JP4342358B2 - Broadcast material signal switching device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast material signal switching device that is used in a network receiving station of a network reception broadcasting system that connects, for example, a master station and a network receiving station by a relay line, and switches a broadcast material signal of the master station to a broadcast material signal of the network receiving station. .

  In the terrestrial broadcasting system, a network receiving broadcasting system is established in which a master station and a remote station are connected by a relay line. In this remote station, the broadcast signal received through the relay line is transmitted again toward a specific broadcast service area. At this time, CM (commercial) material data from the master station may be replaced with the CM material data of the own station and transmitted. In this case, the CM material is switched based on the net cue signal included in the broadcast signal from the master station (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-281341.

By the way, the remote station is required to improve the following problems when switching the CM material of the master station to the CM material of the own station.
Digital broadcasting requires more precise and accurate processing than analog broadcasting. In response to this request, each studio device in the station is basically controlled in seconds (-3 pulses for a net cue signal). Therefore, when the control time error exceeds a certain level, signal switching is performed. There may be a so-called “flickering” phenomenon where an unnecessary screen can be seen at the joint for a moment.
An object of the present invention is to perform broadcasting that can be performed smoothly without causing the broadcast signal from the parent station to appear in the transmission signal when the broadcast material signal from the parent station is switched to the broadcast material signal of the network receiving station. The object is to provide a material signal switching device.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
Used for remote stations that receive broadcast material signals added from material switching data necessary for material switching and retransmit them to a predetermined broadcast service area, based on the material switching data. A broadcast material signal switching device that selectively switches a broadcast material signal to a broadcast material signal of a remote station, a signal generator that generates the broadcast material signal of the local station, and a signal generator based on the given switching instruction information A changeover switch that selectively derives either the output or the broadcast material signal from the master station as a transmission signal, and material changeover data is detected from the received signal, and the switching point of the broadcast material signal is determined based on this material changeover data. A broadcast material signal is generated from a signal generator based on a detector to be determined and a detection result by the detector, and the broadcast material signal is switched from a detection timing by the detector. In order to transfer a first signal that requires real-time characteristics by connecting a changeover controller, a changeover switch, a detector, and a changeover controller that send change instruction information to the changeover switch by counting up to a point The first network to be used is connected to the signal generator, the changeover switch, the detector, and the changeover controller independently of the first network, and the real-time property is not required as compared with the first signal. And a second network used to transfer the two signals, and the detector sends the detection result and the determination result to the switching controller as the first signal via the first network, and the switching control. The switch sends the switching instruction information to the change-over switch as a first signal via the first network, and the driving instruction information to the signal generator as the second signal through the first network. It is obtained so as to sent out.

According to this configuration, the changeover switch, the detector, and the changeover controller are connected by the first network and the second network, and real-time properties such as the detection result of the material changeover data and the changeover instruction information for the changeover switch are provided. The required signal is transferred through a dedicated network different from a signal having a margin in real time such as drive instruction information for the signal generator.
Accordingly, the detection result of the material switching data and the transfer of the switching instruction information and the transfer of the driving instruction information to the signal generator can be controlled independently and in parallel, thereby improving the switching accuracy of the changeover switch, It is possible to prevent flickering that occurs when switching broadcast material signals.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, when the broadcast material signal from the master station is switched to the broadcast material signal of the network receiving station, the transmission signal can be smoothly displayed without causing the broadcast material from the master station to flicker. It is possible to provide a broadcast material signal switching device that can be performed in a simple manner.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network reception broadcast to which a broadcast material signal switching device of the present invention is applied.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates a master station, and reference numeral 20 indicates a remote station as a network receiving station. The master station 10 sends a digital broadcast signal from the antenna 11 toward the broadcast service area to which the own station belongs. The remote station 20 is connected to the master station 10 via the broadcast relay network NW. The remote station 20 switches between the digital broadcast signal transmitted from the master station 10 via the broadcast relay network NW and the digital broadcast signal of the own station, and sends the digital broadcast signal from the antenna 21 to the broadcast service area to which the own station belongs. Send out.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the remote station 20 as an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 22 denotes a switcher as a changeover switch. Here, for simplicity of explanation, the number of input channels (systems) of the switcher 22 is five and the output channel is one.

In this embodiment, the input terminal 23 for inputting the relay digital broadcast signal from the broadcast relay network NW is connected to the first input channel of the switcher 22, the dedicated bus 24 is connected to the second input channel, and the third input channel is connected. A LAN (Local Area Network) 25 is connected, a CM bank 26 is connected to the fourth input channel, and a VTR 27 is connected to the fifth input channel.
A net queue detector 28 and a switching controller (RTP) 29 are connected to the dedicated bus 24. Further, a CM bank 26, a VTR (Video Tape Recorder) 27, a net queue detector 28 and a switching controller 29 are connected to the LAN 25. In addition to the CM bank 26, the VTR 27, the net queue detector 28, and the switching controller 29, other studio equipment is connected to the LAN 25.

  The net cue detector 28 receives a relay digital broadcast signal and detects a net cue signal included in the relay digital broadcast signal. This net queue signal includes, for example, a countdown value up to the switching point to the local CM. The net cue detector 28 transfers the detection result to the switching controller 29 via the dedicated bus 24, analyzes the net cue signal to obtain a countdown value, and switches the countdown value via the dedicated bus 24. Transfer to controller 29.

  Based on the detection result from the net queue detector 28, the switching controller 29 transfers drive instruction information to the CM bank 26 via the LAN 25 to generate arbitrary CM material data, and the net queue detector In accordance with the countdown value from 28, the count from the detection timing to the CM material data switching point is counted, and after the count is completed, switching instruction information is sent to the switcher 22 via the dedicated bus 24.

  Then, the switcher 22 switches the CM material data in the relay digital broadcast signal to the CM material data of its own station according to the switching instruction information, and transmits it as a transmission digital broadcast signal. At this time, the CM material data is switched when the vertical synchronization signal of the relay digital broadcast signal substantially coincides with the vertical synchronization signal of the CM material data of the own station.

The processing operation of the above configuration will be described below.
That is, in the remote station 20, when the relay CM material data from the master station 10 and the CM material data of the own station are switched by the switcher 22, there is a time difference between the relay CM material data and the own station CM material data. As a result, a part of the CM that is not scheduled to be broadcast, “Flicker”, can be seen.

  This time difference is caused by a transmission delay caused by the communication traffic of the LAN 25 because the switcher 22, the net queue detector 28, and the switching controller 29 are connected only by the LAN 25. If the processing time in the switching controller 29 is advanced in order to solve this factor, the correctness of the countdown value from the detection timing to the switching time cannot be sufficiently confirmed.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the switcher 22, the net cue detector 28, and the switching controller 29 are connected by the dedicated bus 24 and the LAN 25, and the detection result and the countdown value in the net cue detector 28 are transmitted to the dedicated bus 24. The switching instruction information determined by the switching controller 29 is transferred to the switcher 22 via the dedicated bus 24. In this way, the switcher 22 performs switching between the relay CM material data and the local station CM material data in units of vertical synchronization signals as shown in FIG. 3 without being affected by the communication traffic by the LAN 25. Is possible.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the switcher 22, the net cue detector 28, and the switching controller 29 are connected by the dedicated bus 24 and the LAN 25, and the detection result of the net cue signal and the switching instruction information for the switcher 22 are real time. Signals that are required to be transmitted are transferred by the dedicated bus 24 separately from signals having a margin in real time such as drive instruction information for the CM bank 26.

  Therefore, the detection result of the net queue signal and the transfer of the switching instruction information and the transfer of the driving instruction information to the CM bank 26 can be controlled independently and in parallel, thereby improving the switching accuracy of the switcher 22, It is possible to prevent flickering that occurs when switching CM material data.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the relay CM material data is switched to the own station CM material data generated from the CM bank 26 has been described. However, the relay CM material data may be switched to the own station CM material data reproduced from the VTR 27. In this case, CM material data recorded on a recording medium such as a tape, an optical disk, and an HDD (hard disk drive) is reproduced.

In the above embodiment, the switching of CMs has been described as an example, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to switching between a relay program and a local station program in addition to the CM.
In addition, the system configuration, the configuration of the remote station, the type of digital broadcast signal to be handled, the switching procedure, and the like can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The schematic block diagram of the network reception broadcasting to which the broadcast material signal switching apparatus of this invention is applied. The block diagram which shows the structure of the said remote station as one Embodiment of this invention. The figure shown in order to demonstrate the switching timing of CM material in the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Master station, 11, 21 ... Antenna, 20 ... Remote station, 22 ... Switcher, 23 ... Input terminal, 24 ... Dedicated bus, 25 ... LAN (Local Area Network), 26 ... CM bank, 27 ... VTR (Video Tape) Recorder), 28 ... Net cue detector, 29 ... Switching controller, NW ... Broadcast relay network.

Claims (2)

Used for remote stations that receive broadcast material signals added from material switching data necessary for material switching and retransmit them to a predetermined broadcast service area, based on the material switching data. A broadcast material signal switching device for selectively switching a broadcast material signal to a broadcast material signal of a remote station,
A signal generator that generates the broadcast material signal of its own station;
A selector switch that selectively derives one of the output of the signal generator and the broadcast material signal from the master station as a transmission signal based on the given switching instruction information;
A detector that detects the material switching data from the received signal and determines a switching time point of the broadcast material signal based on the material switching data;
Based on the detection result by the detector, a broadcast material signal is generated from the signal generator, and switching instruction information is sent to the changeover switch by counting from the detection timing by the detector to the switching point of the broadcast material signal. A switching controller to send out,
A first network used for connecting the changeover switch, the detector, and the changeover controller, and transferring a first signal that requires real-time property;
Independently of the first network, the signal generator, the changeover switch, the detector, and the changeover controller are connected, and a second signal that does not require real-time characteristics compared to the first signal is provided. A second network used for forwarding,
The detector sends a detection result and a determination result to the switching controller as a first signal via the first network, and the switching controller sends switching instruction information to the switching switch as a first signal. The broadcast material signal switching device is characterized in that it sends out via the first network and sends the drive instruction information as a second signal to the signal generator via the first network. When the vertical synchronization signal of the broadcast material signal being received and the vertical synchronization signal of the broadcast material signal generated from the signal generator are input, the switching controller receives the vertical synchronization signal of both signals based on the switching instruction information 2. The broadcast material signal switching device according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast material signal is switched at a time when the two substantially coincide.

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