JP2009188981A - Method for distributing content, and reception device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an interruption of reproduction of content of which a progressive download is performed, caused by the content or the network environment, and to enable a fast-forwarding of the content during the reproduction while performing the progressive download. <P>SOLUTION: When an instruction of the progressive download is issued, a content receiving terminal dynamically allocates resources (bus band, CPU, etc.) used in another stream process in the receiving terminal to a progressive download process and performs fast download of a portion that has not been downloaded in order to avoid the interruption of the reproduction. In addition, the receiving terminal transmits a required communication band to a home gateway and the home gateway performs a band control with other communications in a home network to allocate a maximum allowable communication band to the content receiving terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The technical field relates to a content distribution method and a content reception device via a network.

  In recent years, with the increase in capacity of network lines and the increase in capacity of hard disks, IP television (IPTV) services for distributing contents such as television programs and movies through an IP (Internet Protocol) network are being realized. VOD services that meet users' needs, such as streaming services that can be viewed when they want to watch and download services that can view high-quality video, are now available on TV. In addition, the download service can provide not only a service in which the user explicitly downloads content, but also a service in which commercial content in accordance with the user's preference is automatically downloaded to a TV or recorder with HDD. In this way, a versatile video download service is likely to be used more frequently in the future, and the communication occupancy rate inside and outside the home may increase, so an efficient download control method is an important issue. Become.

Patent Document 1 discusses a playback control method for a download service.
The problem is “to be able to check download progress, video playback position and disk capacity and to freely select the playback timing of video content”. When the content is requested, the content is transmitted from the video server, and the receiving unit 112 acquires the content size, and the content size is compared with the disk capacity, and if the disk capacity is insufficient, the display unit 117 has insufficient disk capacity. If the disc capacity is not insufficient, the receiving unit 112 acquires the content, the writing unit 113 writes the content on the disc 114, and displays the download progress on the display unit 117. The content can be played back. When the status is reached, the display unit 117 displays that playback is possible. That. When the user executes playback, the reading unit 115 reads the content from the disc 114, the reproduction unit 116 is described to display the reproduction position "that the display unit 117.

JP 2002-290948 A (see abstract)

  There are roughly three types of IP broadcast program viewing modes: streaming viewing for viewing in real time, download viewing for viewing after downloading, and progressive download viewing for playback while downloading both.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133620 discloses a technical idea of displaying a progress of download during progressive download, and displaying that the content can be played back on the display unit.

  However, the above-described Patent Document 1 does not clearly indicate a specific means for determining whether or not the content can be played back, and in particular, the timing at which viewing is possible differs depending on the content of the content and the network environment. There is a problem that this is not considered.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a terminal transmits a request for starting playback of content downloaded to a home gateway or a broadband router between a server and the terminal, and the home gateway is configured based on the transmitted request. The transmission band between the server and the terminal is controlled, and the terminal reserves resources necessary for the download, changes the download execution speed, and reproduces the content.
Further, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the terminal transmits a request to start playing the content downloaded to the server, the terminal controls a transmission band with the server based on the transmitted request, The terminal reserves resources necessary for the download, changes the download execution speed, and reproduces the content.

  According to the above means, it is possible to provide a content distribution method and a content receiving apparatus that are excellent in usability. For example, an IP broadcast program can be viewed according to the content and network environment.

  Hereinafter, an example (example) of an embodiment suitable for the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, application of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

  First, the system configuration will be described. FIG. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of the present invention.

  In this figure, reference numeral 101 is a content distribution server, reference numeral 102 is a home gateway, reference numeral 103 is a content reception client 1, reference numeral 104 is a content reception client 2, reference numeral 105 is a network, and reference numeral 106 is a home network.

  The content distribution server 101 is a device that accumulates content such as video and distributes content in response to a request from a client connected via a network, and is connected to the network 105.

  The home gateway 102 is generally a device located at the boundary between a home network (home network) having functions equivalent to those of a broadband router and an external network (such as the Internet). The device is equipped with various functions based on gateway functions such as connection conversion, and is connected to the network 105, the content receiving client 103, and the content receiving client 104.

  The content receiving clients 103 and 104 are information processing apparatuses that can store and play back content transmitted from a content distribution server through a network in a data storage unit of the content receiving client, and are connected to the home gateway 102. Yes.

  A network 105 is a broadband network such as the Internet or a CDN (Content Delivery Network), and is connected to the content distribution server 101 and the home gateway 102.

  A home network 106 is a home network in which devices in the home are connected by a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, a router, a HUB, and the like, and includes a home gateway 102, a content receiving client 103, and a content receiving client 104.

  The system configured as described above is a content download distribution system that performs content download. The content reception client 103 and the content reception client 104 use a network protocol such as HTTP to the content distribution server 101. The content download request is transmitted, and the content distributed via the network is received and recorded in the storage unit in the content receiving client. When content is downloaded, the content receiving client 103 and the content receiving client 104 can play the network bandwidth reservation request to the home gateway so that the content can be played back without interruption even during the download. To.

  Next, the content receiving client in the system configuration of FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 shows an example of the program recording / playback apparatus of the present invention, which corresponds to the content receiving client 103 and the content receiving client 104 of FIG.

In this figure, reference numeral 201 denotes an antenna, reference numeral 202 denotes a display device, and reference numeral 203.
Is a speaker, reference numeral 204 is a tuner, reference numeral 205 is a LAN adapter, reference numeral 206 is a program recording / playback device, reference numeral 207 is a memory, reference numeral 208 is an auxiliary storage unit, reference numeral 209 is an input device, reference numeral 210 is a recording / playback control unit, reference numeral 211 Is a data storage unit, 212 is a CPU, 213 is an I / F, 214 is an I / F, 215 is an I / F, 216 is an I / F, 217 is an I / F, 218 is an I / F F, reference numeral 219 is an I / F, reference numeral 220 is a bus, reference numeral 221 is a network, reference numeral 222 is an I / F, and reference numeral 223 is a resource management unit.

  The antenna 201 is a device that receives a TV broadcast such as a terrestrial analog broadcast, a terrestrial digital broadcast, or a BS / CS digital broadcast, and is connected to the tuner 204.

  The display device 202 is a device that can output a data stream flowing through the interface as a video, and is connected to the I / F 213.

  The speaker 203 is a device that can output sound information instructed by the program as sound, and is connected to the I / F 217.

  A tuner 204 is a device that selects a channel from a broadcast signal received by an antenna, and is connected to the I / F 215 and the antenna 201.

  The LAN adapter 205 is a device that can transmit and receive data to and from other devices using a LAN (Local Area Network), and is connected to the network 221 and the I / F 219.

  The program recording / playback apparatus 206 includes a tuner 204, a LAN adapter 205, a memory 207, an auxiliary storage unit 208, a recording / playback control unit 210, a data storage unit 211, a CPU 212, an I / F 213, an I / F 214, an I / F 215, an I / F 216, It comprises an I / F 217, an I / F 218, an I / F 219, a bus 220, an I / F 222, and a resource management unit 223.

  The memory 207 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like, and is a semiconductor that temporarily records programs and data, and is connected to the CPU 212 and the I / F 222.

  The auxiliary storage unit 208 is a storage unit for storing a program executed by the CPU, and is a non-volatile storage such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), an SD card, a compact flash (registered trademark), or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). It is a medium and is connected to the I / F 214.

  The input device 209 is an input device that converts a user operation for controlling the program recording / playback device into an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the program recording / playback device, and is connected to the I / F 218.

  The recording / playback control unit 210 is an LSI that can control a plurality of content data transmitted from a tuner or a LAN adapter and content data output to a display or a speaker, and is connected to the data storage unit 211 and the I / F 216.

  The data storage unit 211 is a storage device such as an IC memory or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) that can store content data acquired from a tuner or a network, and is connected to the recording / playback control unit 210. The data storage unit 211 may be built in the program recording / playback apparatus or a removable recording medium (removable medium).

  The CPU 212 is a central processing unit for executing a program expanded in the memory, and includes a memory 207, an I / F 213, an I / F 217, an I / F 214, an I / F 219, an I / F 215, an I / F 216, an I / F 218, It is connected.

  The I / F 213 is an interface that can control the display device from another device through a bus.

  The I / F 214 is an interface that can control the auxiliary storage unit from another device through a bus.

  The I / F 215 is an interface that can control the tuner from another device through the bus.

  The I / F 216 is an interface that can control the recording / playback control unit from another device through a bus.

  The I / F 217 is an interface that can control a speaker from another device through a bus.

  The I / F 218 is an interface that can receive an electrical signal transmitted from an input device and transmit the electrical signal to another device through a bus.

  The I / F 219 is an interface that can control the LAN adapter from another device through the bus.

  The bus 220 is a communication path that connects each device via each interface and enables data transmission / reception.

  The network 221 is a broadband network such as the Internet or a CDN (Content Delivery Network), and is connected to the LAN adapter 205.

  The I / F 222 is an interface that can control the resource management unit from another device through a bus.

  The resource management unit 223 is an LSI or a program that monitors bus capacity, CPU utilization, memory capacity, and determines whether stream processing such as broadcast recording, content playback, VOD, and download recording can be performed. Connected with.

  When downloading content, if the user selects content desired by the remote controller from the user interface presented on the display device 202, the CPU 212 selects a metafile necessary for downloading via the LAN adapter 205 on the network. Obtain from the server. The meta file describes the content URI and content information to be presented as a menu screen to the user during download.

  When starting the download, the CPU 212 inquires of the recording / playback control unit 210 whether the storage capacity is sufficient. If the capacity necessary for content download can be secured, the resource management permission is obtained from the source management unit 223. The resource management unit 223 manages the CPU and bus in the terminal, and determines whether or not new stream reception is possible. If the resource management unit 223 determines that the content can be received, the CPU 212 starts downloading via the LAN adapter 205 and the network 221, and the content can be received to the end unless there is a stop request from the resource management unit 223. The download process ends. The stream being downloaded is stored in the data storage unit 211 via the LAN adapter 205 and the bus 220.

  When stream processing other than downloading is performed, the CPU 212 confirms whether the resource management unit 223 has sufficient resources. In the resource management unit 223, the priority order of each stream process is defined, and when the resource runs short, the stream process with a low priority order performs a process such as temporarily interrupting or reducing the throughput. . This priority order may be determined by the service used by the program recording / playback apparatus. Usually, download is low and streaming is high, but it may be set arbitrarily.

  Here, when the content being downloaded is reproduced, the download speed needs to be equal to or higher than the reproduction speed so that the reproduction position does not follow the download completion position. In the program recording / playback apparatus 206, when the resource management unit 223 performs playback processing for the content being downloaded, the playback position is set to the download completion position, for example, by increasing the priority of the download processing to widen the communication bandwidth available for download. The communication band is controlled so as not to overtake. When a plurality of download processes are being performed, it is desirable that the priority order is to increase the bus band of the content being downloaded and the CPU occupancy rate that have been subjected to the reproduction process.

  In addition, since a device on the home network communicates with a distribution server or the like outside the home via a home gateway, a bandwidth securing request is issued from the LAN adapter 205 to the home gateway 102 in order to widen the communication bandwidth. Therefore, it is desirable to secure a communication band in the home network. Therefore, when the use band of the stream received by the program recording / playback apparatus 206 changes, the home gateway 102 determines whether the home gateway 102 can cope with the change within the communication throughput allowed by the home network according to the bandwidth securing request. You may make it change after confirming.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a bandwidth securing request transmitted from the program recording / playback apparatus 206 to the home gateway. The bandwidth securing request includes a service identifier indicating a requested service and a requested bandwidth indicating a bandwidth used for the service.

  As described above, for example, when it is necessary to change the communication band by performing playback processing on content downloaded using a network outside the home, the home network program recording / playback apparatus shows the progressive download shown in FIG. A bandwidth reservation request including a service identifier of “PDL” and a use bandwidth of “20 Mbps” is transmitted to the home gateway. The home gateway that has received the bandwidth reservation request determines the priority of the stream to be transferred according to the service used by the program recording / playback apparatus, that is, the service indicated by the service identifier of the bandwidth reservation request, similarly to the resource management unit 223. Also good. Normally, download is set low and streaming is set high, but progressive download may be set arbitrarily such as increasing the priority.

  When the service is a download, even if the bandwidth capacity of the transmitted bandwidth reservation request is not secured, the service may be downloaded with a bandwidth capacity smaller than the bandwidth capacity of the transmitted bandwidth reservation request. For example, if the total bandwidth capacity of the services being used exceeds the bandwidth capacity of the home network, if streaming is prioritized, the bandwidth used for streaming is subtracted from the bandwidth capacity of the entire home network, and the remaining bandwidth However, even if the bandwidth capacity is smaller than the bandwidth capacity of the bandwidth reservation request, the download may be performed. .

  Next, the home gateway in the system configuration of FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is an example of the home gateway in the present invention, and corresponds to the home gateway 102 of FIG. A NAT (Network Address Translator) function for connecting the WAN and LAN is installed, and communication control in the home network 302 is performed.

  In this figure, reference numeral 301 is an external network, reference numeral 302 is a home network, reference numeral 303 is a LAN adapter, reference numeral 304 is an I / F, reference numeral 305 is a WAN adapter, reference numeral 306 is a home gateway, reference numeral 307 is a memory, reference numeral 308 is Auxiliary storage unit, reference numeral 309 is a bandwidth control unit, reference numeral 310 is an I / F, reference numeral 312 is a CPU, reference numeral 314 is an I / F, reference numeral 315 is an I / F, reference numeral 319 is an I / F, and reference numeral 320 is a bus. .

  The outside network 301 is a broadband network such as the Internet or CDN (Content Delivery Network), and is connected to the WAN adapter 305.

  A home network 302 is a network to which each device in the house is connected by a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, a router, a HUB, or the like, and is connected to a LAN adapter 303.

  A LAN adapter 303 is a device that can send and receive data to and from other devices using a LAN (Local Area Network), and is connected to the home network 302 and the I / F 304.

  The I / F 304 is an interface that can control the LAN adapter from another device through the bus.

  The WAN adapter 305 is a device that can transmit and receive data to and from other apparatuses using a WAN (Wide Area Network), and is connected to the outside network 301 and the I / F 319.

  The home gateway 306 is a device located at the boundary between a home network (home network) and an external network (Internet, etc.), and is based on various gateway functions such as in-home and out-of-home protocols and connection conversion. A device equipped with a function, such as a LAN adapter 303, I / F 304, WAN adapter 305, memory 307, auxiliary storage unit 308, bandwidth control unit 309, I / F 310, CPU 312, I / F 314, I / F 315, I / F 319 The bus 320 is constituted.

  A memory 307 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporarily recording programs and data, and is connected to the CPU 312.

  The auxiliary storage unit 308 is a storage unit for storing a program executed by the CPU, and is a non-volatile storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), an SD card, a compact flash (registered trademark), or an HDD (Hard DiskDrive). And is connected to the I / F 314.

  The bandwidth control unit 309 is an LSI and a program that perform bandwidth control and receive high-speed program data when distributing some program data to a plurality of program recording / playback apparatuses, and are connected to the I / F 310. .

  The I / F 310 is an interface that can control a LAN adapter from another device through a bus.

  The CPU 312 is a central processing unit for executing a program expanded in the memory, and is connected to the memory 307, I / F 314, I / F 319, I / F 315, I / F 304, and I / F 310.

  The I / F 314 is an interface that can control the auxiliary storage unit from another device through the bus.

  The I / F 315 is an interface that can control the tuner from another device through the bus.

  The I / F 319 is an interface that can control the WAN adapter from another device through the bus.

  The bus 320 is a communication path that connects each device via each interface and enables data transmission / reception.

  The home gateway 306 generally uses a network outside the home (external network) and a network inside the home (home network), and has functions such as a firewall function and protocol conversion. Here, a band control method in response to a band securing request from the program recording / playback apparatus will be described.

  When the home gateway receives data transmitted from the program recording / playback apparatus via the home network, the home gateway expands the received data in the memory 307 via the LAN adapter 303. Before acquiring the content requested from the program recording / playback apparatus from the server, it is determined whether or not the stream of the content requested on the home network 302 can be transmitted. When there is a session that has already received a stream from the outside network 301 through the home gateway, the use bandwidth of the target session is limited by looking at the stream processing service. The service here is streaming, download, or progressive download, and the use band is limited, for example, if the program recording / playback apparatus using the download service is in the home network, the throughput is reduced.

  When a plurality of program recording / playback apparatuses in a home network perform playback processing during downloading, even if the home gateway receives a progressive download start request of the program recording / playback apparatus, the bandwidth used included in the bandwidth securing request is If the indicated bandwidth cannot be secured, the fact that the requested process cannot be executed is transmitted as an error to the program recording / playback apparatus that has requested the progressive download.

  The bandwidth securing request transmitted from the program recording / playback apparatus to the home gateway uses a header portion of a protocol such as HTTP or RTSP that is normally used for content distribution. FIG. 4 shows a bandwidth securing request as described above. The bandwidth securing request is transmitted using, for example, an extension header of HTTP or RTSP. The service identifier of the bandwidth securing request contains an ID for identifying streaming, download, or progressive download, and the used bandwidth transmits the capacity of the communication bandwidth desired to be used at the home gateway.

  Next, progressive download will be described. FIG. 5 is an example of a flowchart showing an overall flow of progressive download in the program recording / playback apparatus 206.

  First, a list of contents being downloaded is presented on a display device connected to the program recording / playback apparatus, and a downloadable content to be played back is selected therefrom (step 501). The content being downloaded is content that is connected to the distribution server using an HTML browser installed in the program recording / playback apparatus, acquires a content list that can be distributed, and is selected by the user to start downloading.

  Next, the program recording / playback apparatus issues a bandwidth securing request in FIG. 4 to the home gateway to notify that progressive download is started. The bandwidth securing request describes the service identifier of progressive download and the size (bit rate) of the bandwidth used for it. The bit rate to be used is a value equal to or higher than the bit rate of the content (step 502).

  Next, the home gateway performs bandwidth control so as to secure the bandwidth requested by the program recording / playback apparatus according to the bandwidth securing request (step 503).

  Next, resource management is performed by the program recording / playback apparatus (step 504). Here, when the notification that the program recording / playback apparatus can secure the bandwidth requested by the bandwidth securing request from the home gateway is received, it is verified whether the resources in the program recording / playback apparatus can be secured.

  When resources in the program recording / playback apparatus can be secured, the received stream of the content being downloaded is temporarily disconnected, and download is started again at the bit rate requested from the home gateway (step 505). That is, the download is temporarily stopped to stop the session, and the download execution speed is changed and restarted. Each router on the route preferentially transmits the packet of the content transmitted from the distribution server to the home gateway based on the set bandwidth control information.

  When the download starts normally, the selected content is played on the display device (step 506). When the content has been downloaded to the end, the download process itself ends, but the reproduction process is continued.

  In this way, by performing bandwidth control or the like when performing progressive download, it is possible to reproduce content according to the content or network environment.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart of bandwidth control processing in the home gateway in step 503 of FIG. When the content being downloaded is selected from the content list being displayed on the display device, a bandwidth reservation request is transmitted from the program recording / playback device, but more stable if the distribution server to the home gateway has a function capable of performing bandwidth control. Progressive download is possible.

  First, a bandwidth control process from the home gateway to the content distribution server is performed (step 601). Perform the initial bandwidth control process using the router function between the distribution server and the home gateway.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the specified download execution speed can be secured (step 602). For example, bandwidth control is ensured when a session between the distribution server and the home gateway is secured by using a function such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). If the specified download execution speed is secured (Yes in step 602), the process proceeds to step 603. If the specified download execution speed cannot be secured, the process proceeds to step 606.

In step 603, the band securing from the program recording / playback apparatus to the content distribution server is completed.

  Step 604 is processing for notifying the user that the bandwidth could not be secured. The display device displays that the communication band cannot be secured, the reproduction process is not performed, and the download process that has been performed is continued.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of processing for securing resources in the program recording / playback apparatus in step 504 of FIG. Here, an arbitration method when a plurality of processes are performed in the program recording / playback apparatus will be described. A plurality of processes are managed by the resource management unit, and when the process is executed, the status of the CPU, memory, and bus is checked with the resource management unit, and the process is executed when permission is given. .

  First, a download execution speed (bit rate) necessary for progressive download is input to the resource management unit, and a verification request as to whether or not execution is possible is performed (step 701).

  Next, it is checked whether or not the resources in the program recording / playback apparatus are insufficient for the download execution speed input in step 701 (step 702). The resource management unit confirms whether or not the download at the download execution speed input in step 701 is executable from the current processing status in the program recording / playback apparatus.

  If the resources in the program recording / playback apparatus are insufficient (Yes in step 702), a list of tasks currently being processed in the program recording / playback apparatus is created, and the process proceeds to step 703. If the necessary resources in the program recording / playback apparatus are sufficient (No in step 702), the process of securing the resources is terminated, and the process proceeds to the process of playing back the content.

  Step 703 is a process in which the CPU acquires the task currently being processed and the resource information (task list) used by each task from the resource management unit. The acquired task list is expanded in the memory.

  In step 704, the CPU checks whether there is a task being stream-processed from the task list acquired from the resource management unit. If there is a task being processed (Yes in step 704), the process proceeds to step 705. If there is no task being streamed (No in step 704), the process proceeds to step 708.

  Step 705 is processing for selecting a candidate for interrupting stream processing. Here, a task other than the broadcast recording reservation process is selected. Since broadcast recording cannot be performed later unlike download, it is removed from the list of candidates for interrupting stream processing.

  Step 706 is processing to request the resource management unit to suspend the selected task. At this point, for example, the list for interrupting the stream processing is low in priority, and for example, VOD streaming, download, etc. can be considered. In this case, for streaming, it is determined that the user is viewing, and a suspend request is made for download.

  Step 707 is a process of inputting whether or not the download execution speed is input to the resource management unit to the download process that is going to execute the stream process, and verifying whether or not it can be executed.

  Step 708 is processing for notifying the user that the resource could not be secured. If the resources are insufficient, the registered download process is rejected and the display device is used to notify the user that the process has not been performed and the process ends.

  In this way, by performing bandwidth control and resource management according to the network environment or the like, it is possible to store and view content distributed from the server more comfortably.

  It should be noted that by narrowing the transfer rate on the sending side and controlling the throughput of both on the receiving side, the processing load of the receiver is controlled, and a plurality of download processes are controlled to enable simultaneous operation with streaming. FIG. 8 shows the influence of the receiver in the transfer rate control with the receiving side control fixed.

  FIG. 8 shows the result of measuring the CPU usage rate of the download process on the receiver side at the time when the transfer bit rate on the distribution side is changed. For the CPU utilization rate in the standby state of 52.1%, the lower limit is about 60% at 20 Mbps or less. This is because the buffer on the receiver side is fixed and writing to the HDD is performed by sequential processing.

  In the second embodiment, a configuration capable of realizing this case not only by a home gateway that can provide a high-functional service in a home network but also by a generally used BB router will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a system configuration diagram.

This is an example of a system configuration assumed in the present invention.
In this figure, reference numeral 901 is a content distribution server, reference numeral 902 is a broadband router, reference numeral 903 is a content receiving client 1, reference numeral 904 is a content receiving client 2, reference numeral 905 is a network, and reference numeral 906 is a home network.

  The content distribution server 901 is a device that accumulates content such as video and distributes content in response to a request from a client connected via a network, and is connected to the network 905. The broadband router 902 is a device located at the boundary between a home network (home network) and an external network (such as the Internet), and is connected to the network 905, the content reception client 1903, and the content reception client 2904. The content receiving client 1903 and the content receiving client 2904 are information processing apparatuses capable of storing and reproducing content transmitted from the content distribution server via the network in a data storage unit of the content receiving client. In general, TVs, HDD recorders, and PCs that can receive VOD services correspond to this. The content receiving clients can communicate with each other using communication means such as UPnP, and can use a service published by the content receiving clients. Here, a progressive download environment can be provided to the user by managing each other's reception status of the VOD service and mutually controlling the communication band of the VOD service used by the content reception client in the home network.

  Although the hardware configuration of the content receiving client is shown in the program recording / playback apparatus of FIG. 9, communication by UPnP is enabled through the LAN adapter 905. In the auxiliary storage unit 908, a service description 925 in which services provided by UPnP are defined is stored. When the status of the content receiving client is changed and update information is notified to other content receiving clients, an auxiliary information is stored. Using the service description 925 stored in the storage unit 908, the update part is corrected and transmitted. The content receiving client exists in the home network, is connected to the broadband router 902, and enables communication with the content distribution server 901 via the broadband router 902.

  A network 905 is a broadband network such as the so-called Internet or CDN (Content Delivery Network), and is connected to a content distribution server 901 and a broadband router 902. A home network 906 is a home network to which devices in the home are connected by a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, a router, a HUB, and the like, and can communicate with the broadband router 902, the content reception client 1903, the content reception client 2904, and other devices. It is composed of an information processing device (not shown) such as a PC.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a program recording / playback apparatus used in this embodiment.
In this figure, reference numeral 1001 is an antenna, reference numeral 1002 is a display device, reference numeral 1003 is a speaker, reference numeral 1004 is a tuner, reference numeral 1005 is a LAN adapter, reference numeral 1006 is a program recording / playback device, reference numeral 1007 is a memory, reference numeral 1008 is an auxiliary storage unit , Reference numeral 1009 is an input device, reference numeral 1010 is a recording / playback control unit, reference numeral 1011 is a data storage unit, reference numeral 1012 is a CPU, reference numeral 1013 is an I / F, reference numeral 1014 is an I / F, reference numeral 1015 is an I / F, reference numeral 1016 Is the I / F, 1017 is the I / F, 1018 is the I / F, 1019 is the I / F, 1020 is the bus, 1022 is the network, 1022 is the I / F, 1023 is the resource management unit, Reference numeral 1024 denotes a program, reference numeral 1025 denotes a service description, reference numeral 1026 denotes an I / F, and reference numeral 1027 denotes a bandwidth control table storage unit.

  An antenna 1001 is a device that receives a TV broadcast such as a terrestrial analog broadcast, a terrestrial digital broadcast, or a BS / CS digital broadcast, and is connected to a tuner 1004. The display device 1002 is a device that can output a data stream flowing through the interface as a video, and is connected to the I / F 1013.

  The speaker 1003 is a device that can output sound information instructed by the program as sound, and is connected to the I / F 1017. A tuner 1004 is a device that selects a channel from a broadcast signal received by an antenna, and is connected to the I / F 1015 and the antenna 1001.

  The LAN adapter 1005 is a device that can send and receive data to and from other devices using a LAN (Local Area Network), and is connected to the network 1021 and the I / F 1019.

  Program recording / playback apparatus 1006 includes a tuner 1004, a LAN adapter 1005, a memory 1007, an auxiliary storage unit 1008, a recording / playback control unit 1010, a data storage unit 1011, a CPU 1012, an I / F 1013, an I / F 1014, an I / F 1015, an I / F 1016, The configuration includes an I / F 1017, an I / F 1018, an I / F 1019, a bus 1020, an I / F 1022, a resource management unit 1023, an I / F 1026, and a bandwidth control table storage unit 1027.

  A memory 1007 is (RandomAccessMemory), a semiconductor that temporarily records programs and data, and is connected to the CPU 1012 and the I / F 1022.

  The auxiliary storage unit 1008 is a storage unit for storing a program to be executed by the CPU, and is a non-volatile storage medium such as a ROM (ReadOnlyMemory) or an SD card, a compact flash (registered trademark), an HDD (HardDiskDrive), It consists of a program 1024 and a service description 1025, and is connected to the I / F 1014.

  The input device 1009 is an input device that converts a user operation for controlling the program recording / playback device into an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the program recording / playback device, and is connected to the I / F 1018.

  The recording / playback control unit 1010 is an LSI that can control a plurality of content data transmitted from a tuner or a LAN adapter and content data to be output to a display or a speaker, and is connected to the data storage unit 1011 and the I / F 1016. .

  The data storage unit 1011 is a storage device such as a built-in IC memory or HDD (HardDiskDrive) that can store content data acquired from a tuner or a network, and is connected to the recording / playback control unit 1010.

  The CPU 1012 is a central processing unit for executing the program expanded in the memory, the memory 1007, I / F 1013, I / F 1017, I / F 1014, I / F 1019, I / F 1015, I / F 1016, I / F 1018, Connected to I / F1026.

  The I / F 1013 is an interface that can control the display apparatus from other devices through a bus. The I / F 1014 is an interface that can control the auxiliary storage unit from another device through the bus. The I / F 1015 is an interface that can control the tuner from other devices through the bus. The I / F 1016 is an interface that can control the recording / playback control unit from another device through a bus. The I / F 1017 is an interface that can control a speaker from another device through a bus.

  The I / F 1018 is an interface that can receive an electrical signal transmitted from an input device and transmit the electrical signal to another device through a bus. The I / F 1019 is an interface that can control the LAN adapter from another device through the bus. A bus 1020 is a communication path that connects each device via each interface and enables data transmission / reception. A network 1021 is a broadband network such as the Internet or CDN (Content Delivery Network), and is connected to a LAN adapter 1005. The I / F 1022 is an interface that can control the resource management unit from another device through the bus.

  The resource management unit 1023 is an LSI or program that monitors bus capacity, CPU utilization, memory capacity, and determines whether stream processing such as broadcast recording, content playback, VOD, and download recording can be performed. Connected with. The program 1024 is a program for registering a bandwidth securing request transmitted / received to / from the UPnP service and other content receiving clients in the bandwidth control table storage unit. The service description 1025 is a UPnP service description file described in XML or the like. The program uses the service description to provide UPnP service to other content receiving clients. The I / F 1026 is an interface that can control a bandwidth management table from another device through a bus.

  A bandwidth control table storage unit 1027 is a storage unit that stores a list of VOD services operating on the content receiving client and the network bandwidth used by each VOD service. A storage device such as an IC memory or HDD (HardDiskDrive) built in the content receiving client and connected to the I / F 1026.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the bandwidth control table 1101. The bandwidth control table 1101 is table information stored in the bandwidth control table storage unit in the content receiving client, and is used by the list of VOD services executed in each content receiving client in the home network and in each VOD service. Band list is accumulated. The same information is registered in the table managed by each content receiving client. When a new VOD service is implemented, the bandwidth control table 1101 possessed by each content receiving client and the bandwidth used by the new VOD service are evaluated. It is determined whether or not execution is possible. Regarding the evaluation, the WAN side maximum communication band acquired from the broadband router that each content receiving client manages the maximum communication band on the WAN side based on the rule of thumb or that implements UPnP IGD (Internet Gateway Device) And comparing the bandwidth required for the new VOD service and the bandwidth used in the bandwidth control table 1101.

Next, a processing flow during progressive download in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Step 1201 is a process in which the user selects content being downloaded. The user displays a list of contents being downloaded on the television screen, and selects desired contents by remote control operation.

  Step 1202 is a process of evaluating the bandwidth control table 1101 managed by the content receiving client, which is a terminal where progressive download is performed, and the progressive download bandwidth reservation request table to be started. Compare the bandwidth control table 1101 where the VOD service processed by each content receiving client is registered with the WAN rule of thumb or the maximum communication bandwidth acquired from the broadband router, and check whether there is a bandwidth available for progressive download. evaluate.

  Step 1203 is a process for determining whether or not a bandwidth required for progressive download can be sufficiently secured on the bandwidth control table 1101 based on the result of step 1202. If it is possible, the process proceeds to Step 1207, and if it is not possible, the process proceeds to Step 1204.

  Step 1204 evaluates the bandwidth control table 1101 if each content receiving client uses almost the maximum communication bandwidth as a result of Step 1203, and progressive download cannot be started as it is. (Including processing of the content receiving client) is operating.

  In step 1205, in order to stop other download processing or switch to low-speed download, a request for switching to low-speed download or stop download processing operating on a content reception client in which a new service is registered or another content reception client is issued. It is processing to do. The stop or low-speed download at this time refers to the task priority control in the content receiving client described in the first embodiment.

  Step 1206 uses a new service (progressive download in this case) in the home network environment currently used in step 1204 because sufficient bandwidth cannot be secured in the current home network environment for some reason. This is a process of notifying the user that it cannot be performed.

  Step 1207 is a process in which the content receiving client in which the progressive download process is registered starts the high-speed download because it is determined that the high-speed download can be performed as a result of evaluating the bandwidth control table 1101. As for the high-speed download here, in addition to changing the priority order of the tasks described in the first embodiment, a method of downloading the target content in a plurality of communication sessions is also conceivable. The high-speed definition is whether or not the target content can be fast-forwarded with the downloaded throughput performed in the first embodiment.

  Step 1208 is processing for determining whether or not the actually required communication band is available as a result of the high-speed download. Regarding communication processing other than that performed by the content receiving client that cannot be managed by the bandwidth control table 1101, it is difficult to reliably grasp the communication processing, and therefore the actually measured result is evaluated.

  Step 1209 is processing for confirming the actual throughput as a result of the high-speed download.

  Step 1210 is a process of notifying the user that the actual required throughput cannot be ensured by step 1208 and the process is continued as a normal download process.

  Step 1211 is processing for confirming the execution of a new service (in this case, progressive download) and transmitting a bandwidth securing request 401 to each content receiving client.

  Step 1212 is a process of registering the content of the bandwidth securing request 401 transmitted to the bandwidth control table storage unit 1027 of each content receiving client. Regarding the guarantee of the communication bandwidth outside the home, QoS control between the content receiving client and the content distribution server may be performed at the timing of Step 1207 for starting high-speed download.

Example of system configuration Example of program recording / playback apparatus of Embodiment 1 Example of home gateway of embodiment 1 Example of bandwidth reservation request An example of a flowchart showing an overall flow of progressive download in the first embodiment Example of flowchart of bandwidth control processing Example of flowchart for securing resources Receiver effects in transfer rate control. Example of system configuration of Embodiment 2 An example of a program recording / playback apparatus of the second embodiment Example of bandwidth control table of embodiment 2 An example of a flowchart showing an overall flow of progressive download according to the second embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Content delivery server 102 ... Home gateway 103 ... Content receiving client 104 ... Content receiving client 105 ... Network 106 ... Home network 201 ... Antenna 202 ... Display apparatus 203 ... Speaker 204 ... Tuner 205 ... AN adapter 206 ... Program recording / reproducing apparatus 207 ... Memory 208 ... Auxiliary storage unit 209 ... Input device 210 ... Recording / playback control unit 211 ... Data storage unit 212 ... CPU
213 ... I / F
214 ... I / F
215 ... I / F
216 ... I / F
217 ... I / F
218 ... I / F
219 ... I / F
220 ... bus 221 ... network 222 ... I / F
223 ... Resource management unit 301 ... Outside network 302 ... Home network 303 ... AN adapter 304 ... / F
305 ... AN adapter 306 ... home gateway 307 ... memory 308 ... auxiliary storage unit 309 ... bandwidth control unit 310 ... I / F
312 ... CPU
314 ... I / F
315 ... I / F
319 ... I / F
320 ... Bus 902 ... Broadband router 1024 ... Program storage unit 1025 ... Service description storage unit 1027 ... Band control table storage unit

Claims (13)

A content delivery method for playing content from a server on a terminal,
Sending a request for the terminal to start playing the content downloaded to the home gateway between the server and the terminal;
The home gateway controls a transmission band between the server and the terminal based on the transmitted request,
A content distribution method in which the terminal secures resources of the terminal necessary for the download, changes the execution speed of the download, and reproduces the content. The content distribution method according to claim 1,
The content distribution method, wherein the request to start playing the content includes information indicating a transmission band necessary for downloading the content. The content distribution method according to claim 2,
Control of the transmission band between the server and the terminal by the home gateway can be performed as long as the transmission band indicated by the transmission band information necessary for downloading the content included in the request to start playing the content can be secured. A content distribution method for securing the transmission band and notifying that the transmission band cannot be secured if the transmission band indicated by the transmission band information necessary for downloading the content cannot be secured. The content distribution method according to claim 1 or 2,
A content distribution method in which the terminal interrupts a task being processed by the terminal and secures a resource. The content distribution method according to claim 4,
A content distribution method in which the task to be interrupted is other than broadcast recording processing. The content distribution method according to claim 4 or 5,
A content distribution method in which a task to be interrupted is selected based on a preset priority. A receiving unit for receiving content;
An accumulating unit for accumulating content received by the receiving unit;
An output unit that outputs the content received by the receiving unit or the content stored in the storage unit;
A receiving apparatus comprising: a control unit that interrupts a task being processed when receiving an instruction to reproduce the content being received by the receiving unit. The receiving device according to claim 7, comprising:
The control unit is a receiving device that interrupts processing other than broadcast recording processing. The receiving device according to claim 7 or 8, comprising:
The control unit is a receiving device that selects a task to be interrupted based on a preset priority. A content delivery method for playing content from a server on a terminal,
When the terminal starts playing the downloaded content, it controls the transmission band used by each terminal in the network based on the transmission band necessary for content reproduction,
A content distribution method in which the terminal secures resources of the terminal necessary for the download, changes the execution speed of the download, and reproduces the content. The content distribution method according to claim 10, wherein
The content distribution method, wherein the request to start playing the content includes information indicating a transmission band necessary for downloading the content. The content distribution method according to claim 11, comprising:
The control of the transmission band between the server and the terminal between the terminals can ensure the transmission band indicated by the transmission band information necessary for downloading the content included in the request to start playing the content. For example, a content distribution method that secures the transmission band and notifies that the transmission band cannot be secured if the transmission band indicated by the transmission band information necessary for downloading the content cannot be secured. The receiving device according to claim 7, comprising:
The identifier of the reception process running on each terminal,
An accumulator for accumulating a transmission band necessary for the reception process;
A receiving unit that receives a reception processing notification registered in each terminal via a network;

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