JP2008067282A - Content reproducing apparatus, and television receiving apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a more minute parental control according to user's demand. <P>SOLUTION: At step S1, a program map table (PMT) is acquired. At step S2, parental information of event information table (EIT) is acquired and compared with parental information of PMT so that the higher viewer age is selected. At step S3, it is judged from program information whether viewer age restriction judging processing is applied or not. In the judging processing, the viewer age is judged from the program information of EIT at step S4 and is compared with the viewer age selected at S2, whereby the higher viewer age is selected. In this operation, the EIT program information is compared with a character string in data base and when a correspondence occurs, age judgement is performed. At step S6, it is judged whether viewer restriction is applied to the immediately preceding program, and if the viewer restriction is applied, the process advances to step S7, where the viewer restriction of the immediately preceding program is canceled. At step S9, it is judged whether viewer restriction is applied to a former program and if the viewer restriction is applied, the restriction is kept. If the viewer restriction is not applied, the process advances to step S10, where the viewer restriction is applied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content reproduction apparatus, and more particularly to a content reproduction apparatus such as a television receiver having parental control (lock).

  With the diversification of society, broadcast programs have also diversified. To deal with this, parental control technology that imposes restrictions on the age that can be viewed by a program has been actively used.

  For example, for programs for which parental information is not set at a broadcasting station, the digital broadcast receiving device sets condition information (channel number, time zone, genre) for each program by the user, and controls viewing restrictions. A technique to be performed has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In addition to the parental information of broadcasting stations, we also propose a technology for setting viewing restrictions for each program without increasing memory by setting self-parental information in the parental information area that originally exists for each program. (See Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-145033 A JP 2004-7514 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the operation is complicated for the user because the user makes settings for each program. The technique described in Patent Document 2 has the same problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can perform parental control (lock) more finely according to a user while reducing the complexity of operation by the user.

  The present invention, in a content playback device such as a television receiver having parental control (lock), determines the viewing age from the content name, content information, etc., even if content parental information does not exist or exists If there is a possibility that the parental information is a program that is older than the target age, set the viewing restriction based on the age determined from the keywords included in the content information, and operate to restrict the viewing based on this. It is possible to easily restrict viewing based only on the age of the viewer. Therefore, parental information can be determined from the program name and program information, and by allowing the user to set only the age, the parental information can be determined and viewing restrictions can be performed.

  Incidentally, for programs in which parental information is not set from the broadcasting station, in the prior art, the viewing restriction is set by allowing the user to set parental information, but the program name, program information, The appropriate viewing age is determined from information such as captions, and the user is allowed to set only the viewing age, so that the viewing restriction is determined.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to estimate the viewing age and limit the viewing even for a program without parental information only by setting the age.

  In this specification, the content reproduction apparatus is defined as a broad concept including, for example, a television reception apparatus, a recording / reproduction apparatus with a recorder function using an HDD, a personal computer, a mobile phone, and the like. Further, a general viewing age limit given to content is defined as a first limit, and an age limit acquired or estimated from information related to content details such as content information (program information) is defined as a second limit.

  Hereinafter, a television receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a digital television receiver according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the digital television receiver A includes an antenna 1, a digital demodulator 3 including a tuner, a demultiplexer 11, an AV decoder 15, an output unit 17 that combines and outputs signals, A channel information acquisition unit 23, a system control unit (CPU) 27 that controls the entire apparatus, a graphic drawing / display unit 31, a viewing restriction determination information recording unit 33, a remote control light receiving unit 35, an arbitrary monitor (even if incorporated) 21) (which may be externally attached) and a remote control device 37.

  Further, an interface unit (I / F) unit 5 such as IEEE1394 may be provided, and for example, an external digital recording / reproducing device (such as a hard disk recorder) B is connected via the I / F unit 5. Can do. Further, an image can be output to the monitor 21 based on the signal from the output unit 17. The user can remotely operate the digital television receiver A using the remote controller 37. The remote control device 37 is provided with a user setting unit 37a that allows the user to set the viewing age and the like in the digital television receiver A. The channel information acquisition unit 23 acquires information such as PMT and EIT (SIT) included in a broadcast wave and a signal from a recording / reproducing device, and records the information in a program / rating information storage unit 25. The viewing restriction determination information recording unit 33 is composed of, for example, a database in which a keyword and an age are paired, and addition / change regarding contents can be performed as in a general database. The viewing restriction determination information recording unit 33 may be stored outside, for example, may be stored in an external storage device or a server that can be connected to the Internet.

  In the following, definitions and explanations regarding the information used are given. Since there are differences between Japan and North America, both will be explained.

(1) Japan 1) Rating information location a) Tuner (broadcast wave) input: PMT (Program Map Table), EIT (Event Information Table)
b) Digital recorder / player input (D-VHS, etc.) (partial transport stream): SIT (Selection Information Table)
The details of PMT, EIT, and SIT are defined by the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB). The basics are defined in ISO / IEC 13818-1. PMT is a conditional access system descriptor and is a signal sent every 100 ms. EIT and SIT are parental rate descriptors. The minimum age (from 4 to 20 years old) recommended by the viewer is described.
2) Program information a) Tuner (broadcast wave) input: EIT: Program information sent in seconds.
b) Digital recorder / player input (D-VHS, etc.) (partial transport stream): SIT
EIT and SIT are a short format event descriptor and an extended format event descriptor, respectively, and a program name and program detailed information are described respectively.

(2) USA 1) Rating information location a) Tuner input: PMT, EIT (Event Information Table)
PMT is defined in ISO / IEC 13818-1 as in Japan, but there are different types of descriptors.
EIT is standardized by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC).
b) Digital recorder / player input (D-VHS, etc.) (partial transport stream): PMT, SIT (Selection Information Table)
SIT is defined by CEA (Consumer Electronic Association), and its contents are different from those in Japan.
For example, PMT, EIT, and SIT are “Content Advisory descriptors”, which describe the levels of rating systems in the United States and Canada. For example, it is as follows.
a) TV Guidelines: TV-Y7, TV-PG, TV-14, TV-MA
b) MPAA Rating: PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, X, etc.

(3) Program information EIT (Event Information Tables), ETT (Extended Text Table)
The program name and detailed program information are described.

  Next, channel selection by PAT and PMT will be described. In a typical MPEG2 packet multiplexing method as a digital signal, a packet composed of a plurality of 188 bytes called transport stream (TS) and a fixed length transport stream packet (TSP) is multiplexed. In TS, a plurality of programs can be multiplexed. When one program is selected and decoded from a TS including a plurality of programs, tables called PMT (Program Map Table) and PAT (Program Association Table) are referred to.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the TSPs 43 to 53 (45) are divided into a header 45a and a payload and / or adaptation field 45b. The header 45a has a packet identifier (PID) for identifying each table. , PMT, EIT, video, and audio data are multiplexed as TSP payload data of a specified PID.

  The PAT is a table showing a TSP PID including a plurality of program numbers and a PMT of each program. The PMT is a table showing TSP PIDs including image and audio data included in one program. In Japan, PIDs such as subtitles are included.

  As an example of selecting a program, select one program included in the PAT, obtain the PMT from the PID of the PMT, extract the PID of the image or sound, and input the data to the AV decoder And play the program. The PID of TSP including PAT is defined as 0x0000. The TSP PID including the domestic (ARIB) EIT is defined as 0x0012, and the TSP PID including the SIT is defined as 0x001F. TSP PID including US (ATSC) EIT and ETT are described in MGT (Master Guide Table). SIT is allocated at the receiver.

  In the digital television receiver according to the present embodiment, when parental control (lock) is provided, the viewing age is judged from keywords such as the program name and program information, and the parental information of the program does not exist or exists Even if the parental information may indicate that the program is older than the target age, the viewing restriction is set based on the viewing age restriction determined from the keyword included in the program information. It is characterized by that. Based on this setting, an operation is performed so as to restrict viewing, and even when only the age of the viewer is set, viewing restriction processing can be easily performed based on this. That is, parental information is extracted from keywords such as a program name and program information, and if the user sets only the age, viewing restriction based on the extracted parental information is performed. More specifically, information such as the program name, program information, and captions provided from the broadcasting station is acquired, an appropriate viewing age for the program is determined, and the user only performs an operation for setting the viewing age. , Viewing restriction processing is performed.

  Table 1 is a table showing examples of viewing age determination keywords stored in the viewing restriction determination information recording unit 33 of the digital television receiver according to the present embodiment in Japan. Table 2 is a table in the United States. Table 3 is a table showing MPAA ratings.

  As shown in Table 1, in Japan, it is also possible to use the rating system terms in movies such as PG-12, R-15, and R-18 as keywords. As shown in Table 2, in the United States, TV Guideline has information related to viewing such as TV-Y7, TV-PG, etc., which can be used as keywords. The same applies to Table 3.

  Table 4 is a table showing examples of other keywords. In addition to programs whose rating level is already known, examples of keywords that are age-restricted are shown for programs such as drugs and violence that are not desired to be shown to boys and girls.

  Rating information can be included in keywords. Table 5 is a table showing an example in which viewing age information is added to the above keywords to create a database. The keyword can include rating information, drugs obtained from program information, violence, and the like. It has a table format in which these keywords are associated with viewing age information.

  According to the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not a character string in the database as shown in Table 5 exists in the program information, and it is determined whether or not the viewing age is appropriate.

  Table 6 shows types of ratings in TV Guideline and MPAA which are US rating systems. In Japan, the method of determining the age from the keyword is suitable, but in the United States, it is suitable to correspond to the rating levels shown in Table 6. The rating is set not by age but by the type of rating. It is checked whether or not there is a character string as shown on the left side of Table 7, and it is determined whether or not the appropriate rating is shown on the right side of Table 7. Table 8 is a table for determining the age after determining the age, as in Japan.

  Based on the above configuration, the flow of the viewing restriction process according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of the viewing restriction related process when the PMT is acquired, and is a diagram when viewing restriction setting is set by a menu. As shown in FIG. 3, PMT acquisition processing is performed in step S1, and EIT parental information is acquired from the database in step S2, and the higher viewing age is selected compared to PMT parental information. The parental information of PMT and EIT are compared and a high age is selected, but when there is no parental information, the viewing age is preferably 0 years old. As described above, if the viewing restriction setting is set, it is determined in step S3 whether or not there is a viewing age determination process from the program information (whether or not the viewing age determination process is performed from the program information). When performing the determination process (Yes), the viewing age is determined from the EIT program information in step S4, and the viewing age that is higher than the viewing age selected in step S-2 is selected. At this time, the EIT program information and the character string in the database are compared, and if they match, the age is determined. If there is no match, age 0 is assumed. When the determination process is not performed in step S3 (No), step S4 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, it is determined whether or not the selected viewing age is higher than the viewing restriction set age set by the user's menu setting. If it is above (Yes), it is determined that the new program to be viewed is not viewable, and the process proceeds to step S9. If it is not above (No), it is determined that the new program is viewable. The process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, it is determined whether or not viewing restriction is performed on the immediately preceding program. If viewing is restricted (Yes), the process proceeds to step S7, and viewing restriction on the immediately preceding program is released. In this case, the user can view the program.

  In step S9, it is determined whether or not viewing restriction is performed for the previous program. If viewing is restricted (Yes), viewing restriction is performed as it is (step S8). If viewing is not being restricted (No), the process proceeds to step S10, where viewing restriction processing, for example, video / audio mute processing is performed. In this case, the user cannot view the program.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 and shows a flow when the EIT acquisition process (step S11) is performed. In step S12, PMT parental information is acquired from the database, and a viewing age higher than that of EIT parental information is selected. The subsequent processing (from step S14 to step S18) is basically the same as the processing shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process flow when the viewing age setting is changed when the viewing age is changed from the menu. In step S21, when viewing age change / viewing age determination information change processing is performed, parental information of PMT and EIT is acquired from the database in step S22, and the one with higher viewing age is selected. The subsequent processing is the same as that in FIGS.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the viewing age is determined from the program name, program information, and the like, and when the parental information of the program does not exist or is present, the parental information is higher than the target age. If the determined age is set to restrict viewing when there is a possibility that the program is a program, it should be operated so as to impose a viewing restriction, and the viewing is restricted without allowing the user to make any special settings other than the age setting. Can do.

  It should be noted that whether to enable the viewing age determined from the program name, program information, etc. can be set in the menu. Moreover, it is preferable that the keyword determined from the program name, program information, etc. can be set from the user side or can be acquired by downloading. Also, the viewing age determined from the program name, program information, etc. may be validated or set in the menu.

  Further, the present invention can be applied to a broad concept apparatus such as a so-called content reproduction apparatus such as a recorder and a PC / mobile phone having a TV function in addition to a television receiver.

  The present invention can be used for a television receiver.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the digital television receiver by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the general data structural example of TSP. It is a figure which shows the flow of a viewing restriction related process when PMT is acquired, and is a figure in case viewing restriction setting is set by the menu. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a flow when an EIT acquisition process (step S11) is performed. It is a figure which shows the flow of a process in case viewing restriction setting is changed when viewing age is changed from a menu.

Explanation of symbols

A ... digital television receiver, 1 ... antenna, 3 ... digital demodulator, 11 ... demultiplexer, 15 ... AV decoder, 17 ... output unit, 21 ... monitor, 23 ... channel information acquisition unit, 27 ... system control unit ( CPU) 31... Graphic drawing / display unit 33. Viewing restriction determination information recording unit 35 35 remote control light receiving unit 37 37 remote control device.

Claims (8)

A content playback device that acquires content and plays back the acquired content,
A first viewing age restriction information extracting unit for detecting a first restriction on the viewing age additionally set in the content;
A second viewing age restriction information extracting unit for obtaining a second restriction on the viewing age based on content information related to the content,
A content playback apparatus comprising: a viewing restriction control unit that controls viewing restrictions related to age based on the first restriction, the second restriction, and age information set in the apparatus.   The viewing restriction control unit compares the age restriction with the higher restriction of the first restriction and the second restriction, and when the higher restriction is equal to or lower than the age information, The content playback apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so as not to perform content presentation.   The viewing restriction control unit is configured to view content when the restriction obtained when only one of the first restriction and the second restriction is obtained is equal to or less than the age information. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content reproduction apparatus is controlled so as not to perform the presentation.   The second restriction is to search a database in which a keyword included in the content information is associated with a restriction on viewing age determined for the keyword, using the keyword included in the content information as a search key. The content playback apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the viewing age limit is obtained by the following.   The content playback apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the keyword is configured to be set by a user operation.   5. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the keyword can be set by downloading.   7. The content reproduction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first restriction is databased in the same manner as the keyword. A television receiver having a parental control function,
Means for determining the viewing age from the program name and / or program information;
If the parental information of the program does not exist, if there is a possibility that the parental information is a program of a target age or higher, the viewing restriction setting is set based on the age determined from the keyword included in the program information. Means to do,
A means of setting the age;
A television receiving apparatus comprising: means for determining whether or not to restrict viewing based on the age and the viewing restriction setting, and restricting viewing when it is determined to restrict viewing.

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