JP2014157464A - Video or audio system device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video or audio system device which selects a distribution source having an excellent connection state and switches connections, in order to realize reproduction of video or audio without interruption.SOLUTION: A video or audio system device (100) comprises: storage means (130) which stores connection state histories to a plurality of servers; determination means (160) which determines a server to which the device has to be connected on the basis of the connection state histories; reception means (110) which connects to the connection target server to receive streaming data; and output means which outputs the received streaming data (120).

Description

  The present invention relates to the technical field of video or audio equipment that receives and outputs streaming data via an Internet line.

  As this type of device, for example, a device that reproduces an Internet radio distributed in real time via an Internet line or a device that reproduces a streaming video is known. The connection of audio or video reproduced by such a device may be interrupted due to the state of the server on the distribution side, the network state, or the like. In addition, there are cases where data cannot be received due to unintentional pause or stop of broadcasting. For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique of automatically switching to another receivable program and continuing playback when the reception state of the received program becomes worse than a predetermined value. ing.

JP 2001-285734 A

  However, as described in Patent Document 1 described above, simply switching the distribution source may cause the same inconvenience at the new distribution source. That is, there is a possibility that a situation may occur in which data cannot be normally received from a new distribution source after switching even though the distribution source is switched due to the deterioration of the reception state. As described above, when the streaming data distribution source is switched and played back, a technical problem arises that the playback is interrupted unless the connection status after the switching is also grasped.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, for example, and provides a video or audio device that can realize continuous reproduction by selecting a distribution source having a good connection state and switching the connection. This is the issue.

  In order to solve the above problems, the video or audio equipment of the present invention stores a storage unit that stores connection status histories to a plurality of servers, a determination unit that determines a server to be connected based on the connection status histories, A receiving unit that connects to the server to be connected and receives streaming data, and an output unit that outputs the received streaming data.

  The effect | action and gain of this invention are clarified from the form for implementing invention demonstrated below.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the internet radio apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is a conceptual diagram which shows operation | movement of the internet radio apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the channel switching operation | movement in the internet radio apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is a table | surface which shows the connection status log | history of the past 6 months of channels b1 and b2. It is a time chart which shows the change of the output volume and buffer amount at the time of channel switching.

  In order to solve the above problem, the video or audio equipment according to the present embodiment stores a storage unit that stores connection status histories to a plurality of servers, and a determination unit that determines a server to be connected based on the connection status histories. And receiving means for connecting to the server to be connected and receiving streaming data, and output means for outputting the received streaming data.

  During the operation of the video or audio device according to the present embodiment, for example, streaming data distributed from a plurality of servers via the Internet line is received by the receiving unit and output by the output unit. Examples of the streaming data include audio data such as Internet radio and video data such as streaming video. The video or audio equipment apparatus according to the present embodiment may be configured as an apparatus that reproduces such streaming data, or may be configured as an apparatus that performs relay processing between the reproduction apparatus and the server.

  Here, particularly in the video or audio apparatus according to the present embodiment, connection status histories to a plurality of servers are stored in the storage means. The “connection status history” here is information indicating connection status histories for a plurality of servers for each server. For example, the number of continuous connections and the number of disconnections by day of the week and time zone, or a buffer at the time of connection Information such as the average of the values of. Note that the connection status history may include a plurality of pieces of information.

  The connection status history described above is used to determine a server to be connected from a plurality of connectable servers when connecting to a new server. For example, when determining a server to be connected, a connection status history is analyzed, and a server having a good past connection status is determined as a server to be connected. More specifically, for example, among the plurality of servers, the server having the smallest number of past disconnections is determined as the server to be connected.

  When a server to be connected is determined, connection processing to the server to be connected is executed by the receiving means, and streaming data is received. The received streaming data is output by the output means. Here, in particular, the server connected to receive the streaming data is determined based on the connection status history as described above. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the reception of streaming data from being interrupted due to a poor connection state in communication with a newly connected server.

  As described above, according to the video or audio device according to the present embodiment, connection to a server having a good connection status is realized using the past connection status history, and thus the received streaming data is not interrupted. It is possible to output.

  In one aspect of the video or audio device according to the present embodiment, the determining means calculates a predetermined evaluation point for each of a plurality of items included in the connection status history, and determines the predetermined evaluation point for each server. The server to be connected is determined according to the integrated value.

  According to this aspect, the connection status history is configured as data having a plurality of items, and when determining a server to be connected, a predetermined evaluation point is calculated for each of the plurality of items. Note that the “predetermined evaluation point” here is information obtained by converting information indicated by each of a plurality of items included in the connection status history as an index representing the goodness of the connection status. Calculated as a large value.

  The calculated predetermined evaluation points are accumulated for each server. The integration process here may be only a simple addition process, or may be a relatively complicated process such as an addition process weighted for each item.

  When the integrated value of a predetermined evaluation point is calculated, a server to be connected is determined according to the integrated value. Specifically, for example, the server having the largest integrated value is determined as the server to be connected. In this way, based on the connection status history, it is possible to select a server having a good connection status very easily and accurately. Accordingly, streaming data can be received and output more preferably.

  In another aspect of the video or audio device according to the present embodiment, the determination unit further includes a display unit that extracts and displays a plurality of candidate servers that are candidates for the server to be connected based on the connection status history. Determines a server selected by the user from among the candidate servers as the server to be connected.

  According to this aspect, when determining the server to be connected, first, a plurality of candidate servers are extracted based on the connection status history. The “candidate server” is a server that is a candidate for a server to be connected (in other words, a server that can be determined to be preferable as a server to be connected). A number of servers are extracted as candidate servers. The number of candidate servers may be a fixed value or may be a variable value that varies according to a parameter obtained from a connection status history or the like. Alternatively, it may be a set value by the user.

  The extracted candidate servers are displayed in a manner selectable by the user on display means configured as a liquid crystal display, for example. Specifically, the candidate server can be selected from the user by, for example, a touch panel operation, a button operation, a mouse operation, or the like. And one server selected from the user among a plurality of candidate servers is determined as a server to be connected.

  According to the configuration described above, not only the connection status history but also the server to be connected to is finally determined with the user's intention interposed therebetween. Therefore, in addition to the good connection status, the user's desired streaming Connection to a server capable of receiving data is realized. Therefore, it is possible to suitably provide the streaming data desired by the user.

  In another aspect of the video or audio device according to the present embodiment, the monitoring means for monitoring the connection status relating to the connection server receiving the streaming data, and the value indicating the goodness of the connection status is greater than a predetermined threshold value. In order to switch the connection server to another server when it becomes low, a switching unit that controls the determination unit to newly determine the server to be connected is provided.

  According to this aspect, the connection state relating to the connection server receiving the streaming data is monitored by the monitoring unit. The monitoring of the connection status is executed by detecting a value indicating the goodness of the connection status (for example, a value indicating the buffer amount). The monitoring of the connection status is preferably always performed, but may be performed irregularly at a predetermined cycle or a predetermined timing.

  Here, particularly in this aspect, when the value indicating the goodness of the connection status is lower than a predetermined threshold value, the switching unit determines that the connection server should be switched to another server. Here, the “predetermined threshold value” is a value corresponding to a situation where the output of the received streaming data cannot be normally performed, and is determined and set theoretically, experimentally, or empirically.

  The switching means that has determined that the connection server should be switched outputs a command to the determination means to determine a server to be newly connected. Thus, the determination unit determines a server to be connected based on the connection status history, and switches the connection from the current connection server to the newly determined server to be connected.

  According to the above-described configuration, the server is switched when the connection state deteriorates as a trigger. Therefore, the server is switched at an appropriate timing in order to continue normal reception. In addition, after switching servers using the connection status history, when the server connection status after switching is worse than expected, it is possible to quickly switch to a new server. Accordingly, it is possible to more suitably execute reception and output of streaming data.

  In another aspect of the video or audio device according to the present embodiment, when the connection server that receives the streaming data is switched to another server, the output of the streaming data received from the connection server is faded out, Fade means for fading in the output of streaming data received from the other server is provided.

  According to this aspect, when the connection server receiving the streaming data is switched to another server, the output of the streaming data received from the connection server is first faded out. Then, after the server is switched, the output of streaming data received from another server is faded in. For example, when the streaming data is audio data, the volume of the audio data received from the connection server is controlled so as to be gradually reduced. After the server is switched, the volume of the audio data received from the new connection server is It is controlled to gradually increase. In this way, when switching the connection server to another server, it is possible to reduce the uncomfortable feeling that the streaming data to be output is temporarily interrupted.

  The operation and other gains of the video or audio device according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail in the following examples.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, as an example of the video or audio apparatus of the present invention, an internet radio device that receives and reproduces internet radio will be described as an example.

<Device configuration>
First, the configuration of the Internet radio apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the Internet radio apparatus according to the embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, an Internet radio apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to connect to a plurality of servers that distribute Internet radio and to output streaming data received therefrom as audio. The Internet radio apparatus 100 includes a data receiving unit 110, a data output unit 120, a connection status history storage unit 130, a connection status monitoring unit 140, a connection server switching unit 150, a connection server determination unit 160, a candidate server display unit 170, and a fade processing unit. 180 is provided.

  The data reception unit 110 is an example of the “reception unit” of the present invention, and is configured to selectively connect to a plurality of servers and receive streaming data. From the data receiving unit 110, the received streaming data is output to the data output unit 120. Further, the data receiving unit 110 outputs information related to the connection status with the currently connected server to the connection status history storage unit 130 and the connection status monitoring unit 140, respectively.

  The data output unit 120 is an example of the “output unit” of the present invention, and is configured to decode the streaming data input from the receiving server and output it as audio data to the outside. The data output unit 120 may be configured to reproduce audio data, or may be configured to output audio data to another reproduction device.

  The connection status history storage unit 130 is an example of the “storage unit” of the present invention, and is configured to store a past connection status history with each server in the data reception unit 110. In the connection status history storage unit 130, as the connection status history, for example, the number of continuous reproductions and the number of connection disconnections in a certain period are stored for each time zone and day of the week.

  The connection status monitoring unit 140 is an example of the “monitoring unit” of the present invention, and is configured to monitor the current buffer amount in the data receiving unit 110. From the connection status monitoring unit 140, the buffer amount being monitored is output to the connection server switching unit 150.

  The connection server switching unit 150 is an example of the “switching unit” according to the present invention. When the buffer amount monitored by the connection status monitoring unit 140 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, a new value is added to the connection server determination unit 160. It is configured to issue a command to determine a server to be connected. The predetermined threshold value is stored in, for example, a memory included in the connection server switching unit 150.

  The connection server determination unit 160 is an example of the “determination unit” of the present invention, and is configured so that the connection server from which the data reception unit 110 receives streaming data can be switched when a predetermined condition is met. . The connection server determination unit 160 issues a command to determine a server to be newly connected from the connection server switching unit 150, for example, when a predetermined time has elapsed after connecting to the current server, when a predetermined time domain boundary has been reached, or Change the connection server when it is. At this time, the connection server determination unit 160 determines a server to be newly connected based on the connection status history stored in the connection status history storage unit 130. The connection server determination unit 160 can also determine a server to be connected by using the candidate server display unit 170 with the intention of the user. The connection server determination unit 160 issues a command to the fade processing unit 180 to perform a fade process when switching the connection server.

  The candidate server display unit 170 is an example of the “display unit” of the present invention, and is configured as a liquid crystal display, for example, and can display a predetermined number of candidate servers determined by the connection server determination unit 160 to the user. Has been. The candidate server display unit 170 is configured to accept user input, and the candidate server selected by the user input is output to the connection server determination unit 160.

  The fade processing unit 180 is an example of the “fade unit” of the present invention, and is configured to perform fade processing on the audio data output from the data output unit 120 when the connection server is switched. Specifically, the fade processing unit 180 executes a process for fading out the audio data from the server before switching, and a process for fading in the audio data from the server after switching. .

<Description of operation>
Next, the overall operation of the Internet radio apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the Internet radio apparatus according to the embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, when the Internet radio apparatus according to the present embodiment operates, the Internet radio is reproduced while the connection server (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “channel”) is automatically switched according to the setting of the user. The For example, the user sets a genre, a volume, or the like to be reproduced for each preset time domain.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the time is 14:00 so that the pops are played at a loud volume in the domain from 10:00 to 14:00 so that the classic is played in the volume at the time from 6:00 to 10:00. In the domain from 18:00 to 18:00, the classical music is set to be played at a low volume in the domain from 18:00 to 22:00 so that rock or bossa nova is played at a high volume.

  Since it is required to change the genre to be reproduced at the boundary of each domain, the channel is automatically switched. Even in the same domain, the channel is automatically switched when a predetermined time elapses or when the connection with the connection server is disconnected. If the channels are automatically switched in this way, the music (voice) desired by the user can be reproduced without getting tired and without interruption.

  Here, a channel switching operation unique to the Internet radio apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the channel switching operation in the Internet radio apparatus according to the embodiment.

  3, in the Internet radio apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the current time is a domain boundary during the operation (step S101). That is, it is determined whether it is time to switch the genre to be reproduced, such as at 10 o'clock, 14 o'clock, and 18 o'clock in FIG. Here, when it is determined that it is a domain boundary (step S101: YES), the processing after step S104 is started.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that it is not the domain boundary (step S101: NO), it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the current server was connected (that is, after the current channel started to be played). (Step S102). Here, the “predetermined time” is set as a period during which the user may get bored when the same channel continues to be played. Here, when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (step S102: YES), the processing after step S104 is started.

  Furthermore, when it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S102: NO), it is determined whether or not the current buffer amount is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (step S103). Note that the “predetermined threshold value” here is set as a buffer amount that may prevent the streaming data from being normally reproduced. Here, when the buffer amount is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold (step S103: NO), the processing after step S104 is started. On the other hand, when the buffer amount is not less than or equal to the predetermined threshold (step S103: YES), the subsequent processing is omitted and a series of processing relating to channel switching ends.

  If it is determined that the channel should be switched (that is, if any of steps S101 to S103 is determined to be YES), whether or not a selection mode that enables the user to select a channel is turned on. Determination is made (step S104). Note that the on / off of the selection mode can be appropriately switched by a user operation, for example.

  When the selection mode is on (step S104: YES), first, the connection server determination unit 160 determines a predetermined number of candidate servers based on the connection status history (step S105). The determined predetermined number of candidate servers are displayed on the candidate server display unit 170 (step S106). Then, the server selected by the user from the candidate servers is determined as a new server to be connected by the connection server determination unit 160 (step S107). In this way, the server desired by the user can be finally determined as the server to be connected.

  On the other hand, when the selection mode is OFF (step S104: NO), the connection server determination unit 160 determines one server to be connected based on the connection status history (step S109). That is, the candidate server is not determined as in the case where the selection mode is on, and the server to be connected is determined without the user's intention. In this way, it is possible to determine a server to be connected without placing a burden of selection on the user.

  Regardless of whether the selection mode is on or off, the connection status history is used when determining a server to be connected. For example, the connection status history is converted into points indicating the ease of establishing a connection, and a server with a high point is determined as a server to be connected. Specifically, for example, when the selection mode is ON, a predetermined number of servers higher than the points are determined as candidate servers. On the other hand, when the selection mode is OFF, the server with the highest point is determined as the server to be connected.

  Below, the point calculation method from a connection status log | history is demonstrated in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a table showing the connection status history of the channels b1 and b2 for the past six months. Here, a case will be described in which it is determined that a server to be connected at 22:00 on Saturday is to be determined, and two channels b1 and b2 exist as switchable channels at that time.

  In FIG. 4, for the calculation of the points, the past results of the 1H continuous reproduction count, the 1H connection disconnection count, and the day of the week date and time at the time of switching are used. Specifically, 3 points are added to the one with the smaller number of 1H continuous reproductions so that only the same channel is not reproduced. Moreover, in order to consider the ease of connection, 4 points are added to the one with the smaller number of connection disconnections within 1H. Furthermore, in order to reflect the ease of connection according to the day of the week and the time zone, 3 points are added to the one where the number of times of disconnection in the same time zone of the same day of the week as the determination is less.

  When the points are calculated as described above, for the 1H continuous reproduction count, since the channel b1 is “14” and the channel b2 is “24”, 3 points are added to the channel b1. Further, regarding the number of connection disconnections within 1H, since the channel b1 is “4” and the channel b2 is “3”, 4 points are added to the channel b2. Further, regarding the number of connection cuts from 18:00 to 23:00 on Saturday, since channel b1 is “0” and channel b2 is “3”, 3 points are added to channel b1.

  As a result, the total points obtained by summing the points of each item for each server are 6 points for channel b1 and 4 points for channel b2. Therefore, here, the channel b1 is determined as the server to be connected. Note that the above-described point calculation method is merely an example, and points can be calculated using other calculation methods.

  By determining the server to be connected using the connection status history as described above, it is possible to prevent the reception of streaming data from being interrupted due to a poor connection status in communication with a newly connected server. it can. Therefore, it is possible to play the received Internet radio without interruption. Even if the server to be connected is determined using the connection status history, a connection status failure may occur, but in that case, a new connection should be made using the connection status history again. What is necessary is just to determine a server.

  Returning to FIG. 4, when the server to be connected is determined, the data receiving unit 110 disconnects from the current connection server, and realizes connection to the server to be connected (step S109). At this time, in particular, the audio data output from the data output unit 120 is subjected to fade processing by the fade processing unit 180.

  Hereinafter, the audio fade process at the time of channel switching will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing changes in output volume and buffer amount when switching channels. Here, the switching process when the buffer amount is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold is taken as an example, and the fluctuation of the buffer amount at the time of switching is also described.

  In FIG. 5, consider a case where the server a, which is the connection server at time t0, is switched to the server b, which is a new connection server. The server a maintains a sufficient buffer amount at the time t0, but thereafter, the buffer amount gradually decreases due to inconveniences such as a network load, and the connection error threshold (that is, the predetermined threshold described above) at the time t1. ) It is as follows. For this reason, at time t1, fade-out processing is performed on the output volume, and the output volume gradually decreases. At time t2, since the buffer amount becomes 0, the reproduction processing is temporarily stopped, and immediately after time t3, connection switching processing from the server a to the server b is started.

  The connection switching process is completed at time t4, and the buffer amount starts to increase immediately after time t5. When the buffer amount exceeds the reproduction start threshold at time t6 (that is, when a sufficient buffer amount is ensured for reproduction), the audio data received from the server b is subjected to fade-in processing. For this reason, the output volume after time t6 gradually increases. If the fading process is performed at such timing, it is possible to reduce a sense of incongruity due to voice interruption during server switching. Therefore, it is possible to more suitably realize reproduction without interruption.

  As described above, according to the Internet radio apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, appropriate channel switching processing is executed according to various conditions, so that audio data desired by the user can be suitably reproduced without interruption. Is possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the Internet radio apparatus has been described. However, as long as the apparatus receives and outputs data in real time, the other apparatus such as an apparatus for reproducing a streaming video is provided. It is also applicable to.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. Equipment devices are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Internet radio apparatus 110 Data receiving part 120 Data output part 130 Connection status log | history memory part 140 Connection status monitoring part 150 Connection server switching part 160 Connection server determination part 170 Candidate server display part 180 Fade process part

Claims (5)

Storage means for storing connection status histories to a plurality of servers;
Determining means for determining a server to be connected based on the connection status history;
Receiving means for connecting to the server to be connected and receiving streaming data;
An image or audio device comprising: output means for outputting the received streaming data.   The determining means calculates a predetermined evaluation point for each of a plurality of items included in the connection status history, and determines the server to be connected according to an integrated value of the predetermined evaluation points for each server. The video or audio device according to claim 1. Further comprising display means for extracting and displaying a plurality of candidate servers that are candidates for the server to be connected based on the connection status history;
The video or audio device according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines a server selected by a user from the candidate servers as the server to be connected. Monitoring means for monitoring a connection status of the connection server receiving the streaming data;
Switching for controlling the determination means to newly determine the server to be connected in order to switch the connection server to another server when the value indicating the goodness of the connection status is lower than a predetermined threshold. The video or audio equipment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: means.   Fade that fades out the output of streaming data received from the other server and fades in the output of streaming data received from the other server when switching the connection server receiving the streaming data to another server The video or audio device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: means.

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