JP5439411B2 - Content playback method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content reproduction method that distributes content that matches the capability of a terminal that reproduces content and reproduces the content in synchronization with a plurality of terminals.

  In recent years, network connection environments that can be used in ordinary homes have become possible to use high-speed and high-quality network services such as FTTH (Fiber To The Home) and NGN (Next Generation Network). VOD (Video on Demand) is a service that can be provided by this high-speed network service. In recent years, the communication speed of mobile phone networks has been increasing, and video distribution services using mobile phones have begun.

  In order to realize a video distribution service for various terminals, the video distribution system needs to have an ability to change the content to be distributed in accordance with the type of the terminal that reproduces the content. The video distribution system described in Patent Document 1 stores content files obtained by hierarchically encoding images according to resolution using JPEG2000 (Joint Photographic Experts Group 2000) and storing the content files, and the requested resolution and request included in the content request from the terminal. In accordance with the image range, data for generating an image with the requested resolution is read from the content file, converted into a one-layer image as necessary, and sent to the terminal. Thereby, in the video distribution system described in Patent Document 1, high-quality video data can be browsed even in a terminal in which the terminal capability is restricted.

JP 2006-339972 A

  However, in the video distribution system described in Patent Document 1, in order to acquire hierarchical data for generating an image with a requested resolution, the entire JPEG2000 file is processed in order to perform data structure analysis and data extraction processing. Must be transferred to memory. For this reason, there is a problem that the amount of data transmitted between the memory disks increases regardless of the size of the image data requested by the terminal.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even with the same content URL, encoded video data adapted to the video playback capability of the video receiving device can be streamed and played back on the terminal. An object of the present invention is to provide a content playback method that can be used.

In the present invention, a master playback terminal, a slave playback terminal, and a distribution server are connected by a network, and content including video data matching the playback capabilities of the master playback terminal and the slave playback terminal is distributed from the distribution server, A content reproduction method in an information reproduction system for reproducing the distributed content synchronously between the master reproduction terminal and a slave reproduction terminal, wherein the master reproduction terminal has a URL of content to be reproduced and its own reproduction capability Transmitting the terminal capability information indicating to the distribution server, and the distribution server distributing a reproduction setting file matching the capability of the master reproduction terminal based on the terminal capability information of the master reproduction terminal; The content that the master playback terminal should play back to the distribution server A step of transmitting a distribution request; and the distribution server selects a content that matches the terminal capability of the master reproduction terminal from the contents specified by the URL based on the distribution request, and sends the content to the master reproduction terminal Distributing, when the master playback terminal receives the distributed content, notifying the slave playback terminal of the URL of the content; and when the slave playback terminal sends the URL of the content from the master playback terminal And receiving the URL of the received content and terminal capability information indicating its own playback capability to the distribution server, and the distribution server based on the terminal capability information of the slave playback terminal Distributing a playback setting file suitable for the capabilities of the terminal; and A slave reproduction terminal that transmits a distribution request for the content to be reproduced to the distribution server; and the slave reproduction terminal among the contents specified by the URL based on the distribution request by the distribution server Selecting content suitable for the terminal capability of the content and distributing the content to the slave playback terminal; and when the slave playback terminal receives the distributed content, notifies the master playback terminal of the start of content reception The master playback terminal notifying the slave playback terminal of the start of playback; and when the slave playback terminal receives the playback start notification, the master playback terminal starts playback of the distributed content, Notifying the master playback terminal of the start of playback, and the master playback terminal Receiving a playback start execution notification from a slave playback terminal, and starting playback of the distributed content.

  In the present invention, when the selection area is changed during the reproduction of the content in the master reproduction terminal, the master reproduction terminal displays the video of the selection area of the content being reproduced based on the selection area. And transmitting the changed information of the selected area to the slave playback terminal, and when the slave playback terminal receives the information of the selected area from the master playback terminal, based on the selected area, And a step of displaying a video of a selected area of the content.

  In the present invention, the master playback terminal designates a playback time from the top of the content to play a part of the content to be played, makes a delivery request to the delivery server, Reproducing a part of the content distributed from the distribution server and notifying the slave terminal of the reproduction time from the top of the content, and the slave reproduction terminal is notified from the master reproduction terminal The method further comprises a step of designating a reproduction time from the top of the content, making a distribution request to the distribution server, and reproducing a part of the content distributed from the distribution server.

  According to the present invention, when the selection area is changed during the reproduction of the content in the master reproduction terminal, the master reproduction terminal distributes the video data of the selection area of the content being reproduced based on the selection area. Making a request to the server, displaying video data of the selected area distributed from the distribution server, and transmitting the changed information of the selected area to the slave playback terminal; and the slave playback terminal However, when the information on the selected area is received from the master reproduction terminal, the distribution request for the video data of the selected area of the content being reproduced is made to the server based on the selected area, and is distributed from the distribution server. And displaying the video data of the selected area.

  In the present invention, when the master reproduction terminal stores the URL of the content viewed last time and the reproduction stop time information at the time of the previous viewing, and the continuous viewing is performed, the stored previous viewing is stored. The previous viewing is continuously reproduced by making a distribution request to the distribution server based on the content URL and the reproduction stop time information at the previous viewing, and the previously viewed content stored. And the information on the playback stop time at the previous viewing time are transmitted to the slave playback terminal, the URL of the last viewing content received by the slave terminal from the master playback terminal, and the playback stop at the previous viewing time. Further comprising the step of continuously reproducing the previous viewing by making a distribution request to the distribution server based on time information.

  The present invention includes a step in which the master playback terminal confirms a playback time every specified time, and transmits the confirmed playback time to the slave playback terminal; the slave playback terminal receives the received playback time and a current playback time; When the playback is delayed from the master playback terminal as a result of the comparison with the master playback terminal, playback is performed by fast-forwarding by the delayed time, and when the playback is advanced from the master playback terminal, the process is advanced And a step of stopping reproduction for a time.

  According to the present invention, even in the same content URL, it is possible to distribute content that matches the playback capability of each terminal, and to obtain an effect that the playback can be performed synchronously among a plurality of playback terminals having different playback capabilities. . Further, since decoding is performed in units of 1 GOP (Group Of Picture), it is difficult to cause a shift in reproduction, and it is possible to obtain an effect that reproduction control between reproduction terminals is facilitated by a network environment in a limited range.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the selection area information of the display parts 46 and 56 shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the form which memorize | stores data for every reproduction | regeneration terminal processing capability of the reproduction | regeneration data storage part 22 shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the apparatus shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a content distribution method and a content reproduction method in an information reproduction system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information reproduction system according to the embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a distribution server that distributes information to be reproduced. Reference numeral 30 denotes a wide area network such as the Internet (hereinafter referred to as network (A) 30). Reference numerals 40, 50, and N denote playback terminals that play back the distributed information. The playback terminals are logically classified into a master playback terminal 40 and slave playback terminals 50, N. There may be one master playback terminal 40 and a plurality of slave playback terminals 50, N. Reference numeral 80 denotes a network within a limited range (hereinafter referred to as network (B) 80) used in a specific building or site such as a home LAN (Local Area Network) or an in-house LAN. The network 80 may be wireless communication or wired communication. The distribution server 20 and the playback terminals 40, 50, and N are connected via a network (A) 30. Reference numeral 60 is a limited range network.

  The distribution server 20 includes a reception unit 21, a reproduction data storage unit 22, and a transmission unit 23. The receiving unit 21 receives a request from the playback terminal (40, 50, N) via the network (A) 30, and notifies the playback data storage unit 22 of the received request. The reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the request from the reception unit 21, reads the requested data, and sends it to the transmission unit 23. The reproduction data storage unit 22 stores at least a reproduction setting file and encoded video data. In the playback setting file, selection area information and the resolution of the main video and navigation video are described. The encoded video data is composed of two types: navigation encoded video data for reproducing the entire video and main encoded video data for reproducing the selected area. These are stored in the reproduction data storage unit 22 as one encoded video data. In addition, a plurality of pieces of encoded video data having different frame rates are stored in the same content. The main encoded video data is video data having a higher resolution than the navigation encoded video data. The transmission unit 23 receives the data read from the reproduction data storage unit 22 and distributes it to the reproduction terminals (40, 50, N) via the network (A) 30.

  The master playback terminal 40 controls the slave playback terminal (50, N) and performs synchronous playback control with the slave playback terminal (50, N). The master playback terminal 40 starts and stops playback, and the slave playback terminal (50, N) follows the operation of the master playback terminal 40 in synchronization therewith. The master playback terminal 40 plays back either the selection area video or the navigation video. Alternatively, two selection area videos and two navigation videos may be reproduced simultaneously. The decoding and playback processing in the case of simultaneous two is the same as that of the slave playback terminal (50, N). The master playback terminal 40 selects an area to be viewed from the navigation video or the selection area video in which the entire video is played back. This area is referred to as selected area information, and details will be described later.

  The master playback terminal 40 transmits the selected area information to the slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80 by UDP / IP unicast (or UDP multicast or UDP broadcast). The slave playback terminal (50, N) plays back two of the selection area video and the navigation video that are the same as the area selected by the master playback terminal 40, but the navigation video does not necessarily have to be played back.

  The master reproduction terminal 40 includes a reproduction request unit 41, a synchronous reproduction control unit 42, a transmission unit 43, a reception unit 44, a decoding unit 45, and a display unit 46. The master playback terminal 40 performs TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) connection with one or more slave playback terminals (50, N) via the network (B) 80. This is because at least the content URL, the playback time, the selection area information at the start of playback, the playback preparation notification, the playback start notification, and the playback time at that time are transmitted to each slave playback terminal (50, N). Used for. From the slave reproduction terminal (50, N), it is used for reception start notification, reproduction preparation completion notification, reproduction start execution notification, and information reception / reply from the master reproduction terminal 40. Also, the master playback terminal 40 transmits the selected area information to each slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80 at each specified time by UDP / IP (User Datagram Protocol / Internet Protocol) unicast (or (It may be UDP multicast or UDP broadcast). The UDP broadcast is a transmission method for sending a message to everyone on the network, and the UDP multicast is a transmission method for sending a message to a specific group on the network.

  The synchronous playback control unit 42 of the master playback terminal 40 holds a distribution setting file, a slave playback terminal list file, and a final viewing information file. In the distribution setting file, at least full distribution or partial distribution and reproduction terminal capability information are described. The playback terminal capability information is a frame rate representing the playback capability of the playback terminal, for example. The frame rate is obtained from the difference in the performance of the CPU and graphic card of the playback terminal and the decoding processing method. The frame rate generally means how many times the screen can be rewritten per second, and the unit is expressed in fps. The slave playback terminal list file of the playback terminal includes at least the IP address of the slave playback terminal. In the final viewing information file, at least the content URL that was previously viewed by the master playback terminal 40, the final playback time, the final selection area information, and the previous viewing mode (navigation video or selection area video) are described. As another example, the selected camera information may be used instead of the selected area information. The selected camera information will be described later.

  The user of the master playback terminal 40 inputs the content URL from the playback request unit 41. The reproduction request unit 41 sends the input content URL to the synchronous reproduction control unit 42. The content URL indicates the location of the encoded video data existing on the network. Also, the playback request unit 41 sends the navigation video being played back on the display unit 46 or selected area information related to the area selected from the selected area video to the synchronized playback control unit 42. The selection area information will be described later. In addition, the playback request unit 41 sends playback / stop / jump playback executed by the user to the synchronous playback control unit 42. The synchronous reproduction control unit 42 performs request control from the reproduction request unit 41, the reception unit 44, and the decoding unit 45, and request control to the reception unit 44, the decoding unit 45, and the transmission unit 43. The operation of the synchronized playback control unit 42 will be described later.

  The transmission unit 43 of the master reproduction terminal 40 receives the request from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42 and transmits it to the distribution server 20 or the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) depending on the request content. More specifically, the transmission unit 43 makes an encoded video data distribution request and a distribution stop request to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30. To the slave playback terminal (50, N), via the network (B) 80, the content URL, playback time, selection area information at the start of playback, playback preparation notification, playback start notification, playback at the specified time Send time by TCP / IP. In addition, the selected area information is transmitted by UDP / IP unicast (may be UDP multicast or UDP broadcast) at every designated time. There are two types of distribution requests to the distribution server 20: a request for all encoded video data (all distributions) or a part (partial distribution) necessary for decoding / reproduction corresponding to the selected area information. Which distribution request is to be made is set in advance in the distribution setting file before the distribution request. It can be set for each playback terminal, and may not be the same between playback terminals.

  The receiving unit 44 of the master playback terminal 40 receives data from the distribution server 20 and the slave playback terminal (50, N), and sends the data to the decoding unit 45 when the received data is encoded video data. The data is sent to the synchronized playback control unit 42. The decoding unit 45 receives the encoded video data from the reception unit 44, decodes the navigation video of the received encoded video data when the viewing mode is navigation video, and sends the decoded navigation video to the display unit 46. Alternatively, when the viewing mode is the selected area video, the main video of the encoded video data is decoded based on the selected area information, and the selected area video cut out based on the selected area information from the decoded main video is displayed on the display unit 46. Send to. When the content URL described in the final viewing information file is the same as the content URL input to the reproduction request unit 41, the selection region information described in the final viewing information file is used as the selection region information at the start of reproduction. If they are different, the selection area information described in the reproduction setting file is used. The display unit 46 receives the decoded navigation video or selected area video from the decoding unit 45 and performs stream reproduction. A frame of the selected area is displayed on the navigation video during stream reproduction based on the selected area information.

  The slave reproduction terminal (50, N) includes a synchronous reproduction control unit 52, a transmission unit 53, a reception unit 54, a decoding unit 55, and a display unit 56. The synchronized playback control unit 52 performs request control from the reception unit 54 and the decoding unit 55, and request control to the reception unit 54, the decoding unit 55, and the transmission unit 53. The synchronized playback control unit 52 holds a delivery setting file. In the distribution setting file, at least full distribution or partial distribution and reproduction terminal capability information are described. The playback terminal capability information is a frame rate representing the capability of the playback terminal, for example.

  The transmission unit 53 of the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) receives the request from the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 and transmits the request to the distribution server 20 or the master reproduction terminal 40 according to the request content. An encoded video data distribution request and a distribution stop request are transmitted to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30. To the master playback terminal 40, a reception start notification, a playback preparation completion notification, a playback start execution notification, and an information reception return from the master playback terminal 40 are sent via the network (B) 80 by TCP / IP. There are two distribution requests to the distribution server: a request for all encoded video data (all distributions) or a part (partial distribution) necessary for decoding / playback corresponding to the selected area information. Which distribution request is to be made is set in advance in the distribution setting file before the distribution request. It can be set for each slave playback terminal (50, N), and may not be the same between playback terminals.

  The receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives data from the distribution server 20 and the master playback terminal 40, and when the received data is encoded video data, sends it to the decoding unit 55, and otherwise synchronizes. The data is sent to the reproduction control unit 52. The decoding unit 55 receives the encoded video data from the reception unit 54, decodes the navigation encoded video data and the main encoded video data of the received encoded video data in parallel in units of 1 GOP, and decodes the main video. The selected area image extracted based on the selected area information and the decoded navigation image are sent to the display unit 56. As the selection area information at the start of reproduction, the selection area information transmitted from the master reproduction terminal 40 at the start of reproduction is used. The display unit 56 receives the navigation video and selection area video decoded from the decoding unit 55 and performs stream reproduction. A frame of the selected area is displayed on the navigation video during stream reproduction based on the selected area information. Here, 15 frames of 1 GOP are performed.

  Next, the selection area will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the resolution of the navigation video is 400 × 200, and the selection area information (X, Y, width, height) selected from the navigation video being played back is (30, 70, 260, 100). When the resolution of the main video is 2000 × 4000, the selection area information (X, Y, width, height) is (300, 700, 2600, 1000). These may be relative coordinate values (0.075, 0.35, 0.65, 0.5). The same selected area video can be played back between playback terminals having different resolutions. The position of the navigation image and the main image correspond to each other. The selected area can be moved left and right, up and down, enlarged and reduced from the main video and the navigation video, and the moving destination becomes new selection area information.

  Next, the distribution request and decoding of each selected area will be described. The main video and navigation video are numbered equally. The number of divisions and numbers correspond to each other. Note that the number of divisions need not be 10 shown in FIG. Further, the identification of the divided location does not have to be a number. This divided part is called “View”. The View ID of the main video is 0 to 9, and the navigation video reproduces the entire video, so the View ID is 1000, for example.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the portions corresponding to the selected region are 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. In the case of partial distribution, a request for distribution of main encoded video data to the distribution server is to request 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 for ViewID. In the case of all distributions, since all encoded video data has been received, no distribution request to the distribution server is made after the selection area is changed. Also, the playback terminal (40, 50, N) decodes View 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and further cuts out the portion based on the selection area information to select the selection area video (main Video). The navigation video is playback of the entire video, and there is no playback of the selected area of the navigation video. In the case of partial distribution, a distribution request for navigation video is performed with a View ID of 1000. The navigation video reproduces the entire video and displays a frame of the selected area on the video.

  In this example, the distribution request, decoding, and playback of the portion of the region (selected region information) selected by equally dividing one video is performed. However, as another example, it differs from the configuration of FIG. The video of one camera is taken as one view, the same subject is photographed by a plurality of cameras, for example, the first camera, for example, a part of the subject is photographed from the right side, and the second camera is, for example, A part of the subject is photographed from the left side, and the third camera, for example, photographs a part of the subject from the front, and the video photographed by a plurality of cameras as described above is one encoded video data (multiple views). The playback terminal (40, 50, N) may request distribution of the selected camera (selected camera: ViewID), and the distribution server may distribute the View corresponding to the requested selected camera.

  Next, the configuration of the encoded video data stored in the playback data storage unit 22 in order to distribute the encoded video data suitable for the capability of the playback terminal will be described with reference to FIG. The content URL indicates the location of the encoded video data existing on the network, and each content is stored for each content URL. Furthermore, encoded video data and a reproduction setting file are stored for each frame rate under the content URL. For example, encoded video data having a frame rate of 30 fps and its reproduction setting file are stored below “30”. Similarly, the encoded video data of each frame rate and the reproduction setting file are stored in the lower order of “24” and “10”.

  For example, when the reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the URL of the content A and then receives a reproduction setting file request and reproduction terminal capability information (for example, 30), the reproduction data storage unit 22 determines the requested content and requested reproduction terminal capability information. The reproduction setting file under “30” under the URL of the content A is read and sent to the transmission unit 23. Next, when the encoded video data distribution request, playback time, and playback terminal capability information are received, the encoded video data under “30” under the URL of the content A is started from the requested playback time (for example, 5 minutes 30 seconds). Read and send to the transmitter 23. The playback terminal capability information (for example, 30) only needs to know that “30” under the URL of the content A is the same, and need not be a numerical value. It does not have to be a frame rate to show the capabilities of the playback terminal.

  Next, operations from the distribution request to the reproduction start, user operation selection area reproduction, and reproduction stop in the information reproduction system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the content URL input to the reproduction request unit 41 is the same as the content URL described in the final viewing information file, the selection area information, the reproduction time, and the previous viewing mode described in the final viewing information file are used. If there is no description of the previous viewing mode, it is played back with the navigation video. If the input content URL is different, the selection area information described in the playback setting file is used, and the playback time starts from the beginning of the content (0 seconds).

  In the following description, it is assumed that the content URL is the same as that of the previous viewing video. The viewing mode is selected area video. Further, the description will be made assuming that contents are distributed to the slave playback terminal 50. First, at the time of activation, the master reproduction terminal 40 reads the distribution setting, slave reproduction terminal list, and final viewing information files that are held (step S0). When the slave playback terminal is activated, it reads the distribution setting file it holds (step S1). Next, the master playback terminal 40 establishes a TCP / IP connection with one or more slave playback terminals (step S2). In response to this, the slave playback terminal 50 establishes a TCP / IP connection with the master playback terminal 40 (step S3).

  Next, the master reproduction terminal 40 sends a content URL, a reproduction setting file request, and reproduction terminal capability information to the distribution server 20 (step S4). This playback setting file request is performed using, for example, RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) GET_PARAMETER, and playback terminal capability information (for example, “30”) necessary for requesting the playback setting file is included in the RSTP User_Agent header. It has been added. In response to this, the distribution server 20 sends a reproduction setting file of encoded video data that matches the reproduction terminal capability information added to the header to the master reproduction terminal 40. Then, the master reproduction terminal 40 receives the reproduction setting file of the encoded video data that matches the reproduction terminal capability information from the distribution server 20 (step S5). In the case of partial distribution, the master playback terminal 40 requests partial distribution of main encoded video data corresponding to the selected area information when the viewing mode is the selected area video, or navigation encoded video when the viewing mode is navigation video. A partial distribution request for data, a reproduction time, and reproduction terminal capability information are sent to the distribution server 20. In the case of full distribution, the distribution request of encoded video data, the reproduction time, and reproduction terminal capability information are sent to the distribution server 20 (step S6). At this time, the playback terminal capability information (for example, “30”) is added to the RSTP User_Agent header using the RTSP Play.

  Next, the distribution server 20 distributes the encoded video data that matches the playback terminal capability information from the requested playback time, and the master playback terminal 40 sends the main encoded video that matches the playback terminal capability information from the distribution server 20. Data is received (step S7). Playback start is not executed yet. Although reception is started, distribution control is performed based on the remaining amount of the reception buffer, so that the reception buffer does not overflow. Subsequently, the master playback terminal 40 transmits the content URL, playback time, and selected area information to all slave playback terminals (here, the slave playback terminal 50) (step S8). In response to this, the slave playback terminal 50 receives the content URL, playback time, and selection area information (step S9). Then, the slave reproduction terminal 50 sends a content URL, a reproduction setting file request, and reproduction terminal capability information to the distribution server 20 (step S10). The slave playback terminal 50 receives the playback setting file of the encoded video data that matches the playback terminal capability information from the distribution server 20 (step S11), and in the case of partial distribution, the main encoded video data corresponding to the selected area information and Then, a partial distribution request for navigation encoded video data, a reproduction time and a reproduction terminal capability request are sent to the distribution server 20 (step S12). In the case of all distribution, a distribution request, reproduction time, and reproduction terminal capability request for encoded video data are sent to the distribution server 20. In the following description, although the description indicating that the playback terminal capability information is added is omitted in the encoded video data distribution request to the distribution server 20, the playback terminal capability information is actually added. It will be explained as a thing.

  Next, the distribution server 20 distributes the encoded video data that matches the playback terminal capability information from the requested playback time, and the slave playback terminal 50 transmits the encoded video data that matches the playback terminal capability information from the distribution server 20. Is received (step S13). Playback start is not executed yet. Although reception is started, distribution control is performed based on the remaining amount of the reception buffer, so that the reception buffer does not overflow. Then, the slave playback terminal 50 transmits a reception start notification to the master playback terminal 40 (step S14). In response to this, when receiving a reception start notification from all the slave playback terminals 50, the master playback terminal 40 passes the encoded video data to the decoding unit 45 (decoder) by 1 GOP (step S15). Then, the reproduction setting file, the reproduction time, and the selection area information are transferred to the decoding unit 45.

  Next, the master playback terminal 40 notifies all slave playback terminals (here, the slave playback terminal 50) of playback preparation (step S16). When receiving the playback preparation from the master playback terminal 40, the slave playback terminal 50 passes 1 GOP of the encoded video data to the decoding unit 55 (decoder) (step S17). Then, the reproduction setting file, the reproduction time, and the selection area information are passed to the decoding unit 55.

  Next, the slave playback terminal 50 notifies the master playback terminal 40 of the completion of playback preparation (step S18), and the master playback terminal 40 completes playback preparation from all the slave playback terminals (here, the slave playback terminals 50). When received, all slave playback terminals (here, slave playback terminal 50) are notified of the start of playback (step S19). When the slave playback terminal 50 receives the playback start, the slave playback terminal 50 starts decoding / playback of the main encoded video data based on the selection area information transmitted from the master playback terminal 40 (step S20). Start decoding / playback. At this time, the frame of the selected area is displayed on the navigation video based on the selected area information.

  Next, the slave playback terminal 50 notifies the master playback terminal 40 of playback start execution (step S21). When receiving playback start execution from all slave playback terminals (here, slave playback terminal 50), master playback terminal 40 starts playback in the previous viewing mode described in the final viewing information file (step S22). When the previous viewing mode is the selected region video, the main encoded video data is decoded / reproduced based on the selected region information described in the final viewing information file. When the previous viewing mode is navigation video, decoding / playback of navigation encoded video data is started. At this time, the frame of the selected area is displayed on the navigation video based on the selected area information. Subsequently, the master reproduction terminal 40 transmits the selection area information to all the slave reproduction terminals 50 every designated time (step S23). The slave playback terminal 50 receives the selected area information from the master playback terminal 40, compares the received newly selected area information with the selected area information currently being played back, and if it is the same, plays back as it is (step S24).

  Next, when the user of the master playback terminal 40 changes the selection area on the navigation video or on the selection area video (step S25), the master playback terminal 40 displays the new selection area information and the currently selected playback area information. When compared, in the case of partial distribution in the selected area video mode, a partial distribution request for main encoded video data is made to the distribution server 20 based on the new selected area information (step S26). Does not make a delivery request. Then, the master reproduction terminal 40 receives the encoded video data of the new selection area (step S27), and decodes / reproduces the main encoded video data based on the new selection area information. In the navigation video viewing mode, the stream is continuously distributed as it is, and the frame of the selection area is displayed on the navigation video based on the new selection area information.

  Next, the master reproduction terminal 40 transmits the selection area information to all the slave reproduction terminals (here, the slave terminals 50) every designated time (step S28). In response to this, the slave playback terminal 50 receives the selection area information from the master playback terminal 40 (step S29). When the received new selection area information is compared with the selection area information currently being reproduced, the partial playback is performed. In this case, a partial distribution request for the main encoded video data and the navigation encoded video data is made to the distribution server 20 based on the selected area information (step S30). In the case of full distribution, no distribution request is made. Then, the slave playback terminal 50 receives the encoded video data of the new selected area, decodes / reproduces the main encoded video data, and decodes / reproduces the navigation encoded video data based on the new selected area information ( Step S31). At this time, the frame of the selected area is displayed on the navigation video based on the new selected area information.

  Next, the master reproduction terminal 40 confirms the reproduction time for each designated time, and transmits the reproduction time to the slave reproduction terminal 50 (step S32). The slave playback terminal 50 adjusts the playback time to the received playback time of the master playback terminal 40 (step S33).

  Next, when the master playback terminal 40 designates the jump destination (step S34), the master playback terminal 40 notifies the jump destination to all slave playback terminals (here, the slave playback terminal 50) (step S35), and the slave playback. The terminal 50 receives this jump destination (step S36). Then, the master playback terminal 40 makes a jump destination distribution request for the main encoded video data or navigation encoded video data to the distribution server 20 (step S37), receives the jump destination encoded video data (step S38), and The selected area of the main video or the navigation video is played from the jump destination.

  Next, the slave playback terminal 50 makes a jump destination distribution request to the distribution server 20 (step S39), receives the jump destination encoded video data (step S40), and selects the main video selection area and the navigation video from the jump destination. Play.

  Next, when the master playback terminal 40 pauses or stops playback (step S41), the master playback terminal 40 notifies all slave playback terminals (here, the slave playback terminal 50) of playback stop (step S42). In response to this, the slave playback terminal 50 receives the playback stop (step S43). Then, the master reproduction terminal 40 transmits distribution stop to the distribution server 20 (step S44), updates and saves the final viewing information file and distribution setting file, and stops reproduction (step S45). On the other hand, the slave reproduction terminal 50 transmits distribution stop to the distribution server 20 (step S46), and stops reproduction (step S47).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 18, the distribution of encoded video data suitable for the capabilities of each playback terminal and the processing operation for playing back the selected area in synchronization will be described. First, as an initial setting at the time of starting the master playback terminal 40, each of the distribution setting file, the slave playback terminal list file, and the last viewing information file stored in advance in the master playback terminal 40 is read at the time of startup, and synchronous playback control is performed. Held in the part 42. In addition, as an initial setting at the time of activation of the slave reproduction terminal (50, N), a distribution setting file held in advance is read at the time of activation and is held in the synchronous reproduction control unit 52.

  When the initial setting at the start-up is completed, the master playback terminal 40 and one or more slave playback terminals (50, N) listed in the slave playback terminal list held in the synchronized playback control unit 42 and the network ( B) A TCP / IP connection is made via 80 (step S501). Then, when the URL of the content A is input to the reproduction request unit 41, the reproduction request unit 41 sends the input URL of the content A to the synchronous reproduction control unit 42 (step S502).

  Next, the synchronized playback control unit 42 compares the received URL of the content A with the content URL described in the final viewing information, and in the same case, the previously viewed content URL and the final viewing URL described in the final viewing information. The playback time and the last selected area information are used. When the content URL is different from the previous time, the playback time starts from the top of the content (0 seconds), and the value described in the playback setting file is used as the selection area information. Here, the content is the same as the previous time. The synchronous playback control unit 42 sends the URL of the same content A, the playback setting file request, and playback terminal capability information to the transmission unit 43 as in the previous time. As the viewing mode, the previous viewing mode (selected area video or navigation video) described in the distribution setting file is used. When there is no description of the last viewing mode, it is set as a navigation image (step S503).

  Next, the transmission unit 43 receives the URL of the content A, the playback setting file request, and the playback terminal capability information from the synchronous playback control unit 42, and receives the received URL of the content A, the playback setting file request, and the playback terminal capability information on the network ( A) It is transmitted to the distribution server 20 via 30 (step S504). The receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives the URL of the content A, the playback setting file request, and the playback terminal capability information from the master playback terminal 40 via the network (A) 30 and sends them to the playback data storage unit 22 (step S22). S505).

  Next, when the reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the URL of the content A from the reception unit 21 and then receives a reproduction setting file request and reproduction terminal capability information, the reproduction data storage unit 22 determines the requested content and requested reproduction terminal capability information, and reproduces the reproduction terminal. For example, when the capability information is “10”, the reproduction setting file under “10” under the URL of the content A is read and sent to the transmission unit 23. The transmission unit 23 receives the reproduction setting file sent from the reproduction data storage unit 22, and transmits the received reproduction setting file to the master reproduction terminal 40 by TCP / IP via the network (A) 30 (step S506). .

  Next, the reception unit 44 of the master reproduction terminal 40 receives the reproduction setting file transmitted from the transmission unit 23 of the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30 and sends it to the synchronous reproduction control unit 42. The synchronized playback control unit 42 receives the playback setting file from the receiving unit 44, and holds the received playback setting file (step S507).

  Next, when the viewing mode is the selected area video and the distribution setting is partial distribution, the synchronized playback control unit 42 selects the main information corresponding to the final viewing information or the selected area information described in the playback setting file. The playback time and playback terminal capability information are added to the partial delivery request of the encoded video data and sent to the transmitter 43. Alternatively, when the viewing mode is navigation video, a navigation encoded video distribution request is sent to the transmitter 43 with the playback time and playback terminal capability information. In the case of full distribution, a distribution request for encoded video data with a reproduction time and reproduction terminal capability information is added to the transmission unit 43 (step S508). Here, it is the same as the previous viewing. Therefore, the playback time is continuous viewing from the previous time.

  Next, the transmission unit 43 receives the distribution request from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42, and transmits the received distribution request to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30 (step S509). The receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives the distribution request from the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (A) 30 and sends it to the reproduction data storage unit 22 (step S510). The reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the distribution request from the reception unit 21, and then, when the reproduction time is 00:05:30 under “10” under the URL of the content A, for example, 5 minutes and 30 seconds The main encoded video data portion corresponding to the selection area information, the navigation encoded video data, or all the encoded video data is read out according to the contents of the distribution request from the eye and sent to the transmission unit 23. The transmission unit 23 receives the encoded video data transmitted from the reproduction data storage unit 22 and transmits the received encoded video data to the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (A) 30 by UDP / IP unicast. (Step S511).

  Next, the receiving unit 44 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the encoded video data via the network (A) 30 and sends an encoded video data reception start notification to the synchronous playback control unit 42 (step S512). The playback is not started yet. Since the receiving unit 44 performs distribution control from the remaining buffer capacity, the receiving buffer does not overflow.

  Next, when receiving the reception start notification of the encoded video data from the receiving unit 44, the synchronized playback control unit 42 sends an instruction to notify all slave playback terminals of the URL, playback time, and selection area information of the content A. 43 (step S513). The transmission unit 43 receives an instruction for notifying all slave playback terminals of the URL, playback time, and selection area information of the content A from the synchronous playback control unit 42, and sends the received URL, playback time, and selection area information of the content A to the network. (B) Transmit to all slave playback terminals (50, N) via TCP / IP via 80 (step S514).

  Next, the receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the URL, playback time, and selection area information of the content A from the master playback terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and receives the URL of the content A, The reproduction time and selected area information are sent to the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 (step S515). The synchronized playback control unit 52 receives the URL, playback time, and selection area information of the content A from the receiving unit 54, receives the received URL of the content A, the playback setting file request, and the slave playback terminal (50, N) that is held. The playback terminal capability information is sent to the transmission unit 53. (Step S516).

  Next, the transmission unit 53 receives the URL of the content A, the playback setting file request, and the playback terminal capability information from the synchronous playback control unit 52, and sends the received content A URL, playback setting file request, and playback terminal capability information to the network ( A) It transmits to the distribution server 20 via 30 (step S517). The receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives the URL of the content A, the playback setting file request, and the playback terminal capability information from the slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (A) 30, and the playback data storage unit 22 (Step S518).

  Next, when the reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the URL of the content A from the reception unit 21 and subsequently receives the reproduction setting file request and the reproduction terminal capability information, the reproduction data storage unit 22 determines the requested content and the requested reproduction terminal capability information, and reproduces the reproduction terminal. For example, when the capability information is 30, the number of requests for the reproduction setting file under “30” under the URL of the content A is read and sent to the transmission unit 23. The transmission unit 23 receives the reproduction setting file sent from the reproduction data storage unit 22, and transmits the received reproduction setting file to the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) by TCP / IP via the network (A) 30. (Step S519).

  Next, the reception unit 54 of the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) receives the reproduction setting file transmitted from the transmission unit 23 of the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30 and sends it to the synchronous reproduction control unit 52. The synchronized playback control unit 52 receives the playback setting file from the receiving unit 54 and holds the received playback setting file (step S520).

  Next, when the distribution setting is partial distribution, the synchronized reproduction control unit 52 reproduces the partial distribution request of the main encoded video data and the navigation encoded video corresponding to the selected area information received from the master reproduction terminal 40 as the reproduction time. And the playback terminal capability information are appended to the transmission unit 53. In the case of full distribution, a distribution request for encoded video data is sent to the transmission unit 53 with the reproduction time and reproduction terminal capability information received from the master reproduction terminal 40 (step S521).

  Next, the transmission unit 43 receives the distribution request from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42, and transmits the received distribution request to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30 (step S522). The receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives the distribution request from the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (A) 30 and sends it to the reproduction data storage unit 22 (step S523).

  Next, the reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the distribution request from the reception unit 21 and starts from the same requested reproduction time of 5 minutes 30 seconds as the master reproduction terminal 40 under “30” under the URL of the content A. Depending on the request content, the main encoded video data portion corresponding to the selected area information and the navigation encoded video data or all the main encoded video data are read out and sent to the transmission unit 23. In the case of a partial distribution request, the read main encoded video data portion and navigation encoded video data are converted into one encoded video data and sent to the transmission unit 23. The transmission unit 23 receives the encoded video data transmitted from the reproduction data storage unit 22, and transmits the received encoded video data to the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) via the network (A) 30 by UDP / IP unicast. ) (Step S524).

  Next, the receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the encoded video data via the network (A) 30, and sends an encoded video data reception start notification to the synchronous playback control unit 52 (step S525). ). The playback is not started yet. Since the receiving unit 44 performs distribution control from the remaining buffer capacity, the receiving buffer does not overflow.

  Next, when the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 receives the encoded video data reception start notification from the reception unit 54, the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 sends the encoded video data reception start notification to the transmission unit 53 (step S526). The encoded video data reception start notification is received from the reproduction control unit 52, and the received encoded video data reception start notification is sent to the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (B) 80 (step S527). Subsequently, the receiving unit 44 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the encoded video data reception start notification from the slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80, and the received reception start notification is synchronized with the playback control. The data is sent to the unit 42 (step S528).

  Next, when the synchronized playback control unit 42 receives the reception start notification of the slave playback terminal (50, N) from the receiving unit 44 and receives the reception start notification from all the slave playback terminals (50, N), the receiving unit 44 An instruction to transmit only the encoded video data 1 GOP to the decoding unit 45 is sent. At this time, the decoding unit 45 does not perform decoding yet. The synchronous playback control unit 42 sends the playback setting file, playback time, selection area information, and determination result of step S503 to the decoding unit 45, and the synchronous playback control unit 42 prepares for playback to each slave playback terminal (50, N). A notification is sent to the transmitter 43 (step S529). The transmission unit 43 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the playback preparation notification from the synchronized playback control unit 42 to each slave playback terminal (50, N), and sends it to each slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80. Then, a reproduction preparation notification is transmitted (step S530).

  Next, the receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the playback preparation notification from the master playback terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and sends the received playback preparation notification to the synchronous playback control unit 52 ( Step S531). When receiving the playback preparation notification, the synchronized playback control unit 52 sends an instruction to the receiving unit 55 to transmit only the encoded video data 1 GOP to the decoding unit 55. At this time, the decoding unit 55 does not perform decoding yet. The synchronized playback control unit 52 sends the playback setting file, the playback time received from the master playback terminal 40, and the selected area information to the decoding unit 55, and the synchronized playback control unit 52 sends a playback preparation completion notification to the transmitting unit 53. (Step S532).

  Next, the transmission unit 53 receives a reproduction preparation completion notification from the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 and transmits a reproduction preparation completion notification to the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (B) 80 (step 533). The receiving unit 44 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the playback preparation completion notification from the slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80, and sends the received playback preparation completion notification to the synchronous playback control unit 42. (Step S534). When the synchronized playback control unit 42 receives the playback preparation completion notification from the receiving unit 44 and receives the playback preparation completion notification from all the slave playback terminals (50, N), the synchronized playback control unit 42 sends a playback start notification to all the slave playback terminals (50, N). The instruction to send to is sent to the transmitter 43 (step S535).

  Next, when the transmission unit 43 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the playback start notification from the synchronous playback control unit 42, it sends a playback start notification to all the slave playback terminals (50, N) via the network (B) 80. Transmit (step S536). The receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the playback start notification from the master playback terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and sends the received playback start notification to the synchronous playback control unit 52 (step S537). ).

  Next, when receiving the playback start notification from the receiving unit 54, the synchronized playback control unit 52 sends a decoding start instruction to the decoding unit 55, and further transmits the encoded video data to the decoding unit 55 to the receiving unit 54. Send start instructions. In addition, a reproduction start execution notification is sent to the transmission unit 53 (step S538). When the decoding unit 55 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the decoding start instruction from the synchronous playback control unit 52, the decoding unit 55 starts from the fifth and thirty seconds of the playback time received from the master playback terminal 40. Decoding of the main encoded video data based on the selection area information received from the master playback terminal 40 and decoding of the navigation encoded video data are started in parallel in units of 1 GOP. The main video decoded based on the selection area information is larger than the selection area shown in FIG. Therefore, based on the selection area information, the selection area video is cut out, and the selection area video and the navigation video are sent to the display unit 56. At this time, a selection area frame is displayed on the navigation video (step S539).

  On the other hand, the transmission unit 53 receives the reproduction start execution notification from the synchronous reproduction control unit 52, and sends the received reproduction start execution notification to the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (B) 80 (step S540). The receiving unit 44 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the playback start execution notification from the slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80, and sends the received playback start execution notification to the synchronous playback control unit 42 ( Step S541). When the synchronized playback control unit 42 receives the playback start execution notification from the receiving unit 44 and receives playback start execution notifications from all the slave playback terminals (50, N), it sends a decoding start instruction to the decoding unit 45, and An instruction to start transmission of the encoded video data to the decoding unit 45 is sent to the receiving unit 44 (step S542).

  Next, when the decoding unit 45 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the decoding start instruction from the synchronous playback control unit 42, the decoding unit 45 starts from the playback time 5 minutes 30 seconds when the viewing mode is the selected area video. Based on the selected area information, the main encoded video data is decoded. The main video decoded based on the selection area information is larger than the selection area shown in FIG. Therefore, based on the selection area information, the selection area video is cut out and sent to the display unit 46 of the master reproduction terminal 40. Alternatively, when the viewing mode is navigation video playback, the navigation encoded video data is decoded from the playback time 5 minutes 30 seconds and sent to the display unit 56 of the master playback terminal 40. At this time, the frame of the selected area is displayed on the navigation video based on the selected area information (step S543).

  Next, the synchronous playback control unit 42 of the master playback terminal 40 has a built-in timer. When the playback is started, the timer is started, and the currently selected playback area information is transmitted for each designated time. (Step S545). The transmitter 43 transmits the received selection area information to the slave playback terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80 (step S546).

  Next, the receiving unit 54 of the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) receives the selection area information from the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and sends the received selection area information to the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 ( Step S547). When receiving the selection area information, the synchronized playback control section 52 sends the selection area information to the decoding section 55 (step S548). The decoding unit 55 compares the received selection area information with the selection area information being reproduced, and if they are the same, reproduces the data as it is and does nothing (step S549).

  Next, when the selection area is changed from the navigation image or the selection area image by the user operation in the master reproduction terminal 40, the reproduction request unit 41 sends the changed new selection area information to the synchronous reproduction control unit. The synchronized playback control unit 42 sends the received selection area information to the decoding unit 45 (step S550). The decoding unit 45 compares the received selection area information with the selection area information that is currently being reproduced. When the difference is different, the decoding mode 45 corresponds to the selection area information received in the case of partial distribution and the viewing mode is the selection area video. A partial distribution request for main encoded video data is sent to the synchronous reproduction control unit 42 (step S551). Alternatively, in the case of partial distribution, when the viewing mode is navigation video, playback is continued as it is and no distribution request is made. In the case of full distribution, no distribution request is made.

  Next, the synchronized playback control unit 42 receives the partial distribution request corresponding to the selected area from the decoding unit 45, and sends the received partial distribution request to the transmission unit 43 (step S552). The transmission unit 43 receives the partial distribution request from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42, and transmits the received partial distribution request to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30 (step S553). The receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives the partial distribution request from the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (A) 30 and sends it to the reproduction data storage unit 22 (step S554).

  Next, the reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the partial distribution request from the reception unit 21 and obtains the main encoded video data of the requested portion from the head of the next GOP currently read under 10 under the URL of the content A. Read and send to the transmitter 23 (step S555). The transmission unit 23 receives the main encoded video data of the requested part sent from the reproduction data storage unit 22, and receives the received main encoded video data via the network (A) 30 by UDP / IP unicast. The data is transmitted to the master reproduction terminal 40 (step S556).

  Next, the receiving unit 44 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the requested main encoded video data via the network (A) 30 and sends the main encoded video data to the decoding unit 45 (step S557). The decoding unit 45 receives the main encoded video data from the receiving unit 44, and the decoding unit 45 decodes the main encoded video data based on the new selection area information in the selection area video reproduction mode. In the case of all distributions, the main encoded video data based on the newly selected area information is decoded from the next frame that is currently decoded. Alternatively, in the navigation video reproduction mode, the navigation encoded video data is continuously decoded. In the case of selected area video reproduction, the main video decoded based on the new selected area information has a size larger than the selected area shown in FIG. Therefore, based on the new selection area information, the selection area video is cut out and sent to the display unit 46 of the master playback terminal 40. In the case of navigation video playback, the navigation video is sent to the display unit 56 of the master playback terminal 40. At this time, a selection area frame is displayed on the navigation video based on the new selection area information (step S558).

  Further, the synchronous playback control unit 42 of the master playback terminal 40 sends the selection area information received from the playback request unit 41 to the transmission unit 43 at a specified time (step S560). The transmitter 43 transmits the received selection area information to all the slave playback terminals (50, N) via the network (B) 80 (step S561).

  Next, the receiving unit 54 of the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) receives the selection area information from the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and sends the received selection area information to the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 ( Step S562). When receiving the selected area information, the synchronized playback control unit 52 sends the selected area information to the decoding unit 55 (step S563). The decoding unit 55 compares the received selection area information with the currently selected selection area information, and if different, in the case of partial distribution, the main encoded video data corresponding to the received selection area information, the navigation A request for partial distribution of encoded video data is sent to the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 (step S564). In the case of full distribution, no distribution request is made.

  Next, the synchronized playback control unit 52 receives the partial distribution request corresponding to the selected area from the decoding unit 55, and sends the received partial distribution request to the transmission unit 53 (step S565). The transmission unit 53 transmits the received partial distribution request to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30 (step S566). The receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives the partial distribution request from the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) via the network (A) 30, and sends it to the reproduction data storage unit 22 (step S567).

  Next, the reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the partial distribution request from the reception unit 21 and the main encoded video data of the requested portion from the head of the next GOP currently read under 30 under the URL of the content A The navigation video data is read out and converted into one piece of encoded video data and sent to the transmission unit 23 (step S568). The transmission unit 23 receives the encoded video data transmitted from the reproduction data storage unit 22, and transmits the received encoded video data to the slave reproduction terminal (50,) via the network (A) 30 by UDP / IP unicast. N) (step S569). The receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the requested encoded video data via the network (A) 30 and sends the encoded video data to the decoding unit 55 (step S570).

  Next, the decoding unit 55 receives the requested portion of the encoded video data from the receiving unit 54, decodes the main encoded video data based on the new selection area information, and decodes the navigation encoded video data. Start in parallel in 1 GOP units. In the case of all distributions, decoding of the main encoded video data based on the newly selected area information and decoding of the navigation encoded video data from the next frame currently decoded is started in parallel in units of 1 GOP. . The main video decoded based on the new selection area information has a size larger than the selection area shown in FIG. Therefore, based on the new selection area information, the selection area video is cut out, and the selection area video and navigation video of the slave playback terminal (50, N) are sent to the display unit 56. At this time, a new selection area frame is displayed on the navigation video (step S571).

  Next, the decoding unit 45 of the master playback terminal 40 confirms the playback time of either the decoded main video or navigation video at the specified time. The decoding unit 45 sends the confirmed reproduction time to the synchronous reproduction control unit 42 (step S572). The synchronized playback control unit 42 sends the playback time received from the decoding unit 45 to the transmission unit 43 (step S573). The transmission unit 43 transmits the reproduction time received from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42 to the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80 (step S574). The receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the playback time from the master playback terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and sends the received playback time to the synchronous playback control unit 52 (step S575).

  Next, the synchronized playback control unit 52 sends the received playback time to the decoding unit 55 (step S576). The decoding unit 55 compares the reproduction time received from the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 with the reproduction time of either the decoded main video or navigation video at that time compared with the slave reproduction terminal (50, N). Play as it is. If the slave playback terminal (50, N) has advanced, the amount of time that has been advanced is stopped. If the slave playback terminal (50, N) is delayed, playback is performed by fast-forwarding the delayed time (step S577). Since the main video and the navigation video are decoded in parallel, either video may be used for comparison of playback time.

  Next, when a reproduction jump destination (jump destination reproduction time) is input to the reproduction request unit 41 of the master reproduction terminal 40, the reproduction request unit 41 sends the input jump destination to the synchronous reproduction control unit 42 (step S578). ). The synchronized playback control unit 42 receives the jump destination input from the playback request unit 41, and when the viewing mode is the selection region video and partial distribution, the selection region information is not changed and the jump destination is not changed. A partial distribution request for main encoded video data corresponding to the selected area information is sent to the transmission unit 43. Alternatively, when the viewing mode is navigation video, a distribution request for navigation encoded video from the jump destination is sent to the transmission unit 43 (step S579). In the case of all distribution, a distribution request for encoded video data from the jump destination is sent to the transmission unit 43.

  Next, the transmission unit 43 receives the distribution request from the jump destination from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42 and sends the received distribution request from the jump destination to all slave reproduction terminals (50) via the network (B) 80. , N). Further, the transmission unit 43 transmits the distribution request from the received jump destination to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30. The jump distribution request is sent to the distribution server for both full distribution and partial distribution (step S580). The receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives a distribution request from the jump destination from the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (A) 30, and sends it to the reproduction data storage unit 22 (step S581).

  Next, the reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the distribution request from the jump destination from the reception unit 21 and is a main code corresponding to the selected area information from the requested jump destination below “10” under the URL of the content A. The part of the encoded video data, the navigation encoded video data, or all the encoded video data are read out and sent to the transmission unit 23. The transmission unit 23 receives the encoded video data transmitted from the reproduction data storage unit 22 and transmits the received encoded video data to the master reproduction terminal 40 via the network (A) 30 by UDP / IP unicast. (Step S582).

  Next, the receiving unit 44 of the master playback terminal 40 receives the encoded video data from the requested jump destination via the network (A) 30 and sends the encoded video data to the decoding unit 45 (step S583). The decoding unit 45 receives the encoded video data from the jump destination from the receiving unit 44. When the viewing mode is the selection region video, the decoding unit 45 stores the main encoded video data based on the selection region information from the jump destination. Decrypt. Alternatively, when the viewing mode is navigation video, the navigation encoded video data from the jump destination is decoded. In the case of a selection area video, the main video decoded based on the selection area information is larger than the selection area shown in FIG. Therefore, based on the selection area information, the selection area video is cut out and sent to the display unit 46 of the master playback terminal 40. In the case of the navigation video, the navigation video is sent to the display unit 56 of the master playback terminal 40. At this time, the selection area frame is displayed on the navigation video (step S584).

  Next, the receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the playback jump destination from the master playback terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and sends the received jump destination to the synchronous playback control unit 52 ( Step S585). When receiving the jump destination, the synchronized playback control unit 52 does not change the selection area information in the case of partial distribution of the distribution request from the received jump destination, and does not change the main encoded video data and navigation code corresponding to the selection area information. A distribution request from the jump destination of the converted video is sent to the transmission unit 53. In the case of all distribution, a distribution request for encoded video data from the jump destination is sent to the transmission unit 53. The transmission unit 53 transmits the distribution request received from the jump destination to the distribution server 20 via the network (A) 30 (step S586).

  Next, the receiving unit 21 of the distribution server 20 receives a distribution request from the jump destination from the slave reproduction terminal (50, N) via the network (A) 30, and sends it to the reproduction data storage unit 22 (step S587). ). The reproduction data storage unit 22 receives the distribution request from the jump destination from the reception unit 21, and the main encoded video data portion corresponding to the selected area information from the requested jump destination under 30 of the URL of the content A, The requested number of navigation encoded video data or all main encoded video data is read out and sent to the transmitter 23 (step S588).

  Next, the transmission unit 23 receives the encoded video data from the jump destination sent from the reproduction data storage unit 22, and transmits the received encoded video data via the network (A) 30 by UDP / IP unicast. Transmit to the slave playback terminal (50, N) (step S589). The receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the encoded video data from the jump destination via the network (A) 30, and sends the encoded video data to the decoding unit 55 (step S590). The decoding unit 55 receives the encoded video data from the jump destination from the receiving unit 54, and the decoding unit 55 decodes the main encoded video data based on the selection area information from the jump destination and the navigation encoded video data. Are performed in parallel in units of 1 GOP. The main video decoded based on the selection area information is larger than the selection area shown in FIG. Therefore, based on the selection area information, the selection area video is cut out, and the selection area video and the navigation video are sent to the display unit 56. At this time, a selection area frame is displayed on the navigation video (step S591).

  Next, in response to a user operation of the master playback terminal 40, the playback request unit 41 sends a pause or playback stop to the synchronous playback control unit 42 (step S592). When the synchronized playback control unit 42 receives a pause or playback stop from the playback request unit 41, it sends a playback stop to the transmission unit 43. Further, the reproduction stop is sent to the decoding unit 45. The transmission of the encoded video data to the decoding unit 45 is stopped to the receiving unit 44 (step S593). When the transmission unit 43 receives the reproduction stop from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42, the transmission unit 43 transmits the reproduction stop to each slave reproduction terminal (50, N) via the network (B) 80. In addition, a distribution stop is sent to the distribution server via the network (A) 30 (step S594).

  Next, when receiving the encoded video data transmission stop from the synchronous reproduction control unit 42, the receiving unit 44 stops the encoded video data transmission to the decoding unit 45 (step S595). The decoding unit 45 stops decoding and sends a reproduction stop to the display unit 46. The display unit 46 stops the reproduction. The synchronized playback control unit 42 receives the playback time when stopped from the decoding unit 45, updates the final viewing information file and the delivery setting file of the master playback terminal 40, and stores them in the master playback terminal 40 (step S596). The receiving unit 54 of the slave playback terminal (50, N) receives the playback stop from the master playback terminal 40 via the network (B) 80, and sends the received playback stop to the synchronous playback control unit 52 (step 597).

  Next, the synchronous reproduction control unit 52 sends a reproduction stop to the decoding unit 55 and sends a coded video data transmission stop to the reception unit 54. Then, a delivery stop is sent to the transmission unit 53 (step 598). When the transmission unit 53 receives the distribution stop from the synchronous reproduction control unit 52, the transmission unit 53 sends the distribution stop to the distribution server via the network (A) 30 (step 599). When receiving the encoded video data transmission stop from the synchronous reproduction control unit 52, the receiving unit 54 stops the video data transmission by encoding to the decoding unit 55 (step 600). When receiving the reproduction stop from the synchronous reproduction control unit 52, the decoding unit 55 stops the decoding and sends the reproduction stop to the display unit 56. The display unit 56 stops the reproduction (step 601).

  As described above, when reproducing the same content URL on the master reproduction terminal and the slave reproduction terminal, the master reproduction terminal and the slave reproduction terminal transmit terminal capability information indicating the content reproduction capability to the distribution server, and distribute it. Since the server distributes encoded video data that matches the capabilities of the playback terminal based on the terminal capability information, the content that matches the playback capability of each terminal can be distributed even with the same content URL. There is an effect that a plurality of playback terminals having different capabilities can be viewed in synchronization. In addition, since it is possible to set all distribution requests and partial distribution requests for each reproduction terminal, it is possible to perform reproduction without delay or distribution of video in a selected area that does not require a network band. Further, since each reproduction terminal makes a distribution request to the distribution server, it is not necessary to provide the distribution server with a multicast function, and the conventional distribution server can be applied as it is.

  A program for realizing the functions of the master reproduction terminal 40, slave reproduction terminal 50, and distribution server 20 in FIG. 1 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is stored in a computer system. The content distribution process and the content reproduction process may be performed by reading and executing. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices. The “computer system” includes a WWW system having a homepage providing environment (or display environment). The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In addition, those holding programs for a certain period of time are also included.

  The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

  It can also be applied to applications where it is indispensable to distribute content that matches the capabilities of the terminal that reproduces the content and to reproduce the content in synchronization with a plurality of terminals.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Distribution server, 21 ... Receiving part, 22 ... Reproduction data storage part, 23 ... Transmission part, 30 ... Network A (wide area network), 40 ... Master reproduction terminal, 41 ..Reproduction request unit, 42... Synchronous reproduction control unit, 43... Transmission unit, 44... Reception unit, 45 .. decoding unit, 46. Playback terminal 51... Playback request unit 52... Synchronous playback control unit 53... Transmission unit 54... Reception unit 55. ..Network B

Claims (6)

A master playback terminal, a slave playback terminal, and a distribution server are connected by a network, and the content including video data matching the playback capabilities of the master playback terminal and the slave playback terminal is distributed from the distribution server and distributed. A content reproduction method in an information reproduction system for reproducing content synchronously between the master reproduction terminal and a slave reproduction terminal,
The master playback terminal transmits the URL of the content to be played back and terminal capability information indicating its playback capability to the distribution server;
The distribution server, based on the terminal capability information of the master reproduction terminal, to distribute a reproduction setting file suitable for the capability of the master reproduction terminal;
The master reproduction terminal transmitting a distribution request for the content to be reproduced to the distribution server;
The distribution server selects content that matches the terminal capability of the master playback terminal from the content specified by the URL based on the distribution request and distributes the content to the master playback terminal;
When the master playback terminal receives the distributed content, notifying the slave playback terminal of the URL of the content;
The slave playback terminal receives the URL of the content from the master playback terminal, and transmits the received URL of the content and terminal capability information indicating its playback capability to the distribution server;
The distribution server , based on the terminal capability information of the slave playback terminal, to distribute a playback setting file that matches the capability of the slave playback terminal;
The slave playback terminal sending a delivery request for the content to be played to the delivery server;
The distribution server selecting content that matches the terminal capability of the slave playback terminal from the content specified by the URL based on the distribution request and distributing the content to the slave playback terminal;
When the slave playback terminal receives the distributed content, notifying the master playback terminal of the start of content reception;
The master playback terminal notifying the slave playback terminal of the start of playback;
When the slave playback terminal receives the playback start notification, the slave playback terminal starts playback of the distributed content and notifies the master playback terminal of playback start execution;
And a step of starting playback of the distributed content when the master playback terminal receives a playback start execution notification from the slave playback terminal. In the master playback terminal, when the selection area is changed during the playback of the content, the master playback terminal displays and changes the video of the selection area of the content being played back based on the selection area. Transmitting the selected region information to the slave playback terminal;
When the slave playback terminal receives information on the selected area from the master playback terminal, the slave playback terminal further includes displaying a video of the selected area of the content being played based on the selected area. Item 2. A content reproduction method according to Item 1. In order to reproduce a part of the content to be reproduced, the master reproduction terminal designates a reproduction time from the top of the content, makes a distribution request to the distribution server, and distributes from the distribution server Replaying a part of the content, and notifying the slave terminal of a reproduction time from the top of the content;
The slave playback terminal designates the playback time from the beginning of the content notified from the master playback terminal, makes a distribution request to the distribution server, and sends a part of the content distributed from the distribution server. The content reproduction method according to claim 1, further comprising: a reproduction step. In the master playback terminal, when the selection area is changed during playback of the content, the master playback terminal sends a distribution request for video data in the selection area of the content being played back based on the selection area. And displaying the video data of the selected area distributed from the distribution server, and transmitting the changed information of the selected area to the slave playback terminal,
When the slave playback terminal receives the information on the selected area from the master playback terminal, the slave playback terminal makes a delivery request for video data of the selected area of the content being played back to the server based on the selected area, and The content reproduction method according to claim 1, further comprising: displaying video data of the selected area distributed from a server. When the master playback terminal stores the URL of the content viewed last time and the information of the playback stop time at the time of the previous viewing, and continues to view the content, the URL of the content previously viewed And by making a distribution request to the distribution server based on the information of the reproduction stop time at the time of previous viewing, the previous viewing is continuously reproduced, and the URL of the previously viewed content stored, Transmitting information on playback stop time at the time of previous viewing to the slave playback terminal;
The slave terminal continues the previous viewing by making a distribution request to the distribution server based on the URL of the previously viewed content received from the master playback terminal and the information of the playback stop time at the previous viewing. The content reproduction method according to claim 1, further comprising: a reproduction step. The master playback terminal confirms the playback time every specified time, and transmits the confirmed playback time to the slave playback terminal;
If the result of comparing the received playback time with the current playback time is delayed from the master playback terminal, the slave playback terminal plays forward by the delayed time, and the comparison result is the master playback terminal. 6. The content reproduction method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of stopping reproduction when the reproduction has progressed from the reproduction terminal for a time that has been advanced. 7.

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