JP2006262437A - Video distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide feelings of use similar to use in a recording and reproducing device when reproducing contents that the recording and reproducing device owns, in other reproducing equipment in a video distribution system connecting the recording and reproducing device and the reproducing equipment over a network. <P>SOLUTION: The video distribution system is configured so that a recording and reproducing device 2 capable of recording and reproducing contents and reproducing equipment 4, 5 for reproducing the contents that the recording and reproducing device 2 owns, are connected over a network 6. When the reproducing equipment 4 reproduces contents, the recording and reproducing device 2 transmits to the reproducing equipment 4 via the network 6 reproduction support data H contained in content list information L to be used for reproduction due to the recording and reproducing device 2 itself. The reproducing equipment 4 utilizes the reproduction support data H to obtain a reproduction environment similar to the recording and reproducing device 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a video distribution system having a recording / playback apparatus and a playback device for streaming playback of content via a network.

  In recent years, recording / reproducing apparatuses such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) recorder with a built-in hard disk have started to have a network function. Functionally, in addition to functions such as the original title editing, reservation / reservation confirmation function, and copy, the content in the recording / playback device is sent to playback devices (various devices such as personal computers and other DVD recorders) for playback. Streaming functions that enable viewing on devices are implemented. In the streaming function, not only streaming in MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) 2 but also streaming in MPEG 4 recorded simultaneously during recording in MPEG 2 is possible.

  However, functions for improving the convenience of user operations such as displaying a list screen (thumbnail) of the contents of the recording / playback apparatus and resuming between the recording / playback apparatus and the playback apparatus over the network are not realized on the playback equipment. . Note that the recording / reproducing apparatus can realize a list display of contents, resume for each content, and the like by itself.

  On the other hand, there is Patent Literature 1 as a technology for sharing a reproduction environment between devices. According to Patent Document 1, the recording device generates playlist information including a target data file and playback environment data and playback order data at the time of playback of the target data file, and a loaded recording medium (assuming a flash memory or the like). The reproduction apparatus loaded with a recording medium on which the target data file and the reproduction list information are recorded reproduces the target data file based on the reproduction list information. Furthermore, the recording device and the playback device have external communication means and can copy the playlist information existing in the recording medium loaded in the playback device to the recording medium loaded in the recording device.

  As described above, the invention in Patent Document 1 can realize the reproduction environment set by the recording apparatus by physically sharing the recording medium on which the reproduction list information is recorded between the recording apparatus and the reproducing apparatus.

Further, although the reproduction list information can be communicated from the reproduction apparatus to the recording apparatus, a recording medium that can be loaded in both is required.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-331422 (pages 8-16 and 9-16) JP-A-2001-326910 (pages 15-16, FIG. 20)

  The present invention is an invention for newly realizing a single content list display and resume for each content, which has been realized in a conventional recording / reproducing apparatus, at the time of streaming reproduction between the recording / reproducing apparatus and the reproducing apparatus. is there.

  Further, since the recording device of Patent Document 1 is a recording medium bridge, it has a one-to-one connection with a playback device, but the recording / playback device according to the present invention assumes a one-to-n connection with a playback device, and its connection environment Solve new issues that arise below.

  Hereinafter, problems in the conventional system will be described.

  In the conventional system, since the playback device does not know the playback auxiliary data (thumbnail information or resume information) used by the recording / playback device itself when playing back the content, when the thumbnail information is changed by the recording / playback device, the playback device When the thumbnail list of the recording / reproducing apparatus is displayed, it is different from the thumbnail list display of the recording / reproducing apparatus. In addition, there is a first problem that when the content of the recording / playback apparatus is played back by streaming on the playback device, the recording / playback apparatus cannot be resumed by the playback device.

  In addition, when the playback auxiliary data is changed in the playback device, the recording / playback apparatus does not know the changed playback auxiliary data. Therefore, when the thumbnail list is displayed again, the previous thumbnail list is displayed. In addition, there is a second problem that resume cannot be performed from the playback device to the recording / playback apparatus.

  Furthermore, even if the second problem is solved, when the recording / playback apparatus and a plurality of playback devices are connected via a network, the same content can be read by a plurality of playback devices using only conventional information held by the recording / playback apparatus itself. When used, there may be a problem. For example, the first playback device and the second playback device are connected to the recording / playback apparatus via a network, the same content is streamed and played back, and the user A who uses the first playback device stops viewing at time T1, and plays back assistance. If the user B who uses the second playback device stops watching at time T2 (T2> T1) after transmitting the data to the recording / playback apparatus and transmits the playback auxiliary data to the recording / playback apparatus, the recording / playback apparatus Even if the user A of one playback device tries to resume viewing, the resume starts from the time T2 instead of the time T1. This occurs because each playback device overwrites and updates the resume information of the recording / playback apparatus when viewing is stopped. As described above, there is the third problem of overwriting reproduction auxiliary information in a plurality of reproduction devices.

  In addition, the recording / reproducing apparatus can record not only the content by the first encoding but also the content by the second encoding suitable for network transmission, and the recording / reproducing apparatus uses the first encoding as the main content. When the content recorded by the above method is reproduced and the reproduction device reproduces the content recorded by the second encoding, there is a fourth problem of providing the same reproduction environment between the contents by the different encoding.

  In order to solve the problems as described above, the first invention in the present invention is connected to the recording / playback apparatus for recording and playback of content and the recording / playback apparatus via a network, and possessed by the recording / playback apparatus A video distribution system comprising one or more playback devices that play back content, wherein the recording / playback device is used when the playback device plays back the content and plays back the content itself. The playback auxiliary data is transmitted to the playback device via a network.

  In the above, there is an aspect in which the reproduction auxiliary data is data that can be set by the recording / reproducing apparatus for each content such as thumbnail information or resume information.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording / reproducing apparatus that records and reproduces content, and one or more reproducing devices that are connected to the recording / reproducing apparatus via a network and reproduce content held by the recording / reproducing apparatus. The reproduction device can change the reproduction assistance data by performing an operation on the content, and when the change occurs, the reproduction assistance data is recorded in the recording apparatus. It transmits to a reproducing | regenerating apparatus via a network, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In the above, there is an aspect in which the reproduction assistance data is data that can be set by the reproduction device for each content such as thumbnail information or resume information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the maximum number of the playback devices connectable via the network is N (N is a natural number of 1 or more), and the recording / playback apparatus is Aside from setting auxiliary reproduction data, N sets of reproduction auxiliary data for the reproduction device can be stored, and the recording / reproducing apparatus and the reproduction device can select one set from N + 1 sets of reproduction auxiliary data. It is characterized by.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the present invention, the recording / reproducing apparatus includes a first encoding unit for recording the content with the first encoding, and the content with the second encoding. A second encoding unit for recording by encoding, the same content is recorded by the first encoding unit and the second encoding unit, respectively, and is reproduced by the recording / reproducing apparatus. When the content recorded by the first encoding means is played back as main content and played back by the playback device, the content recorded by the second encoding means is played back via a network, and the playback is performed. The auxiliary data is shared between the two types of encoded contents recorded by the first and second encoding means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the present invention, the recording / reproducing apparatus includes a first encoding unit for recording content with the first encoding, and the first encoding. Encoding conversion means for converting the content recorded by the means to the second encoding, and when the content is recorded by the first encoding means and reproduced by the recording / reproducing apparatus, When the content recorded by the first encoding means is played back and played back by the playback device, the content recorded by the first encoding means is converted to the second encoded content by the encoding conversion means. Thereafter, the data is reproduced via a network, and the auxiliary reproduction data includes two of the first encoded content recorded by the first encoding means and the second encoded content generated by the encoding conversion means. Type code Characterized by shared between content.

  In the above, there is a mode in which the recording / reproducing apparatus is an apparatus capable of recording and reproducing video on a recording medium of a hard disk or an optical disk, and the reproducing device is a portable device capable of reproducing video.

  Further, in the above, there is an aspect in which the encoding by the second encoding unit is an encoding with a higher compression rate than the encoding by the first encoding unit.

  According to the first invention, the playback device can use the same playback auxiliary data as that of the recording / playback apparatus, and can realize the same playback environment as that of the recording / playback apparatus. That is, the playback device displays the content list screen on the content representative screen set on the recording / playback device using the thumbnail information, or records on the playback device using the resume information set on the recording / playback device. It is possible to continuously view the content that was being viewed on the playback device.

  Further, according to the second invention, when the playback auxiliary data is changed on the playback device, that is, when the representative screen of the content is changed (thumbnail information) or when streaming playback is stopped on the playback device (resume information), By transmitting the playback auxiliary data to the recording / playback apparatus, the recording / playback apparatus can realize a playback environment that reflects the changes made on the playback device, and can continuously view the content that was being viewed on the playback device.

  Further, according to the third invention, the recording / reproducing apparatus can store auxiliary reproduction data for each reproducing apparatus in addition to setting by the apparatus itself (for example, setting of thumbnail information and resume information using a remote controller). Therefore, in the recording / reproducing apparatus and the reproducing apparatus, a desired reproduction environment can be realized by selecting a reproduction environment to be reproduced from N + 1 sets of auxiliary reproduction data.

  According to the fourth invention, the recording / reproducing apparatus records the content (for example, MPEG2) recorded by the first encoding unit and the second encoding unit having a higher compression rate than the first encoding unit. Recorded content (for example, MPEG4), the recording / playback apparatus views the content recorded by the first encoding means, and the playback device views the content recorded by the second encoding means, A video distribution system suitable for streaming playback on a playback device can be provided.

  According to the fifth invention, the recording / reproducing apparatus records the content (for example, MPEG2) recorded by the first encoding means, and the recording / reproducing apparatus views the content recorded by the first encoding means. Then, in response to a streaming playback request from a playback device, the content recorded by the first encoding means is converted into second encoded content (for example, MPEG4) having a higher compression rate than the first encoding means by the encoding conversion means. ), It is possible to provide a video distribution system suitable for streaming playback on a playback device. In addition, since the second encoded content is not recorded as compared with the fourth invention, the capacity of the recording medium can be reduced, or more first encoded content can be recorded on the recording medium.

  Furthermore, the fourth and fifth inventions can provide the same reproduction environment even between different encoded contents by sharing the reproduction auxiliary data. That is, the same content list can be provided even between different encoded contents, and continuous viewing can be performed between the first encoded content and the second encoded content.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video distribution system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a television (hereinafter referred to as TV), 2 is a recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording / reproducing video on a recording medium such as a hard disk or an optical disk, and 3 is a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server function and a wireless LAN. A router having an access point of (Wireless Local Area Network), 4 and 5 are portable reproduction devices capable of reproducing at least 1 to N units (N is a natural number of 1 or more), and 6 is a network. L is content list information of the content held by the recording / playback apparatus 2, T, U, and H are data for content i (i is an arbitrary natural number) in the content list, T is content title information, U Is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that the recording / playback apparatus 2 permits access for the playback device to acquire content, and H is playback assist data. The internal configurations of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 and the reproducing devices 4 and 5 will be described separately later.

  The recording / playback apparatus 2 records content, plays back the recorded content, and outputs video to the TV 1, so that the user can view the content on the recording / playback apparatus 2 alone. The router 3 having the DHCP server function responds to requests from the recording / reproducing device 2, the first reproducing device 4, and the Nth reproducing device 5, and the recording / reproducing device 2, the first reproducing device 4, and the Nth reproducing device. 5 IP addresses / subnet masks / gateway addresses etc. are resolved dynamically.

In the present invention, the mechanism of DHCP, which is an existing technology, will not be described. For details, refer to the RFC (Request for Comments) recommendation regarding DHCP. A typical example is
1) RFC2131: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
2) RFC2132: DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor Extensions 1
3) RFC951: The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP)
4) RFC 1534: Interoperation Between DHCP and BOOTP
It is.

  When the IP address is resolved, the first playback device 4 searches for a recording / playback device that functions as a server. For device search and service search, UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) is used.

  In the present invention, details of UPnP device search and service search mechanisms, which are existing technologies, will not be described. For details, refer to various materials on the UPnP Forum website (UPnP Forum website: http://www.upnp.org/).

(When acquiring content list)
In the following description, it is assumed that the recording / reproducing apparatus 2, the first reproducing apparatus 4, and the Nth reproducing apparatus 5 have acquired IP addresses from the DHCP server, and the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 is connected to the video device server by UPnP. It is assumed that information such as a URL for acquiring the content list, that is, necessary information such as a device description and a service description in UPnP has already been obtained, and the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 and the first reproducing device 4 Data exchange between them will be described with reference to FIG. The following description is the same between the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 and the Nth reproducing device 5.

  The first playback device 4 transmits a content list acquisition request M1 (HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) GET) to the URL for acquiring the content list. The recording / reproducing apparatus 2 listens for access to the URL, receives the content list acquisition request M1, and transmits the content list to the first reproducing device 4 (M2).

  The content list information L to be transmitted includes the title information T, the content URL-U indicating the location of the content, and the playback for the content i (1 ≦ i ≦ m, where m is the number of content stored in the recording / playback apparatus 2). It consists of data such as auxiliary data H.

  Note that the content list information L describes the minimum necessary information regarding the explanation of the present invention, and includes data other than the data shown in FIG. 1 (for example, file size, playback time, etc.). It doesn't matter.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the content list information L shows the case where the auxiliary reproduction data H is included. However, the content list information and the auxiliary reproduction data are separated, and each information is associated with the content number. If so, the first playback device 4 may request individually.

The reproduction assistance data H will be described based on the conceptual diagram shown in FIG. In the figure, n ₂ , r ₂ , and d ₂ are thumbnail information, resume information, and device identifier of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2, and n ₄ , r ₄ , and d ₄ are thumbnail information of the first reproducing device 4, Resume information and device identifier, and n ₅ , r ₅ , and d ₅ are thumbnail information, resume information, and device identifier of the Nth playback device 5.

  Here, the thumbnail information is time information (unit: ms) from the top of the file of the image displayed as the representative screen of the content, and the resume information is time information (unit: ms) indicating the position where the previous reproduction is finished. The identifier is a value that can uniquely identify the device, and is a MAC address (Media Access Control Address) here.

As described above, the auxiliary reproduction data is separated and stored for each device, so that the resume information r ₂ of the user A who was viewing the content i on the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 is viewing the content on the first reproducing device 4. The user's resume information r ₄ is overwritten, and the next user A can prevent troubles such as the user A being unable to continue viewing the same content from the previous playback end position of the user A.

  In the present embodiment, the content list has been described in the data format shown in FIG. 1. However, the present invention does not limit the data format at the time of transmitting the content list. For example, an XML (Extensible Markup Language) format may be used.

  Similarly, in the present embodiment, the protocol used in the content list acquisition request M1 has been described as HTTP GET, but the protocol used is not limited. For example, a Browse in the UPnP / AV standard may be used.

(Title list list display)
Upon receiving the content list information L (for example, an example is shown in FIG. 6), the first playback device 4 easily displays the title list by displaying all the title information of the content described in the content list information L. Display can be realized. This is shown in FIG. 7 (a).

  Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the content list information L. In the following description, it is assumed that the number of playback devices is N = 2.

T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 are title information T, and U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, and U6 are content URL-U (the IP address of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 is 192.168.0.2). For example, http://192.168.0.2/DVD/MPEG4/MOLxxx.ASF (xxx is a file number from 001 to 006), etc., and n ₂₁ , n ₂₂ , n ₂₃ , n ₂₄ , n ₂₅ , n ₂₆ are thumbnail information n ₂ of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2, and r ₂₁ , r ₂₂ , r ₂₃ , r ₂₄ , r ₂₅ , r ₂₆ are resume information r ₂ of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2, d ₂ is a device identifier of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2, n ₄₁ , n ₄₂ , n ₄₃ , n ₄₄ , n ₄₅ , n ₄₆ are thumbnail information n ₄ of the first reproducing device ₄ , and r ₄₁ , r _42. , registration of _{r 43, r 44, r 45} , r 46 is the first reproduction device 4 An over-time information r _4, d ₄ is the device identifier of the first reproduction device _{4, n 51, n 52,} n 53, n 54, n 55, n 56 thumbnail information of the second reproduction device 5 n ₅ , r ₅₁ , r ₅₂ , r ₅₃ , r ₅₄ , r ₅₅ , r ₅₆ are resume information r ₅ of the second playback device 5, and d ₅ is the device identifier of the second playback device 5. is there.

  7A shows the title information T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 of the content list information of FIG. 6 from the recording / reproducing device 2 to the TV 1, or the first reproducing device 4 with a liquid crystal display device or the like. Is a list of titles.

(Thumbnail list display)
The thumbnail list display can be realized by displaying the thumbnails of the contents from the thumbnail information in the auxiliary reproduction data H described in the content list information L (for example, FIG. 6).

FIG. 7B is a list screen on the TV 1 when the thumbnail information n ₂₁ , n ₂₂ , n ₂₃ , n ₂₄ , n ₂₅ , n ₂₆ of the recording / playback apparatus for the content list information L in FIG. 6 is used. The same applies to the list screen on the liquid crystal display device when the thumbnail information n ₄₁ , n ₄₂ , n ₄₃ , n ₄₄ , n ₄₅ , n ₄₆ of the first playback device 4 of the content list information L is used.

  Here, G1 to G6 are representative screens at times indicated by the thumbnail information of each content.

  However, the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 displays the I frame of the content recorded by the first video encoding means (MPEG2), whereas the first reproducing device 4 and the second reproducing device 5 use the second frame. The difference is that the I frame of the content recorded by the video encoding means (MPEG4) is displayed.

(Data transfer (streaming playback))
In FIG. 2, when the first playback device 4 selects the content i, it transmits a data request M3 (HTTP GET) to the recording / playback device 2 existing in the content URL-U of the selected content. The recording / reproducing apparatus 2 listens for access to the content URL-U, and receives the data request M3 and transmits data (M4). The first playback device 4 performs streaming playback of the received data.

(Data transfer end or playback auxiliary data update)
When the reproduction of the content i is completed by the user operation, when the reproduction is completed to the end of the content, or when the user selects and determines the representative screen of the content by the button operation, the first reproduction device 4 The reproduction auxiliary data M5 of the content i related to the first reproduction device 4 is transmitted (HTTP PUT). The recording / reproducing apparatus 2 updates the thumbnail information n ₄ , the resume information r ₄ and the device identifier d ₄ in FIG. 3 from the received reproduction auxiliary data, and returns ACK (M6).

For example, in FIG. 7, the thumbnail selection button “S selection” is pressed while the first playback device 4 is streaming playback of “soccer” of the content 1, and the shooting scene of G7 in FIG. Is selected, the thumbnail information n ₄₁ is updated. Alternatively, if “Soccer” of the content 1 is selected from the thumbnail list or the title list, and the user A performs a stop button operation on the G7 shooting scene in the middle of the streaming playback, and the playback ends, the resume information r ₄₁ is updated. Is done. In this case, the next time user A continues viewing with the first playback device 4, he presses the device selection button “D selection”, selects the first playback device 4 from the device selection screen of FIG. by using the reproduced auxiliary data of the first reproduction device 4, available resume information r ₄₁ which resume information of G7 is reflected. Even when the user A continues to view from the first playback device 4 with the recording / playback apparatus 2, the device selection button “D selection” may be pressed with the remote controller and the same procedure may be performed.

  However, it is assumed that device registration of the first playback device 4 and the second playback device 5 is performed in advance in the recording / playback apparatus 2. Here, FIG. 7C is a device list display for selecting three sets of reproduction auxiliary data that the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 has.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2. In the figure, 11 is a TV tuner, 12 is a distributor, 13 is a first encoding means, 14 is a first decoding means, 15 is a second encoding means, 16 is a second decoding means, 17 is a bus, 18 is a hard disk, 19 is an optical disk (for example, DVD), 20 is a CPU (central processing unit), 21 is a memory, 22 is an infrared receiver, 23 is a communication means for connecting to the network 6, and 24 is The remote controller is a first encoding unit 13, a first decoding unit 14, a second encoding unit 15, a second decoding unit 16, a hard disk 18, an optical disk 19, a CPU 20, a memory 21, and a communication unit 23. Are connected to the bus 17. Each encoding means and decoding means is composed of A / V encoding and decoding means. Here, the first encoding is MPEG2 and the second encoding is MPEG4. .

  Although not shown, the optical disc 19 has a head for reading data on the optical disc, a servo for controlling the optical disc and the head, a signal processing circuit for signal processing the data read by the head, and the like. Each means has a buffer if necessary.

(Recording / playback device operation during recording)
The video and audio signals of the program selected by the TV tuner 11 are input by the distributor 12 to the first encoding means 13 and the second encoding means 15, respectively. The video signal input to the first encoding unit 13 is captured, the audio signal is A / D converted and converted into digital data, and then the video encoding unit in the first encoding unit 13 is provided. The first video encoding and the first audio encoding are performed by the audio encoding means, respectively, and then written in the memory 21. The CPU 20 reads the first encoded audio and video data written in the memory 21, packs them, and writes them in the hard disk 18 or the optical disc 19 in a predetermined file format.

  At the same time, the video signal input to the second encoding unit 15 is captured, the audio signal is A / D converted and converted into digital data, and then the video encoding in the second encoding unit 15 is performed. The second video encoding and the second audio encoding are performed by the means and the audio encoding unit, respectively, and then written in the memory 21. The CPU 20 reads the second encoded audio and video data written in the memory 21, packs them, and then writes them into the hard disk 18 or the optical disc 19 in a predetermined file format.

  Note that the title information T to be added to the content list information L at the time of recording is obtained from EPG (Electric Program Guide) information at the time of recording or reservation, and the content URL-U is the second encoded content stream from the playback device. Address for accepting the request (when the IP address of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 is 192.168.0.2, for example, http://192.168.0.2/DVD/MPEG4/MOLxxx.ASF (xxx is the file number) )) Is newly created, thumbnail information and resume information are set to 0, and a device identifier is a registered MAC address including itself.

(Operations during playback of the recording / playback device)
When playing back the first encoded content, the packed first encoded data recorded on the hard disk 18 or the optical disk 19 is read into the memory 21 under the control of the CPU 20. The CPU 20 separates the data read into the memory 21 into audio data and video data, and writes them into predetermined areas of the memory 21. Further, the CPU 20 controls the first decoding unit 14 so that the audio and video output from the TV do not fail. The video decoding means in the first decoding means 14 decodes the video data in the memory 21 and outputs a video signal to the TV at a timing designated by the CPU 20. The audio decoding means in the first decoding means 14 decodes the audio data in the memory 21 and outputs an audio signal to the TV at a timing designated by the CPU 20.

  Similarly, when playing back the second encoded content, the CPU 20 reads the packed second encoded data recorded on the hard disk 18 or the optical disc 19 into the memory 21. The CPU 20 separates the data read into the memory 21 into audio data and video data, and writes them into predetermined areas of the memory 21. Further, the CPU 20 controls the second decoding means 16 so that the audio and video output from the TV does not fail. The video decoding means in the second decoding means 16 decodes the video data in the memory 21 and outputs a video signal to the TV at a timing designated by the CPU 20. The audio decoding means in the second decoding means 16 decodes the audio data in the memory 21 and outputs an audio signal to the TV at a timing designated by the CPU 20.

(Operation during streaming playback)
The recording / reproducing apparatus 2 receives a data request from the first reproducing device 4, and the CPU 20 reads out the second encoded data file recorded on the hard disk 18 to the memory 21. The communication unit 23 receives the control of the CPU 20, reads data from the memory 21, and transmits the data to the first playback device 4.

(Operation by remote control)
The CPU 20 is connected to the infrared receiving unit 22 through a serial line, receives a user button input from the remote controller 24, and switches control.

  The buttons shown on the remote control 24 in FIG. 4 will be described in order from the upper left by dividing them into TV categories and DVD categories.

  “Power” button in the TV category is ON / OFF of TV power, “^” is CH channel selection (UP), “+” is volume control (UP), “input” is video input switching, “v” Is CH channel selection (DOWN), and "-" is volume control (DOWN).

  “Power” button in the DVD category is DVD power ON / OFF, “^” is channel selection (UP), “v” is channel selection (DOWN), and “1” to “12” are channel selection. “Program guide” is an electronic program guide based on EPG information, “D selection” is device selection (display example shown in FIG. 7C), and “S selection” is thumbnail selection (display example in FIG. 7B). ">" For playback, "<<" for rewind, ">>" for fast forward, "■" for stop, "■■" for pause / release, "↑" for cursor up, “←” is assigned to the cursor left, “OK” is assigned to the cursor selection, “→” is assigned to the cursor right, and “↓” is assigned to the cursor downward.

  FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing a configuration of the first playback device 4, and FIG. 5B is an external view thereof.

  In FIG. 5, 31 is a communication means connected to the network 6 or the like, 32 is a second video decoding means, 33 is a second audio decoding means, 34 is a bus, 35 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), 36 Is a speaker (or headphones), 37 is a removable memory card, 38 is a CPU, 39 is a memory, 40 is an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), 41 is a button, communication means 31, second video decoding Assume that the converting unit 32, the second audio decoding unit 33, the memory card 37, the CPU 38, and the memory 39 are directly or indirectly connected to the bus 34.

  In addition, although not shown in the drawing, a removable battery or the like is separately provided.

  The operation at the time of streaming playback in the first playback device 4 will be described below. Content data received by the communication means 31 (for example, wireless LAN and antenna) is buffered in the memory 39. The CPU 38 reads the data buffered in the memory 39, separates it into audio data and video data, and writes them into predetermined areas of the memory 39. Further, the CPU 38 controls the second video decoding unit 32 and the second audio decoding unit 33 so that the video / audio on the LCD 35 and the speaker 36 does not fail. The second video decoding means 32 decodes the video data in the memory 39 and outputs it to the LCD 35 at a timing designated by the CPU 38, and the LCD 35 displays the video. The second audio decoding means 33 decodes the audio data in the memory 39 and outputs it to the speaker 36 at the timing designated by the CPU 38, and the speaker 36 outputs sound. Further, by reading the data from the memory card 37 in place of the data of the communication means 31 to the memory 39, it can also operate as a memory card player that reproduces the contents in the memory card 37.

  Further, the CPU 38 reads / stores important data that must not be erased when the power is turned on / off in the EEPROM 40. User operations are transmitted from the button 41 to the CPU 38 via a serial line.

  The buttons 41 in the external view shown in FIG. 5B will be described in order from the upper left. “Power” button turns the power on / off, “↑” moves the cursor up / pause / cancel, “MENU” displays the menu, “←” moves the cursor left / rewinds, “OK” selects the cursor Determine / Play, “→” moves the cursor to the right / fast forward, “D” selects the device (example shown in FIG. 7C), “↓” moves the cursor down / stops, “S” selects thumbnail Each function of selection (a display example is shown in FIG. 7B) is assigned.

  The cursor-related buttons operate as cursor-related functions during menu display, title list display, thumbnail list display, and device selection, and function as playback, stop, pause, rewind, and fast-forward during stream playback To do.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first playback device 4 can use the same playback auxiliary data n _{2 to} d ₂ as the recording / playback apparatus 2, and is the same as the recording / playback apparatus 2. A reproduction environment can be realized. When the auxiliary playback data n _{4 to} d ₄ is changed by the first playback device 4, the recording / playback device 2 sends the auxiliary data of the corresponding content to the recording / playback device 2, so that the recording / playback device 2 Thus, the reproduction environment reflecting the changed contents can be realized, and the content viewed on the first reproduction device 4 can be continuously viewed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 can store auxiliary reproduction data for each reproducing apparatus. Therefore, in the recording / reproducing apparatus 2, the reproduction environment to be reproduced can be selected from N + 1 sets of auxiliary reproduction data. By selecting, the desired playback environment can be realized.

  The recording / reproducing apparatus 2 records the content recorded by the first encoding unit 13 and the content recorded by the second encoding unit 15 having a higher compression rate than the first encoding unit 13. The recording / playback apparatus 2 views the content recorded by the first encoding unit 13, and the first playback device 4 views the content recorded by the second encoding unit 15, thereby A video distribution system suitable for streaming playback in the playback device 4 can be provided, and the playback auxiliary data H can be shared to provide the same playback environment even between different encoded contents. is there.

  In the above embodiment, the encoding in the first encoding means 13 is MPEG2 and the encoding in the second encoding means 15 is MPEG4. However, the compression rate by the second encoding means is the first. Any encoding method may be adopted as long as it is higher than that of the encoding means. Note that the same encoding may be used as long as the first encoding and the second encoding satisfy the above condition.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 as the second embodiment. The operation of the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 8, reference numeral 25 denotes an encoding conversion means, and other numbers are the same as those in FIG. Each encoding means and decoding means is composed of A / V encoding and decoding means, and the encoding conversion means 25 is not shown, but the first decoding means (MPEG2). ) And second encoding means (MPEG4).

(Recording / playback device operation during recording)
The video and audio signals of the program selected by the TV tuner 11 are input to the first encoding means 13 respectively. The video signal input to the first encoding unit 13 is captured, the audio signal is A / D converted and converted into digital data, and then the video encoding unit in the first encoding unit 13 is provided. The first video encoding and the first audio encoding are performed by the audio encoding means, respectively, and then written in the memory 21. The CPU 20 reads the first encoded audio and video data written in the memory 21, packs them, and writes them in the hard disk 18 or the optical disc 19 in a predetermined file format.

  The operation when the recording / reproducing apparatus 2 adds the title information T, the content URL-U, and the auxiliary reproduction data H (thumbnail information, resume information) to the content list information L at the time of recording is the recording / reproducing apparatus in the first embodiment. It is the same as the operation of.

(Operations during playback of the recording / playback device)
The packed first encoded data recorded on the hard disk 18 or the optical disk 19 is read into the memory 21 under the control of the CPU 20. The CPU 20 separates the data read into the memory 21 into audio data and video data, and writes them into predetermined areas of the memory 21. Further, the CPU 20 controls the first decoding unit 14 so that the audio and video output from the TV do not fail. The video decoding means in the first decoding means 14 decodes the video data in the memory 21 and outputs a video signal to the TV at a timing designated by the CPU 20. The audio decoding means in the first decoding means 14 decodes the audio data in the memory 21 and outputs an audio signal to the TV at a timing designated by the CPU 20.

(Operation during streaming playback)
The recording / reproducing apparatus 2 receives a data request from the first reproducing device 4, and the CPU 20 reads the first encoded data file recorded on the hard disk 18 into the memory 21. The CPU 20 separates the data read into the memory 21 into audio data and video data, and writes them into predetermined areas of the memory 21. The encoding / conversion means 25 reads the video data and the audio data from the memory 21, respectively, and converts them into digital signals by the video decoding means and the audio decoding means in the first decoding means (MPEG2) in the encoding / conversion means 25, respectively. After the return, the second video encoding unit and the audio encoding unit in the second encoding unit (MPEG4) in the encoding conversion unit 25 perform the second video encoding and the second audio encoding, respectively, and then the memory. Write to 21. The CPU 20 reads out and packs the second encoded audio and video data written in the memory 21. Under the control of the CPU 20, the communication means 23 reads the packed data from the memory 21 and transmits the data to the first playback device 4.

  In the present embodiment, the first encoded content is changed to the second encoded content by including the first decoding means and the second encoding means in the encoding conversion means 25 as described above. However, transcoding (re-encoding without decoding) from the first encoded content to the second encoded content may be performed (eg, first encoding). Content: MPEG2 high bit rate, second encoded content: MPEG2 low bit rate, encoding conversion means has a function to reduce the bit rate by cutting B picture from GOP (Group of pictures) IBP picture ).

  As described above, the recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention can realize streaming reproduction without recording the second encoded content on a recording medium such as an HDD or an optical disk.

(Operation by remote control)
The operation is the same as that of the recording / reproducing apparatus in the first embodiment.

  The video distribution system according to the present invention has an effect that it can provide a playback environment similar to that of a recording / playback apparatus that holds content even in a playback device that performs streaming playback. An optical disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a semiconductor memory The present invention is useful as various systems including a recording / playback apparatus having a recording medium such as the above and a playback device capable of streaming playback of content.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a video distribution system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Conceptual diagram for explaining communication between a recording / reproducing apparatus and a reproducing device of the video distribution system Conceptual diagram of playback assistance data handled by the video distribution system The block diagram which shows the structure of the recording / reproducing apparatus of the video delivery system Block diagram showing the configuration of the playback device of the video distribution system Conceptual diagram showing an example of content list information handled by the video distribution system Conceptual diagram showing various information display modes in the video distribution system The block diagram which shows the structure of the recording / reproducing apparatus of the video delivery system in Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 TV
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Recording / reproducing apparatus 3 Router 4, 5 Playback apparatus 6 Network 13 1st encoding means 14 1st decoding means 15 2nd encoding means 16 2nd decoding means 18 Hard disk (recording medium)
19 Optical disc (recording medium)
25 Encoding conversion means L Content list information T Title information U Content URL
H reproduction auxiliary data n ₂ , n ₄ , n ₅ thumbnail information r ₂ , r ₄ , r ₅ resume information d ₂ , d ₄ , d ₅ device identifier

Claims (9)

A video distribution system comprising: a recording / reproducing device that records and reproduces content; and one or more reproducing devices that are connected to the recording / reproducing device via a network and reproduce content held by the recording / reproducing device. ,
The recording / playback device transmits auxiliary playback data used when the recording / playback apparatus itself plays back to the playback device via the network when the playback device plays back the content. Video distribution system.   2. The video distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction auxiliary data is data that can be set by the recording / reproducing apparatus for each content such as thumbnail information or resume information. A video distribution system comprising: a recording / reproducing device that records and reproduces content; and one or more reproducing devices that are connected to the recording / reproducing device via a network and reproduce content held by the recording / reproducing device. ,
The playback device can change the playback assistance data by performing an operation on the content, and when the change occurs, the playback equipment transmits the playback assistance data to the recording / playback apparatus via the network. Video distribution system characterized by   4. The video distribution system according to claim 3, wherein the reproduction auxiliary data is data that can be set by the reproduction device for each content such as thumbnail information or resume information. Assuming that the maximum number of the playback devices that can be connected via the network is N (N is a natural number of 1 or more),
The recording / reproducing apparatus can store N sets of reproduction auxiliary data for the reproduction device separately from the reproduction auxiliary data for setting by itself,
4. The video distribution system according to claim 3, wherein the recording / reproducing apparatus and the reproducing device can select one set from N + 1 sets of auxiliary reproduction data. The recording / playback apparatus includes a first encoding unit for recording content with a first encoding, and a second encoding unit for recording content with a second encoding,
The same content is recorded by the first encoding means and the second encoding means,
When playing back by the recording / playback apparatus, the content recorded by the first encoding means is played back as the main content,
When playing back on the playback device, the content recorded by the second encoding means is played back via a network,
6. The video distribution system according to claim 1, 3 or 5, wherein the reproduction auxiliary data is shared between two types of encoded contents recorded by the first and second encoding means. The recording / reproducing apparatus includes: a first encoding unit for recording content with a first encoding; and a code for converting the content recorded by the first encoding unit into a second encoding. Conversion means,
Content is recorded by the first encoding means;
When reproducing by the recording / reproducing apparatus, the content recorded by the first encoding means is reproduced,
When playing back on the playback device, the content recorded by the first encoding means is converted to the second encoded content by the encoding conversion means, and then played back via the network,
The reproduction assistance data is shared between two types of encoded content, the first encoded content recorded by the first encoding means and the second encoded content generated by the encoding conversion means. The video distribution system according to claim 1, 3 or 5.   The recording / reproducing apparatus is an apparatus capable of recording and reproducing video on a recording medium of a hard disk or an optical disk, and the reproducing apparatus is a portable apparatus capable of reproducing video. 8. The video distribution system according to any one of 7 above. 8. The video distribution system according to claim 6, wherein the encoding by the second encoding means is an encoding having a higher compression ratio than the encoding by the first encoding means.

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