JP2009065712A - Digital broadcast receiver and related information presenting program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital broadcast receiver capable of presenting information relating to a program or a scene to a viewer by receiving metadata containing related information relating to contents. <P>SOLUTION: A digital broadcast receiver 1 stores in a storage means 50 contents (data broadcast contents 50a and video-audio contents 50b) and metadata 50c containing related information, acquires a playback time of the video-audio contents 50b by means of a playback time acquiring means 621, acquires related information corresponding to the playback time from the metadata 50c corresponding to a content reference identifier of the data broadcast contents 50a under playback by means of a related information acquiring means, and presents the related information on a display screen by means of a related information presenting means 623. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital broadcast receiving apparatus and a related information presentation program for receiving metadata and content broadcast by digital broadcasting and viewing the content based on information described in the metadata.

  In recent years, contents broadcast by digital broadcasting are stored in a receiving device in the home, and viewers can view the stored contents after broadcasting, or receive and view multi-channel contents distributed via the Internet. A so-called server-type broadcast service has been proposed. In this server-type broadcasting service, a viewer can view the content being broadcast, the content stored in a home receiving device (home server), and the content in a server on the Internet without being aware of the transmission path. It can be used seamlessly.

  In such a server-type broadcasting service, for example, an index (program index) is added to a scene in video content on the program production side, and the program index is provided as metadata. The apparatus can easily search and reproduce a scene that a viewer wants to see in a program (content). The receiving device can also present a program guide and program content information to the viewer using an electronic program guide (EPG) (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).

In addition, data broadcast contents distributed by digital broadcast data broadcasting can provide information that complements the contents of video and audio programs. For example, BML (Broadcast Markup Language), which is a page description language for data broadcasting based on XML (extensible Markup Language), formulated by ARIB (Radio Industry Association), shows the characters of the drama currently being broadcast. Information related to programs such as introductions and detailed competition records in sports programs can be displayed on the screen (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2).
"Program arrangement information standard used for digital broadcasting (ARIB STD-B10)", 3.7 edition, Japan Radio Industry Association, revised on June 5, 2003 "Data Broadcast Coding and Transmission Standards for Digital Broadcasting (ARIB STD-B24)" 3.7 Edition, Second Volume, Japan Radio Industry Association, revised on June 5, 2003

However, when broadcasting and communication are integrated and content provided on multiple channels is received and viewed by a receiving device, the viewer searches for content to be viewed and information related to the content (related information). It is not easy.
In the current digital broadcasting, a plurality of scenes can be simultaneously distributed even for a single program (content). For example, in a sports program, a plurality of scenes such as a baseball scene and a soccer scene can be distributed simultaneously. However, as in the past, when a program index is provided by metadata, it is possible to easily fast-forward to the scene you want to see in the accumulated program, but you want to see from multiple scenes in the broadcast program Cannot be selected.

  In searching for a program or scene, for example, even if the viewer wants to view a scene of a program, it is difficult to select an appropriate keyword for searching the program. Further, by describing the keyword in the data broadcast content in advance, it is possible to allow the viewer to select the keyword when viewing the data broadcast content. However, in this case, since it is necessary for the program producer to describe a keyword in the data broadcast content for each program production, there is a problem that the program production cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. By receiving metadata including search information for searching for content, viewers can search for programs and scenes. To provide a digital broadcast receiving apparatus and a related information presentation program capable of presenting key information on a screen and presenting a program desired by a viewer, a scene, or related information related to the program. Objective.

  The present invention was devised to achieve the above-mentioned object. First, the digital broadcast receiver according to claim 1, as broadcast data broadcast by digital broadcast, as video / audio content and its video A digital broadcast receiving apparatus that receives metadata including related information related to audio content and data broadcast content that defines a configuration of a display screen, and reproduces the video / audio content desired by a viewer. A broadcast receiving means, a storage means, and a content reproduction means, and the content reproduction means comprises a reproduction time acquisition means, a related information acquisition means, and a related information presentation means.

  According to this configuration, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus uses the broadcast receiving means to provide video / audio content, metadata including related information related to the video / audio content, and data broadcast content that defines the configuration of the display screen. Are stored in the storage means. Here, the video / audio content is stream data composed of video and / or audio, and is data encoded by an encoding method such as MPEG2. In the metadata, a content reference identifier that associates the metadata with the broadcast data is described, and related information is described in association with the playback time of the video / audio content. The data broadcasting content is a page description language for data broadcasting, and is data described by, for example, BML (Broadcast Markup Language). The video / audio content, the data broadcast content, and the metadata are associated with each other by a content-specific identifier.

In this way, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus stores the broadcast data received by the broadcast receiving means in the storage means, so that the viewer can reproduce the program or the desired scene even after the broadcast ends. Is possible. In the following description, video / audio content and / or data broadcast content may be simply referred to as content or program.
The digital broadcast receiving apparatus then reproduces the data broadcast content (BML content) by the content reproduction means to generate display screen data. This makes it possible to present related information related to the playback time of video / audio content, and to provide more relevant information.

The content playback means acquires the playback time of the program (video / audio content) currently being played back by the playback time acquisition means, and related information related to the playback time from the metadata by the related information acquisition means. By acquiring, it becomes possible to present more highly relevant information to the viewer for the program being played.
The content reproduction means presents the related information acquired by the related information acquisition means on the display screen by the related information presentation means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a related information presenting program, wherein video / audio content, which is broadcast data broadcast by digital broadcasting, and related information related to the video / audio content are displayed as a reproduction time of the video / audio content. And the related information of the video / audio content based on the metadata describing the content reference identifier associated with the broadcast data and the data broadcast content defining the configuration of the display screen. In order to present it above, the computer is caused to function as a video / audio content reproduction means, a reproduction time acquisition means, a related information acquisition means, and a related information presentation means.

According to such a configuration, the related information presentation program can reproduce the reproduction time from the start of reproduction of the video / audio content made up of the video and / or audio reproduced by the video / audio content reproduction unit to the reproduction time point by the reproduction time acquisition unit. To get. Then, related information corresponding to the reproduction time acquired by the reproduction time acquisition unit is acquired from the metadata corresponding to the content reference identifier of the data broadcast content being reproduced by the related information acquisition unit. In this metadata, related information related to the video / audio content is described in association with the playback time of the video / audio content.
Then, the related information presentation program presents the related information acquired by the related information acquisition unit on the display screen based on the configuration defined by the data broadcast content. This makes it possible to present related information related to the playback time of video / audio content, and to provide more relevant information.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, search information for searching for a program is described in metadata included in broadcast data broadcast by digital broadcasting, so that the search information is embedded in the data broadcast content. There is no need. For this reason, the trouble of program production can be saved, and the program production cost can be kept low.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since information related to a program is described in the metadata, related information related to the program can be presented when the program is reproduced. Thus, the viewer can acquire information related to the program currently being viewed. In addition, related information related to the program is described in the metadata in association with the playback time of the video / audio content, so that information related to the playback time and related content are presented when the program is played back. Can do. As a result, information related to the program can be presented based on the time, so that more relevant information can be presented.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the related information related to the program is described in the metadata in association with the playback time of the video / audio content. Information and related content can be presented. As a result, information related to the program can be presented based on the time, so that more relevant information can be presented.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Configuration of digital broadcast receiver]
First, the configuration of a digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital broadcast receiving apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the digital broadcast receiver 1 receives and accumulates content distributed from a content provider such as a broadcasting station via a broadcast wave W of digital broadcast, and Content is played back and presented. Here, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 includes a broadcast receiving unit 10, a communication transmitting / receiving unit 20, a switching unit 30, a received data management unit 40, a storage unit 50, a content reproduction unit 60, and an operation control unit 70. The display control means 80 is provided.

  The broadcast receiving means 10 receives broadcast data (program data) broadcast by digital broadcasting via the broadcast wave W. The broadcast receiving unit 10 receives and demodulates broadcast data, performs error correction and TMCC (Transmission and Multiplexing Configuration Control) decoding, and outputs the result to the switching unit 30.

  In the program data broadcast as the broadcast data, the content and metadata are associated with each other by a content reference identifier (CRID) that is an identifier for each content. Here, the content includes video / audio content that is video and / or audio data, and data broadcast content that defines the configuration of the display screen.

  The communication transmitting / receiving means 20 acquires content specified by a content reference identifier (CRID) via a communication line N such as the Internet. For example, when “crid: //nhk.or.jp/japan_golf_2002/4R” is designated as the CRID, the CRID is stored in the server (not shown) of the broadcast station “NHK (nhk.or.jp)”. The content of “4 rounds (4R)” of “2002 Japan Open Golf (Japan_golf_2002)” is specified. The content acquired by the communication transmitting / receiving unit 20 is output to the switching unit 30.

  Based on an instruction from the received data management means 40, the switching means 30 acquires content (and metadata) from a broadcast station via the broadcast wave W or from a server such as a broadcast station via the communication line N. It is to switch whether to get. The switching unit 30 outputs the acquired content (and metadata) to the received data management unit 40 and stores it in the storage unit 50. When the viewer views the content in the broadcast time zone (Live), the acquired content (and metadata) is also directly output to the content reproduction means 60.

  The received data management means 40 manages the content (data broadcast content 50a and video / audio content 50b) stored in the storage means 50 and the metadata 50c. Specifically, the received data management unit 40 acquires the content (and metadata) output from the switching unit 30 and stores it in the storage unit 50. The received data management means 40 reads the content requested from the content reproduction means 60 from the storage means 50 and outputs it to the content reproduction means 60. If the content is not accumulated in the accumulation means 50, the received data management means 40 switches the contents. The means 30 is switched to acquire the content from a server such as a broadcasting station via the communication line N.

  The storage unit 50 (storage device) stores the content (and metadata) acquired by the received data management unit 40 and is a general recording medium such as a hard disk. The storage means 50 stores data broadcast content 50a, video / audio content 50b, and metadata 50c as content (and metadata) acquired via the broadcast wave W or the communication line N.

  Here, the data broadcast content 50a is data described in BML (Broadcast Markup Language) which is a page description language for data broadcasting. The video / audio content 50b is video and / or audio data (stream data) that is encoded by an encoding method such as MPEG2. The metadata 50c is data representing the contents of the video / audio content 50b, and includes search information for searching the video / audio content 50b.

Here, the contents of the metadata 50c will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example for explaining the contents of the metadata. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a specific example of program information metadata describing information of a program (content) itself. FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a specific example of scene information metadata describing scene information in a program. Note that a row number is attached to the left side of each metadata for convenience of explanation.
As shown in FIG. 8, the metadata includes metadata (program information metadata) describing information of the program (content) itself, and metadata (scene information metadata) describing information of the scene of the program. Contains.

  First, the program information metadata will be described with reference to FIG. In the program information metadata, a program is specified by a content reference identifier (CRID; “crid” in the figure) that is a program-specific identifier that is a key for selecting and acquiring a program (content). For example, (2002) “Japan Open in 2002” stored on the server of the broadcast station “NHK (nhk.or.jp)” by “crid: //nhk.or.jp/japan_golf_2002/4R” on the first line. A program (content) of “4 rounds (4R)” of “golf (Japan_golf_2002)” is specified.

In addition, after the (2) line, as the basic information for searching for the program, the title of the program (here, “Japan Open Golf”) by the <Title> tag in the (3) line, (4) line The outline of the program (here, “67th Japan Open Golf, Last Day”) is described by the <Synopsis> tag of the eye. Furthermore, from the (5) line to the (7) line, the genre of the program (here, “sports”) is described by the <Name> tag in the <Genre> tag. In the (8) line, a keyword (here, “golf”) is described by a <Keyword> tag.
As described above, the program information metadata can describe various information that is information for searching for a program (content). Here, the title of the program, the outline of the program, the genre, and the keyword are exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  Next, scene information metadata will be described with reference to FIG. In the program information metadata, (1) a scene in the program is specified by a segment ID (here, “S4”) as shown on the line, and (2) a program is specified by a content reference identifier (CRID) on the line. Has been identified.

  Search information for searching for a scene is described in the (3) to (10) lines. (4) The <Title> tag on the line is the title of the scene (here, “golf”), (5) The <Synopsis> tag on the line is the outline of the scene (here, “In the 13th hole on the third day, Shoji Ozaki is a hole-in-one. ”) Further, in lines (6) to (8), the genre of the scene (here, “sports”) is described by the <Name> tag in the <Genre> tag. In the (9) line, a keyword (here, “Masaki Ozaki”) is described by a <Keyword> tag.

Further, in the (11) line to the (14) line, time information indicating the position of the scene in the program is described. For example, in the (12) line, the <MediaRelIncrTimePoint> tag describes the relative position from the start of the program to the start of this scene in terms of time (msec, etc.), and in the (13) line, the <MediaDuration> tag Describes the length of the scene in terms of time (such as msec).
As described above, by describing scene information as metadata in association with a program, a search can be performed in units of scenes.
Returning to FIG. 1, the description will be continued.

The content playback means 60 plays back the content stored in the storage means 50 (video / audio content 50a and data broadcast content 50b) or the content to be viewed (live) during the broadcast time zone output from the switching means 30. It is. The content reproduced here is output (displayed) to the display device D via the display control means 80.
The content reproduction means 60 functions as a BML browser that analyzes BML and converts it into viewable data. Here, the content reproduction means 60 includes a data broadcast content reproduction means 61 and a video / audio content reproduction means 62.

The data broadcast content reproduction means 61 analyzes the data broadcast content 50a described in BML, and generates drawing data for displaying characters, images, etc. on the display device D. Furthermore, the data broadcast content reproduction means 61 has a function of executing a script language (ECMAScript, JavaScript (R), etc.) embedded in BML.
In addition to the function as a conventional BML browser, the data broadcast content reproduction means 61 includes a scene reproduction control means 610 and program related information in order to provide a scene reproduction service, a program related information presentation service, and a keyword search service. A presentation control unit 620 and a keyword search control unit 630 are provided.

  Here, an outline of the scene reproduction service, the program related information presentation service, and the keyword search service will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is an example of a display screen for explaining an outline of the scene reproduction service. FIG. 6 is an example of a display screen for explaining the outline of the program related information presentation service. FIG. 7 is an example of a display screen for explaining an overview of the keyword search service.

(Outline of scene playback service)
First, the outline of the scene reproduction service will be described with reference to FIG. The scene reproduction service is a service for selecting and reproducing a scene that a viewer wants to view when a plurality of scenes can be provided in a certain program.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a screen displayed on the display device D (see FIG. 1) in a scene reproduction service provided by a certain sports program (content). Here, as a plurality of search information for selecting a scene (scene information: corresponding to the content of the <Title> tag in FIG. 8A), “today topic (k1)”, “golf (k2)”, “Baseball (k3)” and “Soccer (k4)” are displayed on the display screen. Here, when the viewer moves the focus of the scene information k1 to k4 with the direction key (arrow key or the like) of the remote controller R (see FIG. 1), the outline of the focused scene is set to the scene outline presentation area s. For example, when “golf (k2)” is focused in the scene information, “in the 13th hole on the third day,...” In the scene outline presentation area s (corresponding to the contents of the <Synopsis> tag in FIG. 8B) Is displayed. Further, in the scene reproduction service, when the viewer determines the scene information using the determination key of the remote controller R, the scene corresponding to the scene information (for example, “baseball (k3)”) is displayed in the video area g. Thus, the viewer can determine and view the scene he / she wants to view by a simple operation.

(Outline of program related information presentation service)
Next, an overview of the program related information presentation service will be described with reference to FIG. The program related information presentation service is a service for presenting explanatory text (related explanatory text) and reproducing related content (related content) as related information related to a program (content) currently being played (viewed). is there.

  FIG. 6 shows a screen on which a scene is being played back by the scene playback service described with reference to FIG. 5 as a program being viewed. That is, in the program related information presentation service, when “baseball (k3)” is determined by the determination key of the remote controller R (see FIG. 1) in the scene information, the scene corresponding to the scene information is displayed in the video area g. In addition, related information (related explanatory text and related content) related to the scene is displayed in the related explanatory text presentation area e, and the title of the related content is displayed in the related content presentation area c. Here, the viewer moves the focus of the related contents c1 to c4 with the direction key (arrow key or the like) of the remote controller R and presses the determination key of the remote controller R, and the related content is determined. Displayed in area g. Thus, the viewer can refer to the related information (related explanatory text, related content) of the program being reproduced by a simple operation.

(Overview of keyword search service)
Next, an overview of the keyword search service will be described with reference to FIG. The keyword search service is a service in which a keyword added to a program (content) is presented on a display screen, and the viewer selects the keyword, so that the program (content) is searched based on the keyword. .

FIG. 7 shows an example of a program search screen for searching for programs based on keywords. Here, based on a keyword (program genre gk) indicating the genre (field) of the program and a keyword (program keyword pk) indicating the content of the program as keywords for program search, the storage device 50 (FIG. 1). The result of searching for the program in (see) (search results r1 to r10) is displayed on the display screen. In this keyword search service, the viewer selects a genre keyword gk and a program keyword pk displayed on the screen using the direction key and the enter key of the remote controller R (see FIG. 1), respectively, and enters the search start button area b. By moving the focus and pressing the enter key, the corresponding program, scene, etc. are searched from the content stored in the storage means 50, and for example, the title of the program is displayed as the search result. Then, when the viewer selects the search results r1 to r10 with the remote controller R, the selected program, scene or the like is reproduced. Thus, since the keyword candidates of the program are displayed on the screen, the viewer can search and view the program that he / she wants to view simply by selecting the keyword.
Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the configuration of the data broadcast content reproduction means 61 will be continued. The description will be given with reference to the screens of FIGS.

  The scene playback control means 610 controls the operation of the “scene playback service” described with reference to FIG. Here, the scene reproduction control unit 610 includes a scene information acquisition unit 611, a scene information presentation unit 612, and a scene selection unit 613.

  When the data broadcast content 50a is reproduced, the scene information acquisition unit 611 (search information acquisition unit) analyzes the metadata 50c corresponding to the data broadcast content 50a, and obtains scene information described in the metadata 50c. To get. This scene information is reproducible scene information. For example, the <Title> tag of the scene information of the metadata 50c stored in the storage unit 50 corresponding to the data broadcast content 50a (FIG. 8B) Use the title described in (see).

  The scene information presentation unit 612 (search information presentation unit) presents the scene information acquired by the scene information acquisition unit 611 on the display screen. For example, the scene information (search information) k1 to k4 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed.

  The scene selection means 613 (search information selection means) is used for viewing from the scene information presented by the scene information presentation means 612 based on the press signal of the remote controller R operated by the viewer notified via the operation control means 70. The user selects the desired scene information. The scene selection unit 613 determines a scene by pressing the determination key of the remote controller R, and uses the content reference identifier (CRID) and the scene (segment) identifier (segment ID) as the video / audio content reproduction unit 62. Notify As a result, the scene selected by the viewer is displayed on the display screen (video region g in FIG. 5).

When the scene selection means 613 moves the focus of the scene information by the direction key instead of the determination key of the remote controller R, the scene selection means 613 includes the <Synopsis> tag (see FIG. 8B) of the scene information of the metadata 50c. It is assumed that the outline of the described scene is displayed on the display screen of the display device D (scene outline presentation area s in FIG. 5) via the display control means 80.
Thus, since scene information (scene title and outline) is described in the metadata 50c in advance, it is not necessary to describe data depending on the contents of the program in the data broadcast content 50a (BML content). This saves you the trouble of creating BML content.

  The program related information presentation control means 620 controls the operation of the “program related information presentation service” described with reference to FIG. Here, the program related information presentation control unit 620 includes a reproduction time acquisition unit 621, a related information acquisition unit 622, a related information presentation unit 623, and a related information selection unit 624.

The reproduction time acquisition unit 621 is a unit for acquiring the reproduction time of the video / audio content currently being reproduced by the video / audio content reproduction unit 62. For example, the playback time acquisition unit 621 acquires from the received data management unit 40 the time when the video / audio content 50 b is sent to the video / audio content playback unit 62. The reception data management means 40 may acquire the reproduction time by referring to the time code in the video / audio content 50b, or may acquire the reproduction time by measuring a timer (not shown).
The playback time acquisition unit 621 may acquire the playback time from the video / audio content playback unit 62.

  When reproducing the data broadcast content 50a, the related information acquisition unit 622 analyzes the metadata 50c corresponding to the data broadcast content 50a, and acquires the related information described in the metadata 50c. This related information is information related to a program or a scene. For example, the program related information (related explanatory text) is stored in the <Synopsis> tag (see FIG. 8A) of the program information of the metadata 50c stored in the storage means 50 corresponding to the data broadcast content 50a. The outline of the program being described. Further, for example, the scene related information (related content) is acquired from the title described in the <Title> tag (see FIG. 8B) of the scene information of the metadata 50c. Note that the related information acquisition unit 622 can acquire related information that is highly related to a program or scene by acquiring related information corresponding to the playback time acquired by the playback time acquisition unit 621.

  The related information presentation unit 623 presents the related information acquired by the related information acquisition unit 622 on the display screen. For example, program related information (related explanatory text) is displayed as related information in the related explanatory text presentation area e shown in FIG. Further, the related information (related content) of the scene is displayed as the related content c1 to c4 shown in FIG.

The related information selection unit 624 receives the viewer from the related information (related content) presented by the related information presenting unit 623 based on the press signal of the remote controller R operated by the viewer notified through the operation control unit 70. Selects the related content desired. For example, the related information selection unit 624 selects a related content desired by the viewer from the related contents c1 to c4 in FIG. 6, thereby obtaining a content reference identifier (CRID) and a scene (segment) identifier. The video / audio content playback means 62 is notified. Thereby, the scene of the related content selected by the viewer is displayed on the display screen (video area g in FIG. 6).
As described above, since the related information is described in the metadata 50c in advance, it is not necessary to describe data depending on the contents of the program in the data broadcast content 50a (BML content). It can be omitted.

  The keyword search control means 630 controls the operation of the “keyword search service” described with reference to FIG. Here, the keyword search control unit 630 includes a keyword collection unit 631, a keyword presentation unit 632, a keyword selection unit 633, a search execution unit 634, and a search result selection unit 635.

  The keyword collecting unit 631 collects keywords that are search information for searching for programs or scenes from the metadata 50 c stored in the storage unit 50. That is, the keyword collecting unit 631 collects keywords described in advance in the metadata 50c. This keyword is information serving as a key for searching for a program (content). For example, the keyword is included in a <Genre> tag (see FIG. 8A) of program information of metadata 50c stored in the storage unit 50. The program genre described and the program keyword described in the <Keyword> tag (see FIG. 8A) are used. When searching for a scene in a program, the scene keyword described in the <Keyword> tag (see FIG. 8B) of the scene information of the metadata 50c is used as a keyword.

  The keyword presenting means 632 presents the keywords collected by the keyword collecting means 631 on the display screen. For example, the program genre gk and the program keyword pk shown in FIG. 7 are displayed. In FIG. 7, when a scene search is performed using a scene keyword, the scene keyword may be displayed as in the program genre gk.

  The keyword selection means 633 is used to select a program or scene that the viewer wants to view from the keywords presented by the keyword presentation means 632 based on the press signal of the remote controller R operated by the viewer notified via the operation control means 70. A keyword for searching is selected.

  The search execution means 634 searches for content (video / audio content 50b) from the metadata 50c stored in the storage means 50 based on the keyword selected by the keyword selection means 633. This search execution means 634 executes a search by selecting “search start b” shown in FIG. 7, for example, and displays the search results r1 to r10 on the screen. The search results r1 to r10 display the titles described in the <Title> tag (see FIG. 8A) of the program information metadata of the metadata 50c when the search target is a program. If the search target is a scene, the title described in the <Title> tag (see FIG. 8B) of the scene information metadata of the metadata 50c is displayed.

The search result selection means 635 is a list of search results searched and displayed by the search execution means 634 based on the push signal of the remote controller R operated by the viewer notified via the operation control means 70 (search in FIG. 7). From the results r1 to r10), the program or scene desired by the viewer is selected. The video / audio content playback means 62 is notified of the content reference identifier (CRID) (including the identifier of the scene (segment) in the case of a scene) of the selected program or scene. As a result, the program or scene selected by the viewer is reproduced.
Thus, since the keyword is described in the metadata 50c in advance, it is not necessary to describe the keyword in the data broadcast content 50a (BML content), and it is possible to save time and effort for producing the BML content. In addition, the viewer can select an appropriate keyword for searching for programs and scenes.

  The video / audio content playback means 62 plays back (decodes) video / audio content, and for example, decodes video / audio content encoded by an encoding method such as MPEG2. The video or audio reproduced (decoded) by the video / audio content reproducing means 62 is output to the display device D via the display control means 80.

  The operation control means 70 notifies the content reproduction means 60 of an operation instruction (a pressing signal (key code) corresponding to an operation key) input via an input means such as a remote controller R. For example, the operation control unit 70 notifies the content reproduction unit 60 of a key code corresponding to an arrow key or a determination key of the remote controller R, so that the content reproduction unit 60 performs an operation such as keyword selection. Here, the remote controller R is used as the input means, but this input means may be an operation button in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 or a keyboard connected with a connection cord.

  The display control means 80 outputs the drawing data generated by the data broadcast content reproduction means 61 of the content reproduction means 60 and the video data and / or audio data reproduced by the video / audio content reproduction means 62 to the display device D. It is. The display device D may be anything as long as it can display an image, such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT. Here, it is assumed that the display device D includes a speaker or the like that outputs sound.

  The configuration of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 according to the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the scene reproduction control means 610, the program related information presentation control means 620, and the keyword search control means 630 do not have to be all incorporated, and provide a scene reproduction service, a program related information presentation service, or a keyword search service. It is only necessary to incorporate individual configurations in some cases.

The scene reproduction control means 610, the program related information presentation control means 620, and the keyword search control means 630 can be described in BML that can be analyzed by the BML browser (content reproduction means 60) and a script language embedded in the BML. Thus, it may be configured to download and operate from a broadcast station or the like as a scene reproduction program, a related information presentation program, and a content search program.
A BML browser generally includes a browser engine that performs BML analysis, a script engine that executes a script language included in the BML, and a video / audio reproduction program that reproduces video / audio. . This video / audio playback program corresponds to the video / audio content playback means 62.

[Operation of digital broadcast receiver]
Next, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the operation will be described using the above-described scene reproduction service, program-related information presentation service, and keyword search service as examples. Note that FIG. 1 is appropriately referred to for the configuration, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are appropriately referred to for examples of display screens in each operation. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation for realizing a scene reproduction service in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation for realizing the program related information presentation service in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation for realizing the keyword search service in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus.

  Hereinafter, the scene reproduction control means 610, the program related information presentation control means 620, and the keyword search control means 630 are a scene reproduction program, a related information presentation program, and a content search program described in BML and a script language embedded in the BML. The description will be made assuming that That is, it is assumed that the content reproduction means 60 is operated by the browser engine BE and the script engine SE.

  Prior to these services, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 receives broadcast data broadcast by digital broadcast by the broadcast receiving means 10 (broadcast receiving step), and receives the received broadcast data (data broadcast content, video). (Sound content and metadata) are stored in the storage means 50 (storage step).

(Operation of scene playback service)
First, the operation for realizing the scene reproduction service will be described with reference to FIG. The digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 reads the data broadcast content (BML) currently being viewed by the browser engine BE of the data broadcast content reproduction means 61 (step S10). Then, when the browser engine BE sequentially analyzes the BML and recognizes, for example, a character string “getInformation ()”, the script engine SE performs an operation of “getInformation ()” as a status information acquisition request (step S11). ).

  Here, “getInformation ()” is a function (script language) that realizes a function of acquiring a content reference identifier (CRID) of a currently reproduced content, a reproduction time, and the like. Then, the script engine SE executes the following operation as a function of “getInformation ()”.

That is, the script engine SE inquires about the content reference identifier (CRID) corresponding to the program (content) currently being reproduced (step S12). Receiving this inquiry, the received data management means 40 notifies the browser engine BE via the script engine SE of the content reference identifier corresponding to the currently reproduced program (content) as an inquiry result notification (step S13).
The browser engine BE that has acquired the content reference identifier stores the CRID as state information in a memory (not shown) or the like (step S14).
Subsequently, when the browser engine BE analyzes the BML and recognizes, for example, a character string “getSegmentList ()”, the script engine causes the script engine to execute an operation of “getSegmentList ()” as a scene information acquisition request (Step S15). .

  Here, “getSegmentList ()” is a function (script language) that realizes a function of acquiring a list of scenes (segments) constituting a program by specifying the CRID of the program currently being reproduced as an argument. To do. Then, the script engine SE executes an operation corresponding to “getSegmentList ()”.

  That is, the script engine SE requests the scene (segment) corresponding to the CRID to the reception data management means 40 (step S16; search information acquisition step), and the reception data management means 40 sets the metadata 50c corresponding to the CRID scene. (Scene information metadata) is read from the storage means 50, and a list of scene information including the title of the scene, the outline of the scene, the segment ID, etc. is notified to the browser engine BE via the script engine SE (step S17).

The browser engine BE acquires this scene information list (step S18) and presents it on the display screen (step S19; search information presentation step). It is assumed that the segment ID that is a part of the scene information is stored in a memory or the like (not shown).
At this stage, on the display screen of the display device D, the scene information k1 to k4 shown in FIG. 5 and the outline of the scene in the scene outline presentation area s are displayed.

  The browser engine BE receives a selection of a desired scene by the remote controller R (not shown as a step; search information selection step), and then recognizes, for example, a character string “exPlaySegment ()” in the BML. As a scene data request, the script engine SE is caused to execute the operation “exPlaySegment ()” (step S20).

  Here, “exPlaySegment ()” is a function (script language) that realizes a function of requesting a program and a scene (segment) by specifying a CRID or a segment ID as an argument. Then, the script engine SE executes an operation corresponding to “exPlaySegment ()”.

  That is, the script engine SE requests the received data management means 40 for video / audio content that is scene data corresponding to the segment ID (step S21), and the received data management means 40 receives the video / audio content corresponding to the segment ID. 50b is read from the storage means 50 and notified to the browser engine BE through the script engine SE (step S22).

Then, the browser engine BE reproduces the video / audio content 50b corresponding to the segment ID as a scene (step S23; video / audio content reproduction step). As a result, the scene is reproduced in the video area g shown in FIG.
When the scene (segment) corresponding to the segment ID is not stored in the storage unit 50, the script engine SE acquires a scene (segment) from another server via the communication line N by the communication transmission / reception unit 20. (Not shown as a step).

In each of the above steps, in steps S11, S12, S14, S15, S16, and S18, the scene information acquisition unit 611 performs the operation, and in step S19, the scene information presentation unit 612 performs the operation. In steps S20 and S21, the scene selecting unit 613 performs its operation, and in step S23, the video / audio content reproducing unit 62 performs its operation.
Here, the operation of selecting and playing a scene (segment) in a program has been described. However, a plurality of scenes are grouped as a group, the group is first selected, and then the subordinates of the group are selected. It is also possible to select a scene from the layer.

  With the above operation, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 presents the search information on the screen in advance in the scene reproduction service, so that the scene that the viewer wants to view can be searched and displayed with a simple operation. Further, since the search information is described in the metadata, this service can be realized without imposing a burden on the program production of the data broadcast content itself.

(Operation of program related information presentation service)
Next, the operation for realizing the program related information presentation service will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the operation is performed following the operation described in FIG.
The digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 sequentially analyzes the BML by the browser engine BE of the data broadcast content reproduction means 61 and recognizes a character string “getInformation ()”, for example, as a status information acquisition request to the script engine SE. The operation of “getInformation ()” is executed (step S30).

Then, the script engine SE executes an operation corresponding to “getInformation ()”. Here, the script engine SE inquires about the playback time of the program (content) currently being played back (step S31). Receiving this inquiry, the received data management means 40 notifies the browser engine BE of the playback time of the program currently being played back via the script engine SE (step S32).
Subsequently, when the browser engine BE analyzes the BML and recognizes, for example, a character string “getRelatedSegment ()”, the script engine SE executes an operation of “getRelatedSegment ()” as a related information acquisition request (step S 33). ).

  Here, “getRelatedSegment ()” is a function that realizes a function of acquiring related information related to the reproduction time of the program by specifying the CRID and the reproduction time of the program currently being reproduced with arguments. To do. Then, the script engine SE executes an operation corresponding to “getRelatedSegment ()”.

  That is, the script engine SE requests the received data management means 40 for related information corresponding to the CRID and playback time of the program currently being played back (step S34). The received data management means 40 that has received this request reads the relevant information corresponding to the CRID and the playback time from the metadata 50c stored in the storage means 50, and notifies the browser engine BE via the script engine SE. (Step S35). Then, the browser engine BE presents related information of the program currently being reproduced on the display device D (step S36). Thereby, the related information (related explanatory text) of the program is displayed in the related explanatory text presentation area e shown in FIG. 6, and the related information (related content) of the scene is displayed as the related content c1 to c4.

  In each of the above steps, steps S30 and S31 are performed by the reproduction time acquisition unit 621, steps S33 and S34 are performed by the related information acquisition unit 622, and step 36 is performed by the related information presentation unit 623. Perform that action. The operation of the related information selection unit 624 is the same as the operation after step S20 in FIG.

  Through the above operation, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 can realize a program related information presentation service that refers to related information (related explanatory text, related content) of a program being reproduced by a simple operation. Since the related information is described in the metadata, this service can be realized without imposing a burden on the program production of the data broadcast content itself.

(Keyword search service operation)
Next, the operation for realizing the keyword search service will be described with reference to FIG.
The digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 sequentially analyzes the data broadcast content (BML) currently being reproduced by the browser engine BE of the data broadcast content reproduction means 61 and, for example, recognizes a character string “getKeyword ()”. As an acquisition request, the script engine SE is caused to execute the operation “getKeyword ()” (step S40).

  Here, “getKeyword ()” is a program keyword corresponding to the type from the metadata 50 c stored in the storage means 50 by designating the type of program keyword, scene keyword or program genre with an argument. , A function for realizing a function of acquiring a scene keyword or a program genre. Then, the script engine SE executes the following operation as a function of “getKeyword ()”.

  That is, the script engine SE makes an inquiry to the received data management means 40 for a specified type of keyword (program keyword, scene keyword, or program genre) from the metadata 50c stored in the storage means 50 (step S41). The received data management means 40 that has received this inquiry reads out the keywords of the designated type from the metadata 50c, and notifies the browser engine BE through the script engine SE as a keyword list (step S42).

The browser engine that has acquired this keyword list holds the keyword list in a memory or the like (not shown) (step S43). Then, the browser engine BE presents a keyword list on the display screen (step S44).
At this stage, the program genre gk and the program keyword pk shown in FIG. 7 are displayed on the display screen of the display device D.

  Then, the browser engine BE, for example, selects “search start b” in FIG. 7 with the remote controller R and then recognizes, for example, a character string “getProgramSearchResult ()” in the BML as a keyword search request as a script search request. The engine SE is caused to execute the operation “getProgramSearchResult ()” (step S45).

  Here, “getProgramSearchResult ()” is a function that realizes a function of searching for a program (content) corresponding to a keyword by specifying a keyword (program keyword, scene keyword, or program genre) to be searched with an argument. Script language). Then, the script engine SE executes an operation corresponding to “getProgramSearchResult ()”.

That is, the script engine SE requests the received data management unit 40 to search for the specified keyword from the metadata 50c stored in the storage unit 50 (step S46). Receiving this request, the received data management means 40 searches the metadata 50c with the specified keyword, and notifies the browser engine BE of the search result via the script engine SE (step S47).
Then, the browser engine BE displays this search result on the display device D (step S48). At this stage, the search results r1 to r10 (for example, program titles) shown in FIG. 7 are displayed.

  In each of the above steps, in steps S40, S41, and S43, the keyword collecting unit 631 performs the operation, in step S44, the keyword presenting unit 632 performs the operation, and in steps S45, S46, and S48, the search is executed. Means 634 performs the operation. The operation of the search result selection means 635 is the same as the operation after step S20 in FIG.

  With the above operation, the digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 presents keyword candidates for searching for programs in advance on the screen, so that the viewer can search for a program or scene to be viewed with a simple operation. Can be realized. Further, since the keyword is described in the metadata, this service can be realized without imposing a burden on the program production of the data broadcast content itself.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on this invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for realizing a scene reproduction service in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of realizing a program related information presentation service in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for realizing a keyword search service in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention. It is an example of a display screen for demonstrating the outline | summary of the scene reproduction | regeneration service in the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on this invention. It is an example of a display screen for demonstrating the outline | summary of the program related information presentation service in the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on this invention. It is an example of a display screen for demonstrating the outline | summary of the keyword search service in the digital broadcast receiver which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed the specific example for demonstrating the content of metadata. (A) is the figure which showed the specific example of the program information metadata which described the information of program (content) itself. (B) is the figure which showed the specific example of the scene information metadata which described the information of the scene in a program.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital broadcast receiver 10 Broadcast receiving means 20 Communication transmission / reception means 30 Switching means 40 Received data management means 50 Storage means (storage device)
60 content reproduction means 61 data broadcast content reproduction means 62 video / audio content reproduction means 611 scene information acquisition means (search information acquisition means)
612 Scene information presenting means (search information presenting means)
613 Scene selection means (search information selection means)
621 Reproduction time acquisition means 622 Related information acquisition means 623 Related information presentation means 624 Related information selection means 631 Keyword collection means 632 Keyword presentation means 633 Keyword selection means 634 Search execution means 635 Search result selection means 70 Operation control means 80 Display control means

Claims (2)

As broadcast data broadcast by digital broadcasting, viewers receive video / audio content, metadata including related information related to the video / audio content, and data broadcast content that defines the configuration of the display screen. Is a digital broadcast receiver for reproducing the desired video / audio content,
Broadcast receiving means for receiving the broadcast data;
Storage means for storing the video / audio content, the metadata, and the data broadcast content received as broadcast data by the broadcast receiving means;
Content reproduction means for reproducing the data broadcast content and generating data of the display screen,
In the metadata, a content reference identifier that associates the metadata with the broadcast data is described, and the related information is described in association with a playback time of the video / audio content,
The content reproduction means is
Reproduction time acquisition means for acquiring the reproduction time of the video / audio content reproduced by the video / audio content reproduction means;
Related information acquisition means for acquiring the related information corresponding to the playback time from the metadata corresponding to the content reference identifier of the data broadcast content being played back, stored in the storage means;
Related information presenting means for presenting related information acquired by the related information acquiring means on the display screen;
A digital broadcast receiver characterized by comprising: Content that is broadcast data broadcast by digital broadcasting, and describes video / audio content and related information related to the video / audio content in association with the playback time of the video / audio content, and is associated with the broadcast data In order to present the relevant information of the video / audio content on the display screen based on the metadata describing the reference identifier and the data broadcast content defining the configuration of the display screen, a computer is provided.
Video / audio content reproduction means for reproducing the video / audio content;
Reproduction time acquisition means for acquiring the reproduction time of the video / audio content reproduced by the video / audio content reproduction means;
Related information acquisition means for acquiring the related information corresponding to the reproduction time acquired by the reproduction time acquisition means from the metadata corresponding to the content reference identifier of the data broadcast content being reproduced;
Related information presenting means for presenting the related information acquired by the related information acquiring means on the display screen based on the configuration defined in the data broadcast content,
A related information presentation program characterized by functioning as

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