JP2012049944A - Tv receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a TV receiver which can simultaneously realize interactive real-time communication using an interactive real-time communication application and reproduction of a stream content using a streaming application.SOLUTION: The TV receiver includes: a communication portion transmitting and receiving AV data via a network; a sound input portion inputting sound; a photographing portion inputting a photographed image; an output portion outputting the received AV data; and a communication control portion which simultaneously controls reproduction of the AV data and the interactive real-time communication by the streaming application for controlling the reproduction of the AV data and the interactive real-time communication application for controlling the interactive real-time communication using the sound inputted from the sound input portion and the photographed image inputted from the photographing portion.

Description

  The present invention relates to a TV receiver, and more particularly, a TV receiver capable of simultaneously playing streaming content and a user at a remote location by using an interactive real-time communication application, and simultaneously viewing the stream content while interacting. Related to the machine.

  A network environment for realizing high-speed communication using an optical fiber or the like is being prepared due to a dramatic improvement in network technology. As a result, various forms of information communication services are provided. One of them is interactive real-time communication having real-time characteristics. In this communication, real-time communication with a sense of reality is enabled by transmitting and receiving both video and audio information in order for users to have a real-time conversation.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of a TV receiver that realizes a conventional interactive real-time communication application. A camera 802 and a microphone 803 are installed in a TV receiver 801 that is a user's communication device, and a connection is established via a network with a TV receiver 805 that is a user's communication device that interacts. In addition to voice calls via the microphone 803, the user can use the camera 802 to send the user and the environment around him to the communication partner as a video, making it feel as if the other party is in front of you A certain dialogue can be realized. In interactive real-time communication applications 804, 806, the user requests audio / video files stored on a server (not shown) on demand. Examples of content include movies, music, and creative videos.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of a TV receiver that realizes a conventional streaming application. The user of the TV receiver 901 issues an access request to the content server 903 where the desired content is stored via the streaming application 902, acquires the desired content, and reproduces it with the streaming application 902 (media player). The streaming application 902 does not download and reproduce all the content from the content server 903, but acquires a part of the content to be reproduced after a few seconds and sequentially reproduces it.

  On the other hand, as a method for sharing AV contents on a small network such as a home network, there is a system as shown in FIG. 10 (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this system 1000, the sink devices 1020 and 1030 receive predetermined AV content shared by the source device 1010 after receiving information regarding the state of sharing AV content from the source device 1010 that provides AV content. Transmit the request. Then, the AV content shared from the source device 1010 is received. This system 1000 is intended to share one content with two or more communication devices through a network. For example, it is used in a situation where a user who was watching a video on a TV receiver in the living room watches the video through a PC in another room.

JP 2005-327290 A

  However, in the above conventional technique, for example, when person A is watching content on a TV receiver in the living room and person B is watching the same content in another room, person A and person B are conscious of each other. In other words, a situation occurs in which the same content is simply being viewed and the content playback timing is different. In this case, even if the same content is viewed, the content is simply shared and not shared until the time. Therefore, there is a problem that the reaction of the other party to the content is not known.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a TV receiver capable of not only sharing contents but also sharing time. In the present invention, streaming content is viewed while interacting. For example, when a person A is watching a predetermined content by a streaming application in a home in Osaka, and the same content is played back at the same time by a streaming application of the person B in a home in Tokyo, an interactive real-time communication application Allows real-time interaction.

  The TV receiver of the present invention simultaneously operates an interactive real-time communication application that realizes interactive real-time communication and a media player that is a streaming application that reproduces streaming content.

  The TV receiver has an intermediary real-time communication application and an intermediary application that controls commands to the media player, and the intermediary application sets up a connection using the communication connection set by the user's interactive real-time communication application. The playback of the media player streaming content is controlled using the set connection. And synchronization is also taken in the reproduction of streaming content.

  According to the present invention, streaming content can be viewed while interacting in real time using a camera, a microphone, or the like.

The block diagram which shows the structure of TV receiver which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the connection setting of the interactive real-time communication which concerns on the embodiment The figure which shows the outline | summary of the synchronous control in the communication control part which concerns on the same embodiment The figure which shows the outline | summary of the interactive real-time communication which concerns on the same embodiment The figure which shows the outline | summary of the streaming application control by the mediation application which concerns on the embodiment The figure explaining the streaming content simultaneous reproduction method using the delay calculation type which concerns on the same embodiment The figure explaining the streaming content simultaneous reproduction method using the time designation | designated type based on the embodiment The figure which shows the outline | summary of the TV receiver which implement | achieved the conventional interactive real-time communication application. The figure which shows the outline | summary of the TV receiver which implement | achieved the conventional streaming application Block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional system for sharing content

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a TV receiver according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The TV receiver 100 includes a tuner 102, a control unit 103, an audio input unit 107, an imaging unit 108, a storage unit 109, a communication unit 110, a video display unit 111, and an audio output unit 112. . The control unit 103 includes a video processing unit 104, an audio processing unit 105, and a communication control unit 106.

  The tuner 102 selects a signal of a desired channel from the TV signals received via the antenna 101 and amplifies it. Then, the amplified signal is output to the control unit 103 as AV data.

  The control unit 103 outputs the AV data input from the tuner 102 and the communication unit 110 to the video display unit 111 and the audio output unit 112, and the AV data input from the audio input unit 107 and the imaging unit 108 to the communication unit 110. Control to output to. The video processing unit 104 processes the input video signal and outputs the processed video signal to the video display unit 111. The audio processing unit 105 processes the input audio signal and outputs it to the audio output unit 112. The communication control unit 106 outputs the AV data input from the audio input unit 107 and the imaging unit 108 to the communication unit 110 based on the control data input from the communication unit 110.

  The voice input unit 107 is a sound collecting device such as a microphone, and acquires conversation voice when using the interactive real-time communication application, and outputs the voice as voice data to the control unit 103. The photographing unit 108 is an imaging device such as a camera, and photographs a person or an object when using the interactive real-time communication application, and outputs the photographed image to the control unit 103 as image data. The storage unit 109 temporarily stores part of the streaming content received via the communication unit 110.

  The communication unit 110 receives streaming content from a server that distributes streaming content via a network and outputs the streaming content as AV data to the control unit 103, or outputs control data output from the communication control unit 106 to another TV receiver. Or send. The video display unit 111 is a display device such as a display, and displays the video signal input from the video processing unit 104. The audio output unit 112 is an audio output device such as a speaker, and outputs the audio signal input from the audio processing unit 105.

  Sharing of streaming content in the present embodiment is performed after the connection of the interactive real-time communication application is set. That is, after two or more users start a conversation with an interactive real-time communication application, a request for sharing streaming content with the streaming application at the same time occurs.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of connection settings for an interactive real-time communication application (RTA). In FIG. 2, a case where communication with the user B is started under the action of the user A is considered. User A obtains the IP address of TV receiver of user B by the existing mechanism. User A transmits an INVITE message to user B and starts a session. The INVITE message includes information such as the IP address of user A. When the user B receives the INVITE message, the user B transmits a response message to the user A. The user A receiving the response message transmits an ACK message to the user B. Thereby, the connection setting between the user A and the user B is completed. After the connection setting is completed, user A and user B enter a conversation using the interactive real-time communication application. As described above, in this embodiment, the connection of the interactive real-time communication application is set before the simultaneous sharing of streaming content is started.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the synchronization control in the communication control unit 106. The communication control unit 106 controls the playback of the streaming content and the real-time conversation by using the interactive real-time communication application and the streaming application (media player) at the same time, but between the interactive real-time communication application and the streaming application (media player). There is a mediation application 301 for synchronizing these two applications. The mediation application 301 has a role of issuing a command (for example, a reproduction start message) to the streaming application (media player). Further, the mediation application 301 exchanges control messages with the mediation application in the TV receiver owned by the remote user using the connection already set by the interactive real-time communication application. Here, the control message exchanged between the mediation applications is for controlling the reproduction of the streaming content by the streaming application (media player). This makes it possible to synchronize the playback timing of streaming content on the TV receivers of two or more users who perform interactive real-time communication.

  Next, an outline of interactive real-time communication will be described with reference to FIG. The user A TV receiver 401 and the user B TV receiver 402 are connected with an interactive real-time communication application. Thereby, user A and user B can perform interactive real-time communication using video and audio.

  Here, attention is focused on the TV receiver 401 of the user A. The media player that is the streaming application of user A has a connection with the content server 403. Thereby, the media player of the user A can acquire the desired streaming content from the content server 403. Also, a mediation application exists between the user A's interactive real-time communication application and the media player. User A's mediating application controls playback of the media player by issuing a control message to user A's media player. Furthermore, the mediation application of user A transmits a control message to the mediation application of user B using the connection of the interactive real-time communication application. Thereby, the mediation application of user A also controls playback of the media player of user B.

  Here, the control of the streaming application (SA) by the mediation application (M) will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, in the state where the connection is established between the interactive real-time communication application (RTA) of the TV receiver 501 of the user A and the TV receiver 502 of the user B, the user A transmits the streaming content to the user B. Suppose you are requesting sharing.

  User A selects the streaming content he / she wants to view via the mediation application of user A's TV receiver 501. Specifically, the mediation application displays a menu such as “content sharing” on the video display unit 111, and the user A selects a desired streaming content via input means such as a remote controller.

  Next, the mediation application of user A issues a content sharing request message (“SHARE”) to the mediation application of user B through the connection of the already established interactive real-time communication application. The content sharing request message is transmitted together with moving image and audio information exchanged by real-time communication.

  Upon receiving the content sharing request message, the user B's mediation application transmits a message (“ACK”) indicating approval to the user A to the user A's mediation application.

  Upon receiving “ACK”, the mediation application of user A issues a playback request (“PLAY”) of the selected streaming content to the media player of user A. At the same time, the mediation application of user A transmits a reproduction request for the same streaming content to the mediation application of user B through the established connection.

  User B's mediation application issues a streaming content playback request to User B's media player. After outputting the streaming content playback request to the media player, the user B mediation application transmits a message (“ACK”) notifying the user A that the streaming content playback request has been issued to the media player. .

  Next, a method for simultaneously reproducing streaming content between a plurality of TV receivers will be described. As a method, there are a delay calculation type (see FIG. 9) and a time designation type (see FIG. 10).

  In the delay calculation type, a mediation application of user A transmits a content sharing message (“SHARE”), and a delay time 601 is calculated until a response message (“ACK”) is returned from the mediation application of user B. Then, when a response message is returned from the user B's mediation application, the user A's mediation application transmits a streaming content reproduction request ("PLAY") to the user B's mediation application. The user B's mediating application issues a streaming content playback request to the media player as soon as the streaming content playback request is received. On the other hand, the mediating application of user A waits for the calculated delay time 601 and then issues a streaming content playback request to the media player of user A.

  In the time designation type, the time information 701 is also transmitted when the mediation application of the user B returns a response message to the mediation application of the user A. The mediation application of user A transmits the playback time 702 to the media player of user A and the media player of user B. In the case of the time designation type, the streaming content acquired until the reproduction time 702 is stored in the storage unit of the TV receiver. Then, reproduction is started simultaneously at the designated reproduction time 702.

  The present invention enables viewing of streaming content while interacting in real time using a camera, microphone, etc., and is thus useful for all AV devices connected to a network and capable of real time communication.

100 TV receiver 101 antenna 102 tuner 103 control unit 104 video processing unit 105 audio processing unit 106 communication control unit 107 audio input unit 108 imaging unit 109 storage unit 110 communication unit 111 video display unit 112 audio output unit

Claims (5)

A communication unit that transmits and receives AV data via a network;
A voice input unit for inputting voice;
A shooting unit for inputting a shot image;
An output unit for outputting the received AV data;
By a streaming application that controls reproduction of the AV data, and an interactive real-time communication application that controls interactive real-time communication using the audio input from the audio input unit and the captured image input from the imaging unit, A TV receiver, comprising: a communication control unit that simultaneously controls reproduction of the AV data and the interactive real-time communication. The communication control unit further includes a mediation application that mediates the streaming application and the interactive real-time communication application,
The intermediary application instructs the streaming application to reproduce desired AV data after the connection establishment of the interactive real-time communication by the interactive real-time application is completed. TV receiver. The TV receiver according to claim 2, wherein the mediation application instructs the mediation application of another TV receiver to reproduce the desired AV data. The mediation application calculates a delay time in the connection of the interactive real-time communication, and determines a reproduction start time of the desired AV data in the streaming application according to the calculated delay time. Item 3. The TV receiver according to Item 2. The mediation application receives a playback start time in the interactive real-time communication and instructs the streaming application to play the desired AV data at the received playback start time. TV receiver.

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