JP4533408B2 - Receiving apparatus and receiving method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a receiving apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for receiving a streaming broadcast.

  In recent years, information has been distributed to homes through various media. For example, TV broadcasts, radios, data broadcasts, and the like are distributed as terrestrial waves and satellites as broadcast waves, and images, voices, information services such as the Internet and electronic mail are provided through communication lines.

  In broadcasting systems, transition to digital broadcasting systems in which television signals are transmitted as digital signals is progressing. In these systems, image quality and channelization are progressing due to digital transmission and encoding techniques.

  On the other hand, in the communication system as well, with the recent progress of digital coding technology for image and audio data, and the development of network environment (broadbanding), the distribution of moving images equivalent to TV broadcast quality over the Internet, so-called streaming content Distribution (hereinafter referred to as streaming broadcasting) is becoming widespread.

  This streaming broadcast uses the expression “broadcast”, but its mechanism is significantly different from that of normal television broadcast (broadcast: push type). In other words, there is no change in the distribution of images and audio over communication lines such as the Internet, but it is necessary to go to the user to obtain the desired streaming content, and as soon as the channels are matched as in normal television reception It cannot be received (pull type).

  At present, streaming broadcasts are mostly received (utilized) using a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC), and thus generally require the following procedure.

  A user who wants to watch a streaming broadcast first starts an Internet browser to find a desired content (streaming broadcast program) from many streaming contents scattered on the Internet, and opens a portal site related to the streaming broadcast. Visit or search using a search engine to find the desired content.

  By obtaining program information such as a title related to the desired streaming content, distribution information such as the start time, address information (URL: Uniform Resource Locator), and the like by this operation, the address (URL) where the streaming content exists is accessed. In addition to starting the acquisition of streaming content, application software called a streaming player is activated and viewed (reproduced).

  When streaming content is received, data buffering processing for several seconds to several tens of seconds is usually required before starting reproduction. This buffering process is also a necessary requirement for decoding received data on the terminal side, but most of it compensates for uncertainty mainly in speed in the communication path called the Internet, and smoothes on the terminal side. This is necessary for proper reproduction.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses such streaming content reception processing.
JP 2001-359073 A

  Thus, although it is a streaming broadcast that is currently used mainly by PC users, the present inventor will stream the television in the living room in the same way as a normal television broadcast in the near future with the development of home communication infrastructure. It was assumed that broadcasting would be popular.

  In such a case, it is expected that the streaming broadcast is required to select and view a program (content) in the same manner as a normal television broadcast.

  Viewing a streaming broadcast using a PC as described above is the same as pulling information in response to a user's own request (instruction) in the same way as browsing a conventional website or e-mail. Except for the low searchability and browsingability of streaming content, ordinary PC users may not feel uncomfortable.

  However, ordinary television viewers are accustomed to watching television, and can watch a desired program as soon as the power is turned on and a channel is selected. For this reason, it is unrealistic for a TV viewer to search for the streaming content itself and the location (address (file name)) that he / she wants to watch, and to perform a pull-type content distribution operation from there. . There is a need to provide a form that allows the user to select and view content in a simpler manner with a TV viewing sensation.

  Further, as described above, when receiving a streaming broadcast, unlike ordinary television broadcast reception, there is a problem that it takes several seconds to several tens of seconds when switching streaming contents, which corresponds to a channel change on a television. This time is a waiting time for the user.

  This is due to the above-mentioned buffering time. The time required for the desired streaming content to be buffered on the distribution-side server and the time required for the receiving terminal to be buffered by a predetermined amount In general, the higher the content data rate, the longer the buffering time.

  For this reason, the user cannot select desired streaming content as if switching a normal television channel.

An object of the present invention is to provide a receiving apparatus and a receiving method capable of quickly starting viewing of streaming contents when receiving a streaming broadcast via a network.

In order to solve such a problem, the receiving device of the present invention receives a streaming content registered in advance among a receiving means for receiving streaming content via a network and a plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the receiving means. Storage control means for controlling to receive and store in the storage unit, operation means for receiving an arbitrary streaming content selection operation from a plurality of streaming contents, and selection of streaming content registered in advance by the operation means When the operation is received, the streaming content stored in the storage unit is displayed on the display unit. When the operation unit receives another streaming content selection operation, the receiving unit receives the streaming content and displays it on the display unit. Display control to control display And a stage, storage control means, and characterized in that the power of the receiving device in response to being turned on, control to store in the storage unit is received by the pre-registered reception means streaming content To do .

Another receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives streaming content via a network, a storage unit that stores user profile information related to user preferences, and a receiving unit based on user profile information stored in the storage unit. A plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the user, determining the streaming contents that match the user preference, receiving the streaming contents that match the user preference by the receiving means, and storing the content in the storage unit; and a plurality of When an operation unit that receives an operation for selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the streaming content of the user and a selection operation of the streaming content that meets the user preference by the operation unit, the streaming content stored in the storage unit is displayed on the display unit. Display and operate If you receive a selection operation of other streaming content by means, and display control means for controlling so as streaming content received and is displayed on the display unit by the receiving means, storage control means, the power supply of the receiver is turned on in response to the been, you and controls as received by the receiving means streaming content that matches the user preference to accumulate in the storage unit.

Another receiving apparatus of the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives streaming content via a network, and a storage unit that receives a pre-registered streaming content from a plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the receiving unit. Storage control means for controlling to store, an operating means for receiving an operation for selecting an arbitrary streaming content from a plurality of streaming contents, and an operation for selecting a streaming content registered in advance by the operating means, Display that displays streaming content stored in the storage unit on the display unit and controls the receiving unit to receive the streaming content and display it on the display unit when an operation unit receives another streaming content selection operation. Control means and streaming A decoding unit that performs a decoding process for displaying the content on the display unit; and a power supply unit that supplies power to the decoding unit. The storage control unit is registered in advance in response to the power supply unit being turned off. Control is performed so that the received streaming content is received by the receiving means and stored in the storage unit.

Another receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a receiving unit that receives streaming content via a network, a storage unit that stores user profile information related to user preferences, and a receiving unit based on user profile information stored in the storage unit. A plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the user, determining a streaming content that matches the user preference, and receiving the streaming content that matches the user preference by the receiving means and controlling to store in the storage unit; When an operation unit that receives an operation for selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the streaming content and a selection operation for a streaming content that meets the user preference by the operation unit, the streaming content stored in the storage unit is displayed on the display unit. Display and operate When receiving another streaming content selection operation by the means, the receiving means controls the display to receive the streaming content and display it on the display unit, and the decoding process for displaying the streaming content on the display unit. A storage unit that receives the streaming content that meets the user's preference and stores it when the power of the power unit is turned off. It is characterized by controlling so that it accumulates in a part.

According to the present invention, at the start of viewing streaming content, it is possible to quickly start viewing streaming content.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a receiving device 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The receiving apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is capable of receiving a television broadcast by broadcast waves and a streaming broadcast distributed via the Internet, and receives various images, videos and data via the Internet in addition to receiving a digital broadcast. The remote controller 114 outputs a program selected by the user, streaming content, and Internet information (such as a website or electronic mail) to the display unit 113.

  The receiving apparatus 100 includes a tuner 101, a demodulation / descrambling unit 102, an information separation unit 103, an SI (Service Information) storage unit 104, an Internet connection unit 105, a data buffer 106, a meta information separation unit 107, a meta information storage unit 108, Media decoding unit 109, SI / meta information decoding unit 110, guide screen generation unit 111, display screen generation unit 112, display unit 113, remote control 114, command reception unit 115, Internet connection control unit 116, time measuring unit 117, current meta information The storage unit 120 and the control unit 121 are included.

  Here, FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a power supply system used in the present invention as shown in FIG.

  1 and 9, a tuner 101, a demodulation / descrambling unit 102, and an information separation unit 103 are digital broadcast receiving functional blocks 123 used when receiving a digital broadcast, and include an Internet connection unit 105, a data buffer 106, The meta information separation unit 107, the meta information storage unit 108, the Internet connection control unit 116, the current meta information storage unit 120, and the like are function blocks 122 for receiving streaming content related to receiving a streaming broadcast. The media decoding unit 109 and the SI / meta information decoding unit 110 are functional blocks (a type of other functional blocks) used in both the digital broadcasting system and the streaming broadcasting system, such as a guide screen generation unit 111 and a display screen generation unit 112. Is another kind of common functional block. Here, the control unit 121 controls the operation of the main power supply 126 and the power supply 125 connected to the commercial power supply (or battery) 127.

  The tuner 101 and the demodulation / descrambling unit 102 receive a radio wave of a designated frequency from digital broadcast waves transmitted via the antenna A or a cable (not shown), and then perform demodulation, A / D conversion, Processing such as error correction and descrambling for limited reception as necessary is performed to generate a data string called a transport stream (TS).

  The information separation unit 103 separates the generated transport stream into video information, audio information, data broadcast information, and related information (PSI / SI, etc.) accompanying these information, and stores the information into the media decoding unit 109 and the SI storage. Each is sent to the unit 104.

  The SI storage unit 104 associates information about the transmission path of each channel (modulation frequency, etc.) and information about a broadcast program (program title, broadcast date, time, etc.) from information sent as PSI / SI. Remember.

  The media decoding unit 109 decodes the video information, the audio information, and the data broadcast related information from the information separation unit 103, and then sends them to the display screen generation unit 112 as display data. The media decoding unit 109 has a decoding function for streaming content received via the Internet, which will be described later, in addition to MPEG2 format image and audio data generally used in digital broadcasting.

  The SI / meta information decoding unit 110 converts SI information in the digital broadcasting system and meta information (additional information, attribute information) of the streaming content input from the SI storage unit 104 and the meta information storage unit 108 into respective codes. After decoding processing according to the conversion method, it is sent to the guide screen generation unit 111.

  The guide screen generation unit 111 generates a guide screen for selecting a TV program or streaming content based on the information related to the TV program or streaming content decoded by the SI / meta information decoding unit 110. In this embodiment, in order to seamlessly provide a TV broadcast program and streaming content via the Internet to the user, the streaming content guide function and the EPG (electronic program guide) function in digital broadcasting are integrated, and the streaming content and the TV program are integrated. It is displayed in the “Integrated Content Guide” that can be checked on one screen with good listability. A display example of this integrated content guide is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the vertical axis represents the broadcast time. The horizontal axis is divided into a streaming content program display area 201 and a television broadcast program display area 202. The display area 201 displays two streaming content programs distributed in each time slot. In the area 202, broadcast channels are displayed in the horizontal axis direction.

  Reference numeral 203 denotes a selection cursor, which can be arbitrarily moved by operating the up / down / left / right keys of the remote controller 114. Detailed information regarding the program specified by the cursor 203 is displayed in the area 204.

  The generated guide screen is sent to the display generation unit 112 and is combined with or switched to the display data body such as video, audio, and data from the media decoding unit 109 and displayed on the display unit 113.

  On the other hand, the Internet connection unit 105 is a connection unit (modem, router, etc.) to a communication line such as a telephone line, CATV, ADSL, FTTH in terms of hardware, and TCP, UDP, IP, etc. in terms of software. This refers to middleware (protocol stack) that supports a relatively lower-level Internet protocol corresponding to the transport layer and the network layer and a different protocol depending on the type of streaming content corresponding to the application layer. By this Internet connection unit, an external Web server is accessed via the Internet I, and various video, audio, and various information including streaming contents are received from there. The Internet connection unit 105 is configured to be able to access (establish a session) a plurality of Web servers and in-server contents at the same time as necessary.

  The data buffer 106 is a buffer memory that stores streaming content data. Here, streaming data of current and next candidate contents and meta information which is related information are stored, and the operation will be described later.

  The meta information separation unit 107 extracts and separates the meta information of the streaming content. The meta information here is information about the streaming content (content profile), and is described in a file called a meta file sent from the streaming server side before the actual content delivery, and in the header portion of the content body. Information. Recently, content profile information may be included in a file described in SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language).

  In these metafiles, in addition to the meta information entity, the related link destination is often described as the profile information of the content. Therefore, content profile information can be acquired as a series of meta information by referring to the meta file and following the link destination described there.

  As meta information, in addition to the content location address, title, genre, abstract, playback time, recording availability, producer, etc., the content logo can also be acquired by following the link destination.

  The meta information separation unit 107 extracts the meta information including the address of the currently displayed content and stores it in the meta information storage unit 108. Even if the types of streaming contents are different, the content (description contents) of the meta information is not greatly different, but the description method (format) is different. For this reason, the meta information separation unit 107 in this embodiment is configured to be able to interpret these types of streaming content metafiles.

  The streaming content data stored in the data buffer 106 is sent to the media decoding unit 105 and decoded according to the description language and encoding method of each data. As described above, in this embodiment, the media decoding unit 109 has both digital broadcasting and streaming broadcasting decoding functions.

  The remote controller 114 is an essential part of the user interface. When receiving streaming content, the user selects the desired content by directly operating based on the integrated guide screen displayed on the display unit 113. . In addition to a channel switching function as a television remote controller, a URL (text) input and selection function is added.

  The command receiving unit 115 receives a command from the remote controller 114 and sends it to the control unit 121. Based on the content of the command, the control unit 121 performs switching to the content selected by the user, volume up / down, power on / off, and the like.

  The current meta information storage unit 120 is a non-volatile memory, and stores meta information of streaming content being viewed by the user. The current meta information storage unit 120 always stores meta information of the most recently viewed streaming content every time the user switches viewing content. The meta information stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 includes at least address information.

  In addition to the normal calendar and clock functions, the timer unit 117 starts timing operation according to an instruction from the control unit 121, and outputs a timing signal for periodically instructing connection to the Internet connection control unit 116 while the power is shut off. Have a timer.

  Based on the information stored in the current meta information storage unit 120, the Internet connection control unit 116 accesses the URL of the streaming content last viewed by the user at the timing instructed by the time measuring unit 117. Connection settings are made for the Internet connection unit 105.

  Next, the operation according to this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing of the control unit 121 when the power is turned on and off.

  When the user operates the power switch of the remote controller 114 to turn on the power supply 125 of the receiving apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. 9 (step S111), in addition to the main power supply 126, the power supply 125 also supplies power to the functional block. Start. Then, it connects to a portal site of streaming content designated in advance, receives information described in HTML or the like of this site, and meta information related to streaming content registered therein, and stores it in the meta information storage unit 108. Store (steps S112 and S113).

  The meta information received here includes the location address of the content, title, category (genre), abstract, playback time, recording availability, producer, etc., and if possible, the distribution schedule etc. from the portal site information get.

  A series of meta information related to the content stored in the meta information storage unit 108 is decoded by the SI / meta information decoding unit 110 and displayed on the display unit 113 as a content guide screen (step S114).

  As described above, the receiving apparatus 100 integrates the streaming content guide function and the EPG function in digital broadcasting, and displays the “integrated content guide” in which the streaming content and the TV program can be confirmed with a good list on one screen. Yes.

  Of course, as a simpler display method, an Internet browser application may be installed, and data of portal sites of several streaming contents existing on the Internet may be received and displayed as they are.

  When content is designated by the user (step S115), the meta information of the selected content is stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 (step S116). The current meta information storage unit 120 may use a partial area of a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory in addition to a hard disk drive for recording contents and programs. Although not particularly shown in FIG. 1, an external storage device connected to the receiving apparatus 100 via a network can also play the role.

  Then, the Internet connection unit 105 starts receiving data from the address of the designated content, and displays the streaming content on the display unit 113 via the data buffer 106, the media decoding unit 109, and the display screen generation unit 112.

  Further, the meta information storage unit 106 stores the meta information in the current meta information storage unit 120 when the user continuously views one content for a predetermined time or longer.

  After starting to receive streaming content in this way, the power supply state is confirmed (step S117). Here, when the power-on state continues and the user switches the streaming content, the meta information related to the latest viewing content is stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 each time. Thus, when the power is turned off next time, the meta information of the content viewed immediately before is stored in the current meta information storage unit 120.

  Next, when the control unit 121 detects that the power supply 125 is turned off due to an operation of turning off the power switch of the remote controller 114, the control unit 121 instructs the timer provided in the time measuring unit 117 to start a time measuring operation, and A cycle for outputting the timing signal during the power-off period is set (step S118).

  At the same time, the Internet connection control unit 116 reads the meta information of the content that was viewed immediately before the power is turned off from the current meta information storage unit 120 (step S119), and sets the URL of the content to the Internet connection unit 105 ( Step S120).

  The internet connection unit 105 accesses the URL of the content that was viewed immediately before the power was turned off, receives the streaming data of this site (step S121), and stores it in the data buffer (step S122). In this way, the streaming content is always buffered immediately after the power is turned off.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the power-off state is a state in which the power supply 125 of the receiving apparatus 100 is turned off by the remote controller 114 as a generally assumed case, and it is assumed that the main power supply 126 remains on. Of course, while the power supply 125 is off, the clock function by the timer unit 117 is operated, and the timer supplies power to only necessary functional blocks other than the timer unit 117, for example, the block 122 and the control unit 121. These may be selected by setting by the power supply state management unit (control unit) 121.

  Further, while the power supply 125 of the device is in an off state, the timer unit 117 outputs a timing signal at a set cycle (step S123), and the Internet connection control unit 116 controls the Internet connection unit 105 according to the timing signal. The operation of receiving the data of the streaming content viewed immediately before the power is turned off and storing it in the data buffer 106 is periodically repeated in the background. As a result, the latest data is always stored in the data buffer 106. These operations operate normally because the main power supply 125 is on.

  Next, when the power supply 125 is turned on by a user operation (step S124), the power is also supplied to the function blocks 123 and 124. Therefore, the control unit 121 stores the streaming content data stored in the buffer 106 as described above. Is decoded by the media decoding unit 109 (step S125). Then, the display screen generation unit 112 is controlled to generate a display screen of streaming content and output it to the display unit 113 (step S126). Further, the Internet connection control unit 116 is instructed to connect to the address of the streaming content. In accordance with this instruction, the Internet connection control unit 116 controls the Internet connection unit 105 to start receiving streaming content. After that, continuous playback and viewing of the streaming content are sequentially performed.

  Note that after the power supply 125 is turned off in the streaming content viewing state, whether the next power-on display starts from the streaming content, starts from the TV program, or starts from the content guide screen depends on the device specifications. It may be determined by. In this mode, when streaming content viewing ends, it is assumed that it starts from streaming content. According to this mode, when a normal TV set is turned on, it is displayed from the channel that was viewed immediately before the previous power was turned off. In the same manner as described above, viewing of streaming content can be started.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the power supply 125 is turned off while viewing streaming content, the address of the content received immediately before the power is turned off is stored, and the content is periodically updated while the power is turned off. This streaming content is received and stored in the buffer. When the power is turned on, the streaming content data stored while the power is turned off is read, decoded, displayed, and reception of data is resumed from the address of the streaming content received immediately before the power is turned off. Thus, the user can automatically and quickly start viewing the streaming content that was viewed when the power was turned off without instructing to select or receive the streaming content again when the power is turned on. Become.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The main block of the receiving apparatus according to this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the control unit 121 in this embodiment.

  In FIG. 5, when the power is turned on (step S211), it connects to the portal site of the streaming content designated in advance, receives the meta information regarding the streaming content registered there (step S212), and the meta information storage unit (Step S213). This process is almost the same as in the above-described embodiment, but in the present embodiment, this process is performed when streaming content is not viewed by the user.

  Next, after confirming the current time, the meta information regarding the streaming content registered (displayed) in the integrated content guide is stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 (step S214).

  Also in this embodiment, the “integrated content guide” that allows the streaming content and the TV program shown in FIG. 2 to be confirmed on one screen with good listability is displayed.

  In FIG. 2, four streaming contents are registered at 19:00, which is the current time zone, and it is highly possible that the user selects and views the streaming contents in the same manner as a television program.

  Therefore, here, regarding the four streaming contents, the meta information is extracted from the meta information storage unit 108 and written into the current meta information storage unit 120. Further, the meta information of the streaming contents (two from 20:00 to 22:00 each) that can be listed in FIG. 2 is sequentially stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 (step S215).

  The Internet connection control unit 116 controls the Internet connection unit 105 to connect to the address of this streaming content according to the content meta information stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 (step S216).

  The Internet connection unit 105 accesses the URL of the instructed content, receives the streaming content data, and stores it in the data buffer (steps S217 and S218).

  As described above, the number of streaming contents registered in the content guide is not necessarily one. When a plurality of contents are registered, the Internet connection unit 105 is configured to access a plurality of content candidate URLs simultaneously and receive streaming content data in parallel according to an instruction from the Internet connection control unit 116. Adopted.

  On the other hand, the number of contents that can be stored in the buffer 106 varies depending on the capacity of the data buffer 106. Unlike broadcasting systems, streaming content contains images and sounds of various resolutions and distribution rates. Generally, the higher the resolution and the higher the distribution rate, the larger the buffer capacity is required.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the distribution information such as the resolution and recommended distribution rate of each content is confirmed from the meta information of the target content, and the traffic (congestion) status of the communication path at that time is checked by the Internet connection unit 105 To determine the actual line speed and dynamically determine the capacity allocated to each content.

  At this time, for each content, a capacity capable of smoothly starting viewing without distorting or interrupting the image is allocated (step S219).

  Note that the data buffer 106 in this embodiment has a capacity capable of accumulating all the content data displayed in a list on the content guide screen for a predetermined period. Therefore, when the user selects from the range of streaming contents that can be listed in the content guide, the user always stores the content in the buffer 106.

  In this embodiment, the processing from step S212 to step S219 in FIG. 5 is performed during a time period when the user is not viewing streaming content, such as during TV viewing by the user. May be. In particular, it is indispensable for a completely initial state. Whether or not to perform this process immediately after power-on depends on the specifications of the device. In the case of a device that performs a buffering operation while the device is turned off, it is not necessary to perform this process every time immediately after the power is turned on, and a device that cannot perform a buffering operation while the power is turned off. In this case, this processing is always performed immediately after the power is turned on.

  Returning to the description of the operation flow of FIG.

  Thereafter, a content guide screen is displayed in accordance with a user instruction (step S220), and a content selection operation by the user is performed (step S221).

  If the content selected by the user is not a streaming content, for example, if it is a television program, the tuner 101 is controlled to receive the broadcast of the designated channel, and the program selected by the user is received and viewed. (Steps S223 and S224). In addition, in the case of processing such as reception of other applications, for example, data reception from an external device, viewing, or e-mail, processing corresponding to each is similarly performed (step S225).

  On the other hand, if the selected content is streaming content, it is determined whether or not the selected streaming content is buffered in advance in the data buffer 106 (step S226). If buffered, the corresponding data is read from the buffer 106 (step S227). Then, the Internet connection control unit 116 sets the connection to the address of the streaming content selected by the user for the Internet connection unit 105, and starts receiving the content selected from the server side (steps S229 and S230). Thereafter, the streaming content data is sequentially received, the data read from the data buffer 106 is decoded, and a display screen is generated and displayed on the display unit 113 (step S228).

  As described above, when the streaming content displayed in the content guide is selected, the head portion of the designated streaming content is stored in the data buffer 106 in advance, and therefore, after the content is designated, The user can start viewing at a much higher speed than the case of connecting and receiving streaming data.

  There may also be a case where the user selects and views streaming content that is not registered in the content guide. In that case, as usual, the Internet connection unit 105 is instructed to access the designated site, and viewing is performed while downloading streaming content from the site.

  In this way, the streaming content registered in the content guide is received and stored in advance when the streaming content is not being watched or immediately after the power is turned on, and then the user can view the streaming content from the content guide screen. When selected, viewing can be started immediately as if the channel of the television program is switched.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the registered content in the content guide has been changed, and is reflected in the subsequent buffering processing (step S231). In this embodiment, the streaming content is configured so that the user can freely register and delete it in the content guide. If there is a change, the buffering process is again performed on the changed registered content.

  Next, the background buffering operation during power-off will be described.

  The power-off state in this embodiment refers to a state where the power of the receiving apparatus 100 is turned off with the remote controller 114.

  When there is an instruction to turn off the power by the user's remote control operation (step S232), the control unit 121 identifies the time (step S234), and then instructs the timer in the time measuring unit 117 to start timing, Is set (step S235).

  Next, the meta information of the streaming content registered in the range that can be displayed as a list in the content guide from the current time is read from the current meta information storage unit 120 to the Internet connection control unit 116 (step S236), and the Internet connection is made. Control to output to the unit 105 (step S237).

  The Internet connection unit 105 accesses the URL of each output content, receives the streaming data, and stores it in the data buffer (steps S238, S239, and S240).

  Here, when there are a plurality of target contents, the Internet connection unit 105 accesses the URLs of a plurality of content candidates at the same time and receives streaming data more efficiently as described above.

  Further, while the power is off, the operation of periodically receiving the streaming content data and storing it in the data buffer 106 is repeated according to the timing signal from the timer unit 117 (step S241). As a result, the latest data can always be stored in the data buffer 106 regarding the streaming content registered in the content guide.

  Next, when the power is turned on by a user operation, for example, a content guide screen as shown in FIG. 2 is presented as an initial screen (step S242).

  Next, content is selected by the user. If the user selects from the streaming content registered in the content guide, since the data has already been stored in the buffer 106, viewing starts immediately. It becomes possible to do.

  In this way, in this embodiment, the streaming content registered in the content guide is stored in advance even while the power is turned off, so that when the user selects the streaming content from the content guide screen after the power is turned on, It is possible to immediately start viewing with the sensation of switching TV program channels.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. Although the receiving apparatus of this embodiment has the same configuration as that in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the control unit 121 has a function of managing the operating states (startup and termination) of various applications built in the receiving apparatus 100. The application here is not only an application such as e-mail and Internet browsing, which is generally called an application on a PC, but also a TV program viewing, streaming content viewing, and content input from an external AV device. Includes viewing.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit 121 when switching from viewing streaming content to viewing TV programs, etc., according to this embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, the processing from step S311 to S316 is processing for storing the latest streaming content meta information selected by the user in the current meta information storage unit 120 after the power is turned on, and in step S111 of FIG. To S116.

  Next, in step S317, it is determined that the content to be viewed has been switched from streaming content to another application such as a television program by a user operation.

  Here, when it is determined that the application has been switched to another application such as a TV program, the timer of the timer unit 117 is instructed to start timing, and the period of the timing signal is set (step S318). The URL of the streaming content that was viewed immediately before the switching is read out from the current meta information storage unit 120, the streaming content is received, and stored in the buffer 106 (steps S319 to S323). Also in this embodiment, these processes are performed in the background so as not to disturb the user's viewing of the television program.

  Thereafter, when the streaming content is selected again by the operation of the remote controller, it is determined that streaming viewing is started (step S324), and the streaming content data that was viewed immediately before switching is read from the data buffer 106 and sent to the media decoding unit 109. , Start displaying. Also, the reception of the streaming content data is started, and then the streaming content is viewed while being stored in the data buffer 106 sequentially.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when there is an instruction to switch to another application while viewing the streaming content, the streaming content immediately before the switching is periodically received and stored in the buffer while viewing the other application. If the switching of streaming content is instructed again, the stored streaming content data is read and displayed.

  Therefore, for example, the display can be quickly switched between the streaming content and the normal television program, and the user can switch the viewing content with a sense of channel return without feeling stress.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating main blocks of the receiving apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment. The receiving apparatus 300 illustrated in FIG. 3 has substantially the same function as the receiving apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 3, blocks having the same functions as those in FIG.

  Hereinafter, functions of the blocks added and changed from FIG. 1 will be described.

  In FIG. 3, the control unit 121 recognizes a command from the remote controller 114 received by the command receiving unit 115, determines which streaming content or TV program the user has viewed based on the content of the command, and viewing history. The data is sent to the storage unit 140.

  In addition to the above-described functions, the timer unit 117 provides the viewing history storage unit 140 with the date, day of the week, and time when the user viewed the content or the television program. In this embodiment, the viewing history storage unit 140 is controlled so as to record as a history only when content or a television program has been continuously viewed for a certain time or longer.

  The viewing history storage unit 140 stores a history of which content on which site the user was viewing. The parameters to be stored are the content URL, title, genre, viewing date, day of the week, time, and the like.

  The user profile generation unit 141 performs arithmetic processing using a predetermined algorithm using the data input from the viewing history storage unit 140, creates a user profile that is pattern data related to the user's content viewing, and the user profile storage unit 142. To store.

  The user profile related to content viewing is a personal profile body of each user who uses the receiving device 300, and when used in a normal home, it is stored independently for each family member (father, mother, child). Managed. However, depending on the case, the profile information of family members may be stored together as a single family profile instead of individual.

  The content inference unit 143 includes user profile data related to content viewing stored in the user profile storage unit 142 and content stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 that can be viewed within a few hours from the current time. Based on a predetermined algorithm, content candidates that the user will select are estimated and determined.

  The Internet connection control unit 116 performs connection setting for the Internet connection unit 105 to access the URL of the streaming content corresponding to the instruction from the content inference unit 143 according to the timing signal from the time measuring unit 117. .

  Next, the operation according to this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit 121 when receiving streaming content in this embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, when the power of the receiving apparatus 300 is turned on, it connects to a portal site of streaming content designated in advance, receives meta information related to streaming content registered there, and stores it in the meta information storage unit 108. (Steps S411, S412, and S413). This is the same operation as the above-described embodiment.

  Next, meta information related to streaming content that can be viewed within a few hours is extracted from the meta information storage unit 108 and stored in the current meta information storage unit 120 (step S414).

  Next, after the current time and day of the week are identified by the clock unit 117 (step S415), the content inference unit 143 refers to the user's profile data related to content viewing and the data in the current meta information storage unit 120. Next, a candidate that the user will select when streaming viewing is predicted and determined (steps S416 and S417).

  Here, at the same time and day of the week, if there is a past content viewing history that matches the site address, it is easy to infer and determine a viewing content candidate from that information. If there is no content with the same address, the candidate is determined by estimating from the profile information of the content itself, such as the title, category, producer, etc. of the content, regardless of the delivery information such as the address, day of the week, and time.

  When the next content candidate is determined, the address of the next content candidate is sent to the Internet connection control unit 116, and the address of the next content candidate is set in the Internet connection unit 105 (step S418). The Internet connection unit 105 accesses the address of the next content candidate, receives the streaming data, and stores it in the data buffer (steps S419 and S420).

  Here, the number of contents output as candidates from the content inference unit 143 is not limited to one, and in many cases ranges from several to a dozen candidates. For this reason, in this embodiment, not a single next content candidate is buffered, but a plurality (second and third candidates) are buffered. In that case, the Internet connection unit 105 accesses the URLs of a plurality of content candidates at the same time in accordance with an instruction from the Internet connection control unit 116, and receives streaming data in parallel.

  Further, the management mode (capacity allocation to each content) of the data buffer 106 when receiving and buffering a plurality of contents is the same as in the second embodiment. That is, for each content candidate, a capacity sufficient to start viewing is allocated smoothly.

  In this way, reception and buffering of the next content candidate are repeated up to the capacity of the data buffer mounted on the device (step S421). Basically, the user waits for content selection by the user with the next content candidate filling the data buffer.

  These processes are performed based on the same concept as in the second embodiment, during a time period when streaming content is not viewed, such as when the user is viewing TV, or immediately after power-on.

  Thereafter, a content guide screen is displayed according to the user's instruction (step S422), and a content selection operation by the user is performed (step S423).

  Here, as in the second embodiment, if the content selected by the user is not streaming content, for example, if it is a television program, the tuner 101 is controlled to view a predetermined program, and the program selected by the user Are received and viewed (steps S425 and S426). Also, in the case of other applications, for example, viewing of images from an external AV device, e-mail, etc., processing corresponding to each is similarly performed (step S427).

  On the other hand, if the selected content is streaming content, the selected streaming content is predicted in advance as a next content candidate, and it is determined whether or not it is buffered in the data buffer (step S428). If they match, the stored stream content data is read from the data buffer 106 and sent to the decoder unit 109 (step S429). Then, the Internet connection control unit 116 sets the connection to the address of the streaming content selected by the user for the Internet connection unit 105, starts receiving the content selected from the server side, and then sequentially updates the data buffer Meanwhile, the streaming content is continuously viewed (steps S431 and S432).

  In this way, by streaming data of streaming content that the user will select, it becomes possible to start viewing the content as soon as the user selects the corresponding content. For this reason, display can be performed at a much higher speed than when content is specified and then streaming data is received by connecting to that address.

  On the other hand, if the content selected by the user does not exist in the content stored as the next content candidate, the access setting to the designated site is performed in the Internet connection unit 105 as usual, and the streaming content from that site is set. Receive data.

  Regardless of whether or not the next content candidate matches, after the streaming content is selected, if the time counting unit 117 determines that the content has been continuously viewed for a certain time (step S433), the result is stored as a content viewing history. The user profile is stored in the unit 140 (step S434), and then the user profile is updated as appropriate (step S435). This profile may be updated at any time as long as the CPU processing capacity of the device is sufficient. If the processing capacity is not sufficient, the profile may be updated by a normal user at regular time intervals or at midnight. You may carry out in anticipation of the time zone when viewing is not performed.

  After the profile is updated, if necessary, a new content candidate is predicted based on the newly updated user profile, and the data of the new content candidate is received and stored in the data buffer 106. Although it is related to the processing capability of the CPU, once the user profile is updated, the next candidate is predicted each time and the operation is performed to prepare for the next streaming viewing.

  FIG. 9 is an example of user profile data used in the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, cnt_URL is the location address and file name (URL) of the content viewed by the user. CRID is a reference ID of the content. The content reference ID is an ID for specifying the content main body independent of the URL for specifying the location of the content, and is a creator name + a classification name managed in a manner that guarantees the uniqueness of the content for each creator ( Content category and series name). In FIG. 9, the notation AAA / Sport indicates that the content is streaming content within the management category of sports of the creator of AAA or the content distribution manager.

  Cat is a category of the content. Specifically, it is news, sports, drama, education, etc. In the case of streaming content, at present, each content producer and distribution manager has its own classification.

  In addition, standardization organizations such as MPEG-7 and TV Anytime Forum have been standardized as a mechanism for uniquely identifying content that handles TV, the Internet, package media, etc., regardless of the type of media. ing. If meta information and content reference methods will be standardized in the future, meta information based on the standard can be used.

  Date, Day, and Time represent the date, day of the week, and time when the user viewed the content.

  Rec indicates whether or not the user has recorded the content by a recording unit (not shown). In the prediction of the next content candidate in this embodiment, the history of recording is handled in the same manner as the viewing history.

  Although FIG. 3 does not show functional blocks as recording means, an external recording device connected to the receiving device 300 via an interface is assumed. The recording history is accumulated when the user gives an instruction by remote control operation from the above-described streaming content guide screen or the like.

  Date_Stamp is the latest date on which the event (content viewing) occurred, and is input from the time measuring unit 117 in the device, like Date, Day, and Time. Freq represents the frequency of occurrence of the event.

  Further, the notation “−1” in FIG. 9 means “Do n’t care” and means that it is irrespective of the value of this parameter.

  For example, in FIG. 9, the top row is called Filename1 of the content distribution site (ServerA) called AAA at 7:00 pm (Time = 19) on Saturday (Day = 6) regardless of the date (-1 notation). This indicates that the history of viewing the streaming content has been 10 times (Freq = 10) in the past. At the same time, it can be seen that the category of the content viewed is sports (Cat_ID = 2), and the most recently viewed is April 28, 2001.

  Although specific description of the category ID is omitted here, some examples are shown in FIG. For each category, a specific number (ID) is assigned in the device, and the category information acquired from the meta information of the content is recorded in the profile in the form of a number using a certain comparison table or the like. .

  In the fifth line of FIG. 9, regardless of the day of the week and the date (Date and Day are both -1), at 7 am (Time = 07), Filename 24 of the distribution site GGG has been viewed 20 times in the past. I understand that.

  The next content candidate is determined by referring to a user profile as shown in FIG. 9 and performing arithmetic processing using a predetermined algorithm. As an example, after sorting by a certain condition, filtering is performed. If there is no perfectly matched condition in the profile at the timing of content inference, treat some parameters as Don't care, find a more generalized match, Candidate.

  Specifically, parameters such as the category of the content itself are emphasized over the parameters of the viewing history, and if there is a content of a genre that the user would like from the content group that can be viewed, it is followed. Candidate.

  Note that the user profile shown in FIG. 9 is historical data in units of one hour as a time parameter for the sake of simplification, but in reality, a history with a finer frequency remains. . In this embodiment, every time the user profile is updated, the operation of predicting the next content candidate is repeated.

  Furthermore, it is possible to generate a user profile that takes into account not only streaming content viewing history but also television program viewing history. In that case, information such as the genre and title among the information related to the TV program can be handled as parameters common to the meta information of the streaming content, and what kind of content the user likes is more versatile. It becomes possible to grasp accurately. This has the effect of inferring the next candidate for streaming content more accurately.

  Also, a sufficient amount of viewing history is required to increase the relevance rate of the next content candidate to be buffered. For this reason, at the initial stage of use of the device, a screen for asking the user about their interests and preferences is presented, and a predetermined item such as a favorite genre is selected or entered from there, so that the user profile Initial data may be generated.

  In the apparatus of FIG. 3 as well, a series of processes of predicting viewing content based on the user profile and pre-buffering as described above can be performed while the power is turned off. The basic operation flow in this case is basically the same as the background buffering flow (steps S232 to S242 in FIG. 5) when the power is turned off in the second embodiment. The only difference is that the content to be buffered is streaming content registered in the content guide in the second embodiment, whereas in this embodiment, it is streaming content inferred based on the user profile. Is a point.

  In this way, during the time when the streaming content is not viewed or during power-off, the content that the user will view is predicted based on the user profile generated from the viewing history, and a part of the streaming data is preliminarily stored. By buffering, it is possible to eliminate the waiting time at the start of viewing and the switching of the content, which is the conventional streaming content viewing, and it becomes possible to select and view the content smoothly.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the receiver with which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the mode of a content guide screen. It is a block which shows the other structure of the receiver with which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows reception operation | movement. It is a flowchart which shows reception operation | movement. It is a flowchart which shows reception operation | movement. It is a flowchart which shows reception operation | movement. It is a figure which shows user profile data. It is a block diagram of the power supply system used for this invention.

Claims (10)

A receiving device,
Receiving means for receiving streaming content over a network;
Among a plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the receiving means, storage control means for controlling the receiving means to receive streaming contents registered in advance and store them in the storage section;
An operation means for receiving an operation for selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming contents;
When the operation unit selects the pre-registered streaming content, the streaming unit stores the streaming content stored in the storage unit, and receives another streaming content selection operation from the operation unit. A display control unit that controls the receiving unit to receive the streaming content and display the streaming content on the display unit ;
The accumulation control unit controls the reception unit to receive the pre-registered streaming content and store it in the accumulation unit in response to the power supply of the receiving device being turned on. receiver that. A receiving device,
Receiving means for receiving streaming content over a network;
Storage means for storing user profile information relating to user preferences;
Based on the user profile information stored in the storage means, a streaming content that matches a user preference is determined from a plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the receiving means, and the streaming content that matches the user preference is determined by the receiving means. Storage control means for controlling to receive and store in the storage unit,
Operation means for receiving an operation for selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming content;
When the operation unit receives a streaming content selection operation that matches the user preference, the streaming unit stores the streaming content stored in the storage unit, and receives another streaming content selection operation from the operation unit. The display means for controlling to receive the streaming content by the receiving means and display on the display unit ,
The storage control means controls the streaming content that matches the user preference to be received by the receiving means and stored in the storage unit in response to the power supply of the receiving device being turned on. A receiving device. A receiving device,
Receiving means for receiving streaming content over a network;
Among a plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the receiving means, storage control means for controlling the receiving means to receive streaming contents registered in advance and store them in the storage section;
An operation means for receiving an operation for selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming contents;
When the operation unit selects the pre-registered streaming content, the streaming unit stores the streaming content stored in the storage unit, and receives another streaming content selection operation from the operation unit. In such a case, display control means for controlling the receiving means to receive the streaming content and display it on the display unit;
A decoding unit that performs a decoding process for displaying the streaming content on the display unit;
A power supply unit that supplies power to the decoding unit;
The storage control unit performs control so that the streaming unit registered in advance is received by the reception unit and stored in the storage unit in response to the power supply unit being turned off. apparatus. A receiving device,
Receiving means for receiving streaming content over a network;
Storage means for storing user profile information relating to user preferences;
Based on the user profile information stored in the storage means, a streaming content that matches a user preference is determined from a plurality of streaming contents that can be received by the receiving means, and the streaming content that matches the user preference is determined by the receiving means. Storage control means for controlling to receive and store in the storage unit,
An operation means for receiving an operation for selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming contents;
When the operation unit receives a streaming content selection operation that matches the user preference, the streaming unit stores the streaming content stored in the storage unit, and receives another streaming content selection operation from the operation unit. If so, display control means for controlling the receiving means to receive the streaming content and display on the display unit;
A decoding unit for performing decoding processing for displaying the previous SL streaming content on the display unit,
A power supply unit that supplies power to the decoding unit;
The storage control means, in response to supply of the power supply unit is turned off, and controls to store the streaming content that matches the user's preference to said storage unit and received by the receiving means Receiver device. The accumulation control unit periodically accesses the URL of the streaming content during a period in which the power supply unit is turned off , receives the streaming content by the receiving unit, and accumulates the streaming content in the accumulation unit. The receiving device according to claim 3 , wherein the receiving device is controlled to the following. A method of receiving streaming content by a receiving device,
A storage step of receiving a pre-registered streaming content among a plurality of streaming content receivable via a network and storing it in a storage unit;
An operation step of receiving an operation of selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming content;
When receiving an operation for selecting the previously registered streaming content in the operation step, the streaming content stored in the storage unit is displayed on the display unit, and another streaming content selection operation is received in the operation step. If receives the streaming content have a display step of displaying on the display unit via a network,
The storing method according to claim 1, wherein the storing step receives the streaming content registered in advance and stores the streaming content in the storage unit in response to the power supply of the receiving device being turned on . A method of receiving streaming content by a receiving device,
A storage step for storing user profile information relating to user preferences;
Based on the user profile information stored in the storing step, the streaming content that matches the user preference is determined from the plurality of streaming content that can be received via the network, and the streaming content that matches the user preference is received. An accumulation step for accumulating in the accumulation unit;
An operation step of receiving an operation of selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming content;
When receiving an operation for selecting streaming content that matches the user preference in the operation step, the streaming content stored in the storage unit is displayed on the display unit, and an operation for selecting another streaming content is received in the operation step. If was receives streaming content have a display step of displaying on the display unit via a network,
The receiving method according to claim 1, wherein the storing step receives streaming content that matches the user preference and stores the streaming content in the storage unit in response to the power supply of the receiving device being turned on . A method of receiving streaming content by a receiving device,
A storage step of receiving a pre-registered streaming content among a plurality of streaming content receivable via a network and storing it in a storage unit;
An operation step of receiving an operation of selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming content;
When receiving an operation for selecting the previously registered streaming content in the operation step, the streaming content stored in the storage unit is displayed on the display unit, and another streaming content selection operation is received in the operation step. A display step of receiving streaming content via a network and displaying the streaming content on the display unit;
In the storing step, the pre-registered streaming content is received and stored in the storage unit in response to the power of the decoding unit performing a decoding process for displaying the streaming content on the display unit being turned off. And a receiving method. A method of receiving streaming content by a receiving device,
A storage step for storing user profile information relating to user preferences;
Based on the user profile information stored in the storing step, the streaming content that matches the user preference is determined from the plurality of streaming content that can be received via the network, and the streaming content that matches the user preference is received. An accumulation step for accumulating in the accumulation unit;
An operation step of receiving an operation of selecting an arbitrary streaming content from the plurality of streaming content;
When receiving an operation for selecting streaming content that matches the user preference in the operation step, the streaming content stored in the storage unit is displayed on the display unit, and another operation for selecting other streaming content is received in the operation step. A display step of receiving streaming content via a network and displaying the streaming content on the display unit,
The storage step receives streaming content that matches the user preference and stores it in the storage unit in response to the power of the decoding unit that performs decoding processing for displaying the streaming content on the display unit being turned off. And a receiving method. 9. The storage step according to claim 8 or claim 10 , wherein the storage step periodically accesses a URL of the streaming content during a period in which the power of the decoding unit is turned off , receives the streaming content, and stores the streaming content in the storage unit. Item 10. The receiving method according to Item 9 .

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