JP2006094402A - Communication apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus capable of displaying the propriety of video recording in a plurality of video recording modes by transferring a file to an optional recording apparatus on a network and measuring the transfer speed. <P>SOLUTION: The communication apparatus includes: communication sections 21 to 24 for making communication with an external recording apparatus via the network 30; a registration section 80 for registering the recording apparatus on the network used for recording processing; a measurement section 81 for transferring the file stored in a storage area to the recording apparatus registered in the registration section via the network and recording the file, and measuring the recording time from recording start to its end; and a control section 81 for obtaining the recording speed by dividing the capacity of the file by the measured recording time and generating a display signal for displaying the propriety of recording by each of a plurality of video recording modes when the recording apparatus records the file accordingly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus such as a television apparatus having a network function, and more particularly to a communication apparatus and a communication method for recording a video signal on a recording apparatus on a network.

  As is well known, in recent years, digitization of television broadcasting has been promoted. For example, in Japan, not only satellite digital broadcasting such as BS (Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcasting and 110-degree CS (Communication Satellite) digital broadcasting but also terrestrial digital broadcasting has been started.

  In a digital broadcast receiving apparatus that receives such a digital television broadcast, for example, the received program is digitally recorded by connecting a large capacity digital recording device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). It is possible to play back recorded programs.

In such a digital broadcast receiving apparatus, since video and audio information can be handled as digital signals, for example, a function for displaying a large number of photographs recorded on a memory card with digital data taken by a digital camera. I also have. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technique that allows a user to easily select and display an image file desired by a user from a number of photographs recorded on a memory card.
JP 2003-299008 A.

  However, for example, a technique for stably transmitting and recording a video / audio signal, which is a digital signal from a built-in tuner, to a hard disk recorder or the like on a network via a network is not disclosed. In particular, when a video / audio signal or the like is transmitted from a communication device such as a television device that provides video / audio information to each recording device on the network, communication is possible, and as a result, what kind of recording is possible. There is a problem that it is not known whether recording or playback in the mode is possible.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a communication device and a communication method for displaying whether or not recording is possible in a plurality of recording modes by transferring a file to an arbitrary recording device on a network and measuring the transfer speed.

  A communication device according to the present invention includes a communication unit that communicates with an external recording device via a network, a registration unit that registers the recording device on the network used for recording processing, and a file stored in a storage area. Transfer and record to the recording device registered by the registration unit via the communication unit and the network, and measure the recording time from the start to the end of recording, the measurement unit measured the capacity of the file A recording speed is obtained by dividing by the recording time, and a control unit that generates a display signal indicating whether or not recording is possible for each of a plurality of recording modes when recording is performed according to the recording speed. A communication device characterized by the above.

  In the communication device described above, a transfer file prepared in a storage area in a communication device such as a television device is transferred to and recorded on an arbitrary recording device on the network, and the communication speed is measured. is there. Then, according to the measurement result, whether or not the recording process is possible in each recording mode is displayed and displayed on the display screen. It is possible to know in advance the recording modes that can be recorded in terms of total capabilities such as functions. As a result, the user can perform recording processing and playback processing in the recording mode closest to the desired range within the range permitted by the given communication environment.

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

<Television Device with Network Function which is a Communication Device According to the Present Invention>
First, an example of a television apparatus having a network function, which is a communication apparatus according to the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a digital television broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an example of a remote controller of the digital television broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  That is, the digital television broadcast receiver 11 is mainly composed of a thin cabinet 12 and a support base 13 that supports the cabinet 12 upright. In the cabinet 12, for example, a flat panel video display 14 made of a liquid crystal display panel, a speaker 15, an operation unit 16, a light receiving unit 18 that receives operation information transmitted from the remote controller 17, and the like are installed. .

  The digital television broadcast receiver 11 includes, for example, a memory card such as an SD (Secure Digital) memory card, an MMC (Multimedia Card) and a memory stick, and a memory card (for example, contract information) ( A memory card 19 such as an IC card is detachable. Information such as programs and photographs is recorded and reproduced on these memory cards 19, and information is recorded and reproduced.

  The digital television broadcast receiver 11 includes a first LAN (Local Area Network) terminal 21, a second LAN terminal 22, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal 23, and an i. A Link terminal 24 is provided.

  Among these, the first LAN terminal 21 is used as a LAN-compatible HDD dedicated port, and information is transferred to the LAN-compatible HDD 25 which is a NAS (Network Attached Storage) by Ethernet (registered trademark). Used for recording and playback.

  In this way, by providing the first LAN terminal 21 as a LAN-compatible HDD dedicated port, program information can be recorded on the HDD 25 with high-definition image quality without being affected by other network environments or network usage conditions. It can be performed stably.

  The second LAN terminal 22 is used as a general LAN-compatible port using Ethernet (registered trademark). For example, via a hub 26, a LAN-compatible HDD 27, a PC (Personal Computer) 28, It is used to connect equipment such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) recorder 29 with a built-in HDD and to transmit information to and from these equipment.

  As for the DVD recorder 29, since the digital information communicated via the second LAN terminal 22 is information only for the control system, analog video and audio information is exchanged with the digital television broadcast receiver 11. In order to transmit, it is necessary to provide a dedicated analog transmission line 30.

  Further, the second LAN terminal 22 is connected to a network 32 such as the Internet via a broadband router 31 connected to the hub 26, and transmits information to and from the PC 33, the mobile phone 34, etc. via the network 32. Used to do.

  The USB terminal 23 is used as a general USB-compatible port. For example, a mobile phone 36, a digital camera 37, a card reader / writer 38 for a memory card, an HDD 39, a keyboard 40, etc. via a hub 35. USB devices are connected to each other and used for information transmission with these USB devices.

  Further, i. The Link terminal 24 is used to serially connect, for example, an AV-HDD 41, a D (Digital) -VHS (Video Home System) 42, etc., and perform information transmission with these devices.

  FIG. 2 shows a main signal processing system of the digital television broadcast receiver 11 described above. That is, the satellite digital television broadcast signal received by the BS / CS digital broadcast receiving antenna 43 is supplied to the satellite digital broadcast tuner 45 via the input terminal 44, so that the broadcast signal of the desired channel is obtained. To be selected.

  The broadcast signal selected by the tuner 45 is supplied to a PSK (Phase Shift Keying) demodulator 46, demodulated into a digital video signal and audio signal, and then output to a signal processing unit 47.

  The terrestrial digital television broadcast signal received by the terrestrial broadcast receiving antenna 48 is supplied to the terrestrial digital broadcast tuner 50 via the input terminal 49, so that the broadcast signal of the desired channel is selected. Is done.

  The broadcast signal selected by the tuner 50 is supplied to an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) demodulator 51, demodulated into a digital video signal and audio signal, and then output to the signal processing unit 47. The

  The terrestrial analog television broadcast signal received by the terrestrial broadcast receiving antenna 48 is supplied to the terrestrial analog broadcast tuner 52 via the input terminal 49 so that the broadcast signal of the desired channel is selected. Bureau. The broadcast signal selected by the tuner 52 is supplied to the analog demodulator 53, demodulated into an analog video signal and audio signal, and then output to the signal processing unit 47.

  Here, the signal processing unit 47 selectively performs predetermined digital signal processing on the digital video signal and audio signal respectively supplied from the PSK demodulator 46 and the OFDM demodulator 51, and the graphic processing unit 54. And output to the audio processing unit 55.

  Further, the graphic processing unit 54 has a function of superimposing and outputting the OSD signal generated by the OSD (On Screen Display) signal generation unit 57 on the digital video signal supplied from the signal processing unit 47. The graphic processing unit 54 selectively outputs the output video signal of the signal processing unit 47 and the output OSD signal of the OSD signal generation unit 57, and combines both outputs so as to constitute half of the screen. Can be output.

  The digital video signal output from the graphic processing unit 54 is supplied to the video processing unit 58. The video processing unit 58 converts the input digital video signal into an analog video signal in a format that can be displayed on the video display 14 and then outputs the analog video signal to the video display 14 to display the video. It is derived to the outside through 59.

  The audio processing unit 55 converts the input digital audio signal into an analog audio signal in a format that can be reproduced by the speaker 15, and then outputs the analog audio signal to the speaker 15 for audio reproduction. Through the outside.

  Here, in the digital television broadcast receiving apparatus 11, all operations including the above-described various reception operations are comprehensively controlled by the control unit 61. The control unit 61 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and receives operation information from the operation unit 16 or receives operation information sent from the remote controller 17 via the light receiving unit 18. Each part is controlled so that the operation content is reflected.

  In this case, the control unit 61 mainly includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 62 that stores a control program executed by the CPU, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63 that provides a work area for the CPU, and various setting information. And a nonvolatile memory 64 in which control information and the like are stored.

  The control unit 61 is connected to a card holder 66 into which the memory card 19 can be mounted via a card I / F (Interface) 65. Thus, the control unit 61 can perform information transmission via the memory card 19 attached to the card holder 66 and the card I / F 65. Further, the control unit 61 is connected to a second memory card (not shown) so as to be attachable via a card I / F (not shown) and a card holder. Thereby, the control unit 61 can perform information transmission with the second memory card.

  The control unit 61 is connected to the first LAN terminal 21 via the communication I / F 69. Thus, the control unit 61 can perform information transmission via the communication I / F 69 with the LAN-compatible HDD 25 connected to the first LAN terminal 21. In this case, the control unit 61 has a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server function, and assigns and controls an IP (Internet Protocol) address to the LAN-compatible HDD 25 connected to the first LAN terminal 21.

  Further, the control unit 61 is connected to the second LAN terminal 22 via the communication I / F 70. Thereby, the control part 61 can perform information transmission via each communication apparatus 70 (refer FIG. 1) connected to the 2nd LAN terminal 22 via communication I / F70.

  The control unit 61 is connected to the USB terminal 23 via the USB I / F 71. Thereby, the control unit 61 can perform information transmission with each device (see FIG. 1) connected to the USB terminal 23 via the USB I / F 71.

  Further, the control unit 61 is configured to i. I. Via Link I / F 72 It is connected to the Link terminal 24. Thereby, the control part 61 is i. Each device (see FIG. 1) connected to the Link terminal 24; i. Information transmission can be performed via the Link I / F 72.

  Further, the control unit 61 includes a registration unit 80 for registering a recording / playback device that performs recording / playback processing on a network, and a measurement control unit 81 for measuring a recording speed at which a file is recorded in an arbitrary recording / playback device. The measurement process described in detail later is performed.

  FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the remote controller 17. The remote controller 17 mainly includes a power key 17a, an input switching key 17b, a direct channel selection key 17c for a satellite digital broadcast channel, a direct channel selection key 17d for a terrestrial broadcast channel, a quick key 17e, a cursor key 17f, and an enter key. 17g, program guide key 17h, page switching key 17i, face net (navigation) key 17j, back key 17k, end key 17l, blue, red, green, yellow color key 17m, channel up / down key 17n, volume adjustment key 17o Menu key 17p and the like are provided.

<Recording speed and playback speed measurement process>
Next, the recording speed and reproduction speed measurement processing of the digital television broadcast receiving apparatus 11 which is a communication apparatus having such a configuration will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a measurement process of the digital television broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a recordable recording of the digital television broadcast receiving apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a mode, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a playable playback mode of the digital television broadcast receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a recordable recording mode and a reproducible playback mode of a digital television broadcast receiver according to an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 8 is a digital television according to an embodiment of the invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display screen for pinpointing the recording device of a broadcast receiver.

  First, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, in the digital television broadcast receiver 11, the recording device on the network is registered by the registration unit 80 of the control unit 61 (S11). That is, there is a method of automatically determining, for example, a device having a recording function with the youngest registration number on the network by default, but it is also possible to manually determine by a user operation.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, a network diagram centering on the broadcast receiving device 11 is displayed on the video display unit 14 of the digital television broadcast receiving device 11. For example, a page switching key 17 i of the remote controller 17 is displayed. It is also preferable to specify the recording device 29 on the network in the screen. At this time, it is preferable that the icon of the specified recording device 29 is displayed so that it can be visually recognized that the icon of the other recording device or the like is different in color and outline.

  On such a registration screen 14 ′, the “measurement start” icon 91 is selected and returned, or when the timing preset by the control unit 61 is reached, the measurement is started (S 12). The timing is preferably given, for example, when the network configuration changes or according to the passage of a set date and time such as once a week.

  When the measurement is started, an arbitrary test file stored in the storage area of the measurement control unit 81 or the like is read out by a program or the like built in the measurement control unit 81, and a network recording device (for example, previously registered) Then, the data is transferred to a storage area (such as a hard disk drive built in the DVD recorder 29 in FIG. 1) to start recording, and time measurement is started (S13). When the recording of the test file to the recording device is completed (S14), the time measurement is finished and the recording time is obtained (S15). Thereafter, the recording speed is obtained by, for example, (file size) / (recording time) by the operation of the measurement control unit 81 (S16).

  Further, the file recorded in the recording device on the network is transferred to the receiving device 11, and the required time is measured (S17). Similarly, the transfer speed is obtained by (file size) / (transfer time) (S18). This transfer speed is a reproduction speed when the recording apparatus reproduces the video / audio signal. That is, when the video / audio signal in the high image quality mode is played back, the capacity is too large, and the total transfer capability of the network or the communication device cannot catch up and may not be played back. For this reason, only the recording mode (reproduction mode) within the range permitted by the transfer rate is possible.

  Accordingly, based on the recording speed and the transfer speed obtained from the above-described method, whether or not the recording process and the reproduction process are possible in each recording mode is displayed on the screen (S19). Information on what recording mode and playback mode exist in the recording / reproducing apparatus and what recording speed and transfer speed each mode requires is recorded from the recording / reproducing apparatus 29 to the digital television broadcast receiving apparatus 11. The information signal is preferably provided as an information signal via a network, but is not limited thereto. Also, various display methods such as possible recording modes are possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, icons indicating a plurality of recording modes are displayed on the screen, and recording is possible here. For a recording mode in which the recording mode is brightly displayed for the various recording modes and recording is not possible, it is preferable to display such that the color of the icon can be visually discriminated. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, it is also preferable to display on the screen specifically, for example, 15.3 Mbps as the recording speed that is possible for recording.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a reproducible recording mode is displayed according to the above-described reproduction speed. Similarly, it is also preferable to display the transfer rate on the screen specifically as a playback rate at which playback is possible, such as 12.9 Mbps.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, it is also preferable to display all the recording modes capable of recording and the recording modes capable of reproduction together with the recording speed and the reproduction speed. These display methods are also preferably selected by the user freely by, for example, operating the menu of the remote control 17 or the like.

  With the various embodiments described above, those skilled in the art can realize the present invention. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to come up with various modifications of these embodiments, and have the inventive ability. It is possible to apply to various embodiments at least. Therefore, the present invention covers a wide range consistent with the disclosed principle and novel features, and is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an example of a digital television broadcast receiving apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a network system configured around it. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the digital television broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows an example of the remote controller of the digital television broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows an example of the measurement process of the digital television broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the display screen which shows the recording mode which can record the digital television broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the display screen which shows the playable reproduction | regeneration mode of the digital television broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the display screen which shows the recording mode which can be recorded of the digital television broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and the reproduction | regeneration mode which can be reproduced | regenerated. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display screen for specifying the recording device of the digital television broadcast receiver which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Digital television broadcast receiver, 12 ... Cabinet, 13 ... Support stand, 14 ... Video display, 15 ... Speaker, 16 ... Operation part, 17 ... Remote controller, 18 ... Light receiving part, 19 ... Memory card, 21 ... 1st LAN terminal, 22 ... 2nd LAN terminal, 23 ... USB terminal, 24 ... i. Link terminal, 25 ... HDD, 26 ... hub, 27 ... HDD, 28 ... PC, 29 ... DVD recorder, 30 ... analog transmission line, 31 ... broadband router, 32 ... network, 33 ... PC, 34 ... mobile phone, 35 ... Hub, 36 ... mobile phone, 37 ... digital camera, 38 ... card reader / writer, 39 ... HDD, 40 ... keyboard, 41 ... AV-HDD, 42 ... D-VHS, 43 ... antenna, 44 ... input terminal, 45 ... Tuner 46 ... PSK demodulator 47 ... Signal processor 48 ... Antenna 49 ... Input terminal 50 ... Tuner 51 ... OFDM demodulator 52 ... Tuner 53 ... Analog demodulator 54 ... Graphic processor 55 ... Audio processing unit, 57 ... OSD signal generation unit, 58 ... Video processing unit, 59 ... Output terminal, 60 ... Output terminal, 61 ... Control unit, 62 ... ROM 63 ... RAM, 64 ... nonvolatile memory, 65 ... card I / F, 66 ... card holder, 67 ... card I / F, 68 ... card holder, 69 ... communication I / F, 70 ... communication I / F, 71 ... USB I / F, 72 ... i. Link I / F, 81... Measurement control unit.

Claims (20)

A communication unit that communicates with an external recording device via a network;
A registration unit for registering the recording device on the network used for recording processing;
A file stored in a storage area, transferred to and recorded in the recording device registered by the registration unit via the communication unit and the network, and a measurement unit that measures a recording time from the start to the end of recording;
The recording speed is obtained by dividing the capacity of the file by the recording time measured by the measuring unit, and whether or not recording is possible is displayed for each of a plurality of recording modes when the recording apparatus records according to the recording speed. And a control unit that generates a display signal. A tuner unit that receives a broadcast signal, selects a channel, and outputs a channel selection signal;
A demodulator that demodulates a channel selection signal from the tuner unit and outputs a video and audio signal;
2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls to transmit the video / audio signal from the demodulation unit to the external recording apparatus registered by the registration unit via the communication unit. .   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays video corresponding to the video / audio signal from the demodulation unit and the display signal from the control unit.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of recording modes handled by the control unit includes at least one of HD, SD, XP, SP, LP, and EP.   In the display screen according to the display signal of the control unit, it is indicated that recording is impossible by decoloring the color of the icon indicating the recording mode determined to be unrecordable among the recording modes. The communication device according to claim 1.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording speed is displayed together with the icon of the recording mode on a display screen corresponding to the display signal of the control unit.   The registration unit displays a plurality of the external recording devices on the network on a screen, and identifies one recording device from the plurality of external recording devices according to a user operation. The communication apparatus according to claim 1. The measurement unit transfers the file from the recording device registered by the registration unit to the communication device via the communication unit, and measures the transfer time from the transfer start to the end,
The control unit obtains a reproduction speed by dividing the capacity of the file by the recording time measured by the measurement unit, and reproduces each of a plurality of reproduction modes when the recording apparatus reproduces according to the reproduction speed. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a display signal for indicating whether or not the communication is possible is generated.   9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit generates a display signal that simultaneously displays whether recording is possible for each recording mode and whether playback is possible for each playback mode.   9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the playback speed is displayed together with the icon of the playback mode on a display screen corresponding to the display signal of the control unit. Register the recording device used for recording processing on the network,
Transfer and record the file stored in the storage area to the registered recording device via the network, measure the recording time from the start to the end of recording,
A recording speed is obtained by dividing the capacity of the file by the measured recording time, and whether or not recording is possible is displayed for each of a plurality of recording modes when the recording apparatus records according to the recording speed. Communication method. Select a broadcast signal and output a channel selection signal.
Demodulate the channel selection signal and output a video / audio signal,
12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein control is performed to transmit the video / audio signal to the registered recording device via the network.   12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein a video corresponding to the video / audio signal and the display signal is displayed on a display unit of a television broadcast receiver.   12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of recording modes include at least one of HD, SD, XP, SP, LP, and EP.   12. The display screen according to the display signal indicates that recording is impossible by fading the color of an icon indicating a recording mode that is determined to be unrecordable among the recording modes. The communication method described.   12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein the recording speed is displayed together with the icon of the recording mode on a display screen corresponding to the display signal.   12. In the registration, a plurality of recording devices on the network are displayed on a screen, and one recording device is specified from the plurality of recording devices according to a user operation. The communication method described. The measurement is performed by transferring the file from the registered recording device to the communication device via the network, and measuring a transfer time from a transfer start to an end,
A playback signal is obtained by dividing the capacity of the file by the measured recording time, and a display signal indicating whether playback is possible for each of a plurality of playback modes when the recording device plays back according to the playback speed. 12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein the communication method is generated.   19. The communication method according to claim 18, wherein a display signal for simultaneously displaying whether recording is possible for each recording mode and whether playback is possible for each playback mode is generated.   19. The communication method according to claim 18, wherein the playback speed is displayed together with the icon of the playback mode on a display screen corresponding to the display signal.

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