JP2008017228A - Commodity information provision method, and video playback unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system capable of providing commodity information accurately and readily, with regard to a target commodity presently being displayed on video. <P>SOLUTION: A commodity information provision method temporarily suspends video playback being in progress, according to a first instruction from a user; displays a cursor in the video, moves the cursor according to a second instruction from the user; obtains a data specifying a commodity in the video image specified by the present cursor position according to a third instruction from the user; decides a server in a communication network, corresponding to the above commodity from the data specifying the commodity; accesses the server; downloads and displays the commodity information related to the above commodity; and informs the server about the purchase of the commodity, in response to a fourth instruction that is to be input from the input unit according to the above commodity information display. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video reproduction apparatus capable of making a purchase order for a product displayed in a video program to a server on a network such as the Internet.

  Merchandise sales method using TV broadcast In so-called TV shopping, a distributor or the like who wants to sell a product broadcasts broadcast content introducing the target product by television broadcast. Conventionally, a viewer who viewed the content can apply for purchase by telephone or mail. The merchant who receives the purchase application from the viewer provides the product, and the viewer pays the price.

  In recent years, TV shopping combined with the Internet has been put into practical use. The system introduces products and contact information in TV broadcast programs, provides product information on the Internet, and accepts orders online.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a business method and a digital broadcast receiving apparatus for selling products linked to broadcast contents using digital broadcasting as described above. In this document, when a user instructs display of product information with a remote controller while viewing a program, a list of product information is displayed on the screen. The user confirms the contents of the list and determines the target product. Then, the product information of the product is downloaded from a server on the Internet and displayed on the screen.
JP 2002-330422 A

  In Patent Document 1, a list of product information is displayed by paying attention only to the video playback time when the display of product information is instructed by a remote control. Therefore, when a plurality of products are included in the video at the same time, there is a problem that it is necessary to check the contents of the displayed list and select the desired product desired by the user again.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of accurately and easily providing product information of a target product in a displayed video.

  The product information providing method of the present invention includes a step of pausing the reproduced video and displaying a cursor in the video according to a first instruction input from the user via the input unit; The step of moving the cursor according to a second instruction input from the user via the input unit, and the current instruction according to a third instruction input from the user via the input unit Obtaining data specifying a product in a video specified by a cursor position, determining a server on a communication network corresponding to the product from the data specifying the product, accessing the server, In response to a step of downloading and displaying product information related to the product, and a fourth instruction input from the input unit in response to the display of the product information, Comprising the step of notifying the buying of goods to the server, the.

  Video content is distributed by digital broadcasting, for example. The correspondence information between the video and the product and the product information are distributed as data broadcasting content together with the digital broadcasting video content or simultaneously or when necessary by means such as a network.

  In the present invention, by providing a method for directly selecting a product itself in a video, product information (Web content) of the target product can be provided accurately and easily.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This system is implemented as a TV drama type Web shop system, and includes a broadcasting station 11, a Web content server 12, and a television device 10.

  The broadcast station 11 distributes video content, data broadcast content information, and data broadcast content including product information, which will be described later, to the television apparatus 10. The television apparatus 10 reproduces video content from the received broadcast, acquires necessary video / product correspondence information and product information from the data broadcast content, and holds the information. Here, broadcasting refers to digital broadcasting such as BS digital and terrestrial digital. The user changes and determines the position of the cursor displayed on the television device 10 using the remote controller 13.

  The television device 10 generates information for specifying the selection target by the determination operation of the user 106, refers to the correspondence information between the video and the product based on the information, and selects the selected position or a position close to the selected position. The displayed product is determined as the selected product. The television apparatus 10 acquires the homepage address of the selected product from the product information, and transmits a request to the Web content server 12 via the network.

  The web content server 12 transmits predetermined web content to the television device 10 based on a request from the television device 10. The television apparatus 10 displays the Web content received via the network on the screen.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the television apparatus 10 as the video reproduction apparatus of the present invention.

  The television apparatus 10 includes a broadcast communication unit 21, a broadcast data processing unit 22, a network communication unit 23, a network data processing unit 24, an output processing unit 25, a display unit 26, a primary storage unit 27, a control unit 28, and an input unit 29. .

  The television apparatus 10 receives a broadcast wave from the broadcast station 11 by the broadcast communication unit 21 and separates it into video content and data broadcast content by the broadcast data processing unit 22. The broadcast data processing unit 22 decodes the video content and outputs it to the output processing unit 25, and outputs the data broadcast content to the control unit 28.

  Communication with the Web content server 12 via the network is performed by the network communication unit 23. The Web content received by the network communication unit 23 is converted into image data for screen display by the network data processing unit 24 and sent to the output processing unit 25.

  The output processing unit 25 generates a video in which the cursor 104 is synthesized at a predetermined position of the video from the broadcast data processing unit 22 or the network data processing unit 24, and sends the generated image to the display unit 26. The display unit 26 displays the image from the output processing unit 25 on the screen.

  The control unit 28 temporarily accumulates the data broadcast content sent from the broadcast data processing unit 22 in the temporary storage unit 27. The HDD 30 records video content sent from the broadcast data processing unit 22 via the control unit 28 as necessary. A signal from the remote control 13 is received by the remote control signal input unit 29, and the operation content is sent to the control unit 28. The control unit 28 instructs the output processing unit 25 to change the cursor position, for example, based on the operation content, or performs a determination operation described later.

  Next, a method for linking the video display state to the product information will be described.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a display screen of the television device. The display screen includes a video playback screen 41 in FIG. 3A and a Web content playback screen 42 in FIG. The video playback screen 41 is a playback screen for video content received via broadcasting. On the video playback screen 41, a cursor is displayed. The Web content playback screen 42 is a playback screen for Web content downloaded from a server on the network. On the Web content reproduction screen 42, product information of a product selected using a cursor, such as a product name and a product price, is displayed.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation when a product is selected by a user operation.

  When the TV drama type TV shop program according to the present invention is received and reproduced and displayed on the display unit 26, when the user presses a predetermined TV shop button (not shown) provided on the remote controller 13. (YES in S101), the control unit 28 pauses the video and displays a cursor as shown in FIG. The still image at this time is displayed using, for example, video data held in the temporary recording unit 27. The control unit 28 pauses the video and starts recording the program (S103). That is, the control unit 28 records the video data of the program currently being broadcast obtained from the broadcast data processing unit 22 in the HDD 30.

  If there is an input for moving the cursor position (Yes in step S104), the control unit 28 moves the cursor to a position corresponding to the input (step S105). If the input is a decision operation (Yes in step S106), selection position information 50 as shown in FIG. 5 is acquired based on the cursor selection position (cursor position in the still image) (S107). FIG. 6 is a display screen showing an example of acquiring the selected position information 50.

  The in-video time 52 is the playback time length of the frame displayed at the time of selection from the start of the program, the selection position coordinate 53 is the cursor position coordinate, the selection position color 54 is the color information of the cursor selection position pixel, and the approximate shape type 55 is the approximate shape of the approximate shape color area 51, and the approximate shape size 56 is the size of the approximate shape color area 51.

  Information 55 and 56 relating to the approximate shape is obtained as follows. First, a similar color region near the selection position as shown in FIG. Next, a shape closest to the shape of the adjacent color region 51 is selected from the shape list 57 and the shape is set as the approximate shape type 55. Further, the approximate shape size 56 is defined as the length (number of pixels) in the horizontal direction when the approximate shape is enlarged or reduced and the closest color region is approached.

  The video product correspondence table 60 shown in FIG. 7 is acquired from the data broadcasting contents stored in the temporary storage unit 27, and the video product correspondence table 60 is searched for the one corresponding to the selected position information 50. A product ID is obtained (S108). The video product correspondence table 60 is, for example, data that is updated over time according to the received data broadcast content. When there are a plurality of products in one frame, the plurality of video product correspondence tables 60 are temporarily stored. 27 is accumulated.

  Further, the product information table 70 related to the product ID obtained in step S108 is obtained from the data broadcast contents stored in the temporary storage unit 27. FIG. 8 shows an example of the product information table 70. The product information table 70 may be data that is updated with the passage of time according to the received data broadcast content, or may be received together at the start of a program, for example. The corresponding URL of the product ID is determined with reference to the product information table 70 (S109). Further, the Web content server 12 with the URL is accessed, the product information content is downloaded and reproduced, and displayed on the display unit 26 as the reproduction screen 42 in FIG. 3B (S110).

  In response to the purchase instruction input from the user via the remote controller, the purchase of the product is notified to the Web server on the product information content reproduction screen 42 (S111).

  The display screen is returned to the video playback screen 41 of FIG. 3A, and the video recorded on the HDD 30 is played back from the time when it is paused (at the time of step S102) and displayed on the display unit 26 (S113). Accordingly, playback of the paused video is started on the display unit 26 without any video scene loss.

  As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to directly display expected Web content by selecting a product in a video using a cursor.

  The above description is an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the apparatus and method of the present invention, and various modifications can be easily implemented. For example, in the above embodiment, the video content and two types of information (the video product correspondence table 60 and the product information table 70) are obtained from the broadcast wave, but part or all of the information is acquired from the server via the network. Alternatively, it may be acquired via an optical disc such as a DVD.

  In the above embodiment, the information on the selected position and the above two types of information are collated in the television apparatus. However, the information on the selected position is sent to the server via the network, and the server side collates and returns the Web content. You can also

  Furthermore, although the example which displays merchandise information according to a user instruction | indication above was demonstrated, not only this but other information may be displayed. For example, in a soccer international game program, by selecting a certain player with a cursor, the name of the player, the team name, and the like may be displayed.

It is an example of composition of a system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structural example of a television apparatus. It is a display example of a television screen. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the goods selection by user operation. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the selection position information which concerns on this invention. It is a display screen which shows the acquisition example of selection position information. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the video goods corresponding | compatible table which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the merchandise information table which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Broadcast communication part, 22 ... Broadcast data processing part, 23 ... Network communication part, 24 ... Network data processing part, 25 ... Output processing part, 26 ... Display part, 27 ... Temporary storage part, 28 control part, 29 ... Remote control Signal input section.

Claims (10)

Decoding video data and playing video;
In response to a first instruction input from the user via the input unit, pausing the reproduced video and displaying a cursor in the video;
Moving the cursor in response to a second instruction input from the user via the input unit;
Acquiring data specifying a product in a video specified by a current cursor position in response to a third instruction input from the user via the input unit;
Determining a server on a communication network corresponding to the product from data specifying the product;
Accessing the server and downloading and displaying product information about the product;
In response to a fourth instruction input from the input unit in response to the display of the product information, notifying the server of purchase of the product;
A method for providing product information, comprising: Receiving a digital broadcast and providing the moving image data;
Recording the moving image data in response to the first instruction;
The method according to claim 1, further comprising: reproducing the recorded moving image data after notifying the purchase of the product. In the obtaining step, based on the selection position information including the coordinate information and the reproduction time information on the current cursor position, and the correspondence table indicating the correspondence relationship between the currently reproduced video and the product in the video, The method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining data specifying a product. The method according to claim 3, wherein a correspondence table indicating a correspondence relationship between the video and a product in the video is received together with the moving image data via digital broadcasting. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a correspondence table indicating a correspondence relationship between the video and a product in the video is received via the communication network. Playback means for decoding moving image data and playing back video;
An input unit for inputting an instruction from the user;
In response to a first instruction input from the input unit, a means for pausing the video being played by the playback means and displaying a cursor in the video;
Means for moving the cursor in response to a second instruction input from the input unit;
According to a third instruction input from the input unit, acquisition means for acquiring data for specifying a product in a video specified by a current cursor position;
Means for determining a server on a communication network corresponding to the product from data specifying the product;
Means for accessing the server and downloading and displaying product information relating to the product;
Means for notifying the server of the purchase of the product in response to a fourth instruction input from the input unit in response to the display of the product information;
A video reproducing apparatus comprising: Receiving means for receiving the digital broadcast and providing the moving image data;
In response to the first instruction, a recording unit for recording the moving image data provided from the receiving unit;
7. The video reproduction apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising means for reproducing the moving image data recorded by the recording means after notifying the purchase of the product. The acquisition means includes means for generating selection position information including coordinate information and reproduction time information relating to the current cursor position, and a correspondence table indicating a correspondence relationship between a currently reproduced video and a product in the video. The video playback device according to claim 6, wherein data specifying the product is acquired based on the selected position information and the correspondence table. Receiving means for receiving the digital broadcast and providing the moving image data, and a correspondence table showing a correspondence relationship between the video and the product in the video is transmitted together with the moving image data via the digital broadcast. 9. The video playback apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the video playback apparatus is received by a receiving means. 9. The video reproduction apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a correspondence table indicating a correspondence relationship between the video and a product in the video is received via the communication network.

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