JPH11196385A - Storage type information broadcast system and reception terminal equipment for the system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new data broadcast system by which information matched with the taste of a viewer is automatically stored and the viewer can view the information at a desired time. SOLUTION: A broadcast station 330 multiplexes a digest program including tag information and contents of main body information onto main program information and broadcasts the resulting information, and an information provider 340 stores the digest and main program information introduced thereby to a database 323. A reception terminal equipment 304 is provided with a scheduling means 319 that receives an electronic program guide EPG whose contents are tag information of each tag information to plan a reception schedule of each digest, a storage means 309 that stores the received digests, a display means 313, and a communication means 318 that makes communication with the database via a communication channel 320. The viewer enjoys viewing contents of the digest stored in the reception terminal equipment displayed on the display means at a preferred time and enjoys acquiring a main program from the database based on the digest.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a broadcasting system,
Regarding the receiving terminal device used in this system, in particular, it realizes a broadcasting system that allows a user to watch a program at his own pace and check various information at his / her own pace without being restricted by the broadcasting time. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the era of digitization, in the broadcasting field of Japan, the VB
I (Vertical Blanking Interval)
Multiplexed digital information into digital multiplexed broadcasts, BS satellite broadcasts multiplexed audio signals and data information into video signals transmitted in an analog format, or digital satellite broadcasts digitally transmitted video, audio and data. Channel broadcasting has been put to practical use, and in around 2000, digital HDTV broadcasting using broadcasting satellites,
Terrestrial digital broadcasting is planned.

In Europe, the standardization organization DVB has set standards for digital television broadcasting for satellite broadcasting, CATV, and terrestrial television broadcasting, and any standard can encode and multiplex video and audio. Adopts MPEG2. Digital satellite broadcasting conforming to this standard is 199
It has been starting for five years.

In such a broadcasting system, video information, audio information and data information are multiplexed and sent to a viewer. Among these, an area that can be used for data transmission is called a data channel, and a broadcast service using the data channel is called a data broadcast.

[0005] Data broadcasting is used to supplement television programs, such as by transmitting recipes in cooking programs, or by transmitting facsimile information of specialized news or still images of catalogs independently of television programs, and software. It can be used to transfer data. In a two-way system using a telephone line for an up line to a broadcasting station,
Viewers can also participate in questionnaires on programs sent by data broadcasting and receive online shopping services.

In digital satellite multi-channel broadcasting,
EPG (Electronic equivalent to an electronic TV program guide)
Program Guide) is transmitted by data broadcasting, and the viewer can display the EPG on the screen of the receiver and search for a favorite program.

As described above, there is no standard for the data format in data broadcasting at present.

[0008]

In the conventional broadcasting system, the viewer cannot watch the program he wants to watch at his own pace without being restricted by the broadcasting time. In such a case, if you use a video device to record a broadcast program on a timer, you will be able to watch it when you want to watch it. Searching from the TV section itself is difficult. Since the information in the EPG is almost the same as that in the TV section, it takes a lot of time to find a program that suits the user's preference.

[0009] If the viewer does not set the timer recording of a desired program before the program is broadcast, the viewer will miss the program. Therefore, in order to avoid overlooking a favorite program, it is necessary for the viewer to pay attention to the TV section in advance and perform the necessary recording operation early, so watch the program at your own pace when you like, It is far from the state of saying.

If the broadcast time of a program is changed after the timer recording is set, the target program cannot be recorded.

The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and automatically accumulates information according to the taste of the viewer, so that new data can be viewed when the viewer likes. An object of the present invention is to provide a broadcasting system and provide a receiving terminal device for realizing the data broadcasting system.

[0012]

According to the broadcasting system of the present invention, a broadcasting station multiplexes video and audio main program information,
A digest including tag information as control information and content as body information is broadcast. The receiving terminal device receives the EPG digest having the tag information of each digest as a content, sets a reception schedule for each digest, accumulates the digests received according to the reception schedule, and stores the accumulated digest when requested by the user. Display the contents of

The digest broadcasted from the broadcasting station or the main program information introduced in the digest is stored in the database, and the receiving terminal device stores the digest in the database based on the access path information included in the digest tag information. The user can access and obtain the stored digest or main program information.

[0014] Further, the receiving terminal device of the present invention comprises: a scheduling means for receiving an EPG digest having the tag information of each digest as a content and setting a reception schedule for each digest; a storage means for accumulating the received digest; Display means for displaying the stored digest contents, and communication means for communicating with the database.

Therefore, the receiving terminal device having the intelligent function acquires the digest to be broadcast before the viewer selects it. The viewer can enjoy the digest content collected in the receiving terminal device by displaying it on the display means when he / she likes, and can enjoy the main program information from the database based on the digest.

[0016] Even when the broadcast station changes the broadcast time of the digest, the broadcast station receives the EPG digest,
The reception schedule can be adjusted flexibly.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is directed to an information broadcasting system in which data is multiplexed on video / audio main program information and broadcasted. EP that broadcasts a digest including the tag information and the content that is the main body information, and uses the tag information of each digest as the content.
Receiving the G digest, setting a reception schedule for each digest, accumulating the received digests in accordance with the reception schedule, and displaying the accumulated digest content based on the user's request. Is automatically stored in the receiving terminal device, so that the viewer can watch the digest when he wants to see it. Further, even when the broadcast station changes the broadcast time of the digest, the reception schedule can be adjusted by receiving the EPG digest.

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 2, the content is:
It consists of multimedia information introducing the main program, program main body composed of video and audio, CM, application program, questionnaire, mail or data, and tag information is content index information, content update information, digest broadcasting Information on the date and time and information on the next broadcast, information on controlling access to the content, security information to prevent falsification of the content, information indicating the digest and the access path to the information introduced by the digest, and the digest set by the digest creator It includes at least one or more pieces of information indicating the audience group. Based on this tag information,
The receiving terminal device receives the digest, selects storage, accesses the original data, and the like.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a receiving terminal device obtains a correlation between target information included in tag information and a personality of a user, and sets a reception schedule so as not to miss reception of a digest having a high correlation. Thus, information close to the taste of the viewer can be obtained in advance.

According to the invention described in claim 4, the receiving terminal device assigns priorities to the accumulated digests based on the user's preference tendency as an index, and discards the digests or accumulates the digests based on the priorities. The exchange is performed, and a necessary digest can be stored by effectively utilizing the storage capacity of the receiving terminal device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the digest broadcasted from the broadcasting station or the main program information introduced in the digest is stored in the database, and the receiving terminal device is provided with the access path included in the digest tag information. This allows the user to access the database based on the information and obtain the stored digest or main program information. Viewers can obtain the digest or main program from the database whenever they want. It can be watched on the receiving terminal device.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when the receiving terminal device cannot execute the receiving schedule due to the viewing of the main program, the receiving terminal device changes the receiving schedule to receive a digest that can be received, and executes the receiving schedule. When it becomes possible, the execution is resumed, and even if the viewer selects and operates a reception channel for viewing or recording the main program, the reception schedule is set between the selections. Acquisition of a digest along the line is performed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the receiving terminal device receives a digest that has not been stored because the receiving schedule could not be executed in the next broadcast and stores the digest. You can take in.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the receiving terminal device obtains and accumulates digests that have not been accumulated because the reception schedule could not be executed, by accessing a database and accumulating the digests. But you can capture the necessary digests.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the receiving terminal device presents the time and cost until the digest is accessed and obtained in the database, and waits for a user's selection to access the database. In order to obtain the necessary digest, the user waits until the next broadcast, pays the cost and obtains it from the database, or obtains the information presented as to which database to obtain. Can be selected based on

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the receiving terminal device presents the time and the cost by the access tool to the database selected according to the user's database utilization record or qualification, Express routes and service prices can be presented to large users and special members of the database to enclose users.

[0027] According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the receiving terminal device displays the status of the digest information acquisition, and the viewer can also view the digest broadcast in a spot manner by the viewer. The information acquisition status at the receiving terminal device can be known.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, when the digest information is updated with digest information broadcast later, the updated date and time are displayed as the acquisition status. It is possible to know at what point in time the information of the broadcast news and weather forecast is information.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, when the digest information is updated with digest information broadcast later, the next update date and time is displayed as the acquisition status. You can know when news and weather forecast information will be updated next.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, when the digest information forms a series with the other digest information to be broadcast, as an acquisition status, up to what percentage of the information amount of the entire series is acquired. For example, when the content of an information magazine is broadcast by digest broadcasting, it is possible to know what percentage of the information amount is currently stored.

According to the fifteenth aspect, when the digest information forms a series with the other digest information to be broadcast, the acquisition status indicates the time when the information of the entire series is acquired. It is possible to know when all the contents of the information magazine are accumulated.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in a receiving terminal device of an information broadcasting system for multiplexing and broadcasting a digest including tag information of control information and content of main body information on main program information of video and audio, A scheduler for receiving an EPG digest having the content of the tag information of each digest as a content and setting a reception schedule for each digest; a storage for storing the received digest; and a display for displaying the stored content of the digest. The receiving terminal device having the intelligent function acquires the digest to be broadcast before the viewer selects it.

In the invention according to claim 17, the scheduling means finds a correlation between target information indicating the audience group of the digest included in the tag information and the personality of the user, and misses the reception of the digest having a high correlation. The reception schedule is set so as not to exist, and it is possible to preliminarily acquire the digest having the content close to the taste of the viewer.

The invention according to claim 18 is a filtering means for assigning a priority to the digests stored in the storage means based on the user's preference tendency, and a digest newly received when the storage capacity of the storage means is insufficient. Storage means for discarding low-priority digests in order to accumulate data, so that necessary digests can be collected by effectively utilizing the storage capacity.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided communication means for communicating via a communication line to a database in which the digest or the main program information introduced in the digest is stored. The main program information is obtained, and the viewer can enjoy the digest and the main program viewing at any time by obtaining necessary information from the database.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, the receiving terminal device is provided with two or more tuners. Even when the viewer selects and operates a receiving channel for viewing or recording the main program. The digest can be more easily acquired according to the reception schedule.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) First, a data broadcasting system of the present invention will be described. In this broadcasting system, a data object called a digest is broadcast as a data broadcast. That is, the broadcast station multiplexes the digest and broadcasts the digest at the same time as a broadcast program (main program) using a normal video and audio.

This digest is, as shown in FIG.
The contents 205 of the information include multimedia information of the program introduction, the trailer of the program, the main part of the program, the CM, the questionnaire, the mail, the application program, or the data, and the format uniquely determines the digest. It comprises a name 201, management information 202 for managing digest distribution, attribute information 203 indicating the attribute of the digest, additional information in the terminal 204 added by the receiving terminal, and the content 205. The name 201, the management information 202, the attribute information 203, and the additional information in terminal 204 are called tag information.

The management information 202 includes index information indicating what the content is, update information indicating the next update date and time of the digest, the current version number, information for controlling access to the digest, and information for security. The information sender considers the broadcast date and time of the digest, the next broadcast schedule, the address information of the database that stores the digest and the program introduced in the digest, the telephone number of the information provider that manages the database, and the content as targets Recommendation level information indicating the audience segment that is present is described.

The attribute information 203 includes data amount information indicating the respective data amounts of moving images, still images, texts, and the like included in the contents, keyword information attached to the contents, method information relating the contents, digests Reference information for associating the information, sponsor information indicating a sponsor name when the content is a CM, and the like are described.

The additional information 204 in the terminal is information added by the user terminal for various processes at the user terminal, and includes a digest reception mode, a status indicating a storage state, and who the user is. , User management information indicating how much access to the database, relevance information indicating the relevance of the user to the digest keyword (how much the user views the digest having the keyword), and the digest , And freshness information indicating the next broadcast date and time are described.

As described above, the digest includes various multimedia contents such as program-related information, CM product information, and EPG information related to the digest, and a script for controlling simple dialogue management with the user, The information includes information introduced in the digest or information on an access path to the digest itself.

This digest is broadcast from a broadcasting station,
A large number of digests that match the viewer's preferences are automatically stored in the receiving terminal. The viewer can enjoy the accumulated digest by displaying it on the receiving terminal at a convenient time. In addition, the viewer can use the stored digest as a means for searching for a main program to be watched or detailed information, as if the user searched a telephone directory.
When the main program or detailed information to be watched is found, the receiving terminal obtains the information from the information provider through communication means,
Display on the receiving terminal.

This broadcasting system, as shown in FIG.
A broadcasting station 330 for performing data broadcasting, a user terminal 304 for receiving the broadcasting station, and an information provider 3 having a database
40 and a broadcast line 305 from the broadcast station 330 to the user terminal 304
And a communication line 320 connecting the user terminal 304 and the information provider 340. The broadcasting station 330 includes an information generating means 300 for generating digest information, and a multiplex for multiplexing the generated digest with information of the main program. And a scrambler 302 for scrambling data to be concealed in the generated transport stream, and a transmitting means 303 for transmitting the stream.

The user terminal 304 includes a receiving means 306 for receiving information from the broadcasting station 330 and the information provider 340, a scheduling means 319 for formulating a tuning plan for selecting a receiving channel, and Demultiplex routing means for decomposing the video and audio information of the main program and the digest and switching the output destination
307, descrambling means 310 for descrambling the video and audio information to be viewed, and access control means 311 for charging in exchange for the descrambling of the video and audio information.
Charging means 312 for executing a charging process; display means 313 for displaying video / audio information of the main program and the contents of the digest; storage means 309 for storing the digest; and controlling the storage of the digest to store the digest in the directory. Cache and directory control means 308 to be registered
And a preference storage unit 315 for storing a user's viewing history and the like.
Filtering means 314 for evaluating accumulated digests and assigning priority to accumulation; input means 316 such as a remote controller operated by a viewer; and searching for accumulated digests based on instructions from input means 316. Human interface / search means 317 and information provider 3
And communication means 318 for accessing the.

The information provider 340 includes a large-capacity database function 323 for storing digests and main programs, a search means 322 for searching a database, and a communication means for communicating data with the user terminal 304. 321.

As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 304 demultiplexes the received data with the antenna 100 and the tuner 102 constituting the receiving means 306 as hardware for realizing the functional blocks shown in FIG. Multiplexing and routing router 103, scheduling means 319 and cache and directory control means 308
O processor & work memory 109, storage device interface 116 and built-in disk 119 constituting storage means 309,
An external storage device interface 117 and an external storage device / medium 118; a descrambler 105; an MPU & local memory 106 and a flash memory 107;
An access control module card 104 in which the local memory 106 and the flash memory 107 perform accounting processing, a decoder 113 for decoding descrambled audio,
A decoder 112 for decoding the descrambled video information, a D / A conversion rate converter 115 for converting the decoded audio signal into an analog signal, and a graphic display control unit for controlling the display of the decoded video signal
114, a display device 121 such as a TV, and a remote control 11 of the user.
Remote control interface 110 that accepts requests from 1
And a modem 120 constituting a communication means 318 with the information provider 340, and controls the modem 120 and the graphic display control unit 114 to function as a human i / f / search means 317, a filtering means 314, or a preference storage means 315. C
A PU & main storage unit.

The operation of the broadcasting system will be described. In this system, the transmission medium for broadcasting the digest is not particularly limited, but here,
The following describes an example of a practical digital satellite broadcast. The basic format of satellite digital broadcasting conforms to the DVB standard, and a transport stream of the MPEG-2 standard is loaded on a transponder. Therefore, by multiplexing the digest object data with a normal video / audio broadcast program to generate MPEG-2 data, digest broadcast in satellite digital broadcast becomes possible.

The digest information is generated by the information generating means 300 using an authoring device. The detailed information such as the generated digest and the main program information introduced by the digest is stored in the large capacity database 322 of the information provider 340, and information on the access path to the large capacity database 322 (the telephone number of the information provider and The database address information is also written in the digest tag information.

The generated digest is sent to the multiplexing means 301.
Multiplexed with the main program information as MPEG-2 data, the data to be concealed in the transport stream is scrambled by the scrambler 302, and broadcast via the transmission means 303 via the satellite line 305.

This transport stream is received by the receiving means 306 of the receiver 304 of the user. At this time, the scheduling means 319 controls a tuning operation for selecting a reception channel. The received data is decomposed into video / audio information and a digest of the program by the demultiplexer / routing means 307, and the digest is
The data is temporarily stored in the cache area of the storage unit 309 via the cache and directory control unit 308.

On the other hand, the video / audio information to be viewed in real time is sent to the descrambling means 310 as it is, and under the control of the access control means 311, the charging processing by the charging means 312 is performed. The access control unit 311 passes the scramble key for descrambling the billed program to the descramble unit 310, and the descramble unit 310 descrambles the program. The program that can be viewed is displayed on the display unit 313, and the user can see it.

The digest stored in the cache area of the storage unit 309 is evaluated by the filtering unit 314 after a certain period of time, and based on the user's viewing history stored in the preference storage unit 315, the storage priority. Is set. The cache and directory control unit 308 stores the digest with the priority in a file of the storage unit 309 and registers it in the directory. Also,
The cache and directory control means 308
In order not to exceed the storage capacity of 09, the digest is discarded or the digest is replaced from the file according to the priority. In some cases, the digest to be discarded leaves the tag information and discards only the content.

As the cache area of the storage means 309, a part of the internal disk 119 is used.
And the external storage device / medium 118 are stored in storage means 309.
Used as a file.

When the user gives an instruction to access the stored digest using the input means 316 such as a remote controller, the human i / f / search means 317 executes a directory browser and executes the directory browser. The digests stored in the file are organized and displayed on the display unit 313 so that the entire image can be grasped. When the user selects one of the digests, the human i /
f. The search means 317 searches the selected digest and displays it on the display means 313. The directory browser is executed as an application program of the CPU 108, and is displayed on the display device 1 through the graphic display control unit 114.
Displayed on the 21 screen. That is, the digest is interpreted and controlled by the directory browser in the user terminal 304.

As described above, the user uses the directory browser of the user terminal 304 to watch the preview of the main part included in the digest content, or to view the product introduction (CM) using the interactive content, so that the data broadcast ( Digest broadcast).

The user looks at the digest and, if more detailed information is required, gives an instruction to that effect from the input means 316. Based on this instruction, the CPU 10
Reference numeral 8 issues an access request from the communication means 318 to the database (information provider 340) via the communication line 320 based on the access path information recorded in the digest.

In the information provider system, the request is received by the communication means 320, the search means 320 is activated, the corresponding information set by the information creator is searched from the large-capacity database 322, and transmitted to the user terminal 304 through the communication means 320. Send out. The user terminal 304 receives the data via the communication means 318 and sends it to the receiving means 306. The data thus obtained follows the same route as the data received from the broadcast line 305 and is displayed on the display unit 313, so that the user can view it.

When only the digest tag information is stored in the storage unit 309, the user can obtain the digest from the information provider 340 and display the content on the display unit 313.

In the digest broadcasting, an updated digest for updating a previously broadcasted one is repeatedly spot-likely repeated at any time together with a new digest broadcasted for the first time (this is called a directory broadcast). In some cases, subtitle information, additional information, and the like related to the main program by video and audio are broadcast only in the broadcast time zone of the main program (this is called program additional information broadcasting).

In the receiver, a database of digests to be broadcast can be constructed by storing directory broadcast records. Further, since the update information is streamed in the directory broadcast, the information can be automatically managed only by performing the update according to the update information.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the form of the digest broadcast. In FIG. 4, three broadcasters (SportTV, Liv
eTY, PanaTV) indicates program information to be broadcast in a certain time zone and digest broadcasting being broadcast at the same time. Each broadcaster broadcasts a program and digests in parallel.

Of the three broadcasters, SportsTV is a digest broadcast and specializes in digests closely related to the main program, and performs directory broadcast. In such a case,
When the user is watching the main program, there is an advantage that the digest having the related theme can be intensively accumulated.

In LiveTV, a directory broadcast and a program additional information broadcast are multiplexed and broadcast. In such an example, when the program additional information is relatively small, a general directory broadcast can be slowly performed over a long period of time while using the vacant band. In the case of providing information centered on the main program (which does not require additional information), such a form can be adopted.

In PanaTV, a directory broadcast centered on a product guide CM and a program additional information broadcast are always multiplexed and broadcast. This is an advantageous method for sending a digest that is frequently repeated or updated.

By viewing the information obtained by such a digest broadcast using the directory browser of the receiver, the user can enjoy a preview of the main part included in the digest, a product introduction (CM), and the like.

The digest can be an entry of general information in the world through a television program, and the detailed information can be easily extracted through an access path to a database in which the detailed information is accumulated. Can act as a directory. Such an access method can be compared to a telephone directory. Since the digest contains the essence of the entire information, it can be determined by browsing the telephone directory as to whether the information itself is really necessary for the user.

(Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment,
A method for effectively acquiring a necessary digest from a digest broadcast in this broadcast system will be described.

In the digest broadcast, it is necessary to store the digest in the receiver before the user requests. Conventionally, it is possible for a user to perform timer recording in the case of program additional information broadcasting, and a digest of the program additional information broadcasting can be recorded at the same time by performing recording reservation of the main part. However, directory broadcasts, such as CM spots, are unlikely to be subject to scheduled recording. Therefore, a function of automatically recording the digest in the receiver is required.

In this case, it is not possible to simultaneously record all the channels across the transponders, and even if it is possible, it is only necessary to record all the received digests in all the user terminal devices. It cannot be expected to equip it with storage capacity.

Therefore, in this system, the scheduling means 319 of the user terminal 304 in FIG. 1 makes a plan for recording the digest based on the EPG information of the digest broadcast when acquiring the digest.

The scheduling means 319 acquires an EPG digest having a digest broadcast schedule as content while taking the form of the digest, and
A tuning plan is created based on the digest tag information included in the G information so that a digest close to the user's preference can be obtained. The digest EPG information is a set of data corresponding to the digest tag information shown in FIG. 3 (note that, according to the DVB standard, EPG data of a program event is to be sent to SI information, The EPG digest is a set of tag information of a plurality of digests and does not constitute an event one by one.
/ EPG cannot schedule digest broadcasts. ).

The scheduling means 319 obtains a digest that is close to the user's preference, so that the recommendation level information of the management information included in the tag information and the user personality information, that is, the user's age set in advance. And information including gender, basic preference information, and the like, are quantitatively determined. Then, at the broadcast time of the digest having a large value, a tuning plan is created so as to receive the corresponding channel, and the receiving means 306
Control.

As described above, when the scheduling means 319 makes a tuning plan, it becomes possible to automatically obtain a digest that meets the user's preference from among the digest broadcasts of a plurality of channels.

However, if the user selects and operates a channel to view or record the main program, tuning may not be performed according to the plan, and a desired digest may not be obtained. In this case, the digest broadcast of the channel selected by the user capable of acquiring the digest is accumulated, and the accumulation of the digest in accordance with the previous tuning plan is resumed when the channel selection of the user is completed.

In FIG. 4, the tuner has one user terminal 30.
FIG. 4 shows a situation in which information is obtained from a digest broadcast. In this figure, a portion surrounded by a thick line indicates information to be stored.

In the time period from 9:00 to 9:30, in which the main program is not recorded, according to the tuning plan of the scheduling means 319, a digest broadcast of LiveTV is selected and directory information is accumulated. SportTV
In the time zone from 9:30 to 10:00 when the main program of PanaTV is recorded, only the information of the digest broadcast of SportTV can be stored, and the main program of PanaTV is recorded from 10:00 to 11:30. In the time zone of, only the information of the digest broadcast of PanaTV can be stored. In the time zone from 11:30 when the main program is not recorded, the digest information of SportTV can be selected and directory information can be stored as planned.

If the user terminal 304 has two tuners, the degree of freedom in selecting a digest broadcast is increased, and a desired digest can be stored more efficiently.

FIG. 5 shows that there are four channels that broadcast the main program broadcast and the digest broadcast in parallel,
A case where recording is performed by a user terminal having two tuners is illustrated. In the figure, a solid line indicates a time zone in which the user is watching the main program in real time, and a broken line indicates a recording time zone of the main program and a digest acquisition time zone of the digest broadcast. Here, even if the viewing or recording of the main program is performed on one channel, the information can be obtained from the target digest broadcast without any trouble.
However, even in this case, when the back recording of the main program of another channel is performed in parallel with the viewing of the main program of one channel, information acquisition from the target digest broadcast cannot be performed. That is, it is desired to continuously acquire the information of the digest broadcast of the B channel, but between the timing 3 and the timing 4, it is not possible.

In the period from timing 1 to timing 2, even if the user views the main program D of the D channel in real time, the information of the digest broadcast of the B channel is accumulated without any trouble. At timing 2, the user switches the channel and watches the main program A of the A channel, but the information accumulation from the digest broadcast of the B channel is as follows.
It is performed without any trouble. From timing 3, A
When the recording of the back program of the C channel starts in parallel with the viewing of the main program A of the channel, the accumulation of information from the digest broadcast of the B channel is interrupted. In this case, the selection of the digest broadcast can be performed only for the digest broadcast of the A channel and the C channel where the main program is viewed or recorded. After the timing 4 at which the viewing of the main program A on the A channel ends, the digest can be obtained again from the digest broadcast on the B channel.

As described above, in some cases, a scheduled digest cannot be obtained due to designation of recording or real-time viewing, but automatic acquisition of a digest in accordance with a tuning plan proceeds during such channel selection.

Further, the scheduling means 319
If a digest cannot be obtained and a tuning plan cannot be made, a digest is preferably obtained from somewhere based on a simple algorithm.

If the intended digest cannot be obtained by the user's channel selection operation, the following two methods are used.

In the first method, the next broadcast schedule is referred to from the broadcast date and time information in the digest tag information, and the next digest broadcast is waited and stored.

In the second method, the user is notified that reception was not possible, and the user accesses the database (the information provider 340) at his / her discretion to obtain a desired digest.

At this time, the CPU 108 of the user terminal 304
The estimated time until the digest is obtained and the estimated cost in the case where the first method and the second method are performed are calculated, respectively, and presented as reference data for selecting the user. The estimated time of digest acquisition in the first method is the time until the next broadcast time, and the cost is free. The estimated time in the second method is the time required to download the digest from the database, and is obtained by multiplying the data amount of the digest described in the digest EPG by the communication line capacity of the access point and the efficiency change coefficient depending on the operation time. Is calculated. The cost is calculated by adding the line usage fee during the download and the cost required for accessing the database. The estimated time and cost in the second method are presented for each information source when there are a plurality of accessible information sources (access addresses).

When the user compares these data and selects one of the methods, the method is executed and the necessary digest is obtained.

Further, when presenting the second method, the CPU 108 appropriately changes the means for accessing the database according to the user's membership qualifications, usage results, and the like. For example,
The discounted cost is presented to the user who has a lot of use records, and the access route to the database which is open only to the special member is presented. Whether or not such a change is possible is determined by comparing the access control information in the tag information of the digest with the user management information of the additional information in the terminal, and the access route includes a plurality of addresses indicated as address information of the tag information. This is executed by changing the range of selection from the address of the user according to the user.

By implementing such a service,
It is possible to "enclose users" by connecting users as customers of information providers.

(Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment,
A method of displaying the digest acquisition status at the user terminal will be described.

As described above, the digest broadcast includes:
There is a directory broadcast in which new digests and update digests are spotted at any time, and a program additional information broadcast in which subtitle information and additional information related to the main program are broadcast during the time of the main program. However, unlike the program additional information broadcast, the program timetable is unknown to the user, and thus the user cannot determine the digest information acquisition status.

Therefore, in a digest whose content is a weather forecast or news, information up to what point of time information has been accumulated, and, for example, information of a series of information magazines is broadcasted in spots using available time. In directory broadcasting, the user does not know how much of the entire information is stored.

Therefore, the CPU 108 of the user terminal 304 grasps the digest acquisition status based on the stored digest tag information, and displays it on the display device 121.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a monitoring screen 701 showing the digest acquisition status. For weather forecasts and news, a pull-down menu 702 used to select the channel of the content supplier and a status display indicating the next broadcast date and time and update date and time are displayed.For series information such as ticket information magazines and town information magazines, A status display 705 indicating how much information is stored in the total amount of information scheduled to be broadcast from each information magazine is digitally displayed.

When the operation of opening the pull-down menu 702 through the input means 316 is performed, the set company name 704 is displayed, and the weather forecast of the selected company and the next scheduled broadcast date and update date of the news are displayed. This is displayed as the status display 703.

When the display area changing unit 706 is operated by the input means 316, the next set information magazine or the like appears on the screen, and its status is displayed.

In order to perform such display, the CPU 108 determines the next broadcast scheduled date and time, the updated date and time, the data size of the total information amount of the information broadcasted in the series, the data amount of the content, etc. from the stored digest tag information. It acquires (broadcasts such information in the digest tag information), calculates the acquisition percentage of the currently stored data, and controls the graphic display control unit 114 to perform the display of FIG.

When all of the series information has been obtained, a special display may be displayed on the display screen or a specific indicator may be displayed.

The acquisition of these tag information is performed by the filtering means 314 for setting the digest accumulation priority.
This may be performed when confirming the contents of the digest stored in the cache area.

The CPU 108 may estimate the estimated end time of the series information based on the tuning plan of the scheduling means 319 and display the estimated time on the display screen.

The status display can be achieved by displaying the acquired percentage information in an analog manner as in 707, for example, or in a visual manner as in 708 using the icon of the reception digest. If a remote control for transmitting and receiving data in both directions is used as the man-machine interface means, the display screen 70 of the remote control is used instead of the television screen as shown at 709 in FIG.
It is also possible to display the state in 9.

As described above, by displaying the digest storage status at the user terminal, the user can determine what the latest information is at the present time, how much data is currently being updated, and whether the next update is being performed. It is possible to easily judge when, etc.

[0104]

As is apparent from the above description, the broadcasting system of the present invention can create a broadcasting environment in which a viewer can enjoy broadcasting at his own pace and utilize information when he or she likes.

Further, even when the broadcasting station changes the broadcasting time, it can flexibly cope with it.

Further, the viewer can know at a glance the information acquisition status of the receiving terminal device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a broadcast system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a user terminal in the broadcast system according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a digest format;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a digest broadcast program table;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a tuning plan according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of a digest acquisition status according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 antenna 102 tuner 103 router 104 access control module card 105 descrambler 106 MPU & local memory 107 flash memory 108 CPU & main memory 109 IO processor & work memory 110 remote control interface 111 remote control 112 digital video decoder 113 digital audio decoder 114 graphic display control 115 D / A conversion rate converter 116 Storage device interface 117 External storage device interface 118 External storage device / medium 119 Internal disk 120 Modem 121 Display device 122 Telephone line 200 Digest 201 Name 202,206 Management information 203,207 Attribute information 204,208 Terminal Additional information 205, 209 Content 300 Information generating means 301 Multiplexing means 302 Scrambler 303 Transmitting means 304 User terminal 305 Broadcasting line 306 Receiving means 307 Demultiplex routing means 3 08 cache and directory control means 309 storage means 310 descramble means 311 access control means 312 billing means 313 display means 314 filtering means 315 preference storage means 316 input means 317 human i / f / search means 318 communication means 319 scheduling means 320 communication line 321 Communication means 322 Search means 323 Large capacity database function 330 Broadcasting station 340 Information provider 701 Monitoring screen 702, 704 Pull down menu 703, 705 Status display 707 Analog status display 708 Icon status display 709 Remote control display screen

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04H 1/02 H04N 5/781 510Z H04N 5/445 5/765 5/781 (72) Inventor Isao Masuda 1006 Odakadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Inside Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Machida 1006 Kazuma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. An information broadcasting system for multiplexing data on video / audio main program information and broadcasting the data, wherein a broadcast station includes, as the data, a digest including tag information as control information and content as main body information. The receiving terminal device receives the EPG digest having the content of the tag information of each digest as a content, sets a reception schedule for each digest, accumulates the received digests according to the reception schedule, and, based on the user's request, A storage-type information broadcasting system, wherein the stored content of the digest is displayed. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the contents are multimedia information for introducing a main program, a program main body composed of video and audio,
M, application program, questionnaire, mail or data, and the tag information is content index information, content update information, digest broadcast date and time, next broadcast schedule information, and information for controlling access to the content. , Including at least one of security information to prevent falsification of the content, information indicating the digest and the access path to the information introduced by the digest, and target information indicating the audience group of the digest set by the digest creator. The storage type information broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A receiving terminal device obtains a correlation between the target information included in tag information and a personality of a user, and sets the reception schedule so as not to miss reception of a digest having a high correlation. The storage type information broadcasting system according to claim 2. 4. The receiving terminal device assigns priorities to the stored digests based on a user's preference tendency as an index, and performs discarding of the digests and replacement of the stored digests based on the priorities. Claim 1
4. The storage-type information broadcasting system according to any one of items 1 to 3. 5. The digest broadcasted from a broadcasting station or main program information introduced in the digest,
The receiving terminal device, which is stored in a database, can access the database based on the information of the access path included in the digest tag information, and can obtain the stored digest or main program information. 5. The storage type information broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein: 6. When a receiving terminal device cannot execute the reception schedule due to viewing of a main program, the reception terminal device changes the reception schedule, receives a receivable digest, and can execute the reception schedule. 6. The storage type information broadcasting system according to claim 1, wherein the execution is restarted. 7. The storage type information broadcasting system according to claim 6, wherein the receiving terminal device receives and stores in the next broadcast a digest that has not been stored because the reception schedule could not be executed. . 8. The storage type information according to claim 6, wherein the receiving terminal device accesses the database to obtain and store digests that have not been stored because the receiving schedule could not be executed. Broadcast system. 9. The receiving terminal device presents a time and cost until the digest is accessed and obtained in the database, and waits for a user's selection to access the database. Item 9. A storage type information broadcasting system according to Item 8. 10. The storage type according to claim 9, wherein the receiving terminal device presents the time and the cost by an access tool to the database selected according to a user's database usage record or qualification. Information broadcasting system. 11. The receiving terminal device displays an acquisition status of the digest information.
0. The storage type information broadcasting system according to 0. 12. The storage type according to claim 11, wherein when the digest information is updated with digest information broadcast later, the updated date and time are displayed as the acquisition status. Information broadcasting system. 13. The storage according to claim 11, wherein when the digest information is updated with digest information broadcast later, the next update date and time is displayed as the acquisition status. Type information broadcasting system. 14. When the digest information forms a series with information on other digests to be broadcast, the acquisition status indicates which ratio of the information amount of the entire series has been acquired. The storage-type information broadcasting system according to claim 11, wherein: 15. When the digest information forms a series with the information of another digest to be broadcast, the acquisition status is displayed when the information of the entire series is acquired. The storage-type information broadcasting system according to claim 11. 16. A receiving terminal device of an information broadcasting system for multiplexing and broadcasting a digest including tag information of control information and content of main body information to main program information of video and audio, wherein the tag information of each digest is stored in the content. Scheduling means for receiving an EPG digest and setting a reception schedule for each digest; a storage means for storing the received digest; and a display means for displaying the stored content of the digest. Receiving terminal device. 17. The scheduler calculates a correlation between target information indicating a target audience group of a digest included in tag information and a personality of a user, and determines the reception schedule so as not to miss reception of a digest having a high correlation. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein
3. The receiving terminal device according to claim 1. 18. A filtering unit for assigning priorities to digests stored in the storage unit based on a user's preference, and for storing a digest to be newly received when the storage capacity of the storage unit is insufficient. 18. The receiving terminal device according to claim 16, further comprising: a storage control unit that discards the low-priority digest. 19. A communication means for communicating via a communication line to a database in which the digest or the main program information introduced in the digest is stored, wherein the digest or the main program information is transmitted from the database through the communication means. The receiving terminal device according to claim 16, wherein the receiving terminal device is obtained. 20. The receiving terminal device according to claim 16, having two or more tuners.