JP2006011757A - Data transfer device, data transfer method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transfer a moving picture content from a computer main body without being conscious of a difference of a data format or the like to be supported on portable equipment-side. <P>SOLUTION: When a digital content such as a moving picture, a still picture and voice, which are located on the equipment of a data transfer source, is transferred to the other equipment, it is investigated whether the content is in the format can be processed by the equipment of a transfer destination. When the content is determined that it cannot be processed, the format is converted into the one which can be processed in the equipment of the transfer destination. and data is transferred. The user transfers data from the computer main body without being conscious of the data format supported by the portable equipment, and the user does not need to have professional knowledge of a re-encoding processing of data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a data transfer apparatus and data transfer method for transferring various data such as computer files and contents, and a computer program, and more particularly to a hard disk or other portable externally connected to a computer from a computer main body. The present invention relates to a data transfer apparatus, a data transfer method, and a computer program for transferring data to a device.

  More specifically, the present invention is a portable device that operates as an external storage device connected to another information processing device such as a personal computer, and can also process data and content such as content reproduction by itself by a self-running function. The present invention relates to a data transfer apparatus and data transfer method for transferring content in which a plurality of data such as moving images are multiplexed to a device, and a computer program. The present invention relates to a data transfer apparatus, a data transfer method, and a computer program for transferring content from a computer main body without doing so.

  Along with recent technological innovation, various personal computers (PCs) such as desktop and notebook computers have been developed and marketed. This type of device usually has an interface for connecting peripheral devices, is equipped with various peripheral devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a printer, and a modem, and can prepare an operating environment and secure hardware resources.

  As an interface for a personal computer, a serial port and a parallel port have been known for a long time, but recently, USB (Universal Serial Bus) has been rapidly spread. There are also a wide variety of USB devices such as a keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, modem, hard disk drive, CD-RW drive, and DVD drive. Since USB is a serial bus, it is characterized by its relatively thin cable, the ability to connect peripheral devices in a tree using a hub, and support for various transfer modes. It is widely recognized as a general-purpose interface. Yes.

  Some peripheral devices have a self-running function in addition to being connected to a personal computer and operating as a peripheral device. One example is a battery-powered portable media player with a built-in hard disk.

  While this type of electronic device is connected to a personal computer via an interface such as a USB cable, it operates as an external hard disk device and stores ordinary computer files, video, audio, etc. Or download content. On the other hand, when released from the connection with the personal computer (of course, it can be still connected to the USB cable), it operates as a media player in a stand-alone state, and the video or music downloaded in the hard disk Can be reproduced within the device. In other words, the USB hard disk removed from the computer itself is handled as a battery-powered portable device, and content such as videos / still images / music stored in a computer is transferred to the device for playback on the go. I can enjoy it.

  For example, there has been proposed a portable electronic device that can be connected to and cooperated with other devices such as a mobile phone and a personal computer to enable a mutual cooperation operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this type of portable electronic device, not only an independent operation but also a cooperative cooperative operation is possible by connecting and cooperating with other devices such as a form transfer and a personal computer. Therefore, it is connected with other devices, such as a function to exchange audio data with other devices and output voice sound, a function to make a call via a mobile phone as another device, a function to remotely control other devices, etc. System operation that expands and develops the user interface can be performed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-300238

  Beginning with the USB hard disk example described above, use a battery-powered portable device to transfer content such as videos / still images / music stored on a computer to this device and play it on the go. Things are increasing.

  Here, the difference between the data format supported by the computer main body and the data format supported by the portable device becomes a problem.

  There are numerous types of video / still image / music data that can be handled on a computer. Taking video as an example, there are many formats such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, WMV, DVR-MS, QuickTime, DV-AVI, and many other formats. . In addition, when focusing on a certain format, there are a great many parameters that can be selected within that format. For this reason, even in one format, it is often difficult to support all data that may be generated in that format on the portable device side.

  For example, the MPEG-2 system stipulates a method for multiplexing individual streams such as encoded video, audio, and additional data and reproducing them in synchronization with each other. There are formats called TS (Transport Stream) suitable for streaming and PS (Program Stream) suitable for package software. Also, regarding audio, there are a wide variety such as MPEG Audio Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 3, AC-3, LPCM and the like. In addition, video and audio encoding parameters are wide. These are defined for each purpose such as for streaming distribution, DVD-Video, HDD recorder, etc., and it is extremely difficult to make it possible to reproduce all MPEG-2 contents with one portable device. is there.

  Thus, there are many formats for moving image content, and the degree of freedom of parameters in each format is very large. For this reason, portable devices generally support some formats, and the parameters that can be supported in each format are usually limited.

  Therefore, when transferring moving image content from a computer to a portable device and playing it back, the user must accurately grasp the content format and parameters supported by the portable device and transfer the correct data. In addition, when it is desired to reproduce content in an unsupported format, it is necessary to transfer the data after re-encoding to a reproducible format. However, in order to check whether or not the content on hand can be played back on a portable device, and to perform re-encoding, specialized knowledge is required, which is a task that is difficult for general users.

  The same is true for music and still image content, although there are differences. For this reason, there is a high possibility that a user who does not have expertise will encounter a problem that even if the desired content is transferred to the portable device, it cannot be reproduced.

  In order to popularize portable devices, the present inventors consider that it is necessary to provide means that can be used with peace of mind even by users who do not have expertise in the data format of moving images / still images / music.

  The present invention has been made in view of the technical problems as described above, and its main purpose is to suitably transfer data from a computer main body to a hard disk or other portable device externally connected to the computer. It is an object to provide an excellent data transfer device, data transfer method, and computer program that can be used.

  A further object of the present invention is a portable device that operates as an external storage device connected to another information processing device such as a personal computer, and can also process data and content such as content reproduction by itself by a self-running function. It is another object of the present invention to provide an excellent data transfer apparatus, data transfer method, and computer program capable of suitably transferring content in which a plurality of data such as moving images are multiplexed.

  A further object of the present invention is to provide an excellent data transfer apparatus and data transfer method capable of transferring multiplexed content from a computer main body without being aware of differences in data formats supported (supported) on the portable device side, And providing a computer program.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and a first aspect thereof is a data transfer apparatus for transferring data between devices,
Data format determination means for determining whether the format of the data on the transfer source device is a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device;
If the determination result by the data format determination means is negative, data format conversion means for converting the data into a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device;
A data transfer device comprising:

  An increasing number of battery-powered portable devices that transfer content such as moving images / still images / music stored in a computer to the device and play them on the go. However, the difference between the data format supported by the computer main body and the data format supported by the portable device becomes a problem.

  On the other hand, according to the data transfer device of the present invention, when transferring digital contents such as moving images / still images / sounds on the data transfer source device to another device, the transfer destination device It is checked whether the data can be processed. If it is determined that the data cannot be processed, the data can be transferred after being converted into a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device.

  Therefore, the user of the portable device can transfer data from the computer main body without being aware of the data format supported by the portable device. In addition, it is possible to enjoy content reproduction by different portable devices having specialized knowledge such as data re-encoding processing. Of course, such a data conversion process can be applied not only when data is transferred between devices but also when only data format conversion is performed.

  Here, when performing data transfer, the data transfer method or conversion method may be determined in consideration of the quality of the transfer source content and the reproduction quality of the transfer destination device.

  Alternatively, when performing data transfer, the data transfer method or conversion method may be determined with priority given to shortening the time required for transfer.

  Alternatively, when performing data transfer, the data transfer method or conversion method may be determined by giving priority to reducing the data size after transfer or conversion.

  Alternatively, the data transfer method or conversion method may be determined by multiple determination of a plurality of items such as content quality, transfer destination reproduction quality, transfer time, data size after transfer or conversion.

  Alternatively, an item that is important to the user may be set in advance, and a selection that prioritizes the setting may be performed to automatically select a data transfer method or a conversion method that suits the user's preference.

  In addition, when the user desires a data transfer method or data conversion method other than the automatically selected method, means such as a user interface that can be changed or reset by the user may be prepared. In this case, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation by preventing selection of a format that cannot be processed by the transfer destination device.

  For example, when transferring video content, obtain information such as video encoding format, image size, frame rate, video bit rate, TS / PS format, audio codec, sampling frequency, audio bit rate, etc. It can be used for determination when determining the data transfer method or the conversion method.

  In the case of content configured by multiplexing multiple data, the multiplexed data is once separated into each data, format conversion is performed for each data, and then multiplexed again to support the data transfer destination Content can be obtained. For example, when moving image content is transferred, data conversion can be performed by once separating a video stream and an audio stream, and recombining each stream after making each stream reproducible by a transfer destination device.

  Further, in the case of content configured by multiplexing a plurality of data, only a part of the data may not be supported by the data transfer destination device. In such a case, it is possible to obtain the corresponding content at the data transfer destination by separating the multiplexed data once, converting the format of only the unsupported data, and then multiplexing again. For example, when transferring video content, if it is determined that either video or audio needs to be converted and the other does not need to be converted, the video stream and audio stream are once separated, and the stream that needs to be converted It is also possible to recombine after converting only. In this case, the conversion time can be shortened compared to processing all streams.

  Also, when transferring music content, information such as the audio codec, sample size, sampling frequency, number of channels, audio bit rate, etc. related to the transfer source data is acquired, and the data transfer method or conversion method is determined. You may make it utilize for judgment.

  Also, when transferring still image content, information such as image codec, image size, and number of colors related to the transfer source data is acquired and used for determination when determining the data transfer method or conversion method. Good.

  In addition, when transferring still image content, refer to additional information such as Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) and PIM (Print Image Matching), and use it to determine the data transfer method or conversion method. May be.

A second aspect of the present invention is a computer program described in a computer-readable format so as to execute a process for transferring data between devices on a computer system,
A data format determination step for determining whether the format of the data on the transfer source device is a format that can be processed in the transfer destination device;
When the determination result in the data format determination step is negative, a data format conversion step for converting data into a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device;
A computer program characterized by comprising:

  The computer program according to the second aspect of the present invention defines a computer program described in a computer-readable format so as to realize predetermined processing on a computer system. In other words, by installing the computer program according to the second aspect of the present invention in the computer system, a cooperative action is exhibited on the computer system, and the data transfer according to the first aspect of the present invention is performed. The same effect as the apparatus can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, an excellent data transfer apparatus, data transfer method, and computer program capable of suitably transferring data from a computer main body to a hard disk or other portable device externally connected to the computer. Can be provided.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a portable device that operates as an external storage device connected to another information processing device such as a personal computer, and can also process data and content such as content reproduction by itself by a self-running function. It is possible to provide an excellent data transfer apparatus, data transfer method, and computer program capable of suitably transferring content in which a plurality of data such as moving images are multiplexed to a device.

  In addition, according to the present invention, an excellent data transfer apparatus and data transfer method capable of transferring content from a computer main body without being aware of differences in data formats supported (supported) on the portable device side, and A computer program can be provided.

  Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from more detailed description based on embodiments of the present invention described later and the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

A. Device Configuration FIG. 1 schematically shows the hardware configuration of a personal computer.

  This system is configured around a processor 11. The processor 11 executes various processes based on a program stored in the memory 12 under a program execution environment provided by an operating system (OS). The processor 11 controls various peripheral devices connected via the bus 13. The peripheral devices connected to the bus 13 are as follows.

  The memory 12 is composed of a semiconductor memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), for example, and is used for loading a program code to be executed by the processor 11 and temporarily storing work data of the execution program. The memory 12 constitutes a memory space of the processor 11.

  The display controller 14 generates a display image according to the drawing command sent from the processor 11 and sends it to the display device 15. The display device 15 connected to the display controller 14 displays and outputs the image on the screen according to the display image information sent from the display controller 14.

  In this embodiment, the display controller 14 supports a bitmap display format, and the operating system provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) operating environment on the screen of the display device 15. Therefore, a plurality of icons symbolizing hardware resources such as applications, other programs, and printers are displayed on the desktop, and the user activates a desired process by applying a direct operation to the icons. .

  The input / output interface 16 is connected to a keyboard 17 and a mouse 18, and transfers input signals from the keyboard 17 and the mouse 18 to the processor 11.

  The network interface 22 is connected to an external network such as a LAN or the Internet, and controls data communication via the Internet. That is, the data sent from the processor 11 is transferred to another device on the Internet, and the data sent via the Internet is received and passed to the processor 11. For example, programs and data can be received from outside via a network.

  A hard disk drive (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) controller 19 is connected to a large-capacity external storage device 20 such as an HDD, and controls input / output of data to / from the HDD 20 to which the HDD controller 19 is connected. The HDD 20 stores an operating system (OS) program to be executed by the processor, an application program, a driver program, and data and contents to be referred to or reproduced by the program.

  The USB controller 21 includes one or more USB ports, and realizes an interface protocol with a USB device connected via a USB cable. Since USB is a serial bus, it is characterized by its relatively thin cable, the ability to connect peripheral devices in a tree using a hub, and support for various transfer modes. It is widely recognized as a general-purpose interface. Yes.

  Examples of USB devices include a keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, modem, hard disk drive, CD-RW drive, and DVD drive. Some USB devices have a self-running function in addition to operating as a peripheral device connected by a USB cable. For example, a USB hard disk that also operates as a portable media player.

  A regular USB device is recognized by a personal computer as a USB host through an initial process called “Configuration”. For example, after a USB hard disk is recognized by the configuration procedure, it is placed under the management of the file system, and normal file access is possible.

  When transferring data content such as video and music from a personal computer to a USB hard disk connected by USB, it is preferable to perform scramble processing from the viewpoint of content protection. By performing the content scramble process, the content can be protected from unauthorized use (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-170508 already assigned to the present applicant). In this case, when a USB hard disk is connected to another computer, even if content is extracted from the portable electronic device by operating the standard file of the operating system without using a special software tool, it can be played back by general-purpose applications. It is no longer possible to create a file of the correct format.

  In this embodiment, when data is transferred from a local disk of a personal computer to a USB hard disk, it is automatically converted into a data format supported by the USB hard disk (described later).

  In order to configure an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, many electric circuits other than those shown in FIG. 1 are required. However, since these are well known to those skilled in the art and do not constitute the gist of the present invention, they are omitted in the present specification. Also, it should be noted that only a part of the connections between the hardware blocks in the figure is shown in order to avoid the confusion of the drawings.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows a hardware configuration of a USB device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The USB hard disk according to the present embodiment is a hard disk device with a built-in hard disk and a USB interface. When connected to a USB cable, the USB hard disk performs a configuration procedure as a regular USB device, and is a personal computer. Can operate as a mass storage device.

  This USB hard disk also has a self-running function and operates as a battery (not shown) -driven portable media player with a built-in hard disk, and plays back content such as video and music on the hard disk. Can also be performed within the device.

  There are numerous types of video / still image / music data that can be handled on a computer. On the other hand, it is difficult to support all data on the USB hard disk side that operates as a portable device. In this embodiment, in consideration of this point, when data is transferred from a local disk of a personal computer to a USB hard disk, automatic conversion is performed to a data format supported by the USB hard disk. However, details of this point will be given later.

  The USB hard disk shown in FIG. 2 includes a USB / ATA bridge 31, an MPU 32, a hard disk drive (HDD) 33, a battery (rechargeable battery) 34, a charge / discharge control unit 35, and a power selection switch. 36, a mode changeover switch 37, an AC adapter detection circuit 38, a DC / DC converter 39, and a self-running operation controller 40.

  The USB / ATA bridge 31 is a protocol conversion IC for using the ATA interface HDD 33 by connecting it to the USB interface. The USB / ATA bridge 31 is mounted using, for example, a USB controller IC and a general-purpose one-chip microcomputer. The USB / ATA bridge 31 executes firmware stored in the built-in ROM or external ROM on the built-in RAM and executes predetermined processing. Can do. For example, a function necessary for operating a storage device such as an HDD as a device of the USB Mass Storage Class standard is provided in advance as firmware stored in the built-in ROM. In addition, the rewritable external ROM can change the USB device program such as firmware in the charging mode relatively easily and inexpensively.

  An MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 32 is a process for switching a power source (VBUS, battery, AC adapter) by a power selection switch 36, a process for ending the operation of the apparatus by shutting off the power selection switch 36, and a mode switch (hold switch) 37. In addition, the management of the operation mode according to the connection or non-connection of the USB cable (USB host) to the USB / ATA bridge 31 and the management of the power source such as the charging / discharging operation of the battery 34 or the power feeding operation by the AC adapter (external commercial power source). Etc.

  The battery 34 is not used as a peripheral device of a personal computer to which a USB hard disk is USB-connected, but is used as a main power source when operating as a single device with a self-running function when the USB is not connected. A rechargeable battery is used.

  The charge / discharge control unit 35 supplies input current to the battery 34 in the charge mode, and controls output current from the battery 34 when the battery is driven, that is, during discharge.

  The power supply selection switch 36 outputs to the DC / DC converter 39 either a 5V power supply voltage supplied via VBUS in the USB cable, a 5V power supply voltage obtained from a general commercial power supply via an AC adapter, or a battery.

  The hold switch 37 is provided in order to prevent erroneous operation of the operation keys when content is reproduced by the self-running function.

  The AC adapter detection unit 38 detects whether external power from a general commercial power supply is supplied via the AC adapter. Based on this detection output, the MPU 32 can determine the device operation or battery charging by the external power supply by the AC adapter, or the device operation or battery charging by the power supply from the VBUS of the USB cable. In normal mode, it always operates with VBUS regardless of the presence or absence of the AC adapter. In the charging mode, when the AC adapter is connected to the USB hard disk, it can be obtained from the AC adapter without using VBUS. It is driven by a power source.

  The DC / DC converter 39 converts the level of the 5V input voltage into the drive voltage of each part including the HDD 33 and supplies it as drive power. However, under the charging mode, the DC / DC converter 39 stops power supply to the HDD 33 based on an instruction from the MPU 32.

  The self-running operation controller 40 controls operation control during self-running such as reproduction of video and music content stored in the HDD 33. Although not shown, the USB hard disk performs video and sound output displays and speakers when content is played by the self-running function, and performs key operations such as playback, stop, fast forward, rewind, and content deletion during playback. A user interface is provided for this purpose. When the USB hard disk is connected to a computer with a USB cable, it normally operates as a mass storage device of the computer or performs a charging operation, so that the self-running operation is unnecessary. Stops working.

  When connected to a personal computer via a USB cable, the USB hard disk operates as an external storage device for the personal computer, stores ordinary computer files, and downloads content such as video and audio You can do it. Further, when the USB cable is removed, it can operate as a portable media player by the self-running function, and the content stored in the HDD 33 can be reproduced and output. The battery 34 is used during this single operation. The hold switch 37 prevents malfunction when a key is accidentally pressed during single operation.

  When content is downloaded from the personal computer to the HDD 33, scramble processing is performed for the purpose of content protection (described above). The self-running operation controller 40 descrambles the content extracted from the HDD 33 during content reproduction, and further performs real-time decoding processing of content encoded in a format such as WAV or MP3.

  The HDD 33 is an HDD that conforms to the ATA (AT Attachment) specification, and is a self-monitoring, analyzing and reporting technology (SMART) in order to prevent a failure of the HDD and loss of stored valuable data. Monitoring and failure prediction functions are provided. Note that ATA (AT Attachment) is a standardized IDE (Integrated Device Electronics) which is a substantial standard for connecting a hard disk to a bus in a personal computer.

B. Data Transfer FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of a GUI screen of an application for transferring a file from a computer to a USB hard disk.

  The illustrated screen has lists on the left and right. In the list on the left side, a list of data to be transferred (transfer source list) stored in the local disk on the computer side is displayed. The list on the right (transfer destination list) shows a list of data already stored in the USB hard disk that is the transfer destination. When not transferred, the transfer destination list on the right side is blank.

  The user designates transfer data from the transfer source list by performing a selection operation such as clicking a desired entry displayed in the transfer source list. When transferring, you can send all the data on the transfer source list on the left side at once, but you can specify files one by one from the list and send them sequentially, It is also possible to select and send data arbitrarily.

  Also, when transferring, file format conversion can be performed together. Since the USB hard disk operating as a portable device does not support all data, automatic conversion to the data format is performed at the time of data transfer. Details of this point will be given later.

  A file can be specified for deletion by performing a selection operation such as clicking a desired entry displayed in the transfer destination list. The file designated for deletion is placed in the state designated for deletion, has not yet been deleted, and is not added to the unused capacity. The file designated for deletion can be used (reproduced) as usual (or the deletion designation is canceled and the original state can be restored and used). By deleting the file by pressing the delete button, the file specified for deletion will be deleted completely.

C. Automatic conversion of data format during data transfer In this embodiment, file format conversion can be performed together with transfer. Since the USB hard disk operating as a portable device does not support all data, the content is added to the transfer source list shown in FIG. 3, which is automatically converted to the data format at the time of data transfer. When content is checked, whether the content data format is converted, whether Remux (video content and audio stream are separated and recombined once), or transferred without conversion, etc. automatically Judgment is made and set. Then, when the [Transfer] button on the illustrated interface screen is pressed, data transfer is performed by the designated data transfer method or data conversion method.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a processing procedure for automatically determining the data transfer method and transferring the data in the form of a flowchart. In the figure, as a processing method at the time of data transfer, no conversion, Remux, only audio is converted to Remux, and only video is converted to convert both Remux and video / audio.

  First, content format information is acquired (step S1).

  Then, it is checked whether the video format of the content is supported by the data transfer destination device (step S2).

  If the video format is supported, then it is checked whether the audio format of the content is supported by the data transfer destination device (step S3).

  If the audio format is a supported audio format, it is checked whether or not it is necessary to process the remux of the content, that is, the video stream and the audio stream to be separated and recombined (step S4).

  If Remux is not necessary, the process of transferring the content to the data transfer destination device is executed (Step S6) with no conversion (Step S7), and this processing routine is terminated.

  If the video format of the content cannot be supported by the data transfer destination device (step S2), it is further checked whether the audio format is supported by the data transfer destination device (step S7).

  If the audio format is supported, it is checked whether or not the remux of the content, that is, the process of once separating and recombining the video stream and the audio stream can be performed (step S8).

  If Remux is possible, the content is once separated into a video stream and an audio stream, and only the video stream is converted into a data format supported by the data transfer destination device, and then the video stream and the audio stream are recombined (step S9). . When the video is in a format that cannot be supported, once the video stream and the audio stream are separated, only the video stream is converted, and the audio is recombined with the original stream, so that unnecessary conversion is not performed. It can be processed at high speed. Then, data transfer is executed to the data transfer destination device (step S6), and the entire processing routine is terminated.

  Here, Remux does not re-encode the video stream and the audio stream, but only re-divides them into appropriate sizes and combines them, so that the processing is simpler and faster than the conversion by decoding and re-encoding. is there. Remux is used, for example, when converting from MPEG-2 TS to MPEG-2 PS.

  If the audio format of the content cannot be supported by the data transfer destination device (step S3), it is checked whether the content can be remuxed (step S13). If Remux is possible, the content is once separated into a video stream and an audio stream, and only the audio stream is converted into a data format supported by the data transfer destination device, and then the video stream and the audio stream are recombined (step S14). . When the audio is in a format that cannot be supported, once the video stream and the audio stream are separated, only the audio stream is converted, and the video is recombined with the original stream, so that unnecessary conversion is not performed. It can be processed at high speed. Then, data transfer is executed to the data transfer destination device (step S6), and the entire processing routine is terminated.

  Also, both the video and audio of the content are data formats supported by the data transfer device, but if Remux is required (Step S3), both video and audio are Remuxed (Step S15). Then, data transfer is executed to the data transfer destination device (step S6), and the entire processing routine is terminated.

  In addition, when neither the video nor the audio of the content is a data format that is supported by the data transfer destination device side, or the data format that either the video or the audio is not supported and cannot be remuxed If there is, it is checked whether or not the content itself can be converted into a data format supported by the data transfer destination device (step S10).

  If the content itself can be converted to a data format supported by the data transfer destination device, the data format is converted for both video and audio (step S11). Then, data transfer is executed to the data transfer destination device (step S6), and the entire processing routine is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the content itself cannot be converted into a data format supported by the data transfer destination device, the transfer is stopped (step S12), and the entire processing routine is terminated.

  As described above, when either video or audio is in a format that cannot be supported, once the video stream and audio stream are separated, the one that cannot be supported is converted, and the other is replayed as the original stream. By combining, it is possible to perform high-speed processing without performing unnecessary conversion.

  FIG. 5 shows a detailed processing procedure in step S2 for determining whether or not the moving image format can be supported in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 in the form of a flowchart.

  First, video format information such as a moving image codec, TS / PS format, image size, frame rate, bit rate, and the like regarding the content of the transfer source is acquired (step S21).

  Then, it is sequentially checked whether or not the information is in a format supported by the data transfer destination device (steps S22 to S26).

  If all the information is in a format supported by the data transfer destination device, it is determined that the video itself is in a format supported by the data transfer destination device (step S27). On the other hand, if the format of the at least one information is not supported by the data transfer destination device, it is determined that the video itself is a format not supported by the data transfer destination device (step S28).

  FIG. 5 shows a detailed processing procedure in step S3 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 in step S3 for determining whether or not the audio format can be supported.

  First, information on the video format such as the audio codec, sample rate, sampling period, number of channels, bit rate, and the like regarding the transfer source content is acquired (step S31).

  Then, it is sequentially checked whether or not the information is in a format supported by the data transfer destination device (steps S32 to S36).

  If all the information is in a format supported by the data transfer destination device, it is determined that the sound itself is in a format supported by the data transfer destination device (step S37). On the other hand, if the format of the at least one information is not supported by the data transfer destination device, it is determined that the sound itself is a format not supported by the data transfer destination device (step S38).

  So far, the automatic selection method based on whether the transfer destination can be processed has been described. In portable devices that are data transfer destinations, there may be a certain range of formats and parameters that can be supported. In such a case, when the format to be transferred is selected, the conversion format can be determined based on the quality of video and audio of the original content.

  For example, in the case of a video stream, the codec type, image size, frame rate, bit rate, etc. affect the quality. In the case of an audio stream, the codec type, sample size, sampling frequency, number of channels, bit rate, etc. affect the sound quality.

  Therefore, for example, the following preset values are prepared as output formats at the time of conversion.

Video:
High image quality MPEG-2, 720x480, 29.97fps, 8Mbps
Standard picture quality MPEG-2, 720x480, 29.97fps, 4Mbps
Long time MPEG-1 352 × 240, 29.97fps, 1.15Mbps

voice:
High sound quality MPEG Audio Layer 2, 48 KHz, 384 Kbps
Medium sound quality MPEG Audio Layer 2, 48KHz, 256Kbps
Low sound quality MPEG Audio Layer 2, 32 KHz, 128 Kbps

  Usually, video and audio parameters are often handled as a set in which appropriate values are combined. In the above example, there are combinations such as high image quality + high sound quality, standard image quality + medium sound quality, and long time + low sound quality. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, when the image quality of the input content is good but the sound quality is not so, a combination of high image quality + medium sound quality can be used. When the above combination is considered as the format of the conversion destination, expert knowledge is required for the user to select an appropriate combination. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the conversion format can be automatically determined by examining the video / audio quality of the input content, so that the burden on the user can be reduced. Hereinafter, in order to simplify the description, a case will be described in which audio is fixedly selected in accordance with video quality.

  For example, consider the following as source content (audio information is omitted).

DV-AVI, 640 × 480, 29.97 fps,
MPEG-2 PS, 720 × 480, 29.97 fps, 8 Mbps
MPEG-2 TS, 720 × 480, 29.97 fps, 4 Mbps
DivX 5.0, 720 × 480, 29.97 fps, 1 Mbps
MPEG-1 352 × 240, 1.15 Mbps

  Here, it is assumed that the portable device of the transfer destination supports only MPEG-2 PS and MPEG-1. An example of converting these input sources is shown below.

standard:
DV-AVI High image quality MPEG-2 PS No conversion MPEG-2 TS Remux
DivX 5.0 Long time MPEG-1 No conversion

  In this example, DV-AVI needs to be converted, but the image quality is high, so it is converted to “high image quality”. Also, MPEG-2 PS and MPEG-1 can be reproduced without being converted, and are therefore not converted. Since MPEG-2 TS cannot be reproduced, it is remuxed and converted into MPEG-2 PS and transferred. DivX 5.0 needs to be converted, but considers that the image quality is not so great, and converts it into “long time” with emphasis on size.

  Here, the transfer method is determined in consideration of image quality, transfer speed, and size in accordance with the source. Depending on the user, there may be a desire for a method that emphasizes specific items as described below.

I want to transfer with high image quality priority.
Speed priority Even if the size is large, I want to transfer as soon as possible.
Size priority Even if it takes a long time to transfer, I want to transfer as small as possible.

  It is also conceivable that such user preferences are registered in advance and reflected when the conversion method is determined. An example is shown below, but here, parts different from the standard are indicated by *.

Speed priority:
DV-AVI standard image quality *
MPEG-2 PS No conversion MPEG-2 TS Remux
DivX 5.0 Long time MPEG-1 No conversion

Image quality priority:
DV-AVI High image quality MPEG-2 PS No conversion MPEG-2 TS Remux
DivX 5.0 standard *
MPEG-1 No conversion

Size priority:
DV-AVI Long time *
MPEG-2 PS Long time *
MPEG-2 TS Long time *
DivX 5.0 Long time MPEG-1 No conversion

  Thus, even when the transfer method is automatically set, various methods can be considered depending on the priority items. Further, convenience can be improved if the user can change another transfer method as desired after the transfer method is automatically determined by these methods. In addition, a format that cannot be processed by the transfer destination device may not be selected.

  Further, it is assumed that the transfer destination device does not support AC-3, and the input content is MPEG-2 PS and the sound is AC-3. In this case, the video and audio of the input content are once separated, and the remux is performed while converting only the audio to MPEG Audio Layer 2, thereby performing the data transfer processing or data conversion processing at a high speed as much as the video is not re-encoded. Can be Similarly, it is also possible to re-encode and remux only the video.

  FIG. 7 shows a processing procedure for automatically setting a moving image content conversion method using image quality information in the form of a flowchart.

  First, information regarding the format of content to be transferred to the data transfer destination device is acquired (step S41).

  If the speed priority is set (step S42), the data format conversion process giving priority to the speed is performed (step S46).

  If image quality priority is set (step S43), data format conversion processing prioritizing image quality is performed (step S47).

  If size priority is set (step S44), data format conversion processing giving priority to size is performed (step S48).

  If no setting is made to prioritize any item, standard data format conversion processing is applied (step S45).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for converting video data with priority on image quality.

  First, information about the video format of content supported in the data transfer destination device is acquired (step S51).

  Then, it is checked whether to transfer without conversion (step S52). If no conversion is set, processing is performed without conversion (step S60).

  If it is not non-conversion, then it is checked whether or not to remux (step S53). In the case of Remuxing, the content is once separated into a video stream and an audio stream, and after converting the data format of the video stream, the content is recombined (step S61).

  If the remux is not performed, the supported image size is checked (step S54). If the image size is not 640 × 480 or more, the data format is converted so that a long-time video is obtained (step S59).

  If the image size is 640 × 480 or larger, the supported frame rate is checked (step S55). If the frame rate is not 24 fps or higher, the data format is converted so that a long-time video is obtained (step S59).

  If the frame rate is 24 fps or higher, the supported bit rate is checked (step S56).

  If the bit rate is lower than the standard image quality reference value, the data format is converted so that a long-time video is obtained (step S59). If the bit rate is equal to or higher than the standard image quality reference value and less than the high image quality reference value, the data format is converted so that the standard image quality is obtained (step S57). If the bit rate is equal to or higher than the high image quality reference value, the data format is converted so that the image quality is high (step S58).

  Further, FIG. 9 shows a processing procedure for converting video data with size priority in the form of a flowchart.

  First, information on the video format of content supported in the data transfer destination device is acquired (step S71).

  Then, it is checked whether to transfer without conversion (step S72). If no conversion is set, the sizes are subsequently compared (step S75), and if the non-conversion size is the long-time expected size × 1.2 or less, processing is performed without conversion (step S76).

  If it is not non-conversion, then it is checked whether or not to remux (step S73). When remuxing is performed, the sizes are subsequently compared (step S77). When the remux size is equal to or less than the long-time expected size × 1.2, remux processing is performed (step S78).

  Then, when the remux is not performed (step S73), even when the remux is performed, the remux size exceeds the long-time expected size × 1.2 (step S77), or even if there is no conversion, the non-conversion size is predicted for a long time. If the size exceeds 1.2 (step S75), the data format is converted so that a long-time video is obtained (step S74).

  The present invention has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can make modifications and substitutions of the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the present specification, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking as an example a USB hard disk that is detachably connected to a computer and capable of self-running operation as a media player. It is not limited.

  Even when data is transferred to portable devices of other types or when data is not transferred between devices, the present invention is applied to a data format supported by a device that reproduces content. Automatic conversion is possible, and the user does not need to be aware of the data format supported by the device, and does not need specialized knowledge such as re-encoding.

  The data transfer referred to in the present invention includes not only data transfer performed between independent devices, but also data transfer between disks in the device or copying of data on the disk.

  The present invention can be applied not only to data transfer but also to data conversion only. For example, by applying the present invention, a moving image content can be automatically converted into a format that can be played back by a specific application, so that the user does not need to be aware of the data format supported by the application, and re-encodes. There is no need for specialized knowledge such as performing.

  Further, in the present specification, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking as an example the case where moving image content in which video data and audio data are multiplexed is described as an example. Similarly, the present invention can be applied.

  For example, when transferring music content, information such as the audio codec, sample size, sampling frequency, number of channels, audio bit rate, etc. regarding the transfer source data is acquired, and the data transfer method or conversion method is determined. You may make it utilize for judgment.

  Also, when transferring still image content, information such as image codec, image size, and number of colors related to the transfer source data is acquired and used for determination when determining the data transfer method or conversion method. Good.

  In addition, when transferring still image content, refer to additional information such as Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) and PIM (Print Image Matching), and use it to determine the data transfer method or conversion method. May be.

  In short, the present invention has been disclosed in the form of exemplification, and the description of the present specification should not be interpreted in a limited manner. In order to determine the gist of the present invention, the claims should be taken into consideration.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of a personal computer. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of a USB device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a GUI screen of an application for transferring a file from a computer to a USB hard disk. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for automatically determining a data transfer method and transferring data. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing procedure in step S2 for determining whether or not the moving image format can be supported in the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing procedure in step S3 for determining whether or not the audio format can be supported in the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for automatically setting a moving image content conversion method using image quality information. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for converting video data with priority on image quality. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for converting video data with size priority.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Processor 12 ... Memory 13 ... Bus 14 ... Display controller 15 ... Display device 16 ... Input / output interface 17 ... Keyboard 18 ... Mouse 19 ... Hard disk controller 20 ... Hard disk drive 21 ... USB controller 22 ... Network・ Interface 31 ... USB / ATA bridge 32 ... MPU
33 ... HDD
34 ... Battery 35 ... Charge / discharge control unit 36 ... Power supply selection switch 37 ... Hold switch 38 ... AC adapter detection unit 39 ... DC / CD converter 40 ... Self-running operation controller

Claims (33)

A data transfer device for transferring data between devices,
Data format determination means for determining whether the format of the data on the transfer source device is a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device;
If the determination result by the data format determination means is negative, data format conversion means for converting the data into a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device;
A data transfer device comprising: The data format conversion means determines the data conversion method in consideration of the quality of the transfer source content and the playback quality of the transfer destination device;
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. The data format conversion means determines the data conversion method in preference to shortening the time required for data format conversion.
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. The data format conversion means determines the data conversion method in preference to reducing the data size after transfer or conversion.
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. The data format conversion means determines a data conversion method by complexly judging a plurality of items such as content quality, transfer destination reproduction quality, transfer time, data size after transfer or conversion,
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. The data format conversion means sets in advance items that are important to the user and automatically selects a data conversion method suitable for the user's preference by making a selection with priority on the setting.
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. A user interface by which a user changes or resets a data conversion method other than that automatically selected by the data format conversion means;
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. The user interface prevents selection of a format that cannot be processed by the transfer destination device.
8. The data transfer apparatus according to claim 7, wherein When transferring the moving image content, the data format conversion means includes a moving image encoding format, image size, frame rate, moving image bit rate, TS / PS format, audio codec, sampling frequency, and audio bit rate relating to the transfer source data. Determine a data conversion method based on at least one of the information,
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. When transferring content configured by multiplexing a plurality of data, the data format conversion means once separates the multiplexed data into each data, performs format conversion for each data, and then multiplexes again To get the corresponding content at the data transfer destination,
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. When transferring the moving image content, the data format conversion means once separates the video stream and the audio stream, and recombines each stream after making each stream playable by the transfer destination device.
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. When transferring content configured by multiplexing a plurality of data, the data format conversion means once separates the multiplexed data, converts only the data that is not supported, and then multiplexes again, Get the corresponding content at the data transfer destination,
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. When transferring the video content, the data format determination means determines whether the video and audio are in a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device,
When it is determined that one of the data format conversion means requires conversion and the other does not need conversion, the video stream and the audio stream are once separated, and only the stream that needs conversion is converted and then recombined.
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. When transferring the music content, the data format conversion means determines the data conversion method based on at least one of the audio codec, the sample size, the sampling frequency, the number of channels, and the audio bit rate related to the transfer source data. decide,
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. When transferring the still image content, the data format conversion means determines a data conversion method based on at least one of the image codec, the image size, and the number of colors related to the transfer source data.
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. When transferring still image content, the data format conversion means determines a data conversion method based on additional information such as Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) or PIM (Print Image Matching).
The data transfer apparatus according to claim 1. A data transfer method for transferring data between devices,
A data format determination step for determining whether the format of the data on the transfer source device is a format that can be processed in the transfer destination device;
When the determination result in the data format determination step is negative, a data format conversion step for converting data into a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device;
A data transfer method comprising: In the data format conversion step, the data conversion method is determined in consideration of the quality of the transfer source content and the reproduction quality of the transfer destination device.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: In the data format conversion step, the data conversion method is determined by giving priority to shortening the time required for the data format conversion.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: In the data format conversion step, the data conversion method is determined by giving priority to reducing the data size after transfer or conversion.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: In the data format conversion step, a data conversion method is determined by complexly judging a plurality of items such as content quality, transfer destination reproduction quality, transfer time, data size after transfer or conversion,
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: In the data format conversion step, items to be emphasized by the user are set in advance, and a data conversion method suitable for the user's preference is automatically selected by performing selection with priority on the setting.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: A user input step in which a user changes or resets a data conversion method other than that automatically selected by the data format conversion step;
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: In the user input step, a format that cannot be processed by the transfer destination device cannot be selected.
24. The data transfer method according to claim 23. When transferring the video content, the data format conversion step includes the video encoding format, the image size, the frame rate, the video bit rate, the TS / PS format, the audio codec, the sampling frequency, and the audio bit rate related to the transfer source data. Determine a data conversion method based on at least one of the information,
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: When transferring content configured by multiplexing a plurality of data, in the data format conversion step, the multiplexed data is temporarily separated into each data, format converted for each data, and then multiplexed again. To get the corresponding content at the data transfer destination,
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: When transferring the video content, in the data format conversion step, the video stream and the audio stream are once separated, and each stream is recombined after being converted into a form that can be reproduced by the transfer destination device.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: When transferring content configured by multiplexing a plurality of data, in the data format conversion step, the multiplexed data is temporarily separated, and only the data that is not supported is converted and then multiplexed again. Get the corresponding content at the data transfer destination,
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: When transferring video content, in the data format determination step, it is determined whether each of video and audio is a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device,
In the data format conversion step, when it is determined that one of them requires conversion and the other does not need conversion, the video stream and the audio stream are once separated, and only the stream that needs conversion is converted and recombined.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: When transferring music content, in the data format conversion step, a data conversion method is set based on at least one information of an audio codec, a sample size, a sampling frequency, the number of channels, and an audio bit rate related to the transfer source data. decide,
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: When transferring still image content, in the data format conversion step, a data conversion method is determined based on at least one information among an image codec, an image size, and the number of colors related to the transfer source data.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: When transferring still image content, the data format conversion step determines a data conversion method based on additional information such as Exif or PIM.
The data transfer method according to claim 17, wherein: A computer program written in a computer-readable format to execute processing for transferring data between devices on a computer system,
A data format determination step for determining whether the format of the data on the transfer source device is a format that can be processed in the transfer destination device;
When the determination result in the data format determination step is negative, a data format conversion step for converting data into a format that can be processed by the transfer destination device;
A computer program comprising:

Images