JP2011061624A - Server apparatus, program sending system and program sending method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program sending system, a server apparatus, and a program sending method, which maintain redundancy even when a trunk system and a redundant system are not structured similarly. <P>SOLUTION: In the case where any failure occurs in a device of a trunk system, a server apparatus 10 sends an MPEG2 TS signal to a redundant system in a signal format of a digital broadcast standard based TS format. A program sending system is configured to control switching of a system switcher 60 through a switching controller 70 and to derive an ISDB-T TS signal of the redundant system output from the server 10 to a post-stage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a program transmission system that adopts, for example, a redundant configuration and switches to derivation of a redundant system when an abnormality occurs in the main line system, and a server apparatus and a program transmission method used in the system.

  Generally, in a program transmission system in a broadcasting station, a transmission system is duplicated in order to improve the reliability of broadcasting. This type of program transmission system processes the signal output from the server device by the main line system and the redundant system, respectively, and derives the signal from the main line system to the subsequent stage in a normal state. Further, the program transmission system monitors the occurrence of errors for each system, and when an error occurs in the main system, the signal derivation is switched to the redundant system.

  By the way, the program transmission system includes a master switcher, an audio / video effect device, an encoder, and a MUX for each system, and these devices process signals for each system. That is, when adopting a redundant configuration, these devices need to be installed in the redundant system in addition to the main line system. For this reason, in a small-scale broadcasting station, there is a problem that the cost burden increases when attempting to duplicate the transmission system.

  In Patent Document 1, a video server is proposed that incorporates an effect device for effecting video data.

JP 2001-186411 A

  As described above, in the conventional program transmission system, there is a problem that when the transmission system is to be duplicated, the main line system and the redundant system need to have the same structure, so that the cost burden increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a program transmission system, a server device, and a program transmission method capable of maintaining redundancy even when the main line system and the redundant system do not have the same structure. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the server device according to the present invention transmits a broadcast signal in accordance with a digital broadcast standard, and when a failure occurs in the main system that derives the broadcast signal, the signal derived from the redundant system is transmitted. In the server device used in the program transmission system to be transmitted, the material data is recorded in advance, and the material data to be read is output from the recorded material data according to the read instruction, and when a failure occurs in the main line system, A recording unit that outputs delayed material data obtained by delaying the material data by a preset time, and a decoding unit that decodes the material data from the recording unit into a baseband signal and supplies the baseband signal to the main line system And the delayed material data from the recording unit converted into a signal having the same format as the broadcast signal and supplied to the redundant system. Comprising a processing unit.

  The program transmission system according to the present invention comprises a main line system and a redundant system, and in the program transmission system for transmitting a broadcast signal in accordance with a digital broadcasting standard, material data is recorded in advance, and the recorded material data is read according to a read instruction. The material data to be read is converted into a baseband signal and output to the main line system. When a signal indicating that a fault has occurred in the main line system is received, the material data is set in advance. A server apparatus that delays by a time and converts the signal into the same format as the broadcast signal and outputs the signal to the redundant system, and a baseband signal that is installed in the main line system and output from the server apparatus is encoded into a TS signal. An encoding unit and a multi-channel encoder that is installed in the main line system and multiplexes TS signals from the encoding unit in accordance with the digital broadcasting standard. A monitoring unit, a switching unit that selectively switches to transmission of a signal from the multiplexing unit of the main line system or transmission of the signal of the redundant system, and a coding unit and a multiplexing unit installed in the main line system, When a failure occurs in at least one of the multiplexing unit and the multiplexing unit, a signal indicating that a failure has occurred in the main line system is output to the server device, and the signal of the redundant system is output to the switching unit. And a control unit that issues an instruction to send the message.

  The program sending method according to the present invention sends a broadcast signal in accordance with the digital broadcasting standard, and sends a signal derived by a redundant system when a failure occurs in the main line system that derives the broadcast signal. In the program transmission method used in the system, when a failure occurs in the main line system, the server apparatus delays the pre-recorded material data by a preset time and the broadcast signal conforming to the digital broadcasting standard The signal is converted into a signal of the same format and output to the redundant system.

  In the server device, the program transmission system, and the program transmission method configured as described above, when a failure occurs in the main line system device, the server apparatus transmits the pre-recorded material data to the redundant system in the digital broadcast standard signal format. In the program transmission system, the switching unit switches the transmission system from the main line signal to the redundant system signal. As a result, the program transmission system can prevent the signal transmission from being interrupted due to a failure of the main line system device, even if the same system as the main line system is not installed in the redundant system.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a program transmission system, a server device, and a program transmission method capable of maintaining redundancy even when the main line system and the redundant system are not in the same structure.

It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the program transmission system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the server apparatus in the program transmission system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the switching controller of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a server device, a program transmission system, and a program transmission method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a program transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The program transmission system in FIG. 1 includes a server device 10, a master switcher 20, an effect device 30, an HD encoder 41, a one-segment encoder 42, a data broadcast encoder 43, a MUX 50, a system switch 60, and a switch controller 70.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the server device 10 in the program transmission system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The server apparatus 10 in FIG. 2 includes a storage 11, a decoder 12, a transcoding unit 13, and a framing unit 14.

  The storage 11 is an embodiment of a recording unit shown in the claims. In the storage 11, material data encoded in an encoding format such as MPEG2-TS is recorded. Here, the material data recorded in the storage 11 includes HD material data, one-seg material data, and the like.

  When the storage 11 receives the read instruction, the storage 11 reads out the material data to be read out of the recorded material data at a bit rate of 50 to 100 Mbps. The read material data is supplied to the decoder 12 as an MPEG2 TS signal having a bit rate of 50 to 100 Mbps. Further, upon receiving an instruction from the switching controller 70 described later, the storage 11 reads the material data after a predetermined delay time has elapsed, and outputs it to the transcoding unit 13 as an MPEG2 TS signal with a bit rate of 50 to 100 Mbps. Here, the predetermined delay time is set in advance so that the main system signal and the redundant system signal reach the system switch 60 at the same timing. That is, the delay time is set based on the processing time in the decoder 12, the master switcher 20, the effect device 30, the HD encoder 41, the one-segment encoder 42, the data broadcast encoder 43, and the MUX.

  The decoder 12 is an embodiment of a decoding unit shown in the claims. The decoder 12 decodes the MPEG2 TS signal output at a bit rate of 50 to 100 Mbps and converts it into a baseband signal. The baseband signal is supplied to the master switcher 20 of the main line system.

  The transcoding unit 13 performs a transcoding process on the MPEG2 TS signal output at a bit rate of 50 to 100 Mbps, thereby adjusting the bit rate to the bit rate at the time of broadcast transmission. The bit rate at the time of broadcast transmission refers to the bit rate at which the MPEG2 TS signal is output from the HD encoder 41 and the one-segment encoder 42. Thus, of the MPEG2 TS signal from the storage 11, the MPEG2 TS signal derived from the HD material data is converted to a signal having a bit rate of about 14 Mbps, and the MPEG2 TS signal derived from the one-segment material data is converted to a signal having a bit rate of about 400 kbps. Converted. Note that transcoding processing includes techniques such as video resolution conversion and frame skipping.

  The framing unit 14 converts the MPEG2 TS signal rate-converted to the bit rate at the time of broadcast transmission by the transcoding unit 13 into an ISDB-T TS signal according to the ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting for Terrestrial) system. At this time, the framing unit 14 converts the MPEG2 TS signal in which one packet is 188 bytes into an ISDB-T TS signal in which one packet is 204 bytes by adding Null of 16 bytes to each packet of the MPEG2 TS signal. Then, the framing unit 14 inserts a Null packet into the ISDB-T TS signal based on the system clock, thereby setting the bit rate of the ISDB-T TS signal to 32.508 (= (512 × 4) / 4). Convert to Mbps. Here, 32.508 Mbps, which is the bit rate of the ISDB-T TS signal, is a bit rate defined by the ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses) standard for performing OFDM modulation in the subsequent transmitter.

  Further, when converting the MPEG2 TS signal into the ISDB-T TS signal, the framing unit 14 converts the signal derived from the HD material data and the one-segment material data into a frame based on the system clock and the frame synchronization signal. At this time, the pattern of the multiplex frame is set in advance based on the ISDB-T standard. Note that the functions described above for the framing unit 14 are the same as the functions that are hardware-processed by the MUX 50. However, in the server device, there is no problem in realizing the function by software implementation because the pattern of the multiplex frame is set in advance and the processing time is somewhat marginal for timing adjustment with the main line system.

  The master switcher 20 receives a control signal from an external control device such as an automatic program control device (APC) (not shown) and switches the connection system. For example, the master switcher 20 derives the baseband signal from the server device 10 to the effect device 30 when the main part of the program is broadcast, and the baseband signal from the server on which the CM is recorded when the CM is broadcast. Is derived to the effect device 30.

  The effect device 30 adds effects such as video and audio to the baseband signal derived from the master switcher 20. The effect device 30 outputs the baseband signal of the HD material among the baseband signals to which the effect is added to the HD encoder 41, outputs the one-segment material to the one-segment encoder 42, and uses the data broadcasting material for data broadcasting. Output to the encoder 43.

  The HD encoder 41, the one-segment encoder 42, and the data broadcast encoder 43 are an embodiment of an encoding unit shown in the claims. The HD encoder 41 encodes the baseband signal from the effect device 30 into an MPEG2 TS signal of about 14 Mbps, which is a bit rate at the time of broadcast transmission. The one-segment encoder 42 encodes the baseband signal from the effect device 30 into an MPEG2 TS signal having a bit rate of about 400 kbps at the time of broadcast transmission. The data broadcast encoder 43 encodes the baseband signal from the effect device 30 into an MPEG2 TS signal having a bit rate at the time of broadcast transmission. The HD encoder 41, the one-segment encoder 42, and the data broadcast encoder 43 output the converted MPEG2 TS signal to the MUX 50.

  The MUX 50 is an embodiment of the multiplexing unit shown in the claims. The MUX 50 converts the MPEG2 TS signal that has been rate-converted to the bit rate at the time of broadcast transmission into an ISDB-T TS signal in accordance with the ISDB-T system. At this time, the MUX 50 adds a 16-byte Null to each packet of the MPEG2 TS signal, thereby converting an MPEG2 TS signal in which one packet is 188 bytes into an ISDB-T TS signal in which one packet is 204 bytes. Then, the MUX 50 inserts a Null packet into the converted ISDB-T TS signal based on the system clock, thereby setting the bit rate of the ISDB-T TS signal to 32.508 (= (512 × 4) / 4) Mbps. Convert.

  Further, when the MUX 50 converts the MPEG2 TS signal into the ISDB-T TS signal, the MUX 50 converts the signal derived from the HD material, the one-segment material, and the data broadcasting material into a frame based on the system clock and the frame synchronization signal. At this time, the pattern of the multiplex frame is set in advance based on the ISDB-T standard.

  The system switch 60 is an embodiment of the switching unit shown in the claims. The system switcher 60 selects one of the ISDB-T TS signal supplied from the MUX 50 and the ISDB-T TS signal supplied from the framing unit 14 of the server device 10 based on an instruction from the switching controller 70. Derived to a subsequent transmitter (not shown).

  The switching controller 70 is an embodiment of the control unit shown in the claims. The switching controller 70 monitors whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the master switcher 20, the effect device 30, the HD encoder 41, the one-segment encoder 42, the data broadcast encoder 43, and the MUX installed in the main line system. When there is no abnormality in these devices, the switching controller 70 gives an instruction to the system switcher 60 to derive the ISDB-T TS signal of the main line system. In addition, when an abnormality is found in the main system equipment, the switching controller 70 instructs the server apparatus 10 to output the ISDB-T TS signal, and derives the redundant system ISDB-T TS signal. An instruction is given to the system switch 60.

  Next, the operation in the above configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the switching controller 70 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The switching controller 70 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the master switcher 20, the effect device 30, the HD encoder 41, the one-segment encoder 42, the data broadcast encoder 43, and the MUX installed in the main line system (step 31). ). When an abnormality occurs in at least one of the master switcher 20, the effect device 30, the HD encoder 41, the one-segment encoder 42, the data broadcast encoder 43, and the MUX (Yes in step 31), the switching controller 70 The ISDB-T TS signal is instructed to be output (step 32), and the system switch 60 is instructed to switch the derivation to the redundant system (step 33). Thereby, the ISDB-T TS signal is output from the server device, and the derivation is switched from the ISDB-T TS signal of the main line system to the ISDB-T TS signal of the redundant system.

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment, the server device 10 converts the MPEG2 TS signal into the TS format according to the digital broadcasting standard by the transcoding unit 13 and the framing unit 14 when a failure occurs in the main line system device. The signal format is sent to the redundant system. In the program transmission system, the switching controller 70 controls the system switch 60 to derive the ISDB-T TS signal of the redundant system output from the server device 10 to the subsequent stage. As a result, the program transmission system can prevent signal transmission from being interrupted due to a failure of the main line system device. In other words, the server device 10 is provided with a simple broadcast TS transmission function and this signal transmission system is a redundant system, so that the master switcher 20, the effect device 30, the encoders 41 to 43, and the MUX 50 have only one system. However, it is possible to prevent broadcast transmission from being stopped when a device failure occurs.

  Therefore, the server apparatus and the program transmission system according to the present invention can maintain redundancy even when the main line system and the redundant system are not similar in structure, and can continue program transmission. That is, even in a case where a small-scale broadcasting station intends to duplicate the broadcasting signal transmission system, the cost burden is reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, when the master switcher 20 is controlled by the APC, a baseband signal from other than the server device 10 such as a studio is processed by the main line system and may be derived from the system switch 60. In such a case, the filler material data is recorded in advance in the storage 11 of the server device 10. The switching controller 70 gives an instruction to the server device 10 to output the filler material data to the redundant system when a failure occurs in the main line system equipment, and performs switching control on the system switching unit 60. You may do it. As a result, even when a failure occurs in the main line system during the broadcast of the video not recorded in the server device 10, the redundant filler material is broadcast, and it is possible to prevent the broadcast from being interrupted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the HD material data and the one-seg material data are recorded in the storage 11 of the server device 10 has been described. However, the material recorded in the storage 11 is not limited to these. Absent. For example, audio data may be recorded in the storage 11. At this time, the audio data is recorded uncompressed in the storage 11, and when the audio data is read from the storage 11, the transcoding unit 13 performs MPEG2 AAC encoding on the audio data, thereby adjusting the rate of the TS signal. Reduce to match the bit rate at the time of broadcast transmission.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the baseband signal is converted into the MPEG2 TS signal in the HD encoder 41, the one-segment encoder 42, and the data broadcast encoder 43 has been described. However, the encoding method in the encoders 41 to 43 is MPEG2. It is not limited to. For example, in the encoders 41 to 43, the baseband signal is H.264. Even if it is a case where it encodes by a H.264 system, it can implement similarly.

  In the above embodiment, the MPEG2 TS signal is converted into the ISDB-T TS signal by the MUX 50 and the framing unit 14, but the standard of the signal converted by the MUX 50 and the framing unit 14 is ISDB-. It is not limited to the T standard. For example, other digital broadcasting standards such as ISDB-S can be similarly implemented.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the server device 10 includes the transcoding unit 13 and the framing unit 14 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, even if the server apparatus 10 includes a signal processing unit that performs transcoding processing on the MPEG2 TS signal from the storage 11 and converts the processed signal into an ISDB-T TS signal, the same can be implemented. .

  Furthermore, the present invention can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the spirit of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, 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.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Server apparatus 11 ... Storage 12 ... Decoder 13 ... Transcoding part 14 ... Framing part 20 ... Master switcher 30 ... Effect apparatus 41 ... HD encoder 42 ... One segment encoder 43 ... Data broadcasting encoder 50 ... MUX
60 ... System switch 70 ... Switch controller

Claims (7)

In a server device used in a program transmission system for transmitting a broadcast signal in accordance with a digital broadcast standard and transmitting a signal derived by a redundant system when a failure occurs in the main line system for deriving the broadcast signal,
The material data is recorded in advance, and the material data to be read is output from the recorded material data in accordance with the read instruction. When a failure occurs in the main line system, the material data is delayed by a preset time. A recording unit for outputting delayed material data;
A decoding unit that decodes the material data from the recording unit into a baseband signal and supplies the signal to the main line;
A server apparatus comprising: a signal processing unit that converts the delayed material data from the recording unit into a signal having the same format as the broadcast signal and supplies the signal to the redundant system. In accordance with the digital broadcasting standard, the program transmission system encodes a baseband signal supplied from the server device into a TS signal, and outputs the TS signal from the encoding unit to the main line system. And a multiplexing unit that multiplexes and outputs as the broadcast signal,
The signal processing unit
A transcoding unit for converting and outputting the delayed material data from the recording unit so that the bit rate is equivalent to the bit rate of the TS signal;
2. The server according to claim 1, further comprising a framing unit configured to frame a signal from the transcoding unit in accordance with the digital broadcasting standard and to supply a signal having the same format as the broadcasting signal to the redundant system. apparatus. The program transmission system includes a master switcher that selectively switches and derives one of a baseband signal from the server device and an external baseband signal supplied from outside in the main line system, and the master switcher When the external baseband signal is derived from
The recording unit further records the filler material in advance, and when a failure occurs in the main line system, outputs the filler material with a delay of a preset time,
The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit converts the filler material from the recording unit into a signal having the same format as the broadcast signal and supplies the signal to the redundant system. In a program transmission system that consists of a main line system and a redundant system and transmits broadcast signals in accordance with the digital broadcast standard,
The material data is recorded in advance, the material data to be read is converted into a baseband signal from the recorded material data in accordance with a read instruction and output to the main line system, and a failure has occurred in the main line system. When the signal is received, the material data is delayed by a preset time, converted into a signal of the same format as the broadcast signal, and output to the redundant system, a server device,
An encoding unit that is installed in the main line system and encodes a baseband signal output from the server device into a TS signal;
A multiplexing unit that is installed in the main line system and multiplexes the TS signal from the encoding unit in accordance with the digital broadcasting standard;
A switching unit that selectively switches to transmission of a signal from the multiplexing unit of the main line system or a signal of the redundant system;
The encoding unit and the multiplexing unit installed in the main line system are monitored, and when a failure occurs in at least one of the encoding unit and the multiplexing unit, a failure occurs in the main line system with respect to the server device. And a control unit that outputs a signal to the effect that instructs the switching unit to transmit the signal of the redundant system. The server device
The material data is recorded in advance, and the material data to be read is output from the recorded material data in accordance with the reading instruction. When a signal indicating that a failure has occurred in the main line system is received, the material data is output for a preset time. A recording unit for outputting delayed material data obtained by delaying the material data;
A decoding unit that decodes the material data from the recording unit into a baseband signal and supplies the signal to the main line;
A transcoding unit for converting and outputting the delayed material data from the recording unit so that a bit rate thereof is equivalent to a bit rate of the TS signal;
5. The program according to claim 4, further comprising a framing unit that frames the signal from the transcoding unit in accordance with the digital broadcasting standard and supplies a signal having the same format as the broadcasting signal to the redundant system. Delivery system. A master switcher that is installed in the main line system and that selectively switches and derives either a baseband signal from the server device or an external baseband signal supplied from the outside;
The server device further records the filler material in advance, and delays the filler material by a preset time if a failure occurs in the main line system when the external baseband signal is derived from the master switcher. 5. The program transmission system apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the broadcast signal is converted into a signal having the same format as the broadcast signal and output to the redundant system. A program transmission method used in a program transmission system for transmitting a broadcast signal in accordance with a digital broadcast standard and transmitting a signal derived by a redundant system when a failure occurs in the main line system for deriving the broadcast signal,
When a failure occurs in the main line system, in the server device, the previously recorded material data is delayed by a preset time and converted into a signal of the same format as the broadcast signal in accordance with the digital broadcast standard, and the redundant system A program sending method characterized by:

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