KR20140086429A - Content reproduction method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and a system for playing content. In the method for playing content using a player device which is linked with a service server, control information for playing the content according to the request is received after a content provision request for playing arbitrary content is transmitted to the service server. Then, whether to perform a section replay is determined to play the content by using at least one of a playback history of the content and the control information according to a content type.

Description

[0001] Content reproduction method and system [0002]

The present invention relates to a content playback method and system capable of selectively and continuously playing back only a content section according to a playback section selected by a user.

With the development of information and communication technology, there is provided a service capable of downloading various contents such as movies, dramas, and the like, in addition to real-time broadcasting provided by broadcasters through television. In other words, even if the user does not take the real-time broadcast provided by the broadcasters, the user can continuously play the desired broadcast content in his or her leisure time. The service is increasingly in line with the needs of busy modern people.

For example, the user can manipulate the television through an input device such as a remote controller to request the VOD for the mini series, and then play back the VOD provided by the program provider through the television and watch. However, in the case of continuously viewing such series contents on the television, it is also possible to repeatedly watch a specific section (for example, a title song playback section, a past story playback section, a next-party trailer playback section, an ending playback section, There is an inconvenience that it is required to operate the input device such as a remote controller to skip the corresponding iterative section.

The present invention provides a content playback method and system capable of selectively continuously playing back only content segments according to a playback option selected by a user.

The present invention also provides a content playback method and system capable of skipping and playing back a specific section repeatedly provided for a content provided as a series.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus capable of continuously reproducing only a selection section of contents according to a playback option selected by a user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a content distribution system including: a communication unit for transmitting a content providing request for reproducing a content to a service server and receiving control information necessary for reproducing the content from the service server; And a controller for determining whether to reproduce the content by using at least one of the playback history of the content and the control information according to a content type of the content.

And a memory for storing a reproduction history of each of the reproduced contents, wherein the reproduction history may include a reproduction date and time when each content is reproduced.

The content type may be one of a fragment and a series, and the control information may include time information for interval reproduction of the content.

The time information may be at least one of a start time and an end time of a section to be reproduced, a time information of a skip section excluding a section to be reproduced, and time information of each section.

If the content type is a series, the control unit may determine that the playback of the content is within the reference date and time, and that the content stream received from the service server is played back by using the time information .

Wherein the content providing request further includes a playback option, wherein the controller controls to display a playback option selection menu for section playback of the content when the content type is a series, If the option is selected, the content providing request including the playback option can be controlled to be transmitted to the service server.

The control information may further include an interval playback setting indicating whether or not interval playback is enabled, and the controller may control the selection interval corresponding to the playback option to be played using the time information when the interval playback setting is active.

Wherein the playback history further includes a playback option for the content, wherein, when the content type is the series, the control unit uses the time information included in the control information to select a playback interval based on the playback option included in the playback history Can be regenerated.

If the content type is a series, the control unit may control the selection section corresponding to the playback option to be continuously played back to the next content using the time information included in the control information.

Wherein the controller further stores the time information in the playback history corresponding to the playback option when the content type is the series, and when the subsequent content is continuously played back, receiving the control information separately from the service server It is possible to control to reproduce the selection section using the playback option and the time information stored in the playback option.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a content management system comprising: content management means for generating and managing content according to any one of the sections of the content or a combination of the sections; Communication means for receiving a content provision request for content reproduction including a playback option from a playback device; And content providing means for searching the content management section for a content including a selection section according to the playback option, and for providing a content stream for the content to the playback device.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, content management means for managing skip control information for each content and each content; Communication means for receiving a content provision request including a playback option from the playback device; And content providing means for extracting content according to the request and skip control information for a skip interval according to the playback option through the content management means and providing the skip control information to the playback device, The control unit controls to skip a predetermined section of the content received through the content providing unit and reproduce the content.

The skip control information is time information for skipping a remaining section excluding a content section according to the playback option.

The content is transmitted to the playback device in a streaming fashion, wherein the skip control information may be transmitted to the playback device upon initial transmission of the content stream or during transmission of the content stream to the playback device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of continuously playing back only a selection section of contents according to a playback option selected by a user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of reproducing content in association with a service server, the method comprising: transmitting a content providing request for playing back any content to a service server; Receiving control information necessary for content reproduction according to the request from the service server; And determining whether to reproduce the content by using at least one of the playback history of the content and the control information according to the content type of the content.

Wherein the control information includes time information on a content playback section, the playback history includes a playback date and time of the content, and the step of determining whether or not the content is played back in a segment includes: If the playback date / time is within the reference date / time, the playback can be determined as the interval.

And controlling the content stream received from the service server to be reproduced periodically using the time information after the determination of the period playback.

Wherein the step of transmitting the content providing request to the service server comprises the steps of: if the content type is a series, displaying a playback option selection menu for playing back the content; And transmitting the content providing request including the playback option to the service server if any of the playback option selection menu is selected as the playback option.

It is possible to continuously reproduce only the selection section of the content according to the playback option selected by the user by providing the content playback method and system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Further, the present invention can skip and reproduce a specific section repeatedly provided for a content provided as a series.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a content reproduction system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 abstractly depicts a configuration for content content in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a diagram illustrating a screen outputting a region selection menu according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a control message protocol between a playback device and a service server for playing back content according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a schematic view showing an internal configuration of a reproducing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a view showing a screen in which a playback option menu is displayed according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining selection period playback of contents according to a playback option according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of a service server according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a contents reproducing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an abstract configuration of content contents according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a section playback selection menu is output according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, a system for reproducing content according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a playback device 110 and a service server 120.

The playback device 110 is a device that interlocks with the service server 120 to periodically reproduce a specific content selected by the user. The playback device 110 receives control information corresponding to a control option according to at least one of the playback option selection menus selected by the user from the service server 120, Can be reproduced periodically.

In another example, if the content selected by the user is a series, the playback device 110 may determine whether to play the section by referring to the playback history of the content.

For example, when the playback date and time of the previous series of content to be played back is within the reference date and time, the playback device 110 analyzes the playback history and the playback device 110 transmits a content providing request including a playback option included in the playback history May be transmitted to the service server 120, and then at least one of the control information and the content stream for interval playback may be received and the interval may be controlled to be reproduced.

For example, if the content is a series, the playback device 110 displays a playback option menu for selecting whether to play the section, selects at least one playback option menu from the user as a playback option, And transmit the content providing request including the playback option to the service server 120. [

In the present specification, the playback option selection menu represents a menu interface for selecting either the section playback of the contents or the full playback of the contents.

For example, suppose that the content is divided into components as shown in FIG. 2 based on the content. When the user continuously reproduces the series content, it is possible to skip the section repeatedly reproduced in each series and to reproduce only the main section. Accordingly, when the content is selected, the playback device 110 can display a playback option menu (310 to 330 in FIG. 3) for interval playback to select a section to be played back from the user, as shown in FIG.

As another example, the playback device 110 may send a content provision request to the service server 120 that includes a playback option. In this case, the service server 120 may transmit the control information for content playback to the playback device 110, including time information for each section of the content. Accordingly, after the playback device 110 receives the control information from the playback device 110 without transferring the playback option to the service server 120, or receives the content stream from the service server 120, The playback option selection menu may be displayed on the screen, and then the playback option may be selected to play back only the selection section corresponding to the playback option using the time information included in the control information.

In another example, the playback device 110 transmits a content providing request including a playback option to the service server 120, receives a content stream including only a section according to the playback option from the service server 120 It is also possible to play back only the selection section according to the playback option.

The playback device 110 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be, for example, a computer, a notebook, a tablet PC, a mobile communication terminal, a set-top box, or the like.

The service server 120 is means for storing and managing a plurality of contents and providing at least one of the control information and contents necessary for reproducing the contents to the reproducing device 110 in accordance with the contents providing request of the reproducing device 110 .

Here, the control information may include time information of each section of the content, and may include time information of a section to be reproduced. Of course, the control information may include time information for a skip interval excluding a playback interval.

In addition to the time information, the control information may further include an interval playback setting for determining whether to play the interval. The interval playback setting may be any one of the interval playback enablement and the segment playback inactivation. Accordingly, when the control information includes the interval playback setting, the playback device 110 can determine whether to play the interval according to the interval playback setting. For example, if the section playback setting is the section playback activation, the playback device 110 can determine that the content is played back in an interval based on the playback option or the playback history.

For example, the service server 120 may receive a playback option from the playback device 110 during the transmission of the content stream according to the content request to the playback device 110, and in such a case, And may transmit the skip control information together with the content stream to the playback device 110 so that only the selection section is reproduced.

In another example, the service server 120 may re-process the content stream including the selection interval according to the playback option according to the content providing request including the playback option and transmit the same to the playback device 110.

In this specification, in order to facilitate understanding and explanation, it is assumed that time information about each section of the contents is acquired at the time of acquisition of control information (i.e., metadata related to contents reproduction) May be acquired and inserted into the header portion of the content stream.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, a brief description will be given of a message protocol for content playback between a playback device and a service server.

In this specification, it is assumed that a content is provided to a playback device in a streaming manner in order to facilitate understanding and explanation, and it is naturally understood that the present invention can be applied to all the contents downloaded and reproduced.

4 is a diagram illustrating a control message protocol between a playback device and a service server for playing back content according to an embodiment of the present invention. The playback device 110 and the service server 120 can exchange messages with each other using a real time streaming protocol (RTSP). The real-time streaming protocol will now be briefly described with reference to FIG. The playback device 110 requests and acquires content attribute information from the service server 120 before content playback. Referring to FIG. 4, the playback device 110 requests attribute information for a specific content through a DISCRIBE message, and the service server 120 transmits attribute information to the playback device (response attribute) in response to a DISCRIBE message 4), the attribute information may be a meta data format. Here, the attribute information is required for content reproduction such as start time, content length, speed information, content title, content resolution, and the like All information can be included.

According to the first embodiment, the content information including the interval playback setting and the time information corresponding to the content providing request of the playback device is provided to the playback device 110 together with other control information using the response message of the DISCRIBE message .

After acquiring the attribute information on the content necessary for the content reproduction, the playback device 110 requests the service server 120 to set a session (SETUP (transport header)) and sets the session of the service server 120 The session establishment process is completed according to the request response (RESPONSE (transport header)).

After the session establishment between the playback device 110 and the service server 120 is completed, the playback device 110 transmits a playback request (PLAY (position)) for content playback, And may receive and play the stream (RESPONSE ()) (420 in FIG. 4). At this time, the playback device 110 may transmit the playback request including the playback attribute information to the service server 120. The playback attribute information is attribute information for content playback, and may be, for example, speed information to be played back, time information about a playback point, and the like.

According to the second embodiment, the skip control information according to the playback option of the playback device 110 can be provided to the playback device 110 together with the transmission of the content stream in response to the playback request.

According to the third embodiment, the service server 120 may provide only the content for the selection interval according to the playback option to the playback device 110 according to the playback request.

If the user inputs (or receives) a command for stopping the content while receiving the content stream from the service server 120 and playing the content stream, the playback device 110 transmits a pause request (PAUSE ()) to the service server 120), and the service server 120 may transmit a response (RESPONSE ()) according to the suspend request to the playback device 110 (430 in FIG. 4). In this manner, when the service server 120 is temporarily suspended, the service server 120 may temporarily store the information about the point or time that has been temporarily suspended in the service server 120 according to the implementation method.

When the content playback ends or a content playback end command is input by the user, the playback device 110 can transmit a content playback end request (TEARDOWN ()) to the service server 120 as illustrated in 440 of FIG. 4 have. The service server 120 releases the session with the playback device 110 in response to the content playback end request from the playback device 110 and transmits a response RESPONSE () in response to the content playback end request to the playback device 110 .

The playback device 110 and the service server 120 can transmit and receive necessary information to each other using a real-time streaming protocol as shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing an internal configuration of a playback device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a view showing a screen in which a playback option menu is displayed according to an embodiment of the present invention, 7 is a diagram for explaining playback of a selection section of contents according to a playback option according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, a playback device 110 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 510, an input unit 515, a memory 520, and a control unit 525.

The communication unit 510 is a means for transmitting and receiving data with the service server 120 under the control of the control unit 525. [

For example, the communication unit 510 transmits a content providing request to the service server 120 under the control of the control unit 525, and transmits at least one of the control information and the content stream required for content reproduction from the service server 120 .

The input unit 515 is a means for receiving (or receiving) a control command for controlling the playback device 110, a command for controlling the execution of the application, etc. from the user.

The memory 520 stores various applications necessary for operating the reproducing device 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the memory 520 temporarily stores control information and a content stream necessary for reproducing the content provided from the service server 120. [ Also, the memory 520 may store the playback history of the reproduced contents. Here, the playback history may include at least one of a playback date and time when the content was played back, a content playback option, and control information including time information for interval playback according to the playback option.

The control unit 525 is a means for controlling the respective components (for example, the communication unit 510, the input unit 515, the memory 520, and the like) of the playback device 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention .

In addition, the control unit 525 controls to display the playback option selection menu for the content selected by the user, and controls to select one of the playback option selection menus as the playback option.

Depending on the implementation method, the playback option selection menu can be controlled to be displayed only when the content type is a series. To this end, the control unit 525 may receive each content type in the content list when the content list is provided from the service server 120. [

The playback option selection menu may be displayed before the content stream is reproduced, that is, when the content is selected according to the implementation method, or may be displayed during the playback of the content stream. 6 illustrates a screen in which a playback option selection menu (610 of FIG. 6) is displayed under the control of the control unit 525. [

For example, the control unit 525 may display a playback option menu for the content, transmit a content providing request including the selected playback option to the service server 120, And at least one of control information and contents including at least one of time information and time information from the service server 120. Accordingly, the controller 525 may determine whether to reproduce the content in accordance with the corresponding interval playback setting, and then, when the interval playback setting is the interval playback enable, the controller 525 may control to reproduce only the selection interval corresponding to the playback option using the time information (See FIG. 7).

As another example, assume that the playback date and time and the playback option for each content are stored in the playback history. The control unit 525 may skip the process of displaying the playback option selection menu for receiving the playback option from the user. For example, if the corresponding content is a series and the playback history is stored, the control unit 525 refers to the playback history to check whether the previous series playback date / time is within the reference date / time. If it is within the reference date / time, the control unit 525 controls the service server 120 to transmit a content providing request including a playback option to the service server 120 without receiving a playback option from the user, The service server 120 may receive at least one of the control information and the content stream including the time information for the playback of the selected section from the service server 120 and use the time information to play back only the selected section corresponding to the playback option.

As another example, the service server 120 may transmit control information including time information for each section of the content to the playback device 110. [ Accordingly, the playback device 110 may use the time information according to the playback option included in the playback history to control the playback device 110 to play back only the selection interval corresponding to the playback option.

For example, the controller 110 controls the content server 120 to transmit a content providing request including a playback option to the service server 120, and then transmits a content stream including only a selection interval according to a playback option from the service server 120 It may be provided from the service server 120 and reproduced.

The playback device 110 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be physically connected to a display device (not shown) to display content played through the display device. 5, it is assumed that the playback device 110 is physically connected to an independent display device to expose the content. However, the playback device 110 may include the output device in one configuration according to the implementation method Of course.

8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of a service server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8, the service server 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 810, a content management unit 815, a content providing unit 820, and a control unit 825 .

The communication means 810 is means for transmitting and receiving data to and from the reproduction device 110 through a communication network.

For example, the communication means 810 may receive a content provision request from the playback device 110 and output it to the content provision means 820. [ The communication means 810 may also transmit at least one of the control information and the content stream to the playback device 110 under the control of the content providing means 820. [

The content management means 815 stores and manages the various contents and various control information necessary for reproducing the contents corresponding to the respective contents in the metadata 830 in the metadata format. That is, the content management unit 815 can separately manage and store time information for each section of the content as metadata.

As another example, the content management means 815 may further store and manage partial contents according to a combination of at least one section or a plurality of sections among the entire sections of the contents.

In order to facilitate understanding and explanation, the present invention focuses on dividing contents into content standards and separately managing and storing time information for each section. However, according to the implementation method, the content management means 815 may separately register and manage time information according to each scene (for example, highlight, action, romance section, etc.).

The content providing means 820 provides at least one of the control information including the time information and the content stream to the playback device 110 so that the selection interval of the content according to the content providing request received through the communication means 810 can be reproduced .

According to the first embodiment, the content providing means 820 can provide the playback device 110 with control information including time information for each section of the content according to the content provision request. Accordingly, it is possible to control the reproduction device 110 to reproduce only the selection section corresponding to the reproduction option selected by the user using the time information included in the control information.

According to the second embodiment, the content providing means 820 is adapted to receive, via the content managing means 815, a content providing request including a playback option via the communication means 810, Acquire time information, and provide control information including time information to the playback device 110. [

According to the third embodiment, in addition to the time information, the content providing unit 820 includes, in addition to the time information, the section playback setting indicating whether or not the section is played back in response to the reception of the content providing request including the playback option of the second embodiment, Device 110 as shown in FIG.

Accordingly, the playback device 110 controls to reproduce only the selected section according to the playback option by using the corresponding time information, or when the section playback setting is the section playback activation, only the selected section corresponding to the playback option is played .

According to the fourth embodiment, the content providing unit 820 obtains the partial content including only the selection interval according to the playback option from the content management unit 815 according to the reception of the content providing request including the playback option, Or may be provided to the playback device 110 in a similar manner.

According to the fifth embodiment, in addition to the control and time information transmission for interval playback together with the control information according to the content providing request, the content providing unit 820 may be configured to transmit the control information and the time information, , And the skip control event for the skip interval may be transmitted together with the content stream as separate control information (hereinafter referred to as skip control information).

In such a case, the playback device 110 may receive the content stream from the service server 120 in the same manner as in the related art, and if the skip control information is received, the playback device 110 skips the section corresponding to the skip control information can do. Here, the skip control information may include time information (skip interval start time and skip interval end time) of the skip interval, or skip interval start time information of the interval to start replay.

In this specification, it is assumed that the playback history of each playback device 110 is separately stored and managed by the playback device 110. However, the playback history of each content for each playback device 110 may be separately And may be stored and managed by the server 120. In this case, the service server 120 determines whether or not the section is to be played back by referring to the playback history of the content requested to be provided by the playback device 110, and then transmits the control information including the time information and the content stream to the playback device 110 .

The control means 825 may include internal components (e.g., communication means 810, content management means 815, content provision means 820, etc.) of the service server 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In step 910, the playback device 110 selects one of the content lists and displays a playback option selection menu for playback of the selected content item. Here, the playback option selection menu is the same as the above-described menu interface for the playback of the contents section, so duplicated description will be omitted.

Further, the playback option selection menu may be implemented to be displayed for the case where the content type is a series.

In step 915, the playback device 110 receives at least one of the playback option selection menus from the user as a playback option.

When an arbitrary reproduction option selection menu is selected according to the implementation method, it is needless to say that a submenu may be displayed and a process for receiving selection from a user may be added.

In step 920, the playback device 110 transmits a content provision request including the selected playback option to the service server 120. [

For example, the playback device 110 may use the DISCRIBE message of the RTSP message to send a content provision request, including a playback option, to the service server 120.

In step 925, the service server 120 transmits control information including time information for interval playback according to the playback option to the playback device 110 in response to receiving the content providing request including the playback option. Here, in addition to the general control information for content reproduction, the control information may further include an interval playback setting for interval playback. As described above, the interval playback setting may be any one of the interval playback enablement and the segment playback inactivation.

Since the section playback setting information is the same as the one described above, the overlapping description will be omitted.

In operation 930, the playback device 110 requests the service server 120 to establish a session and performs a session establishment process.

When the session setting is completed, in step 935, the playback device 110 transmits a content playback request to the service server 120 and receives the content stream from the service server 120 (step 940).

Accordingly, in step 945, the playback device 110 determines whether or not to play the section in accordance with the section playback setting included in the control information. For example, if the interval playback setting is the interval playback activation, the playback device 110 controls the selection interval according to the playback option to be played back using the time information included in the control information.

For example, suppose you have selected Quick View by user as a playback option. The service server 120 may set the interval playback setting to the interval playback enablement and transmit it to the playback device 110 in the control information. At this time, the control information may further include time information so that the main title section can be immediately reproduced.

Accordingly, the playback device 110 can play back the content from the time information using the time information, so that only the selected section is reproduced according to the playback option. At this time, the time information may include a plurality of time information about a playback interval or a skip interval, or may include a time range.

For example, assume that the user has selected the opening song section and the main song section as the playback options. The service server 120 may transmit the time information including the opening music section start time, the opening music section end time, the main part start time and the main part section end time as time information.

For example, when transmitting the control information including the time information for interval playback according to the playback option to the playback device 110, it is assumed that the corresponding time information is time information for the interval to be skipped. In this case, the service server 120 does not transmit the control information including the time information for the interval playback for all the intervals of the content, but transmits only the time information for interval playback to the control information To the playback device 110, and then skip control information for the skip interval may be implemented to be transmitted during content playback.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In step 1010, the playback device 110 selects one of the content lists and displays a playback option selection menu for playback of the selected content item. At step 1015, the playback device 110 selects at least one of the playback option selection menus from the user as a playback option. For example, the playback device 110 may select a playback option through a remote controller operation.

Then, in step 1020, the playback device 110 transmits a content provision request including the selected playback option to the service server 120. [ In response to receiving the content providing request, the service server 120 transmits control information necessary for content reproduction to the playback device 110 as a response message in step 1025.

Here, the control information may include at least one of, for example, start time, content length information, content title, double speed information, and content resolution information. As a matter of course, it is also possible to further include various control information necessary for reproducing the contents.

In step 1030, the playback device 110 requests the service server 120 to establish a session according to reception of a response message including control information from the service server 120, and performs a session establishment process. This is the same as that described above in FIG. 4, so that redundant description will be omitted.

For another example, the control information may include time information for interval playback according to the playback option. Here, the time information for the section reproduction according to the reproduction option is not the time information for the section reproduction for the entire contents but the section for skipping or the section for the reproduction in the preceding section (for example, within 5 seconds) Time information on the time.

In step 1035, the playback device 110 transmits a content playback request (PLAY (postion)) to the service server 120.

In step 1040, the service server 120 transmits the content stream to the playback device 110 in response to the content playback request of the playback device 110. [

For example, when the service server 120 transmits a content stream to the first playback device 110 in response to a content playback request, the service server 120 may transmit a Start of stream to the playback device 110. At this time, the service server 120 may transmit a skip event as skip control information so that only the section corresponding to the playback option included in the contents provision request can be selectively played back on the playback device 110. [

For example, the skip control information may include time information for an interval to be skipped.

Here, the skip control information may be transmitted together with the content stream at the start time of transmitting the content stream to the playback device 110. If a skipped interval arrives during transmission of the content stream to the playback device 110, May be separately transmitted.

In FIG. 10, the description is focused mainly on transferring skip control information from the service server 120 to the playback device 110 in accordance with the playback option selected by the user, and transmitting skip control information for skipping the content using the content .

However, according to another embodiment, skip control information for a skip event may be provided to a playback device during content playback by a content provider authoring or distributing the content. In this case, even if the playback option for skip control is not separately selected by the user through the playback device 110, the service server 120 may transmit the skip control information to the playback device 110 while providing the corresponding content.

For example, in a state in which the playback option is not selected through the playback device 110, the content is received from the service server 120 and is played back by the user through a remote controller (for example, The playback device 110 may send a control option for skip control to the service server 120 and may receive skip control information from the service server 120 to skip the skip interval and play it have.

11 is a view for explaining a content reproducing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Since steps 1110 to 1135 of FIG. 11 are the same as steps 1010 to 1035 of FIG. 10, duplicate descriptions will be omitted, and only different processes will be described.

In step 1140, the service server 120 extracts a content including only the selection interval according to the playback option. That is, the service server 120 stores and manages contents according to the combination of the sections according to the respective playback options. Accordingly, the service server 120 can extract, from the database 835, a content including only the section selected for reproduction by the user according to the playback option.

For example, suppose you have the Playback Options main section playback option. The service server 120 may provide the content including only the main section to the playback device 110 with respect to the content requested to be provided by the playback device 110. [

Accordingly, in step 1145, the playback device 110 can decode and play back the content stream provided from the service server 120. [

12 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In step 1210, the playback device 110 transmits a content provision request to the service server 120. [

In step 1215, the service server 120 transmits, to the playback device 110, control information including time information for each section of the content in response to the content provision request.

In step 1220, the playback device 110 requests the service server 120 to establish a session according to the reception of the response message including the control information from the service server 120, and performs the session establishment process.

Thereafter, in step 1225, the playback device 110 displays a playback option menu for section playback according to a user operation.

In step 1230, the playback device 110 selects one of the playback option selection menus.

In step 1235, the playback device 110 controls to play back only the content stream for the selection interval according to the playback option using the time information for each interval included in the control information.

13 is a flowchart illustrating a content playback method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

At step 1310, the playback device 110 determines whether the selected content is a series.

If it is determined to be a series, the playback device 110 analyzes playback history of the content in step 1315 and determines whether playback is within a reference date / time.

If the reproduction is within the reference date and time, the reproduction device 110 in step 1320 determines whether the service server 120 can reproduce the content by using at least one of the reproduction option included in the reproduction history and the control information including the time information for the section reproduction according to the reproduction option. So that only the selected section of the content stream is reproduced.

However, if it is not a playback within the reference date and time, the playback device 110 plays back the content stream in accordance with the method in any one of Figs. 9 to 12 at step 1325.

As described above, the playback device 110 can advantageously reproduce only the selected section of the next-time series content continuously using the playback history.

Meanwhile, the contents providing method according to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a program command which can be executed through a variety of means for processing information electronically and recorded in a storage medium. The storage medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination.

Program instructions to be recorded on the storage medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the present invention or may be available to those skilled in the art of software. Examples of storage media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, magneto-optical media and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as devices for processing information electronically using an interpreter or the like, for example, a high-level language code that can be executed by a computer.

The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be understood that the invention may be varied and varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

110: playback device
120: service server

Claims (17)

A communication unit for transmitting a content providing request for reproducing an arbitrary content to a service server and receiving control information necessary for reproducing the content from the service server; And
And a controller for determining whether to reproduce the content by using at least one of a reproduction history of the content and the control information according to a content type of the content.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a memory for storing a reproduction history of each of the reproduced contents,
Wherein the playback history includes a playback date and time when each content is played back.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the content type is one of a fragment and a series,
Wherein the control information includes time information for section reproduction of the content.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the time information is at least one of a start time and an end time of a section to be reproduced, a time information of a skip section excluding a section to be reproduced, and time information of each section.
5. The method of claim 4,
If the content type is a series,
If the playback date and time of the content is within the reference date and time,
And controls to reproduce a content stream received from the service server by using the time information.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the content providing request further comprises a playback option,
The control unit controls to display a playback option selection menu for section playback of the content when the content type is a series,
And to transmit the content providing request including the playback option to the service server when any one of the playback option selection menus is selected as the playback option.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the control information further includes an interval playback setting indicating whether or not interval playback is enabled,
Wherein the control unit controls the selection unit to reproduce a selection interval corresponding to the playback option using the time information when the interval playback setting is activated.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the playback history further includes a playback option for the content,
Wherein the control unit controls the selection unit to reproduce a selection interval corresponding to a playback option included in the playback history using the time information included in the control information when the content type is the series.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the control unit further stores the time information in the playback history corresponding to the playback option when the content type is the series,
And controls to reproduce the selection section using the reproduction option and the time information stored in the reproduction history without separately receiving the control information from the service server when the subsequent contents are continuously reproduced.
Content management means for generating and managing contents according to any one of the sections of the content or a combination of the sections;
Communication means for receiving a content provision request for content reproduction including a playback option from a playback device; And
And content providing means for searching the content management means for a content including a selection section according to the playback option and providing a content stream for the content to the playback device.
Content management means for managing skip control information for each content and each content;
Communication means for receiving a content provision request including a playback option from the playback device; And
And content providing means for extracting content according to the request and skip control information for a skip interval according to the playback option through the content management means and providing the skip control information to the playback device,
Wherein the playback device controls to skip a predetermined section of the content received through the content providing means according to the skip control information.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the skip control information is time information for skipping a remaining section excluding a content section according to the playback option.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the content is transmitted to the playback device in a streaming fashion,
Wherein the skip control information is transmitted to the playback device at the time of initial transmission of the content stream or during transmission of the content stream to the playback device.
A method for reproducing a content by a playback device in cooperation with a service server,
Transmitting a content providing request for playing back an arbitrary content to a service server;
Receiving control information necessary for content reproduction according to the request from the service server; And
And determining whether to reproduce the content by using at least one of a reproduction history of the content and the control information according to a content type of the content.
15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the control information includes time information on a content playback section, the playback history includes a playback date and time of the content,
Wherein the step of determining whether or not to reproduce the content includes:
When the content type is a series, if the playback date and time of the content is within a reference date and time, the playback of the content is determined as the playback of the section.
15. The method of claim 14,
After the determination of the section reproduction,
Further comprising the step of controlling the content stream received from the service server to be reproduced in an interval using the time information.
17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the transmitting the content providing request to the service server comprises:
If the content type is a series, displaying a playback option selection menu for playback of the section of the content; And
And transmitting the content providing request including the playback option to the service server when any one of the playback option selection menus is selected as the playback option.

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