files have been transmitted, but even if a certain amount of the entire file is transmitted, the relevant files can be seen immediately and the remaining capacity during that period. This is a technique for transmitting the portion corresponding to the above, and is a technique for enabling multimedia information such as voice and video to be viewed in real time. While existing broadcasting media (TV, radio, etc.) have a form in which information is unilaterally transmitted to viewers in addition to channel selection rights, Internet broadcasting transcends temporal and spatial boundaries. The advantage is that you can select and watch the program you want to watch at any time and place as long as you have an internet connection. Such a concept is, in other words, Video On Demand (VOD). That is, it is a communication service in which a desired program can be viewed at home by selecting the desired program through a TV or a PC connected to a VOD server. A feature of VOD is that many users can share the same program at different times at different places at the same time due to network conditions. For example, M
In the case of BC drama weekend dramas, except for the time of broadcasting (or re-airing) on TV,
Although there is only a method of recording and viewing with a VTR, in the case of Internet broadcasting, if the Internet can be connected, the corresponding file can be viewed at any time. However, until now, the bandwidth of Internet broadcasting is smaller than the reception bandwidth of TV, so you can not enjoy the image quality as much as TV, but in the future, due to the spread of ultra-high speed Internet network, such a limitation will be overcome. Be done. However, although it can be said that such Internet broadcasting has become easier than before from the viewpoint of a broadcast producer, there is a problem that it is difficult for general Internet users who are still amateurs to access it. That is, there is a problem that a high-speed Internet dedicated line must be drawn and expensive equipment must be purchased. In addition, since existing Internet broadcasting is dependent on large-scale broadcasting stations, the provision of information has not been diversified, and the problem is that the desired program cannot be provided at the place desired by general Internet users. is there. Therefore, existing Internet broadcasting users are provided with only very limited multimedia information because they are provided with only the programs recorded and edited in the studio in the Internet broadcasting station. In addition, in the case of the existing Internet broadcasting, it was possible to broadcast only the information input through the webcam installed in the computer. That is, the broadcast producer connects to the Internet through his / her computer, but with the conventional technology, the screen executed by the application program in his / her computer cannot be directly broadcast without a web camera. I have

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and the present invention includes a producer client, a broadcast server, and a viewer client. With respect to an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method, a producer client and a viewer client are geographically separated from each other. The present invention also relates to a server configuration and a client configuration for real-time broadcasting.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method by which anyone who wants to broadcast can produce a broadcast and broadcast it to general Internet users in real time. is there.

Another object of the present invention is to configure not only the data inputted from the webcam but also the screen or the speaker to be broadcast by the screen capture method using the execution application of the video or audio file. An object of the present invention is to provide an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method capable of broadcasting output video or audio data.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method which enables expensive compression equipment and editing equipment to be softwareized and enables Internet broadcasting only with a webcam and a headset.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method that allows not only viewer clients and producer clients but also viewer clients to interact with each other through a chat server.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, audio, video produced by the producer client,
In an Internet broadcasting method of broadcasting multimedia information such as characters and images to viewer clients through a medium of an ultra-high-speed communication network, a request is made to open a broadcasting channel, and when the broadcasting channel is opened, the data to be broadcast is transmitted. Capturing, encoding the captured broadcast data and transmitting it to the broadcast server; searching all channels and allocating free channels in response to the producer client's request to open a broadcast channel, and participating in the broadcast of the viewer client. In response to the request, the broadcast data is divided into a plurality of streams and transmitted to the viewer client through the allocated channel by receiving the broadcast data and receiving the broadcast data.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an internet broadcast for broadcasting multimedia information such as audio, video, text, and image produced by a producer client to a viewer client through an ultra-high speed communication network. In the system, a creator who creates an application item for a broadcast channel, requests the establishment of a broadcast channel, captures the data to be broadcast when the broadcast channel is opened, encodes the captured broadcast data, and transmits it. Clients; Connected with producer clients through ultra-high speed communication network, search all channels and allocate free channels, manage channels and update new channel information according to producer client's request to open broadcast channels. Stored from the producer client A broadcast server that receives the broadcast data to be transmitted and divides the broadcast data into a plurality of streams through an assigned channel, and is connected to the broadcast server through an ultra-high speed communication network, and requests the broadcast server to participate in broadcasting. A viewer client that decodes the broadcast data transmitted from the broadcast server to restore the original data, and reproduces and views the restored data.

The present invention has various advantages. Various embodiments or practices may derive one or more of the following advantages. One advantage of the present invention is that anyone can easily make a broadcast and broadcast it on the Internet in real time without expensive equipment. The existing Internet broadcasting requires expensive broadcasting equipment, and the software for broadcasting must be installed in the broadcasting computer. However, the present invention does not require a separate software installation process, and the active X (Active X) By executing the producer client of the present Internet distributed broadcasting system, which is performed in a web environment using the above technology, it is possible to capture and broadcast desired video, audio and text data. Another advantage of the present invention is that it can capture and broadcast moving image data and still image data stored in a computer as well as video data generated through a webcam. Also, not only the audio data generated through the microphone but also the audio data executed through the audio reproduction application can be broadcast. That is, it is possible to directly broadcast the real voice of the producer client or broadcast a music file or the like executed by the computer of the producer client. A further advantage of the present invention is that since the creator client and the web server of the present invention can be spatially independent, the creator client can also be broadcast on a small upstream network. is there.

Advantages and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention.

(Brief Description of the Drawings) The present invention should be easily understood from the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals indicate the same components.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an overall system of an Internet distributed broadcasting system (1000) according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a producer client (FIG. 2) for producing and broadcasting broadcast contents according to the present invention.
200) is a detailed configuration diagram of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of producing an internet broadcast of a producer client according to the present invention.

[0015]   FIG. 3A is a screen example diagram of an Internet broadcast production site.

[0016]   FIG. 3B is an exemplary view of a broadcast channel application form.

[0017]   FIG. 3C is a functional explanatory diagram of an exemplary broadcast window.

[0018]   FIG. 3D is an exemplary diagram of screen capture.

[0019]   FIG. 4 is an internal block diagram of the broadcasting server 400 according to the present invention.

5A and 5B are information flow charts showing a process of monitoring a broadcast status.

FIG. 5C is an information flowchart showing a channel opening and broadcasting participation process.

5D and 5E are information flow charts showing a channel management process at the end of broadcasting.

[0023]   FIG. 6 is a detailed block diagram of a viewer client (600) according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a channel management and broadcast resource management process.

[0025]   FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a group management process.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In accordance with the detailed description of the invention that follows, a number of specific descriptions are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an Internet distributed broadcasting system and method using a camera and screen capture according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall system configuration diagram of an Internet distributed broadcasting system (1000) according to the present invention, which includes a producer client (200) and a broadcasting server (4).
00) and a viewer client (600), and the respective components are interconnected via the Internet (800).

The creator client (200) is a person who directly creates an Internet broadcast, and provides information to be broadcast by utilizing all possible multimedia such as video, audio, image, graphics, text and the like. It is preferable to edit easily and accurately. Video data generally uses a webcam,
A CCTV (Closed Circuit Television), a beta cam, a digital video camera, a camcorder, or the like can also be used. In addition, an audio switcher,
With integrated lighting set, good quality data can be broadcast. The photographed information can be stored in an analog form (that is, tape), and types of tape include VHS tape, 8 mm tape, and beta tape. Broadcast server (40
0) assigns a broadcast channel in response to a request from the producer client (200), receives broadcast data transmitted from the producer client (200), and transmits the broadcast data to the viewer client (600) through the assigned channel. Is performed by dividing it into a number of streams for transmission. For example, the producer client (
The amount of data transmitted from 200) to the broadcast server (400) is 100 kbps
Therefore, if the number of viewer clients (600) is 100, the amount of data stream transmitted from the broadcast server (200) to the viewer clients (600) is 100 kbps × 100 kbps = 10 Mbps.

In general, the Internet (800) includes T1, T2, T3, ADSL, a cable network, and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).
Telephone Network), Integrated Information and Communication Network (ISDN: Inte
It can be configured by a grated service digital network) or the like. The broadcast server (400) is preferably connected around a switch that provides ADSL or at T1, T2, T3, etc. Client (200,
In the case of 600), there is no special limitation, but it is preferable to use ADSL or a cable network line which provides a user with a high-speed internet in reality. Therefore, since the producer client (200) does not have to be in an expensive high-speed environment such as T1, T2, and T3, any general user can produce Internet broadcasting. That is, the producer client (200) and the broadcast server (40
0) can be constructed so as to be positionally independent of each other, and thus the producer client 200 has an advantage of being able to implement Internet broadcasting with a small number of upstream networks.

FIG. 2 shows a producer client (FIG. 2) that produces and broadcasts broadcast contents according to the present invention.
It is a detailed block diagram of 200), a producer client (200), a data generation part (210), a data capture part (220), an encoding part (230).
, A camera (240), a microphone (250) and a transmitter (260), and the data generator (210) includes a video player (212), a window screen (214),
An application program (216) and an audio player (218) are included, a data capture unit (220) includes a moving image data capture unit (222), a still image data capture unit (224), and an audio data capture unit (226).
The encoding (230) includes a video data encoder (232) and an audio data encoder (234).

The data generator 210 performs a function of generating data to be broadcast, and the broadcast data is roughly classified into video stream data and audio stream data. In the case of video stream data, it is subdivided into moving image data and still image data, and the moving image data is generated by an ordinary webcam and a moving image player (212) (for example, window media player, real player, etc.). The still image data including the executed and generated data is executed by the window screen (214) of the producer client (200) or the application program (216) (eg, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and displayed on the monitor. It may include all screen data. The audio stream data is divided into audio data reproduced by a general audio player (218) and audio data generated through a microphone. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the audio stream data may include audio data reproduced by the video player (212).

The data capture unit (220) performs a function of capturing the video stream data and the audio stream data generated by the data generation unit (210), and the video data reproduced by the video player (212) is a moving image. The video data captured by the data capture unit (222) and displayed on the window screen (214) and the application program is the still image data capture unit (224).
) Captured by a video player (212) or audio player (
218), the audio data reproduced by the audio data capture unit (2
26). If you want to provide only audio services for internet broadcasting, you need to have a sound card, and if you want to use a webcam to also provide video services, no additional hardware is required. When using a camcorder, CCTV, VTR, etc., a separate video capture board may be required. The types of files generated by the data capture unit (220) include extensions such as .mov, .avi, .wav, and .au, and audio files generally use the .wav format. However, video files often take the form of .avi or .mov. The software used in the data capture unit (220) has excellent functions as a sound editor and a premiere of Adobe in the United States that can edit video in various ways in addition to the function of simply capturing video. Cool edit or the like can be used.

[0034]   The encoding unit (230) captures the captured video and audio data.
It performs the function of compressing the data so that it can be easily transmitted, and the video data capture unit (
222) and the data captured by the still image data capture unit (224) are
Audio data encoded by the video data encoder (232)
The data captured by the capture unit (226) is audio data encoding.
It is encoded with a header (234). High volume of captured data
A compression technique is essential for efficient transmission. Generally, one TV channel
Nell occupies a band of 6MHz including voice signals, but if this is digitized,
The amount of information is 45 Mbps. For transmitting this high capacity information over existing telephone lines
Is impossible. Therefore, in order to compress the information data, a compression technique such as the MPEG method is used.
Use art. With such compression technology, information of 45 Mbps can be transmitted at 1.5 Mbps.
It can be compressed to about s, and the MPEG system mainly uses CDROM storage media.
MPEG-1 to which A is applied, the compression rate varies depending on the pixel and screen configuration
In real time using new method MPEG-2, telephone line and internet network
While increasing the data compression rate so that the data can be transmitted,
MPEG-4 that supports variable transmission rate so that smooth data transmission can be performed even on a communication network
MPEG for compressing high definition television (HDTV) audio image data ⁺⁺ , H.263 or H.26L optimized for bandwidths below 200 kbps
There is. In the present invention, the MP is used for exchanging data with each other through the Internet.
It is preferable to use EG-4, H.263, and H.26L.

A camera (240) is connected to the video data encoder (232) of the encoding unit (230), and a microphone (250) is connected to the audio data encoder (234). Therefore, by encoding the audio data transmitted through the microphone 250 as well as the video data transmitted through the camera 240, not only the video and audio data built in the computer of the creator client 200 can be encoded. The current appearance and voice of the producer client (200) can be broadcast in real time. The data compressed by the encoding unit 230 is transmitted to the broadcasting server 200 via the transmission unit 260.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an internet broadcast production process of the producer client according to the present invention, FIG. 3A is an exemplary screen of an internet broadcast production site, and FIG. 3B is a broadcast channel application. 3C is a functional explanatory diagram of an exemplary broadcast window, and FIG. 3D is an exemplary diagram of screen capture.

In order to perform internet broadcasting, the creator client must have the basic equipment necessary for broadcasting. For example, the computer is a Pentium (
(Registered trademark) II200 or higher, USB image camera, ultra-high speed communication network such as ADSL or cable, various broadcasting materials such as CD, MP3, music video, conference materials, charts and photographs must be prepared. Note that a window screen or a moving image can be captured and broadcast without an image camera.

When the basic preparation for Internet broadcasting is completed, the producer client has the URL of a site (eg, http: ///mystation.lycos.com) related to the application for opening a broadcasting channel for starting Internet broadcasting. co.kr) to apply for a broadcast channel (S310). In order to apply for a broadcasting channel, a broadcasting channel application form must be prepared according to the format. For example, on the initial screen of the Internet broadcast production site shown in FIG. 3A, if you click on “Create my own broadcast” (that is, the contents located on the upper right side), the broadcast channel application form as shown in FIG. 3B is displayed. It The producer client describes each item of the displayed application form. If you specify "Public" in the items listed as "Public" and specify a password, only those who know the password can enter the venue. It is to specify the number of viewers who can. The size of the broadcast window includes a small screen and a large screen. The small screen has a size of 176 × 144, and the large screen has a size of 352 ×.
It has a size of 288 and is broadcast. Since a large screen is not suitable when the operation is fast, it is preferable to specify a screen size suitable for the format of the broadcast material.

When all broadcast channel application forms are created, the producer client clicks'Open '.
Click the button to request the establishment of a broadcast channel (S320). When the request to open the broadcast channel is received from the producer client, the broadcast server determines whether the request to open the broadcast channel from the producer client is new (S330). A broadcasting client (for example, Activ) which is software necessary for producing the Internet broadcasting according to the present invention.
e X) The program is automatically installed (S340).

When the broadcasting client is installed, an initial screen as shown in FIG. 3C is displayed (S350). In the upper part of the initial screen, there is a'broadcast screen 'for displaying the video data generated by the producer client, and in the lower part, it is possible to exchange character data between the producer client and the viewer client. A chat window 'is located, and various function buttons are located below it. The function button can be used to broadcast any kind of sound output from the producer client's computer, such as a'microphone select 'button that can be broadcast by the producer client's voice, winamp, media player, CD player, etc. You can select'PC sound 'button,' Screen capture start / end 'button to capture the screen to be broadcast,' Broadcast end 'button to end the broadcast, and to specify the text color when chatting "Chat text color adjustment"
There are buttons etc. The broadcast window also includes a function of displaying the transmission speed of the screen currently being broadcast and displaying the number of people who watch the main broadcast. If you have a webcam
The image taken by the web camera can be seen on the "broadcast screen", and if there is no web camera, the "broadcast screen" is displayed as an empty space. Also, if you click the right mouse button on the broadcast window and then turn off the video, the screen is not displayed and only the sound is broadcast.

When there is a web camera, the video taken by the web camera is broadcast, and when there is no web camera or when another broadcast material is to be broadcast, the'screen capture start of the broadcast window is started. Click the / End 'button to capture the desired video (S360). Once you click the'Start / End screen capture 'button,
The video is switched to the PC screen, the capture window is moved to the area to be broadcast, and then the capture broadcast is started. For example, as shown in FIG. 3D, when a music video or a moving image is to be captured by a window media player, the capture window may be moved to the screen of the portion to be broadcast. When a still image is to be captured, the corresponding screen may be similarly executed, and then the capture window may be moved to the area where broadcasting is intended. The capture function is performed by a broadcast client (for example, Active X), and the size of the capture window can be selected from either a small window or a large window. If you want to transmit an album jacket or a still image while mainly broadcasting music instead of video broadcasting, capture the desired screen area and then periodically turn on / off the video in the broadcast window. The transmission rate can be efficiently used. The transmission rate when broadcasting only music is about 24 kbps, and the transmission rate when broadcasting with video is about 100 kbps.

When the video or audio data for broadcasting is captured, the encoding unit (230 of FIG. 2) encodes the captured broadcasting data and transmits the encoded broadcast data to the broadcasting server (FIG. 1 of FIG. 1) through the transmission unit (260 of FIG. 2). No. 200).

FIG. 4 is an internal configuration diagram of the broadcasting server 400 according to the present invention. The broadcasting server 400 includes a web server 410, a connection controller 420, a database (hereinafter, D / B) (430), a unit (440) and a gateway (450), the unit (440) consisting of a distribution primary server processor (442) and a distribution secondary server processor (444, 446).

The web server 410 is connected to the creator client through the Internet, the server name is registered in the domain name server, and general Internet users can use the URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
A web server program must be installed and executed in order to smoothly operate the Internet broadcast production site of the present invention as server hardware capable of retrieving information in a format. The web server (410)
A server program executed to process an information retrieval request in URL format transmitted from a producer client or a viewer client and an information request of an Internet user (for example, joining a member, requesting to establish a broadcasting channel, participating in a broadcasting channel). Includes processing programs that support server-client interactions to process requests, etc.). Server programs include UNIX (registered trademark) servers NCSA, CERN, Apache, JIGSAW, window NT server IIS, and window NT and window 95 /
There is WebSite, which is a dual-purpose server for 98, and the processing program is generally C
A standardized mutual information transmission method called GI (Common Gateway Interface) is used. Web server (410) according to CGI format
), The information transmitted to the CGI is installed on the web server (410).
The program properly interprets and processes the information request of the Internet user according to the CGI standard format. In addition, the web server 410 provides the producer client with a broadcast client program for producing an Internet broadcast when the producer client requests a new broadcast channel.

The connection control unit (420) is interconnected with the web server (410),
The most important function is to connect the producer client and the viewer client through the unit. In response to the producer client's channel opening request, a free channel of the unit is searched and the corresponding channel is assigned. In addition, the connection controller 420 performs functions such as general management of broadcast channels, unit monitoring, load distribution, log processing, remote management processing, and channel information backup.

The D / B (430) is interconnected with the connection control unit (420), and stores various kinds of information about channels and groups (for example, channel space information, participating personnel information, group-based relation relation information, etc.). Performs the function of storing. Various types of information about channels and groups are stored in a conversion table format, and corresponding information is extracted and transmitted to the connection control unit (420) in response to a request from the connection control unit (420).

The unit 440 is interconnected with the connection controller 420 and performs a role of receiving stream data to be broadcast by the producer client and allocating the stream data for each channel. The unit (440) is composed of a large number of groups (for example, 50), and the number of persons accommodated in each group is 10 people. Therefore, one unit (440
The number of employees who can participate in () is 500. The groups that make up the unit (440) are
It can be set differently depending on the capacity of the server, but in the present invention, it is set to 50,
It is preferable to set the maximum number of people per group to 10 people. Unit (440
), Each of which can perform the functions of a distribution primary server processor (442) or a distribution secondary server processor (444, 446), which is connected to the connection controller when the group participates in the actual broadcast. (420). The distribution main server processor (442) performs the function of transmitting the broadcast material created by the creator client to the viewer clients participating in the corresponding group, and the distribution sub server processors (444, 446) broadcast to other groups. When the materials are linked, the group is connected and the broadcasting material is transmitted to the viewer clients participating in the group. That is, both the producer client and the viewer client exist in the distribution main server processor (442), and the distribution sub server processors (444, 44).
In 6), only the viewer client exists. Distributed Secondary Server Processor (44
4, 446) is necessary when one group exceeds the capacity of personnel and is broadcast to other viewer clients who want to view the broadcast content of the corresponding group. A tree structure is formed between the groups, and link information between the groups is handled by the connection control unit (420). In addition, each unit (440) periodically connects its own unit information (for example, channel space information, counselor information, group-based relation relation information, etc.) to the connection control unit (
420) to allow the producer client or viewer client to connect to the optimal unit (440).

The sender (450) is a distribution main server processor (442).
) And a distribution sub-server processor (444, 446) and connects each processor with a viewer client and performs the function of transmitting the contents broadcast by the producer client to the corresponding viewer client.

FIGS. 5A to 5E are information flow charts between the producer client and the broadcast server, where ○ p is a producer client, WEB is a web server, CSM is a connection control unit, UNIT is a unit, and D / B is a D / B. Refers to the database.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are information flow charts showing a process of monitoring a broadcast status. When an event such as a fixed cycle or a channel opening request occurs, the web server tries to connect to the CSM port 5000 (1). If the connection is successful, the CSM extracts the current broadcast channel information from the D / B (2) and transmits it to the web server (3). Here, in order to reduce the D / B load, it is possible to set a connection time limit for preventing frequent connections by setting the broadcast server (4). The connection time limit can be set in units of seconds, for example.

FIG. 5C is an information flowchart showing a channel opening and broadcasting participation process. When the producer client requests the web server to open a channel for broadcasting (1), the web server transmits the corresponding information to the CSM (2). CSM
The channel information is extracted from the D / B (3), the unit for the channel broadcasting service is assigned (4), the assigned unit information and the IP (I
Transfer the Internet Protocol address to the web server (5
). That is, after the producer client opens the channel, in order to participate in the broadcast, the web server, the CSM, and the unit must be sequentially approached. next,
The web server transmits the assigned channel information and the IP address of the CSM to the producer client (6), and the producer client transmits the channel number to which it participates in the CSM (7). After that, the CSM transmits the assigned unit information to the producer client (8), and the producer client
After connecting to the corresponding unit, broadcasting is started (9).

5D and 5E are information flow charts showing a channel management process at the end of broadcasting. When the producer client requests the unit to end the broadcast (1), the unit reports the request to the CSM (2). Next, the CSM sends a channel close command to the unit (3), and when all the viewer clients have left the broadcast channel (4), the CSM sends the channel information to the D / B (5) and the channel. Is notified that the channel is free, and the corresponding channel information is transmitted to the web server (6).

Changes to the channel information can be seen from the unit table and the D / B table. When the channel is opened, the D / B table is set and then the unit table is set. Conversely, when the channel ends, the unit table is reset and then the D / B table is reset. If a channel information update command is issued at the same time when a channel is opened, a case may be recorded in which the channel has been opened in the unit but the channel has not been opened in the D / B table. The normal cases and cases where errors occur are as follows. (1) Normal case 1) Producer client channel opening request 2) CSM reads channel information from D / B, then decides channel to allocate (assuming channel 3) 3) D / B 3 No. channel table set 4) Command to open No. 3 channel to unit 5) No. 3 channel set in unit table 6) Transmission of unit address and channel number to producer client (2) When error occurs (3) and 5) above When the web server updates the CSM information during the period) 1) Channel open request of the producer client 2) CSM reads the channel information from the D / B and then decides the channel to allocate (assuming channel 3) 3 ) D / B channel 3 table set 4) Web server needs unit information Request 5) Unit table information transmission 6) According to the unit table, channel 3 is empty, so table 3 reset of D / B table 7) Command to open channel 3 to unit 8) Set channel 3 in unit table That is, if an error occurs, channel 3 is reset in the D / B table and channel 3 is set in the unit table.

Such an error is a problem that occurs when two or more different daemons or scripts operate on the web server, and can be solved by providing a reset count in the D / B table. That is, after the channel is set, the resetting cannot be performed unless a certain number of times or a certain time has elapsed. For example, after setting the channel, the command execution time is recorded, and when the reset is performed, the reset is not performed unless 30 seconds or more have passed. Such a function can be implemented by a web server and can also be implemented by D / B. In the web server, before resetting the D / B, the time table is read and the time difference is calculated, and then it can be implemented by the method of deciding whether or not to reset with this value. It can be embodied by a method that refuses a reset command for a certain period of time after the command.

Also, when operating two or more web servers, a problem may occur when the two web servers select the same channel number. That is, when two web servers approach the D / B almost at the same time, when the same empty channel is searched in the channel table, an opening command may be issued to the same channel. Of course,
The second instruction is ignored by the CSM, but the problem is that while using a sequence instruction in D / B or reading the channel number through the record lock function, while assigning a new channel, another This can be solved by preventing access to the channel table of the web server.

FIG. 6 is a detailed block diagram of a viewer client (600) according to the present invention,
The viewer client (600) includes a receiving unit (610) and a decoding unit (62).
0), a data reproducing unit 630, a monitor 640 and a speaker 650, a decoding unit 620 includes a video decoder 622 and an audio decoder 624, and a data reproducing unit 630. Is a video display (632), a still display (634) and an audio player (
636).

The receiving unit (610) receives the video and audio stream data transmitted from the transmitting unit (450) of the broadcasting server (400) and decodes the decoding unit (62).
Perform the function of transmitting to 0). The decoding unit (620) includes a receiving unit (61).
0), and performs a function of decoding the video and audio stream data transmitted from the receiving unit (610). Since the video and audio stream data transmitted from the transmitter 450 of the broadcasting server 400 is encoded and transmitted, the original data must be restored. Here, the video stream data is decompressed through the video decoder (622), and the audio stream data is decompressed by the audio decoder (62).
Decompress through 4). The data reproducing unit (630) includes a decoding unit (
620), a video display (632) and a still display (634) are connected to a video decoder (622) and an audio player (620).
636) is connected to the audio decoder (624). Data playback unit (6
30) splits the screen of the viewer client (600), part of which displays moving images, part of which displays still images, and part of which displays text chat between broadcast participants. Communication is possible. Therefore, the viewer can watch all the contents of the broadcast only with the viewer client (600) regardless of the type of data input by the creator. The video data reproduced on the moving image display (632) and the still image display (634) is transmitted to the viewer client (60
The audio data displayed on the computer monitor (640) of No. 0) and reproduced by the audio player (636) is output through the speaker (650).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of channel management and broadcast resource management. First, when the viewer client requests a request for participation in a broadcast channel, the CSM waits for the viewer client to connect before allowing access to the channel (S710). The CSM determines whether the channel requested by the viewer client is currently being broadcast (S720), and if the channel is currently being broadcast, determines whether there is room to participate in the channel (S720).
S730). The channel information can be searched through the D / B (430 in FIG. 4). If there is no room in the channel, it is determined whether the group in the unit to which the channel belongs can be expanded, If the extension is possible, the service for the corresponding channel is extended by linking to another group (S750). If the channel requested by the viewer client in step S720 is not currently being broadcast, or if the group cannot be expanded to the corresponding channel in step S740, the channel requested by the viewer client is changed. It is instructed to return to the initial stage (S710) and repeat the above process without allowing access (S76).
0). Next, if there is room to participate in the corresponding channel in the step (730) or if the service for the corresponding channel is expanded in the step (S750), a unit or a group having a margin is allocated through load balancing, and then the Stage (S710)
Return to.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a group management process. More channels,
As the number of personnel participating in each channel increases, more resources for broadcasting (ie, groups of each unit) are used. It is necessary to check whether or not such resources are used by the CSM resource release algorithm at regular time intervals, thereby releasing unused resources and allowing them to be allocated to other channels. First, the CSM searches all groups that belong to each unit. Next, the resource list of the corresponding channel is searched, and it is determined whether there are broadcast participants (that is, a producer client and a viewer client) participating in the last group of the corresponding channel (S830). If there is no broadcasting participant, a group linked before the relevant group is searched to determine whether the relevant group accommodates less than the maximum capacity (for example, 10 people) (S840). If a person who participated in the group linked before the last group has room, the last group is deleted from the broadcast channel list (S850), and then all the process steps are terminated. Also, if there is a participant in the last group in the step (S830), or if there is no room in the number of participants in the group linked before the last group in the step (S840), the last group is channeled. The process is terminated without deleting from the list. That is, the last group of resources capable of servicing one channel is vacant, and there is extra space in the group immediately in front of it so that no matter how many participants participate in the group, there is a certain time margin. If so, it is preferable to delete the last group from the broadcast channel list and operate this system so that it can be used for services of other groups.

(Industrial Applicability) When the Internet distributed broadcasting system and method according to the present invention is widely constructed and utilized on the Internet, anyone can provide a broadcasting program created by himself to many people through the Internet. You can The Internet broadcasting system according to the present invention is an educational lecture system or a securities introduction broadcasting system. The present invention can be applied to a personal broadcasting system of like-minded people in various fields (for example, a poetry-loving party, a music-loving party, a movie-loving party), an Internet broadcasting station in which many people participate to build broadcasting. For example, an online lecture system that is currently being promoted in one direction can be developed into a two-way lecture system between a lecturer and a learner. By showing the properties to be auctioned in real time via broadcasting, you can proceed with bidding in both directions with the auction participants, and in the case of online shopping, the seller will have a sales activity similar to cable TV shopping in real time on the Internet. It can be performed. In addition, anyone can build a broadcasting station for all types of broadcasting currently in the form of aerial wave broadcasting and cable broadcasting at low cost, and can carry out broadcasting on the Internet.

The above-described embodiment is merely a description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and may be appropriately applied within the same idea. It can be changed. For example, the shapes and structures of the constituent elements specifically shown in the embodiments of the present invention can be modified and implemented, and can be widely used in various fields other than the above.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall system configuration diagram of an Internet distributed broadcasting system (1000) according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a producer client (200) for producing and broadcasting broadcast contents according to the present invention.
3 is a detailed configuration diagram of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a production process of an internet broadcast of a producer client according to the present invention.

FIG. 3A   It is a screen illustration figure of an internet broadcast production site.

FIG. 3B   It is an illustration figure of a broadcast channel application.

[Fig. 3C]   It is a functional explanatory view of an exemplary broadcast window.

[Fig. 3D]   It is an illustration figure of a screen capture.

[Figure 4]   FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram of a broadcast server (400) according to the present invention.

FIG. 5A   It is an information flowchart which shows the monitoring process of a broadcast state.

FIG. 5B   It is an information flowchart which shows the monitoring process of a broadcast state.

FIG. 5C   4 is an information flowchart showing a channel opening and broadcasting participation process.

FIG. 5D   It is an information flowchart showing a channel management process at the end of broadcasting.

[FIG. 5E]   It is an information flowchart showing a channel management process at the end of broadcasting.

[Figure 6]   FIG. 3 is a detailed configuration diagram of a viewer client (600) according to the present invention.

[Figure 7]   6 is a flowchart showing a channel management and broadcast resource management process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a group management process.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), AE, A G, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG , BR, BY, BZ, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DZ, EE, ES, FI, G B, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL , IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, M D, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MZ, NO, NZ , PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, U G, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (72) Inventor Kim, Chul, Wu             Korea, 138-240 Seoul, Songpa-             Gu, Sinchon-dong, Changmi Aper             Statement 5-906 (72) Inventor Kang, Shin, Jun             Republic of Korea, 121-250 Seoul, Mapog,             Song San-Dong, Deuxion Apartment             Ment, 31-512 (72) Inventor Joo, Yong, Bae             South Korea, 120-180 Seoul, Sodemun-             Gu, Chang Chung-Don, 100-86 F-term (reference) 5C022 AA01 AC00                 5C064 BA01 BB10 BC16 BC23 BC27                       BD02 BD08 [Continued summary] Music files executed on the client's computer You can also broadcast. Further advantages of the present invention Includes the producer client and the web server of the present invention. Since it can be positionally independent, the creator Have an upstream network with few It means that it can be broadcast.

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. An Internet broadcasting method for broadcasting multimedia information such as audio, video, characters, and images produced by a producer client to an audience client through an ultrahigh-speed communication network, comprising: a) establishing a broadcast channel. Requesting that the broadcast channel be opened, capturing the data to be broadcast, encoding the captured broadcast data and transmitting the encoded broadcast data to the broadcast server; and b) requesting the broadcast channel of the producer client to be opened. According to the above, all channels are searched and free channels are allocated, the channels are linked to the corresponding channels when the viewer client requests broadcasting participation, the viewer data is received through the allocated channels, and the viewer client is received. Multiple streams of the broadcast data in Method comprising the steps of transmitting separately. 2. The step a) includes: a1) creating a broadcast channel application item and requesting to open a broadcast channel; a2) determining whether the request to open the broadcast channel is new; a3) automatically installing a broadcast client program required for broadcasting if the request is new; and a4) capturing broadcast material, encoding the captured broadcast data, and transmitting the encoded broadcast data. The method according to Item 1. 3. The step b) includes: b1) receiving and storing information of each channel from a unit that manages all channels; and b2) receiving a request for opening a broadcast channel of the producer client. When,
A step of retrieving the stored channel information and allocating an empty channel; b3) When a request for participation in broadcasting of the viewer client is received, the number of participants in the requested channel is grasped, and the number of participants is Linking the viewer client to the corresponding channel when the number of participants is less than the maximum number of participants, expanding the channel when the number of participants is equal to the maximum number of participants, and linking the viewer client to the expanded channel; And b4) connecting the producer client and the viewer client through the allocated channel, and broadcasting broadcast data produced by the producer client to the viewer client. Method. 4. The ultrahigh-speed communication network is a leased line including T1, T2, T3, a cable communication network, A
The method according to claim 1, which is the Internet using any one of DSL, ISDN, and PSTN. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast data includes video data, audio data and text data. 6. The broadcasting channel application item in the step a1) includes a name of an opener, a broadcasting title, availability of disclosure, restrictions on the number of participants, a size of a broadcasting window, and a brief description of broadcasting. the method of. 7. The broadcast material capture of step a4) includes not only video and audio data captured by a camera using the broadcast client program, but also a moving image built in the computer of the creator client. The method according to claim 2, wherein still image or audio data is captured and broadcast. 8. The encoding of the broadcast data captured in a4) is MPEG,
The method according to claim 2, which uses one of H.263 and H.26L. 9. Further, b5) the expanded channel is searched to find out the number of participants of the last channel from a number of linked channels, and the last channel does not have the number of participants. 4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of deleting the last channel from the channel list if there is a margin of participation in the channel linked before the last channel. 10. The method of claim 3, wherein the unit comprises a group and the channel comprises at least one group. 11. The method of claim 3, wherein the channel information stored in step b1) is periodically provided from the unit to update the channel information. 12. An internet broadcasting system for broadcasting multimedia information produced by a producer client, such as audio, video, characters, images, etc., to a viewer client through an ultra-high speed communication network. A creator client that creates and requests opening of a broadcast channel, and when the broadcast channel is opened, captures data to be broadcast, encodes and transmits the captured broadcast data; It is connected through an ultra-high speed communication network, searches for all channels according to the producer client's request to open a broadcast channel, allocates empty channels, manages the channels, updates and stores new channel information, and stores the channels. Transmission from the producer client A broadcast server which receives the broadcast data and transmits the broadcast data by dividing it into a plurality of streams through the allocated channel; and a broadcast server requesting the broadcast server to be connected to the broadcast server through the ultra high speed communication network. Requesting, decoding the broadcast data transmitted from the broadcast server to restore the original data, and playing and viewing the restored data. 13. The producer client includes a moving picture player for reproducing moving picture data, a window screen and an application program for reproducing still pictures, an audio player for reproducing audio data, and video stream data and an audio stream to be broadcast. A data generation unit for reproducing data; and a video data capture unit connected to the data generation unit for capturing video data, a still image data capture unit for capturing a still image, and an audio data capture unit for capturing audio data A data capture unit that captures the video stream data and the audio stream data generated by the data generation unit; a video data encoder that is connected to the data capture unit and compresses the video data. And an audio data encoder for compressing audio data,
An encoding unit for compressing the video and audio data captured by the data capturing unit for easy transmission; and a receiving unit connected to the encoding unit and transmitting the data compressed by the encoding to the broadcast server. 13. The system of claim 12 including. 14. The ultra-high-speed communication network is a leased line including T1, T2, T3, a cable communication network, A
The system according to claim 12, which is the Internet using any one of DSL, ISDN, and PSTN. 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the broadcast data includes video data, audio data and text data. 16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the broadcast channel application items include a name of an opener, a broadcast title, availability of disclosure, restriction of participants, a size of a broadcast window, and a brief description of the broadcast. 17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a camera for capturing current state video data of the producer client; and a microphone for capturing audio of the producer client. 18. The compression method used in the encoding unit is MPEG, H.263, or H.263.
The system of claim 13 using any of the 26L schemes. 19. The data capturing unit captures using a broadcast client program provided from the broadcast server, and stores not only video and audio data captured by the camera but also a computer of the creator client. The system according to claim 13, wherein the captured moving image, still image, or audio data is captured and broadcast. 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the camera uses a webcam, CCTV, Betacam, digital video camera, or camcorder. 21. The broadcasting server is connected to the producer client and the viewer client through an ultra high speed communication network, and is transmitted from the producer client or the viewer client.
A server program for processing an information retrieval request in RL format and a processing program for supporting a server-client interaction to process an information request of an Internet user are included, and a request for opening a broadcast channel of the producer client is received. Then, a web server for providing the producer client with a broadcasting client program for producing an Internet broadcast; an empty channel of a unit interconnected with the web server and responding to the producer client's request to open a channel. , Assigns the corresponding channel, connects the viewer client to the corresponding channel in response to the participation request of the broadcast channel of the viewer client, and manages the broadcast channel in general, unit monitoring, load balancing, log processing, Remote pipe A connection control unit that performs functions such as physical processing and backup of channel information; a database that is interconnected with the connection control unit and stores various kinds of information about channels and groups; and a connection controller that is interconnected with the connection control unit. A unit that receives the broadcast data to be broadcast by the producer client, allocates it to each channel, collects information of each channel, and transmits the information to the connection controller; and a unit connected to the unit and transmitted through the unit. 13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising: a transmitter that transmits the broadcast data to the viewer client. 22. The unit comprises a number of groups, the group comprising a distribution primary server processor including both the producer client and the viewer client and a distribution secondary server processor including only the viewer client. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the channel information is periodically transmitted to the connection controller. 23. The distribution sub-server processor transmits personnel information of each linked channel to the connection controller, and the connection controller retrieves the expanded channel and links a number of channels. If there is no participant in the last channel and there is a sufficient number of participants in the channel linked before the last channel, then the last channel 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the channel is deleted from the channel list. 24. The system according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the unit comprises a group and the channel comprises at least one group. 25. The information about channels and groups stored in the database includes channel space information, participating personnel information, group-by-group association relation information, etc., and the information about channels and groups is stored in a conversion table format. 22. The system according to claim 21, wherein: