JP2006332773A - Control apparatus and method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a user to recognize a state of offering contents. <P>SOLUTION: An LCD 38 of a controller for controlling a server via a network displays a contents list associated with contents managed by the server. Indication of a triangle mark denoting reproduction in general to the contents list of "Contents A" managed by the server represents that the "Contents A" are already provided to the other apparatus at a point of time when the contents list is displayed. When the contents list is displayed, information associated with the providing state of the contents is also displayed in this way. The present invention can be applied to controllers for controlling other apparatuses. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control apparatus and method, and a program, and more particularly, to a control apparatus and method, and a program that are suitable for application to a state of content such as whether or not the content is provided to another device. About.

  Various electronic devices are configured to be remotely controlled by a controller. For example, a television receiver or the like as an electronic device is configured so that a channel, a volume, and the like can be changed with a remote controller.

  In addition, home networks have been proposed and are being realized. In such a home network, for example, content stored in a server is played back by a playback device installed in a room different from the server.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes that the status of a print output device (printer) connected to a network can be confirmed by another device.
JP-A-8-272557

  When an instruction to play back the content A managed by the server on the playback device is issued, the content A managed by the server may already be played back by the playback device. In such a case, if the user instructs the content A to start further playback, it is conceivable that the playback of the content A is started from the beginning.

  This is an erroneous operation that can occur when operating devices connected to the network. Such an erroneous operation may increase as the network spreads and the number of devices connected to the network increases, and a means for preventing such an erroneous operation is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and enables a user to recognize a content provision situation.

  The control apparatus according to the present invention is a list of content provided from a device, and associates an acquisition unit that acquires a content list including information indicating a content state with a content name based on the content list and information indicating a content state Display control means for controlling the displayed display.

  The information indicating the content state may be a mark indicating that the content is being provided to another device.

  The information indicating the state of the content may be information for identifying a device that provides the content.

  The control method of the present invention is a list of content provided from a device, and an acquisition control step for controlling acquisition of a content list including information indicating the status of the content, and indicates a content name and content status based on the content list And a display control step for controlling display associated with information.

  The program of the present invention is a list of content provided from a device, an acquisition control step for controlling acquisition of a content list including information indicating the status of the content, and a content name based on the content list and information indicating the status of the content And a display control step for controlling display associated with each other.

  In the control device, method, and program of the present invention, when there is content provided to another device, a list of content including the information is provided, and display based on the list is performed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to make the user recognize the content provision status.

  BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode of the present invention will be described below. The correspondence relationship between the disclosed invention and the embodiments is exemplified as follows. Although there is an embodiment which is described in the specification but is not described here as corresponding to the invention, it means that the embodiment corresponds to the invention. It doesn't mean not. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described herein as corresponding to an invention, that means that the embodiment does not correspond to an invention other than the invention. Absent.

  Further, this description does not mean all the inventions described in the specification. In other words, this description is an invention described in the specification and is not claimed in this application, that is, an invention that will be filed in division in the future, appearing by amendment, and added. The existence of is not denied.

  The control device of the present invention is, for example, the controller 11 in FIG. The control apparatus of the present invention is a list of contents provided from a device, and obtains a content list including information indicating the state of the contents (for example, the contents list obtaining unit 201 in FIG. 5), and a contents list. Display control means (for example, the GDP 38 in FIG. 2 for controlling the display of the LCD 38 for displaying the screen shown in FIG. 9).

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

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a content reproduction system 1 to which the present invention is applied.

  In the content reproduction system 1, a controller 11, renderers 13-1 to 13 -N, and a server 14 are connected to a network 12.

  The controller 11 is, for example, a dedicated terminal, a terminal that is also used as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) or a game machine, and is a terminal that can be connected to the network 12, and is an example of the electronic apparatus of the present invention.

  The controller 11 transmits a content list acquisition request to the server 14 via the network 12. Here, the content list acquisition request is a request for acquiring list information of content that can be provided by the server 14. The content list is information regarding content that can be provided by the server 14. In addition, the information of the content list includes information such as the state of the content, for example, the state being reproduced by any one of the renderers 13-1 to 13-N.

  Furthermore, the controller 11 transmits a content reproduction instruction to any of the renderers 13-1 to 13-N via the network 12. Here, the content reproduction instruction is a request for reproducing (displaying) desired content by the user.

  The network 12 includes, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) compliant with IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc.) 802.11 standard or a wired LAN compliant with Ethernet (trademark) standard. A controller 11, renderers 13-1 to 13-N, a server 14, and the like are connected to the network 12.

  The network 12 is not limited to a wireless LAN conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard or a LAN conforming to the Ethernet standard. For example, the public switched telephone network such as the Internet, a telephone line, and an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is used. ), An optical fiber network such as FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), a satellite communication network, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN, or other various dedicated or public line networks.

  Each of the renderers 13-1 to 13-N is a device that can be connected to the network 12, such as a television receiver (television) or a PC (Personal Computer).

  Each of the renderers 13-1 to 13 -N receives a content reproduction instruction transmitted from the controller 11 via the network 12. The content reproduction request is a request for requesting the server 14 to provide predetermined content that is transmitted from each of the renderers 13-1 to 13-N to the server 14.

  Each of the renderers 13-1 to 13-N receives and reproduces content transmitted from the server 14 via the network 12 in response to a content reproduction request.

  The server 14 is a device that can be connected to the network 12, such as a dedicated server or a PC.

  The server 14 transmits a content list to the controller 11 via the network 12 in response to the content list acquisition request transmitted from the controller 11.

  Further, the server 14 responds to the content reproduction request transmitted from any of the renderers 13-1 to 13-N via the network 12, for example, in MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group phase 2) or MPEG4. The encoded content is transmitted (distributed) to any of the renderers 13-1 to 13-N.

  In the following description, the renderers 13-1 to 13-N are simply referred to as the renderer 13 when it is not necessary to distinguish them individually. Further, in the example of the content reproduction system 1 shown in FIG. 1, one controller 11 and one server 14 are provided for easy understanding of the explanation, but actually, a plurality of controllers 11 are provided. It may be connected to the network 12. Similarly, a plurality of servers 14 may be provided.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the controller 11.

  The controller 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, an input switch matrix unit 32, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 33, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 34, a bus 35, a communication unit 36, a codec processing unit 37, a GDP (Graphic Display). Processor 38, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 39, data input / output interface 40, and recording device 41. The CPU 31, ROM 33, RAM 34, communication unit 36, codec processing unit 37, GDP 38, LCD 39, and data input / output interface 40 are connected to each other by a bus 35.

  The CPU 31 controls each part of the controller 11. The CPU 31 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 33. The RAM 34 appropriately stores programs executed by the CPU 31 and data.

  The input switch matrix unit 32 includes a key operation unit such as a numeric keypad, a voice adjustment key, an image quality adjustment key, or a channel selection key, and supplies a predetermined operation signal according to an operation by the user to the CPU 31. .

  The communication unit 36 includes, for example, a wireless LAN compliant with IEEE802.11 standard, a wired LAN interface compliant with a standard such as Ethernet (trademark), or the like, and wirelessly or wired with other devices such as the renderer 13. Communicate with each other.

  The codec processing unit 37 performs an encoding process or a decoding process. For example, the codec processing unit 37 broadcasts a television broadcast such as a terrestrial wave received from an antenna (not shown) or a radio wave from a broadcasting satellite supplied from the communication unit 36 or a tuner (not shown). The video signal obtained by demodulating the broadcast signal corresponding to the radio wave is subjected to encoding processing, and the audio or image data obtained by the encoding processing is sent via the data input / output interface 40 to the recording device 41. To supply. Further, for example, the codec processing unit 37 performs a decoding process on the audio or image data supplied from the recording device 41 via the data input / output interface 40, and obtains the decoding process. The supplied image data is supplied to the GDP 38, and sound data is supplied to a speaker (not shown) or the like.

  The GDP 38 controls the drive of the LCD 39 to display an image on the screen of the LCD 39. For example, the GDP 38 displays the image of the image data decoded by the codec processing unit 37 on the screen of the LCD 39.

  The data input / output interface 40 is configured by a predetermined interface corresponding to the recording device 41 such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or a memory card interface. For example, when the recording device 41 is a hard disk, the data input / output interface 40 is configured by a predetermined interface corresponding to the interface of the hard disk.

  The recording device 41 includes, for example, a hard disk, a memory card, a recordable DVD, a CD (Compact Disc), a BD (Blu-ray Disc), or an MD (MiniDisc) (trademark). Connected. For example, the recording device 41 records the encoded audio or image data supplied from the codec processing unit 37 via the data input / output interface 40 or the encoded data recorded by itself. Audio or image data is supplied to the codec processing unit 37.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the renderer 13.

  The renderer 13 includes a CPU 61, an input switch matrix unit 62, a ROM 63, a RAM 64, a bus 65, a communication unit 66, a codec processing unit 67, a GDP 68, and an LCD 69. The CPU 61, ROM 63, RAM 64, communication unit 66, codec processing unit 67, GDP 68, and LCD 69 are connected to each other via a bus 65.

  The CPU 61 controls each part of the renderer 13. The CPU 61 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 63. The RAM 64 appropriately stores programs executed by the CPU 61 and data.

  The input switch matrix unit 62 is configured to include a key operation unit such as a numeric keypad, a voice adjustment key, an image quality adjustment key, or a channel selection key, and supplies a predetermined operation signal according to an operation by the user to the CPU 61. .

  The communication unit 66 includes, for example, a wireless LAN interface conforming to a standard such as IEEE802.11 or a wired LAN interface conforming to a standard such as Ethernet (trademark), and the like. Communicate with each other.

  The codec processing unit 67 performs an encoding process or a decoding process. For example, the codec processing unit 67 is supplied from the communication unit 66 or a tuner (not shown), and is a broadcast wave of a television broadcast such as a terrestrial wave received from an antenna (not shown) or a radio wave from a broadcasting satellite. The video signal obtained by demodulating the broadcast signal corresponding to is encoded, and the audio or image data obtained by the encoding process is supplied to a recording device (not shown). Further, for example, the codec processing unit 67 performs decoding processing on audio or image data supplied from a recording device (not shown), and outputs image data obtained by the decoding processing. While supplying to GDP68, audio | voice data are supplied to a speaker (not shown) etc.

  The GDP 68 controls the LCD 69 to display an image on the screen of the LCD 69. For example, the GDP 68 causes the image of the image data decoded by the codec processing unit 67 to be displayed on the screen of the LCD 69.

  The renderer 13 may have the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the server 14.

  The CPU 101 executes various processes according to a program stored in the ROM 102 or a program stored in the storage unit 108. The RAM 103 appropriately stores programs executed by the CPU 101, data, and the like. These CPU 101, ROM 102, and RAM 103 are connected to each other via a bus 104.

  An input / output interface 105 is also connected to the CPU 101 via the bus 104. Connected to the input / output interface 105 are an input unit 106 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output unit 107 such as a display. The CPU 101 executes various processes in response to commands input from the input unit 106. Then, the CPU 101 outputs an image or a sound obtained as a result of the processing to the output unit 107.

  The storage unit 108 connected to the input / output interface 105 is composed of, for example, a hard disk, and stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and various data. The communication unit 109 communicates with an external device via the network 12, the Internet, another network, or a communication medium.

  A program may be acquired via the communication unit 109 and stored in the storage unit 108.

  The drive 110 connected to the input / output interface 105 drives a magnetic disk 121, an optical disk 122, a magneto-optical disk 123, or a semiconductor memory 124 when they are mounted, and programs and data recorded there. Get etc. The acquired program and data are transferred to and stored in the storage unit 108 as necessary.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the controller 11.

  The controller 11 includes a communication unit 36, a content list acquisition unit 201, a content selection unit 202, a content display reproduction processing unit 203, a renderer control unit 204, and a content information processing unit 205.

  The communication unit 36 corresponds to the communication unit 36 of FIG. 2 and communicates with the renderer 13 or the server 14 via the network 12, for example. The communication unit 36 is configured to include a transmission unit 221 that transmits various types of data and a reception unit 222 that receives various types of data.

  The content list acquisition unit 201 generates a content list acquisition request in order to request a list of content that can be provided by the server 14. The content list acquisition unit 201 supplies the generated content list acquisition request to the communication unit 36.

  The transmission unit 221 transmits the content list acquisition request supplied from the content list acquisition unit 201 to the server 14 via the network 12. The reception unit 222 supplies the content list received from the server 14 to the content list acquisition unit 201 via the network 12.

  The content list acquisition unit 201 acquires the content list supplied from the communication unit 36, and supplies the acquired content list to the GDP 38, thereby displaying the content list on the screen of the LCD 39 (FIG. 2).

  The content selection unit 202 accepts content selection from the content list displayed on the screen of the LCD 39 in response to an operation of the input switch matrix unit 32 (FIG. 2) by the user. In addition, the content selection unit 202 acquires information regarding the selected content from the content list acquisition unit 201, and supplies the acquired information to the content display reproduction processing unit 203.

  The content display reproduction processing unit 203 acquires content information supplied from the content selection unit 202. The content display / playback processing unit 203 generates a content playback instruction that is a request for instructing playback of content, based on information related to the content supplied from the content selection unit 202 (information on content that the user has instructed playback). The content display reproduction processing unit 203 supplies the generated content reproduction instruction to the communication unit 36.

  The transmission unit 221 transmits the content reproduction instruction supplied from the content display reproduction processing unit 203 to the renderer 13 via the network 12. The renderer control unit 204 supplies a command for controlling the renderer 13 to the transmission unit 221 as necessary in accordance with an instruction from the content display reproduction processing unit 203 and causes the transmission unit 221 to transmit the command.

  When the predetermined renderer 13 receives content from the server 14, the content information processing unit 205 obtains the fact from the user, for example, acquires a thumbnail image indicating one scene of the content, and displays it on the screen of the LCD 39. It is provided to execute a process for recognizing it by displaying it.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the renderer 13.

  The renderer 13 includes a communication unit 66, a device information management unit 251, a control command reception unit 252, a command processing unit 253, a content reception processing unit 254, a buffer 255, a content decoding unit 256, a content display reproduction processing unit 257, and an audio output unit 258. , And a streaming information processing unit 259.

  The communication unit 66 corresponds to the communication unit 66 in FIG. 3 and communicates with the controller 11 or the server 14 via, for example, the network 12.

  The communication unit 66 is configured to include a transmission unit 261 that transmits various types of data and a reception unit 262 that receives various types of data. The receiving unit 262 supplies the renderer search request received from the controller 11 to the device information management unit 251 via the network 12.

  The device information management unit 251 generates profile information based on the device information recorded by itself. The device information management unit 251 supplies the generated profile information to the communication unit 66.

  The transmission unit 261 transmits the profile information supplied from the device information management unit 251 to the controller 11 via the network 12. On the controller 11 side, the profile information is used when the renderer 13 is selected. The receiving unit 262 supplies the content playback instruction received from the controller 11 to the control command receiving unit 252 via the network 12.

  The control command receiving unit 252 determines whether or not a content reproduction instruction is received based on the content reproduction instruction received from the controller 11 and supplied from the communication unit 66.

  When it is determined that the content playback instruction has been received, the command processing unit 253 generates a content playback request for requesting the server 14 to provide predetermined content, and the generated content playback request is transmitted to the control command. The data is supplied to the communication unit 66 via the receiving unit 252. The transmission unit 261 transmits the content reproduction request supplied from the control command reception unit 252 to the server 14 via the network 12. The receiving unit 262 supplies the content received from the server 14 to the content reception processing unit 254 via the network 12.

  The content reception processing unit 254 determines whether or not the content is received based on the content received from the server 14 and supplied from the communication unit 66.

  The content decoding unit 256 performs predetermined decoding processing corresponding to the content encoding unit 303 described later on the content supplied from the content reception processing unit 254 via the buffer 255, and is obtained by the decoding processing. The content is supplied to the content display reproduction processing unit 257.

  Also, the content decoding unit 256 corresponds to the content encoding unit 303 for the content supplied from the content reception processing unit 254, for example, when causing the content image display and audio output to be made to separate renderers 13. The predetermined decoding process is performed, and among the decoded content data obtained by the decoding process, the image data is supplied to the content display reproduction processing unit 257 and the audio data is supplied to the audio output unit 258.

  The content display reproduction processing unit 257 supplies the content to the GDP 38, thereby causing the content to be displayed on the screen of the LCD 69 and starting the reproduction of the content. The audio output unit 258 supplies the audio data of the content supplied from the content decoding unit 256 to a speaker (not shown).

  The streaming information processing unit 259 monitors the amount of data (accumulated amount) stored in the buffer 255 and executes processing for presenting information corresponding to the data amount to the user side. Here, it is assumed that the data amount of the buffer 255 is one index indicating the streaming state, and the streaming information processing unit 259 performs processing for presenting the state indicating the streaming state to the user.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server 14.

  The server 14 is configured to include a communication unit 109, a content distribution processing unit 301, a content management unit 302, and a content encoding unit 303.

  The communication unit 109 corresponds to the communication unit 109 of FIG. 4 and communicates with the controller 11 or the renderer 13 via the network 12, for example.

  The communication unit 109 is configured to include a transmission unit 312 that transmits various types of data and a reception unit 311 that receives various types of data. The receiving unit 311 supplies the content list acquisition request received from the controller 11 to the content distribution processing unit 301 via the network 12.

  In response to the content list acquisition request supplied from the communication unit 109, the content distribution processing unit 301 reads information related to the content recorded in the content management unit 302 to generate a content list. The content distribution processing unit 301 supplies the generated content list to the communication unit 109.

  The transmission unit 312 transmits the content list supplied from the content distribution processing unit 301 to the controller 11 via the network 12. The receiving unit 311 supplies the content reproduction request received from the renderer 13 to the content distribution processing unit 301 via the network 12. The content distribution processing unit 301 supplies the content reproduction request supplied from the communication unit 109 to the content management unit 302.

  The content management unit 302 supplies the content to the content encoding unit 303 in response to the content reproduction request supplied from the content distribution processing unit 301. The content encoding unit 303 acquires content from the content management unit 302, and performs a predetermined encoding process on the acquired content so that the content obtained by encoding is sent to the content distribution processing unit 301. Supply.

  The content distribution processing unit 301 acquires the content supplied from the content encoding unit 303 and supplies the acquired content to the communication unit 109. The transmission unit 312 transmits the content supplied from the content distribution processing unit 301 to the renderer 13 via the network 12.

  Next, as an example of processing of the content reproduction system 1 of the present invention, processing for reproducing (displaying) content selected by the user with the renderer 13 selected by the user will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining content reproduction processing by the controller 11.

  In step S <b> 11, the content list acquisition unit 201 generates a content list acquisition request in order to request a list of content that can be provided by the server 14. The content list acquisition unit 201 supplies the generated content list acquisition request to the communication unit 36.

  In step S <b> 12, the communication unit 36 transmits the content list acquisition request supplied from the content list acquisition unit 201 to the server 14 via the network 12.

  In step S <b> 13, the content list acquisition unit 201 determines whether the content list is received from the content list transmitted from the server 14 and supplied from the communication unit 36.

  If it is determined in step S13 that the content list has not been received, the process returns to step S13 and the above-described processing is repeated. That is, the controller 11 stands by until a content list is transmitted from the server 14.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the content list has been received, the process proceeds to step S14, where the content list acquisition unit 201 supplies the content list supplied from the communication unit 36 to the GDP 38 (FIG. 2). The content list is displayed on the screen of the LCD 39. For example, the content list acquisition unit 201 supplies the content list supplied from the communication unit 36 to the GDP 38, so that “content A”, “content B”, and “content” can be provided as content lists that can be provided by the server 14. “C” is displayed on the screen of the LCD 39.

  The content list acquired by the content list acquisition unit 201 includes information regarding the state of each content. The content state information is used by any of the renderers 13 connected to the network 12 such as a state in which a predetermined content is being played or a state in which playback is paused. This is information indicating whether or not a state is present.

  Further, information on the renderer 13 that uses the content, such as to which renderer 13 the content is provided, may be included in the information regarding the state of the content.

  The content list acquisition unit 201 that has acquired the content list including the information regarding the state of the content supplies the content list to the GDP 38. By supplying the content list to the GDP 39, the content list is displayed on the LCD 39. An example of the content list displayed on the LCD 39 is shown in FIG.

  The screen example illustrated in FIG. 9 illustrates a case where the content list supplied from the server 14 includes three content names “content A”, “content B”, and “content C”. . As shown in FIG. 9, the content name is first displayed as information for identifying the content.

  In addition to the content name, a thumbnail image showing one scene in the content is also displayed as information for identifying the content. In FIG. 9, a thumbnail image is displayed on the left side of the content name. Information regarding the thumbnail image is also included in the content list acquired by the content list acquisition unit 201.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, information representing the state of the content is displayed on the right side of the content name as information for identifying the content. In the example shown in FIG. 9, a triangular mark, which is a mark generally indicating reproduction, is displayed on the right side of the content name “content A”. That is, in this case, among the contents provided from the server 14, the content A is provided to the user as information, for example, being reproduced by the renderer 13-1.

  A cursor 401 is also displayed on the display unit 38. The cursor 401 is operated when the user selects content for which processing such as reproduction is to be executed. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the cursor 401 is positioned on “content A”. Here, it is assumed that the cursor 401 moves in the vertical direction (vertical direction in the figure).

  Here, the description is continued assuming that the cursor 401 moves in the vertical direction, but the cursor 401 is not moved in the vertical direction, but the cursor 401 is displayed in a fixed state, and information about the content such as the content name is displayed. You may make it move to an up-down direction.

  When the user operates the input switch matrix unit 32 and moves the cursor 401 downward, the screen of the LCD 38 becomes a screen as shown in FIG. The cursor 401 is moved to the content name “content B”. Since content B is not being reproduced, no mark is displayed in the state. Also, in the content A state, the cursor 401 is no longer positioned when the cursor 401 moves, so no mark is displayed in the state. In this way, information indicating what state the content is in may be displayed only when the cursor 401 is positioned.

  The content where the cursor 401 is positioned can be considered as the content that the user is paying attention to, and it is considered that displaying information only for the content that is receiving attention can effectively provide information to the user. It is done.

  Of course, as shown in FIG. 11, content that is not located at the cursor 401 may be displayed when there is information (mark) to be displayed as content information. In the example shown in FIG. 11, since there is no information to be displayed in the content B, nothing is displayed in the state, but the content C is in a playback state (providing to other devices) Therefore, a mark indicating that is displayed in the state.

  As the information displayed in the state, not only a mark indicating that playback is being performed, but also information indicating which renderer 13 is provided (information for identifying a device to be provided), etc. May be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, information indicating that “content A” is supplied from “server” to “renderer 13-1” is displayed as information in the state. Of course, not the words “server” and “renderer 13-1”, but a mark representing the server or renderer 13-1 may be displayed.

  Thus, displaying the state of the content provided from the server 14 has the following advantages. As will be described later, for example, the user selects content to be reproduced by the renderer 13 from the content list as shown in FIG. When the selected content is provided from the server 14 to the renderer 13 (a renderer 13 different from the renderer 13 that the user desires to play back the content) when the selection is made, the content is When selected and playback is instructed, playback may start from the beginning.

  That is, for example, when the content A is being played back by the renderer 13-1, if the user instructs the content A to start playback by the renderer 13-1, the playback of the content A is performed. May start from the beginning. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, such a situation can be prevented because the user can recognize the state of the content A by presenting the state of the content A to the user.

  Further, for example, when the server 14 itself does not have a function of providing one content to two renderers 13 at the same time (providing the same scene (data) or providing different scenes) (for example, In the case of a device such as a VTR (Video Tape Recorder), it is possible to prevent the selection of content that cannot be provided by the server 14 at that time by providing information on the state of the content to the user. It becomes possible.

  The renderer 13 connected to the network 12 is not necessarily in the same room as the room where the controller 11 exists. In other words, the user can use the controller 11 to operate the renderer 13 installed in a room different from the room in which the user is present.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 12, if information indicating the state of the content is presented, the user can view the content being played back by the renderer 13 located at a remote location (where it cannot be directly seen). Since the state can be recognized, for example, it is possible to go to the room to see the content reproduced by the renderer 13 installed in another room.

  In this way, by displaying the content state on the LCD 39 of the controller 11, the user can recognize the content state. Therefore, it is considered that the user has a great advantage by recognizing the content state.

  The information displayed as the status of the content may be displayed not only as a mark indicating reproduction or the information such as a supply destination of the content but also other information. Further, the screens shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 are examples, and are not limited. That is, the screen may have another configuration.

  Here, as described above, the content list is acquired from the server 14, and the content list is described as including information on the state of the content. Information regarding the state of the content may be included in a list (data) other than the content list. For example, the above-described processing may be executed by being included in the server list and acquiring the server list.

  The server list itself may include a content list. In addition to the content list, information regarding the state of the content may be acquired. As described above, the information regarding the state of the contents depends on the system configuration and the like, and the format and the acquisition source can be appropriately changed.

  In this specification, the notation of a content list (content list) means not only the content list itself but also a list including information on the content. In addition, even when information related to content is not included in the content list (separately), it is represented as a content list in this specification for convenience of explanation.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. In step S15, the content selection unit 202 selects content from a content list (for example, the screen shown in FIGS. 9 to 12) displayed on the screen of the LCD 39 in accordance with the operation of the input switch matrix unit 32 by the user. Accept. In addition, the content selection unit 202 acquires information regarding the selected content from the content list acquisition unit 201, and supplies the acquired information to the content display reproduction processing unit 203.

  For example, the content selection unit 202 selects the content “content B” among the content “content A”, “content B”, and “content C” by the operation of the input switch matrix unit 32 by the user. In this case, information related to the content “content B” is supplied to the content display reproduction processing unit 203. The information related to the content is information for identifying the content selected by the user, for example, information such as an ID assigned to the content.

  In step S16, selection of the renderer 13 for playing back the selected content is accepted. For example, when content is selected, the display on the LCD 38 is switched to the selection screen of the renderer 13. On the selection screen of the renderer 13, information representing a device that is connected to the network 12 and has a function of reproducing content, such as the name of the installed room and the name of the device, is displayed. .

  The user selects and determines a renderer 13 whose content is to be reproduced from a selection screen (not shown) of the displayed renderer 13. Such an operation by the user is performed via the input switch matrix unit 32.

  In step S <b> 17, the content display reproduction processing unit 203 generates a content reproduction instruction that is a request for instructing reproduction of content, based on information indicating the content to be reproduced and information indicating the selected renderer 13. The content display reproduction processing unit 203 supplies the generated content reproduction instruction to the communication unit 36. For example, the content display / playback processing unit 203 generates a content playback instruction based on the information indicating the content “content B” and the information indicating “renderer 13-1” supplied from the content selection unit 202. The content playback instruction is supplied to the communication unit 36.

  In step S <b> 18, the communication unit 36 transmits the content reproduction instruction supplied from the content display reproduction processing unit 203 to the renderer 13 selected from the list via the network 12. For example, the communication unit 36 sends a content reproduction instruction supplied from the content display reproduction processing unit 203 for reproducing the content “content B” to the “renderer 13-1” via the network 12. Send.

  In this way, provision of content from the server 14 to the renderer 13 is started.

  When reproduction of the content instructed by the user is started by the renderer 13, the controller 11 executes processing for presenting information on the content being reproduced by the renderer 13 to the user side.

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 13, a process for presenting information on content reproduced by the renderer 13 to the user will be described. The processing based on the flowchart of FIG. 13 is executed in the content information processing unit 205 (FIG. 5) of the controller 11.

  In step S31, a thumbnail image is displayed. On the controller 11 side, when the processing as described above is executed, and when the renderer 13 and the server 14 execute processing as described later, the renderer 13 starts reproduction of predetermined content. On the LCD 39 of the controller 11, a thumbnail image of the selected content (content that has been reproduced) is displayed, for example, as shown in FIG.

  The thumbnail image displayed at this time is an image generated by data acquired from information included in the content list. That is, for example, when “content B” is selected from the content list shown in FIG. 12, a thumbnail image representing the “content B” (displayed on the left side of the content name “content B” in the figure). Image).

  As described above, when the reproduction of the content is started in the instructed renderer 13, the information indicating the renderer 13 in which the reproduction is started is displayed on the LCD 39 of the controller 11 as shown in FIG. The name of the content that has started, and a thumbnail image indicating one scene of the content (an image indicating a predetermined scene included in the content reproduced by the renderer 13) are displayed.

  By displaying in this way, the user can recognize which renderer is playing what content. Further, when the controller 11 is configured to be able to operate the renderer 13, information useful for specifying the renderer 13 to be operated can be presented.

  As described above, the thumbnail image displayed in the content list may be displayed on the LCD 39 of the controller 11 and the thumbnail image may be continuously displayed as it is. The thumbnail images displayed on the LCD 39 may also be switched (updated). However, if the update is always performed, substantially the same video as the renderer 13 is displayed on the controller 11, but there is no need to display the same video as the renderer 13 on the controller 11. Therefore, the processing is performed as in the processing of the flowchart of FIG.

  That is, when a thumbnail image is displayed in step S31, it is determined in step S32 whether a predetermined time has elapsed. A mechanism for setting the predetermined time by the user may be provided. Further, the predetermined time may be set to a relatively short time, for example, 30 seconds, or may be set to a relatively long time, for example, 10 minutes. The predetermined time may be appropriately set in consideration of the processing capacity of the controller 11 and user preference (convenience).

  If it is determined in step S32 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, a request is issued to the server 14 to provide information (in this case, a thumbnail image) of the content provided to the renderer 13 at that time. Information transmitted from the server 14 in response to the request is received in step S34.

  Thus, the controller 11 acquires content information from the server 14 at a predetermined cycle. Therefore, the image displayed on the LCD 39 is also updated at a predetermined cycle.

  The information from the server 14 is meta information of contents provided to the renderer 13 at the time when the request is issued. When the content information acquisition unit 205 of the controller 11 receives the meta information or the like from the server 14, the process returns to step S31, and the subsequent processing is repeated. Therefore, a new thumbnail image is displayed on the LCD 139.

  If the meta information from the server 14 includes thumbnail image data, the thumbnail image is displayed on the LCD 39. For example, the meta information from the server 14 includes data such as animation GIF (Graphic Interchange Format). Displays an image based on the data. For example, the animation GIF displays a moving image by storing a plurality of GIF format still images in one file and displaying them in order. Therefore, the animation GIF is reproduced by the renderer 13 for the user. A pseudo moving image related to the content being provided is provided.

  Note that here, it has been described that information such as thumbnail images and moving images is presented to the user side, but other information may also be presented.

  Such processing is performed in the controller 11. Next, processing related to content provision in the server 14 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 51, the content distribution processing unit 301 determines whether or not the content acquisition request is received based on the data list acquisition request received from the controller 11 and supplied from the communication unit 109.

  If it is determined in step S51 that the content list acquisition request has not been received, the process returns to step S51 and the above-described processing is repeated. That is, the server 14 stands by until a content list acquisition request is received from the controller 11.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S51 that a content list acquisition request has been received, the process proceeds to step S52, and the content distribution processing unit 301 generates a content list. The content distribution processing unit 301 supplies the generated content list to the communication unit 109. For example, the content distribution processing unit 301 reads “content A”, “content B”, and “content C” as the content that can be provided by reading information related to the content recorded in the content management unit 302. A content list including a certain content is generated, and the generated content list is supplied to the communication unit 109.

  In addition, the generated content list includes information regarding the status of the content (information such as being provided to the renderer 13) for each content.

  In step S <b> 53, the communication unit 109 transmits the content list supplied from the content distribution processing unit 301 to the controller 11 via the network 12.

  In step S <b> 54, the content distribution processing unit 301 determines whether the content reproduction request received from the renderer 13 has been received based on the data supplied from the communication unit 109.

  If it is determined in step S54 that a content reproduction request has not been received, the process returns to step S54 and the above-described processing is repeated. That is, the server 14 stands by until a content reproduction request is received from the renderer 13.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S54 that a content reproduction request has been received, the process proceeds to step S55, and the content distribution processing unit 301 acquires content from the content management unit 302. The content distribution processing unit 301 supplies the acquired content to the communication unit 109.

  For example, the content distribution processing unit 301 supplies a content reproduction request for the content “content B” to the content management unit 302. The content management unit 302 supplies the content “content B” to the content encoding unit 303 among the content recorded by the content management unit 302. The content encoding unit 303 encodes the content “content B” supplied from the content management unit 301 by the codec method of MPEG2. The content distribution processing unit 301 acquires the encoded content “content B” from the content encoding unit 303 and supplies the acquired content to the communication unit 109.

  In step S <b> 56, the communication unit 109 transmits the content supplied from the content distribution processing unit 301 to the renderer 13 via the network 12. For example, the communication unit 109 sends the content “content B” supplied from the content distribution processing unit 301 to the renderer 13 (for example, the renderer 13-1 set by the user, via the network 12). ).

  The reproduction of the content is terminated by an instruction from the controller 11 or the renderer 13, an operation of the input unit 106 by the user, or a stop of input of the content from the content encoding unit 303. The providing (reproducing) process is terminated.

  As described above, by executing the processes in the controller 11 and the server 14, the content desired by the user is reproduced on the predetermined renderer 13. Next, processing related to content reproduction executed in the renderer 13 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 71, the control command receiving unit 252 determines whether or not a content playback instruction has been received based on the data playback instruction received from the controller 11 and supplied from the communication unit 66.

  If it is determined in step S71 that no content playback instruction has been received, the process returns to step S71 and the above-described processing is repeated. That is, the renderer 13 is on standby until it receives a content playback instruction from the controller 11.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S71 that a content playback instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step S72, where the command processing unit 253 generates a content playback request for requesting the server 14 to provide predetermined content. Then, the generated content reproduction request is supplied to the communication unit 66 via the control command receiving unit 252. For example, the command processing unit 253 generates a content playback request for requesting the server 14 to provide content that is “content B”, and sends the generated content playback request via the control command receiving unit 252. To the communication unit 66.

  In step S <b> 73, the communication unit 66 transmits the content reproduction request supplied from the control command receiving unit 252 to the server 14 via the network 12.

  In step S <b> 74, the content reception processing unit 254 determines whether the content received from the server 14 has been received based on the data supplied from the communication unit 66. If it is determined in step S74 that no content has been received, the process returns to step S74 and the above-described processing is repeated. That is, the renderer 13 stands by until it receives content from the server 14.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S74 that the content has been received, the process proceeds to step S75, where the content display / playback processing unit 257 starts the playback of the content by displaying the content on the screen of the LCD 69. The content decoding unit 256 of the renderer 13 performs a predetermined decoding process corresponding to the content encoding unit 303 on the content “content B” supplied from the content reception processing unit 254, and performs the decoding process. The obtained content is supplied to the content display reproduction processing unit 257.

  The content display reproduction processing unit 257 supplies the content “content B” supplied from the content decoding unit 256 to the GDP 68 and displays the content on the screen of the LCD 69, thereby reproducing the content “content B”. Be started.

  The content reproduction is terminated by an instruction from the controller 11, an operation of the input switch matrix unit 62 by the user, or a stop of content input from the content decoding unit 256, thereby causing the renderer 13 to reproduce the content. This process is terminated.

  In this way, the controller 11, the renderer 13, and the server 14 each execute processing, whereby the content provided from the server 14 is reproduced by the predetermined renderer 13.

  Incidentally, as described above, the controller 11, the renderer 13, and the server 14 are connected via the network 12. Content is provided from the server 14 to the renderer 13, and transmission / reception of the content is also performed via the network 12. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of renderers 13 are connected to the network 12, and when the plurality of renderers 13 transmit and receive data at the same time, the traffic on the network 12 may be congested.

  Even if the reproduction of content is started by the predetermined renderer 13 by performing the processing as described above, the required amount of content data is not supplied from the server 14 to the renderer 13 due to the traffic of the network 12 being crowded. A situation may arise.

  In addition, when a part or all of the network 12 connecting the renderer 13 and the server 14 is wireless, the communication state may be deteriorated depending on the atmospheric state, the room structure, and the like. Further, when the renderer 13 is a device that can be carried by the user (a device that can be taken out, hereinafter referred to as a mobile device), the communication state deteriorates because the user has the mobile device (renderer 13). It is also possible.

  In the present embodiment, since the controller 11 also has a structure including the codec processing unit 37 (FIG. 2), the controller 11 can also reproduce the content provided from the server 14. The controller 11 is usually configured to be portable by the user. Therefore, it is conceivable that the user enjoys content with the controller 11.

  The state of data transmission / reception via the network 12, particularly the state of streaming performed with the renderer 13 (or the controller 11) that plays back the content provided from the server 14 in this case, is always stable. It may change. Therefore, by letting the user recognize the streaming state, when the streaming state is bad, the user takes some action (for example, moves to a place where the streaming state is good) to improve the state.

  Next, processing (processing for presenting information related to the streaming state to the user) for allowing the user to recognize the streaming state performed by the renderer 13 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, although described as processing performed by the renderer 13, as described above, the controller 11 can also play back the content, and thus the controller 11 may execute similar processing.

  In step S91, the streaming information processing unit 259 (FIG. 6) monitors the amount of data stored in the buffer 255. The buffer 255 has two pointers, a write point and a read pointer.

  If the writing speed is higher than the reading speed, data can be decoded without interruption in the content decoding unit 256, so that it can be said that the streaming state is stable. However, if the writing speed is lower than the reading speed, the content decoding unit 256 may interrupt the data to be decoded, so the streaming state is an anxious point.

  By monitoring the difference between the write pointer and the read pointer (absolute value of the difference), it is possible to determine whether or not the writing speed is higher than the reading speed. Therefore, here, the difference between the write pointer and the read pointer of the buffer 255 is used as an index indicating the streaming state.

  In step S92, it is determined whether or not the difference between the write pointer and the read pointer (hereinafter referred to as a pointer difference) is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value. That the pointer difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold indicates that writing is more effective than reading (a sufficient amount of data is stored in the buffer 255), and the streaming state is stable. ing. Therefore, when it is determined in step S92 that the pointer difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the process proceeds to step S93, and a display indicating a stable state is performed.

  On the other hand, if the pointer difference is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, writing is less than reading (not enough data is stored in the buffer 255), and the streaming state is unstable. It is shown that. Therefore, when it is determined in step S92 that the pointer difference is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold, the process proceeds to step S94, and a display indicating an unstable state is performed.

  While the content is being played back by the renderer 13, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 17 is repeatedly performed, so that the information regarding the streaming state is continuously presented to the user. It is also possible to prevent such presentation from being performed (stopped) in accordance with a user instruction.

  FIG. 18 shows a screen example on the LCD 69 when the stable state is displayed in step S93, or a screen example on the LCD 69 when the unstable state is displayed in step S94.

  As shown in FIG. 18, a streaming information display unit 321 is provided on the image of the content being reproduced, and words, marks, and the like indicating the state of streaming are displayed on the streaming information display unit 321. In the example shown in FIG. 18, a mark is displayed. The mark shown in FIG. 18 is a mark having a shape that gives the user an image in which a circular arrow rotates.

  The mark shown in FIG. 18 may be rotated and displayed. When the rotation speed of the arrow mark is fast, it may indicate that the streaming state is stable, and when the rotation speed is low, it may indicate that the streaming state is unstable. That is, the rotational speed of the arrow mark may indicate the streaming state.

  As another display method, the mark color may be changed according to the streaming state. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, a filled mark indicates that the streaming state is stable, and as shown in FIG. 19, a hatched mark indicates that the streaming state is unstable. You may make it show that it is.

  Further, the color of the mark may be changed. For example, the mark color may change such that the mark color indicating that the streaming is stable is blue and the mark color indicating that the streaming state is unstable is red. good.

  In addition, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 17, only two states, a stable state and an unstable state, can be shown, but by providing a plurality of threshold values and determining whether or not the threshold value is exceeded, for each threshold value. The streaming state can be indicated in a plurality of states such as “good”, “normal”, and “bad”. In this way, when a plurality of states are indicated, the color of the mark may be changed, such as blue when “good”, yellow when “normal”, and red when “bad”. good.

  Further, the mark shape itself may be changed. For example, when the streaming state is indicated by a mark as shown in FIG. 18 (FIG. 19), a thick arrow mark is used when the streaming state is stable, and a thin arrow shape is used when the streaming state is unstable. It may be displayed with a mark.

  Of course, information indicating the streaming state may be displayed in a combination of these display methods. For example, the streaming state may be represented by the rotation speed of an arrow-shaped mark, and the mark color may be displayed so as to change in accordance with the streaming state.

  Thus, by presenting the information indicating the streaming state to the user, the user can recognize the streaming state. The user can also recognize that the content being reproduced is received via the network 12. Therefore, when the streaming state becomes unstable, the user can perform processing to eliminate the unstable state, and enjoy the content comfortably by eliminating the unstable state. It becomes possible.

  In this specification, the steps for describing the program provided by the medium are performed in parallel or individually in accordance with the described order, as well as the processing performed in time series, not necessarily in time series. The process to be executed is also included.

  Further, in this specification, the system represents the entire apparatus constituted by a plurality of apparatuses.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the content reproduction | regeneration system to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a controller. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a renderer. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a server. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the function of a controller. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the function of a renderer. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the function of a server. It is a flowchart explaining the process of content reproduction by a controller. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a content list. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a content list. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a content list. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a content list. It is a flowchart explaining a content information presentation process. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen as which the thumbnail image was displayed. It is a flowchart explaining the process of content provision by a server. It is a flowchart explaining the process of content reproduction by a renderer. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process regarding presentation of the state of a streaming. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen where the information which shows the state of streaming was displayed. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen where the information which shows the state of streaming was displayed.

Explanation of symbols

  1 content playback system, 11 controller, 12 network, 13-1 to 13-N renderer, 14 server, 31 CPU, 36 communication unit, 37 codec processing unit, 40 data input interface, 41 recording device, 61 CPU, 66 communication unit , 101 CPU, 109 communication unit, 201 content list acquisition unit, 202 content selection unit, 203 content display reproduction processing unit, 204 renderer control unit, 205 content information processing unit, 221 transmission unit, 222 reception unit, 251 device information management unit , 252 Control command receiving unit, 253 Command processing unit, 254 Content reception processing unit, 255 Buffer, 256 Content decoding unit, 257 Content display reproduction processing unit, 2 8 the audio output unit, 259 streaming information processing unit, 261 transmission unit, 262 reception unit, 301 the content distribution processing unit, 302 the content management unit, 303 the content encoding unit, 311 reception unit, 312 transmission unit

Claims (5)

In a control device that controls equipment,
An acquisition unit that acquires a content list that is a list of content provided from the device and includes information indicating a content state;
A control apparatus comprising: a display control unit that controls display in which a content name based on the content list and information indicating a content state are associated with each other. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating the status of the content is a mark indicating that the content is provided to another device. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating the state of the content is information for identifying a device that provides the content. In a control method of a control device for controlling equipment,
An acquisition control step for controlling acquisition of a content list that is a list of content provided from the device and includes information indicating the status of the content;
A display control step of controlling display in which content names based on the content list are associated with information indicating the state of the content. A control device program for controlling a device,
An acquisition control step for controlling acquisition of a content list that is a list of content provided from the device and includes information indicating the status of the content;
A computer-readable program comprising: a display control step for controlling display in which content names based on the content list are associated with information indicating content states.

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