JP2010171559A - Content transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content transmitter for enabling a user to view high quality video data and listen to high quality sound data at place and time of usually frequently viewing the video and listening to the data, or a data transmission system. <P>SOLUTION: A band control means sets a use band in each content receiver for each time zone from program rating calculated by a program rating calculating means, reflects the use band on a band control timetable, and when the use band exceeds a fixed value, transmits the high quality video and sound data to each of the content receivers by transmitting content stored in a content storing means as it is to the content receiver. When the base band does not exceed the fixed value, viewable and listenable content is transmitted to each of content receivers by transmitting the content stored in the content storing means as it is to the content receiver or recompressing the content stored in the content storing means with a high compression rate by a compression rate changing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a data transmission terminal apparatus that constitutes a data transmission system, and relates to a method for controlling a data transmission terminal apparatus for obtaining good image quality.

  With recent development of wireless transmission technology, wireless transmission of HD (High Definition) video has become possible. IEEE802.11b using 2.4 GHz band radio waves as a standard for wireless LAN (Local Area Network) having a high transmission speed and IEEE 802.11g using 5 GHz band radio waves for further increasing the transmission speed. There is. These wireless LAN standards have transmission speeds that can handle images sufficiently. In addition to transferring data such as files used on PCs, video signals can be incorporated into consumer devices that handle images, eliminating the need for wired cables. Can be used for wireless transmission.

  In wireless communication, the content can be reliably transmitted and received with a band secured according to the bit rate of the content to be transmitted and received (for example, 24 Mbps for HD video, 8 Mbps for SD video, etc.). In Patent Document 1, a server stores a plurality of content data and radio band information necessary for content data transmission corresponding to each content data, and when the content data is selected by a wireless terminal, the server stores the necessary radio band information. Is transmitted to the wireless terminal, and the wireless terminal transmits a bandwidth change request to the wireless base station based on the wireless terminal, and the wireless base station changes the requested bandwidth to the wireless terminal after completing the wireless connection bandwidth change. The wireless terminal that transmitted the bandwidth change notification to the terminal and received the bandwidth change notification transmits the bandwidth change completion notification to the server, and the server that received the bandwidth change completion notification transmits the content data to the wireless terminal. It may be configured to start transmission.

JP 2002-247131 A

  However, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-247131, a band change request is transmitted to the radio base station, and the radio base station changes to the requested band, but the band is congested and cannot be changed. There is no guarantee that the content can be transmitted and received reliably.

  In order to avoid such a problem, the bandwidth control circuit includes a bandwidth control time table in which the bandwidth used is set for each content reception device for each time zone, and the bandwidth used in the bandwidth control time table is set. Then, the content is transmitted to each content receiving device.

  More specifically, the bandwidth control means sets the use bandwidth for each time zone for each content receiving device from the audience rating calculated by the audience rating calculation means and reflects it in the bandwidth control time table so that the use bandwidth is constant. When the value is exceeded, the bandwidth control means determines that the priority is high, and transmits the content stored in the content storage means to the content receiving device as it is, thereby receiving high-quality video and audio data for each content. Send to device.

  When the used bandwidth does not exceed a certain value, the bandwidth control means determines that the priority is low, and transmits the content stored in the content storage means as it is to the content receiving device, or by the compression rate changing means By recompressing the content stored in the content storage unit at a high compression rate, the viewable content is transmitted to each content receiving device.

  It is possible to view high-quality video and audio data at a place and time that are often viewed.

  Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a content transmission apparatus 100 according to an embodiment.
101 is a system circuit that controls processing of the content transmission apparatus 100, 102 is a network communication control circuit that exchanges data with other apparatuses via a wireless network, and 103 is a band of content transmitted by the content transmission control circuit 105 Is a band control circuit that secures and supplies to the network communication control circuit 102.

  Reference numeral 1031 denotes a bandwidth control time table that records the bandwidth allocated by the bandwidth control circuit 103 based on the audience rating calculated by the audience rating calculation circuit 107, and 104 denotes a content storage circuit that stores content data. Is a content transmission control circuit that sends out content to be transmitted to another device via a wireless network, and 106 is a compression rate conversion circuit that changes the compression rate of the content stored in the content storage circuit 104 and executes recompression. .

  Reference numeral 107 denotes an audience rating calculation circuit that stores the number of times of viewing in each time zone for each content receiving apparatus every day and calculates the audience rating based on the number of times of viewing. A content receiving apparatus 200 includes a network communication control circuit that receives data transmitted from the content transmitting apparatus 100 via at least a wireless network, and a video display circuit that decompresses the received data and displays the data on a monitor.

  In the present embodiment, the audience rating calculation circuit 107 stores the number of times of viewing in each time zone for each content receiving apparatus every day, and calculates the audience rating from the number of times of viewing. The bandwidth control circuit 103 allocates a usable bandwidth in each time zone for each content receiving device from the audience rating calculated by the audience rating calculation circuit 107, and depending on the allocated bandwidth, the content accumulated in the content accumulation circuit 104 is allocated. The content is recompressed by the compression rate conversion circuit 106 and the content is transmitted from the network communication processing circuit 102 to each content receiving device via the network.

  As a result, high-quality video and audio data can be viewed on the content reception device during the time when the user often views. Note that the content transmitted by the content transmission control circuit 105 is not limited to a specific kind of thing. For example, video and audio data of a program received from a TV broadcast, a disk or tape such as an HDD or DVD, etc. Video and audio data reproduced from a recording medium can be applied.

  In FIG. 1, a tuner for receiving a broadcast, a means for recording / reproducing, a data compression processing circuit required prior to transmission over a network, and the like are omitted in the drawing. These means may be appropriately added to the configuration according to the type of content to be transmitted.

  For example, when content transmission is performed on a network using a wireless local area network (LAN), the wireless network communication control circuit 102 includes WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption processing. WEP is an encryption method used for the purpose of security protection in a wireless LAN, and communication with security protection between a transmission device and a reception device can be realized under user management. In this embodiment, a case where a wireless LAN is used will be described.

  FIG. 2 shows how video is transmitted to a monitor installed in each room by wireless LAN in a general home. Reference numerals 201, 202, 203, and 204 are monitors that output video and audio data, and have a built-in wireless LAN reception function. The router 300 is connected to the Internet via a modem or photoelectric converter (not shown) or by a modem or photoelectric converter built in the router.

  The type of connection to the Internet may be any type such as a high-speed access line such as an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber line) or an optical fiber, a mobile communication network such as an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), an analog telephone line, or a mobile phone. In a wireless LAN, standard IP (Internet Protocol) is used as a network protocol, and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are used as upper transport protocols.

  A higher-level application protocol such as RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) or HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is used for content transmission. Note that IP has IPv4 and IPv6 as the version differences, but this embodiment is not limited to either.

  The content transmission apparatus 100, the monitors 201 to 204, and the router 300 each have an IP address that identifies itself on the wireless LAN. In addition, a 48-bit MAC (Media Access Control) address is given in advance to the interface unit of each wireless network communication processing circuit at the time of manufacture.

  For example, the router 300 is operated as a DHCP server by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), which is conventionally used for automatic address setting in the network, and the IP address of each device is set from here. Allocate it.

  When IPv6 is used, each device can determine its own IP address from the upper 64 bits of the IP address of the router 300 and the MAC address by a method called stateless automatic setting.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, when content is distributed to the monitors 201 to 204 arranged in each room by wireless LAN, there is a possibility that the band is insufficient and good video and audio data cannot be transmitted. In this embodiment, the content transmission apparatus 100 is provided with a bandwidth control circuit 103, and the bandwidth control circuit 103 performs bandwidth control based on bandwidth information described in the bandwidth control time table 1031 held by itself, and transmits content. To do.

  Here, the bandwidth control time table 1031 assigns a large band to the time zone and place where the user often views from the past viewing record for each receiving device, and for the time zone and place where the user does not watch much. Since it is automatically updated for each time zone so as to allocate a small band, it is possible to always view high-quality video and audio data in the time zone and place where the user often watches.

  FIG. 3 shows a time period in which, for example, the living room monitor 201 communicates with the content transmitting apparatus 100 in one day. In order to recognize the living room monitor 201 connected to the content transmitting apparatus 100, the audience rating calculation circuit 107 stores the number of times of viewing by the time zone in association with a unique identifier such as a MAC address.

  In the figure, “1” is displayed when the content is actually received from the content transmitting apparatus 100 and displayed on the monitor, and “0” is displayed when the monitor is turned off. This shows a state where the connection with the content transmission apparatus 100 is not performed. “When viewing content” indicates a period from when the monitor 201 in the living room is turned on to when the power is turned off.

  In the viewing time zone, for example, the power of the living room monitor 201 is turned on with a remote controller, and the time when the connection is established between the content transmitting apparatus 100 and the living room monitor 201 is set as a viewing start time. 107 stores. The time when the user is not viewing the content indicates, for example, from the time when the power source of the living room monitor 201 is turned off to the time when the connection with the content transmitting apparatus 100 is cut off until the time when the connection of the living room monitor 201 is turned on.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure when the bandwidth control circuit 103 allocates a bandwidth. The audience rating calculation circuit 107 records the number of viewings for N days for each time zone on the monitor of each connected room (step S401), and calculates the audience rating for N days in the time zone (step S402). The bandwidth control circuit 103 allocates bandwidths in descending order of the audience rating (step S403) and reflects them in the bandwidth control time table.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the bandwidth control time table 500. In the time zone from 18:00 to 21:00, the audience rating of the monitors 201 to 204 in each room and the bandwidth allocated from the bandwidth control circuit 103 according to the audience rating are shown. The bandwidth indicates what percentage of the total bandwidth is secured. For example, 40%, 30%, 20%, and 10% are allocated from a monitor in a room with a high audience rating.

  That is, a monitor in a room with a high audience rating allocates a band so that high-quality video and audio data can always be viewed regardless of the type of content. If the bandwidth reflected in the bandwidth control time table 1031 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (m%) (YES in step S404), the bandwidth control circuit 103 transmits the content held in the content storage circuit 104 as it is (step S406). .

  When the predetermined value (m%) is not reached (No in step S404), the content held in the content storage circuit 104 is recompressed at a high compression rate in the compression rate conversion circuit 106 (step S405) and the content is transmitted. (Step S406).

  For example, if the constant value m = 30%, in the time zone from 18:00 to 21:00, the content transmitted from the content transmitting apparatus 100 is viewed on the monitor 201 in the living room 201 and the monitor 202 in the child room. In this case, since the compression rate conversion circuit 106 does not recompress the content at a high compression rate, high-quality video and audio data such as HD video can be viewed.

  On the other hand, in the bedroom monitor 203 and the study monitor 204 that are not viewed much, the video compression rate conversion circuit 106 recompresses the content at a high compression rate in accordance with the allocated bandwidth. Such as low-quality video and audio data.

  For example, when viewing the content compressed in MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group phase 2) stored in the content storage circuit 104 on the study monitor 204, the content is recompressed in MPEG4 (Moving Picture Experts Group phase 4), for example. Thus, it is possible to sufficiently view in the use band set on the study monitor 204.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the bandwidth control circuit 103 performs bandwidth control based on the bandwidth information described in the bandwidth control time table 1031 held by itself and transmits the content, and the bandwidth control time. The table assigns a large band to a time zone and a place that the user often views, and assigns a small band to a time zone and a place that the user does not watch much, from the past viewing record for each receiving device. Since it is automatically updated every time zone, it is possible to always view high-quality video and audio data in the time zone and place where the user often watches.

  Here, in this embodiment, the number of times of viewing is recorded for each time zone, the viewing rate is calculated from the number of times of viewing for several days, the use band is determined and reflected in the bandwidth control time table. The audience rating is used as an example of a method for investigating the time zone, and is not specified as the audience rating.

  In the present embodiment, the audience rating is calculated every 3 hours in the time zone. However, the bandwidth can be set in more detail by calculating the audience rating every hour or every 30 minutes. . Also, the priority is set based on the survey results of the place and time zone that the user often views, and when the user is not viewing on the monitor with high priority, that is, the used bandwidth allocated to the monitor with high priority is satisfied. When it is, high-quality video and audio data can be viewed by allocating a bandwidth that is sufficient for a monitor with low priority.

  However, if viewing is started on a monitor with a high priority while viewing on a monitor with a low priority, as described above, the bandwidth used by the monitor with a low priority is limited and recompressed at a high compression rate. Transmit video and audio data. At this time, the user may be notified by displaying on the monitor that the use band is limited. Further, although the wireless network has been described in the present embodiment, it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained for a wired network.

  It is possible to view high-quality video and audio data at a place and time where the user often watches.

The figure which showed the form of the present Example. The figure which showed the wireless LAN environment in a general household. The figure which showed the frequency | count of viewing in the time slot | zone of a day. The figure which showed the allocation of the use band with the flowchart. The figure which showed an example of the zone | band control time table.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Content transmission apparatus 101 System control circuit 102 Network communication processing circuit 103 Band control circuit 1031 Band control timetable 104 Content storage circuit 105 Content transmission control circuit 106 Compression rate change circuit 107 Audience rating calculation circuit 200-204 Content reception apparatus 300 Router S401 To S406 Step of Bandwidth Control Method

Claims (4)

Network communication processing means for transmitting and receiving data via a network;
Content transmission control means for supplying content to be transmitted to one or more content receiving devices connected via the network to the wireless network communication processing means;
Bandwidth control means for controlling bandwidth according to a set use band when transmitting content to each content receiving device for each time slot;
Audience rating calculating means for calculating the viewing status of content for each content receiving device for each time slot;
Compression rate changing means for changing the compression rate of the content being compressed,
Content storage means for storing content;
A content transmission apparatus comprising: The content transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The bandwidth control means includes a bandwidth control time table in which a use bandwidth is set for each time zone for each content receiving device,
The content transmission device, wherein the bandwidth control means transmits content to each content reception device in accordance with a used bandwidth set in the bandwidth control time table. The content transmission device according to claim 1 or 2,
The band control means sets a use band for each time period for each content receiving device from the audience rating calculated by the audience rating calculation means and reflects it in a band control time table. When exceeding, the bandwidth control means transmits the content stored in the content storage means to the content receiving apparatus as it is, thereby transmitting high-quality video and audio data to each content receiving apparatus. Content transmission device. The content transmission device according to claim 1 or 2,
The band control means sets a use band for each time period for each content receiving device from the audience rating calculated by the audience rating calculation means and reflects it in a band control time table. When not exceeding, the bandwidth control means transmits the content stored in the content storage means to the content receiving device as it is, or the content stored in the content storage means by the compression rate changing means is re-reproduced at a high compression rate. A content transmitting apparatus that transmits viewable content to each content receiving apparatus by compressing the content.

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