JP2007324897A - Distribution server and client terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To evade the increase of a traffic amount of a network, while keeping convenience for a user, concerning a contents distribution system. <P>SOLUTION: The distribution server 10 video-records program contents received via a digital broadcasting signal, and distributes the program contents to client terminals 30 by unicast or multicast distribution. The server 10 includes: a distribution method determining part 17 for determining whether the program contents are distributed by the unicast or multicast distribution, based on at least one of the number of viewing incompletion viewers, which indicates the number of the client terminals to which the distribution of the program contents are not completed, and a passage time from the distribution start time of the program contents; and a contents distributor 14 for distributing the program contents to the client terminals 30 by the determined distribution method. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a distribution server configured to record program content received via a digital broadcast signal and distribute the program content to client terminals by either individual distribution or broadcast distribution, and The present invention relates to a client terminal configured to record program content received via a digital broadcast signal and reproduce the program content.

  Conventionally, a distribution server on a network records program content received via a digital broadcast signal, and distributes the program content to the client terminal by unicast in response to a playback request from the client terminal. A configured content distribution system is known.

  However, such a content distribution system requires a communication band proportional to the number of client terminals, and the amount of traffic in the network increases as the number of client terminals that transmit playback requests increases. It was.

In order to solve such a problem, in Patent Document 1, when the distribution server distributes the same program content to a plurality of client terminals by different unicasts, the distribution server responds to the distribution status of each unicast. Thus, a content distribution system is disclosed that switches such a program content to be aggregated and distributed by a single multicast to client terminals that are located in close proximity.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-80566

  However, according to the content distribution system according to Patent Document 1, it is possible to reduce the amount of traffic in the network. However, since the distribution method is switched from unicast to multicast while the client terminal is reproducing the program content, the client terminal For the user, trick play such as fast-forward, rewind, and skip is suddenly restricted, and there is a problem that usability deteriorates.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in the content distribution system, a distribution server and a client terminal capable of avoiding an increase in the amount of network traffic while maintaining usability for the user The purpose is to provide.

  A first feature of the present invention is configured to record program content received via a digital broadcast signal and distribute the program content to client terminals by either individual distribution or broadcast distribution. Individual distribution of the program content based on at least one of the number of unviewed viewers indicating the number of client terminals to which the program content has not yet been distributed or the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content. Or a distribution method determination unit configured to determine whether to distribute by broadcast distribution, and configured to distribute the program content to the client terminal by the determined distribution method And a content distribution unit.

  According to this invention, when the distribution server is expected to increase the amount of network traffic in consideration of the number of unviewed program content and the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content, Is distributed by broadcast distribution (multicast), the load on the distribution server and the communication band necessary for distribution can be reduced.

  Specifically, the distribution server determines that the reproduction requests for the program content from the client terminal are concentrated as the number of non-viewers of the program content is large and the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content is short. Then, the program content is distributed by broadcast distribution (multicast).

  In addition, according to this invention, the distribution server considers the number of non-viewers of the program content and the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content, so that broadcast distribution (multicast) in which trick play is restricted as much as possible. ), It is possible to avoid distribution of the program content, which improves convenience for the user.

  Further, according to this invention, since the distribution server determines a distribution method of the program content before distribution of the program content, the user confirms the distribution method of the program content before distribution of the program content. This improves convenience for the user.

  Further, according to this invention, since the distribution server determines the distribution method of the program content before distribution of the program content, the distribution method is suddenly switched from individual distribution (unicast) to broadcast distribution (multicast). It is possible to prevent such inconvenience for the user.

  Further, according to this invention, since the distribution server determines the distribution method of the program content before distribution of the program content, the distribution method of the program content is changed during the distribution of the program content. Without having means, it is possible to reduce the load on the distribution server and the communication band necessary for distribution.

  In the first feature of the present invention, the distribution method determination unit further determines whether to distribute the program content by individual distribution or broadcast distribution based on a time zone for distributing the program content. It may be configured.

  According to such an invention, the distribution method determination unit is configured from the evening to the night when reproduction requests from the client terminal are considered to be concentrated even for the program content determined to be distributed by multicast in the above-described method. In the time zone, it can be determined to deliver by multicast, and in other time zones, it can be decided to deliver by unicast.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a client terminal configured to record a program content received via a digital broadcast signal and reproduce the program content, the program content being transmitted to a distribution server. A recording reservation request transmitting unit configured to transmit a recording reservation request for requesting to record the recording reservation, and a recording reservation indicating the number of the recording reservation requests transmitted for the program content from the distribution server A recording reservation number acquisition unit configured to acquire the number of cases, and based on the acquired number of recording reservations, is configured to determine whether or not to record the program content also in the client terminal The gist is to include a local recording determination unit.

  According to this invention, when the number of recording reservations for a particular program content is large, the program is assumed on the assumption that the program content is distributed by broadcast distribution (multicast) in which trick play is restricted. Content can be recorded locally, which improves convenience for the user.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, the recording reservation number acquiring unit may be configured to acquire the recording reservation number when the recording reservation request is transmitted by the recording reservation request transmitting unit. .

  According to this invention, when a recording reservation request for program content is transmitted, the client terminal can acquire the number of recording reservations for the program content without transmitting a separate request.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, the recording reservation number acquisition unit may be configured to acquire the recording reservation number a predetermined time before the broadcast time of the program content.

  According to this invention, even when the client terminal transmits a recording reservation request for the program content well before the broadcasting time of the program content, the number of recording reservations immediately before the broadcasting time of the program content is acquired. The number of recording reservations at the time of broadcasting the program content can be grasped more accurately.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a client terminal configured to record a program content received via a digital broadcast signal and reproduce the program content, the program content being transmitted to a distribution server. A recording reservation request for requesting recording of the program content, and recording program control unit configured to record the program content also in the client terminal, and the distribution server, The program content recorded in the client terminal is deleted when it is detected that the program content has been changed from the state distributed in the information distribution to the state distributed in the individual distribution. A client terminal comprising a content storage unit.

  According to this invention, in the distribution server, when it is detected that the program content has been changed from the state of distributing by broadcast distribution (multicast) to the state of distributing the program content by individual distribution (unicast), Since the program content stored on the client terminal side is configured to be deleted, the storage capacity of the client terminal is ensured while ensuring convenience for the user due to being able to always use trick play. Can be saved.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the content distribution system, it is possible to provide a distribution server and a client terminal that can avoid an increase in the amount of network traffic while maintaining convenience for users. it can.

(Configuration of content distribution system according to the first embodiment of the present invention)
The configuration of the content distribution system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a distribution server 10 and a client terminal 30.

  The distribution server 10 records the program content received via the digital broadcast signal, and distributes the program content individually (hereinafter referred to as unicast) or broadcast distribution (hereinafter referred to as multicast, but may be broadcast). The server device is configured to be distributed to the client terminal 10 by either.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the distribution server 10 includes a broadcast receiving unit 11, a recording unit 12, a content storage unit 13, a content distribution unit 14, a content information management unit 15, and a recording reservation reception. Unit 16 and a distribution method determining unit 17.

  The broadcast receiving unit 11 is configured to receive a digital broadcast signal transmitted from a radio wave or a cable.

  The broadcast receiving unit 11 is configured to extract program guide data (EPG) from the received digital broadcast signal and transmit it to the content information management unit 15. The broadcast receiving unit 11 is configured to extract program content from the received digital broadcast signal and transmit the program content to the recording unit 12 and the content distribution unit 14.

  The recording unit 12 is configured to store the program content transmitted from the broadcast receiving unit 11 in the content storage unit 13. Note that the recording unit 12 may be configured to encrypt or compress the program content and store it in the content storage unit 13.

  The content information management unit 15 is configured to manage content information that is information about each program content stored in the content storage unit 13 with reference to the program guide data received from the broadcast receiving unit 11. Yes.

  Specifically, the content information management unit 15 is configured to update the above-described content information in response to a recording reservation request transmitted from each client terminal 30.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the content information includes “content ID”, “program information (program name)”, “program information (channel #)”, “program information (broadcast time)”, and “retention period”. “Content path”, “distribution method”, “multicast distribution start time”, “multicast distribution interval”, “recording reservation number”, and “viewed number” are associated with each other.

  “Content ID” indicates identification information of a specific program content, “Program information (program name)” indicates a program name included in the program content, and “Program information (channel #)” indicates the program content. Indicates a channel number to be distributed, and “program information (broadcast time)” indicates a date and time when the program content is broadcast by the above-described digital broadcast signal.

  “Retention period” indicates the date and time when the program content is deleted from the content storage unit 13 (or the period during which the program content is stored in the content storage unit 13). Indicates a directory (path) in which the program content is stored.

  “Distribution method” indicates whether the program content is to be distributed by unicast or multicast.

  “Multicast distribution start time” is set when the above-described distribution method is multicast, and indicates the date and time when distribution of the program content by multicast is started.

  “Multicast distribution interval” is set when the above-described distribution method is multicast, and indicates a time interval at which the program content is distributed by multicast.

  “Recording reservation count” indicates the number of client terminals that have transmitted a recording reservation request for the program content, and “viewed count” indicates the number of client terminals to which the program content has already been distributed.

  Further, the content information management unit 15 is configured to manage information about program content reserved for recording by each client terminal.

  The recording reservation receiving unit 16 is configured to perform a reception process for a request regarding recording of program content transmitted from the client terminal 30 and return the result of the reception process to the client terminal 30 as necessary. Yes.

  Specifically, the recording reservation accepting unit 16 is configured to acquire program guide data from the content information management unit 15 and transmit the program guide data to the client terminal 30 in response to a program guide request transmitted from the client terminal 30. Has been.

  In addition, the recording reservation receiving unit 16 updates the “number of recording reservations” in the content information stored in the content information management unit 15 in response to the recording reservation request and the recording reservation cancel request transmitted from the client terminal 30. The recording reservation response and the recording reservation cancellation response indicating that the recording reservation request and the recording reservation cancellation request have been accepted are sent back to the client terminal 30.

  In response to the recording reservation list request transmitted from the client terminal 30, the recording reservation accepting unit 16 takes out information on the program content reserved for recording by each client terminal from the content information management unit 15, and Along with the content distribution method, it is configured to send a reply to the client terminal 30.

  The distribution method determination unit 17 unicasts the program content based on at least one of the number of unviewed viewers indicating the number of client terminals to which the program content has not yet been distributed or the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content. Alternatively, it is configured to determine whether to distribute by multicast.

  Specifically, the distribution method determination unit 17 is triggered by a notification that the number of recording reservations has been updated from the recording reservation receiving unit 16 or an alarm notification from the internal clock at regular intervals. 13, “recording reservation number (N)”, “viewed number (n)” and “program information (broadcast time) (T)” for each program content are acquired, and “current time (t ) ”Is calculated, and“ the index value (I) of the expected reproduction request frequency per unit time ”is calculated using the acquired value.

  It should be noted that as the “program recording number (N)” is large for the program content and the number of non-viewers is large, and the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content is short, the reproduction requests from the client terminal are concentrated. For this reason, for example, the distribution method determination unit 17 can calculate the “index value (I) of the expected reproduction request frequency per unit time” using the following (Equation 1).

I = (N−n) / (α + (t−T)) (Formula 1)
In (Expression 1), “α” is a constant, “N−n” indicates the number of unviewed viewers, and “t−T” indicates an elapsed time from the start time of distribution of the program content. Indicates.

  If the “index value (I) of expected reproduction request frequency per unit time” is equal to or greater than the threshold value i, the distribution method determination unit 17 determines that the program content is distributed by multicast, and the “estimation per unit time” If the “reproduction request frequency index value (I)” is less than the threshold value i, the program content is determined to be distributed by unicast.

  The distribution method determination unit 17 stores the distribution method for each program content determined as described above in the content information management unit 15.

  The distribution method determination unit 17 may be configured to shorten the “multicast distribution interval” of the program content as the “index value (I) of expected reproduction request frequency per unit time” increases. .

  Further, the distribution method determination unit 17 may be configured to determine whether to distribute the program content by unicast or multicast based on the time zone for distributing the program content.

  For example, even if the program content is determined to be distributed by multicast according to the above-described method, the distribution method determination unit 17 is in the time zone from evening to night when the reproduction requests from the client terminal are considered to be concentrated. May be determined to be distributed by multicast and distributed by unicast in other time zones.

  When the distribution server 10 according to the present embodiment provides a video on demand (VOD) service, the distribution method determination unit 17 replaces “N” with “number of recording reservations” in (Equation 1). Then, after calculating the “index value (I) of expected playback request frequency per unit time” as the “total number of members of the video on demand (VOD) service”, the program content is converted to the same unit as in the above example. You may decide whether to deliver by cast or multicast.

  The content distribution unit 14 is configured to distribute the program content to the client terminal 30 by the distribution method determined by the distribution method determination unit 17.

  The content distribution unit 14 is configured to divide the program content transmitted from the broadcast receiving unit 11 into packets and distribute the divided program content to the client terminal 30 via the router 100 or the like.

  Specifically, the content distribution unit 14 is configured to distribute program content by three distribution methods of “live distribution”, “periodic distribution”, and “on-demand distribution”.

  In the case of live distribution, the content distribution unit 14 is configured to distribute the real-time program content transmitted from the broadcast reception unit 11 to the client terminal 30 by multicast.

  In addition, in the case of regular distribution, the content distribution unit 14 acquires a list of program contents scheduled to be distributed by multicast from the content information management unit 15, and at the distribution start time of each program content, Obtained from the storage unit 13 and distributed by multicast.

  In addition, in the case of on-demand distribution, the content distribution unit 14 distributes the program content for which the reproduction request has been made in unicast in the content information management unit 15 in response to the reproduction request transmitted from the client terminal 30. When the confirmation result is affirmative, the program content is acquired from the content storage unit 13 and distributed by unicast.

  When the distribution of a specific program content is completed, the content distribution unit 14 is configured so that the content information management unit 15 increments the “number of viewed items” in the content information related to the program content.

  On the other hand, the client terminal 30 according to the present embodiment is a digital broadcast receiving apparatus configured to record program content received via a digital broadcast signal and reproduce the program content.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the client terminal 30 includes a recording reservation control unit 31, a content receiving unit 32, a recording unit 33, a content storage unit 34, a reproduction instruction unit 35, and a content reproduction unit. 36 and a display unit 37.

  The recording reservation control unit 31 is configured to perform a recording reservation process for a series of program contents.

  Specifically, the recording reservation control unit 31 responds to an input by the user, a program guide request for requesting program guide data, a recording reservation request for requesting recording of specific program content, Generates a recording reservation cancellation request for requesting cancellation of a recording reservation for a specific program content, a recording reservation list request for requesting a recording reservation list, a recorded list request for requesting a recorded list, etc. Then, it is configured to transmit to the distribution server 10.

  In addition, the recording reservation control unit 31 acquires the program guide data, the recording reservation response, the recording reservation cancellation response, the recording reservation list, the recorded list, and the like, which are responses to the above request, from the distribution server 10 and displays the display unit 37. Configured to send to.

  In addition, the recording reservation control unit 31 transmits a recording reservation request for requesting to record a specific program content to the distribution server 10 and automatically or by user designation. May be configured to record at the client terminal (that is, to perform local recording).

  Specifically, the recording reservation control unit 31 acquires the number of recording reservations indicating the number of recording reservation requests transmitted for the program content from the distribution server 10, and based on the acquired number of recording reservations, the program content The client terminal 30 may determine whether or not to record.

  For example, if the number of recording reservations related to the program content is greater than the predetermined threshold A, the recording reservation control unit 31 determines to record the program content also on the client terminal 30.

  The recording reservation control unit 31 may be configured to acquire the number of recording reservations described above from the recording reservation response corresponding to the recording reservation request when the recording reservation request is transmitted. The predetermined number of recording reservations may be acquired before a predetermined time before the broadcast time of the content.

  The recording reservation control unit 31 instructs the content receiving unit 32 to receive the program content distributed by the live distribution from the distribution server 10 at the broadcast time of the program content set to perform local recording. The recording unit 33 is instructed to store (record) the program content received by the content receiving unit 32 in the content storage unit 34.

  The reproduction instructing unit 35 is configured to perform reproduction control on the program content distributed by the distribution server 10 or the program content recorded in the content storage unit 34 in accordance with a user input.

  Specifically, in the case of live content playback, the playback instruction unit 35 sends the program content distributed by live distribution in the selected channel number to the content receiving unit 32 in response to a channel selection operation by the user. Instruct to receive.

  In addition, in the case of recording content playback, the playback instruction unit 35 instructs to perform playback control on the selected program content in response to the user's selection operation of the program content from the recorded list.

  More specifically, in the case of regular distribution reproduction of recorded content reproduction, the reproduction instruction unit 35 sends the content reception unit 32 to the selected multicast distribution time in response to a program content selection operation by the user. Instruct to receive program content to be distributed.

  In addition, in the case of on-demand distribution reproduction of recorded content reproduction, the reproduction instruction unit 35 distributes the selected program content to the distribution server 10 in a unicast manner in response to a program content selection operation by the user. A reproduction request for requesting to be transmitted is transmitted, and the content receiving unit 32 is instructed to receive the program content transmitted by unicast.

  Also, in the case of local playback of recorded content playback, the playback instruction unit 35 sends the selected program content to the content playback unit 36 to the content storage unit 34 in response to a user's selection operation of the program content. Instruct to send.

  When the distribution server 10 detects that the state in which the specific program content is distributed by multicast is changed to the state in which the program content is distributed by unicast, the reproduction instructing unit 35 includes the content storage unit 34. On the other hand, the program content recorded in the client terminal 30 (that is, the program content for which local recording was performed) may be instructed to be deleted.

  The content receiving unit 32 establishes a unicast communication channel or a multicast communication channel with the distribution server 10 in accordance with an instruction from the reproduction instruction unit 35 or the recording reservation control unit 31, and configures program content. Configured to receive a packet.

  The content receiving unit 32 is configured to perform alignment processing, error correction processing, and the like on the received packet, and then reconstructs the program content and transmits it to the recording unit 33 or the content reproduction unit 36.

  The recording unit 33 is configured to store the program content transmitted from the content receiving unit 32 in the content storage unit 34 in response to an instruction from the recording reservation control unit 31.

  The content reproduction unit 36 is configured to decode the program content received from the content reception unit 32 or the content storage unit 34 into a video signal and an audio signal and display them on the display unit 37.

  The display unit 37 is a television receiver, and includes on-screen data (for example, program guide data, recording reservation response, recording reservation cancellation response, recording reservation list, and recorded list) transmitted by the recording reservation control unit 31. The video signal and the audio signal transmitted by the content reproduction unit 36 are configured to be displayed / reproduced.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a recording reservation list screen displayed by the display unit 37, and FIG. 4 shows an example of a recorded list screen displayed by the display unit 37.

(Operation of the content distribution system according to the first embodiment of the present invention)
The operation of the content distribution system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, a recording reservation operation in the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in step S1001, when the user refers to the program guide data displayed on the display unit 37 of the client terminal 30 and operates to record a specific program content, the client terminal 30 The recording reservation control unit 31 transmits a recording reservation request for requesting to record the program content selected by the user to the distribution server 10.

  In step S <b> 1002, the recording reservation receiving unit 16 of the distribution server 10, in response to the recording reservation request transmitted from the client terminal 30, reserves recording of the program content for the client terminal 30. And the “recording reservation number” in the content information stored in the content information management unit 15 is updated.

  In step S1003, the recording reservation receiving unit 16 of the distribution server 10 returns a recording reservation response indicating that the above-described recording reservation request has been received to the client terminal 30. Here, it is assumed that the recording reservation response includes the “number of recording reservations” for the program content.

  In step S1004, the recording reservation control unit 31 of the client terminal 30 receives the above-described recording reservation response, causes the display unit 37 to display the received recording reservation response, and performs the operation shown in FIG.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6, in step S101, the recording reservation control unit 31 of the client terminal 30 determines that the “number of recording reservations” for the program content included in the received recording reservation response is greater than the predetermined threshold A. It is also determined whether or not the

  When it is determined that the “recording reservation number” is larger than the predetermined threshold A, the recording reservation control unit 31 of the client terminal 30 records the program content also on the client terminal 30 in step S102, that is, The program content is determined to be recorded locally.

  Secondly, with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a reproduction operation in the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, in step S2001, when the user refers to the recorded list screen displayed on the display unit 37 of the client terminal 30 and performs an operation to reproduce a specific program content, the client terminal 30 The reproduction instruction unit 35 instructs the content receiving unit 32 to receive program content distributed at the multicast distribution time selected by the user.

  In step S2002, the content receiving unit 32 of the client terminal 30 establishes a multicast communication path with the distribution server 10 in response to an instruction from the reproduction instruction unit 35, and selects the program content selected by the user. Receive the packet to compose.

  In step S2003, when the distribution of the above-described program content is completed, the content distribution unit 14 of the distribution server 10 increments the “number of viewed items” in the content information related to the program content in the content information management unit 15, The distribution method determination unit 17 of the distribution server 10 performs the operation shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in step S201, the distribution method determination unit 17 of the distribution server 10 calculates “estimated per unit time” calculated by (Equation 1) using the “number of already viewed” updated in step S2003. It is determined whether or not the “reproduction request frequency index value (I)” is equal to or greater than “predetermined threshold value i”.

  When it is determined that the “index value (I) of expected reproduction request frequency per unit time” is equal to or greater than the “predetermined threshold value i”, the distribution method determination unit 17 determines the distribution method for the program content in step S202. When “multicast” is determined and it is determined that “index value (I) of expected reproduction request frequency per unit time” is less than “predetermined threshold i”, a distribution method for the program content is determined in step S203. Determined as “unicast”.

  Thirdly, with reference to FIG. 9, the operation when the program content distribution method is changed in the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in step S3001, the distribution method determination unit 17 of the distribution server 10 determines to change the distribution method of a specific program content from “multicast” to “unicast” (see FIG. 8). .

  In step S <b> 3002, the distribution method determination unit 17 of the distribution server 10 transmits a distribution method change notification indicating that to the client terminal 30.

  In step S3003, in response to the received delivery method change notification, the playback instruction unit 35 of the client terminal 30 causes the delivery server 10 to deliver the program content in a unicast state from the state in which the specific program content is delivered in a multicast manner. Is detected, and the content storage unit 34 is instructed to delete the program content recorded in the client terminal 30 (that is, the program content that was locally recorded). .

(Operations and effects of the content distribution system according to the present embodiment)
According to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, the distribution server 10 is expected to increase the amount of network traffic in consideration of the number of unviewed program content and the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content. In such a case, it is possible to reduce the load on the distribution server 10 and the communication band necessary for distribution by distributing such program content by multicast.

  Specifically, in the distribution server 10, as the number of non-viewers of the program content increases and the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content decreases, the reproduction requests for the program content from the client terminal 30 become more concentrated. Then, the program content is distributed by multicast.

  Further, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, the distribution server 10 performs trick play as much as possible by considering the number of unviewed program content and the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content. Since it is possible to avoid distribution of the program content by the restricted multicast, convenience for the user is improved.

  Further, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, the distribution server 10 determines a distribution method of the program content before distribution of the program content. The distribution method of the program content can be confirmed, and the convenience for the user is improved.

  Further, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, since the distribution server 10 determines a distribution method of the program content before distribution of the program content, the distribution method is suddenly switched from unicast to multicast. It is possible to prevent inconvenience for the user.

  Further, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, the distribution server 10 determines a distribution method of the program content before distribution of the program content. The load on the distribution server 10 and the communication band necessary for distribution can be reduced without having complicated means such as changing the distribution method.

  Further, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the number of recording reservations for a specific program content is large, it is assumed that the client terminal 30 distributes the program content by multicast in which trick play is restricted. Thus, the program content can be recorded locally, and the convenience for the user is improved.

  Further, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, when it is detected in the distribution server 10 that the state in which the program content is distributed by multicast is changed to the state in which the program content is distributed by unicast. Since the program content stored on the client terminal 30 side is configured to be deleted, the client terminal 30 is secured for the user due to the fact that trick play can always be used. Storage capacity can be saved.

  In addition, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, the distribution method determination unit 17 requests the reproduction from the client terminal even for program content that is determined to be distributed by multicast in the above-described method. It is possible to decide to distribute by multicast in the time zone from the evening to the night considered to be concentrated, and to distribute by unicast in other time zones.

  Also, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the client terminal 30 transmits a recording reservation request for the program content, the client terminal 30 acquires the number of recording reservations for the program content without transmitting a separate request. can do.

  Further, according to the content distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, even when the client terminal 30 transmits a recording reservation request for the program content well before the broadcast time of the program content, the program content The number of recording reservations immediately before the broadcast time can be acquired, and the number of recording reservations at the time of broadcasting the program content can be grasped more accurately.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail using the above-described embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification. The present invention can be implemented as modified and changed modes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the description of the scope of claims. Therefore, the description of the present specification is for illustrative purposes and does not have any limiting meaning to the present invention.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a content distribution system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the content information managed by the content information management part of the delivery server which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the video recording reservation list screen displayed by the display part of the client terminal which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the recorded list screen displayed by the display part of the client terminal which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the video recording reservation operation | movement in the content delivery system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the recording reservation in the client terminal which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the reproduction | regeneration operation | movement in the content delivery system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement after the content delivery completion in the delivery server which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement when the delivery method of a program content is changed in the content delivery system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Content distribution system 10 ... Distribution server 11 ... Broadcast receiving part 12 ... Recording part 13 ... Content storage part 14 ... Content distribution part 15 ... Content information management part 16 ... Recording reservation reception part 17 ... Distribution method determination part 30 ... Client terminal 31 ... Recording reservation control unit 32 ... Content reception unit 33 ... Recording unit 34 ... Content storage unit 35 ... Reproduction instruction unit 36 ... Content reproduction unit 37 ... Display unit 100 ... Router

Claims (6)

A distribution server configured to record program content received via a digital broadcast signal and distribute the program content to a client terminal by either individual distribution or broadcast distribution;
Based on at least one of the number of unviewed viewers indicating the number of client terminals to which the program content has not yet been distributed or the elapsed time from the distribution start time of the program content, the program content is either individually distributed or broadcasted. A delivery method determination unit configured to determine whether to deliver with,
A distribution server comprising: a content distribution unit configured to distribute the program content to the client terminal by the determined distribution method.   The distribution method determining unit is further configured to determine whether to distribute the program content by individual distribution or broadcast distribution based on a time zone for distributing the program content. The distribution server according to claim 1. A client terminal configured to record program content received via a digital broadcast signal and play the program content,
A recording reservation request transmission unit configured to transmit a recording reservation request for requesting the distribution server to record the program content;
A recording reservation number acquisition unit configured to acquire a recording reservation number indicating the number of the recording reservation requests transmitted for the program content from the distribution server;
A client terminal comprising: a local recording determination unit configured to determine whether to record the program content also in the client terminal based on the acquired number of recording reservations.   The recording reservation number acquisition unit is configured to acquire the number of recording reservations when the recording reservation request is transmitted by the recording reservation request transmission unit. Client terminal.   The client terminal according to claim 3, wherein the recording reservation number acquisition unit is configured to acquire the number of recording reservations a predetermined time before the broadcast time of the program content. A client terminal configured to record program content received via a digital broadcast signal and play the program content,
A recording reservation control unit configured to transmit a recording reservation request for requesting to record the program content to the distribution server, and to record the program content also in the client terminal;
The program recorded in the client terminal when the distribution server detects that the program content has been changed from broadcast distribution to a state in which the program content is distributed individually. A client terminal comprising: a content storage unit configured to delete content.

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