KR101300889B1 - System for Network Electronic Program Guide Service, Client Unit and Apparatus for Receiving Digital Broadcasting - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is to process the electronic program guide (EPG: Electronic Program Guide) information in the server of the provider that provides EPG information to generate an EPG database that can be used directly in the digital broadcast receiver to provide to the digital broadcast receiver . Accordingly, the digital broadcast receiver can immediately operate the EPG related functions without excessive burden for generating the EPG database.

Digital Broadcasting, Electronic Program Guides, Servers, Databases, Certifications

Description

EP information service system, client device, and digital broadcasting receiver using a network {System for Network Electronic Program Guide Service, Client Unit and Apparatus for Receiving Digital Broadcasting}

1 is an embodiment of an EPG information service system according to the present invention;

2 is an example of an operation process of an EPG information service system;

3 is an embodiment of a client device in accordance with the present invention;

4 illustrates an embodiment of a digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention;

5 is a detailed embodiment of a digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

11: client device 12: communication network

13: Image processing apparatus 20: EPG information service system

21: authentication server 22: EPG management server

23: content server 31: network interface unit

32: authentication processing unit 33: EPG receiving unit

34: EPG interface unit 40: digital broadcast receiver

41: client device 42: image processing device

42-1: Channel Processor 42-2: Image Signal Processor

42-3: EPG processing unit

42-4: Video display control unit 42-5: Storage unit

42-6: user interface

The present invention relates to an EPG information service system, a client device, and a digital broadcast receiver using a network. In particular, an operator providing an EPG information service processes EPG information into an EPG database that can be used immediately by a digital broadcast receiver. Perform EPG related functions using the EPG information service system, the client device connected to the EPG information service system and the internet network to receive the EPG database, and the EPG database received through the client device. It relates to a digital broadcast receiver.

In general, there are various types of broadcasting such as satellite broadcasting, cable broadcasting, terrestrial broadcasting, and various digital broadcasting receivers such as digital TV, set-top box, and personal video recorder (PVR) can receive the received digital broadcasting signal. By processing and outputting to a display module and a speaker, a user can watch a desired broadcast program.

An electronic program guide (EPG) refers to a broadcast program schedule and may include various information such as a broadcast program channel, a broadcast time, a broadcast program title, a category, and a plot. The EPG can identify at a certain station which broadcast program is being broadcasted or is scheduled to be broadcasted at a glance, and reserve recording by designating a desired broadcast program. Such EPGs are provided through various media by digital broadcasting stations or service providers that serve EPGs.

Recently, the number of digital operators (System Operators) who directly produce broadcast programs or other contents and receive them from the producers and provide them to subscribers is greatly increasing, and the amount of EPG information is also increasing. In addition, focusing on the many usefulness that the EPG can give viewers, its field of use continues to expand, and providing the EPG has become a service area of interest. In connection with this, a service for providing an EPG is provided through a communication network such as an internet network, and various digital broadcast receivers are also developing in a direction to provide a communication network connection function. In addition, in connection with analog broadcast services, there is a need to provide EPG through a communication network separately from analog broadcast signals.

On the other hand, EPG data gathering through the conventional communication network (Network EPG Data Gathering) is to be made in the digital broadcast receiver itself, the digital broadcast receiver collects raw EPG information (EPG Raw Data) through the communication network To create an EPG database.

That is, in order to perform various EPG related functions in the digital broadcasting receiver, the collected EPG information should be first databased in a form that can be managed by a database management system (DBMS) of the digital broadcasting receiver. This is done in this digital broadcast receiver.

However, the process of creating an EPG database has a very high share of the central processing unit (CPU) and requires very frequent access to storage devices such as hard disk drives (HDDs), especially when using embedded systems. Resource exhaustion emerges as a fatal problem.

As a result, the scenario becomes complicated and becomes a factor that can cause problems in parallel execution of other tasks. In fact, some digital broadcasting receivers take about 30 minutes or more to generate an 8-day EPG database, and other task operations may not be possible when generating the EPG database.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, EPG information service system using a network to process the collected EPG information into an EPG database that can be used directly in the digital broadcast receiver, the EPG information service system It is an object of the present invention to provide a client device capable of receiving an EPG database in communication with a mobile station, and a digital broadcast receiver performing an EPG related function using the EPG database received through the client device.

In order to achieve the above object, the EPG information service system of the present invention comprises an authentication server for connecting to a client device through a communication network and performing subscriber authentication according to the request of the client device; An EPG management server which processes the collected electronic program guide (EPG) information to generate an EPG database; And a content server that receives the EPG database from the EPG management server, connects with a client device via the communication network, and transmits the EPG database in response to a request of a client device authenticated through the authentication server. .

The subscriber authentication information may be configured to include unique identification information and a password of the client device.

The authentication server may transmit a cookie to the authenticated client device, and the client device may be configured to inform the content server of the authentication status using the cookie.

The content server may be configured to transmit an EPG database consisting of EPG information of a type designated by the client device in response to a request from the client device.

The type of EPG information that can be designated by the client device may be configured to include information about a type of Database Management System (DBMS) that manages the EPG database.

The content server may be configured to compress and transmit the EPG database information through the MPEG-2 scheme when transmitting the EPG database information to the client device.

The client device according to the present invention, the network interface for connecting to the communication network; An authentication processor for requesting authentication by accessing the authentication server through the network interface unit, and receiving authentication information transmitted from the authentication server; An EPG receiver connecting to the content server through the network interface and receiving an EPG database from the content server using the received authentication information; And an EPG interface unit for interfacing with another image processing apparatus and transferring the EPG database received through the EPG receiving unit to the image processing apparatus.

The EPG receiver may be configured to transmit information specifying an EPG type input from the image processing apparatus through the EPG interface unit when the EPG database is requested to the content server.

On the other hand, the digital broadcast receiver according to the present invention comprises the client device; And an image processing apparatus that receives and processes a digital broadcast signal, outputs a video signal to be output to a display module, and an audio signal to be output through a speaker, and provides an EPG related function using an EPG database delivered from the client device. It is made to include. In this case, the client device and the image processing device may be integrated or separated.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, the EPG information service system 20 according to the present invention is connected to a client device 11 via a communication network 12 such as an internet network to perform data communication with each other, and to the client device 11. Transfer the processed EPG database for immediate use.

The authentication server 21 connects with the client device 11 via the communication network 12 and authenticates whether it is a legitimate subscriber who can be provided with an EPG database in accordance with an authentication request from the client device 11. The type of information needed for subscriber authentication and the authentication procedure can be configured in various ways as needed.

As one example, the information for subscriber authentication may be configured to include unique identification information and password of the client device 11. In this embodiment, the authentication server 21 includes storage means (not shown) for storing and managing the unique identification information and password of the client device for each subscriber. In addition, the authentication server 21 may store and manage log information such as information requested for authentication from a user and information related to authentication execution in a storage means according to a general authentication service procedure.

On the other hand, since the authenticated client terminal 11 should be able to receive the EPG database through the content server 23, it is necessary to confirm the authentication between the client device 11 and the content server 23.

As one embodiment for this, the authentication server 21 transmits a cookie to the authenticated client device 11, and the client device 11 uses the cookie to authenticate itself to the content server 23. It can be configured to signal status.

The EPG management server 22 processes the collected various EPG information to generate an EPG database. That is, the EPG management server 22 plays a role in making a database management system (DBMS) installed in a device which is located at the subscriber side and can perform EPG related functions into a database that can be used immediately without complicated separate processing. Do this. In addition, the EPG management server 22 periodically transmits the generated EPG database to the content server 23.

The content server 23 stores and manages the EPG database transmitted by the EPG management server 22 in a storage means (not shown). In addition, it connects to the client device 11 via the communication network 12, and transmits the EPG database at the request of the client device 11 authenticated through the authentication server 21.

At this time, the client device 11 should be able to inform the content server 23 of its authentication status. In the embodiment using the cookie as described above, the client device 11 receives the cookie received from the authentication server 21. It can be used to inform the content server 23 of the authentication status.

In addition, the client device 11 may designate a type of EPG information such as an area, a digital broadcasting station (SO), a database management system (DBMS), and request to transmit an EPG database having the EPG information of the corresponding type. . In such an embodiment, the content server 23 may be configured to generate and transmit an EPG database composed of EPG information of a specified type according to a request from the client device 11.

At this time, the content server 23 manages the list of the EPG database currently held, and can be configured to generate the EPG database only when a new type of EPG database is not listed or requested. In addition, all possible EPG databases can be created in advance.

Here, the generation of the EPG database by the content server 23 means that the EPG database designated by the subscriber is generated based on the EPG database transmitted from the EPG management server 22. As an example, when there is no EPG database in the list that can be managed by the database management system (DBMS) designated by the client device 11, the EPG management server 22 assigns the specified EPG database. Create and transfer a new EPG database that can be managed by the database management system (DBMS).

When the content server 23 transmits the EPG database to the client device 11, the content server 23 may transmit the compressed content by the MPEG-2 scheme for efficient transmission. Then, of course, the client device receiving the EPG database can decompress and use the MPEG-2 compressed EPG database.

Referring to Figure 2 will be described the overall process of the operation of the EPG information service system 20 through an embodiment using a cookie for subscriber authentication.

First, the EPG management server 22 processes the collected EPG information to generate an EPG database, and periodically transmits it to the content server 23. On the other hand, the client device 11 transmits authentication information composed of its own unique identification information and password, etc. to the authentication server 21 to request subscriber authentication, and the authentication server 21 responds to this request to the legitimate subscriber. After authenticating the certificate, if it is normally authenticated, the cookie is transmitted to the client device 11.

The client device 11 then uses the cookie received from the authentication server 21 to inform the content server 23 that it is authenticated and to send the EPG database, and the content server 23 sends the cookie. It transmits the EPG database to the client device 11 is confirmed to be a valid subscriber through. The EPG database transmitted to the client device 11 is transferred to any image processing device 13 connected to the client device 11, and the image processing device 13 can use the EPG database to perform EPG related functions. It becomes possible.

Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a client device 11 that can receive an EPG database from the EPG information service system 20 described above will be described.

The network interface unit 31 connects to the EPG information service system 20 through a communication network 12 such as an internet network so as to communicate with each other.

The authentication processing unit 32 connects to the authentication server 21 of the EPG information service system through the network interface unit 31 to request authentication, and receives authentication information transmitted from the authentication server 21. At this time, the type of information required for authentication and the authentication procedure may be configured in various ways as needed, and may be configured to include unique identification information and a password of the client device 11 as an example. Can be. The authentication information received from the authentication server 21 may include a cookie.

The EPG receiving unit 33 connects to the content server 23 of the EPG information service system through the network interface unit 31 and requests to transmit the EPG database using the authentication information received through the authentication processing unit 32. To receive the EPG database from the content server 23. When the EPG receiver 33 requests the EPG database from the content server 23, the EPG receiver 33 may transmit information about a desired EPG type input from the image processing apparatus 13 through the EPG interface 34.

The EPG interface 34 interfaces with the image processing apparatus 13 and transmits the EPG database received through the EPG receiving unit 33 to the image processing apparatus 13. Here, the image processing apparatus 13 is a device that performs various EPG related functions such as watching a broadcast or making a scheduled recording using an EPG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the digital broadcast receiver 40 according to the present invention may include a client device 41 and an image processor 42 of each embodiment described above.

Here, the image processing device 42 receives and processes a digital broadcast signal like a digital TV, outputs a video signal to be output to the display module and an audio signal to be output through the speaker, and also delivers the EPG to the client device 41. It refers to a device that can perform various functions related to EPG, such as watching or recording digital broadcasting using a database.

A specific embodiment of the digital broadcast receiver 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

The channel processor 42-1 constituting the image processor 42 may include a tuner, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter, a down converter, a VSB (Vestigial Side Band), and the like. Receives broadcast signals through various broadcast media, converts them into baseband signals through a tuner, and processes the converted signals through the configuration blocks as described above to form an audio signal in the form of a transport stream (TS). Outputs a video signal, and a PSIP (Program and System Information Protocol) signal.

The image signal processor 42-2 processes a signal in the form of a transport stream (TS) output from the channel processor 42-1, and generates and outputs a video signal to be output to the display module and an audio signal to be output through a speaker. For example, the image signal processor 42-2 decodes the audio data in the form of a transport stream so that it can be output through a speaker, and decodes the video data through the video display control unit 42-4. Output to module

The controller 42-7 collectively controls the digital broadcast receiver 40 and according to a signal input from the user interface 42-6 for interfacing with a user such as a keypad or a remote controller provided therein. Receive and process broadcast signals. In addition, the client device 41 is controlled to receive the EPG database from the EPG information service system 20, and the EPG database received through the client device 41 is stored and managed in the storage unit 42-5, The EPG processor 42-3 processes the EPG database according to the user input signal.

The EPG processor 42-3 processes the EPG database so that the EPG screen can be output to the display module.

The video display controller 42-4 synthesizes the video signal screen and the EPG screen output from the image signal processor 42-2 and outputs the synthesized video signal to the display module. Then, the user can select a channel through the EPG screen output to the display module and can also view the plot or detailed description of each broadcast program.

The image processing device 42 may be variously configured according to the shape, structure, or type of the digital broadcast receiver, in addition to those described above.

In addition, the client device 41 and the image processing device 42 may be integrally formed or may be configured separately. One example of integrally configuring the client device 41 and the image processing device 42 is to configure the client device in a digital TV.

According to the present invention, the EPG database generation operation is performed on the server side, so that a digital broadcasting receiver such as a digital TV using the same can immediately operate various EPG-related functions without consuming additional resources.

In particular, in digital broadcasting receivers such as digital TVs, work such as EPG database generation should be performed in parallel and should not impose any restrictions on the basic functions of digital broadcasting receivers. There is no need to consider a separate scenario to ensure compliance.

In addition, it is possible to smoothly operate the network EPG function even in a system in which there are limitations in using resources such as an embedded system, and smoothly manage tasks for other tasks. It essentially eliminates system errors that may appear when accessing a hard disk drive (HDD) or creating an EPG database.

Claims (11)

An authentication server connected to the client device through a communication network to perform subscriber authentication according to the request of the client device; An EPG management server which processes the collected electronic program guide (EPG) information to generate an EPG database; And And a content server that receives the EPG database from the EPG management server, connects with a client device via the communication network, and transmits the EPG database at the request of the client device authenticated through the authentication server. , The EPG database transmitted to the client device is configured according to the type of a specific database management system (DBMS) designated by the client device. The method of claim 1, The subscriber authentication information includes a unique identification information and a password of the client device, EPG information service system using a network. The method of claim 1, The authentication server transmits a cookie to the authenticated client device, and the client device is configured to inform the content server of the authentication status using the cookie. delete delete The method of claim 1, And the content server is configured to compress and transmit the EPG database information through the MPEG-2 method when transmitting the EPG database information to the client device. A network interface connected to the communication network of claim 1; An authentication processing unit which accesses the authentication server of claim 1 through the network interface unit to request authentication and receives authentication information transmitted from the authentication server; An EPG receiver connected to the content server of claim 1 through the network interface unit and receiving an EPG database from the content server using the received authentication information; And And an EPG interface unit for interfacing with another image processing apparatus and transferring the EPG database received through the EPG receiving unit to the image processing apparatus. The method of claim 7, wherein And the EPG receiving unit is configured to transmit information specifying an EPG type input from the image processing apparatus through the EPG interface unit when the EPG database is requested to the content server. A client device as claimed in claim 7 or 8; And It includes a video processing device that receives and processes a digital broadcast signal, outputs a video signal for output to a display module and an audio signal for output through a speaker, and provides an EPG related function using an EPG database delivered from the client device. Digital broadcast receiving device made by. The method of claim 9, And the client device and the image processing device are integrally formed. The method of claim 9, And the client device and the image processing device are separated.

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