JP2007043399A - Video server and data transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To speedup transfer of video material data by removing a band limitation placed on an input channel connected to a material server, with no interruption in video during output for effective use of a network resource. <P>SOLUTION: A CPU 11 of a video server 1 transmits control signals to input I/F181 and 182 and output I/F191 and 192, and detects the number of input channels (a) in use as well as the number of output channels (b) in use (step S21). Then the CPU11 calculates a vacant band of CPU bus based on the detected number of input channels in use and the detected number of output channels in use (step S22). The vacant band of the CPU bus is allocated to a transfer band from the material server 2 for transfer processing of a material file (step S23). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video server which performs multi-channel simultaneous input / output operations.

  A multi-input / output video server in a broadcasting station provides a bandwidth limit for each input / output interface (hereinafter referred to as I / F) in order to send an on-air video stream without interruption. Even if / F is operated, the maximum usable bandwidth is not exceeded. For example, to achieve independent 10 inputs and 10 outputs simultaneously on a video server with a maximum bandwidth of 1 Gbps, it is necessary to use a bandwidth of 50 Mbps (= 1 Gbps / 20) or less per input (or 1 output). There is. For this reason, in order to transfer the material data from the server that holds the video material data (hereinafter referred to as material server) to the video server, this bandwidth limitation ( Data transfer is performed at a transfer rate of 50 Mbps).

Therefore, a method for providing an asset manager for allocating a transfer band has been proposed. As a result, the read delay when reading data from the material server and the transfer delay when transferring data through the communication network can be suppressed to a certain value or less to prevent screen freezes (for example, Patent Document 1). See).
JP 2000-83192 A

  However, in a multi-input / output video server, the video is interrupted if the video stream bandwidth cannot be secured, so securing the bandwidth is an essential condition. For this reason, band limitation is provided so that each input / output channel can operate reliably. Due to this bandwidth limitation, the material server was forced to send material data within a limited bandwidth, and occupied a network line with the video server for a long time.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and its purpose is to remove the band limitation imposed on the input channel connected to the material server without causing interruption in the video being output. An object of the present invention is to provide a video server and a data transfer method capable of speeding up transfer of video material data, thereby enabling effective use of network resources.

  In order to achieve the above object, a video server and a data transfer method according to the present invention include a plurality of input / output channels, and a data storage unit for inputting video material data transferred from a material server connected to the input channel. A video server that reads out any video material data stored in the data storage unit and outputs the data to the output channel, and detecting means for detecting use states of the plurality of input / output channels, A calculating unit that calculates a vacant transfer band based on a use state; and a transfer unit that performs a transfer process by allocating the vacant transfer band to a transfer band from the material server.

  In the video server and data transfer method configured as described above, the use state of the input / output channel is detected, and the transfer band reserved for the empty channel is assigned to the transfer band from the material server to perform the transfer process of the material data. As a result, the transfer bandwidth that can be secured by the video server can be used efficiently, and the speed of data transfer processing from the material server can be increased.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to speed up the transfer of video material data by removing the bandwidth limitation imposed on the input channel connected to the material server without causing interruption in the video being output. Thus, it is possible to provide a video server and a data transfer method that enable effective use of network resources.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a video server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The video server 1 includes a central processing unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 11, and encoders 151 and 152, a material file storage 16, decoders 171 and 172, an input interface ( Input I / F) 181, 182 and output interfaces (output I / F) 191, 192 are connected. Further, a network interface (network I / F) 14 is connected to the CPU 11 via the control bus 12. The network I / F 14 operates as an input interface for a material file supplied from the material server 2 under the control of the CPU 11. The material file is video / audio data or the like generated in a predetermined format, and is stored in the material file storage 16 via the data bus 13.

  In the video server 1, when the CPU 11 detects that video data to be compressed has arrived at the encoders 151 and 152 via the input I / Fs 181 and 182, the CPU 11 sends a control signal to the encoders 151 and 152. In response to this control signal, the encoders 151 and 152 compress and encode the video data by a predetermined compression method (for example, MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)), and the generated compressed data is stored in the material file storage 16 as a material file. Remember me.

  In addition, the CPU 11 reads the material file from the material file storage 16, and decrypts the read material file by the decoders 171 and 172. Then, the decoded video data is output via the output I / Fs 191 and 192. The input I / Fs 181 and 182 and the output I / Fs 191 and 192, that is, the four input / output channels, are provided with a band limit so that they can operate simultaneously and independently, and the transfer band of the data bus 13 (hereinafter referred to as the CPU bus). Transfer bandwidth) is allocated.

Next, the material file capturing operation of the video server 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure and contents of the material file transfer operation in the video server 1.
When the CPU 11 of the video server 1 receives the input of the material file from the material server 2 through the network I / F 14, first, the CPU 11 transmits a control signal to the input I / F 181, 182 and the output I / F 191, 192, and the input being used. The number of channels (a) and the number of output channels in use (b) are detected (step S21). Next, the CPU 11 calculates an available bandwidth of the CPU bus based on the detected number of input channels in use and the number of output channels in use (step S22). The free bandwidth (N [Mbps]) of the CPU bus is calculated as follows when the CPU bus maximum transfer bandwidth is L [Mbps] and the input / output I / F bandwidth is M [Mbps].
N [Mbps] = L−a × M−b × M
Then, the CPU 11 performs transfer processing of the material file input from the material server 2 through the network I / F 14 using the calculated free bandwidth N [Mbps] of the CPU bus (step S23). Thereafter, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the data transfer process has been completed (step S24). When it is determined that the data transfer is finished, the reserved channel is released and the transfer process is finished. On the other hand, if the data transfer has not ended, the process proceeds to step S21 to detect an empty channel.

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment, the CPU 11 of the video server 1 transmits the control signals to the input I / Fs 181 and 182 and the output I / Fs 191 and 192 to detect the number of channels in use. The CPU bus free bandwidth is calculated based on the number of channels in use. The vacant bandwidth of the CPU bus is assigned to the transfer bandwidth from the material server 2 and the material file is transferred.

  According to this embodiment, for example, in FIG. 1, when three channels of the input I / Fs 181 and 182 and the output I / F 191 are detected as empty channels, in addition to the normal CPU bus transfer band, It is possible to perform the data transfer processing of the material file by assigning the CPU bus transfer bandwidth of the channel. Thereby, the transfer of the video material data can be speeded up by removing the bandwidth restriction imposed on the input channel connected to the material server without causing interruption in the video being output. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the occupation time of the network line between the material server 2 and the video server 1 and to effectively use the network resources.

  Note that the video server of the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1. For example, the number of encoders and decoders can be arbitrarily changed. Also, the procedure and contents of the material file transfer process can be variously changed and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

The block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the video server concerning this invention. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the transfer operation | movement of the material file in the video server shown in FIG. 1, and its content.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Video server, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Control bus, 13 ... Data transmission bus, 14 ... Network interface, 151, 152 ... Encoder, 16 ... Material file storage, 171, 172 ... Decoder, 181, 182 ... Input interface, 191, 192 ... Output interface, 2 ... Material server.

Claims (2)

A plurality of input / output channels are provided, video material data transferred from a material server connected to the input channel is input and stored in the data storage unit, and arbitrary video material data stored in the data storage unit A video server that reads and outputs to the output channel,
Detecting means for detecting a use state of the plurality of input / output channels;
Calculating means for calculating a free transfer bandwidth based on the use state;
A video server comprising transfer means for performing transfer processing by allocating the free transfer band to a transfer band from the material server. A plurality of input / output channels are provided, video material data transferred from a material server connected to the input channel is input and stored in the data storage unit, and arbitrary video material data stored in the data storage unit Used in a video server that reads and outputs to the output channel,
A detecting step for detecting a use state of the plurality of input / output channels;
A calculation step of calculating a free transfer bandwidth based on the use state;
A data transfer method comprising: a transfer step of performing transfer processing by allocating the vacant transfer band to a transfer band from the material server.

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