JP2005064666A - Content viewing system and content selecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technology for visually recognizing whether a content can be viewed. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of content data 21 and metadata 23 corresponding to content data 21 are stored in a storage part (hard disk recorder) 5. A translator 15 related to the storage part 5 and a transmission part 1 is installed. Attribute information on the content and other related information are described in metadata 23. Data on a title described in HTML, performers, a date and the like are included in the metadata 23. A reception part 3 of content data can exchange band information 25 in a transmission band of content data with the transmission part 1 of content data. Band information 25 includes an electric wave situation of radio specified at the maximum bit rate. A receiver 3 can always monitor band information. A display control part 8 displaying transmission capacity and radio transmission possible capacity of the content in a visually compared form is arranged in a display part 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a content viewing apparatus, and more particularly, to a viewing apparatus including a display technology related to whether or not viewing is possible during content viewing.

  With the recent development of digital technology, in the AV (Audio Visual) field, digital devices have been provided in television devices and the like, and it has become possible to view high-quality and various contents.

  In particular, with the recent development of wireless communication technology, for example, home appliances that transmit content from a transmitter to a receiver using a wireless communication device with a content transmitter and a content receiver as separate bodies are also provided. It is becoming. In such a device, the wireless connection between the receiver and the transmitter increases the degree of freedom of the installation location of the receiver. For example, the receiver and the display device are placed on the second floor while the transmitter is on the first floor. It is now possible to view content on the second floor.

  When performing wireless communication, the communication status is important. Thus, for example, there is an apparatus that three-dimensionally displays the communication connection status of a wireless communication network that transmits and receives data between a plurality of wireless communication devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-209542

  In a content viewing apparatus, particularly a viewing apparatus using wireless communication, the radio wave status of wireless communication changes from moment to moment depending on the surrounding environment, for example, when a microwave oven or a wireless LAN starts to be used. Therefore, the transmission capacity of data that can actually be transmitted by radio always changes.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a viewing device including a display technology capable of intuitively recognizing viewable content. Another object of the present invention is to provide a countermeasure when it is determined that viewing is impossible.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, a content providing apparatus having a content storage unit that stores content and a transmission unit that transmits content stored in the content storage unit, and receives content transmitted from the transmission unit A content display device comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive information; and a display unit configured to display information on the content received by the receiving unit, the content transmission capacity stored in the content storage unit, the transmitter, and the reception There is provided a content viewing system including a content display device including a display control unit that performs control to display a maximum transferable capacity with a device in a visually comparable form. According to the content viewing system, it is possible to visually compare the content transmission capacity and the maximum transmittable capacity between the content transmitter and the content receiver.

  It is preferable that the display control unit further controls to display a preview of the content on the display unit when the content stored in the content storage unit is selected. The preview of the content is reproduced with the transmission capacity of the displayed content. The preview may be switched to a display for reproducing with the maximum transmission capacity.

  Furthermore, it has a band information monitoring unit that monitors band information between the transmission unit and the reception unit. As a result, the maximum transmission capacity can be constantly monitored. The storage unit may further store metadata corresponding to the content and characterizing the content. Thereby, the transmission capacity of the content can be displayed, and the feature of the content can be displayed together with the preview of the content.

  The display control unit may further perform control to display the display quality of the content in a visually recognizable form when the content stored in the content storage unit is selected.

  As an example, when a content having a transmission capacity larger than the maximum transmittable capacity is selected, a method may be considered in which the display control unit performs control to roughen the display quality of the preview. By looking at the preview, it can be used as a criterion for determining whether or not the viewer is within the allowable range. The selection pointer for selecting the display of the content transmission capacity can also serve as the display of the maximum transmission capacity. The selection pointer can be changed in accordance with the change in the maximum transmittable capacity. For example, by changing the size of the selection pointer in accordance with the change in the maximum transmittable capacity, it is possible to recognize real-time information corresponding to the current communication status.

  A selection pointer for selecting display of the transmission capacity of the content also serves as display of the maximum transmittable capacity. The content transmission capacity and the maximum transmission capacity can be visually compared by the operation of selecting the content. The selection pointer also functions as a viewing determination function for the selected content. Thus, the content selection operation and the viewing determination operation can be performed in a series of flows.

  The content providing apparatus further includes a translator for adjusting a content transmission capacity based on the maximum transmittable capacity. Thereby, even when the maximum transmission capacity is smaller than the transmission capacity of the content, it is possible to select to compress and view the content if desired.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a content display device that includes a receiving unit that receives content and a display unit that displays information on the content received by the receiving unit, and is stored in the content storage unit. A content display device is provided that includes a display control unit that performs control to display a transmission capacity of content that is received and a maximum transmittable capacity related to information received by the reception unit in a visually comparable form. The

  A content storage unit that stores the content; and a transmission unit that transmits the content stored in the content storage unit. The transmission capacity of the content stored in the content storage unit and the transmission unit And a translator that adjusts the transmission capacity of the content based on the maximum transmission capacity for the information to be transmitted.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a step of displaying content transmission capacity as a selection candidate content in a form that can be visually recognized, a step of aligning a selection cursor with the selection candidate content, a content transmission capacity, There is provided a program for causing a content to execute a step of comparing the maximum transmission capacity and a step of determining a content to be viewed when the maximum transmission capacity is equal to or larger than the content transmission capacity.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a tuner that selects a broadcast channel, an electronic program guide generation unit that generates an electronic program guide that displays broadcast contents for each channel for each time zone, and a program selected by the tuner A transmitter with a tuner, a receiver that receives the content of the program transmitted from the transmitter and the electronic program guide information, the content of the program received at the receiver, and the A receiving device including a display unit capable of displaying an electronic program guide, wherein a transmission capacity of a program sent from the transmission unit and a maximum transmission capacity between the transmitter and the receiver are visually recognized. There is provided a broadcast program viewing system including a receiving device including a display control unit that performs control for display on the electronic program guide in a form that can be compared with the other.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to visually recognize whether or not content can be viewed. In addition, when it is difficult to view content at present, the content can be viewed by changing the compression rate of the content. There is an advantage that these series of operations can be performed by an easy-to-understand user interface.

  A content viewing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an arrangement of a transmitter, a receiver, and a display device included in the content viewing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the viewing device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a display screen of the content viewing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of content viewing processing according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen for selecting desired content.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the content viewing / listening apparatus according to the present embodiment is arranged in a two-story house A, for example, and a radio transmitter 1 and a hard disk (HDD) recorder 5 on which content is recorded are located on the first floor. And are arranged. On the other hand, on the second floor, a wireless receiver 3 and a display device for displaying contents, for example, a liquid crystal display 7 are arranged.

  The content desired by the viewer from the content stored in the hard disk recorder 5 is wirelessly transmitted to the wireless receiver 3 via the wireless transmitter 1 and displayed on the liquid crystal display 7. The viewer 11 can select content using, for example, a remote controller and view desired content on the second floor.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a more detailed configuration of the content viewing apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a large number of content data 21 and metadata 23 corresponding to each content data 21 are stored in the storage unit (hard disk recorder) 5. Further, a translator 15 associated with the storage unit 5 and the transmission unit 1 is provided. The metadata 23 describes content attribute information and other related information, and includes data such as a title, performers, and dates described in a tagging language such as HTML. On the other hand, the content data receiving unit 3 can exchange band information 25 in the content data transmission band with the content data transmitting unit 1. The band information 25 is information including, for example, wireless radio wave conditions defined by the maximum bit rate, and is configured such that the receiver 3 can constantly monitor the band information. The display 7 is provided with a display control unit 8 that displays the content transmission capacity and the wireless transmission capacity in a form that allows visual comparison.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a content selection screen displayed on the liquid crystal display 7 when, for example, the viewer 11 (FIG. 1) makes a selection with the remote controller based on the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of content viewing processing.

  When a content display operation is performed in step S1, the display screen 7a of the liquid crystal display 7 displays the first display area 31 for performing a characteristic display (for example, a title screen) and attribute information such as the title of the content. A second display area 33 to be displayed, a first display (content transmission capacity display) 35a representing the transmission capacity of the content in a circle area, and a first display by a circle displayed by a concentric circle of the circle of the content transmission capacity display 35a For example, a second display (selection cursor) 37 indicating the wireless maximum transmittable capacity in the current radio wave condition is displayed. An average transmission capacity may be used instead of the maximum transmission capacity. The selection cursor 37 also functions as a pointer and a selection button for selecting content according to a viewer's remote control operation.

  In step S2, the selection cursor 37 is set to the desired content transmission capacity display 35a. Since the content transmission capacity display 35a and the selection cursor 37 indicating the wireless maximum transmission capacity are displayed concentrically, it is visually recognized whether or not the target content can be transmitted in the current communication status. It becomes easy. In step S3, the size (circle diameter or area) of the content transmission capacity display 35a and the selection cursor 37 indicating the wireless maximum transmission capacity is compared, and the selection cursor 37 indicating the wireless maximum transmission capacity is the content transmission. If it is greater than or equal to the capacity display 35a, it is determined that the content can be received in the current wireless communication status, so the process proceeds to step S4, and the selection cursor 37 is set in accordance with the content transmission capacity display 35a. In step S5, the content is received, and the received content can be displayed on the liquid crystal display 7 for viewing.

  On the other hand, if the selection cursor 37 indicating the wireless maximum transmittable capacity is smaller than the content transmission capacity display 35a in step S3, it is determined that the content cannot be received in the current wireless communication status. In this case, the process proceeds to step S6, and the viewer determines whether or not he / she wants to view the currently selected content. In the case of selecting another content, it is possible to proceed from step S8 to step S2 and select another content. If it is desired to view the currently selected content, the process proceeds to step S7, and when the operation for selecting this content is performed, the size of the content transmission capacity display 35a is substantially equal to the size of the selection cursor 37 as shown in FIG. Shrink until At this time, based on the content transmission capacity and the band information 25 described in the content metadata 23, the content data compression processing is performed in the translator 15 (FIG. 2) so that both are substantially equal. However, if the data compression process is performed, the display quality deteriorates. Therefore, the viewer needs to recognize the fact and perform the selection process. At this time, it is possible to confirm whether or not the display deterioration is within the allowable range of the viewer by looking at the display of the title screen 31 (FIG. 2). Thereafter, when the content selection decision is made in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5 and the content can be viewed.

  As described above, when the content viewing apparatus according to the present embodiment is used, it is possible to visually recognize whether the content can be viewed. In addition, when it is difficult to view the content, the content can be viewed by changing the compression rate of the content. By providing an easy-to-understand user interface, there is an advantage that these series of operations become easy.

  Next, a content viewing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a display screen of the content viewing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Information on the currently selected content (for example, a computer video 31 and a title screen 33) is displayed on the display screen 7a of the liquid crystal display 7, and the transmission capacity of the plurality of content is represented by a circle area. 1 display (content transmission capacity display) 35 (in FIG. 6, the first display of various sizes, for example, displays 35a, 35b,..., And, for example, virtual radio corresponding to the concentric circles of these content transmission capacity displays 35 For example, a second display 37a indicating a maximum wireless transmission capacity in the current radio wave condition is shown as a second display 37-shaped pipe 37a displaying a transmission line. An image of the room where 30a is is displayed.

  Of the first display 35, the currently selected content display is displayed in white. By visually comparing the cross-sectional area of the second display 37a and the area of the circle of the first display, it is determined whether or not the content can be viewed. At this time, the display position of the first display 35 can be moved as indicated by an arrow in accordance with, for example, a remote control operation of the viewer. When the display control is performed so that the first display 35 of the currently selected content is positioned closest to the second display 37a, it is visually determined whether or not the selected content can pass through the wireless transmission line 37a. There is an advantage that it is easy to judge.

  Display control may be performed so that the selected first display 35 moves in the wireless transmission line 37a (see, for example, reference numeral 35c). Alternatively, it can be visually confirmed that the first display 35 relating to the content that has been selected and decided to be viewed passes through the wireless transmission line 37a and is distributed into the room 31a where the user 30a is located. Thus, by displaying the wireless transmission capacity by the thickness of the pipe and displaying the selected content at a position closest to the pipe displaying the wireless transmission line, it is possible to provide a user interface that is easy for the viewer to understand. .

  Next, a viewing system according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The viewing system according to the present embodiment includes a tuner that selects a broadcast channel, an electronic program guide generator that generates an electronic program guide that displays broadcast contents for each channel for each time period, and a program selected by the tuner. And a transmission unit with a tuner having a transmission unit for transmitting. And a receiving unit that receives the contents of the program transmitted from the transmitting unit and the electronic program guide information, and a display unit that can display the contents of the program received by the receiving unit and the electronic program guide. Display control for controlling the transmission capacity of the program sent from the transmission unit and the maximum transmission capacity between the transmitter and the receiver on the electronic program guide in a visually comparable form. And a receiving device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a program guide displayed on a TV screen, for example, and is an example of a display of an electronic program guide that can be acquired by EPG, for example. The horizontal axis represents time (time zone), and the vertical axis represents channel number and the like. In FIG. 7, the maximum wireless transmission capacity and the transmission capacity of a broadcast program (stream) in the current wireless situation are displayed for each channel. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the transmission capacity of the broadcast program is indicated by hatching (CH1), and the transmission capacity of the broadcast program is indicated by hatching in the total time length from 6:00 to 10:00, and from 7:00 to 8 The ratio of the maximum wireless transmittable capacity to the transmission capacity of the broadcast program is shown in correspondence with the area ratio of the second rectangular area LC2 with respect to the first rectangular area LC1 indicating the time zone up to the time. Also in the example shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not the current broadcast program can be viewed for each channel. In addition to the difference in color, the ratio of the maximum wireless transmittable capacity to the transmission capacity of the broadcast program may be expressed visually by the difference in gradation (color density) or the like. You may enable it to select a channel from the program schedule of FIG.

  As mentioned above, although each embodiment of this invention was described, it cannot be overemphasized that various deformation | transformation are possible for this invention in the range which a person skilled in the art can understand.

  Similar techniques can be applied to wired devices in addition to wireless devices. Further, it can be used for a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone capable of displaying a moving image instead of the TV monitor.

It is a figure which shows typically arrangement | positioning of the transmitter, receiver, and display apparatus which are contained in the content viewing-and-listening apparatus by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structural example of the viewing-and-listening apparatus by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the display screen of the content viewing-and-listening apparatus by this Embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the content viewing-and-listening process by this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the screen which selects a desired content. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the display screen of the content viewing-and-listening apparatus by this Embodiment by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the content viewing-and-listening apparatus by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Transmission part, 3 ... Receiver, 5 ... Memory | storage part, 7 ... Display part, 8 ... Display control part, 15 ... Translator, 21 ... Content data, 23 ... Metadata, 25 ... Band information, AR ... Content display Direction of travel.

Claims (17)

A content providing apparatus having a content storage unit for storing content and a transmission unit for transmitting content stored in the content storage unit;
A content display device including a reception unit that receives content transmitted from the transmission unit and a display unit that displays information on the content received by the reception unit, the content display device storing content stored in the content storage unit Content having a display control unit that performs control to display a transmission capacity and a maximum transmittable capacity between the transmitter and the receiver in a visually comparable form Viewing system.   The content viewing system according to claim 1, further comprising a band information monitoring unit that monitors band information between the transmission unit and the reception unit.   The content viewing system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit further stores metadata that characterizes the content in association with the content.   The display control unit further causes the display unit to display at least one of a preview of the content, the band information, and the content of the metadata when the content stored in the content storage unit is selected. The content viewing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein control is performed.   The display control unit further performs control to display the display quality of the content in a visually recognizable form when the content stored in the content storage unit is selected. 5. The content viewing system according to any one of 1 to 4.   The content viewing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a selection pointer for selecting display of the content transmission capacity also serves as display of the maximum transmission capacity.   The content viewing system according to claim 6, wherein the selection pointer is changed in accordance with a change in the maximum transmittable capacity.   The content viewing system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the selection pointer also serves as a viewing determination function for the selected content.   The content viewing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the content providing device further includes a translator that adjusts a content transmission capacity based on the maximum transmittable capacity. system.   The content viewing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the visually comparable form includes a color, a gradation, or a size.   A content display device including a receiving unit that receives content and a display unit that displays information on the content received by the receiving unit, the content transmission capacity stored in the content storage unit, and the receiving unit A content display device comprising: a display control unit that performs control to display a maximum transmittable capacity related to information received in a visually comparable form.   A content storage unit that stores content, and a transmission unit that transmits content stored in the content storage unit, the transmission capacity of content stored in the content storage unit, and information sent from the transmission unit A content providing apparatus comprising: a translator that adjusts a content transmission capacity based on a maximum transmission capacity for the content.   In an electronic program guide that displays content provision time zones and content provision channels in a matrix, for each channel, the maximum wireless transmission capacity and the content transmission capacity in the current wireless situation can be visually compared. What is claimed is: 1. A content display device comprising: a display control unit that performs display control. Displaying the content transmission capacity as a selection candidate content in a form that can be visually recognized;
Aligning the selection cursor with the selection candidate content;
Comparing the content transmission capacity with the maximum transmission capacity;
A program for causing a content to execute a step of determining a content to be viewed when the maximum transmission capacity is equal to or greater than the content transmission capacity. Displaying the content transmission capacity as a selection candidate content in a form that can be visually recognized;
Aligning the selection cursor with the selection candidate content;
Comparing the content transmission capacity with the maximum transmission capacity;
A program for causing a content to execute a step of compressing and viewing the content after determination when it is desired to view the content when the maximum transmission capacity is less than the content transmission capacity.   The program according to claim 15, further comprising a step of previewing the compressed content. A tuner that selects a broadcast channel; an electronic program guide generator that generates an electronic program guide that displays broadcast contents of each channel for each time period; and a transmitter that transmits a program selected by the tuner. A transmitter with a tuner;
A receiving apparatus comprising: a receiving unit that receives the content of the program transmitted from the transmitting unit and the electronic program guide information; and a display unit that can display the content of the program received by the receiving unit and the electronic program guide. The transmission capacity of the program sent from the transmission unit and the maximum transmission capacity between the transmitter and the receiver are displayed on the electronic program guide in a visually comparable form. A broadcast program viewing system including a receiving device including a display control unit that performs control.

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