KR101841259B1 - Method and apparatus for tracking video playing of client - Google Patents

Abstract

A video viewing and tracking method and apparatus of a client are provided. A first playlist file including a set number of fragmented files among all the fragmented files constituting the VOD file corresponding to the video on demand (VOD) request from the client is provided to the client. Then, when a playlist request is input from the client, the playback state of the fragmented files of the client is predicted, and a second playlist file including a list of pieces of fragmented files of the set number is generated based on the prediction result and provided to the client.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a video tracking method and apparatus for a client,

The present invention relates to a tracking method, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for tracking video watching of a client, such as a client, at a server terminal.

In accordance with the development of network related technology, various types of contents are provided through a network, and advertisements are provided in addition to contents. Advertisements on the network are provided using various types of exposure schemes.

In the case of live streaming services that play multimedia data in real time, advertisements are provided in the middle of live video (for example, between programs and programs, and airborne alternatives in baseball). In the streaming service, the video advertisement can be provided through a client side advertisement insertion (client side ad insertion) method and a server side advertisement insertion (server side ad insertion) method. In the case of live streaming, the user can not view the past screen. In order to solve such a problem, a VOD (Video on Demand) service is provided to the user while backing up the image to the server in real time.

The VOD service generates and stores a VOD file, and provides a corresponding VOD file to the user according to a request from the user.

In a live streaming service, a streaming server and a real-time streaming encoder are used. In a VOD service, a streaming server and a video file are used. For example, in order to expose the advertisement image on the streaming server, the advertisement image is previously included in the moving image in the encoding step. Specifically, the LIVE / VOD image and the advertisement image are combined into one image before the encoding, and the processed one image is provided to the client through one streaming session. Alternatively, the LIVE / VOD image and the advertisement image may be separately encoded, and the LIVE / VOD image and the advertisement image may be provided through separate streaming sessions.

The VOD service is generating new revenue through a successful monetization and advertising model. The service provider can charge the advertiser for the cost of providing the advertisement image. For this purpose, it is important for the service provider to see the advertisement. In general, a player or a web browser used in a user apparatus provides tracking information according to reproduction of an advertisement image to a server. The server collects reproduction information of the advertisement image based on the tracking information, It is used as a basis for charging.

In the case of the VOD service, since the size of the buffer varies depending on the player used in the user apparatus, it is difficult for the server to precisely know the reproduction position of the player by only the data transmitted to the client, unless the client gives such additional information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for tracking a video viewing state of a user's advertisement or the like on a server without information from a client.

A method according to an aspect of the present invention is a method of tracking video watching on a client, comprising the steps of: receiving, from a client, a list of fragmented files of a set number of all fragmented files constituting a VOD file corresponding to a video on demand Providing a first playlist file to the client; Predicting a playback state of the fragmented files of the client when a playlist request is input from the client; Generating a second playlist file including a list of pieces of pieces of pieces of files based on the prediction result; And providing the second playlist file to the client.

Wherein the predicting step comprises: calculating a request input time, which is a time from when the first playlist file is provided until an additional playlist request is input; And predicting a playback state of the fragmented files included in the first playlist file of the client based on the request input time and the segment interval corresponding to the playback time of the fragmented file.

Wherein the generating the second playlist file comprises: comparing the request input time with a set interval; Wherein when the request input time is shorter than the set interval, a fragmented file that has not yet been reproduced from the fragmented files included in the first playlist file, which is a playlist file previously provided based on the prediction result, Generating a second playlist file including a list of fragment files corresponding to the order in which the last fragment file included in the list file should be played; And, if the request input time is greater than or equal to the setting interval, generating a list of fragmented files corresponding to the order in which the last fragment file included in the first playlist file is to be reproduced 2 < / RTI > playlist file.

Here, the setting interval may be a sum of segment intervals of all the fragmented files included in the playlist file, and may correspond to a time required to reproduce all the fragmented files included in the playlist file.

The method may further comprise the step of, when a last slice file of the VOD file is included in the second playlist file before providing the second playlist file to the client, Into the playlist file.

The method may include providing, as an argument, an ID capable of identifying a session after the path of the fragment file included in the playlist file, and session management may be performed based on the ID.

The VOD image may be an advertisement image.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for tracking video watching on a client, comprising: a signal transmitting / receiving unit for transmitting / receiving signals through a network; And a processor connected to the transceiver and performing a moving picture providing process, the processor comprising: a request receiver configured to receive a video on demand (VOD) request and a playlist request from the client; A playback predictor configured to predict a playback state of the fragmented files of the client; A playlist generation unit configured to generate a playlist file including a list of pieces of fragmented files of all the fragmented files constituting the VOD file corresponding to the request, based on the prediction result of the reproduction predictor; And a playlist providing unit configured to provide the playlist file to the client through the transceiver, wherein the playlist file is provided every time a playlist is requested from the client.

Wherein the reproduction predicting unit calculates a request input time which is a time from when the first playlist file is provided until when an additional playlist request is input, and when the request input time and the segment interval The playback state of the fragmented files included in the playlist file previously provided to the client can be predicted.

The playlist generation unit may generate a playlist file that is not yet played back from the fragmented files included in the first playlist file, which is a playlist file previously provided based on the prediction result, And to generate a second playlist file including a list of fragment files corresponding to the order that should be played after the last fragment file contained in the first playlist file; A second playlist file including a list of fragmented files corresponding to a sequence of playing back after the last fragment file included in the first playlist file based on the prediction result, if the request input time is greater than or equal to the setting interval, May be configured to generate a playlist file.

The setting interval may be a sum of segment intervals of all the fragmented files included in the playlist file, and may correspond to a time required to reproduce all the fragmented files included in the playlist file.

The apparatus further includes a tracking processing unit for tracking to what extent the client reproduces the fragmented files corresponding to the VOD file based on the prediction result of the reproduction prediction unit and the playlist file provided to the client by the playlist providing unit can do.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when providing an advertisement in a server, a server can track whether or not to watch a video, such as an advertisement of a client, and a viewing state, without information from a client. Therefore, video viewing and tracking such as accurate advertisement can be performed without information from the client, and the advertisement cost can be accurately calculated based on the tracked information.

1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an advertisement provided by a VOD service.
2 is a flowchart of a moving picture viewing tracking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an illustration of a playlist file according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a moving picture viewing and tracking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are denoted by like reference characters throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

Hereinafter, a moving picture viewing tracking method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an advertisement provided by a VOD service.

1, a list of media data that can be streamed to a user is provided to a client through a web page built in the web server, the client requests a service for the desired media data, Media data corresponding to a client's request among the stored media data is provided to provide a streaming service. The media data may be a content video or an advertisement video. A client represents a user equipment having a function of receiving and reproducing media data (video, etc.) through a network.

The VOD service is a method by which the server provides data as requested by the client. In this case, since the size of the buffer varies depending on the player used by the client, the server can not know the playback position of the player only by the data transmitted to the client.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the server predicts the video playback of the client and provides the corresponding playlist. Accordingly, without any additional information from the client, it is possible to track how much the video playback of the client is performed by the server itself. Here, the tracking of the advertisement image in the moving image will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the advertisement image, but can be applied to all media data requiring tracking.

When the streaming server provides the media data to the client, the media data is recorded in a file having a small length (for example, MPEG-2 Transport Stream (TS), for example, 10 seconds ) File), and provides a playlist file, which is meta information of the fragmented files, to the client. The playlist file can use an M3U8 file that uses SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) syntax, which is a type of XML (Extensible Markup Language), and is also referred to as a manifest file. One video fragment file, i.e., one TS file, is composed of a plurality of TS packets each having a size of 188 bytes. One TS packet includes a header and a payload. The header includes various information do. For example, it may include a PID (packet identifier) and a CC (continuity counter) for distinguishing data to be sent to the payload of the TS packet.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the VOD request from the client is received, the moving picture viewing tracking device, i.e., the server, provides the playlist file for all fragmented files constituting the VOD file corresponding to the VOD request to the client at one time Predicts the playback situation in the client at every VOD request of the client, and provides the playlist file of the fragmented files corresponding to the number. The playlist file includes a list of pieces of files (TS files), i.e., a list of chunks.

2 is a flowchart of a moving picture viewing tracking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, when the server receives the VOD request from the client, it obtains the VOD file corresponding to the VOD request from the storage device (not shown). In this case, the VOD file corresponding to the advertisement image may be first provided to the client for advertisement exposure, and then the VOD file corresponding to the VOD request may be provided. The order of providing the VOD file for the advertisement image is not limited to this.

In case of providing the VOD file for the advertisement image, instead of providing the playlist file including the list of all the fragment files constituting the VOD file for the advertisement image, the server first sets the list of the fragment files of the first set number To the client (S100, S110). For example, the first set number may be "3 ", and the server first provides the client with a playlist file that contains a list of three fragmented files. The first set number may vary depending on the characteristics of the player and the like.

After the server provides the playlist file, if the playlist request is input from the client again (S120), the server provides the playlist file containing the list of played back fragmented files to the client. For convenience of description, a previously provided playlist file is referred to as a " first playlist file ", and a playlist file provided according to the current playlist request is referred to as a "playlist file ".

After providing the first playlist file, the server predicts the playback state of the client and provides a playlist file based on the predicted playback state. Specifically, the time from when the first playlist file is provided to the time when an additional playlist request is input (which is called a request input time for convenience of explanation) is calculated and a second playlist file is generated based on the calculated time ).

It is possible to predict to what extent the fragment files included in the first playlist file are reproduced by the client based on the relationship between the segment interval indicating the interval of the fragment files included in the playlist file and the request input time. For example, assume that the segment interval is "1 second" and that a list of three fragmented files, i.e., 1TS, 2TS, 3TS, is transmitted in the first playlist file. In this state, when a new playlist request is input after 2 seconds, that is, a time from when the first playlist file is provided until a new playlist request is input, that is, when the request input time is "2 seconds & , The client 1TS and 2TS included in the first playlist file are predicted to be in a playback state (S140).

If the request input time is smaller than the setting interval, the server determines whether or not the fragment file that has not yet been reproduced among the fragment files included in the first playlist file and the sequence that should be played after the last fragment file included in the first playlist file And provides the second playlist file to the client (S150, S160). Here, the setting interval corresponds to the sum of the segment intervals of all the fragment files included in the first play list file, and corresponds to the time required to reproduce all the fragment files included in the first play list file.

For example, if the segment interval is "1 second " and a list of three TS files is provided, the setting interval may be" 3 seconds ". If the request input time is, for example, 2 seconds and smaller than the setting interval, the piece file 3TS that has not yet been reproduced among the fragment files included in the first play list file, 4TS, and 5TS, and provides the second playlist file. If the request input time is "1 second ", a second playlist file including a list of 2TS, 3TS, and 4TS is generated and provided.

On the other hand, if the request input time is equal to or larger than the set interval, a second playlist file including a list of fragmented files corresponding to the order to be played after the last fragmented file included in the first playlist file is generated To the client (S170). For example, when the request input time is "3 seconds ", a second playlist file including a list of 4TS, 5TS, and 6TS is generated and provided. If the request input time is "8 seconds" larger than "3 seconds ", a second playlist file including a list of 4TS, 5TS and 6TS is generated and provided.

If the number of fragmented files included in the second playlist file is a second set number, the first set number and the second set number are the same, but may be different from each other. If the number of fragment files included in the playlist file is large, the client may try to retrieve the fragment files in the playlist file as soon as possible. In this case, The first and second set numbers can be appropriately selected. In the embodiment of the present invention, the number of the minimum fragmented files that can perform normal playback operation of the client and minimize the buffering For example, three), the first and second set numbers can be set.

In the above manner, while providing a play list file for fragment files constituting the VOD file for the advertisement video for each request from the client, the list of fragment files corresponding to the order And a playlist file.

When generating the playlist file, if the last fragment file of the VOD file for the advertisement image is included (S180), the server adds the tag "EXT-X-ENDLIST" to the end of the list to indicate that it is the last fragment file, A file is provided (S190). If the last fragmented file of the VOD file is not included, the corresponding playlist file is provided without the "EXT-X-ENDLIST" tag (S200).

For example, assuming that the number of all fragmented files in the requested VOD file is 100, there is a list of all 100 fragmented files (EXT-X-ENDLIST at the end of the list) The EXT-X-ENDLIST tag is provided at the time of providing the list of the 100th fragmented file. In this case, And provides the corresponding playlist file.

On the other hand, when the client requests the fragment file based on the play list file, the server provides the fragment file to the client, thereby playing back the fragment file on the client.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily track how much playback is proceeding in the client by providing the playlist file in response to the VOD request of the client for each playlist request of the client. In addition, when a player of a general client recognizes a live streaming, seek bars are not displayed in the playback window, and seeking by the client is not performed. Even if the navigation bar is displayed according to the player, the player only searches for a maximum of 3 seconds since the player list only the set number (3) of fragmented files (for example, 3 seconds of files) I can only. Even if the search is performed, the server periodically transmits the play list delivered to the player in accordance with the playback time, so that the player waits for the search and can not normally search the player.

On the other hand, when providing the playlist file, the server transmits an ID that can identify the session after the fragment file path as an argument so that the server can manage the session through the corresponding argument when requesting the fragment file of the subsequent client . When a client receives a fragment file, it performs a new connection. Therefore, when a specific client makes a request, the session management is performed to manage the history of the first requested time. Here, the session ID is used to identify the session, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

3 is an illustration of a playlist file according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The playlist file includes a directive (# EXTM3U) indicating that the file uses the M3U8 format, a directive (# EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE) indicating the serial number of the file to be played first, A directive (# EXT-X_TARGETDURATION) indicating the maximum playback time of each file listed in the list file, and a directive (#EXTINF) indicating the playback time of the TS file next to the directive. (# EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE) indicating whether or not to permit caching of fragmented files (chunk files) can be further included have. In addition, it may further include a directive (# EXT-X-ENDLIST) indicating that no more files are to be reproduced in the list file.

According to the playlist file exemplified in Fig. 3, there are " media0.ts, media1.ts, media2.ts "pieces of fragmented files (TS files) to be played back, the playback time of each TS file is" And the included reproduction time is "3 seconds ", which is a list of files related to the VOD image. Also, for session management, an ID such as "solsessionid = 1157801080" is provided.

4 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a moving picture viewing and tracking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The moving picture viewing and tracking apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a processor 11, a memory 12 and a transceiver 13 as shown in FIG. The processor 11 may be configured to implement the methods described above based on Figs.

The processor 11 includes a request receiving unit 110, a reproduction predicting unit 120, a playlist generating unit 130, a playlist providing unit 140, a tracking processing unit 150, and a file providing unit 160, . ≪ / RTI >

The request receiver 110 is configured to receive a VOD request and a playlist request to the client.

The reproduction predicting unit 120 calculates a request input time from when the client previously provided the playlist file to when the current playlist request is input to the client, And predicts to what extent the fragmented files included in the list file have been reproduced.

The playlist generation unit 130 is configured to generate a playlist file corresponding to the current playlist request based on the request input time, the setting interval, and the prediction result of the play prediction unit 120. [ Specifically, when the request input time is shorter than the set interval, the playlist generating unit 130 generates a playlist file that has not yet been played back among the fragment files included in the first playlist file, Generates a second playlist file including a list of fragment files corresponding to the order to be played after the last fragment file included in the first playlist file. On the other hand, if the request input time is equal to or larger than the setting interval, a second playlist file including a list of fragment files corresponding to the order to be played after the last fragment file included in the first playlist file is generated .

The playlist providing unit 140 is configured to provide the playlist file delivered by the playlist creating unit 130 to the client.

The tracking processing unit 150 may be configured to determine whether or not a piece of the fragmented files corresponding to the VOD file is to be reproduced by the client based on the prediction result of the reproduction prediction unit 120 and the playlist file provided to the client by the playlist providing unit 140, Is reproduced . Even if the playlist file is delivered to the client, if there is no request of the fragmented file included in the playlist from the actual client, it can be determined that only the fragmented file requested last by the client has been played back on the client. For example, if there is 11.TS, 12.TS, and 13.TS in the transferred playlist file but the last requested piece file is 10.TS, it is judged that only 10.TS has been played. Based on such tracking, for example, a charge for a commercial image or the like provided to a client in the future can be made.

The file providing unit 160 is configured to provide the corresponding fragment file to the client according to the fragment file request from the client.

The memory 12 is connected to the processor 11 and stores various information related to the operation of the processor 11. [ The transmission / reception unit 13 is connected to the processor 11 and transmits / receives signals to / from the client via the network.

The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described apparatuses and / or methods, but may be implemented through a program for realizing functions corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention, a recording medium on which the program is recorded And such an embodiment can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art from the description of the embodiments described above.

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, It belongs to the scope of right.

Claims (12)

In a method for tracking video watching on a client,
Providing a first playlist file to the client, the first playlist file including a set number of pieces of fragmented files among all fragmented files constituting a VOD file corresponding to a video on demand (VOD) request from the client;
Predicting a playback state of the fragmented files of the client when a playlist request is input from the client;
Generating a second playlist file including a list of pieces of pieces of pieces of files based on the prediction result; And
Providing the second playlist file to the client
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the generating the second playlist file comprises:
Comparing a request input time and a setting interval, which is a time from when the first playlist file is provided until an additional playlist request is input;
A fragmented file that has not yet been reproduced from fragmented files included in the first playlist file, which is a playlist file previously provided based on the prediction result, when the request input time is smaller than the set interval, Generating a second playlist file including a list of fragment files corresponding to the order in which the first fragment file included in the first playlist file is to be reproduced; And
A second playlist file including a list of fragmented files corresponding to a sequence of playing back after the last fragment file included in the first playlist file based on the prediction result, if the request input time is greater than or equal to the setting interval, Steps to create a playlist file
. ≪ / RTI > The method of claim 1, wherein
Wherein the predicting comprises:
Calculating the request input time; And
Predicting a playback state of the fragmented files included in the first playlist file of the client based on the request input time and the segment interval corresponding to the playout time of the fragmented file
. ≪ / RTI > delete The method of claim 1, wherein
Wherein the setting interval corresponds to a sum of segment intervals of all fragmented files included in the playlist file, and corresponds to a time required for all the fragmented files included in the playlist file to be reproduced. The method of claim 1, wherein
Prior to providing the second playlist file to the client,
If the last piece file of the VOD file is included in the second playlist file, including a tag indicating the last piece file in the second playlist file
≪ / RTI > The method of claim 1, wherein
Providing an ID that can identify a session after the path of the fragment file included in the playlist file as an argument, and performing session management based on the ID. The method of claim 1, wherein
Wherein the VOD image is an advertisement image. In a device for tracking video viewing on a client,
A signal transmitting / receiving unit for transmitting / receiving a signal through a network; And
And a processor connected to the transceiver unit and performing a moving image providing process,
The processor comprising:
A request receiver configured to receive a video on demand (VOD) request and a playlist request from the client;
A reproduction predicting unit configured to predict a reproduction state of the fragment files of the client;
A playlist generation unit configured to generate a playlist file including a list of pieces of fragmented files of all the fragmented files constituting the VOD file corresponding to the request, based on the prediction result of the reproduction predictor; And
A playlist providing unit configured to provide the playlist file to the client through the transceiver unit;
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the playlist generation unit comprises:
If the request input time, which is the time from when the first play list file is provided until the additional play list request is input, is smaller than the set interval, the first play list file And a second playlist file including a list of fragmented files corresponding to the order to be played after the last fragmented file included in the first playlist file ≪ / RTI > And
A second playlist file including a list of fragmented files corresponding to a sequence of playing back after the last fragment file included in the first playlist file based on the prediction result, if the request input time is greater than or equal to the setting interval, And to generate a playlist file,
Wherein the playlist file is provided for each playlist request from the client. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the reproduction prediction unit calculates the request input time and determines a playback state of the fragmented files included in the playlist file previously provided to the client based on the request input time and the segment interval corresponding to the playback time of the fragmented file Tracking device. delete The method of claim 8, wherein
Wherein the setting interval corresponds to a sum of segment intervals of all fragmented files included in the playlist file, and corresponds to a time required for all the fragmented files included in the playlist file to be reproduced. The method of claim 9, wherein
A tracking processing unit for tracking to what extent the client reproduces the fragmented files corresponding to the VOD file based on the prediction result of the reproduction prediction unit and the playlist file provided to the client by the playlist providing unit,
Further comprising:

Images