JP3372764B2 - Video-on-demand type multimedia communication terminal - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video data reproducing system, and more particularly, to a near video on-demand reproducing system in a multimedia communication terminal device for reproducing entertainment or educational software sent via a communication line. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, "VOD" (Video On D) that uses communication lines such as cable television (CATV).
A television service called "emand: a television that responds to video-on-demand / request" is being implemented, and one end of a transmission line is a "head-end device" as described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-324784.
Called "set top box (STB)", which is connected to a recording medium or a recording device for supplying and controlling multimedia data called "," and the other end is installed in each subscriber's house. A multimedia communication terminal device is connected to a television set or a television receiver having a display and an interface to perform VOD service.

Currently, these devices are being developed in various fields and are expected to be used for entertainment and education.

On the other hand, the realization of a service called N-VOD (Near-VOD: Near Video On Demand) is also in progress. In this service, the program and time that the subscriber wants to watch are registered in advance in the headend device that transmits multimedia data, and when the registered time comes, the headend device sends the transmission line through the transmission line.
It is a system that enables the subscribers to listen to desired programs by starting the supply of multimedia data.

Further, the head-end device transmits the same multimedia data on a plurality of channels while shifting the same multimedia data at a certain fixed time interval, and the subscriber matches the supply time.
There is also a system that allows you to audition the desired program.

In these cases, the subscriber cannot listen to the desired program before the registration time or supply time described above.

If the subscriber starts receiving the multimedia data earlier than the registration time or the supply time, the subscriber usually has to wait until the program starts. As a method for coping with this waiting time, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-250314 discloses a CATV that realizes near video on-demand by shifting the same main video information at a certain time interval and transmitting it on a plurality of channels.
In the system, when the viewer selects the main video information, the time until the main video information starts earliest after the selected time outputs other video information, and at the same time when the main video information starts, the selected channel is displayed. A system has been proposed in which the main video information is switched and output. That is, in the system proposed in the above publication, the head end device transmits the same multimedia data on a plurality of channels while shifting the same multimedia data at a certain fixed time interval. By adding a plurality of short program data that almost match with the above, the waiting time until the corresponding multimedia data is transmitted is reproduced by the plurality of short data, so that the subscriber can enjoy the service without feeling uncomfortable. It is made possible to supply.

[0008]

Generally, in the near-video-on-demand multimedia data service, a multimedia communication terminal device, which is a terminal device, is in a reproduction state, and a multimedia data transmitted from a head-end device, which is a host device, is used. It just plays the data,
The multimedia communication terminal device cannot grasp whether the current state is the reproduction of the corresponding data or the blank state.

In the case of near video on demand,
Until the viewer, who is a subscriber, finishes the playback state of the multimedia communication terminal device, the playback state continues, so that even if a failure occurs in the transmission path or the like, and the playback image or sound is disturbed, The multimedia communication terminal device could not judge these situations at all.

Therefore, the multimedia communication terminal device is
During the near video on-demand service, in order to detect a failure and give an appropriate instruction to the viewer, it is required to grasp the current reproduction state.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control software in a multimedia communication terminal device when a continuous program service in a near video on demand service is received. , It is possible to grasp the current program service status and to give instructions to the user of the multimedia communication terminal device when an abnormality of the device occurs.
It is to provide a system that enhances operability and reliability.

[0012]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a video service in a multimedia communication terminal device having a video data reproducing means for reproducing video data sent through a communication line. In case, and when the continuous playback is performed regardless of the service status and continuous video data is played, the new screen is decoded.
When you receive the notification that the beginning of the video data
In both cases, the termination information added to the end of the video service is detected.
A control means for recognizing the end of the video data in response to the notification that the video data has been transmitted is provided , and the control means is the current service state.
And means for presenting the information detected in the device to the user as image information according to the state of the video service.
The video data is re-installed when an abnormality is detected in the device.
The feature is to prompt the user to stop the reproduction when the user is alive .

According to the present invention, when a multimedia communication terminal device receives a multimedia service by near video on demand, it is transmitted during reproduction of multimedia data in order to detect a failure and give an appropriate instruction to a viewer. The control software running on the multimedia communication terminal uses the various information codes added to the multimedia data and the interrupts that can be generated by the multimedia communication terminal device. This makes it possible to grasp the reproduction state of the terminal device.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, showing an example of the configuration when a multimedia communication terminal device is used in a system using a communication line such as a cable television (CATV). It is a thing.

Referring to FIG. 1, a multimedia communication terminal device 1 includes a head end device 21 which is a recording medium or a recording device for supplying and controlling supply of multimedia data, and a transmission for transmitting multimedia data. Line 22 and control signal line 23 for exchanging control signals
Connected with.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the multimedia communication terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the multimedia communication terminal device 1 includes an input terminal 2 for inputting multimedia data sent from a transmission line 22, and a tuner 4 for selecting a desired channel from a plurality of channels. , An input signal system processing unit 5 for separating the input multimedia data into video data, audio data and other data
A video data processing unit 8 for processing the video signal, a monitor 10 for displaying the decoded video data, and a process for displaying the video data decoded by the video data processing unit 8 on the monitor 10. A display circuit 9, an audio data processing unit 13 that processes an audio signal, a speaker 15 that generates decoded audio data, and a signal that causes the speaker 15 to generate the audio data decoded by the audio data processing unit 13. An amplifier circuit 14 for amplifying, a CPU 16 for controlling operation of each module by program control, and a CPU 1.
Bus 17 for transmitting operation control signals from 6 to each module
An input device 19 such as a keyboard, a communication circuit 18 for exchanging control signals with the headend device, and a control input / output terminal 3 connected to the control signal line 23.

The video data processing unit 8 includes a video data buffer memory 6 for temporarily storing the video data separated by the input signal system processing unit 5, and a video data decoding unit 7 for decoding the video data. The video data decoding unit 7 is provided with a counter for counting each time one video (one picture) is decoded, and the count value is counted by the CPU 16
It has a decode counter 20 that can provide its value in response to a request from software operating in it.

The audio data processing unit 13 includes an audio data buffer RAM 11 for temporarily storing the audio data separated by the input signal system processing unit 5, and an audio data decoding unit 12 for performing an audio data decoding process. ing.

Next, as an embodiment of the present invention, an example in which a near-video on-demand service is received by a multimedia communication terminal device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and the flowcharts of FIGS. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the control software when the near-video-on-demand program service is started. Further, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the control software when the near-video-on-demand program service is terminated. Figure 6
[Fig. 6] is a sequence chart showing a processing sequence from the start of reproduction to the end of the near video on-demand service.

In this embodiment, the timing for detecting the start of program reproduction of the near video on-demand service (6 in FIG. 6) is detected.
3, 67, 71, etc.), an interrupt input from the video data decoding unit 7 to the CPU 16 and indicating that a new image has been decoded is used.

The timing for determining the end of program reproduction (65, 69, etc. in FIG. 6) is the input signal system processing section 5.
An interrupt generated when an end code added to the end of each program service, which is input from the CPU to the CPU 16, is detected is used. For this reason, it is necessary to add an end code to the end of each program service transmitted from the headend device, which is a higher-level device.

Further, the display circuit 9 has a function of making the monitor 10 a blue back screen, for example, when the decoding screen display is not performed.

When the user of the multimedia communication terminal device 1 inputs a reproduction start request for the CPU 16 henia video on-demand service through the input device 19, the CPU 1
The control software operating in 6 is input to the video data decoding unit 7 and the audio data decoding unit 12 from the input terminal 2, and via the tuner 4, the input signal system processing unit 5
At, an instruction is given to start decoding of multimedia data separated into video data and audio data.

In this state, the display circuit 9 continues to be in a state in which the decoding screen is not displayed (turned off) on the monitor 10, and by not displaying the decoding screen, the multimedia communication terminal device 1 is used. The person will see a blue-backed screen.

When the user of the multimedia communication terminal 1 inputs a near video on-demand service reproduction start request to the CPU 16 through the input device 19, it is assumed that the failure detection is started.

Here, as the failure detection, it is assumed that when the video is not normally decoded and the video is stopped, it is judged to be abnormal, and the count of the decode counter 20 in the video data decoding unit 7 is counted. A case will be described as an example where a value is acquired at the timing when an interrupt is input from the software timer in the CPU 16, and when there is no change in the count value of the decode counter 20, a failure is determined.

The counting of the software timer managed by the CPU 16 is started at the same time when the user of the multimedia communication terminal device 1 inputs a near video on-demand service reproduction start request to the CPU 16 through the input device 19. Be seen.

When the near video on-demand program service is started, the video data decoding unit 7 starts the video data decoding process, and an interrupt indicating that a new image has been decoded is issued to the CPU 16. CPU16
When the control software confirms the interrupt input (step S301 in FIG. 3), in order to prevent the same interrupt from being continuously input to the CPU 16,
The video data decoding unit 7 is prohibited (masked) from generating an interrupt indicating that a new image has been decoded (step S302 in FIG. 3).

Next, the display circuit 9 is instructed to display (ON) the decoding screen (step S in FIG. 3).
303). Here, in order to make the control software recognize that the program is currently being reproduced, a value is set to the broadcasting flag inside the control software. In this embodiment, the set value of the on-air flag is set to "1" (step S304 in FIG. 3).

Finally, in order to detect the end of the program service, the interrupt by the end code detection is permitted (enabled) to the input signal system processing section 5 (step S305 in FIG. 3).

When the input signal system processing unit 5 receives the end code, which is the end of the near-video-on-demand program service, the input signal system processing unit 5 sends a CP to the CP.
An end code detection interrupt occurs for U16,
When the control software confirms the interrupt input (step S401 in FIG. 4), similar interrupts occur continuously in C
In order to prevent the input signal from being input to the PU 16, the input signal system processing unit 5 is prohibited (masked) from generating an interrupt due to end code detection (step S40 in FIG. 4).
2).

Next, the display circuit 9 is instructed not to display (turn off) the decoding screen (step S403 in FIG. 4). By this processing, the screen becomes blue background.

Here, the fact that the program reproduction is currently completed is
In order to let the control software recognize it, the on-air flag inside the control software is cleared. In the present embodiment, the above contents are realized by setting the set value of the on-airing flag to "0" (step S404 in FIG. 4).

Finally, in order to detect the start of the next program service, the video data decoding unit 7 is permitted (enabled) to generate an interrupt indicating that a new image has been decoded (step S405 in FIG. 4). ).

To terminate the near video on-demand service, the user of the multimedia communication terminal device 1
When a near video on-demand service reproduction end request is input to the CPU 16 through the input device 19, the control software operating inside the CPU 16 causes the video data decoding unit 7 to operate.
Then, the audio data decoding unit 12 is instructed to stop decoding the multimedia data, and the display circuit 9 does not display the decoding screen on the monitor 10 (OF
Give an instruction to F).

By this processing, the screen is blue-backed. After that, the software timer that has been the standard for detecting the occurrence of an abnormality is stopped, and the near video on-demand service is ended.

In order to end this service, the user of the multimedia communication terminal device 1 needs to input a near video on-demand service reproduction end request to the CPU 16 through the input device 19, and the reproduction end request. Until is input, the reproduction is continued even if an abnormality is detected in the device.

Next, as an embodiment of the present invention, an example of abnormality determination processing during the near video on-demand service will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. Figure 5
It is the flowchart which showed an example of the process which control software performs, when a multimedia communication terminal device detects the abnormality of an apparatus during a near video on-demand service.

When it is judged that the control software is abnormal, during the near video on-demand program service, that is, when the on-air flag is "1" (step S501: Y in FIG. 5), the head end, which is the upper device, The multimedia communication terminal device 1 notifies the device 21 that there is an abnormality (step S502).

By this notification, the head end device 21
Can recognize the abnormality of the multimedia communication terminal device 1.

Then, in order to notify the user of the multimedia communication terminal device 1 that the multimedia communication terminal device 1 is abnormal and prompt the user to perform a reproduction stop operation, an abnormality occurs in the display circuit 9. Monitor message 10
An instruction is given to display on the screen (step S503).

After that, the software timer, which has been the standard for detecting the occurrence of the abnormality, is stopped (step S50).
4) and end.

When the program service is not provided,
Since the video data is not supplied to the video data decoding unit 20, the count value of the decode counter 20 does not change, but the software timer for abnormality detection continues counting, so the control software determines that the abnormality has been detected. (Because the count value of the decode counter 20 has not changed).

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the program service is not provided, that is, when the on-air flag is not "1" (N in determination step S501), even if an abnormality is detected, the processing for abnormality detection is not performed. Not performed.

As described above, since the control software operating in the CPU 16 can grasp the program service status in the near video on-demand service,
It is possible to make an accurate abnormality detection determination in the multimedia communication terminal device 1.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, when the user of the multimedia communication terminal device 1 inputs a near video on-demand service reproduction start request to the CPU 16 through the input device 19 ( 6), the case where the program service is not started has been described as an example. However, if the program service has already started when the reproduction start request is input, the CPU 16 decodes the video data. At the same time as instructing the unit 7 to start decoding the video data, the decoding of the video data is started, and an interrupt indicating that a new image has been decoded is generated for the CPU 16. It is possible to perform the same processing as when the service is not started.

Further, since the control software knows the current program service status in the near video on-demand service, it gives the terminal user instructions for screen operations other than the abnormality detection judgment, and other options. It becomes possible to operate the function. For example, if the decoding screen is not displayed after the end of a certain program service and before the start of the next program service, a message or the like to the terminal user may be displayed without making the monitor 10 a blue background. It will be possible.

[0049]

As described above, according to the reproducing method of continuous video data in near video on demand according to the present invention, decoding processing of multimedia data supplied as a program service in the multimedia communication terminal device is performed. By using two types of interrupts that occur when the multimedia communication terminal device is used, it is possible for control software that controls the multimedia communication terminal device to grasp the current program service status. Even if the above is performed, it is possible to determine the purpose of the abnormality detection information according to the program service status.

Further, according to the present invention, when it is determined that there is an abnormality, it is possible to clearly indicate the current state of the multimedia communication system to the user of the multimedia communication terminal device. The information generated in the multimedia communication terminal device can be clearly presented to the user, such that the user can be prompted to stop the reproduction.

Further, according to the present invention, the head-end device of the data transmission side, which is the higher-level device, is also notified of the abnormality of the multimedia communication terminal device, so that the head-end device of the higher-level device is notified of the abnormality. By not only recognizing, but also allowing the administrator of the multimedia communication system to judge the abnormality of the terminal, by presenting the information in the multimedia communication terminal device to the upper device,
This has the effect of improving the reliability of the multimedia communication system as a whole.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram showing a connection example of a multimedia communication terminal device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a multimedia communication terminal device in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by control software when a program service by near video on demand is started.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the control software when the program service by near video on demand is terminated.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment of the present invention, which is an example of the processing performed by the control software when the multimedia communication terminal device detects an abnormality of the device during the near video on-demand service. It is the flowchart shown.

[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a diagram for describing the embodiment of the present invention, and is a sequence chart showing a processing sequence from the reproduction start to the end of the near video on-demand service.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Multimedia communication terminal 2 input terminals 3 Control input / output terminal 4 tuners 5 Input signal system processing unit 6 Video data buffer memory 7 Video data decoding unit 8 Video data processing unit 9 Display circuit 10 monitors 11 Voice data buffer memory 12 Audio data decoding unit 13 Audio data processing unit 14 Amplification circuit 15 speakers 16 CPU 17 bus 18 Communication circuit 19 Input device 20 Decode counter 21 Headend device 22 Transmission line 23 Control signal line

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page       (56) References JP-A-5-168012 (JP, A)                 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-284085 (JP, A)                 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-177493 (JP, A)                 JP-A-8-125993 (JP, A)                 JP-A-3-208478 (JP, A)                 JP-A-7-170499 (JP, A)                 JP-A-7-264092 (JP, A)                 Actual Kaihei 4-12772 (JP, U)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A video data reproducing means for reproducing video data sent through a communication line, a decoding means for decoding the video data, and an error when the decoding means does not continuously decode the video data. In the video-on-demand multimedia communication terminal device that has a means for outputting a video and continues the playback state unless the user gives a playback stop instruction, when a near-video-on-demand video service is received, a new screen is displayed. The start of the video data is recognized by the notification that the video data has been decoded, and the end of the video data is recognized by the notification that the end information added to the end of the video service is detected. A control means for recognizing whether or not the video service is being provided is provided, and the control means is operable to detect the video server when the error is detected. The image reproducing means to the user only if it is vinegar
Video on-set characterized by urging playback to stop via
Mand type multimedia communication terminal device . 2. A separating means for separating input multimedia data into video data, audio data, and other data, and a video data reproducing means for reproducing the video data.
And a means for outputting an error when the decoding means for decoding the video data does not continuously decode the video data, and plays back the multimedia data sent through the communication line and uses it. In a video-on-demand type multimedia communication terminal device for continuing a reproduction state unless a reproduction stop instruction is given from a person, the decoding means sends a new screen decoding notification when decoding a new screen, and the multimedia communication terminal device. When receiving the near-video on-demand type program service, it recognizes that the program service has started by receiving the first new-screen decoding notification, masks subsequent new-screen decoding notifications, and separates the above-mentioned separation. Control means for recognizing the end of the program service by an interrupt notification sent when the means detects the termination code of the program service Wherein the control means, upon detecting the error only if the is in program service, the video data to the user
A bidet characterized by urging the playback to be stopped via the playback means.
On-demand multimedia communication terminal device .