JP2007288509A - Server type broadcasting receiving and recording apparatus and server type broadcasting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a server type broadcasting receiving and recording apparatus capable of searching desired program contents with a high efficiency even when enormous numbers of program contents are stored in a video recording apparatus such as a HDD recorder and presenting the program components with a similar ECG even when another video recording apparatus is used, and to provide a server type broadcasting system. <P>SOLUTION: The server type broadcasting receiving and recording apparatus allows a program provider to transmit a promotion content (second program content) for introducing matters of a plurality of program contents (first program contents) and present the matters of the program contents at the same time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a server-type broadcast receiving apparatus and a server-type broadcast system capable of realizing a viewing mode in which a plurality of program contents are temporarily stored in a large-capacity storage medium such as a hard disk and then played back. The present invention relates to a technique that is useful when applied to an electronic content table that presents program content to viewers.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been provided a recording device that can store a large number of program contents by using a large-capacity HDD or the like, such as an HDD (hard disk drive) recorder. With such a recording device, a viewing form in which received program content is once stored in the HDD and then played back is possible, and so-called server-type broadcasting is realized.

  In this server-type broadcast, program content and detailed additional information (metadata) related thereto are stored in a large-capacity storage medium, so that the stored program content can be viewed from a predesignated time, or additional information can be viewed. It is possible to search for scenes and watch digests using. The details of the server-type broadcasting system are being standardized by ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses) which is a digital broadcasting standardization organization.

  When playing back recorded program content on such a recording / playback apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a server-type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus) compatible with server-type broadcast, a list of titles and thumbnails indicating the program content is displayed on the screen. In general, the viewer selects a desired program content on this screen.

  Also, a technology related to ECG (Electronic Content Guide) useful for presenting information related to accumulated program content to viewers in existing recording / playback devices is disclosed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a display device for an image content selection screen applied to a home server or the like that handles multimedia content.

Also, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique related to a video distribution method for distributing video content, and in particular, by providing visual information that summarizes the content of video content to a user in the form of a digest. , It is described that the user can select an image more suited to his / her preference.
JP 2004-118601 A JP 2002-374512 A

As described above, with the recent increase in capacity of storage media, the number of program contents that can be stored in a recording device has become very large, for example, exceeding 500. In addition, when server type broadcasting becomes widespread, the transmission path through which program content is provided is not limited to broadcast radio waves such as conventional terrestrial digital broadcasting, BS broadcasting, CS broadcasting, etc., and Internet communication may be used. Therefore, the program content provided to the viewer is expected to increase further.
As described above, when a considerable number of recorded program contents exist, searching for desired program contents itself is a complicated operation. In addition, since the display mode of ECG when presenting program content to the viewer depends on the recording device, there is a problem that the usability of the ECG changes if the recording device is different.

  The present invention can efficiently search for a desired program content even when a large number of program contents are stored in a recording device such as an HDD recorder, and can present the program content with the same ECG even if the recording device changes. An object of the present invention is to provide a server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus and a server-type broadcast system.

  The present invention has been made in order to achieve the above object, and includes a receiving means capable of receiving a program content transmitted from a server-type broadcast transmitting apparatus installed on a program provider (broadcast station or the like) side, and the program A storage medium capable of storing content, a content control means for controlling a process for writing the program content to the storage medium, and a process for reading the program content from the storage medium, and program information included in the program content Display control means for generating and displaying a first content selection screen capable of selecting and reproducing program content stored in the storage medium based on (broadcast station information, title information, program ID, etc.); The server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus includes: a first program content including content information of an actual broadcast program; A plurality of first program contents (normal program contents provided from the same program provider) and second program contents (promotional contents) including promotion information for introducing the display program means. , Using the promotion information (moving image thumbnail, program ID, etc.), it is possible to generate a second content selection screen capable of selecting any of the plurality of first program contents, and the content control means, A server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus configured to be able to reproduce the first program content selected on the second content selection screen.

  As a result, a second content selection screen is generated based on the second program content provided from the program provider side, and the program content is presented to the viewer using the same ECG even if the server-type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus changes. be able to.

  The first content selection screen is configured to select the first program content and the second program content, and the display control means selects the second program content on the first content selection screen. In such a case, the second content selection screen may be generated.

  Thus, by using a general ECG function provided in the apparatus itself, the first content selection screen is presented based on the program information included in the program content, and the second program content is selected on this screen. Since the second content selection screen can be presented, it is not necessary to provide special operation means or the like in order to display the second content selection screen.

  Specifically, the promotion information includes program-specific promotion information (digest video or the like) provided corresponding to each of the plurality of first program contents, and a display mode (for example, display position or Display mode information for designating a method of dividing one screen), and the display control means generates the second content selection screen by arranging the promotion information for each program based on the display mode information I am doing so.

  For example, in the second content selection screen, one screen is equally divided (for example, 4 × 4 16 divisions) according to the display mode information, and program-specific promotion information that allows the contents of the first program content to be understood at each display position. Be placed. Further, by associating each program-specific promotion information with the first program content corresponding to the program-specific promotion information, when the program-specific promotion information is selected, the first program content associated therewith is selected. Can be played.

  Further, the present invention provides a server type broadcast transmitting apparatus installed on the program provider side and capable of transmitting program contents, and a program content installed on the viewer side and transmitted from the server type broadcast transmitting apparatus. In the server type broadcast system configured to include a server type broadcast receiving and recording device, the server type broadcast transmitting device includes a first program content including content information of an actual broadcast program, and a plurality of the first program contents Content generating means for generating second program content including promotion information for introducing the program content, the server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus comprising: a storage medium capable of storing the program content; and the program content stored in the storage medium Content control means for controlling the program content read processing and the program content read processing from the storage medium , By using the promotion information is obtained by the manner and a display control means capable of generating a selectable content selection screen one of the plurality of first program content.

  Specifically, the promotion information includes program-specific promotion information provided corresponding to each of the plurality of first program contents, and display mode information that specifies a display mode of the program-specific promotion information. The display control means arranges the promotion information for each program based on the display mode information and generates the content selection screen.

  Further, the content generation unit generates the second program content by grouping a plurality of first program contents by various categories (for example, by genre, by broadcast day, by drama, etc.). . Thereby, since the viewer can select and view desired program content from the promotion content belonging to various categories, the desired program can be easily searched.

  Further, the server-type broadcast transmission apparatus transmits the second program content every predetermined time. As a result, new promotional content is stored in the server-type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus as needed, and a content selection screen corresponding to the current program content storage status can be generated.

  According to the present invention, a promotion content (second program content) that introduces the contents of a plurality of program contents (first program content) is sent from the program provider side, and a plurality of contents are received on the server-type receiving / recording apparatus side. Since the contents of the program contents are presented at the same time, it is possible to easily select a program to be actually viewed after understanding the contents of the program.

  Further, since the second content selection screen is generated based on the promotion information included in the second program content provided from the program provider side, even if the server type broadcast receiving / recording device is changed, the program content is similar ECG. Can be presented to the viewer, and the convenience of the viewer is improved.

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

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a server-type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The server type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a hard disk recorder capable of receiving program content (broadcast signal in the case of broadcasting) transmitted from a server type broadcast transmitting apparatus (not shown) on the program provider side.

  The server-type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus 1 includes a receiving unit 11 such as a digital tuner for selectively inputting program content (digital terrestrial broadcasting, BS broadcasting, CS broadcasting, etc.) received by an antenna 10 and content information from the received program content. As a storage medium capable of recording and storing program information separating unit 12 that separates (video data and audio data) and program information, content information of recorded program content, program information as program content management data, and the like A hard disk 13, a content control unit 14 that writes content information sent from the receiving unit 11 during recording to the hard disk 13, and reads content information from the hard disk 13 during playback, and decodes content information of program content to be played back Video signal and audio The program information management control unit 16 that manages the program information of the recorded program content and writes / reads it to / from the hard disk 13, and the program content management data from the program information management control unit 16 Receiving a display control unit 17 that generates a display signal for a content selection screen, which will be described later, and a multiplexing unit 18 that selectively outputs or multiplexes and outputs the display signal from the decoding unit 15 or the display control unit 17. I have.

  Although not shown, the server-type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus 1 is provided with a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) and a light receiver for receiving a signal from the remote controller. The data is sent to the control unit 16 and the content control unit 14. The remote control is provided with various operation buttons in addition to a menu button, up / down / left / right buttons for moving the cursor, and an enter button.

  The server type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus 1 described above and the server type broadcast transmitting apparatus installed on the program provider (for example, broadcast station) side constitute a server type broadcast system.

  In this server-type broadcast system, the server-type broadcast transmission device includes content generation means for generating program content (digital broadcast signal), and sends the generated program content to the server-type reception recording device. On the other hand, the server-type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus 1 can be viewed in such a manner that the received program content is once stored in the hard disk 13 and then reproduced.

  FIG. 2 is a data chart showing a specific configuration of program content. That is, the program content transmitted from the server-type broadcast transmission apparatus includes a plurality of first program contents 101, 102,... Including content information (video data, audio data) 101a, 102a,. The second program content (promotion content) 103 including the promotion information 103a for introducing the first program content 101, 102,.

  The first program contents 101 and 102 include program information 101b and 102b in which various pieces of program information are stored in addition to the content information 101a and 102a. This program information includes broadcast station information indicating the broadcast station providing the program content, program title information, text data indicating detailed information of the program (such as introductions to performers and stories), data relating to the broadcast time of the program, etc. Various information is stored.

  On the other hand, the second program content 103 includes program information 103b in addition to the promotion information 103a. Here, the promotion information 103a is a display of program-specific promotion information 1, 2,..., N provided corresponding to each of the plurality of first program contents 101, 102,. Display mode information for specifying a mode.

  For example, the second program content may be configured to introduce all of the first program content provided by the same broadcast station, or may be configured to select and introduce a part of the first program content. Such a configuration of the second program content is left to a program provider such as a broadcasting station that provides the program content.

  The program information management control unit 16 of the server type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus 1 stores and manages the above-described program information 101b, 102b, 103b in a predetermined area of the hard disk 13 and manages it when necessary (for example, the first content selection screen is displayed). Read it when creating).

  Further, the display control unit 17 generates and displays a first content selection screen based on the program information 101b, 102b, 103b. Furthermore, the display control unit 17 can generate a second content selection screen that can select any one of the plurality of first program contents by using the promotion information 103 a included in the second program content 103. Specifically, the display control unit 17 can analyze the display mode information included in the promotion information 103a, and arranges the program-specific promotion information 1, 2,..., N based on the analysis result. 2 content selection screens can be generated and displayed.

  Next, the first and second content selection screens generated and displayed by the display control unit 17 will be described.

  FIG. 3 is an image diagram illustrating an example of a first content selection screen generated based on program information included in the program content.

  In the server type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the first content selection screen 50 shown in FIG. 3 can be displayed by performing a predetermined operation such as pressing a menu button on the remote controller. In the first content selection screen, the viewer can search for predetermined program content for reproduction, for example.

  The first content selection screen 50 shown in FIG. 3 occupies the title display frame 51 of the display screen arranged at the top and the center of the screen where the list of program content stored in the hard disk 13 is displayed. A display frame 53, a second display frame 52 in which detailed information of the program content arranged and selected above the first display frame 53 is displayed, and program content displayed in the first display frame 53. A third display frame 54 on which operation buttons 54a to 54e that can be selected when a predetermined program content is selected (the highest program content is selected in FIG. 3) is displayed.

  In the first display frame 53, a plurality of horizontally long list frames 53a to 53f are arranged in the vertical direction, and the recording date and time information of the program content as main information of each program content in each list frame 53a to 53f, Program title information is displayed.

  In the first content selection screen 50, the program contents are arranged in the order of recording date and time. The viewer can move the selection of the list frames 53a to 53f up and down, scroll the list frames 53a to 53f, or page forward by operating the direction buttons on the remote controller. Note that the selected list frame can be recognized by the viewer by changing the characters and the color in the frame or being displayed in reverse video (in FIG. 3, the selected state is shown in reverse video).

  The first content selection screen 50 is an arrangement in which all program contents stored in the hard disk 13 are arranged in order of recording date and time, and the number of displayed program contents is enormous. Some apparatuses can display program contents by broadcasting station and genre.

  In the present embodiment, in the first content selection screen, the second program for introducing a plurality of first program contents including the same as the first program contents 53b to 53f corresponding to the actual broadcast program. The content (promotion content) 53a is also selectable. In FIG. 3, the promotion content 53a is selected.

  When any program content is selected on the first content selection screen, the content information of the selected program content is read from the hard disk 13 and reproduced by the content control unit 14. However, when the second program content is selected, the display control unit 17 generates and displays a second content selection screen.

  FIG. 4 is an image diagram illustrating an example of a second content selection screen generated based on the promotion information included in the second program content.

  For example, in the first content selection screen 50 shown in FIG. 3, when the determination (playback) button is operated while the second program content (promotion content) is selected, the second content selection screen 60 is generated and displayed. In the second content selection screen, the viewer can search for desired program content more efficiently.

  The second content selection screen 60 shown in FIG. 4 includes a title display frame 61 of the display screen arranged at the top, a promotion frame 62 in which details of the first program content introduced in the promotion content are displayed, It consists of Further, the promotion frame 62 includes a first display frame 62b in which promotion information for each program corresponding to each of the introduced first program contents is displayed, and main information (program title, broadcast information) of the program content selected by the cursor. And a second display frame 62a for displaying date and time, program description, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the first display frame 62b is divided into 4 × 4 16 areas, and the promotion information for each program corresponding to the 16 program contents to be introduced, for example, the digest video of each program content is divided into areas. Is arranged. When the promotion information includes program-specific promotion information of 16 titles or more, the page is turned so that all the program-specific promotion information can be displayed. Further, when the promotion information for each program included in the promotion information is less than 16 titles, a part of the divided area may be hidden and dealt with.

  On the second content selection screen 60, the viewer can move the cursor for selecting the program contents 1 to 16 or perform page feed by operating the direction buttons of the remote controller. Note that the selected program content can be recognized by the viewer by changing the display mode from another area, such as the characters and the color in the frame changing or reversed display (the program 7 in FIG. 4 is recognized). Selected).

  The display mode of the second content selection screen 60 is specified by the display mode information included in the promotion information. That is, by analyzing the display mode information, the display control unit 17 divides the screen and arranges the promotion information for each program as shown in FIG. 4 or determines the size of the cursor. A content selection screen is generated.

  When the program content is selected on the second content selection screen 60, the content control unit 14 reads the content information of the selected program content from the hard disk 13 and reproduces it. For example, when program-specific promotion information is selected by associating each program-specific promotion information with program content corresponding to the program-specific promotion information, the content information of the program content associated therewith is read out Can be played back.

  Thus, since the second content selection screen is generated by the server type broadcast receiving and recording device based on the second program content provided by the program provider, the server type broadcast receiving and recording device is changed. The program content can be presented to the viewer using the same ECG.

  Next, in the server type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a method for reproducing desired program content using the first and second content selection screens will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the program content reproduction process.

  First, in step S11, it is determined whether the first content selection screen (see FIG. 3) is displayed. If it is determined in step S11 that the first content selection screen is not displayed, the process ends as it is. If it is determined that the first content selection screen is displayed, the process proceeds to step S12. Then, in step S12, it is determined whether or not there has been an operation for selecting program content (for example, an operation of a decision button with the cursor placed on a predetermined program list) on the first content selection screen.

  Next, when it is determined in step S12 that a program content selection operation has been performed, it is determined whether the selected program content is promotional content (step S13). If it is determined in step S13 that the selected program content is not promotional content, the selected program content is the first program content that is a normal broadcast program. Playback is performed (step S16).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the selected program content is promotional content, the display control unit 17 generates and displays a second content selection screen (see FIG. 4) (step S14). In step S15, it is determined whether or not there has been an operation for selecting program content (which naturally does not include promotional content) on the second content selection screen.

  Next, when it is determined in step S15 that the program content selection operation has been performed, the content control unit 14 reproduces the program content (step S16).

  As described above, the first content selection screen is configured so that the second program content (promotional content) can be selected in the same manner as the first program content, and the display control unit 17 can select the second content on the first content selection screen. Since the second content selection screen is generated when the program content is selected, the general ECG function provided in the server type broadcast receiving / recording apparatus itself can be used effectively. That is, the second content selection screen can be presented by presenting the first content selection screen based on the program information included in the program content and causing the second program content to be selected on this screen. There is no need to provide special operation means or the like in order to display the content selection screen.

  In this embodiment, the program provider side sends out promotional content (second program content) introducing the contents of a plurality of program contents (first program content), and the server-type receiving / recording apparatus side receives a plurality of programs. Since the contents are presented at the same time, the viewer can easily select a program to be actually viewed after understanding the contents of the program.

  Further, since the second content selection screen is generated based on the promotion information included in the second program content provided from the program provider side, even if the server type broadcast receiving / recording device is changed, the program content is similar ECG. Can be presented to the viewer, and the usability of the viewer can be improved.

  As mentioned above, although the invention made by this inventor was concretely demonstrated based on embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  For example, a plurality of first program contents are grouped in various categories (for example, by genre, by broadcast day, by broadcast day, by drama series, etc.), and the first program contents belonging to the same group are introduced. The promotion information 103a of the second program content 103 may be configured. As a result, the viewer can select and view a desired program content from the grouped program content, so that the desired program can be easily searched.

  Further, it is desirable that the server-type broadcast transmission apparatus transmits the second program content every predetermined time. As a result, new promotional content is accumulated at any time in the server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus, so that a content selection screen corresponding to the current program content accumulation status can be generated and displayed.

  Also, a plurality of types of second program content may be provided from the broadcasting station.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the second content selection screen 60 is displayed by performing a predetermined operation on the first content selection screen 50. However, a dedicated button is provided on the remote control, and this dedicated button is displayed. The second content selection screen may be displayed in one shot by operating.

  In addition, the transmission path through which program content is provided is not limited to broadcast radio waves such as terrestrial digital broadcast, BS broadcast, and CS broadcast, and Internet communication may be used.

  In addition, the specific configuration shown in the embodiment, such as the type of storage medium in which program content is stored, the medium for recording program information to be managed, and the recording method can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. is there.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the server type | mold reception recording device of this embodiment. It is an example of the data chart of program content. It is an image figure showing an example of the 1st contents selection screen. It is an image figure showing an example of the 2nd contents selection screen. It is a flowchart which shows a program content reproduction process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Server type broadcast reception recording device 10 Antenna 11 Receiving part (tuner)
12 program information separation unit 13 hard disk 14 content control unit 15 decoding unit 16 program information management control unit 17 display control unit 18 multiplexing unit 50 first content selection screen 60 second content selection screen

Claims (9)

Receiving means capable of receiving program content transmitted from a server-type broadcast transmitting apparatus installed on the program provider side;
A storage medium capable of storing the program content;
Content control means for controlling processing for writing the program content to the storage medium and processing for reading the program content from the storage medium;
Display control means for generating and displaying a first content selection screen capable of selecting the program content stored in the storage medium based on program information included in the program content;
A server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus comprising:
The program content is composed of a first program content including content information of a broadcast program, and a second program content including promotion information for introducing a plurality of the first program content,
The promotion information includes program-specific promotion information provided corresponding to each of the plurality of first program contents, and display mode information that specifies a display mode of the program-specific promotion information.
The first content selection screen is configured to be able to select the first program content and the second program content,
When the second program content is selected on the first content selection screen, the display control means arranges a plurality of the program-specific promotion information based on the display mode information, and A second content selection screen capable of selecting program-specific promotion information corresponding to any of the program contents can be generated;
The server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus, wherein the content control means is configured to be able to reproduce the first program content corresponding to the program-specific promotion information selected on the second content selection screen. Receiving means capable of receiving program content transmitted from a server-type broadcast transmitting apparatus installed on the program provider side;
A storage medium capable of storing the program content;
Content control means for controlling processing for writing the program content to the storage medium and processing for reading the program content from the storage medium;
Display control means for generating and displaying a first content selection screen capable of selecting and reproducing the program content stored in the storage medium based on program information included in the program content;
A server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus comprising:
The program content includes a first program content including content information of a broadcast program, and a second program content including promotion information for introducing a plurality of the first program content,
The display control means can generate a second content selection screen capable of selecting any of the plurality of first program contents using the promotion information,
The server-type broadcast receiving and recording apparatus, wherein the content control means is configured to be able to reproduce the first program content selected on the second content selection screen. The first content selection screen is configured to be able to select the first program content and the second program content,
The server-type broadcast according to claim 2, wherein the display control means generates the second content selection screen when the second program content is selected on the first content selection screen. Reception recording device. The promotion information includes program-specific promotion information provided corresponding to each of the plurality of first program contents, and display mode information for designating a display mode of the program-specific promotion information.
4. The server-type broadcast according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit generates the second content selection screen by arranging a plurality of the program-specific promotion information based on the display mode information. 5. Reception recording device. A server-type broadcast transmission device installed on the program provider side and capable of transmitting program content;
In a server-type broadcast system configured to include a server-type broadcast reception recording device installed on the viewer side and capable of receiving program content transmitted from the server-type broadcast transmission device,
The server-type broadcast transmission device is:
Content generating means for generating first program content including content information of a broadcast program and generating second program content including promotion information for grouping and introducing a plurality of the first program contents in various categories Prepared,
The server-type broadcast reception recording device is
A storage medium capable of storing the program content;
Content control means for controlling processing for writing the program content to the storage medium and processing for reading the program content from the storage medium;
Display control means capable of generating a content selection screen capable of selecting any one of the plurality of first program contents using the promotion information,
The promotion information includes program-specific promotion information provided corresponding to each of the plurality of first program contents, and display mode information for specifying a display mode of the program-specific promotion information.
The server-type broadcasting system, wherein the display control means generates the content selection screen by arranging the promotion information for each program based on the display mode information. A server-type broadcast transmission device installed on the program provider side and capable of transmitting program content;
In a server-type broadcast system configured to include a server-type broadcast reception recording device installed on the viewer side and capable of receiving program content transmitted from the server-type broadcast transmission device,
The server-type broadcast transmission device is:
Content generating means for generating a first program content including content information of a broadcast program and a second program content including promotion information for introducing a plurality of the first program content;
The server-type broadcast reception recording device is
A storage medium capable of storing the program content;
Content control means for controlling processing for writing the program content to the storage medium and processing for reading the program content from the storage medium;
And a display control unit capable of generating a content selection screen capable of selecting any one of the plurality of first program contents using the promotion information. The promotion information includes program-specific promotion information provided corresponding to each of the plurality of first program contents, and display mode information for specifying a display mode of the program-specific promotion information.
The server-type broadcast system according to claim 6, wherein the display control means generates the content selection screen by arranging a plurality of the program-specific promotion information based on the display mode information.   The server-type broadcast system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the content generation unit generates the second program content by grouping a plurality of first program contents in various categories. The server-type broadcast system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the server-type broadcast transmission device transmits the second program content every elapse of a predetermined time.

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