KR101570537B1 - Apparatus and method for controlling broadcasting stream - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a broadcast stream control apparatus and method. According to the present invention, the broadcast contents can be continuously reproduced without stopping even if reception stop or buffering of the broadcast stream occurs.

Broadcast stream, buffering, interrupt

Description

[0001] Apparatus and method for controlling a broadcast stream [0002]

The present invention relates to a broadcast stream control apparatus and method.

As the use of the Internet increases rapidly, new businesses are constantly being created through the Internet and the area is also expanding. Recently, a variety of contents are provided using the Internet, and various broadcasting programs are converted into digital contents and are provided to users in real time or in a downloading manner according to the demands of computer users. Accordingly, a user can watch a specific broadcast program that he / she has not been able to watch in real time, regardless of time or place, in real time or in a downloading manner.

A set-top box developed and distributed today has a function of receiving not only terrestrial broadcasting and cable broadcasting but also VOD or IPTV broadcasting using the Internet.

However, in the conventional set-top box, if the reception stop or buffering occurs due to a network failure while viewing broadcast contents such as the VOD, broadcast contents can not be viewed until the network status is normalized again.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling a broadcast content in which playback of broadcast content is not interrupted even when reception of a broadcast stream for broadcast content is interrupted or buffered due to a network failure.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a broadcast content control apparatus including a receiver for receiving a first broadcast stream for broadcast content through a predetermined network; A buffer unit for temporarily storing the first broadcast stream; And a controller for controlling to receive a second broadcast stream for alternative contents having the same contents as the broadcast contents through another network when the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling broadcast content, the method comprising: receiving a first broadcast stream for broadcast content over a predetermined network; Temporarily storing the first broadcast stream; Detecting reception stop or buffering of the first broadcast stream; And receiving a second broadcast stream for alternative content having the same content as the broadcast content through another network.

The broadcast content control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may be provided in a set-top box.

The broadcast content control method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a computer-readable program and stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

According to the present invention, the broadcast contents can be continuously reproduced without stopping even if reception stop or buffering of the broadcast stream occurs.

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

1 is a configuration diagram of a broadcasting system including a broadcasting content control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a broadcasting system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a broadcasting station such as a terrestrial broadcasting station 20, a cable broadcasting station 21, and an IP broadcasting station 22 for broadcasting broadcast contents .

The broadcasting station transmits broadcast contents to a client in the form of a stream through a predetermined network.

For example, the terrestrial broadcasting station 20 transmits broadcasting contents through a terrestrial broadcasting network 30, the cable broadcasting station 21 transmits broadcasting contents through a cable broadcasting network 31, and the IP broadcasting station 22 Broadcasts the broadcast content through the IP broadcast network 32. [

According to an embodiment, the broadcasting station may further include a broadcasting station, for example, a satellite broadcasting station, which transmits broadcasting contents using another type of broadcasting network.

The broadcast stream for the transmitted broadcast content is provided to the client through each broadcast network corresponding to each broadcast station.

The broadcast stream for the broadcast content may include at least one of a video signal, a voice signal, and a data signal constituting broadcast content.

The video signal is displayed on the display of the terminal 40 of the client, for example, a television to implement an image of the content. The voice signal implements the voice of the contents through the speaker provided in the terminal 40.

The data signal may include text broadcast or EPG (Electronic Program Guide) information of the contents.

The broadcasting system 1 may include a set-top box 10. The set-top box 10 receives a broadcast stream representing broadcast contents from different broadcast networks 30, 31 and 32 and provides the broadcast stream to the client terminal 40.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the set-top box 10 may be a complex set-top box capable of receiving broadcast streams from a plurality of broadcast networks. Unlike a single set-top box, which receives broadcast streams from only one broadcast network, the composite set-top box can be used in a plurality of types of broadcast networks, such as terrestrial and cable broadcasting, Means a set-top box that receives a broadcast stream from a network and provides it to a user.

The set-top box 10 demultiplexes and decodes a broadcast stream received from the broadcast network 30, 31 and 32 to transmit a video signal, a voice signal or a data signal included in the broadcast stream to the terminal 40 of the client. Lt; / RTI >

Accordingly, the user can view the broadcast content transmitted from the broadcasting station through the terminal 40. [

2 is a block diagram of a broadcast content control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, a broadcast content control apparatus 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a receiver 11 for receiving a first broadcast stream for broadcast content over a predetermined network, A demultiplexer 12 for demultiplexing a broadcast stream, a decoder 13 for decoding the demultiplexed first broadcast stream, a buffer unit 14 for temporarily storing the first broadcast stream, The control unit 15 controls to receive a second broadcast stream for substitute contents having the same contents as the broadcast contents through another network when the reception of the broadcast contents is interrupted or buffering occurs.

Hereinafter, the operation of the broadcast content control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to a flowchart illustrating a broadcast content control method according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. .

The receiving unit 11 receives a first broadcast stream for broadcast contents through a predetermined network, for example, the terrestrial broadcast network 30, the cable broadcast network 31, and the IP broadcast network 32 shown in FIG. 1 (Step S41).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the receiver 11 may include two or more tuners or communication modules for receiving broadcast streams from the respective broadcast networks.

2, the receiver 11 includes a terrestrial broadcast tuner 111 for receiving a broadcast stream of terrestrial broadcast, a cable broadcast tuner 112 for receiving a cable broadcast stream, IP broadcast communication module. Accordingly, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives broadcast streams from a plurality of networks and provides broadcast contents to a user.

2, the terrestrial broadcast tuner 11 and the cable broadcast tuner 12 are shown as separate modules, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The broadcast content control apparatus 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a terrestrial broadcast tuner 11 and a cable broadcast tuner 12, And a single integrated tuner capable of receiving both broadcast streams of cable broadcasts.

According to an embodiment, the IP broadcast communication module 113 may receive a broadcast stream from the IP broadcast station 22 using a communication method such as LAN, WLAN, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, IR communication, Zigbee, .

The demultiplexer 12 demultiplexes the broadcast stream received by the receiver 11 and extracts a stream of the requested broadcast channel.

The decoder 13 decodes the demultiplexed stream into a video signal, a voice signal, or a data signal through a predetermined decoding algorithm.

The buffer unit 14 temporarily stores the first broadcast stream (step S42). The buffer unit 14 temporarily stores the first broadcast stream to compensate for a difference between a data transmission rate to the terminal 40 and a data processing rate of the demultiplexer 12 or the decoder 13.

Therefore, the first broadcast stream received by the receiver 11 is not transmitted to the terminal 40 immediately after being processed by the demultiplexer 12 and the decoder 13, May be stored for a period of time and then transmitted to the terminal 40.

If the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs (step S43), the controller 15 controls to receive a second broadcast stream for alternative content having the same content as the broadcast content through another network (Step S47).

That is, when receiving a first broadcast stream for a broadcast content viewed by a user, the control unit 15 stops receiving or buffering the first broadcast stream when a transmission interruption or delay occurs due to a network failure Can be detected.

For example, when the user slows down the transmission speed due to the failure of the IP broadcast network 32 while watching a specific program through the IP broadcast network 32, It can be detected that buffering occurs in the reception of one broadcast stream.

In this case, the control unit 15 controls the IP broadcast network 32 to transmit the second content to the second content, which is the same content as the program being watched, through another network, for example, the terrestrial broadcast network 30 or the cable broadcast network 31. [ It is possible to control to receive the broadcast stream.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the control unit 15 detects that the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs, the control unit 15 extracts, from the content information included in the first broadcast stream, (Step S44).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 may further include a transmitter 16 for transmitting a content search word to search for the substitute content through the other network (step S45).

For example, if the user stops receiving or buffering the first broadcast stream for the broadcast content while watching the movie " Matrix " as broadcast content through the IP broadcast network 32, May generate the content search word from content information included in the first broadcast stream, for example, a data signal for implementing a character broadcast, a caption, or an EPG.

According to an embodiment, the content search term may be a search term such as a type of the broadcast content, a title, a main actor, a production date, a production country, or a combination thereof.

For example, the content query for the movie 'Matrix' may be 'Cinema, Matrix, Keanu Reeves, USA'.

According to an embodiment, the content query may be a unique code assigned to the broadcast content.

The content search word generated in the above-described process can be transmitted to the corresponding broadcasting station through the other network. For example, when reception of the first broadcast stream through the IP broadcast network 32 is interrupted or buffered, the terrestrial broadcast network 30 and the cable broadcast network 31, which are broadcast networks different from the IP broadcast network 32, To the corresponding broadcasting station.

The broadcasting station receiving the content search word can search for the appropriate content, that is, the substitute content through the received content search word, and transmit the second broadcast stream for the searched content to the broadcast content control apparatus 10 of the present invention .

When the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs, the control unit 15 may determine the playback end point of the broadcast content based on the amount of data of the first broadcast stream temporarily stored in the buffer unit 14 (Step S46).

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a received broadcast stream according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives a first broadcast stream for broadcast content through a predetermined network.

As described above, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 of the present invention includes the buffer unit 14, and can temporarily store the received first broadcast stream before transmitting the received broadcast stream to the terminal 40.

In FIG. 3, the first broadcast stream is received from the time t0 and broadcast contents are watched. Then, it is possible to detect that a failure occurs in the predetermined network at time t1, and reception stop or buffering of the first broadcast stream occurs.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the first broadcast stream is buffered based on the amount of data of the first broadcast stream temporarily stored in the buffer unit 14. [ The playback end point of the broadcast content can be determined.

3, when the reception stop or buffering of the first broadcast stream is detected at the time point t1, the control unit 15 determines whether the first broadcast stream is stopped or buffered based on the amount of data of the first broadcast stream stored in the buffer unit 14 It is possible to determine the playback end point, e.g., t2, of the broadcast content represented by the broadcast content.

For example, when the amount of data stored in the buffer unit 14 is 5 Mbytes, the playback end point of the broadcast content can be determined three minutes after the buffering occurs.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 15 may control the reception of the second broadcast stream so that the substitute content is reproduced from a point of time before the reproduction end point of the broadcast content.

For example, when the reception of the first broadcast content is stopped or buffered, the control unit 15 searches the alternative content through the other network from the detection point of time, for example, t1. If the search is completed, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > broadcast stream. ≪ / RTI >

Then, it is possible to control the reception of the second broadcast stream such that the substitute contents are reproduced from a point of time before the reproduction end point of the broadcast contents, for example, a predetermined time before t2.

For example, when buffering occurs at a movie playback time of 1:00:00 while receiving a first broadcast stream for a movie 'Matrix' and watching the movie, the control unit 15 stores the data at 1:00:00 It is possible to determine that the reproduction end point of the movie 'matrix' is 1:05:00 based on the amount of data of the first broadcast stream stored in the buffer unit 14.

In this case, the controller 15 can search for and receive substitute contents having the same content as the movie 'matrix' through another network through the above-described process.

In this case, the control unit 15 may control the reproduction start point of the replacement content to be reproduced from the point of time preceding the reproduction end point 1:05:00 of the broadcast content by a predetermined time.

For example, when the playback start point of the replacement content is 1:04:50, which is 10 seconds ahead of the playback end point 1:05:00 of the broadcast content, The user can switch to the playback of the alternative content and control the user to continuously watch the content without stopping the viewing.

According to the embodiment, the controller 15 may control the reception of the second broadcast content so that the playback start time of the substitute content coincides with the playback end time of the broadcast content.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 15 may include information on a playback end point of the broadcast content in the content search word, and may receive a second broadcast stream corresponding to a portion of an alternative content from the broadcast station .

As a result, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 can receive a broadcast stream only for a part of content necessary for continuous viewing without providing all of the replacement content, and provide the broadcast stream to a user.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 of the present invention is able to transmit the second content of the substitute content through a network different from the network from which the first broadcast stream was received, The broadcast stream can be received and provided to the user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the reception of the first broadcast stream is normally resumed (step S48), the control unit 15 stops the reception of the second broadcast stream, (Step S49).

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, after receiving the second broadcast stream, if the previous network environment is restored to its original state, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 can resume the reception of the first broadcast stream .

In this case, the controller 15 may detect that the reception of the first broadcast stream is normally resumed, and suspend the reception of the second broadcast stream.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buffer unit 14 may temporarily store the second broadcast stream, so that even if the reception of the second broadcast stream is stopped, The reproduction can be continued. In FIG. 2, the playback of the replacement content is terminated at time t6.

In this case, the control unit 15 can determine the reproduction end point of the replacement content based on the amount of data of the second broadcast stream stored in the buffer unit 14. [

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 15 controls the reception of the first broadcast stream so that the reproduction of the broadcast content starts from a point of time before the reproduction end point of the replacement content .

For example, when the reproduction end point of the replacement content is determined to be 1:30:00, the reproduction point of the broadcast content due to the resumption of the first broadcast stream is 1:29:50 Can be controlled.

As a result, even if the reception of the second broadcast stream is interrupted, the user can continuously watch the corresponding content without stopping the playback of the content being viewed.

In addition, if the user pays a certain fee for the reception of the first broadcast stream, even if a network failure occurs temporarily, the first broadcast stream receiving service can be immediately provided when the failure is restored. This is advantageous in that when the viewing of the substitute content is charged or when the quality of the substitute content is poorer than the broadcast content, the quality of service is provided to the user through resumption of reception of the first broadcast stream.

According to the present invention, even when the reception of the first broadcast stream for the broadcast content is interrupted or buffered, the substitute content is searched for and the second broadcast stream is received, so that the viewer can continuously watch the corresponding content without stopping the viewing have.

In addition, when reception of the first broadcast stream is resumed, the content is immediately viewed using the first broadcast stream, thereby providing the original service requested by the user.

The above-described broadcast content control method of the present invention can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium manufactured as a program to be executed in a computer. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of storage devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like.

In addition, the broadcast content control apparatus 10 of the present invention is provided in a set-top box or a personal computer, and can control the reception of broadcast content and the like for content viewing.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 is a configuration diagram of a broadcasting system including a broadcasting content control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of a broadcast content control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a received broadcast stream according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a broadcast content control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (13)

A receiver for receiving a first broadcast stream including broadcast content over a predetermined network; A buffer unit for temporarily storing the first broadcast stream; And A control unit for receiving a second broadcast stream for substitute contents having the same content as the broadcast content through another network when reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs; And And a transmitting unit for transmitting a content search word corresponding to the broadcast content to receive the substitute content through the another network, The control unit If the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs, the content search word is automatically generated from the content information included in the first broadcast stream Broadcast content control device. delete delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the control unit determines a playback end point of the broadcast content based on the amount of data of the temporarily stored first broadcast stream when the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the control unit controls the reception of the second broadcast stream such that the substitute content is reproduced from a time point preceding a reproduction end point of the broadcast content by a predetermined time. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the control unit stops reception of the second broadcast stream and re-receives the first broadcast stream when reception of the first broadcast stream is normally resumed. The method comprising: receiving a first broadcast stream including broadcast content over a predetermined network; Temporarily storing the first broadcast stream; Detecting reception stop or buffering of the first broadcast stream; And And receiving a second broadcast stream for alternate content that is the same content as the broadcast content over another network, The step of receiving the second broadcast stream Automatically generating a content search word from the content information included in the first broadcast stream if the reception of the first broadcast stream is interrupted or buffering occurs; And transmitting the generated content query to receive the alternate content via the other network A method for controlling broadcast content. delete delete 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving of the second broadcast stream comprises: Determining a playback end point of the broadcast content based on the amount of data of the temporarily stored first broadcast stream; And Receiving the second broadcast stream such that the alternative content is reproduced from a time point preceding a playback end time of the broadcast content by a predetermined time; And controlling the broadcast contents. 8. The method of claim 7, Detecting that the reception of the first broadcast stream is normally resumed; And Stopping reception of the second broadcast stream and re-receiving the first broadcast stream; Further comprising the steps of: A set-top box having the broadcast content control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer-readable program for implementing the broadcast content control method according to any one of claims 7 to 10.

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