WO2013154364A1

WO2013154364A1 - Streaming playback method and computing apparatus using same

Info

Publication number: WO2013154364A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/003042
Authority: WO
Inventors: 백원장
Original assignee: 애니포인트 미디어그룹(영업소)
Priority date: 2012-04-13
Filing date: 2013-04-11
Publication date: 2013-10-17
Also published as: KR101313592B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a streaming playback method and to a computing apparatus using same, the method comprising receiving a first motion picture group and playing back the received group using a virtual playback list file, and updating the virtual playback list file so that the location information on a second motion group is contained during the playback of the first motion group, thus providing seamless motion pictures.

Description

Streaming playback method and computing device using same

The present invention relates to a streaming playback method and a computing device using the same, and more particularly, to receive and play a first video group by using a virtual playlist file, and to include location information of a second video group during playback of the first video group. The present invention relates to a streaming playback method and a computing device using the same that can provide a video without interruption by updating a virtual playlist file.

With the development of information and communication technology, a service for transmitting a video using a communication network is widely used. Typical methods of transmitting a video include a progressive download method, a real time streaming protocol / real time transport protocol (RTSP / RTP) streaming method, and a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) streaming method.

Progressive download is the most widely used and easy to implement. When a video is requested to be played, it starts to receive a video file from a web server, a content delivery network (CDN), etc. according to a uniform resource locator (URL) where the video file is located. When the first predetermined portion or more of the video file is received, the video starts playing. However, the progressive download method does not stop the reception of a video until the entire video file is received even if the video is stopped midway.

That is, the progressive download method wastes network resources. For example, even if the user watches only the first minute of a 10 minute video, all the remaining 9 minute video files are received, which wastes network resources.

In addition, when using the progressive download method, there is a problem in that the quality of a video cannot be adjusted according to a change in network bandwidth. For example, when a terminal receiving a video through a wireless LAN network is changed to a 3G mobile communication network, playback is difficult due to a decrease in bandwidth.

In order to overcome the problem of progressive download, RTSP / RTP streaming has been proposed. The RTSP / RTP streaming method uses a specialized streaming server (RTSP / RTP streaming server) that transmits only a certain frame section including a frame being played. In addition to transmitting video files, RTSP / RTP streaming servers should have the ability to analyze video information and convert video formats to meet the transmission standards. As a result, RTSP / RTP streaming servers are more difficult to build and expensive to maintain than web servers.

In addition, the RTSP / RTP streaming method has a problem in that the service is not smooth in an environment using a firewall or a network address translator (NAT) because the RTSP and the RTP exchange data through different network connections.

In order to solve the problems of the progressive download and RTSP / RTP streaming scheme, HTTP streaming scheme has been proposed. An example of the HTTP streaming method is the HLS (http live streaming) method proposed by Apple.

The HTTP streaming method divides a video file into predetermined time intervals (for example, 10 seconds) and stores it in a web server. The video player receives the divided video and connects the divided video to provide a continuous video.

The HTTP streaming method simplifies the configuration of the firewall because only the request from the firewall needs to pass through to the web server, and since the request and response correspond to 1: 1, the service can be easily provided even in a NAT environment. In addition, the cache structure for the web service can be used as it is, and there is an advantage that the existing built CDN can be used without modification.

However, if you play more than one video in HTTP streaming, there will be a gap between the videos. For example, when playing an advertisement first in a settop box and playing a movie program, a break occurs while the first predetermined portion of the movie program is received after the advertisement is finished and before the movie program is played.

Also, since the HTTP streaming player generally does not have a web server function in the terminal on which the player is mounted, the HTTP streaming player cannot play a video stored in the terminal. Therefore, a delay occurs while receiving a video through a remote network.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention receives and plays a first video group by using a virtual playlist file, and updates the virtual playlist file to include location information of the second video group during playback of the first video group. It is an object of the present invention to provide a streaming playback method and a computing device using the same that can provide a video without interruption.

The computing device according to the present invention includes a memory in which a program is stored, a processor that executes the program, and communication means for communicating through a network according to the control of the processor, wherein the program is configured for each segment included in the first video segment group. A first instruction for generating a virtual playlist file including first location information; A second instruction to receive and play the first video segment group through the network according to the first location information; A third instruction for updating and adding second position information of each segment included in a second video segment group to the virtual playlist file during playback of the first video segment group; And a fourth instruction for receiving and playing a second video segment group through the network according to the second location information included in the updated virtual playlist file by executing the third instruction.

The second location information includes each segment included in the 2-1 video segment group having the second bit rate and the 2-1 location information of each segment included in the 2-1 video segment group having the first bit rate. It may include the 2-2 location information of.

The fourth instruction includes: a 4-1 sub-instruction for detecting a bandwidth of the network; And a 4-2 sub-instruction determining one of the 2-1 location information and the 2-2 location information according to the bandwidth.

The virtual playlist file may be generated according to the HLS protocol.

The first video segment group and the second video segment group may be generated by dividing the first video and the second video according to the HLS protocol, respectively.

The network connecting when executing the second instruction may include a local network.

The network connecting when executing the fourth instruction may include a remote network.

At least one of the first video segment group and the second video segment group may be encrypted and transmitted, and the virtual playlist file may include encryption key information used for the encryption.

At least one of the first video segment group and the second video segment group may be encrypted and transmitted in an AES-128 manner.

A streaming reproduction method according to the present invention is a streaming reproduction method performed in a computing device including a memory in which a program is stored, a processor executing the program, and communication means for communicating over a network under the control of the processor, the method comprising: (a) Generating a virtual playlist file including first location information of each segment included in the first video segment group; (b) receiving and playing the first video segment group through the network according to the first location information; (c) updating and adding second position information of each segment included in a second video segment group to the virtual playlist file during playback of the first video segment group; And (d) receiving and playing a second video segment group through the network according to the second location information included in the virtual playlist file updated in step (c).

The step (d) may include (d-1) detecting a bandwidth of the network; And (d-2) determining one of the second-1 location information and the second-2 location information according to the bandwidth.

The virtual playlist file may be generated according to the HLS protocol.

When performing step (b), the accessing network may include a local network.

When performing the step (d), the accessing network may include a remote network.

Streaming playback method and a computing device using the same according to the present invention has the following advantages.

The streaming playback method and the computing device using the same according to the present invention can seamlessly play back when receiving and playing two or more videos by HTTP streaming. In particular, the virtual playlist file is updated to include the positional information of the second video segment group during playback of the first video segment group. Instead of playing the second video segment group using the new playlist file, the existing virtual playlist file is updated to include the location information of the second video segment group, so that the video can be played without interruption as if one video was played. Can be.

For example, if an ad is first played on a set-top box and a movie program is played, the virtual playlist file is updated to include the location information of the movie program during playback of the advertisement, and is disconnected because it receives and prepares the first part of the movie program. You can provide a movie program without it.

In addition, since the video present in the local network (eg, set-top box, smart phone, PC, etc.) can be played, the waiting time of the first video can be minimized. For example, an advertisement can be stored in a set-top box and quickly played when the advertisement is needed.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device in accordance with the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a program included in a computing device according to the present invention.

3 is an example of a playlist file generated according to the HLS protocol.

4 is a virtual playlist file generated using the playlist file of FIG.

5 is an example of a playlist file generated according to the HLS protocol.

6 is a virtual playlist file updated using the playlist file of FIG. 5;

7 is a flowchart illustrating a streaming playback method according to the present invention.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the S400 step according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the streaming playback method and a computing device using the same according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a computing device according to the present invention includes a processor 110, a memory 120, a program 130, and a communication means 140.

The processor 110 executes the program 130 and controls each component of the computing device. In detail, the processor 110 reads, decodes and analyzes a moving image stored in the memory 120, and executes an instruction included in the program 130.

The memory 120 stores a program 130 and a video, and provides the resources necessary for the processor 110 to execute the program 130. The memory 120 may include various devices such as DRAM and flash ROM.

The communication means 140 connects to a network and receives and transmits data such as a video. The communication means 140 may include a communication module connected to a wired LAN network, a wireless LAN network, and a 3G mobile communication network.

Program 130, as shown in Figure 2, includes the first to fourth instructions. The processor 110 executes the first to fourth instructions included in the program 130.

Hereinafter, a process of executing the program 130 by the processor 110 will be described in detail.

The processor 110 generates a virtual playlist file including first location information of each segment included in the first video segment group according to the first instruction.

The first video segment group is a video segment group generated by dividing the first video by a predetermined time unit. For example, the first video segment group may include three video segments generated by dividing a 30 second long advertisement video into 10 second units.

Video segment groups are created by segmenting videos according to HTTP streaming. A typical example of HTTP streaming is Apple's HLS.

Hereinafter, a process in which the present invention is performed by taking an HLS scheme of segmenting and transmitting a video according to the HLS protocol as an example.

3 is an example of a playlist file generated by splitting a 30 second long advertisement video in 10 second units according to the HLS protocol.

In FIG. 3, "# EXTM3U" indicates that the playlist file is m3u8 format. "# EXT-X-TARGETDURATION: 10" indicates that the video fragment is 10 seconds long. "#EXTINF: 10, http://127.0.0.1:8080/ads/ad0-0.ts" represents the play time and position information of the video fragment. "# EXT-X-ENDLIST" indicates that there are no more pieces of video to play.

The virtual playlist file may be generated using the playlist file of the first video. In the HLS method, the stream segmenter server segments a video and stores the video in a web server, and stores information on the list of the segmented video as a playlist file. The virtual playlist file is preferably created according to the HLS protocol. In addition, the virtual playlist file is preferably in m3u8 format. The m3u8 format is an extended format of the m3u format and can use the UTF-8 character set.

4 is a virtual playlist file generated using the playlist file of FIG. 3.

Since the virtual playlist file of FIG. 4 does not include "# EXT-X-ENDLIST", the virtual playlist file may be updated before the playback of the "ad0-2.ts" video fragment is finished.

The processor 110 receives and plays the first video segment group with reference to the first location information according to the second instruction.

In detail, the processor 110 reads the virtual playlist file and sequentially receives and plays the video fragment according to the position information of the first video segment group.

For example, when the virtual playlist file is shown in FIG. 4, first, the file "ad0-0.ts" is received and played, and the file "ad0-1.ts" is received in advance while the file "ad0-0.ts" is played. do. That is, the next video fragment of the video fragment being played is received in advance so that the video can be continuously played. Linking and playing back video fragments can provide one continuous video.

If the first video segment group exists on the local network, the second instruction may receive and play the first video segment group using the local network. In addition, only the initial segment of the first video segment group, not all of the first video segment group, may exist on the local network.

Since a video existing on the local network has a small reception time, the video can be provided quickly. For example, if a user turns on the set-top box and the TV and selects a movie program, the advertisement stored in the local network can be quickly played first.

If the first video segment group exists on a remote network, the first video segment group is received and played using the remote network.

The processor 110 updates the virtual playlist file to include second position information of each segment included in the second video segment group during playback of the first video segment group according to the third instruction.

That is, the virtual playlist file is updated to include the second location information of each segment included in the second video segment group by using the list file of the second video segment group while the first video segment group is being played.

FIG. 5 is an example of a playlist file generated by dividing a 90-minute movie program by 10 seconds according to the HLS protocol.

The processor 110 updates the virtual playlist file using the playlist file of FIG. 5 according to the third instruction.

FIG. 6 is an example of a virtual playlist file updated using the playlist file of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 6, the position information of the movie video segment group obtained from the play list file of FIG. 5 is added to the position of the advertisement video segment group in the virtual playlist file of FIG. 4. In addition, it includes "# EXT-X-ENDLIST" at the end, indicating that there is no more video playback. However, the present invention is not limited to the provision of the first video segment group and the second video segment group. The virtual video playlist file may be updated to continuously provide additional video segment groups.

The processor 110 receives and plays the second video segment group through the network according to the second location information included in the virtual playlist file according to the fourth instruction.

In detail, the processor 110 reads the updated virtual playlist file, sequentially receives and plays the video fragment according to the position information of the second video segment group.

For example, when the virtual playlist file is shown in FIG. 6, the file "ad0-2.ts", which is the last video fragment of the first video segment group, is received and played, and "movie0" is being played during the playback of the "ad0-2.ts" file. -0.ts "file is received in advance. Since the movie video is received before the advertisement video ends, the movie can be provided without interruption after the advertisement ends.

The second video segment group may exist on a local network or a remote network, and the processor 110 receives and plays the second video segment group according to the location information of the second video segment group included in the virtual playlist. For example, if an advertisement existing on the local network and a movie existing on the remote network are provided, the advertisement can be provided quickly and the movie video can be provided without interruption by receiving the movie video during the reproduction of the advertisement.

The video segment group may include a video segment group generated with the first bit rate and the second bit rate. For example, the second video segment group may include a 2-1 video segment group generated at 800 kbps and a 2-2 video segment group generated at 200 kbps. In this case, the lengths of the video fragments included in the first video segment group and the second video segment group are preferably the same. In addition, the video segment group may include a video segment group generated with three or more bitrates.

The processor 110 detects the bandwidth of the network according to the 4-1 subinstruction. Providing an appropriate bit rate video according to the detected bandwidth of the network, it is possible to smoothly provide streaming even if the bandwidth of the network changes.

The processor 110 determines one of the 2-1 location information and the 2-2 location information with reference to the bandwidth of the network according to the 4-2 sub-instruction.

When the 2-1 location information and the 2-2 location information are determined, the second video segment group is received and played accordingly. For example, if the computing device according to the present invention is a smart phone, the remaining video fragments that are not played when the connection is changed to the 3G mobile communication network while receiving and playing the 2-1 video segment group while accessing the WiFi network are received. Is received and played in the 2-2 video segment group.

At least one of the first video segment group and the second video segment group may be encrypted and transmitted, and the virtual playlist file may include encryption key information used for encryption. Encrypted video segment groups can be sent to prevent unauthorized copying of the video. Preferably, the first video segment group and the second video segment group may be encrypted using an advanced encryption standard (AES) -128 method.

The streaming playback method according to the present invention may be executed in the computing device described with reference to FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 7, a virtual playlist file including first location information of each segment included in a first video segment group is generated at step S100.

4 is a virtual playlist file generated using the playlist file of FIG. 3.

Next, the first video segment group is received and played with reference to the first location information (S200).

Specifically, the virtual playlist file is read, and video fragments are sequentially received and reproduced according to the first position information.

If the first video segment group exists on the local network, step S200 may receive and play the first video segment group using the local network.

If the first video segment group exists on the local network, the time required for receiving the video is small, so that the first video can be provided quickly. For example, when a user turns on the set-top box and the TV and selects a movie program, the user may quickly receive and provide an advertisement stored in the local network.

If the first video segment group exists on a remote network, the first video segment group is received and played using the remote network. However, it is preferable that the first video segment group to be provided exists in the local network.

Next, the virtual playlist file is updated to include second position information of each segment included in the second video segment group during playback of the first video segment group (S300).

That is, the virtual playlist file is updated to include the location information of the second video segment group by using the list file of the second video segment group while the first video segment group is playing.

FIG. 5 is an example of a playlist file generated by dividing a 90 minute movie movie by 10 seconds.

The processor 110 may update the virtual playlist file using the playlist file of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 6, the position information of the movie video segment group obtained from the play list file of FIG. 5 is added to the virtual play list file of FIG. 4 below the position information of the advertisement video segment group. In addition, it includes "# EXT-X-ENDLIST" at the end, indicating that there is no more video playback. However, the present invention is not limited to the provision of the first video segment group and the second video segment group. The virtual video playlist file may be updated to continuously provide additional video segment groups.

Next, the second video segment group is received and reproduced through the network according to the second location information included in the virtual playlist file (S400). In detail, the processor 110 reads the virtual playlist file and sequentially receives and plays the video fragment according to the position information of the second video segment group.

8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of step S400 according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the bandwidth of the network is detected (S410). Providing an appropriate bit rate video according to the detected bandwidth of the network, it is possible to smoothly provide streaming even if the bandwidth of the network changes.

Next, one of 2-1 location information and 2-2 location information is determined with reference to the detected bandwidth of the network (S420). When the 2-1th position information and the 2-2th position information are determined, the second video segment group is received and played accordingly. For example, if the computing device according to the present invention is a smart phone, the remaining video fragments that are not played when the connection is changed to the 3G mobile communication network while receiving and playing the 2-1 video segment group while accessing the WiFi network are received. Is received and played in the 2-2 video segment group.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, these are merely illustrative of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes can be made without departing from the essential features of the present invention. Modifications may be possible.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to limit the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited by these embodiments. It is intended that the scope of the invention be interpreted by the following claims, and that all descriptions within the scope equivalent thereto will be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A memory in which a program is stored, a processor executing the program, and communication means for communicating through a network according to the control of the processor,

The program

A first instruction for generating a virtual playlist file including first location information of each segment included in the first video segment group;

A second instruction to receive and play the first video segment group through the network according to the first location information;

A third instruction for updating and adding second position information of each segment included in a second video segment group to the virtual playlist file during playback of the first video segment group; And

A fourth instruction for receiving and playing a second video segment group through the network according to the second location information included in the updated virtual playlist file by executing the third instruction

Computing device comprising a.
The method of claim 1,

The second location information includes each segment included in the 2-1 video segment group having the second bit rate and the 2-1 location information of each segment included in the 2-1 video segment group having the first bit rate. And a second-2 location information of the computing device.
The method of claim 2,

The fourth instruction is

A 4-1 sub-instruction for detecting a bandwidth of the network; And

A 4-2 sub-instruction determining one of the second-1 location information and the second-2 location information according to the bandwidth

Computing device comprising a.
The method of claim 1,

And the virtual playlist file is generated according to an HLS protocol.
The method of claim 1,

The first video segment group and the second video segment group are generated by dividing the first video and the second video according to the HLS protocol, respectively.
The method of claim 1,

And wherein said network to connect when executing said second instruction comprises a local network.
The method of claim 1,

And wherein said network to connect when executing said fourth instruction comprises a remote network.
The method of claim 1,

And at least one of the first video segment group and the second video segment group is encrypted and transmitted, and the virtual playlist file includes encryption key information used for the encryption.
The method of claim 8,

And at least one of the first video segment group and the second video segment group is encrypted by AES-128 and transmitted.
A streaming playback method performed in a computing device including a memory in which a program is stored, a processor executing the program, and a communication means for communicating through a network under control of the processor.

(a) generating a virtual playlist file including first location information of each segment included in the first video segment group;

(b) receiving and playing the first video segment group through the network according to the first location information;

(c) updating and adding second position information of each segment included in a second video segment group to the virtual playlist file during playback of the first video segment group; And

(d) receiving and playing a second video segment group through the network according to the second location information included in the virtual playlist file updated in step (c).

Streaming playback method comprising a.
The method of claim 10,

The second location information includes each segment included in the 2-1 video segment group having the second bit rate and the 2-1 location information of each segment included in the 2-1 video segment group having the first bit rate. Streaming playback method comprising the 2-2 location information of.
The method of claim 11,

Step (d)

(d-1) detecting a bandwidth of the network; And

(d-2) determining any one of the 2-1 location information and the 2-2 location information according to the bandwidth;

Streaming playback method comprising a.
The method of claim 10,

And the virtual playlist file is generated according to the HLS protocol.
The method of claim 10,

And the first video segment group and the second video segment group are generated by dividing the first video and the second video according to the HLS protocol, respectively.
The method of claim 10,

And wherein said accessing network comprises a local network when performing step (b).
The method of claim 10,

And wherein said accessing network comprises a remote network when performing step (d).
The method of claim 10,

And at least one of the first video segment group and the second video segment group is encrypted and transmitted, and the virtual playlist file includes encryption key information used for the encryption.
The method of claim 17,

At least one of the first video segment group and the second video segment group is encrypted using the AES-128 method.