JPH08274732A - Video distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a video distribution system for video information which is easy to use by enabling the video information and its attached information to easily be stored on a video server. CONSTITUTION: On detachable recording media 121-123, the information attached to the video information is recorded together with the video information. The video server 100 reads the attached information out of the media and stores it in internal storage devices 101-103. When a request for service is received from a user-side terminal, the video server 100 generates and sends out information for selection on the basis of the attached information. The user sends a request judging from the information to obtain desired video information from the video server 100.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video distribution system for requesting information from a user side terminal device to a sender side and transmitting the requested information from the sender side to the user side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of communication system, the transmission side terminal starts transmitting image information by receiving a request from a user. Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-157935, accompanying information regarding video information to be provided to the sending side terminal is stored, and the accompanying information is transmitted to the user side terminal in advance, and the video desired to be provided to the user is stored. A system has been proposed in which by selecting information and transmitting only the video that is desired to be provided, it is possible to prevent the video that is not desired by the user from being accidentally transmitted due to an operation error or the like.

[0003]

However, in the conventional system, when there are a plurality of video servers, the means for supplying the video information and the information attached to the video information to a large number of video servers are taken into consideration. There wasn't.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a video distribution system in which video information and its associated information can be easily supplied to a large number of video servers so that the video servers can manage the video information.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a video server for controlling one or more external storage devices having removable media, and a communication network for transmitting information from the video server. A video distribution system comprising a terminal on the user side for reproducing information sent from a communication network, wherein auxiliary information indicating the contents of the video information is recorded in a removable recording medium of the external storage device. In addition, a means for reading and storing the above-mentioned attached information in the video server, a means for creating information for selecting video information from the read attached information and transmitting it to the terminal on the user side, and a user side It is composed of means for knowing the selected video information and means for providing the selected video information to the user.

[0006]

The video server, which controls one or more external storage devices having removable media, records the video information together with the attached information indicating the contents of the video information in the removable recording medium. When the recording medium in which the auxiliary information is recorded together with the video information is attached to the external recording device of the video server, the video server first reads the auxiliary information of the video information and stores it in the internal storage device. Next, when a service request is received from the user terminal, information for selection is created and sent to the user terminal based on the attached information stored in the internal storage device. The user selects video information by referring to the information for selection by using the terminal on the user side, and sends a request to the video server side. The video server sends back the video information desired by the user based on the received request.

According to the present invention, since it is possible to easily provide video information and its accompanying information to a video server,
It is possible to easily build a user-friendly video distribution system.

[0008]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a component 100 is a video server, 101 is a first external storage device, 102 is a second external storage device, 10
3 is a third external storage device, 110 is a communication network, 111 is a first terminal, 112 is a second terminal, 113 is a third terminal,
121 to 123 are storage media, 201 is an attached information table, and 202 is a management information table.

The video server 100 is connected to a plurality of external storage devices 101-103. External storage device 10
1 to 103 are removable recording media 121
To 123 are stored inside, and the contents of the recorded information can be exchanged as needed. The attached information table 201 is a table that stores attached information of the information video recorded in the storage medium 121 stored in the external storage device 101. Although not shown, the storage media 122 and 123
Each of them also stores video information together with auxiliary information for managing the contents of the video information recorded on each medium.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the attached information table.
FIG. 2 shows an information table when, for example, three title movies are recorded on one storage medium. The information table is placed in a specific place inside the storage medium. Further, the information inside the storage medium can be read out by designating it by time, logical sector number, or the like. Therefore, the video information is also designated by time or logical sector.

In FIG. 2, "Movie A" is 0 minutes 0 of the storage medium.
It shows that the data is recorded from the address of second to the address of 10 minutes and 59 seconds. Further, "Movie B" and "Movie C" are also recorded at the addresses from the start time to the end time of each. In this information table, in addition to the start and end addresses of each title, information about the copyright of the creator of the video, the actor / production year / keyword information for search / the storage address of the digest version if recorded -Various information such as information on icons for menu creation can be recorded.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the video server 100. In the figure, components 101 to 104 are external storage devices, 300 is a CPU, 301 is an external storage device controller, 302 is a ROM, 303 is a RAM, and 304 to 307.
Is a communication interface, and 308 is an external server interface.

The external storage devices 101 to 104 are composed of a storage medium and a drive device for reading and writing information from the storage medium. Although four external storage devices 101 to 104 are shown in this embodiment, any number of external storage devices 101 to 104 can be provided as needed. The external storage devices 101 to 104 are controlled by the external storage device controller 301. SCSI for example
When using a standard interface, up to seven external storage devices can be controlled. It is also possible to control a larger number of external storage devices by providing a plurality of external storage device controllers 301 as needed.

The video server 100 is controlled by the CPU 300, and the control program is stored in the ROM 302. A table for management information and a work area required for operating the system are stored in the RAM 303.

Communication interfaces 304 to 307 represent interfaces for sending information to each terminal on the user side. In this embodiment, it is assumed that one communication interface is provided for each terminal. When a destination can be designated for each packet as a packet structure for each video information such as an ATM switch, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of communication interfaces, but in the present embodiment, a plurality of interfaces are provided for the sake of explanation. Instead, the communication network 110 can be configured by a simple matrix switch. Communication interface 3
10 is provided so that the video server 100 can communicate with other video servers and the like.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the terminal 111. Although a plurality of terminals are connected to the video server 100, since all terminals basically have the same configuration, the terminal 111 will be described as an example. In the figure, a component 401 is a CPU, 40
2 is a display, 403 is a video decoder, 404 is a menu display circuit, 405 is an input interface, 40
6 is a communication interface, 407 is a ROM, 408 is a RAM, and 409 is a remote controller.

The CPU 401 controls the terminal 111 according to the control program stored in the ROM 407. The user inputs his command to the terminal 111 by using the remote controller 409. The command is CP from the input interface 405.
Reported to U401. Further, the RAM 408 stores temporary data. The video information is sent from the communication interface 406. Communication interface 40
If the video information sent from 6 is digitally compressed information, it is decoded by the moving picture decoder 403 and displayed on the display 402 as a video signal.
The menu display circuit 404 creates a menu image from the information for selection sent from the video server 100 and displays it on the display 402. FIG. 5 shows an example of the selection menu screen.

FIG. 6 shows an operation flow of the video server 100. In the figure, numbers 601 to 607 indicate processes. Process 6
When the video server 100 is started in 01, the video server 100 firstly performs the process 602 in the external storage devices 121 to 1
Check 23. When the storage media 121 to 123 are inserted into the external storage devices 101 to 103, the video server 100 first checks the respective external storage devices to confirm that the storage media have been inserted. When it is confirmed that the storage medium is inserted, the auxiliary information table regarding each medium is read from each storage medium. In the process 603, the video server 100 creates the management information table shown in FIG. 7 based on the read auxiliary information table. The management information table stores the title name of the video information recorded in the storage medium and the number of the external storage device that stores the video information.

The video server 100 also creates the external storage device management table shown in FIG. 8 in which the titles recorded for each external storage device are stored. The external storage device management table stores the usage status of each external storage device. The information on the usage status of the external storage device is whether or not the video information is being reproduced, if it is being reproduced, the title of the video information being reproduced, the time from the start time of the video of the video information being reproduced, and the destination of the transmission of the video information. It stores information such as terminal identification information.

The video server 100 includes an external storage device 10.
After recognizing the information of 1 to 103, in step 604, the terminal 1
It is checked whether there is a request from 11 to 113.

When the user wants to receive the video service, first, the terminal 111 on the user side is turned on. The terminal 111 logically connects to the video server 100 through the communication network 110 according to the program recorded in the internal memory to request the start of the video service.

In step 605, when the video server 100 confirms the connection with the terminal, by sending all or part of the contents of the management information table 202 to the terminal 111, the video information of what title is currently displayed. Tell them what you can offer. The terminal 111 prompts the user to select desired information by displaying a menu of a title list on the screen based on the title information sent from the server 100.

When the user decides the information he / she wants to see based on the menu displayed on the terminal 111, he / she inputs it to the terminal 111 as a number using a remote controller or buttons. The terminal confirms the title name of the video information from the input number and then transmits the selected title name to the video server 100. Video server 100 that received the title name in processing 606
In process 607, the number of the external storage device in which the video information of the title name selected based on the management information table 202 is stored is obtained, the video information is reproduced from the external storage device, and the terminal 111 is transmitted through the communication network 110. And the contents of the management information table and the external storage device management table are updated.

By the above operation, the removable external storage device medium in which the video information is recorded is easily stored in the video server in the form of the package medium, and the table information relating to the video information recorded in the package medium is managed. As a result, it is possible to realize a video distribution system that can provide video information according to the user's request.

<Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, the video server 1
00 can provide only the video information managed in the video server to the user side. However, when there are many video servers, an interface 308 with an external video server may be provided as shown in FIG. 3 to provide the user with video information managed by the external video server. It will be possible.

In this case, the video server 100 communicates with the external video server via the communication interface 308 before sending the list of titles that can be provided in the process 605 of FIG. The attached information table managed internally is read out, combined with its own attached information table, and then sent to the terminal on the user side.

When a request for video information inside the external video server is received from the user's terminal, if the external video server and the user's terminal can be directly connected to each other via a communication network, the external video server receives the request. Then, the external video server sends the video information to the user side terminal.

When the external video server and the terminal on the user side cannot be directly connected by the communication network, the image information is sent to the terminal on the user side after passing through the video server once.

According to the above method, the video server can send out the video information not possessed inside itself to the terminal on the side of the user, so that more titles can be provided to the user.

[0030]

According to the present invention, a removable external storage medium having video information recorded thereon can be easily stored in a video server in the form of a package medium, and table information relating to the video information recorded in the package medium can be stored. It is possible to realize a video distribution system capable of providing video information according to the user's request by managing the.

Further, since the video server can send out the video information not possessed inside itself to the terminal on the side of the user, it is necessary to provide the user with more titles than the case where one video server manages. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an attached information table.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a video server.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a terminal configuration.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a selection menu.

FIG. 6 is a video server processing flowchart.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a management information table.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an external storage device management table.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... Video server, 101-103 ... External storage device, 110 ... Communication network, 111-113 ... Terminal, 121-
123 ... Storage medium.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A video server for controlling one or more external storage devices having removable media, a communication network for transmitting information from the video server, and a user side for reproducing information sent from the communication network. In the video distribution system including the above terminal, auxiliary information indicating the contents of the video information is recorded together with the video information in a removable recording medium of the external storage device, and the auxiliary information is stored in the video server. Means for reading and storing the information, means for creating information for selecting video information from the read auxiliary information and transmitting the information to the terminal on the user side, and means for knowing the video information selected by the user side. , A video distribution system having means for providing a user with selected video information. 2. The video distribution system according to claim 1, wherein said video server is provided with an interface means for communicating with another video server.