KR101936384B1 - Method and apparatus for providing playing list to force viewers to watch video - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a playlist for forced video viewing are provided. Providing a first type of playlist file including a list of fragmented files of the corresponding video according to a streaming request from a client to a client and providing a list of fragmented files to be played back when a playback time of the client exceeds the set time To the client, a second type of playlist file containing the playlist file. The playlist file of the first form does not include a setting directive and the playlist file of the second form includes the setting directive and the set time point is set based on an interval that must be reproduced in the moving picture provided to the client.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a playlist for forced video viewing,

The present invention relates to a data transmission method, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a play list for viewing media data such as moving pictures in a client terminal 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.

Live streaming service or VOD service, which provides multimedia data such as video, is generating new revenue through a successful monetization model and an advertisement model. The service provider can charge the advertiser for the advertisement while providing the advertisement image. For this purpose, the advertiser should expose the advertisement as much as he wants. That is, the user must be forced to view a certain amount of advertisements. For this purpose, it is necessary to prevent the control such as skipping in the section where the user should watch the advertisement. Conventionally, a method of blocking a seek function in an APP or a web, or hiding a use interface is used.

However, in the web browser of a small device using iOS, the UI is fixed to the entire screen for the video, and can not be changed by the program or the setting. Many video ad platforms have such a problem that they offer video services for certain devices (for example, IPhone) without advertising.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for enabling a client to view a specific moving picture such as an advertisement when multimedia data is served.

A method according to an aspect of the present invention is a method of providing a playlist file for playing a moving image to a client, the method comprising: receiving a first type playlist file including a list of fragmented files of the moving image according to a streaming request from the client; Providing to the client; Determining whether playback of the client has passed a set time; And providing a second type of playlist file including a list of pieces of pieces to be played back to the client when the set time has elapsed, wherein the first type of playlist file includes a setting directive The playlist file of the second form includes the setting directive, and the setting time is set based on a section that must be reproduced in the moving picture to be provided to the client.

The setting directive may be " EXT-X-ENDLIST ".

In this case, the step of determining whether the playback time of the client has exceeded the set time may include: calculating a playback elapsed time; And determining whether the playback elapsed time has passed the set time, and the playback elapsed time may be obtained by subtracting the playback start time from the current time.

In addition, the setting time may be calculated based on a condition of a setting time = entire section - (target section x 1/2), the whole section represents a whole section in which a moving picture to be provided to a client is reproduced, May be the maximum length of the media segment.

The providing of the playlist file of the second type to the client may include adding a last playlist file to a playlist file from a list of fragment files corresponding to a section that must be played back in the movie, Providing a playlist file; And adding the setting directive to the playlist file immediately before the playback of the last fragment file is completed to provide the playlist file of the second type.

The client is a device for providing a user interface (UI) for moving a playback position with respect to the entire screen when playing a moving image, and when the setting directive is not included in the playlist file, And if the playlist file includes the setting directive, display the UI on the full screen.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing a client with a playlist file for playing back moving pictures, comprising: a signal transmitting / receiving unit for transmitting / receiving signals through a network; And a processor connected to the transceiver and performing a playlist file providing process, the processor comprising: a request receiver for receiving a streaming request from the client; A playlist generating unit for generating a playlist file of a first type or a playlist file of a second type including a list of fragmented files of a corresponding video according to the streaming request; And providing the first type of playlist file if the playback of the client does not pass the set time, and if the playback does not pass the set time, Wherein the playlist file includes the setting directive, and the playlist file of the second form is not included in the playlist file, and the setting point of time is provided to the client And may be set based on an interval that must be reproduced in the moving image.

The setting directive may be " EXT-X-ENDLIST ".

The processor may include a playback elapsed time calculating unit that calculates a playback elapsed time by subtracting a playback start time from a current time, wherein the play list providing unit determines whether the playback elapsed time has passed the set time, And may provide the playlist file of the first or second type.

The set time is calculated based on a condition of a set time = total time - (target time x 1/2), the whole time represents a whole time period in which a moving picture to be provided to a client is played back, Lt; / RTI >

Meanwhile, the playlist providing unit may provide the playlist file of the first type by adding the last fragment file to the playlist file in the list of fragment files corresponding to the section that must be played back in the movie, The setting directive may be added to the playlist file to provide the playlist file of the second form immediately before the end of the playlist.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, a client can make sure that a specific video such as an advertisement video can be viewed. In addition, you can force your ad to be viewed without the help of apps or web programming on platforms other than these devices, as well as smaller devices using iOS.

1 is a diagram illustrating an advertisement image in a streaming service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart of a method of providing a playlist according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an example of a playlist file according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an exemplary view showing a playlist file of a second form according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a playlist providing 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 method and apparatus for providing a playlist for forced video viewing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The client-driven streaming service is widely used by using the standard HTTP protocol. The standard HTTP protocol is used by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to provide a variety of multimedia services as well as streaming services through the web. Text Markup Language). HTML5 defines a video tag and an audio tag so that a web browser can play a video without a separate plug-in. As a result, it is now possible to play back video easily through a web browser in a mobile terminal which is difficult to install a separate plug-in. HTTP streaming (HTTP Live Streaming, hereinafter referred to as HLS) is widely used as a method of providing a streaming service using the HTML5 protocol, such as HTTP sequential download method and HTTP live streaming method. The HLS method is applicable to both video on demand (VOD) and live services.

Such an HLS streaming service can provide advertisements. Generally, as a method of providing a video advertisement, a client receives advertisement information from an advertisement template such as a VAST (Video Ad Serving Template), and receives and reproduces the advertisement image and the content image at an appropriate time based on the information Method. Some clients can not automatically move to the content video if they do not notify the end of the advertisement video at the appropriate time, that is, only in the Live mode.

1 is a diagram illustrating an advertisement image in a streaming service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

1, when the streaming service is provided, the streaming server can transmit the image and the advertisement image to the client.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the advertisement is provided by the HLS streaming service, the advertisement can be skipped by excluding the "EXT-X-ENDLIST" directive at the time of advertisement transmission, -ENDLIST " directive to allow the user to skip the content by skipping the advertisement. Prevents users from skipping parts of the ad. A client represents a user equipment having a function of receiving and reproducing media data (video, etc.) through a network. Here, the forced viewing of the advertisement image is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the advertisement image, and can be applied to all media data requiring forced viewing.

In the HLS streaming service, when a streaming server provides media data to a client, the media data is recorded in a file having a small length (for example, MPEG- 2 Transport Stream (TS) file), and provides the client with a playlist file that is meta information of the fragmented files. 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.

The client downloads the playlist file (e.g., M3U8 file) from the streaming server using the HTTP protocol, downloads the specified fragment file (e.g., TS file) from the playlist file, and sequentially plays back the stream. As a result, the user feels as if a single large file is being played.

On the other hand, in a client such as a small device using iOS, depending on whether or not "EXT-X-ENDLIST" is included in the playlist file, a UI (user interface) for moving the playback position The client determines to show / hide the playback position movement UI, that is, when the client includes " EXT-X-ENDLIST " in the playlist file, . On the other hand, if the playlist file does not contain " EXT-X-ENDLIST ", the hide of the playback position movement UI is determined and the playback position movement UI is not exposed.

In the embodiment of the present invention, by using the " EXT-X-ENDLIST " processing operation in a client such as a small device using iOS, it is possible to forcibly reproduce a specific moving image, for example, .

2 is a flowchart of a method of providing a playlist according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, when the streaming server receives a streaming request for a streaming URL (uniform resource locator) from an arbitrary client (S100), the streaming server provides the client with a video file corresponding to the received streaming request. In this case, a video file corresponding to the advertisement video may be provided first to the client for advertisement exposure, and then a video file corresponding to the streaming request may be provided. The order of providing the moving picture file for the advertisement image is not limited to this.

When providing a video file for the advertisement video, the streaming server provides a playlist file including a list of the fragmented files constituting the video file for the advertisement video.

First, in an embodiment of the present invention, the streaming server provides a playlist file of the first type. That is, the first type playlist file not including the setting directive "EXT-X-ENDLIST" is provided (S110).

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an example 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.

According to the playlist file exemplified in Fig. 3, there are " media0.ts, media1.ts, media2.ts ", and the maximum playback time of the files included in the list is " 11 seconds " , And a list (also called a chunk list) of fragmented files associated with the video. The list of fragmented files is additionally provided considering the progress of the streaming service.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the streaming server can track the playback time in the player of the client and add the fragment file corresponding to the tracked playback time to the playlist. In the HLS streaming service, whenever a client receives a fragmented file, a new connection is made. Therefore, when a specific client requests, the session management is performed to manage the history of the first requested time. To do this, add the session ID to the path URL of the playlist file (the session ID represents information such as a string that can identify the session). The streaming server uses the session ID as an identifier for managing player playback information such as 'player's first access time' and 'last requested time'. The streaming server manages playback information according to the request based on the session ID included in the streaming URL included in the streaming request. For example, the point in time at which the streaming request of the corresponding session ID is first requested can be set as the playback start time.

In HLS streaming, the time of content is determined to be equal to the actual time. For example, if n seconds have elapsed since you started playback, the streaming server appends the slice file to play in n seconds to the playlist file. Specifically, if the player of the client knows when playback has started, the streaming server can know the "current time - playback start time = playback elapsed time" and add the fragment file corresponding to the elapsed playback time to the playlist file . In an embodiment of the present invention, after the streaming server provides the client with a playlist file composed of a list of pieces of pieces of pieces of pieces of setting, the streaming server calculates the elapsed playback time based on the playback start time and the current time, The file is additionally provided in the playlist file.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the streaming server calculates the elapsed playback time (S120), and determines whether the set time has elapsed based on the elapsed playback time (S130). Here, the setting time is a point at which the end of the video currently being reproduced must be notified to the client. The setting time can be calculated, for example, as follows.

Here, the whole section represents the entire section in which the moving picture file provided to the client is reproduced, and the target section (for example, (EXT-X-TARGETDURATION)) means the maximum length of the media segment.

If the elapsed playback time does not pass the set time, the streaming server adds the fragmented file corresponding to the playback elapsed time to the playlist file. That is, the playlist file corresponding to the playback elapsed time is additionally provided to the playlist file. At this time, the playlist file provided additionally is the first type playlist file not including " EXT-X-ENDLIST & . Therefore, as the first type of playlist file is provided, a client such as a small device using iOS does not include " EXT-X-ENDLIST " in the playlist file. . As a result, since the playback position movement UI is not displayed on the player of the client, the user can not perform the playback position change such as skipping with respect to the playback image. Therefore, the user forcibly watches the image reproduced by the player of the client.

On the other hand, if the elapsed playback time exceeds the set time, the streaming server adds the fragment file corresponding to the playback elapsed time to the playlist file. Specifically, the streaming server provides the fragment file corresponding to the elapsed playback time to the playlist file And provides the playlist file as a second type playlist file including " EXT-X-ENDLIST " (S150).

4 is an exemplary view showing a playlist file of a second form according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 4, the playlist file of the second type includes pieces of files (TS files) to be played back as " media8.ts, media9.ts, media10.ts ", and the maximum playback time of the files included in the list Quot ;, " 11 seconds ", and in particular includes a specific directive "# EXT-X-ENDLIST ". &Quot; EXT-X-ENDLIST " is an instruction indicating that there is no more fragmented file to be reproduced in the playlist file. In the embodiment of the present invention, it serves as an indicator indicating that there is no fragmented file to be forcibly reproduced.

At this time, the last fragment file is added to the play list file in the list of fragment files corresponding to the section to be necessarily viewed, and "EXT-X-ENDLIST" is added to the play list file immediately before the reproduction of the last fragment file ends can do.

As the second type of playlist file is provided, a client such as a small device using iOS includes "EXT-X-ENDLIST" in the playlist file, so the playback position movement UI is displayed. As a result, the playback position movement UI is displayed on the player of the client, so that the user can perform playback change such as skipping on the image to be played back.

Through this process, when providing a list of fragmented files corresponding to a section that must be reproduced in the moving image file, the first type of playlist file not including " EXT-X-ENDLIST "Quot; EXT-X-ENDLIST " is provided, the client can forcibly reproduce the corresponding section by providing the second-type playlist file.

On the other hand, after the reproduction elapsed time has elapsed from the set time point, the streaming server provides the second type of playlist file including " EXT-X-ENDLIST "Quot; EXT-X-ENDLIST " after the last fragmented file of the corresponding movie file while providing a playlist file containing the fragmented file, indicating that the fragmented file is the last reproduced file.

5 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a playlist providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The apparatus 100 for providing playlists 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 playback elapsed time calculating unit 120, a playlist generating unit 130, and a playlist providing unit 140.

The request receiving unit 110 is configured to receive a streaming request to the client.

The playback elapsed time calculating unit 120 is configured to calculate the playback elapsed time of the moving picture based on the current time from the playback start time of the client.

The playlist generating unit 130 is configured to compare the elapsed playback time with the set point and generate a playlist file of the first type or generate a playlist file of the second type according to the result. EXT-X-ENDLIST ", if the playback elapsed time does not pass the set time, generates a first-type play list file that does not include the setting directive " EXT-X-ENDLIST "Quot; -X-ENDLIST ".

The playlist providing unit 140 is configured to provide the playlist file delivered by the playlist creating unit 130 to 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 of providing a client with a playlist file for playing a movie,
Providing a client with a first type of playlist file including a list of fragmented files of a corresponding video according to a streaming request from the client;
Determining whether playback of the client has passed a set time; And
Providing a second type of playlist file to the client, the second type of playlist file including a list of fragmented files to be played back if the set time has elapsed
/ RTI >
Wherein the playlist file of the first type does not include a setting directive, the playlist file of the second type includes the setting directive, and the setting time is based on an interval that must be reproduced in the moving picture provided to the client . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the setting directive is EXT-X-ENDLIST " indicating that there is no more fragmented file to be reproduced in the playlist file. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the step of determining whether playback of the client has exceeded a set time,
Calculating a reproduction elapsed time; And
Determining whether the playback elapsed time has passed the set time point
/ RTI >
Wherein the playback elapsed time is obtained by subtracting the playback start time from the current time. The method according to claim 1,
The set time is calculated based on a condition of a set time = total time - (target time x 1/2), the whole time represents a whole time period in which a moving picture to be provided to a client is played back, Length. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein providing the second type of playlist file to the client comprises:
Providing a playlist file of the first type by adding a last fragment file to a playlist file from a list of fragment files corresponding to a section that must be played back in the movie; And
Adding the setting directive to the playlist file immediately before the end of the play of the last fragment file to provide the playlist file of the second form
/ RTI > The method according to claim 1,
The client is a device for providing a user interface (UI) for moving a playback position with respect to the entire screen when playing a moving image, and when the setting directive is not included in the playlist file, And displaying the UI on the full screen if the playlist file includes the setting directive. In a device for providing a client with a playlist file for playing a movie,
A signal transmitting / receiving unit for transmitting / receiving a signal through a network; And
A processor coupled to the transceiver and performing a playlist file providing process,
The processor comprising:
A request receiving unit for receiving a streaming request from the client;
A playlist generating unit for generating a playlist file of a first type or a playlist file of a second type including a list of fragmented files of a corresponding video according to the streaming request; And
If the playback of the client does not pass the set time, providing the playlist file of the first type, and if the playout does not pass the set time, transmitting the playlist file of the second type to the client Provided playlist offerings
/ RTI >
Wherein the playlist file of the first type does not include a setting directive, the playlist file of the second type includes the setting directive, and the setting time is based on an interval that must be reproduced in the moving picture provided to the client Set. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the setting directive is " EXT-X-ENDLIST " indicating that there is no fragmented file to be played back in the playlist file. 8. The method of claim 7,
The processor
A playback elapsed time calculating unit for calculating a playback elapsed time by subtracting a playback start time from a current time,
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the playlist providing unit determines whether the elapsed playback time has passed the set time point and provides the playlist file of the first or second type according to a result of the determination. 8. The method of claim 7,
The set time is calculated based on a condition of a set time = total time - (target time x 1/2), the whole time represents a whole time period in which a moving picture to be provided to a client is played back, Length. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the playlist providing unit comprises:
The playlist file of the first type is added by adding the last fragment file to the playlist file in the list of fragment files corresponding to the section to be necessarily reproduced in the moving picture, And adds a directive to the playlist file to provide the playlist file of the second type. 8. The method of claim 7,
The client is a device for providing a user interface (UI) for moving a playback position with respect to the entire screen when playing a moving image, and when the setting directive is not included in the playlist file, And displays the UI on the full screen if the playlist file includes the setting directive.

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