JP2006129324A - Multimedia data format and reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multimedia data format and a reproducing apparatus capable of being used without concerning about a compression format and optimizing a circuit scale. <P>SOLUTION: The multimedia data format is composed of a multimedia data and a configuration data for realizing the reproducing circuit of the multimedia data at a programmable circuit cell. The reproducing apparatus equipped with the programmable circuit cell comprises a communication means, a means for inputting a multimedia data described in the multimedia data format from the communication means, a means for reconfiguring the circuit cell using a circuit cell configuration data in the data, and a means for reproducing the multimedia data using the circuit cell. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a multimedia data format that handles content such as video and music, and a playback apparatus that plays back and outputs.

  Conventionally, various devices such as a TV, a video, and a DVD player are known as devices for reproducing and outputting video. Similarly, various devices such as a CD player and an MD player are known as devices for reproducing and outputting sound. The content to be played back is increasingly handled with compressed digital data. For example, MPEG2, MPEG4, JPEG, etc. are known for video systems, and ADPCM, MP3, ATRAC3, etc. are known for audio systems.

  Further, as a programmable logic circuit cell, an IC collectively referred to as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is known. It is widely used for devices that cannot develop custom ICs or devices that require hardware upgrades. A logic circuit cell is programmed at the time of manufacture or at the time of starting the device, so that a circuit for performing a desired control operation is obtained.

The following methods have been proposed for reprogramming programmable logic circuit cells during device operation.
(1) Patent Document 1 discloses an example in which FPGA reprogram data is compressed. The FPGA includes an LZ decoder, and reprogram data is supplied in an LZ-compressed format. The FPGA decompresses the reprogram data with its own LZ decoder and uses it to reprogram itself.
(2) Patent Document 2 discloses an example of reprogramming a processing circuit in accordance with communication quality in a wireless communication processing circuit.
(3) Patent Document 3 discloses an example in which it is detected that a component in the apparatus has been replaced, and the control circuit is reprogrammed accordingly. In a printer in which the printer head can be replaced with a scanner head, when the printer head is replaced with a scanner head, the printer head is rewritten with a control circuit for the scanner.

JP 09-153789 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-220413 JP 2000-1112744 A

  However, in the above conventional example, in order to deal with content data of various compression methods, it has been necessary to provide a decoding circuit and a processing circuit for all the methods. For this reason, there is a drawback that the circuit becomes very large.

  On the other hand, even when the circuit is configured by FPGA and reprogrammed, it is necessary to have a program for the decoding circuit for all compression methods. When a new compression method is made, a program must be obtained every time, and there is a drawback that it is very troublesome.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a multimedia data format and a playback apparatus that can be used without worrying about the compression format and can optimize the circuit scale.

  In order to achieve the above object, a multimedia data format and playback apparatus according to the present invention are configured as follows.

  That is, the data format for handling multimedia data includes multimedia data and configuration data for realizing a reproduction circuit of the multimedia data with programmable circuit cells.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a reproducing apparatus including a programmable circuit cell, communication means, means for inputting multimedia data described in the data format according to claim 1 from the communication means, Means for reconfiguring the circuit cell using the circuit cell configuration data, and means for reproducing the multimedia data using the circuit cell.

  In such a configuration of the present invention, the operation of downloading together with the circuit program data for decompression is performed when the playback content is downloaded.

  According to the present invention, by downloading together with program data of the processing circuit when downloading the content for reproduction, it becomes unnecessary to hold a circuit that is not frequently used and its configuration data, and the circuit scale can be optimized. it can. Further, even if the content is in a new data format, the user can deal with it without any operation, so that the usability can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
In the present embodiment, an example in which content data is downloaded and input in a playback device including programmable logic circuit cells (FPGAs) will be described. In this embodiment, the reproduction content and the program data of the processing circuit thereof are integrated into a data format, and the operation of downloading the processing circuit program data at the same time when the reproduction content is downloaded is performed.

(Overall structure of playback device (Fig. 2))
The configuration of the playback apparatus will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

  The playback device according to the present embodiment is a portable information terminal that downloads content data via a communication I / F. An LCD display and a speaker are provided on the terminal, and video and audio can be reproduced.

  In the figure, in the portable information terminal 1, reference numeral 2 denotes a CPU that controls the entire apparatus, and executes processes such as input and playback of content data, various calculations, I / O control, and the like according to a program stored in the memory 3. The memory 3 includes a primary storage device such as a RAM and a ROM, and a secondary storage device such as a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-RW, and a DVD-ROM. The memory 3 stores a control program for the CPU 2 and work data, and also functions as a VRAM for the liquid crystal display 8. Also, content data 4 composed of video data, audio data, etc. is stored.

  Further, program data 5 for programming an FPGA 6 described later is stored. Reference numeral 6 denotes an FPGA, which is a logic IC that can realize arbitrary processing by writing FPGA program data 5. Here, a decoder circuit 7 for reproducing the content data 4 is internally configured. A communication interface 8 is connected to an external line and downloads reproduction content data.

  The communication interface 6 includes a wireless LAN such as Bluetooth or 802.11, a wired LAN such as Ethernet, or a public line connection such as PDC, GSM, or CDMA. Further, the external device may be directly connected to the external device in accordance with standards such as USB, IEEE 1394, and RS232C. A liquid crystal display 9 reproduces and displays video content and displays various data. A software switch for performing playback control is also displayed.

  A liquid crystal display display control unit 10 generates a signal for operating the liquid crystal display 9. A speaker 11 reproduces and outputs audio content. An audio output control circuit 12 includes a D / A converter, a filter, an amplifier, and the like, and generates a signal for driving the speaker 11. Reference numeral 13 denotes a digitizer using a resistance film type tablet or the like, which performs operation input from the user. It consists of a polyethylene film (PET) with a resistance film deposited on the opposite surface and glass, and the pressed position on the PET can be detected. By superimposing this on the liquid crystal display 9, an input / output integrated user interface can be configured.

  A digitizer control unit 14 drives the digitizer 13 to convert a point pressed by the user into coordinate data and output the coordinate data. It is composed of a resistive film drive circuit, a switching circuit, an A / D converter, and the like. Reference numeral 15 denotes an expansion card into which an expansion memory, a function I / O card or the like can be inserted. Any standard IC card such as PCMCIA, CF, SD, or MMC can be used. Reference numeral 16 denotes an expansion card interface, which controls an IC card inserted into the expansion card slot 15.

(Description of content data format (FIG. 3))
The data format of the content data will be described using the block diagram of FIG. In this embodiment, the content data for reproduction and the program data of its processing circuit are handled in an integrated format.

  In the figure, the content file 30 includes a file header 31, a content part 32, and an FPGA program part 33. The content unit 32 stores reproduction content data such as video and audio. In order to reduce the amount of data, video content is compressed and stored using MPEG, JPEG, Motion-JPEG, and audio content is compressed using an algorithm such as MP3, ATRAC, or ADPCM. The FPGA program unit 33 stores program data of a processing circuit on the FPGA necessary for reproducing the content. The processing circuit is mainly composed of a circuit that decodes the compressed data.

  The content part 32 includes a content header 34 and a content data body 35.

  The FPGA program unit 33 includes an FPGA program header 36 and an FPGA program main body 37.

(Explanation of download process (Fig. 1))
The flow of processing for downloading content data will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The content and the FPGA program are downloaded simultaneously and stored in the memory.

  The process will be described in detail. In step S101, a communication line connection is established with the content server. In step S102, the specified file is downloaded. A file in a format in which the above-described content and the FPGA program are packed is downloaded. In step S103, the content data is stored in the memory 3. In step S104, the FPGA program data is stored in the memory 3. In step S105, the line is disconnected and the process ends.

  With the above processing, the FPGA program data can be acquired simultaneously when downloading the content data.

(Description of reproduction processing (FIG. 4))
The flow of content reproduction processing will be described using the flowchart of FIG. When a reproduction instruction is given, processing for automatically rewriting the FPGA according to the content data format is performed.

  The details of the reproduction process will be described. In step S111, the data format and compression format of the content data are detected using header information and the like. In step S112, it is determined whether or not reproduction is possible with the processing circuit loaded in the FPGA. If affirmative, the process proceeds to step S114, and if negative, the process proceeds to step S113. In step S113, the processing circuit on the FPGA is rewritten. The FPGA program data corresponding to the content is read from the memory 3 and the FPGA 6 is rewritten. In step S114, the content is played back using the processing circuit on the FPGA, and the process ends.

  Through the above processing, the FPGA can be automatically rewritten and reproduced in accordance with the content data format.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to store a circuit that is used infrequently or its program data by downloading together with the program data of the processing circuit when downloading the playback content. Thus, the circuit scale can be optimized. In addition, even a new compression method can be handled without any operation by the user, which improves usability.

  The present invention can be widely applied without being limited to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, downloaded processing circuit programs can be handled in various ways. You may make it delete together when deleting content data. On the other hand, since the same content may be handled, it may be left even when the content is deleted. In this case, the user may explicitly delete it, or delete it from the least frequently used one. Any deletion algorithm can be used.

  If the desired processing circuit program already exists in the apparatus, only the content data may be downloaded. The user may explicitly specify download. This saves download time and communication charges.

  Furthermore, content data may be input through a storage medium or the like without using communication. If the content data and the FPGA program data are integrated, the user can handle the FPGA program without being aware of it.

  In order to maintain compatibility with the existing data format, the configuration of the data format may be devised. Existing data formats often have an extended area, but compatibility can be maintained by placing FPGA program data in this extended area. Using a structured data format such as XML makes it easier to maintain compatibility.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the process of downloading the program data of the processing circuit at the same time when the playback content is downloaded has been described. However, it is difficult to use the same program data in all devices, and there are redundant or insufficient parts for each device. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which device information is transmitted prior to downloading, and configuration data optimized according to the internal configuration and processing capability of the device is downloaded.

  Since the configuration of the playback apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same portable information terminal as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. The server machine is composed of a general personal computer or the like. In the storage device, the FPGA program data is stored in the number of types of terminals together with various content data. Each FPGA program data is optimized for the corresponding terminal.

(Description of terminal download processing (Fig. 5))
The flow of download processing on the terminal side of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Prior to downloading, device information is transmitted, and configuration data corresponding to the device is downloaded together with content data.

  The process flow is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, except that a step of transmitting device information is added between step S101 and step S102. In the figure, in step S101, a communication line connection is established with the content server, and the process proceeds to step S201. In step S201, information that can identify the configuration of the device is transmitted to the server. Arbitrary information such as the device model name and FPGA name can be used.

  In step S102, the content and the FPGA program are downloaded simultaneously using the pack format described above. The FPGA program is downloaded that is optimized for each device by processing on the server side. In step S103, the content data is stored in the memory 3. In step S104, the FPGA program data is stored in the memory 3. In step S105, the line is disconnected and the process ends.

(Description of server machine download processing (FIG. 6))
The flow of download processing on the server side will be described with reference to FIG.

  The device information of the terminal is received, and the FPGA program optimized for the terminal is packed into content data and transmitted.

  In the figure, in step S211, communication line connection is established with the terminal. In step S212, information specifying a terminal is received. This corresponds to the processing step S201 of the terminal. In step S212, a search is made in its own memory to retrieve an FPGA program corresponding to the terminal. In step S214, a file in which the FPGA program and content data are integrated is created. In step S215, the data file created in the previous step is transmitted to the terminal. This step corresponds to the processing step S102 of the terminal. In step S216, the line is disconnected and the process ends.

  With the above processing, when downloading content data, FPGA program data optimized for each device can be acquired simultaneously.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, the circuit scale can be further optimized by transmitting device information prior to downloading and downloading configuration data corresponding to the device.

  The present invention can be widely applied without being limited to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, circuit program data corresponding to the remaining operable time may be downloaded by transmitting the remaining battery information of the device first. If the remaining battery level is low, instead of reducing the playback quality, the remaining battery level can be played to the end. In this case, a circuit program having a small circuit scale or a low operating frequency may be downloaded. As a result, it is possible to solve the inconvenience that the battery stops running during playback.

  The circuit program data may be changed according to the speed of the communication line. If the circuit becomes complicated, the download time becomes longer and the usability of the device becomes worse. In order to prevent this, a high-performance decoder circuit program may be downloaded when using a high-speed line, and a simple decoder circuit program with a small amount of data may be downloaded when using a low-speed line.

It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the content download process in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the reproducing | regenerating apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the data file in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the content reproduction | regeneration processing in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the download process of the terminal in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the download process of the server machine in Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Mobile information terminal 2 CPU
3 Memory 4 Content data 5 FPGA program data 6 FPGA
7 Decoder Circuit 8 Communication Interface 9 Liquid Crystal Display 10 Liquid Crystal Display Display Control Unit 11 Speaker 12 Audio Output Control Circuit 13 Digitizer 14 Digitizer Control Unit 15 Expansion Card 16 Expansion Card Interface 30 Content File 31 File Header 32 Content Portion 33 FPGA Program Portion 34 Content Header 35 Content data body 36 FPGA program header 37 FPGA program body

Claims (6)

  A multimedia data format comprising: multimedia data; and configuration data for realizing a reproduction circuit of the multimedia data by a programmable circuit cell. In a playback device with programmable circuit cells,
Communication means, means for inputting multimedia data described in the data format of claim 1 from the communication means, means for reconfiguring a circuit cell using circuit cell configuration data in the data, and the circuit cell And a means for playing back multimedia data using a computer.   The server device further includes means for outputting operating environment information from the communication means, and the server device supplies multimedia data and circuit cell configuration data, and the server device changes the circuit cell configuration data according to the operating environment information. The playback apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:   4. The playback apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operating environment information is information for specifying an internal configuration of the playback apparatus.   The playback apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operating environment information is an operable time of the playback apparatus.   4. The playback apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operating environment information is a communication speed of the communication means.

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