JP5085883B2 - Content management apparatus and content management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content management apparatus that provides a service for searching or transmitting content such as video and music between various devices connected to a network, and more particularly, to a content management technique for centrally managing content. .

  In recent years, digital home appliances such as HDD recorders and flat panel displays, and PCs (Personal Computers) have become widespread in the home. Along with the recent development of communication network technology and communication devices, these devices have increased the function of connecting to a communication network. For this reason, so-called home networks in which home devices are communicably connected via a communication network are beginning to spread.

  In this home network, digital content stored in each device (hereinafter simply referred to as “content”) can be shared by performing data communication between the devices, which is convenient and comfortable for the user. Can be provided. Therefore, it is predicted that home networks will become increasingly popular in the future.

  For example, DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) issues a standard for seamlessly sharing music, photos, video, and other content for such home networks among a wide variety of devices such as home appliances, PCs, and mobile devices. Design guidelines (Home Networked Device Interoperability Guidelines version 1.0) are known. Hereinafter, this design guideline is referred to as “DLNA guideline”.

  The DLNA guidelines were developed by selecting existing standards in order to achieve high interoperability in home networks. The physical connection means between devices stipulates that TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) packets can be used regardless of whether they are wired or wireless. For example, connection by Ethernet (registered trademark) is defined for wired connection, and connection by IEEE802.11a / b / g is defined for wireless connection, and TCP / IP packets need only be communicable.

  Furthermore, the DLNA guidelines stipulate UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) for defining a device discovery / control method on a home network and a content search / selection / management method. Also, HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) is defined for the definition of the content transmission method and the playback control method. Finally, each content format is defined for device interoperability and symbiosis.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a content management apparatus and method for searching and displaying contents in a plurality of servers on a network using UPnP selected by the DLNA guidelines. The description will be given with reference.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of a network system using this UPnP. As shown, a plurality of devices such as a PC (personal computer) 30, a DTV (digital television) 40, an RD (video recorder) 50, an MS (media server) 51, and an AD (audio device) 52 are connected to the IP network. Has been. These devices include media servers (hereinafter simply referred to as servers) that have content such as video, music, and photos, and devices that have the functions of media players (hereinafter simply referred to as players) that play content on the server. being classified. For example, the RD has a server function that has a recorded program as content, and the DTV is a player that reproduces the content of the server that is the recorded program. In addition, the PC can publish the content stored internally as a server, and can also play back the content of other servers, so that it has the function of a player and can have both functions. The home server 1 performs communication control between the content management server and each AV device.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a content list acquisition procedure. As shown in the figure, the player first checks the setting when the same content exists (S1). In order to acquire the content list of each device, a content information acquisition request for requesting acquisition of content attribute information is transmitted to all servers on the network, and the content information is received from the servers (S2). The player who acquired the content information of each server sorts the content information (for example, title) of each server (S3), and checks the content information when the titles are the same as a result of sorting (S4). If there is the same content, the same content information is extracted (S5), sort processing is executed (S6), and the content information is displayed based on the preset display settings (set in S1). This display setting includes the same content display method (non-display of the same content, setting method of how many items are displayed or shaded), server selection method (server with fast ping response, alphabet Order, access frequency order).
JP 2005-44104 A (published February 17, 2005)

  In Patent Document 1, the same content is determined based on the content attribute information when acquiring content lists from a plurality of servers. However, if a part of the content attribute information is used, it is determined whether the content is the same. Is incomplete, and it takes time to check all the content information. For example, if the content attribute information is different even though the content is the same, the content is not regarded as the same content, and conversely the actual content may be different even if the content attribute information is the same. To do is incomplete.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a player who is provided with content from a plurality of servers to accurately and easily determine the same content.

  The content management apparatus according to the present invention includes means for acquiring content attribute information from a server that provides content connected to a network, and identical content determination processing means for determining whether the acquired contents are duplicated. Prepare.

  The same content judgment processing means receives a seek request transmission means for requesting partial data of the content for the same content candidate content, and receives the partial data of the content from the server by the seek request transmission means. The receiving means and a comparing means for comparing whether or not the data received by the receiving means is the same.

  Here, means for transmitting a seek request include a seek request in byte units of content and a seek request in time units.

  According to the present invention, when there are a plurality of servers on the network and the same content exists, it is possible to accurately and easily determine the same content and provide a player that is easy for the user to use.

[Embodiment: Configuration of Home Network]
Hereinafter, a content management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a home network system according to the present embodiment. The present invention is preferably applied to a home network system, but can be applied to other communication network systems other than the home.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a home network system (communication network system) according to the present embodiment is similar to a conventional home network system and includes a media server 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as a server) and a plurality of media players ( A client 101 (hereinafter simply referred to as a player) is connected via a communication network 205. The server 100 and the player 101 are configured by devices that comply with, for example, DLNA guidelines.

  The server 100 stores various data as contents. Examples of these contents include still image data such as photographs, video data such as moving images, music data such as music. The server 100 provides a service for providing the content in response to a request from the player 101.

  The player 101 requests content from the server 100 via the communication network 205, thereby acquiring the content from the server 100 via the communication network 205, and reproducing the content by referring to the acquired content. Specifically, when the acquired content is still image data, the player 101 displays a still image from the display in the player 101. If the acquired content is music data, a sound is output from the speaker in the player 101. When the acquired content is video data, video and audio are output from the display and speaker in the player 101.

  In FIG. 1, the PC 101, the TV 201, the HDD / DVD recorder 202, the audio 203, and the NAS 204 are illustrated as the player 101. Various connectable electronic devices and household electrical appliances can also be used. Note that the player 101 may have a function as the server 100.

  The communication network 205 can communicate IP packets. The lower layer (mainly the physical layer) of the communication network 205 may be either wired or wireless. For example, in the case of a wired communication network, IP packets are transmitted and received using Ethernet (registered trademark) frames. On the other hand, in the case of a wireless communication network, IP packets are transmitted / received over the IEEE802.11a / b / g protocol.

  FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating a general content list acquisition procedure. As shown in the figure, a player 101 transmits a content information acquisition request for requesting acquisition of content attribute information to all servers 100 (server A100-1 and server B100-2) on the network in step S101. . The content information acquisition request also includes a search function for narrowing down content information according to conditions and the like. Upon receiving the content information acquisition request, the server 100 transmits content attribute information corresponding to the requesting player 101 to the player 101 in step S102. The player 101 that has acquired the content information of each server displays the content information in step S103.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the server 300. As shown in FIG. 3, the content storage unit 301 includes a storage device such as a RAM or a hard disk drive (HDD), and stores various data and various programs. Various stored contents such as video data and music data such as music are stored.

  The tuner 302 selects and receives live content such as terrestrial broadcast data and satellite broadcast data from the outside. The content stored in the content storage unit 301 and the live content received by the tuner 302 are transmitted as content distribution data 311 to the player via the communication unit 310 when requested by the player.

  These contents are managed by the content management unit 320. Each content has attribute information (metadata) corresponding to each content, and the attribute information is stored in the metadata management unit 321. The metadata is various pieces of management information including attribute information corresponding to the content provided by the server, information regarding the hierarchical structure that constitutes the content management directory, and the like. The attribute information includes various types of information such as a content identifier such as a content URL, data size, resource information, title, artist name, copyright information, and channel information. It should be noted that what kind of attribute information such as music (MUSIC), moving image (MOVIE), photograph (PHOTO), live streaming, and the like is defined in advance for each class.

  Content is managed by a content directory service (CDS) 322 in the server by a content management directory having a hierarchical structure in the server. The content attribute information / hierarchy information 312 can be provided in response to various requests (browse / search) from the player through the communication unit 310. In the case of browsing, corresponding content attribute information is provided, and in the case of search, the search processing unit 323 searches and provides content attribute information corresponding to the search condition. These communication processing procedures will be described in detail later.

  Note that the server 300 may include a plurality of tuners 302 so that a plurality of live contents can be acquired simultaneously. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, “content” includes stored content stored in the server 300 and live content acquired via the tuner 302.

  The player structure is shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the player 400. The user uses the player 400 to acquire content information on the server via the communication network, and selects and views desired content.

  In the content information acquisition method, the user operates the operation unit 401 such as a button or a remote controller, and transmits the content acquisition request generated by the content information request unit 402 to the server connected to the communication network via the communication unit 420. . The content attribute information / hierarchy information 422 generated by the server is collected by the content information acquisition unit 403, and the content information is displayed by the display processing / output unit 404.

  The content information request unit 402 has browsing and searching functions. In browsing, a server is specified and a folder is specified to obtain corresponding content. The search obtains corresponding contents by giving search conditions for all contents on all servers connected to the communication network based on the contents attribute information. The search processing unit 405 performs processing for giving this search condition, and when there is the same content, the same content determination processing unit 406 determines and displays a content list. These communication processing procedures will be described in detail later.

  The player selects a desired content using the operation unit 401 while viewing the content list display, and acquires a content URL included in the content information from the content control unit 407 via the communication unit 420. By accessing the content URL, the communication unit 420 can receive the content distribution data 421 from the server, the content receiving unit 408 can perform decoding processing, and the content can be viewed.

  In the case of still image content, viewing processing / output unit 404, in the case of music content, audio processing / output unit 409, and in the case of moving image content, viewing is performed from audio processing / output unit 409 and display processing / output unit 404, respectively. can do. For example, the display processing / output unit 404 is a display, and the audio processing / output unit 409 is a speaker. The functions of both the server 300 and the player 400 can be provided in a single terminal such as a PC.

[Embodiment: Content Search, Same Content Check]
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing processing operations in the server 300 and the player 400 and data exchange between the server 300 and the player 400. Server A has video content (title AAA, title BBB) and music content (title CCC, title DDD), and server B has video content (title AAA, title XXX), music content (title YYY, title ZZZ) and photo content. (Title XYZ). As shown in the figure, first, search conditions are set from the player to all servers (server A and server B) connected to the communication network (S200), and a content information acquisition request is transmitted (S201). For example, settings such as acquiring a title list of video content are made.

  When both the server A and the server B receive the content information acquisition request, the corresponding content attribute information is transmitted to the player (S202). For example, the server A returns the content of the title AAA and the content of the title BBB to the player, and the server B returns the content of the title AAA and the content of the title XXX to the player.

  Based on the content information received from the server, it is checked whether the content is the same (S203). For example, matching title information is set as a candidate for the same content. For example, the content of the title AAA is a candidate for the same content.

  A seek process for acquiring a part of data is performed for all contents that are candidates for the same contents. Here, it is assumed that the content of content AAA of server A (content A) and the content of content AAA of server B (content B) are candidates for the same content. The seek processing (S204) is performed on the content A of the server A, and the content data A is received from the server (S205). Similarly, seek processing (S206) is performed on content B of server B, and content data B is received from the server (S207). The seek processing may be specified in the range of byte data (eg, data from the 50th byte to the 100th byte), or in a time unit range (eg, data from the 0th to the 30th) May be specified.

  The content data A and content data B received from each server are compared (data check: S208), and if they match, it is determined that they are the same content. In the case of the same content, a content list display (S209) is performed in accordance with a predetermined display method.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the internal operation of the player. The player connected to the communication network sets a search condition in the search processing unit 405 to determine under what conditions the search request is made (S300). Based on the set condition, a search request is transmitted to all servers by the communication unit 420 (S301). Then, content information (content attribute information / hierarchy information 422) that meets the conditions is transmitted from each server, and is received by the communication unit 420 (S302). At this time, information is acquired by the content information acquisition unit 403, and the same content determination processing unit 406 determines whether there is an identical content candidate (S303). For example, if there is content with the same title, it is determined that there is an identical content candidate. If there is no candidate for the same content, the display processing / output unit 404 displays it as it is (S308). If there is a candidate for the same content, seek information for each content is transmitted from the content control unit 407 (S304). A server having the same content transmits content data in response to each seek request, and the player receives content data for the requested seek by the content receiving unit 408 (S305).

  All content data of the same content candidates are compared, and the content data comparison unit 410 determines whether the data is the same (S306). Data that is not the same data (No) is displayed as it is (S308). For the same data (Yes), it is determined whether or not the data is determined as the same data (S307). If it cannot be determined as the same data yet (No), the seek process is repeated (S304 to S306). If it is determined that the data is the same (Yes), the process of displaying the same content (S309) is performed, and the process of determining whether there is another candidate for the same content (S303) is repeated.

[Embodiment: Content Display]
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of content display. Content display is performed by the display processing / output unit 404 (FIG. 4) of the player. As an example of the content list display, the title of the video content and the server name are displayed. In addition, content attribute information such as content date, size, playback time, and thumbnails may be displayed.

  Here, an example in the case of displaying in S209 of FIG. 5 is shown. It is determined that the contents AAA in the server A and the server B are the same, and here, an example in which only one of the server A is displayed is shown. This is the same content display processing (server selection) performed in S309 of FIG. 6 as the internal operation of the player.

  Regarding the display, instead of displaying only one server having the same content, a plurality of servers may be displayed. When displaying that there are a plurality of servers, marking is made so that they are understood to be the same content. It may be performed or a display indicating the priority order may be performed.

  As a method for selecting content to be displayed when there are a plurality of servers having the same content, there is a method of simply displaying the first found content. Referring to FIG. 5 as an example, since server A and server B have the same content (title AAA) and the response from server A was quick at this time, the server A is displayed in FIG.

  As another selection method, there is a method of selecting the server of its own terminal when the functions of both the server and the player are provided in one terminal. Details of the processing in S309 of FIG. 6 in this case are shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the content of the server that first receives the response is set as a default value (S401). The address of a server that is a candidate for the same content is acquired (S402). It is determined whether or not the acquired server address matches the player (S403). If they match (Yes), the same content display is made for the matching server (S404). If the acquired server address does not match the player address (No), it is checked whether there is still a candidate for the same content (S405). If there is still a candidate for the same content (Yes), the address check (S402) is repeated. If there is no more candidate for the same content (No), the process is terminated. If the server that simply responded quickly is displayed without checking the address, it is sufficient to perform only the processing shown in S401 and end the processing.

[Embodiment: When content information is similar]
If an attempt is made to make a determination based only on the complete match of content information, the content information may be partially different and may not be regarded as the same content. An example in which the content information is a title is shown in FIG.

  In the above description, when the server A and the server B have contents as shown in FIG. 5, the contents of the title AAA are determined to be the same contents. In the following, with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9F, the same contents are used for the lower case characters such as the title “aaa” of the server C and the upper case characters such as the server “D”. An example of determining as a candidate is shown. In addition, a case where uppercase letters and lowercase letters are mixed will be described.

  An example in which a character string is added after the title is shown in the server E (FIG. 9E). The title AAA20060101 of the server E has a date added to the back. The character string added at the end may be anything related to the server name, content size, playback time, channel number, etc. in addition to the date. Conversely, it may be added before. As another example of prepending, for example, when a file called AAA is copied with Windows PC, the title changes to “Copy to AAA” and is added in front of the original title.

  The server F shows an example due to the difference in half-width and full-width (FIG. 9 (F)). In addition, it is also conceivable that a match due to the difference between the character code, hiragana and katakana is considered.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting file in which settings relating to how to determine content information having similarities as described above are performed. More specifically, the judgment conditions for similar content information are expressed as valid (ON) and invalid (OFF). In this case, uppercase / lowercase distinction, prefix, suffix, half-width / full-width are considered as judgment conditions (ON), but uppercase / lowercase letters, character codes, hiragana / katakana are judgment conditions. No (OFF).

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for determining similar content information based on a setting file. Actually, this is performed in association with checking whether there is a candidate for the same content in S303 in FIG. 6, and the function of the player is performed in the same content determination processing unit 406 in FIG. First, the setting file information is checked (S500). It is determined whether there is setting information (S501). If there is setting information (Yes), similarity is checked based on the setting information (S502). When there is no setting information (No), since no candidate that can be regarded as a candidate for the same content was found, the process of S307 in FIG. 6 is performed. If it is determined whether there is similarity and can be regarded as a candidate for the same content (S503) and it is regarded as a candidate for the same content (Yes), the process of S304 in FIG. 6 is performed. If it is determined that there is no similarity under this setting condition and it cannot be regarded as a candidate for the same content (No), the process returns to step S500, the setting file is checked again, and the similarity is checked under the following condition. Go.

  Specifically, description will be made based on the setting file of FIG. First, in the setting file check, since the first setting condition “uppercase / lowercase (all)” is ON, this setting condition is read (S500). At this time, since there is a setting condition, the similarity is checked based on the setting condition (S502). Here, the content aaa of the server C can be regarded as the same content candidate here. In the case of other server contents, since it cannot be regarded as a candidate for the same contents, the process returns to the setting file check again. Since the next setting condition “uppercase / lowercase (only initials)” is ON, this setting condition is read (S500). Similarly, the similarity is checked based on the setting condition (S502). Here, the content Aaa of the server D can be regarded as the same content candidate here. In the case of other server contents, since it cannot be regarded as a candidate for the same contents, the process returns to the setting file check again. The next setting condition “uppercase / lowercase (mixed)” is OFF, the next setting condition “prefix” is also OFF, and the next setting condition “suffix” is ON. Therefore, this setting condition is read (S500). Similarly, the similarity is checked based on the setting condition (S502). Here, in the case of the content AAA2006011 of the server E, it can be regarded as the same content candidate here. In the case of other server contents, since it cannot be regarded as a candidate for the same contents, the process returns to the setting file check again. Since the next setting condition “half-width / full-width” is ON, this setting condition is read (S500). Similarly, the similarity is checked based on the setting condition (S502). Here, in the case of the content AAA (half-width) of the server F, it can be regarded as the same content candidate here. In the case of other server contents, since it cannot be regarded as a candidate for the same contents, the process returns to the setting file check again. Further, when the next setting condition is read, since “character code” and “Hiragana / Katakana” are both OFF, there is no more setting condition. In this way, all the candidates for the same content are checked for the ON conditions of the elements of the setting file (when it is determined that they are the same content, the process ends), and the process is repeated until there is no setting condition to be checked.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of servers on the network and the same content exists, the same content is determined accurately and easily and used by the user. There is an advantage that an easy player can be provided.

  In the above description, the content information has been a title. However, the content information is not limited to the title, and may include a date, playback time, channel name, resolution, and the like. Can be created.

  The communication network system according to the present invention is suitable for a communication network system in which content is duplicated when content is provided from a server to a client, such as a home network system. It can also be applied to other communication network systems such as the Internet.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the home network system by one embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the content list acquisition procedure by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the server in the home network system by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the player in the home network system by this Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the processing operation in the server and player by this Embodiment, and the exchange of data between a server and a player. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of operation | movement inside a player by this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the content display in the player by this Embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of the same content display process in the player by this Embodiment. It is an example of the content information (title) published on each server according to the present embodiment. It is an example of the setting file which judges the same content in the player by this Embodiment from similarity. It is a flowchart which judges the same content in the player by this Embodiment from similarity. It is a figure which shows the structure of the network system using UPnP. It is a flowchart figure which shows a content list acquisition procedure.

Explanation of symbols

100 Media server 101 Media player 200 PC
201 TV
202 HDD / DVD recorder 203 Audio 204 NAS
300 Server 301 Content Storage Unit 302 Tuner 310 Communication Unit 320 Content Management Unit 400 Player 401 Operation Unit 402 Content Information Request Unit 403 Content Information Acquisition Unit 404 Display Processing / Output Unit 405 Search Processing Unit 406 Same Content Determination Processing Unit 407 Content Control Unit 408 Content reception unit 409 Audio processing / output unit 410 Content data comparison unit 420 Communication unit

Claims (6)

Content attribute information acquisition means for acquiring content attribute information from a server providing content;
The same content determination processing means for determining from the content attribute information whether or not a plurality of provided contents can be determined as the same content candidate;
Content control means for requesting acquisition of partial data of the plurality of contents determined as the same content candidate by the same content determination processing means;
Content receiving means for receiving, from a server, part of the data requested by the content control means;
Content data comparison means for comparing whether or not the received partial data of the content is the same;
Display processing means for displaying a list of the comparison results;
Have
The content control means includes
By performing a seek process on the content, a part of the data of the content is acquired,
The content data comparison means includes
If the content attribute information of the plurality of contents is similar and the data of the part of the content acquired by the content control unit is the same, it is determined that the plurality of contents are the same,
If the content attribute information of the plurality of contents is not similar, or if some data of the content acquired by the content control means is not the same, it is determined that the plurality of contents are not the same ,
The display processing means includes
Determining the content to be displayed based on whether the address of the server that provides the content is the same as the address of the content management device among the content determined to be the same content by the content data comparison means; A content management apparatus characterized by the above. The same content determination processing means
2. The content management apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein it is determined whether or not the same content candidate is based on setting information defining a criterion for determining similarity of content attribute information. The setting information includes
Whether to distinguish between upper and lower case for the content attribute information of the plurality of contents,
Whether to distinguish between uppercase / lowercase differences for the initial part of the content attribute information of the plurality of contents,
Whether to distinguish the prefix difference for the content attribute information of the plurality of contents,
Whether to distinguish the suffix difference for the content attribute information of the plurality of content,
Whether to distinguish between half-width / full-width differences for the content attribute information of the plurality of contents,
Whether to distinguish differences in character codes for the content attribute information of the plurality of contents,
Whether to distinguish a difference between hiragana and katakana for the content attribute information of the plurality of contents,
At least one of them is described as the criterion,
The content management apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the content data comparison unit determines whether or not the plurality of contents are the same according to the criterion described in the setting information. The contents control unit, the content management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that to perform the seek processing by specifying the content in a range of byte data. The contents control unit, the content management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that for specifying to seek processing the content in the range of hours. A content attribute information acquisition step of acquiring content attribute information from a server that provides the content;
The same content determination processing step of determining whether or not the provided content is the same content candidate from the content attribute information;
A content control step for requesting acquisition of partial data of the content for the content determined as the same content candidate in the same content determination processing step;
A content receiving step of receiving, from a server, some data of the content requested by the content control step;
A content data comparison step for comparing whether or not the received data is the same;
A display output step for outputting the comparison result; and
A display processing step for displaying a list of the comparison results;
Have
In the content control step,
By performing a seek process on the content, a part of the data of the content is acquired,
In the content data comparison step,
If the content attribute information of the plurality of contents is similar and the partial data of the content acquired in the content control step is the same, it is determined that the plurality of contents are the same,
If the content attribute information of the plurality of contents is not similar or if some data of the contents acquired in the content control step is not the same, it is determined that the plurality of contents are not the same ,
In the display processing step,
Content to be displayed based on whether the address of the server that provides the content is the same as the address of the device that executes the content management method from the content that is determined to be the same content in the content data comparison step The content management method characterized by determining .

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