JP2004173200A - System and method for referring to av data stored in av server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a plurality of editing terminals to simultaneously and parallelly refer to materials stored in an AV server without being restricted by the number of input-output ports of the AV server and to shorten a waiting time when the editing terminals refer to the materials stored in the AV server. <P>SOLUTION: A system and method for referring to AV data is provided with an AV server 2 for compressing the same AV data as those of an AV server 1 at a compression rate higher than that of the AV server 1 to store the AV data, and recorders 4(1) to 4(N) which access can be given to faster than to a recording means in the AV server and are connected to editing terminals 3(1) to 3(N). Each of the editing terminals 3(1) to 3(N) is provided with a means for referring to AV data from the AV server 2, a means for requesting AV data of a determined part to be transferred from the AV server 1 to the recorders 4(1) to 4(N) on the basis of the matter that the part necessary to editing is determined among the referred AV data, and a means for referring to AV data from the recorders 4(1) to 4(N). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and a method for a plurality of editing terminals to refer to a material stored in an AV server.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Today, broadcasting stations generally store AV (Audio and / or Video) data, which is a material, in a large-capacity AV server.
[0003]
The AV server generally has a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) configured by using a plurality of hard disk drives, and has a plurality of input / output ports such as SDI (Serial Digital Interface) ports.
[0004]
AV data sent to the AV server from outside (such as a VTR in a broadcasting station or a video camera at a news gathering site connected to the broadcasting station via a wide area network) is input to one of the input / output ports, and the input / output is performed. The port is subjected to compression processing and the like. Then, the data is sent to the RAID from the input / output port and recorded in the RAID.
[0005]
AV data read from the RAID and sent to one of the input / output ports is subjected to decompression processing or the like at the input / output port. The data is output from the input / output port and sent from the AV server to the outside (on-air server, backup server, or the like).
[0006]
By the way, in a broadcasting station, instead of transmitting the material stored in the AV server as it is on the air, the material is edited by an editing terminal (non-linear editing machine), and the editing result (so-called “complete packet”) is transmitted. Is usually the case.
[0007]
Conventionally, as a method of referencing (reading) a material stored in an AV server with an editing terminal for editing, for example, an input / output port of the AV server and an editing terminal are connected in a one-to-one correspondence, and the connection is made. A method of directly referencing a material from an AV server via a connected input / output port has been adopted (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-221951 (paragraph numbers 0003 to 0006, FIG. 3)
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in this method, since the input / output port of the AV server and the editing terminal are connected in a one-to-one correspondence, the editing terminal that can simultaneously and concurrently refer to the materials stored in the AV server. Is limited by the number of input / output ports of the AV server.
[0010]
Broadcasting stations often edit various and large amounts of materials stored in an AV server simultaneously and in parallel with a plurality of editing terminals. In such a case, it is very inconvenient that the number of editing terminals that can simultaneously refer to the material is restricted in this way.
[0011]
Also, in this method, in the RAID in the AV server, since the AV data is distributed and recorded on a plurality of hard disk drives, when the editing terminal refers to a large amount of AV data, or when the editing terminal jumps. When the AV data of the frame is referred to, the waiting time becomes longer.
[0012]
In the editing work, a certain amount of AV data (for example, AV data transmitted from a video camera at a certain news gathering site to a broadcasting station via a wide area network and stored in an AV server) as a material to be edited is entirely edited by an editing terminal. After reference (preview), a part of the AV data required for editing may be determined. At the time of editing, there is a case where the editing terminal refers to the AV data of the jumping frame (determines and corrects the in-point and the out-point while jumping and watching the video in frame units). The long waiting times in those cases are very inconvenient.
[0013]
In view of the above, the present invention enables a plurality of editing terminals to simultaneously refer to a material stored in an AV server without being restricted by the number of input / output ports of the AV server. The object of the present invention is to reduce the waiting time when referring to the material stored in the server by the editing terminal.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve this problem, the present applicant provides a system for referencing AV data stored in an AV server with a plurality of editing terminals, using the same AV server (hereinafter referred to as a first AV server). A second AV server that compresses and stores data at a higher compression ratio than the first AV server and a faster access than recording means in the first AV server are possible, and are connected to these editing terminals. Each editing terminal determines first processing means for referring to AV data from the second AV server, and a part necessary for editing from the AV data referred to by the first processing means. Second processing means for requesting that the determined portion of the AV data be transferred from the first AV server to the recording device based on the determination made by the recording device; Suggest reference system and a third processing means for referring.
[0015]
In this reference system, the same AV data that is stored in the first AV server is also stored in a second AV server that compresses AV data at a higher compression rate than the first AV server. Also, a recording device that can access at a higher speed than the recording means in the first AV server is connected to the plurality of editing terminals.
[0016]
Then, in each editing terminal, after the first processing means refers to the AV data from the second AV server, based on the fact that a part necessary for editing is determined from the referenced AV data, the determination is made. The second processing means requests that the first part of the AV data be transferred from the first AV server to the recording device, and the third processing means refers to the AV data from the recording device.
[0017]
Therefore, each recording terminal can refer to the AV data stored in the first AV server from this recording device. Thus, unlike the case where the input / output port of the first AV server and the editing terminal are connected in a one-to-one correspondence, the materials stored in the first AV server are transferred to the input / output port of the first AV server. It becomes possible to refer to multiple editing terminals simultaneously and in parallel without being limited by the number of ports.
[0018]
In addition, the entire material to be edited (material for determining a portion necessary for editing) may be referred (previewed) from a second AV server having a higher compression ratio (lower resolution) than the first AV server. Therefore, the waiting time is shorter than in the case where the reference is made directly from the first AV server.
[0019]
Then, it is sufficient that only the AV data of the part necessary for the editing determined from the whole of the referred material is transferred from the first AV server to the recording device. Unlike the case where the data is transferred to the recording device, the time required for the transfer is short.
[0020]
Further, since this recording device can access at higher speed than the recording means in the first AV server, the waiting time when the editing terminal refers to the AV data of the jumping frame from the recording device at the time of editing is directly the first time. Is shorter than when referencing the AV data of the jumping frame from the AV server.
[0021]
Thereby, the waiting time when referring to the material stored in the first AV server at the editing terminal and the waiting time when referring to the material at the collection terminal are also reduced.
[0022]
In this reference system, as an example, a recording device having a plurality of fiber channel ports is used as the recording device, and is connected to the recording device and to the first AV server. And a gateway terminal for transferring AV data from the first AV server to the recording device based on the request from the second processing means, and the second processing means of each editing terminal sends a request to the gateway terminal. It is preferable to do so.
[0023]
As a result, transmission and reception of AV data between the gateway terminal, the recording device, and the editing terminal are performed by the fiber channel. By performing a network connection utilizing the characteristics of the fiber channel, the AV data stored in the first AV server is established. Can be referred to more and more editing terminals simultaneously and in parallel.
[0024]
Further, in the case where the transmission and reception of AV data between the gateway terminal, the recording device, and the editing terminal are performed by the fiber channel, as an example, the gateway terminal stores the AV data in the file where the recording device writes the AV data. Is preferably recorded so that the third processing means of each editing terminal refers to the AV data of the portion indicated by this information in the file.
[0025]
As a result, even when the recording device refers to the AV data from the recording device while the recording device is writing the AV data to the file, the portion of the file to which the AV data has not been written yet is referred to (reading). Will be prevented).
[0026]
Next, in a method of referring to the AV data stored in the AV server by a plurality of editing terminals, each of the editing terminals transmits the same AV data as the AV server (first AV server) to the first AV server. A first step of referring to AV data from a second AV server that has been compressed and stored at a higher compression rate than the server, and each editing terminal needs to perform editing from among the AV data referenced in the first step; Based on the determination of the part, the AV data of the determined part can be accessed at a higher speed from the first AV server than the recording means in the first AV server, and is connected to the editing terminal. The present invention proposes a reference method including a second step of requesting transfer to a recording device, and a third step in which each editing terminal references AV data from the recording device.
[0027]
According to this reference method, in the same manner as in the above-described reference system according to the present invention, the material stored in the AV server can be transferred to a plurality of editing terminals regardless of the number of input / output ports of the AV server. In this case, the reference can be performed simultaneously and in parallel, and the waiting time when referring to the material stored in the AV server with the editing terminal can be shortened.
[0028]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a reference system according to the present invention. This reference system is applied to, for example, a news production system of a broadcasting station, and includes an AV server 1, an AV server 2, a plurality of editing terminals 3 (3 (1) to 3 (N)), It includes the same number of SSDs (solid state disks) 4 (4 (1) to 4 (N)) as the terminal 3 and the gateway terminal 5.
[0029]
Although not shown, the AV server 1 performs communication via a plurality of SDI ports, a RAID, a management system that lists and manages materials (AV data) recorded in the RAID, and communication via Ethernet (registered trademark). It has a network interface for performing the communication and an interface for transmitting and receiving AV data to and from the gateway terminal 5 (for example, a dedicated bus called MDR).
[0030]
Each SDI port of the AV server 1 includes an encoder for compressing input AV data into AV data at a predetermined compression rate (for example, 144 Mbit / sec).
[0031]
The AV server 1 is supplied with AV data from outside (a VTR in a broadcasting station, a video camera at a news gathering site connected to the broadcasting station via a wide area network, and the like). The AV data supplied to the AV server 1 is input to one of the SDI ports, and is subjected to a compression process or the like at the SDI port. Then, the data is sent from the SDI port to the RAID and recorded on the RAID.
[0032]
Although not shown, the AV server 2 also has an SDI port, a RAID, and a network interface for performing communication via Ethernet.
[0033]
The SDI port of the AV server 2 includes an encoder that compresses the input AV data into (low-resolution) AV data (for example, 4 to 8 Mbit / sec) having a higher compression rate than the SDI port of the AV server 1. I have.
[0034]
The same AV data as that supplied to the AV server 1 is supplied to the AV server 2. The AV data supplied to the AV server 2 is input to the SDI port, and is subjected to compression processing and the like at the SDI port. Then, the data is sent from the SDI port to the RAID and recorded on the RAID.
[0035]
The SSD 4 is a storage system equipped with a solid state memory (SDRAM) and having four fiber channel ports, and can be accessed at a higher speed than a hard disk drive.
[0036]
The editing terminals 3 (1) to 3 (N) and the SSDs 4 (1) to 4 (N) are connected one-to-one with fiber channels. The gateway terminal 5 is connected to the AV server 1 and to each SSD 4 via a fiber channel (FC) switch 6 via a fiber channel.
[0037]
The editing terminal 3, the gateway terminal 5, the AV server 1, and the AV server 2 are connected by the Ethernet 7.
[0038]
The editing terminal 3 is configured by a computer such as a workstation. An editor, which is application software for editing AV data, is installed in the editing terminal 3. The operation screen displayed on the editing terminal 3 by the editor includes the following operation screens (1) to (4).
[0039]
(1) An operation screen for referencing a material list from a management system in the AV server 1 via Ethernet and selecting a material to be edited from the material list.
(2) An operation screen for previewing the material to be edited selected in the operation screen (1) and determining a portion required for editing from the preview.
[0040]
(3) An operation screen for performing editing (determination / correction of an in-point / out-point, pasting on a timeline, etc.) with reference to the AV data of the portion determined in the operation screen (2).
(4) An operation screen for recording the edited AV data on the AV server 1.
[0041]
In addition to the editor, software for the following processes (a) to (c) is installed in the editing terminal 3.
[0042]
(A) A process of referring to the entire selected material from the AV server 2 via Ethernet based on the selection of the material to be edited on the operation screen (1).
[0043]
(B) On the basis of the determination of the portion required for editing on the operation screen (2), the transfer of the determined portion of the AV data from the AV server 1 to the corresponding SSD 4 is performed by a gateway terminal via Ethernet. Processing required for 5.
[0044]
(C) A process of referring to the AV data from the SSD 4 based on the operation of referring to the AV data on the operation screen (3).
[0045]
(D) On the basis of the operation of recording the edited AV data on the AV server 1 on the operation screen (4), the gateway terminal 5 notifies the recording of the edited AV data on the AV server 1 via the Ethernet. Processing requested for.
[0046]
The gateway terminal 5 is also configured by a computer such as a workstation. The gateway terminal 5 is installed with software for the following processes (e) and (f).
[0047]
(E) A process of transmitting AV data from the AV server 1 to the gateway terminal 5 based on the request of the process (b) from the editing terminal 3, transmitting the AV data to the SSD 4 and recording the AV data on the SSD 4.
[0048]
(F) A process in which the edited AV data is transmitted from the SSD 4 based on the request of the process (d) from the editing terminal 3, and the edited AV data is transmitted to the AV server 1 and recorded on the AV server 1.
[0049]
In the above process (e) of the gateway terminal 5, the SSD 4 writes, in the metadata area of the file in which the AV data is written, the end of data (information) indicating the end of the portion of the file in which the AV data has been written. EOD) is also recorded.
[0050]
Further, in the above process (c) of the editing terminal 3, the SSD 4 refers to the AV data of the portion before the end indicated by this EOD in the metadata area in the file in which the SSD 4 has written the AV data.
[0051]
Next, in this reference system, an operation of an operator when the editing terminal 3 refers to the AV data stored in the AV server 1 and a flow of processing based on the operation will be described.
[0052]
FIG. 2 shows the flow of operations and processes. First, the operator of each editing terminal 3 refers to the material list of the AV server 1 on the above-described operation screen (1), and (Step S1).
[0053]
Then, the editing terminal 3 executes the above-described processing (a), whereby the entire selected material to be edited is referred to from the AV server 2 via the Ethernet 7 (step S2).
[0054]
Subsequently, the operator of the editing terminal 3 previews the selected material to be edited on the above-mentioned operation screen (2) and determines a portion necessary for editing from the previewed material (step S3).
[0055]
Then, the editing terminal 3 executes the above-described processing (b), whereby the determined portion of the AV data is transferred from the AV server 1 to the SSD 4 corresponding to the editing terminal 3 via the Ethernet 7. Request is made to gateway terminal 5 (step S4).
[0056]
When the gateway terminal 5 executes the above process (e) based on this request, the AV data of the determined portion (portion necessary for editing) is transmitted from the AV server 1 to the gateway terminal 5, It is recorded on the SSD 4 (at this time, the EOD is also recorded in the metadata area of the file in which the SSD 4 writes the AV data) (step S5).
[0057]
Subsequently, when the operator of the editing terminal 3 performs an operation on the above-mentioned operation screen (3) to refer to the AV data necessary for the editing by specifying, for example, a jumping frame, the editing terminal 3 is operated. 3 executes the above-described processing (c), whereby the AV data of the jump frame is referred to by the SSD 4 (at this time, among the files in which the SSD 4 has written the AV data, the AV data is indicated by the EOD of the metadata area). The AV data of the part before the end to be processed is referred to) (step S6).
[0058]
In this way, the AV data stored in the AV server 1 is referred to by each editing terminal 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the AV data transferred from the AV server 1 to the SSD 4 for reference to the AV data in comparison with the entire material to be edited. After the entire material to be edited is referenced from the low-resolution AV server 2 as shown in FIG. A (step S2 in FIG. 2), it is necessary to perform editing from the entire material to be edited as shown in FIG. Is determined (step S3 in FIG. 2). Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, only the part necessary for this editing in the entire material to be edited is transferred from the AV server 1 to the SSD 4.
[0059]
After the operator of each editing terminal 3 performs editing by referring to the AV data on the operation screen (3), an operation of recording the edited AV data on the AV server 1 on the operation screen (4) is performed. Then, the edited AV data is transmitted from the SSD 4 to the gateway terminal 5 by the editing terminal 3 executing the above-described processing (d) and the gateway terminal 3 executing the above-described processing (f) based on the processing. The data is transmitted to the AV server 1 and recorded on the AV server 1.
[0060]
The edited AV data recorded on the AV server 1 is output from any of the SDI ports of the AV server 1 and sent from the AV server 1 to the outside (an on-air server, a backup server, or the like).
[0061]
As described above, in this reference system, the same AV data that is stored in the AV server 1 is also stored in the AV server 2 that compresses the AV data at a higher compression rate than the AV server 1. In addition, SSDs 4 that can access at a higher speed than RAID in the AV server 1 are connected to the plurality of editing terminals 3.
[0062]
Then, after each editing terminal 3 refers to the entire material to be edited from the AV server 2, based on the fact that a part necessary for editing is determined from the material, the AV data of the determined part is transferred to the AV server 1. Requesting that the data be transferred to the SSD4, and refer to the AV data of the portion necessary for the editing from the SSD4.
[0063]
Therefore, each editing terminal 3 can refer to the AV data stored in the AV server 1 from the SSD 4. Thus, unlike the case where the SDI port of the AV server 1 and the editing terminal are connected in a one-to-one correspondence, the materials stored in the AV server 1 can be stored without being limited by the number of SDI ports of the AV server 1. A plurality of editing terminals 3 can be referred to simultaneously in parallel.
[0064]
Further, the entire material to be edited (material for determining a portion necessary for editing) is referred (previewed) from the AV server 2 having a higher compression ratio (lower resolution) than the AV server 1, so that the AV server 1 is directly Waiting time is shorter than when referencing from.
[0065]
Then, it is sufficient to transfer only the AV data of the part necessary for the editing determined from the whole of the referred material to the SSD 4 from the AV server 1. Therefore, the case where the entire material to be edited is transferred from the AV server 1 to the SSD 4 is different. In contrast, the time required for the transfer is short.
[0066]
Furthermore, since the SSD 4 can be accessed at a higher speed than the RAID in the AV server 1, the waiting time when the editing terminal 3 refers to the AV data of the jumping frame from the SSD 4 at the time of editing is shorter than the jumping time directly from the AV server 1. It is shorter than when referring to the AV data of the frame.
[0067]
This shortens the waiting time when the editing terminal 3 refers to the material stored in the AV server 1.
[0068]
Also, SSDs are generally more expensive than RAIDs because they use solid-state memory, but SSD4 only needs to use a memory of the minimum necessary capacity to store only the AV data of the portion required for editing. , And SSDs can be minimized.
[0069]
Further, since the transmission and reception of AV data between the gateway terminal 5, the SSD 4, and the editing terminal 3 are performed by the fiber channel, the network connection utilizing the characteristics of the fiber channel is performed, so that the AV data stored in the AV server 1 can be transmitted. A larger number of editing terminals 3 can be referred to simultaneously in parallel.
[0070]
Further, the gateway terminal 5 records end-of-data (EOD), which is information indicating the end of a portion of the file in which the AV data has been written, in the metadata area of the file in which the SSD 4 writes the AV data, Since each editing terminal 3 refers to the AV data of the portion before the end indicated by this EOD in the metadata area in the file, while the SSD 4 is writing the AV data to the file, the editing terminal 3 Even when the AV data is referred to, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a portion of the file in which the AV data has not been written yet is referred to (read over).
[0071]
In the above example, one editing terminal 3 is connected to each SSD 4. However, since the SSD 4 has four fiber channel ports, two or three editing terminals 3 may be connected to each SSD 4 using unused ports.
[0072]
In the above example, the AV data stored in the AV server having the SDI port is referred to. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and AV data stored in an AV server having an input / output port other than the SDI port may be a reference target according to the present invention.
[0073]
In the above example, the SSD 4 is interposed between the AV server 1 and the editing terminal 3. However, as another example, a recording device other than the SSD, which can be accessed at a higher speed than the RAID in the AV server 1, may be interposed between the AV server 1 and the editing terminal 3.
[0074]
In the above example, the present invention is applied to a news production system. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any appropriate system (for example, a production system for programs other than news, a CM production system, and a movie production system) that needs to refer to AV data stored in an AV server with an editing terminal The present invention may also be applied to ()).
[0075]
Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and it is needless to say that various other configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0076]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the materials stored in the AV server can be simultaneously and concurrently referred to by a plurality of editing terminals without being limited by the number of input / output ports of the AV server. In addition, there is an effect that the waiting time when referring to the material stored in the AV server with the editing terminal is shortened.
[0077]
Further, by performing a network connection utilizing the characteristics of the fiber channel, it is possible to obtain an effect that a larger number of editing terminals can simultaneously refer to the AV data stored in the AV server.
[0078]
Also, when the recording device refers to the AV data from the recording device while the recording device is writing the AV data to the file, a situation in which the portion of the file to which the AV data has not been written yet is prevented is prevented. The effect that can be obtained is also obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a reference system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of operation and processing in the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing AV data transferred from the AV server 1 to the SSD 4 in the system of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 AV server, 2 low resolution AV server, 3 (1) -3 (N) editing terminal, 4 (1) -4 (N) SSD, 5 gateway terminal, 6 FC switch, 7 Ethernet

Claims (6)

In a system for referencing AV data stored in an AV server with a plurality of editing terminals,
A second AV server that compresses and stores the same AV data as the AV server at a higher compression ratio than the AV server;
A recording device connected to the editing terminal, which can be accessed at a higher speed than recording means in the AV server;
Each of the editing terminals,
First processing means for referring to AV data from the second AV server;
On the basis of the determination of the part required for editing from the AV data referenced by the first processing means, a request is made to transfer the determined part of the AV data from the AV server to the recording device. Second processing means;
And a third processing means for referring to the AV data from the recording device. A system for referencing AV data stored in an AV server. 2. A reference system for AV data stored in an AV server according to claim 1,
The recording device has a plurality of fiber channel ports,
A gateway terminal connected to the recording device and connected to the AV server and configured to transfer AV data from the AV server to the recording device based on a request from the second processing unit of the editing terminal; Prepare,
A system for referencing AV data stored in an AV server, wherein the second processing means of each of the editing terminals sends a request to the gateway terminal. 3. A reference system for AV data stored in an AV server according to claim 2,
The gateway terminal causes a file to which the recording device writes AV data to record information indicating a portion of the file where the AV data has been written,
A system for referring to AV data stored in an AV server, wherein the third processing means of each of the editing terminals refers to AV data of a portion indicated by the information in the file. In a method of referring to AV data stored in an AV server by a plurality of editing terminals,
A first step in which each of the editing terminals refers to AV data from a second AV server in which the same AV data as the AV server is compressed at a higher compression ratio than the AV server and stored;
Each of the editing terminals sends the AV data of the determined portion from the AV server based on the determination of the portion necessary for editing from the AV data referred to in the first step. A second step of requesting transfer to a recording device that is faster than the recording means in the server and is connected to the editing terminal,
A third step in which each of the editing terminals refers to AV data from the recording device. 5. The reference method of AV data stored in an AV server according to claim 4,
In the second step, each of the editing terminals sends a request to a gateway terminal connected to the recording device having a plurality of fiber channel ports and connected to the AV server,
A method of referring to AV data stored in an AV server, further comprising the step of the gateway terminal transmitting AV data to the AV server and the recording device based on a request from the editing terminal. 6. The method for referencing AV data stored in an AV server according to claim 5,
The gateway terminal further comprises a step of recording, in a file in which the recording device writes AV data, information indicating a portion of the file in which the AV data has been written,
A method of referring to AV data stored in an AV server, wherein the third step refers to AV data of a portion indicated by the information in the file.

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