JP2007287196A - Network av system, playback device, controller, and those programs - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a network AV system which can reduce a silent zone produced between contents, and also can easily reflect change of a play list in playing back of a playback device. <P>SOLUTION: A control point CP transmits a URI of a piece of music listed on the play list 30 next to the playback piece of music (the next playback piece of music) as a next playback reservation, whenever a media renderer MR 1 plays back the music. After completing playback of the music, the media renderer MR 1 immediately plays back the music based on the music URI of the next playback reservation. The media renderer MR 1 transmits the transmitted next playback reservation to the control point CP. When the media renderer MR 1 completes playback of the music, the control point CP transmits a change direction to play back the next playback music on the play list 30 to the media renderer MR 1, when the URI of the next playback music on the play list 30 is different from the URI of the music contained in the next playback reservation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a network AV system, a playback device and a controller, and their programs, and more particularly, a network AV including a playback device that plays back a plurality of contents, and a controller that is connected to the playback device and controls the playback device. The present invention relates to a system, a playback device, a controller, and a program thereof.

  Conventionally, a network AV system using a client server system has been provided. International Publication No. 03/102919 (Patent Document 1) discloses a server that stores a plurality of contents, an audio client that is a content playback apparatus connected to the server via a LAN (Local Area Network), and a server. A network AV system including a controller for controlling an audio client is disclosed. In the network AV system according to Patent Document 1, the controller has a playlist (song list) that lists songs in the order of playback. Each time the audio client finishes playing a song, the controller instructs the audio client to play the next song based on the playlist. Accordingly, the controller can cause the audio client to continuously reproduce the music in the order of reproduction of the playlist.

  However, in this network AV system, after the controller recognizes the completion of the reproduction of the music, it instructs the audio client to play the next music. Therefore, the silent portion generated between the music piece that has been reproduced and the music piece that will be reproduced next is lengthened.

  Recently, network AV systems based on UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), which is a protocol for connecting personal computers and AV (Audio Visual) devices in the home, have appeared. In a network AV system based on the UPnP protocol, a controller called a control point controls a media server that is a source device that stores content such as video and music, and a media renderer that is a playback device (sink device) that plays back the content. . The control point acquires information related to a plurality of contents stored in the media server and instructs the media renderer to play back the desired contents. The media renderer requests desired content from the media server. The media server streams the desired content in response to the request, and the media renderer plays the streamed content.

Even in such a network AV system based on the UPnP standard, it is possible to continuously play back using a playlist. However, during continuous playback, it is not possible to change the playlist, such as changing the playback order in the playlist or changing a song in the playlist to another song. Therefore, even if the playlist is changed, it is not reflected in the reproduction of the media renderer.
International Publication No. 03/102919 Pamphlet

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the silent portion generated between contents, and even if the playlist is changed during continuous playback of the content, the change of the playlist can be easily reflected in the playback of the playback device. It is to provide a network AV system.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

The network AV system according to the present invention includes a playback device that plays back a plurality of contents, and a controller that is connected to the playback device and controls the playback device.
The controller includes a creating unit, a next reproduction reservation unit, and a changing unit. The creation means creates a playlist that lists the contents in the order of playback. Each time the playback device plays back the content, the next playback reservation means specifies the content listed next to the playback content on the playlist, and transmits the next playback reservation indicating the specified content to the playback device. The changing means changes the playlist.
The reproduction apparatus includes a reception unit and a reproduction unit. The receiving means receives the next playback reservation. Each time the playback of the content is completed, the playback means starts playback of the content indicated in the next playback reservation.

  In the network AV system according to the present invention, when a playback device plays back content, it acquires in advance a next playback reservation indicating the content to be played back next. Therefore, the playback device can play back the next content immediately after the playback of the content is completed. There is no need to wait for the next content playback instruction from the controller after the content playback is completed. For this reason, it is possible to reduce a silent portion generated between contents being continuously reproduced.

  In addition, the controller may change the playlist while the playback device continuously plays back the content. If the controller sends the entire playlist to the playback device and the playback device continuously plays back the content based on the transmitted playlist, the controller updates the playlist of the playback device every time the playlist is changed. However, in the network AV system according to the present invention, the controller does not transmit the entire playlist to the playback device, but transmits only the next playback reservation indicating the next content. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform update processing on the playback device every time the playlist is changed, and the change of the playlist can be easily reflected in the playback of the playback device.

Preferably, the reproduction apparatus further includes a reservation notification unit and a reproduction completion notification unit. The reservation notification means transmits the received next reproduction reservation to the controller. The reproduction completion notification means transmits a reproduction completion notification to the controller every time content reproduction is completed.
The controller further includes a next reproduction determination unit and a change instruction unit. The next playback determination means identifies the content listed next to the playback content on the playlist when the playback completion notification is received, and whether the specified content is the same as the content indicated in the next playback reservation transmitted. Determine whether. When the specified content is different from the content indicated in the next playback reservation, the change instruction means transmits a change instruction indicating the specified content. When receiving the change instruction, the playback means starts playing the content indicated by the change instruction instead of the content indicated by the next playback reservation.

  In this case, the controller receives from the playback device the next playback reservation transmitted by the controller in advance. When the playback completion notification is received, that is, when the playback device completes playback of the content, the controller lists the content listed next to the playback content on the playlist and the content indicated in the next playback reservation. Check whether or not. Thus, the controller can determine whether or not the content listed next to the reproduction content has been changed between the transmission of the next reproduction reservation and the completion of the reproduction of the content. If it has been changed, the controller transmits a change instruction, and the playback device can play back the changed content by receiving the change instruction. Therefore, all the changes in the playlist can be reflected in the playback of the playback device.

  Preferably, the controller includes reproduction management means. The reproduction management unit manages the specified content as the reproduction content on the playlist after the next reproduction determination unit determines.

  In this case, the controller can manage the content being played back by the playback device on the playlist.

Preferably, the network AV system according to the present invention includes a plurality of controllers. When the reproduction unit receives a new content reproduction instruction from the other controller during the reproduction of the content, the reproduction unit stops the reproduction of the content and starts the reproduction of the new content. The playback device further includes playback notification means. The reproduction notification means transmits reproduction information indicating the content to be reproduced to a plurality of controllers when reproduction of new content is started.
The controller further includes a reproduction determination unit and a release unit. When the reproduction information is received, the reproduction determination unit determines whether the reproduction content on the playlist is the same as the content indicated in the reproduction information. The canceling unit cancels the control of the playback device when the content indicated by the playback information is different from the playback content on the playlist as a result of the determination.

  In this case, when the control subject of the playback device is changed to another controller, the controller can cancel the control of the playback device.

  The controller according to the present invention is a controller used in the network AV system, and the playback device according to the present invention is a playback device used in the network AV system.

  Further, the playback device can be connected to a controller that does not recognize the playback completion notification, and transmits a stop status notification indicating that the playback device has stopped playback of the content every time playback of the content is completed.

  Even if the controller that does not recognize the playback completion notification receives the playback completion notification, it cannot recognize that the playback device has finished playing the content and is in a stopped state. Therefore, by transmitting the stop status notification together with the playback completion notification, the playback device can recognize that the playback device is in a stopped state by the stop status notification even if the controller cannot recognize the playback completion notification.

  The controller program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to implement each means of the controller used in the network system, and the reproduction program according to the present invention is a computer that reproduces each means of the reproduction device used in the network system. It is a program for realizing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

[overall structure]
Referring to FIG. 1, the network AV system according to the present embodiment includes a control point CP that functions as a controller, a media server MS that distributes music, and media renderers MR (MR1 and MR2) that function as playback devices. Prepare. These are connected to each other based on the UPnP protocol. Although FIG. 1 shows one media server MS and two media renderers MR for one control point CP, there may be a plurality of control points CP and media servers MS. Further, there may be one media renderer MR or three or more media renderers MR.

  The media server MS stores a plurality of music-compressed music data and distributes the music data to the media renderer MR in response to a request. The media renderer MR receives the song data distributed in streaming and reproduces the song.

  The control point CP controls the media server MS and the media renderer MR. The control point CP creates a playlist that lists a plurality of songs in the order of playback, and causes the media renderer MR to continuously play back the songs based on the playlist. Hereinafter, configurations of the media server MS, the media renderer MR, and the control point CP will be described.

[Media Server]
The media server MS includes a content directory service 21, a connection manager service 22, a content database 23 storing a plurality of song data, and a content information database 24 storing a plurality of song information. These are stored in a hard disk drive or memory (not shown). The song information is information related to each piece of song data stored in the content database 23, and includes a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) indicating the location of each piece of song data, metadata including the song name, genre, artist name, etc. including.

  The content directory service 21 and the connection manager service 22 are loaded into a memory and executed by a CPU (not shown) to realize the following operations.

  The content directory service 21 manages the content database 23 and distributes music data to the media renderer MR in a streaming manner. The content directory service 21 also transmits music information to the control point CP.

  The connection manager service 22 establishes and manages a connection for streaming distribution of music data from the media server MS to the media renderer MR.

  The media server MS is, for example, a computer device. Further, it may be a DVD player, an HDD player, or an audio player such as a CD player or an MP3 player.

[Media Renderer]
The media renderer MR includes a playback program. The reproduction program includes a connection manager service 31 and an AV transport service 32. The reproduction program is stored in a hard disk drive (not shown). The media renderer MR realizes the following operations by loading the reproduction program into a memory (not shown) and executing it by a CPU (not shown).

  The connection manager service 31 establishes and manages a connection for receiving music from the media server MS.

  The AV transport service 32 performs continuous reproduction of music according to an instruction from the control point CP. The AV transport service 32 manages the URI management table 20 shown in FIG. The URI management table 20 is registered in a memory (not shown) in the media renderer MR.

  The URI management table 20 has a field for registering AVTransportURI and a field for registering NextAVTransportURI. AVTransportURI is a variable defined in the UPnP protocol, and is the URI of the music to be played back. NextAVTransportURI is a variable defined in the UPnP protocol, and is a URI of a song to be reproduced next to a song of AVTransportURI. Hereinafter, NextAVTransportURI is also referred to as next playback reservation.

  When starting the continuous reproduction of music, the AV transport service 32 receives AVTransportURI from the control point CP and registers it in the URI management table 20. After registration, the AV transport service 32 requests and acquires the music of AVTransportURI from the media server MS, and starts playing the music.

  The AV transport service 32 further receives the next playback reservation (NextAVTransportURI) and registers it in the URI management table 20 every time playback of the music of AVTransportURI is started. When the music of AVTransportURI is reproduced to the end, that is, when the reproduction of the music is completed, the AV transport service 32 starts to reproduce the music of NextAVTransportURI. The URI of the reproduced music is registered in the URI management table 20 as AVTransportURI. The AV transport service 32 transmits the AVTransportURI registered in the URI management table 20 to the control point CP as reproduction information.

  With the above operation, the media renderer MR can continuously play music. The media renderer MR obtains the URI of the next playback song in advance by receiving the next playback reservation. Therefore, when the reproduction of the music is completed, the next music can be reproduced immediately without waiting for a reproduction instruction from the control point CP. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the silent portion generated between songs.

  The AV transport service 32 also sends a Lastchange notification to the control point CP every time the status of the media renderer MR or the music to be played is changed based on the UPnP protocol, and notifies the changed status and the changed music. To do. When the variable included in the LastChange notification is “TransportState”, it indicates that the status of the media renderer MR has been changed. The status indicates the playback state of the media renderer MR. In the UPnP standard, playback (PLAY), pause (PAUSED_STOPPED), and stop (STOPPED) are defined as TransportState.

  In the present embodiment, “COMPLETE” indicating completion of music reproduction is added as a new status different from these statuses. The control point CP according to the present embodiment recognizes that the reproduction of the music has been completed when “COMPLETE” is included in the LastChange notification. Hereinafter, the LastChange notification including “COMPLETE” is referred to as a playback completion notification.

  The LastChange notification may include NextAVTransportURI and AVTransportURI in addition to TransportState. The LastChane notification includes a ServiceID that is an identifier of the media renderer MR that is a transmission subject of the notification. The AV transport service 32 transmits a LastChange notification to all control points CP that desire to monitor the media renderer MR.

  The media renderer MR is, for example, a computer device. Further, it may be a television, a stereo, a speaker, or an audio player.

[Control point]
Referring to FIG. 3, a control point CP includes a CPU 11, a memory 12, an input unit 13 such as a keyboard and a mouse, a hard disk drive (HDD) 14 storing a controller program, and a communication unit for communicating with the outside. (I / F) 15 and a display 16 are provided. These are connected to each other by a bus. The control point CP realizes the following operations by loading the controller program stored in the HDD 14 into the memory 12 and executing it by the CPU 11.

  The control point CP searches for the media renderers MR (MR1 and MR2) on the network and displays them on the media renderer display window 101 in the screen 100 of the display 16 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, two media renderers MR1 and MR2 are displayed, indicating that there are two media renderers MR on the network AV system. The control point CP highlights and displays the media renderer MR (MR1 in FIG. 4) selected as the control target.

  The control point CP acquires song information from the media server MS and displays the acquired song information on the song information display window 102. The song information display window 102 includes a container tree display window 102A and an item display window 102B. The container tree display window 102A displays a plurality of containers such as “artist”, “album”, and “genre” in a tree shape. The item display window 102B lists metadata (song names AAA, BBB, etc. in FIG. 4) in a selected container (“album” in FIG. 4) among a plurality of containers displayed in the container tree display window 102A. To display. Hereinafter, for example, a song with the title AAA is referred to as a song AAA.

  The control point CP displays a playlist created in response to an operation by the user on the playlist display window 103. The user of the control point CP selects a plurality of desired songs from a plurality of songs displayed in the song information display window 102 by a drag and drop operation using the input unit 13, and plays the selected songs in the playlist. They are listed in the display window 103 in the order of playback.

  The control point CP creates the playlist 30 shown in FIG. 5 based on the music listed in the playlist display window 103 by the user operation and stores it in the memory 12. Referring to FIG. 5, the URIs of songs are registered in play list 30 in the order of playback. The playlist 30 includes a field in which track numbers are registered and a field in which song URIs are registered.

  The control point CP further creates a control target table 40 shown in FIG. 6 in order to control the media renderer MR that executes continuous reproduction. Referring to FIG. 6, in the target MR field in control target table 40, ServiceID that is an identifier of media renderer MR controlled by control point CP is registered. The created playlist 30 is registered in the playlist field. In the track number field, the track number of the music being reproduced (reproduced music) is registered. This is for managing the reproduced music of the media renderer MR and specifying the music listed next to the reproduced music on the playlist 30.

  In the AVTransportURI field, AVTransportURI included in the reproduction information transmitted from the media renderer MR is registered. That is, the URI of the music (reproduced music) being reproduced by the media renderer MR is registered. In the NextAVTransportURI field, NextAVTransportURI, which is a URI of a song to be reproduced (next reproduction song) next to the song being reproduced by the media renderer MR, is registered. NextAVTransportURI is transmitted from the media renderer MR. For example, when the song AAA corresponding to the track number 2 in FIG. 5 is being played, “2” is registered in the track number field, and the URI of the song AAA that is the played song is registered in the AVTransportURI field. Has been. In the NextAVTransportURI field, the URI of the music BBB that is the next reproduction music is registered.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the control point CP displays the status (stop, playback, pause, etc.) of the media renderer MR1 selected as the control target in the monitoring window 104. For example, when the media renderer MR1 to be controlled is being reproduced, the control point CP is displayed with the normal reproduction button 105 highlighted.

  The control point CP can change the playlist 30 based on the user operation even when the media renderer MR1 is continuously reproducing the music based on the playlist 30. For example, while reproducing the music AAA in FIG. 5, the music BBB with the track number 3 may be changed to the music DDD, and the music FFF with the track number 4 may be changed to the music HHH. In the network AV system according to the present embodiment, even if the playlist 30 is changed during continuous playback, the playback order of the changed playlist 30 can be reflected in playback of the media renderer MR by the following operation. it can.

[Operation]
Details of the operation of the network AV system in the present embodiment will be described below.

  Referring to FIG. 7A, the control point CP instructs the media renderer MR1 to be controlled based on the playlist 30 to continuously reproduce the music. At this time, the control point CP does not transmit the entire playlist 30 to the media renderer MR1, but each time the media renderer MR1 plays a song, NextAVTransportURI which is the URI of the next song to be played (next played song) Are sequentially transmitted as the next playback reservation. For example, when the media renderer MR starts playback of the music AAA, the control point CP transmits the URI of the music BBB listed next to the music AAA on the playlist 30 with the SetNextAVTransportURI command.

  With this operation, the media renderer MR1 can acquire the URI of the next playback song BBB in advance during playback of the song AAA. Therefore, the media renderer MR1 can acquire and reproduce the next song BBB from the media server MS immediately after the reproduction of the song AAA is completed. Thus, since the media renderer MR1 does not need to wait for a playback instruction for the next playback song when the playback of the song is completed, the silence portion generated between the songs can be reduced.

  If the control point CP transmits the entire playlist 30 to the media renderer MR1 in advance, each time the playlist 30 is changed, the control point CP must update the playlist 30 held by the media renderer MR1. However, the network AV system according to the present embodiment transmits only the URI of the next playback song as the next playback reservation each time a song is played back. Therefore, even if the playlist 30 is changed, the influence on the media renderer MR1 is small, and the change of the playlist 30 can be easily reflected in the reproduction of the media renderer MR1.

  Further, every time the media renderer MR1 completes the reproduction of a song, the control point CP confirms the next song to be reproduced by the media renderer MR1 (next reproduction song confirmation process). If this next playback music confirmation process is performed, the change of the playlist 30 can be completely reflected in the media renderer MR.

  Referring to FIG. 7B, while media renderer MR is playing music AAA, control point CP transmits the URI of music BBB as the next playback reservation with the SetNextAVTransportURI command ((1) in the figure), and then on playlist 30. It is assumed that the song BBB is changed to the song DDD ((2) in the figure).

  When the media renderer MR1 receives a next playback reservation from the control point CP, the media renderer MR1 returns the next playback reservation to the control point CP. Specifically, the media renderer MR1 receives the SetNextAVTransportURI command including the URI of the music BBB during the reproduction of the music AAA ((1) in the figure). At this time, the media renderer MR1 transmits to the control point CP including the URI of the music BBB received in the LastChange notification ((3) in the figure). The control point CP receives the LastChange notification and registers the URI of the music BBB in the control target table 40 as the NextAVTransportURI ((4) in the figure).

  When the reproduction of the music AAA is completed, the media renderer MR1 transmits a reproduction completion notification to the control point CP ((5) in the figure). Specifically, the media renderer MR1 transmits a LastChange notification including the variable “COMPLETE” to the control point CP as a reproduction completion notification.

  When the control point CP receives the reproduction completion notification, the control point CP recognizes that the reproduction of the music AAA has been completed, and performs the next reproduction confirmation process. The control point CP specifies the music listed next to the playback music (song AAA) on the playlist 30, and the specified playback is reserved for the next playback (URI of the music BBB) registered in the control target table 40. (6 in the figure).

  The control point CP determines that the URI of the song DDD listed next to the song AAA on the playlist 30 is different from the URI of the registered song BBB. At this time, the control point CP transmits an instruction to change the next reproduced music to the media renderer MR1 ((7) in the figure). Specifically, the control point CP transmits a SetAVTransportURI command including the URI of the music DDD to the media renderer MR1.

  If there is no change in the playlist 30, the media renderer MR1 starts playback of the song BBB immediately after the playback of the song AAA. However, when a SetAVTransportURI command (change instruction) is received from the control point CP, reproduction of the music DDD is started instead of the music BBB ((8) in the figure).

  As described above, the control point CP confirms the next song to be played when the song has been played, and transmits a change instruction if the song is different from the song on the playlist 30. Thereby, the change of the playlist 30 can be completely reflected in the reproduction order of the media renderer MR1.

  The control point CP transmits the change instruction only when the music specified by the next playback reservation is changed after the next playback reservation is transmitted. When other songs are changed, there is no need to send a change instruction. This is because the control point CP does not transmit the entire playlist 30 to the media renderer MR1, but transmits only the URI of the next reproduced song every time a song is reproduced. Therefore, even when the next playback confirmation process is not performed, the changed playlist 30 can be substantially reflected in the playback of the media renderer MR1.

  Details of the operations of the control point CP and the media renderer MR will be described below.

[Control point operation]
The control point CP executes a continuous playback start process when starting continuous playback of music (S100), and after executing the continuous playback start process, executes a continuous playback continuous process (S300).

[Continuous playback start processing]
Referring to FIG. 8, control point CP first creates control target table 40 (S110). The control point CP searches for the media renderers MR1 and MR2 on the network and displays them on the media renderer display window 101. When the user of the control point CP selects the media renderer MR1 using the input unit 13, the control point CP1 selects the media renderer MR1 based on this user operation, and the ServiceID of the media renderer MR1 is stored in the control target table 40. Are registered in the target MR field (S101).

  Subsequently, the control point CP creates a playlist 30 (S102). Before creating the playlist 30, the control point CP acquires song information from the media server MS in advance, and displays the details of the acquired song information on the song information display window 102. While referring to the window, the user uses the input unit 13 to list the songs in the playlist display window 103 in the order of playback. Based on this user operation, the control point CP creates the playlist 30 shown in FIG. The control point CP registers the created playlist 30 in the playlist field in the control target table 40.

  After creating the playlist 30, the control point CP registers “1”, which is the first track number in the playlist 30, in the track number field in the control target table 40 (S103). That is, the song CCC with track number 1 is managed as a playback song. At this time, no data is registered in the AVTransportURI field and the NextAVTransportURI field in the control target table 40. The control target table 40 created by the above operation is stored in the memory 12.

  After creating the control target table 40, the control point CP instructs the media renderer MR1 to start continuous playback (S104 to S105). First, the control point CP reads the track number 1 registered in the track number field in the control target table 40, sets the URI of the song CCC of the track number 1 on the playlist 30 as AVTransportURI, and sends the SetAVTransportURI command to the media renderer MR1. (S104). After transmitting the SetAVTransportURI, the control point CP transmits a PLAY command for instructing the reproduction of the song CCC based on the URI included in the SetAVTransportURI to the media renderer MR1 (S105). With the above operation, the media renderer MR1 starts playback of the song CCC.

  Subsequently, the control point CP specifies the music listed next to the reproduction music CCC. The control point CP specifies the music AAA corresponding to the track number 2 next to the track number 1 (S106). After the identification, the control point CP transmits the SetNextAVTransportURI command to the media renderer MR1 with the URI of the identified music AAA as the NextAVTransportURI (S107). This is because the media renderer MR1 can start playback of the next song AAA immediately after the playback of the song CCC.

[Continuous playback continuous processing]
When the media renderer MR1 receives the SetNextAVTransportURI command including the next playback reservation (NextAVTransportURI) from the control point CP, the media renderer MR1 transmits a LastChange notification including the received next playback reservation as the NextAVTransportURI to the control point CP. In the following description, it is assumed that NextAVTransportURI is the URI of the song BBB and the song being played is the song AAA.
Referring to FIG. 9, when receiving a LastChange notification (YES in S320), control point CP determines whether or not the received notification is from media renderer MR1 to be controlled (S301). The control point CP reads the ServiceID in the LastChange notification and determines whether the read ServiceID is the same as the ServiceID in the control target table 40. When the ServiceID in the LastChange notification is the same as the ServiceID in the control target table 40 (YES in S301), it is determined that the received notification is from the media renderer MR1.

  Subsequently, the control point CP confirms the StateVariable in the LastChange notification. Since StateVariable is NextAVTransportURI (NO in S302 and S312 and YES in S315), the control point CP registers the URI of the music BBB that is the next playback reservation received in the NextAVTransportURI field in the control target table 40 (S316).

  When the reproduction of the currently played music AAA is completed, the media renderer MR1 transmits a LastChange notification including “COMPLETE” to the control point CP as a reproduction completion notification. After transmitting the playback completion notification, the media renderer MR1 starts playing the music BBB registered in the NextAVTransportURI on the URI management table 20.

  The control point CP receives the LastChange notification transmitted from the media renderer MR1, and determines whether or not the LastChange notification is a reproduction completion notification (S302 and S303). When the LastChange notification includes “COMPLETE” as the value of TransportState (YES in S302 and S303), the control point CP determines that the reproduction completion notification has been received from the media renderer MR1, and the reproduction of the song is completed by the media renderer MR1. Judge.

  At this time, the control point CP confirms the song that the media renderer MR1 intends to reproduce next (S310: next reproduction song confirmation process). Even if the playlist 30 is changed by executing the next playback song confirmation process, the control point CP reflects the playback order of the changed playlist 30 in the playback order of the songs in the media renderer MR1. it can. Hereinafter, the details of the next playback song confirmation process will be described separately for the case where the next playback song has not been changed and the case where the next playback song has been changed.

[When the next song has not been changed]
During continuous playback, when the playlist 30 has not been changed, and when the playlist 30 has been changed, but the song after the next playback song has been changed, the next playback song confirmation process is performed. explain.

  First, the control point CP determines whether or not the music listed next to the reproduced music on the playlist is the same as the music registered in the NextAVTransportURI field in the control target table 40 (S317 and S304). The control point CP reads the track number 1 in the control target table 40 and reads the URI of the music BBB corresponding to the track number 2 next to the read track number 1 from the playlist 30. As a result, the control point CP specifies the next reproduced music as the music BBB (S317).

  Subsequently, the control point CP determines whether or not the URI of the specified music BBB is the same as the NextAVTransportURI in the control target table 40 (S304). Here, since NextAVTransportURI is the URI of the song BBB, it is determined that the specified song is the same as the next playback reservation (YES in S304).

  At this time, the control point CP increments the track number of the control target table 40 and updates it from “2” to “3” (S307). Thereby, the control point CP can recognize that the music (reproduced music) that the media renderer MR1 has started to reproduce is the music BBB having the track number 3. In other words, the reproduced music can be managed on the playlist 30.

  After updating the track number, the control point CP transmits a next playback reservation to the media renderer MR1. The control point CP identifies the URI of the song FFF corresponding to the track number 4 next to the track number 3 in the control target table 40 (S318), and sets the media renderer with a SetNextAVTransportURI command including the URI of the identified song FFF as the NextAVTransportURI. Transmit to MR1 (S308). Thus, the media renderer MR1 can immediately reproduce the song FFF when the reproduction of the song BBB is completed.

[When the next playback song is changed]
The music AAA on the playlist 30 shown in FIG. 5 is being played back, and the control point CP has already transmitted the URI of the music BBB to the media renderer MR1 as the next playback reservation, and then the music BBB on the playlist 30 is the music DDD. Next playback tune confirmation processing when it is changed to (corresponding to FIG. 7B) will be described.

  First, the media renderer MR1 that has received the URI of the song BBB as the next playback reservation includes the next playback reservation (URI of the song BBB) in the LastChange notification and transmits it to the control point CP1. The control point CP receives the LastChange notification (YES in S320), determines that the LastChange notification includes the next playback reservation (NO in S302 and S312 and YES in S315), and then controls the URI of the song BBB that is the next playback reservation It is registered in the table 40 (S316). After registration, the control point CP changes the music BBB on the playlist 30 to music DDD in response to a user operation.

  When the reproduction completion notification is received from the media renderer MR1 (YES in S320, YES in S301 to S303), the control point CP executes the next reproduction music confirmation process (S310). At this time, the control point CP determines that the URI of the specified next reproduction music (URI of the music DDD) is different from the NextAVTransportURI (URI of the music BBB) in the control target table 40 (NO in S304).

  At this time, the control point CP transmits an instruction to change the next reproduced music (S305 and S306). Specifically, a SetAVTransportURI command including the URI of the music DDD identified in step S317 as an AVTransportURI is transmitted to the media renderer MR1 (S305), and a PLAY command is transmitted to the media renderer MR1 (S306). Since the media renderer MR1 receives the SetAVTransportURI command and requests the media server MS for the song DDD instead of the song BBB, the media renderer MR1 can reproduce the changed next reproduction song DDD.

  After transmitting the PLAY command, the process proceeds to step S307, and the music FFF listed next to the reproduction music DDD is specified on the playlist 30 (S318), and the URI of the music FFF is transmitted to the media renderer MR1 as the next reproduction reservation ( S308).

  With the above operation, even if the next reproduction music on the playlist 30 is changed after the next reproduction reservation is transmitted, the media renderer MR1 can reproduce the changed next reproduction music.

[Media renderer operation]
Upon receiving a playback start instruction from the control point CP, the media renderer MR1 executes the continuous playback process (S200) shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the continuous reproduction process will be described separately for the case where the next reproduction music is not changed and the case where the next reproduction music is changed.

[When the next playback song has not been changed]
Referring to FIG. 10, media renderer MR1 first waits for an instruction to start continuous playback. Specifically, the media renderer MR1 monitors reception of the SetAVTransportURI command (S201). When the SetAVTransportURI command is received (YES in S201), the AVTransportURI included in the command, that is, the URI of the song CCC listed first on the playlist 30 is registered in the AVTransportURI field in the URI management table 20 (S202). After registration, the media renderer MR1 includes the registered AVTransportURI as reproduction information in the LastChange notification and transmits it to the control point CP (S216). The control point CP receives the LastChange notification and registers the AVTransportURI in the control target table 40. This is because the control point CP determines whether or not the music being reproduced by the media renderer MR1 is the same as the reproduced music on the playlist 30. This point will be described later.
The media renderer MR1 monitors the reception of the PLAY command after transmitting the reproduction information (S203).

  When the PLAY command is received (YES in S203), the media renderer MR1 starts continuous playback (S204 and S205). First, the media renderer MR1 transmits a distribution request command including the AVTransportURI (URI of the song CCC) registered in the URI management table 20 to the media server MS (S204). The media server MS receives the distribution request command and performs streaming distribution of the music CCC data based on the AVTransportURI included in the command. The media renderer MR1 receives the streaming data and reproduces the song CCC (S205).

  The media renderer MR1 monitors the reception of the next playback reservation after starting the playback of the song CCC (S206). When the SetNextAVTransportURI command is received (YES in S206), the media renderer MR1 registers the next playback reservation (here, the URI of the music AAA) included in the command in the NextAVTransportURI field in the URI management table 20 (S207). With the above operation, the next reproduction music AAA is registered in advance during the reproduction of the AVTransportURI music CCC.

  The media renderer MR1 further transmits the NextAVTransportURI registered in the URI management table 20 in step S207 to the control point CP (S215). That is, the next playback reservation received from the control point CP is notified (reservation notification) to the control point CP. Thereby, the control point CP can execute the next reproduction music confirmation process (S310) when the reproduction of the music is completed.

  Subsequently, the media renderer MR1 monitors whether or not the reproduction of the song CCC is completed (S208). When the reproduction is completed (YES in S208), the media renderer MR1 transmits a reproduction completion notification (S209). Specifically, “COMPLETE” is included as the value of TransportState in the LastChange notification and transmitted to the control point CP1.

  The media renderer MR1 transmits the LastChange notification again after transmitting the reproduction completion notification (S210: stop status notification). The LastChange notification transmitted in step S210 includes “STOPPED” as the value of TransportState. The reason for sending the LastChange notification again in step S210 will be described later.

  After sending the LastChange notification in step S210, since NextAVTransportURI is registered in the URI management table 20 (YES in S211), the URI of the music AAA that is NextAVTransportURI is registered in the AVTransportURI field (S212). At this time, the URI of the music AAA is deleted from the NextAVTransportURI field in the URI management table 20. In short, the media renderer MR1 shifts the URI of the music AAA from the NextAVTransportURI field to the AVTransportURI field. Then, the media renderer MR1 transmits the information in the NextAVTransportURI field in the URI management table 20 to the control point CP using the Lastchange notification (S218). If the information (URI of the song) is not registered in the NextAVTransportURI field in the URI management table 20 at the time of step S218, the media renderer MR1 notifies that the NextAVTransportURI is not registered.

  If the control point CP has not changed the next playback song on the playlist 30, the media renderer MR1 does not receive the song change instruction (SetAVTransportURI) (NO in S213), so the song registered in the AVTransportURI in step S212. The AAA URI is included in the LastChange notification as reproduction information and transmitted to the control point CP (S217). After the transmission, the process returns to step S204 to reproduce the next song AAA (S204 and S205). The media renderer MR1 receives a SetNextTransportURI command from the control point CP every time a song is reproduced (YES in S206), and registers it in the NextAVTransportURI in the control target table 40 (S207). With the above operation, the media renderer MR1 can execute continuous reproduction.

[When the next playback song is changed]
The song AAA on the playlist 30 is being played back, and the control point CP has already sent the URI of the song BBB to the media renderer MR as the next playback song information, and then changed the song BBB on the playlist 30 to the song DDD. A continuous reproduction process in the case (corresponding to FIG. 7B) will be described.

  When the reproduction of the music AAA is completed by the media renderer MR1, the media renderer MR1 transmits a reproduction completion notification (S209). When the control point CP receives the playback completion notification (YES in S302 and S303), the control point CP executes the next playback music confirmation process (S310), and sends a change instruction (SetAVTransportURI command) including the URI of the music DDD and the PLAY command to the media renderer. Transmit to MR1 (S305 and S306).

  After the reproduction completion notification (S209), the media renderer MR1 shifts the URI of the music BBB registered in the NextTransportURI field in the URI management table 20 to the AVTransportURI field (S212), and prepares to send a distribution request for the music BBB. . However, since the media renderer MR1 receives the SetAVTransportURI command and the PLAY command that are change instructions from the control point CP (YES in S213), the AVTransportURI (that is, the URI of the song DDD) included in the SetAVTransportURI is changed to the AVTransportURI in the URI management table 20. Register in the field (S214). The URI of the registered music DDD is included in the LastChange notification as reproduction information and transmitted to the control point CP (S217), and then a distribution request for the music DDD is transmitted instead of the music BBB (S204).

  With the above operation, the media renderer MR1 can reproduce the next reproduction music along the music order of the playlist 30 even if the next reproduction music is changed.

[Network AV system including control point that does not recognize playback completion notification]
As described above, in the UPnP protocol, “COMPLETE” is not defined as the value of TransportState. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, there is a control point CP1 that can recognize a playback completion notification including CONPLETE and a conventional control point CP2 that cannot recognize a playback completion notification including COMPLETE. When the point CP2 controls the media renderer MR1, the control point CP2 cannot recognize the reproduction completion notification. For this reason, even when the media renderer MR1 completes the reproduction of the music and stops the reproduction of the music (status), the control point CP2 cannot accurately recognize the status of the media renderer MR1.

  In order to prevent such a situation, as shown in FIG. 10, the media renderer MR1 transmits a last change notification as a stop status notification after transmitting a reproduction completion notification in step S209 (S210). The LastChange notification transmitted in step S210 includes “STOPPED” defined as the value of TransportState in the UPnP protocol. Therefore, even if the control point CP2 cannot recognize the reproduction completion notification notified in step S209, it can receive the stop status notification in step S210 and recognize that the status of the media renderer MR1 is “stop”.

[When the control subject of the media renderer MR1 is changed]
In the UPnP network shown in FIG. 11, when the control point CP1 instructs the media renderer MR1 to play a new song JJ while the control point CP1 is making the media renderer MR1 perform continuous playback, the media renderer MR1 Follow the latest playback instructions. That is, the media renderer MR1 starts playing a new song JJJ.

  However, if the control point CP1 does not recognize that the media renderer MR1 has started playing a new song JJJ, it still controls the media renderer MR1 and sends a command such as the SetNextAVTransportURI command to the media renderer MR1. If commands are transmitted from the two control points CP1 and CP2 in this way, the operation of the media renderer MR1 is confused. Therefore, when the control subject of the media renderer MR1 is changed from the control point CP1 to CP2, it is preferable that the control point CP1 removes the media renderer MR1 from the control target and stops the continuous reproduction process.

  Every time a new song is played, the media renderer MR1 transmits a LastChange notification including the URI of the song to be newly started as playback information (AVTransportURI) to the control points CP1 and CP2 (S216 and S217 in FIG. 10). ). If the control point CP2 instructs the media renderer MR1 to play a new song JJ while the control point CP1 is causing the media renderer MR1 to perform continuous playback, the media renderer MR1 will send the song JJJ as playback information (AVTransportURI). A LastChange notification including the URI of is sent to the control point CP1.

  Referring to FIG. 9, control point CP1 receives the LastChange notification transmitted from media renderer MR1 (YES in S320), and determines that the notification is from media renderer MR1 (YES in S301), and then within the LastChange notification. It is determined that the value of StateVariable is AVTransportURI (YES in S312). Therefore, the control point CP registers the transmitted AVTransportURI (URI of the song JJJ) in the AVTransportURI field in the control target table 40 (S317).

  Subsequently, the control point CP1 determines whether or not the AVTransportURI registered in the control target table 40 is the same as the URI of the reproduced music on the playlist 30 (S313). The control point CP specifies the URI of the song corresponding to the track number in the control target table 40 based on the playlist 30, and the URI of the specified song is the AVTransportURI registered in the control target table 40 of the song JJJ. It is determined that it is different from the URI (NO in S313). At this time, the control point CP1 determines that the media renderer MR1 is controlled by another controller, and releases the control of the media renderer MR1 (S314). Specifically, the control target table 40 of the media renderer MR1 is deleted. As a result, the control point CP1 stops sending commands to the media renderer MR1.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the media renderer MR acquires the URI of the next song to be played (next played song) every time the song is played, so that the song playback is completed. After that, you can start playing the next song immediately. Since the media renderer MR does not have to wait for a reproduction instruction of a song to be reproduced next when the reproduction of the song is completed, it is possible to reduce the silent portion between the songs.

  Further, each time the media renderer MR completes the reproduction of a song, the control point CP confirms the song to be reproduced next by the media renderer MR. By this confirmation process, all changes in the playlist 30 can be reflected in the playback order of the songs of the media renderer MR.

  In the present embodiment, the control point CP, the media server MS, and the media renderer MR are independent devices, but one device may include the control point CP and the media server MS. One device may include a control point CP and a media renderer MR.

  In this embodiment, the content is a song, but other content may be used. For example, video or audio may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the next playback reservation is the URI of the song, but the next playback reservation is not limited to this, and any information that can identify the song may be used. For example, it may be a song title or other specific information.

  Further, the control point CP may transmit the next playback reservation between the media renderer MR1 starting and completing the music playback. Similarly, the media renderer MR1 may transmit the received next reproduction reservation to the control point CP until the reproduction of the music is completed. The next playback reservation received in the playback completion notification may be transmitted.

  In addition, the media renderer MR1 transmits the LastChange notification to all the control points CP that want to monitor the media renderer MR1, but may transmit the LastChange notification to all the control points CP existing on the network.

  In the present embodiment, the media server MS, the media renderer MR, and the control point CP are connected to each other using the UPnP protocol, but may be connected based on other protocols.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the above-described embodiment without departing from the spirit thereof.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the network AV system by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the URI management table which the media renderer shown in FIG. 1 memorize | stores. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detail of a structure of the controller in FIG. It is an example of the screen displayed on the display in FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the play list which the controller shown in FIG. 3 memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the control object table which the controller shown in FIG. 3 memorize | stores. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement outline | summary of the network AV system shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram different from FIG. 7 for explaining the operation outline of the network AV system shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the continuous reproduction start process of the controller in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the continuous reproduction continuation process of the controller in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the continuous reproduction | regeneration processing of the media renderer in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the other structural example of the network AV system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Memory 13 Input part 16 Display 20 URI management table 21 Content directory service 22, 31 Connection manager service 23 Content database 24 Content information database 30 Playlist 32 AV transport service 40 Control object table CP Control point MR Media renderer MS Media server

Claims (13)

A network AV system comprising: a playback device that plays back a plurality of contents; and a controller that is connected to the playback device and controls the playback device,
The controller is
Creating means for creating a playlist listing the contents in playback order;
Each time the playback device plays back content, the next playback reservation means for specifying the content listed next to the playback content on the playlist and transmitting the next playback reservation indicating the specified content to the playback device When,
And a change means for changing the playlist,
The playback device
Receiving means for receiving the next playback reservation;
A network AV system comprising playback means for starting playback of the content indicated in the next playback reservation every time playback of the content is completed. The network AV system according to claim 1,
The playback device further includes:
Reservation notification means for transmitting the received next playback reservation to the controller;
Reproduction completion notification means for transmitting a reproduction completion notification to the controller each time reproduction of the content is completed,
The controller further includes:
When the playback completion notification is received, the content listed next to the playback content is specified on the playlist, and whether or not the specified content is the same as the content indicated in the transmitted next playback reservation A next regeneration judging means for judging
A change instruction means for transmitting a change instruction indicating the specified content when the specified content is different from the content indicated in the next playback reservation;
The network AV system, wherein when the change instruction is received, the reproduction means starts reproduction of the content indicated by the change instruction instead of the content indicated by the next reproduction reservation. The network AV system according to claim 2,
The controller is
A network AV system comprising: a playback management unit that manages the specified content as playback content on the playlist after the next playback determination unit determines. The network AV system according to claim 3, wherein
A plurality of the controllers;
The playback means stops playback of the content and starts playback of the new content when receiving a playback instruction of new content from the other controller during playback of the content,
The playback device further includes:
A reproduction notification means for transmitting reproduction information indicating the content to be reproduced to the plurality of controllers when reproduction of the new content is started;
The controller further includes:
Reproduction determining means for determining whether the reproduction content on the playlist is the same as the content indicated in the reproduction information when the reproduction information is received;
As a result of the determination, when the content indicated by the reproduction information is different from the reproduction content on the playlist, a network AV system is provided that cancels the control of the reproduction device. A controller that can be connected to a playback device that plays back a plurality of contents, and that controls the playback device,
Creating means for creating a playlist listing the contents in playback order;
Each time the playback device plays back content, the content listed next to the playback content on the playlist is specified, and the playback device plays back the specified content next to the content being played back A next playback reservation means for transmitting a next playback reservation indicating the specified content to the playback device;
And a controller for changing the playlist. The controller of claim 5, further comprising:
Means for receiving from the playback device the next playback reservation transmitted by itself;
When the playback completion notification transmitted from the playback device is received when the playback of the content is completed, the content listed next to the playback content on the playlist is specified, and the specified content is A next reproduction determining means for determining whether or not the content is the same as the content indicated in the received next reproduction reservation;
When the specified content is different from the content indicated in the next playback reservation, the specified content is used to cause the playback device to play the specified content instead of the content indicated in the next playback reservation. A controller comprising change instruction means for transmitting a change instruction to the reproduction apparatus. The controller according to claim 6, comprising:
A controller comprising: a reproduction management unit that manages the identified content as a reproduction content on the playlist after the next reproduction determination unit determines. The controller of claim 7, further comprising:
Whether or not the playback content on the playlist is the same as the content indicated in the playback information when receiving playback information transmitted from the playback device and indicating the content to start playback when starting playback of new content A reproduction judging means for judging whether or not
As a result of the determination, when the content indicated by the reproduction information is different from the reproduction content on the playlist, the controller includes release means for releasing the control of the reproduction device. A playback device that can be connected to a controller having a playlist that lists a plurality of contents in the order of playback, and that plays back a plurality of contents in response to an instruction from the controller,
Receiving means for receiving a next playback reservation indicating the content listed next to the playback content on the playlist each time the content is played back;
A playback device comprising playback means for starting playback of the content indicated in the next playback reservation every time playback of the content is completed. The playback apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:
Reservation notification means for transmitting the received next playback reservation to the controller;
Reproduction completion notification means for transmitting a reproduction completion notification to the controller each time reproduction of the content is completed,
When the reproduction means receives a change instruction transmitted from the controller that has received the reproduction completion notification and indicates the content listed next to the reproduction content on the playlist, the reproduction means replaces the content indicated in the next reproduction reservation. A reproduction apparatus for starting reproduction of the content indicated by the change instruction. The playback apparatus according to claim 10, wherein
It can be connected to a controller that does not recognize the playback completion notification,
The playback device further includes:
A playback apparatus comprising stop status notification means for transmitting to the controller a stop status notification indicating that the playback apparatus is in a state where playback of content is stopped each time content playback is completed.   The controller program for making a computer implement | achieve the means of any one of Claims 5-8. A reproduction program for causing a computer to realize the means according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

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