JP5708272B2 - Controller and its program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a network AV system, and more particularly to a network AV system including a server that stores content files and a network controller that holds a server list in the network.

  Recently, in a home network, a server storing a plurality of contents (for example, music, photos, videos, etc.), a renderer having a playback function, and a controller for controlling the server and the renderer are installed, and a user operates the controller. Network AV systems in which renderers play back server content are becoming common. The controller displays a server list that is server list information in the network, and acquires and displays content information in the server. When the user operates the controller to specify server contents and a renderer, the controller instructs the specified renderer to perform streaming playback of the specified server contents. As a result, the contents of the server are reproduced by the renderer.

  The controller updates the server list by determining whether or not the server is available depending on whether or not a notification packet indicating survival (hereinafter referred to as survival notification packet) sent by the server is received periodically. To do. However, depending on the type of server, the controller may not be able to send a live notification packet periodically, the router may be set, or the port used for sending / receiving the live notification packet may be closed. In some cases, the existence notification packet cannot be received normally. In that case, even if the server is actually available, the controller cannot receive the existence notification packet, so it is determined that the server cannot be used, and the server information is deleted from the server list or grayed out. By doing so, the user cannot use it. As a result, the user cannot use a server capable of transmitting content.

In JP 2009-182667 A, a server notifying the existence state periodically sends a command to notify a client on the network that its own device is alive, but a network different from UPnP. The above describes a means for solving the problem that the server existing above cannot notify the client of the survival state, and can only notify the survival information of the relay device.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-44436, whether or not a client to which an address has been assigned is alive is confirmed by transmitting a survival confirmation packet at regular time intervals. Describes deleting from the network address / host correspondence table.

JP 2009-182667 A JP-A-9-44436

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a server that can reliably transmit content even when the controller cannot receive a periodic survival notification packet from the server. It is to provide a controller that can be displayed in the server list.

In a preferred embodiment , a server that can be connected to a server via a network and is alive on the network is searched, and a server list that is a list of the searched server information is generated and displayed on a display device. A controller that monitors the presence / absence of a survival notification packet periodically transmitted from the server with respect to a server registered in the server list, and determines whether the survival notification packet has been received within a predetermined time. The server content for determining whether or not the server can transmit the content when the survival notification packet monitoring unit and the survival notification packet monitoring unit determine that the survival notification packet cannot be received within a predetermined time. A transmission enable determination means, and the server when the server determines that the content can be transmitted. Without updating the list, the server and a server list updating unit operable to update the server unusable state in the server list if it is determined that it is not possible to send the content, the server content transmission can be determined Means transmits a search command to the server, determines whether a response to the search command is received from the server, and determines that the server is capable of transmitting content if a response is received from the server; If no response is received from the server, it is determined that the content cannot be transmitted.

Even if the controller does not receive a periodic existence notification packet from the server, the controller uses the server content transmission capability determination unit to determine whether the server is actually in a state where content can be transmitted. . If the server is determined to be able to transmit content, it can be determined that the server is alive, so that it is not possible to accidentally delete a server that can transmit content from the server list and make it unusable. it can. In addition, when the controller cannot receive a periodic existence notification command from the server, the server can transmit the content by transmitting a search command to the server and determining whether or not a response has been received from the server. It can be determined whether or not it is a server.

The controller according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention searches for a server that is connectable to a server via a network and is alive on the network, and generates a server list that is a list of information of the searched server. A controller that displays on a display device, and monitors whether there is a life notification packet periodically transmitted from the server, and receives the life notification packet within a predetermined time with respect to the servers registered in the server list. Whether or not the server can transmit the content when the survival notification packet monitoring means and the survival notification packet monitoring means determine that the survival notification packet could not be received within a predetermined time. Determining whether the server can transmit the content. Without updating the server list if it is, the server and a server list updating unit operable to update the server unusable state in the server list if it is determined that it is not possible to send the content, The server content transmission enable determination means transmits a search command to the server, determines whether or not a response to the search command is received from the server, and if the server receives a response from the server, the server stores the content. When it is determined that transmission is possible and a response is not received from the server, a data acquisition command for acquiring data from the server is further transmitted to the server, and when data is received from the server If the server determines that the content can be transmitted and cannot receive a response, the server Tsu it is determined that the transmission is impossible.

Even if the controller does not receive a periodic existence notification packet from the server, the controller uses the server content transmission capability determination unit to determine whether the server is actually in a state where content can be transmitted. . If the server is determined to be able to transmit content, it can be determined that the server is alive, so that it is not possible to accidentally delete a server that can transmit content from the server list and make it unusable. it can. In addition, since the controller further transmits a data acquisition command to the server and determines whether or not a response has been received from the server, it is possible to more reliably determine whether or not the server is capable of transmitting content. Become.

The controller according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention transmits the search command and the data acquisition command to the server, and manages as a server response history whether or not a response to the command is received from the server. A response history management means;
The server content transmission capability determination means calculates a probability PA that the server responds to the search command based on the server response history, determines whether or not the probability PA is equal to or greater than a first reference value, If the server determines that the content can be transmitted if it is greater than or equal to one reference value, and if the probability PA is less than the first reference value and greater than or equal to the second reference value, the search is sent to the server When a command is transmitted and a response can be received from the server, the server determines that the content can be transmitted. When no response is received from the server, or the probability PA is less than a second reference value. If it is determined that there is a probability PB that the server responds to the data acquisition command based on the server response history, the probability PB is greater than or equal to a third reference value. The server determines that the content can be transmitted, and transmits the data acquisition command to the server when the probability PB is determined to be less than the third reference value and greater than or equal to the fourth reference value. When the response is received, the server determines that the content can be transmitted. When the response is not received from the server, or when the probability PB is determined to be less than the fourth reference value, the server It is determined that the content cannot be transmitted.

If the controller can determine from the server response history that the server can reliably transmit content or cannot transmit content, the controller determines whether the server can transmit content without communicating with the server. , Useless communication can be reduced.

The controller according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention transmits the search command and the data acquisition command to the server, and manages as a server response history whether or not a response to the command is received from the server. A response history management means;
The server content transmission capability determination means calculates a probability PA that the server responds to the search command based on the server response history, determines whether or not the probability PA is equal to or greater than a fifth reference value, If it is 5 or more reference values, the server determines that the content can be transmitted, and if it is determined that the probability PA is less than the fifth reference value, the server obtains the data acquisition command based on the server response history. The probability PB to respond to is calculated, it is determined whether or not the probability PB is equal to or greater than a sixth reference value, and if the probability PB is equal to or greater than the sixth reference value, the server can transmit the content. If it is determined that the content is less than the sixth reference value, the server determines that the content cannot be transmitted.

Since the controller can determine whether or not the server can transmit the content without communicating with the server, the processing of the controller can be speeded up and the load of network communication can be reduced.

The controller according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention transmits the search command and the data acquisition command to the server, and manages as a server response history whether or not a response to the command is received from the server. A response history management means;
The server content transmission capability determination means calculates a probability PB that the server responds to the data acquisition command based on the server response history, and determines whether or not the probability PB is greater than or equal to a seventh reference value; If the server determines that the content can be transmitted if it is equal to or greater than the seventh reference value, and the server determines that the probability PB is less than the seventh reference value, the server acquires the data based on the server response history A probability PA that responds to a command is calculated, it is determined whether or not the probability PA is equal to or greater than an eighth reference value, and if the probability PA is equal to or greater than an eighth reference value, the server can transmit content. If it is determined that the content is less than the eighth reference value, the server determines that the content cannot be transmitted.

In general, the availability of a server to a user is equivalent to being able to acquire content data on the server. Therefore, by evaluating the probability that the data can actually be acquired first, the server can actually acquire the content. Can more reliably determine that it can be sent to

  When the controller cannot receive a periodic existence notification packet from the server, it is possible to provide a controller that displays in the server list a server that can reliably transmit content.

1 is a configuration diagram of a network AV system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the controller by preferable embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the apparatus of the server apparatus by preferable embodiment of this invention. A server list held by the controller. 4 is a flowchart for explaining processing of a control unit 11. It is a flowchart explaining the process of a server content transmission possibility determination part. It is a flowchart explaining the process of a server content transmission possibility determination part. It is a table which manages server response history information. It is a flowchart explaining a command response parameter update process. It is a flowchart explaining the process of a server content transmission possibility determination part. It is a flowchart explaining the process of a server content transmission possibility determination part. It is a flowchart explaining the process of a server content transmission possibility determination part.

  Hereinafter, a controller according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network AV system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The controller 100 can be connected to a plurality of servers 200 (200A, 200B, 200C in this example) and the renderer 300 via an arbitrary network such as a LAN.

  The controller 100 searches for the server 200 on the network and displays a server list that lists the servers 200A, 200B, and 200C. Furthermore, the controller 100 searches the renderer 300 on the network and recognizes the presence of the renderer 300. In addition, the controller 100 acquires and displays content information in the server 200. When the user operates the controller 100 to specify the content in the server 200 and the renderer 300, the controller 100 transmits the URL of the content of the server 200 to the renderer 300. The renderer 300 accesses the URL of the content of the server 200 received from the controller 100, and acquires and reproduces the content data. Note that the content is digital data such as music data, still image data, and moving image data.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The controller 100 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication unit 15. The control unit 11 controls the controller 100 based on the operation program 12C stored in the storage unit 12, and is, for example, a microcomputer or a CPU. The control unit 11 includes a server survival confirmation unit 11A, a server content transmission capability determination unit 11B, a server response history management unit 11C, and a server list update unit 11D. The server existence confirmation unit 11A determines whether or not an existence notification packet has been received from the server 200 managed by the controller 100. When the server content transmission capability determination unit 11B cannot receive the survival notification packet from the server 200, the server content transmission capability determination unit 11B transmits one or more commands to the server 200 and determines whether the server 200 can actually transmit the content. The server response history management unit 11C determines whether or not a response from the server 200 has been received in response to the command after transmitting a command for confirming the response from the server 200 from the controller 100 to the server 200. The server response history 12B is updated. The server list update unit 11D updates the server list 12A based on the determination result of the server content transmission capability determination unit 11B. Survival is a state in which the device is turned on, the device program is running, and can respond to communication commands from other devices.

The input unit 13 receives an instruction input from the user. The input unit 13 accepts input from, for example, a remote controller or a button disposed on the controller 100. The input instruction is interpreted and executed by the control unit 11.

  The display unit 14 is an LCD, FL, or the like. The display unit 14 periodically notifies the renderer of the server list and the hierarchy information of the content stored in each server 200, the content list information, the content file information, and the renderer 300 while the renderer 300 is playing back the content from the server 200. Content information (for example, artist name, song title, playback time) and the like are displayed.

  The communication unit 15 executes communication processing with the server 200 via the network. The communication unit 15 transmits data from the controller 100 to the server 200 and receives data from the server 200. Note that the control unit 11 executes processing for generating a command transmitted by the controller 100 and processing for analyzing data received from the server 200.

  The storage unit 12 stores a server list 12A, a server response history 12B, and an operation program 12C for the controller 100. The storage unit 12 is a RAM, a flash memory, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a server 200 (200A to 200C) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The server 200 includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 21, a communication unit 22, a control unit 23, and a storage unit 24 (ROM, RAM, etc.).

  The HDD 21 stores content, a content information DB (database), and an operation program for the server 200.

  The communication unit 22 executes communication processing with the controller 100 via a network. The communication unit 22 receives data from the controller 100 and transmits data from the server 200 to the controller 100. Note that the control unit 23 executes processing for generating a command to be transmitted to the controller 100 and processing for analyzing data received from the controller 100.

The control unit 23 controls the server 200 based on the operation program 21 stored in the storage unit 24, and is, for example, a microcomputer or a CPU.

  FIG. 4 shows the server list 12A held by the controller 100. The server list 12A is a table in which the controller 100 registers and manages the servers 200 that are alive on the network. Based on the server list 12A, the server list is displayed on the display unit 14 of the controller 100. The server list 12A includes a server identification number that uniquely identifies the server 200, a server name, and the like. The server list 12 </ b> A may include information such as the type of the server 200 and the manufacturer of the server 200.

Here, processing for generating the server list 12A will be described. When the server 200 starts up, it transmits a survival notification packet on the network by broadcasting. The existence notification packet is a packet notifying that the device is alive. The existence notification packet includes the IP address of the server 200. When the controller 100 receives the survival notification packet, the controller 100 determines that a new server 200 has joined the network. Furthermore, when acquiring the detailed information of the server 200, the controller 100 requests the server 200 to transmit the detailed information of the server 200 using the IP address of the server 200 included in the survival notification packet. The detailed information is, for example, the type of server 200, the server name, the manufacturer of the server 200, and the like. Based on this information, the controller 100 creates the server list 12A. The server identification number in the server list 12A is an identifier unique to the server 200 and is a number that does not overlap between servers. The server name in the server list 12A is the name of the server 200. The server name can be changed freely and may be duplicated. Therefore, when uniquely identifying the server 200 on the network, the server identification number is used. When the controller 100 is activated, the controller 100 transmits a search command for notifying the server 200 that is alive on the network that it is alive. The controller 100 registers information on the server 200 in response to the search command in the server list 12A. For example, a live notification packet uses an UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) protocol alive packet, and a search command uses UPnP protocol M-Search.

The server 200 periodically transmits a survival notification packet by broadcast in order to notify the controller 100 that its own device is alive. When the controller 100 receives the survival notification packet, the controller 100 does not disable the server 200 in the server list 12A. Making it unusable means updating the server 200 to a state where the server 200 is not alive in the network in the server list 12A. Updates such as deleting the server 200 from the server list 12A or setting a flag indicating that the server 200 is not alive in the server list 12A are executed. When the server 200 is in an unusable state in the server list 12A, the server 200 is not displayed on the display unit 14, or the server 200 is displayed in a state in which the server 200 is not substantially selectable by graying out the server 200 or the like. Or information indicating that the server 200 cannot be used is added and displayed.

When the survival notification packet transmission processing of the server 200 is incomplete, the router setting is changed, or the port that receives the survival notification packet is closed, the controller 100 cannot receive the survival notification packet. The server 200 that cannot receive the survival notification packet is disabled in the server list 12A. As a result, the user cannot select the server 200 from the display unit of the controller 100, and the renderer 300 cannot reproduce the content of the server 200.

  The operation of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 5 is a flowchart in which the control unit 11 of the controller 100 updates the server list 12A.

  The control unit 11 starts counting a timer that monitors whether a survival notification packet has been received from the server 200 (hereinafter, a survival packet monitoring timer). The survival packet monitoring timer is started immediately after receiving the survival notification packet from the server 200 for the first time after the controller 100 is activated (S11). The monitoring of the survival notification packet from the server 200 is executed for all the servers registered in the server list 12A. In this example, in order to simplify the description, only the process for one server 200 is described.

The control unit 11 determines whether or not a survival notification packet from the server 200 has been received (S12). If it is determined that it has been received (YES in S12), the timer value of the live packet monitoring timer is reset to 0 (S13). Then, the monitoring of the survival notification packet is continued (S12).

When determining that the survival notification packet has not been received (NO in S12), the control unit 11 determines whether or not the timer value has exceeded a predetermined value (S14). The default value of the timer is, for example, 15 minutes, and the server 200 must transmit the survival notification packet at least once within the predetermined value during the lifetime. If it is determined that the timer value does not exceed the predetermined value (NO in S14), the reception of the survival notification packet is continuously monitored (S12).

  When it is determined that the timer value has exceeded the predetermined value (YES in S14), the server content transmission capability determination unit 11B of the control unit 11 determines whether or not the server 200 is in a state in which content transmission is possible (hereinafter referred to as “transmission”). This is referred to as server content transmission possibility determination processing.) (S15).

  If it is determined that the server 200 can transmit content (YES in S16) by the server content transmission enable determination process, the value of the survival packet monitoring timer is reset (S13), and the survival notification packet is continuously monitored (S13). S12). When it is determined that the server 200 can transmit content by the server content transmission enable determination process, it is in a state where it cannot receive the survival notification packet from the server 200, but the controller 100 can receive the content of the server 200. Since the determination can be made, the server 200 is not disabled in the server list 12A.

  When it is determined by the server content transmission availability determination process that the server 200 cannot transmit content (NO in S16), the server list update unit 11D of the control unit 11 updates the server 200 to an unusable state in the server list 12A. .

  Next, server content transmission possibility determination processing (S15) will be described.

[Embodiment 1 of Server Content Transmission Possible Determination Process]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the first embodiment of the server content transmission possibility determination process. The control unit 11 transmits a command for confirming the existence to the server 200 (S21). The command for confirming survival is, for example, the search command described above.

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not a response has been received from the server 200 in response to the search command (S22). When it is determined that the response has been received (YES in S22), the server 200 can transmit content. (S23), and the process ends.

  If it is determined that no response is received from the server 200 in response to the search command (NO in S22), the server 200 determines that content transmission is impossible (S24), and the process ends. As described above, when the survival notification packet from the server 200 cannot be received, the controller 100 voluntarily transmits a search command to the server 200 and determines whether or not there is a response from the server 200, thereby ensuring more reliable server 200. You can grasp the survival status of.

[Embodiment 2 of determination processing for server content transmission]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the second embodiment of the server content transmission possibility determination process. The same processes as those in FIG. In the present embodiment, the controller 100 can determine whether or not the server 200 is in a state where content can be transmitted more reliably than when the first embodiment of the server content transmission enable determination process is adopted.

When it is determined NO in S12, the control unit 11 transmits a data acquisition command to the server 200 (S34). The data includes, for example, detailed information of the server 200 (server name, server type, server manufacturer, etc.), property information of the content folder held by the server 200, hierarchy information of the content folder held by the server 200, content file As long as it is information or content file data itself and relates to information held by the server 200, the type and content thereof are not limited. Since these data received from the server 200 are not actually used, they may be discarded immediately after reception.

  The control unit 11 determines whether data has been received from the server 200 (S35). If it is determined that the data has been received (YES in S35), the control unit 11 determines that the content can be transmitted (S33). . When it is determined that the data could not be received (NO in S35), the control unit 11 determines that the server 200 cannot transmit the content (S36).

[Embodiment 3 of determination processing for server content transmission]
Next, server content transmission possibility determination processing using the server response history 12B will be described. First, processing for updating the server response history 12B used in the third, fourth, and fifth embodiments will be described.

  FIG. 8 is an example of the server response history 12B. The server response history 12 </ b> B is a table that manages the number of times the controller 100 has received a response from the server 200 in response to a search command or data acquisition command transmitted from the controller 100 to the server 200. These times are managed in association with server identification numbers. Further, even when the survival notification packet cannot be received from the server 200, the information of the server 200 is not deleted from the server response history 12B. Therefore, this table is stored in an area (for example, ROM or flash memory) that is not erased even when the controller 100 is turned off. In the server response history 12B, the number of times L0 that the controller 100 has transmitted a search command to the server 200, the number of times L1 that the server 200 did not respond to the search command, the server 200 did not respond to the search command, and the data acquisition command The number of times L2 responded to is held. Further, it is assumed that the values of L0, L1, and L2 are all initialized to 0 when the controller 100 is initially shipped.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining processing in which the server response history management unit 11C updates the data L0, L1, and L2 of the server response history 12B. The same processing as in FIG. To do. This process is executed in parallel with the process of the flowchart of FIG. In addition, the controller 100 executes this process for all servers managed by the server list 12A.

When it is determined YES in S14, the control unit 11 transmits a search command to the server 200 (S45).

The server response history management unit 11C increments the number L0 of transmission of the search command (S46). Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a response to the search command has been received from the server 200 (S47). If it is determined that a response has been received (YES in S47), the value of the surviving packet monitoring timer is reset. (S13).

If it is determined that no response has been received from the server 200 in response to the search command (NO in S47), the server response history management unit 11C increments the number L1 of responses to the search command (S48).

The control unit 11 transmits a data acquisition command to the server 200 (S49), and determines whether or not there is a response from the server 200 (S50). When it is determined that there is no response from the server 200 (NO in S50), the value of the surviving packet monitoring timer is reset (S13). When it is determined that there is a response from the server 200 (YES in S50), the number of times L2 the server 200 responds to the data acquisition command is incremented (S51). Then, the value of the surviving packet monitoring timer is reset (S13), and the server response history is continuously updated (S12).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a server content transmission possibility determination process using the server response history 12B.

  The controller 11 determines whether or not the number of times L0 that the controller 100 has transmitted the search command to the server 200 is greater than or equal to the 0th reference value (S61). The 0th reference value is, for example, 300 times and may be a value that can be sufficiently trusted as a history.

  If it is determined that the magnitude of L0 is not greater than or equal to the 0th reference value (NO in S61), the processing after S45 in FIGS. 7 and 9 is continued.

When it is determined that the magnitude of L0 is greater than or equal to the 0th reference value (YES in S61), the probability PA that the server 200 responds to the search command from the controller 100 is calculated (S63). The probability PA is expressed by the following equation.

  PA = {(L0−L1) ÷ L0} × 100

  The controller 11 determines whether PA is greater than or equal to the first reference value (S64). The first reference value is, for example, 90, and the closer to 100, the more reliably the server 200 is alive.

If the control unit 11 determines that PA is equal to or greater than the first reference value (YES in S64), it is determined that the server 200 can transmit content (S76), and the process ends.

  When it is determined that PA is not equal to or greater than the first reference value (NO in S64), the control unit 11 determines whether PA is equal to or less than the second reference value (S65). The second reference value is 10, for example, and the closer to 0, the more reliably it can be determined that the server 200 is not alive. When it is determined that PA is equal to or less than the second reference number (YES in S65), the process of S70 is performed. Details of the processing of S70 will be described later.

When it is determined that PA is not equal to or less than the second reference value (NO in S65), the control unit 11 transmits a search command to the server 200 (S66) and increments L0 (S67).

The control unit 11 determines whether or not there is a response to the search command from the server 200 (S68). If it is determined that there is a response (YES in S68), the server 200 determines that the content can be transmitted (S76). ), The process is terminated. When it is determined that there is no response (NO in S68), the control unit 11 increments L1 (S69).

In S70, the control unit 11 calculates the probability PB that the server 200 responds to the data acquisition command received from the controller 100 (S70). PB is represented by the following equation.

  PB = (L2 ÷ L1) × 100

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not PB is greater than or equal to the third reference value (S71). The third reference value may be the same as or different from the first reference value. For example, 90.

If it is determined that PB is greater than or equal to the third reference value (YES in S71), it is determined that the server 200 can transmit content (S76), and the process ends.

  When it is determined that PB is not equal to or greater than the third reference value (NO in S71), the control unit 11 determines whether PB is equal to or less than the fourth reference value (S72). The fourth reference value may be the same as or different from the second reference value. The fourth reference value is 10, for example.

When it is determined that PB is equal to or less than the fourth reference value (YES in S72), the control unit 11 determines that the server 200 cannot transmit content (S77) and ends the process.

When it is determined that PB is not equal to or less than the fourth reference value (NO in S72), the controller 100 transmits a data acquisition command to the server 200 (S73).

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not there is a response to the data acquisition command from the server 200 (S74). When it is determined that there is no response (NO in S74), the server 200 determines that the content cannot be transmitted. (S77).

  When it is determined that there is a response (YES in S74), the control unit 11 increments L2 (S75). The control unit 11 determines that the server 200 can transmit content (S76), and ends the process.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the controller 100 determines that when the PA is greater than or equal to the first reference value, or when the PA is less than or equal to the second reference value and the PB is greater than or equal to the third reference value, It can be determined that the server 200 can transmit content without communicating with the server 200 at all. In addition, when the PA is less than or equal to the second reference value and the PB is less than or equal to the fourth reference value, the controller 100 does not communicate with the server 200 and the server 200 cannot transmit content. It can be judged.

[Fourth Embodiment of Server Content Transmission Possible Determination Process]
FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the fourth embodiment of the server content transmission possibility determination process of the control unit 11, and the same processes as those in FIG.

When it is determined YES in S61, the control unit 11 calculates the probability PA that the server 200 responds to the search command from the controller 100 (S63).

  The controller 11 determines whether PA is equal to or greater than the fifth reference value (S84). The fifth reference value is 90, for example. The fifth reference value may be the same as or different from the first reference value or the third reference value.

  If the control unit 11 determines that PA is equal to or greater than the fifth reference value (YES in S84), the server 200 determines that content transmission is possible (S76) and ends the process.

When the control unit 11 determines that PA is not equal to or greater than the fifth reference value (NO in S84), the control unit 11 calculates a probability PB that the server 200 responds to the data acquisition command from the controller 100 (S70).

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not PB is greater than or equal to the sixth reference value (S86). The sixth reference value is 90, for example. The sixth reference value may be the same as or different from the second reference value or the fourth reference value.

  If the control unit 11 determines that PB is equal to or greater than the sixth reference value (YES in S86), it is determined that the server 200 can transmit content (S76), and the process ends.

If the control unit 11 determines that PB is not equal to or greater than the sixth reference value (NO in S86), it is determined that the server 200 cannot transmit content (S77), and the process ends.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the controller 100 can determine that the server 200 can transmit content or cannot transmit content without communicating with the server 200 at all.

[Fifth Embodiment of Server Content Transmission Possible Determination Process]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the fifth embodiment of the server content transmission possibility determination process of the control unit 11. The same processes as those in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  When it is determined YES in S61, the server 200 calculates a probability PB in response to the data acquisition command of the controller 100 (S70).

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not PB is greater than or equal to the seventh reference value (S94). The seventh reference value is 90, for example. The seventh reference value may be the same as or different from the second, fourth, or sixth reference value.

  If the control unit 11 determines that PB is equal to or greater than the seventh reference value (YES in S94), it is determined that the server 200 can transmit content (S77), and the process ends.

When the control unit 11 determines that PB is not equal to or greater than the seventh reference value (NO in S94), the control unit 11 calculates a probability PA that the server 200 responds to the search command (S63).

  The control unit 11 determines whether PA is equal to or greater than the eighth reference value (S96). The eighth reference value is 90, for example. The eighth reference value may be the same as or different from the first, third, or fifth reference value.

  If the controller 11 determines that PA is equal to or greater than the eighth reference value (YES in S96), it is determined that the server 200 can transmit content (S77), and the process ends.

If the control unit 11 determines that PA is not equal to or greater than the eighth reference value (NO in S96), it is determined that the server 200 cannot transmit content (S76), and the process ends.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the control unit 11 evaluates the probability PB that the server 200 responds to the data acquisition command from the controller 100 before the PA. In general, the availability of the server 200 to the user is equivalent to being able to acquire the content data of the server 200. Therefore, by evaluating the probability PB indicating that the data can actually be acquired first, the server 200 can be obtained. Can more reliably determine that the content can actually be transmitted.

  By the way, when the third, fourth, or fifth embodiments are used, L1 and L2 may not be updated. For example, it is a case where YES is obtained in S61. There is a possibility that the controller 100 can normally receive the survival notification packet due to factors such as reconfiguration of the network environment, change of router settings, and update of server firmware. In such a case, it is preferable that the server response history information has an opportunity to be updated. Therefore, it is possible to initialize all the server response history information every predetermined period (for example, every several months) and update the server response history 12B again.

  Even if the controller 100 cannot periodically receive the survival notification packet from the server 200 by the above processing, the server content transmission enable determination process is performed to determine whether the server 200 can transmit the content, It is possible to leave a server that can reliably transmit content in the server list.

As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment.
The controller may be a simple controller or a player having a renderer playback function. The controller may be incorporated in the server. The controller can be applied to a PC, a portable terminal, or the like. Further, the content held by the server may be music content, still image or moving image content. There may be a plurality of renderers in the network.

  The present invention can be suitably employed in network controller devices such as PCs and portable terminals.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Controller 200 Server 200A Server 200B Server 200C Server 300 Renderer 11 Control part 11A Server survival confirmation part 11B Server content transmission possible judgment part 11C Server response history management part 11D Server list update part 12 Storage part 12A Server list 12B Server response history 12C Operation Program 13 Input unit 14 Display unit 15 Communication unit 21 HDD
22 communication unit 23 control unit 24 storage unit

Claims (6)

A controller that is connectable to a server via a network, searches for a server that is alive on the network, generates a server list that is a list of information on the searched server, and displays the server list on a display device,
A survival notification packet that monitors the presence or absence of a survival notification packet periodically transmitted from the server and determines whether or not the survival notification packet has been received within a predetermined time with respect to a server registered in the server list. Monitoring means;
When the survival notification packet monitoring unit determines that the survival notification packet has not been received within a predetermined time, the server content transmission capability determination unit determines whether the server can transmit the content;
When it is determined that the server can transmit content, the server list is not updated, and when it is determined that the server cannot transmit content, the server cannot be used in the server list. A server list update means for updating the server content , and the server content transmission availability determination means determines whether or not a response to the search command has been received from the server by transmitting a search command to the server, and a response from the server determines that the case of receiving the server is capable of transmitting content, the case where no response is received from the server it determines that it is not possible to transmit content controller. A controller that is connectable to a server via a network, searches for a server that is alive on the network, generates a server list that is a list of information on the searched server, and displays the server list on a display device,
A survival notification packet that monitors the presence or absence of a survival notification packet periodically transmitted from the server and determines whether or not the survival notification packet has been received within a predetermined time with respect to a server registered in the server list. Monitoring means;
When the survival notification packet monitoring unit determines that the survival notification packet has not been received within a predetermined time, the server content transmission capability determination unit determines whether the server can transmit the content;
When it is determined that the server can transmit content, the server list is not updated, and when it is determined that the server cannot transmit content, the server cannot be used in the server list. Server list updating means for updating to
The server content transmission enable determination means transmits a search command to the server, determines whether or not a response to the search command is received from the server, and if the server receives a response from the server, the server stores the content. When it is determined that transmission is possible and a response is not received from the server, a data acquisition command for acquiring data from the server is further transmitted to the server, and when data is received from the server wherein it is determined that the server can transmit the content and if no response is you determined that the server is not transmitting the content and controller. Further comprising server response history management means for transmitting the search command and the data acquisition command to the server and managing as a server response history whether or not a response to those commands has been received from the server;
The server content transmission capability determination means calculates a probability PA that the server responds to the search command based on the server response history, determines whether or not the probability PA is equal to or greater than a first reference value, If the server determines that the content can be transmitted if it is greater than or equal to one reference value, and if the probability PA is less than the first reference value and greater than or equal to the second reference value, the search is sent to the server When a command is transmitted and a response can be received from the server, the server determines that the content can be transmitted. When no response is received from the server, or the probability PA is less than a second reference value. If it is determined that there is a probability PB that the server responds to the data acquisition command based on the server response history, the probability PB is greater than or equal to a third reference value. The server determines that the content can be transmitted, and transmits the data acquisition command to the server when the probability PB is determined to be less than the third reference value and greater than or equal to the fourth reference value. When the response is received, the server determines that the content can be transmitted. When the response is not received from the server, or when the probability PB is determined to be less than the fourth reference value, the server The controller according to claim 2 , wherein the controller determines that the content cannot be transmitted. Further comprising server response history management means for transmitting the search command and the data acquisition command to the server and managing as a server response history whether or not a response to those commands has been received from the server;
The server content transmission capability determination means calculates a probability PA that the server responds to the search command based on the server response history, determines whether or not the probability PA is equal to or greater than a fifth reference value, If it is 5 or more reference values, the server determines that the content can be transmitted, and if it is determined that the probability PA is less than the fifth reference value, the server obtains the data acquisition command based on the server response history. The probability PB to respond to is calculated, it is determined whether or not the probability PB is equal to or greater than a sixth reference value, and if the probability PB is equal to or greater than the sixth reference value, the server can transmit the content. The controller according to claim 2 , wherein the controller determines that the server cannot transmit the content when it is determined that the content is less than a sixth reference value. Further comprising server response history management means for transmitting the search command and the data acquisition command to the server and managing as a server response history whether or not a response to those commands has been received from the server;
The server content transmission capability determination means calculates a probability PB that the server responds to the data acquisition command based on the server response history, and determines whether or not the probability PB is greater than or equal to a seventh reference value; If it is greater than or equal to the seventh reference value, the server determines that the content can be transmitted, and if the probability PB is determined to be less than the seventh reference value, the server determines that the search command is based on the server response history. And the probability PA is determined to be equal to or greater than an eighth reference value. If the probability PA is equal to or greater than an eighth reference value, the server can transmit the content. 3. The controller according to claim 2 , wherein the controller determines that the content cannot be transmitted when it is determined that the content is less than an eighth reference value. It causes a computer to function as each means of the content reproducing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 controller program.

Images