JP2010148046A - Distribution management apparatus and content distribution method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve area limited distribution while reducing time and labor for filtering setting or the like to a router. <P>SOLUTION: A management apparatus is disposed for each area and a management apparatus 3A is connected to a server device 1A for multicast-distributing contents to a receiver 5A in the area A over an IP network NW. The management apparatus 3A stores in a memory, beforehand, a multicast address to be used for distribution of contents for the server device 1A. When a reception request of contents including information representing a designated area transmitted from the receiver is received and the multicast address of the server device corresponding to the designated area is stored, the management apparatus 3A sets up a multicast path, on the IP network NW, between the receiver that is a request source and the server device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a distribution management apparatus and a content distribution method for multicast distribution of broadcast content and the like via an IP network.

  As IP networks are becoming broadband, IP retransmission systems are being studied that attempt to realize broadcast content video distribution services using IP network multicast technology. However, when IP re-transmission is performed, there is a problem of distribution limitation within a license target area (referred to as area limited distribution) as a problem to be solved. This is a technology for specifying a delivery range in consideration of the current licensed area when broadcasting content is retransmitted IP using a network that does not limit the area.

  Conventionally, this has been dealt with by setting filtering rules for multicast addresses that can be received by edge routers in each region. However, with this method, it is necessary to set filtering rules for all edge routers, and it is necessary to uniquely register the multicast address of the content in the network. When the multicast address is changed, it is necessary to change the settings of all edge routers.

In addition, there exist the following as a well-known literature relevant to this application (for example, refer patent document 1 or 2).
JP 2004-173209 A JP 2002-368742 A

  As described above, conventionally, this has been dealt with by setting filtering rules for multicast addresses that may be received by edge routers in each region. However, with this method, it is necessary to set filtering rules for all edge routers, and it is necessary to uniquely register the multicast address of the content in the network. When the multicast address is changed, it is necessary to change the settings of all edge routers.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a content distribution system and a content distribution method capable of realizing area-limited distribution by reducing labor such as filtering setting for a router. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, a distribution management device according to the present invention is a distribution management device that is arranged for each region and connected to a server device that multicasts content to a receiving device in the region via an IP network. Storage means for storing a multicast address used for distribution of the content with respect to the server device in the area; receiving means for receiving a content reception request including information indicating a designated area transmitted from the receiving apparatus; and the designation Distribution control means for establishing a multicast path between the requesting receiving apparatus and the server apparatus on the IP network when the multicast address of the server apparatus corresponding to the region is stored in the storage means To do.

  The content distribution method according to the present invention is a content distribution method used in a distribution management device that is arranged for each region and is connected to a server device that multicasts the content to receiving devices in the region via an IP network. The server that stores the multicast address used for the distribution of the content for the server device in the area, receives the content reception request including the information indicating the designated area transmitted from the receiving device, and corresponds to the designated area When the multicast address of the device is stored in the storage means, a multicast path between the requesting receiving device and the server device is established on the IP network.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a content distribution system and a content distribution method capable of reducing the labor of filtering setting for a router and realizing area-limited distribution.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a content distribution system according to the present invention.
This system includes a transmission server 1A that distributes broadcast content for the region A to the receiving device 5A in the region A, and a transmission server 1B that distributes the broadcast content for the region B to the receiving device 5B in the region B. With. The transmission servers 1A and 1B provided in each region are connected to an IP network NW such as the Internet or a public network via head end routers (hereinafter referred to as HE routers) 2A and 2B. The receiving devices 5A and 5B are constituted by, for example, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) or STB (Set Top Box), and are connected to the IP network NW via the edge routers 4A and 4B.

  Furthermore, management devices 3A and 3B for managing content distribution for each region are provided on the IP network NW. In the area A, the management device 3A performs distribution control between the HE router 2A and the edge router 4A for multicast distribution of content by the transmission server 1A. Similarly, in the region B, the management device 3B controls distribution between the HE router 2B and the edge router 4B for multicast distribution of content by the transmission server 1B.

  Since the configurations of the devices provided in the areas A and B are the same, the sending servers 1A and 1B, the head end routers 2A and 2B, the management devices 3A and 3B, the edge routers 4A and 4B, and the receiving device 5A, Each generic name of 5B will be described as a sending server 1, a head end router 2, a management device 3, an edge router 4, and a receiving device 5.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the internal configuration of the management apparatus 3. The management device 3 includes a CPU 11, a distribution control unit 12, an address information memory 13, and LAN control units 141 to 14n. The distribution control unit 12 is configured by a control program executed by the CPU 11. The address information memory 13 is constituted by a RAM or a hard disk, and stores a multicast address of a transmission server that distributes contents to the area and a multicast address of the edge router 4 in the area. The LAN control units 141 to 14n are communication interface cards and the like, and are used to communicate with the HE router 2 and the edge router 4 via the IP network NW. The distribution control unit 12 controls the multicast distribution of content by the sending server 1 using the address information stored in the address information memory 13.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the content distribution system.
(At initial registration)
The sending server 1 distributes the multicast packet to the HE router 2 (step S11). The HE router 2 that has received the multicast packet registers a multicast path with the management device 3 connected to the router (step S12). By this registration, the CPU 11 of the management apparatus 3 stores the multicast address corresponding to the server in the address information memory 13. Also, the edge router 4 registers a multicast path with the management device 3 in the area (step S13). The CPU 11 stores a multicast address corresponding to the edge router 4 in the address information memory 13.

(When receiving a request)
When a reception request for content specifying a region is transmitted from the reception device 5 (step S21), the edge router 4 transmits this reception request to the management device 3 (step S22). Then, the management apparatus 3 authenticates whether or not the area designated by the content reception request is the area (step S23). In other words, the management device 3 determines whether or not the multicast address of the server device 1 corresponding to the area designated by the reception request is stored in the address information memory 13 by the distribution control unit 12.

  When this authentication is successful, the distribution control unit 12 refers to the address information memory 13 and transmits a response indicating permission of multicast distribution to the edge router 4 and also the HE router of the server device 1 corresponding to the designated area. 2 is requested for multicast distribution (step S24). As a result of step S24, a multicast path between the HE router 2 and the edge router 4 is established on the IP network (step S25). The content distributed from the sending server 1 is streamed toward the edge router 4 via the established multicast path (step S26). The edge router 4 receives this stream and delivers the stream to the receiving device 5 (step S27).

  For example, in FIG. 1, when the content of area A distributed from the transmission server 1A is requested from the receiving apparatus 5A in area A, a reception request message is transmitted to the management apparatus 3A from the edge router 4A to which the receiving apparatus 5A is connected. The With this reception request, the management apparatus 3A establishes a multicast path between the sending server 1A and the edge router 4A. Accordingly, the receiving device 5A can view the broadcast content A.

  On the other hand, when broadcast content in area A is requested from the receiving apparatus 5B in area B, a reception request message is transmitted from the edge router 4B to which the receiving apparatus 5B is connected to the management apparatus 3B. However, since the multicast address corresponding to the sending server 1A in the region A is not registered in the management device 3B, a multicast path between the edge router 4B and the sending server 1A cannot be established. Therefore, the receiving device 5B cannot view the broadcast content A in the area A. In this case, the distribution control unit 12 notifies the requesting receiving device 5B that the content in the designated area cannot be received.

  As described above, in the above embodiment, a management device is arranged for each region where content distribution is limited, and a multicast path between the broadcast content multicast address and the receiving edge router is managed in this management device. Give function. At this time, the management apparatus manages only the multicast address in the area. A reception request message received by an edge router in a certain region is transmitted only to a multicast path management device that manages the region. The management apparatus that has received the reception request message establishes a multicast address path managed by itself between the transmission server and the edge router. On the other hand, when an edge router in another area receives a reception request message, the message cannot be transmitted to a management device that manages another area, so viewing broadcast content in another area from another area is not possible. It will not be possible.

  Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to provide a content distribution system capable of realizing area-limited distribution by reducing the labor of filtering setting for the router.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

The block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the content delivery system which concerns on this invention. The functional block diagram which shows the internal structure of the management apparatus shown in FIG. The sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the content delivery system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B ... Sending server, 2A, 2B ... Head end router, 3A, 3B ... Management device, 4A, 4B ... Edge router, 5A, 5B ... Receiving device, NW ... IP network, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Distribution control part , 13 ... address information memory, 141 to 14n ... LAN control unit.

Claims (4)

A distribution management device that is arranged for each region and connected to a server device that multicasts content to a receiving device in the region via an IP network,
Storage means for storing a multicast address used for distribution of the content for the server device in the area;
Receiving means for receiving a content reception request including information indicating a designated area transmitted from the receiving device;
Distribution control means for establishing a multicast path on the IP network between the requesting receiving apparatus and the server apparatus when the multicast address of the server apparatus corresponding to the designated area is stored in the storage means; A distribution management apparatus comprising:   The delivery control means notifies the requesting receiving device that the content in the designated area cannot be received when the multicast address of the server device corresponding to the designated area is not stored in the storage means. The delivery management apparatus according to claim 1. A content distribution method used in a distribution management device that is arranged for each region and is connected to a server device that multicasts content to a receiving device in the region via an IP network,
Storing a multicast address used for distribution of the content for the server device in the area;
Receiving a content reception request including information representing a designated area transmitted from the receiving device;
When a multicast address of a server device corresponding to the designated area is stored in the storage unit, a multicast path between the requesting receiving device and the server device is established on the IP network, Content delivery method.   4. The content distribution method according to claim 3, wherein when a multicast address of a server device corresponding to the designated area is not stored, a notification that the content in the designated area cannot be received is notified to a requesting receiving apparatus. .

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