TWI492631B - Replay system for ip tv - Google Patents

Description

Internet TV program replay system

The present invention relates to a network television system, and more particularly to a program replay system for a network television system.

In today's society, colorful TV programs have become an indispensable part of people's lives. Traditional TV sets have already become popular among thousands of households. In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet and communication technologies, the functions of the Internet have become increasingly powerful. People can not only spread and access information through the Internet, but with the emergence of the TV based on Internet Protocol (IP TV) system. People can also watch shows on Internet TV.

In general, during the playback of the Internet TV, a digital content multicast server uses the IP TV network as a medium to broadcast video and audio data such as TV programs to the Internet according to the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP). Other machines, such as a set top box (STB) that can receive TV programs, can watch TV programs.

However, the user can only watch the part of the program that is currently being broadcasted, and the previously broadcasted program cannot be seen again if it is missed. For example, the broadcast time of a program is from 8:00 to 9:00 pm. If the user watches the program at 8:30, the program that the user can watch is only 8:30 to 9:00, and 8:00 to 8:00. Half of this show will be missed.

In view of this, it is necessary to provide a network television program replay system.

In addition, it is necessary to provide a program replay server for a network television system.

A network television program replay system includes a multicast server, an IP television network, at least one set top box, and a multimedia server to move the server in time. The multicast server multicasts a television program to the at least one set top box and the multimedia server over the IP television network. When the multicast server multicasts a television program, the time shift server controls the multimedia server to automatically record the television program. At any time during the TV program multicast period, a set top box sends a replay request to the time shift server, and the time shift server returns the uniform resource locator of the television program recorded by the multimedia server, and the set top box is automatically grouped by the group. The broadcast switches to unicast and connects to the multimedia server to receive the replay of the TV program requested by the replay request.

A program replay server for a network television system, the network television system comprising a multicast server, an IP television network, and at least one set top box. The network television program replay server includes a multimedia server and a time shift server. The multimedia server and the at least one set top box respectively receive a group of broadcast television programs from the group broadcast server through the IP television network, and the time shift server controls the multimedia server to automatically record the television program. At any point in the TV program multicast period, the time-shifting server receives the replay request from a set-top box, that is, returns the uniform resource locator of the television program recorded by the multimedia server to the set-top box. The set top box is automatically switched from multicast to unicast and connected to a multimedia server that sends the television program requested by the replay request to the set top box.

Compared with the prior art, the network television program replay system of the present invention is combined with the group broadcast. And multimedia server recording and video streaming technology, when the user wants to watch the content of the program that has been missed during the time period, the set-top box can switch the current group broadcast to the video stream of the multimedia server (ie, unicast). The user can watch the program of the time period from the beginning. The invention has a simple structure and provides a new TV usage mode for the user.

100‧‧‧Internet TV replay system

10‧‧‧Communication Server

20‧‧‧IP TV Network

30‧‧‧Multimedia server

31‧‧‧recording unit

32‧‧‧ storage unit

33‧‧‧Play unit

40‧‧‧Set top box

41‧‧‧Control unit

42‧‧‧Signal Transceiver Unit

50‧‧‧Time shift server

51‧‧‧Control Center

52‧‧‧Data Processing Center

53‧‧‧Signal Transceiver Center

1 is a functional block diagram of a network television program replay system to which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a network television program replay system 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a multicast server 10, an IP television network 20 as a television information transmission medium, a multimedia server (Media Server) 30, and at least A set top box 40 moves the server (TimeShift Server) 50 in time. The multicast server 10, the multimedia server 30, the at least one set top box 40, and the time-shift server 50 are all connected to the IP television network 20, and the three can communicate with each other through the IP television network 20. .

The multicast server 10 mediates the audio and video data corresponding to the television program to the multimedia server 30, at least one set top box 40, and other networks in the network according to the IGMP protocol. machine.

The multimedia server 30 includes a recording unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a playing unit 33. The recording unit 31 receives the audio and video material broadcasted by the multicast server 10 via the IP television network 20, and records the audio and video material into a file and stores it in the storage unit 32. Each file has its corresponding Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The playback unit 33 has a video stream transmission function The different users can view the audio and video materials stored in the storage unit 32 in a unicast manner.

The set top box 40 is a digital device with an embedded system for receiving and processing digital information such as sounds, images, and control signals from the IP television network 20. The set top box 40 includes a control unit 41 and a signal transceiving unit 42. The control unit 41 is configured to control the receiving mode of the set top box 40 according to the needs of the user, that is, receive the multicast program or the unicast program. The control unit 41 includes a remote controller (not shown) that selects the receiving mode of the set top box 40 by operating a replay button, a stop button or a channel switching button of the remote controller. The signal transceiving unit 42 is configured to send signals to the time shift server 50 or receive signals from the IP television network 20, the time shift server 50, and the multimedia server 30. The set top box 40 can be used in combination with a television or a computer to make a television or a computer a carrier for playing video.

The time shift server 50 includes a control center 51, a data processing center 52, and a signal transceiving center 53. The control center 51 is configured to control the multimedia server 30 to perform operations such as television program recording and file management. The data processing center 52 is configured to perform statistics and collation of information of a television program, such as a uniform resource locator (URL). The signal receiving and receiving center 53 is configured to receive information from the at least one set top box 30 and the multimedia server 50, and send information to the set top box 30 and the multimedia server 50.

During the use, the broadcast time of each program is a time period. For example, a certain program starts from 8:00 pm and ends at 9:00, and then 8:00 to 9:00 is a time period. When the television program is being played, the multicast server 10 broadcasts the video and audio data corresponding to the television program to the multimedia server 30 and the at least one set top box 40 via the IP television network 20. At the start time of each time period, that is, at the beginning of the program, the time shift server 50 automatically controls more The media server 30 begins recording the group television. That is, while the user is watching the television program normally through the set top box 40, the multimedia server 30 is also recording the television program and the multimedia server 30 stores the recorded television program in its storage unit 32. The time shift server 50 confirms to the multimedia server 30 whether the television program has been recorded and can be replayed, and acquires the URL of the television program recorded by the multimedia server 30, and stores the URL in its data processing center 52.

When the user wishes to replay the program broadcasted during the time period from 8:00 to 9:00, the user needs to press the replay button of the remote controller, and the signal transceiving unit 40 receives a control signal requesting replay. A replay request is sent to the time shift server 50. Upon receiving the replay request, the signal transceiving center 53 of the time shift server 50 transmits the URL of the television program in the data processing center 52 to the set top box 40.

After obtaining the URL of the TV program, the set top box 40 automatically switches from the multicast reception to the unicast reception, disconnects the connection with the multicast server 10, and connects to the multimedia server 30 to request from the multimedia server 30. TV show during that time. At this time, the multimedia server 30 transmits the television program of the time period to the set top box 30 in the form of a video stream, and the user can watch the television program of the time period from the beginning.

When the user wants to continue watching the group broadcast TV, the connection with the group broadcast server 10 can be automatically resumed by operating the stop button or the channel switch button of the remote controller in the control unit 41, and the unicast television returns to the general multicast. The content of the TV program. At this point, the user sees what the group TV should have at that point in time. For example, the user presses the replay button to watch the replay TV at 8:30, and after 15 minutes, it switches back to the general group TV. The group TV content that is seen at this time is the program content of 8:45. . As long as the user presses the replay button at any point between 8:00 and 9:00, you can see eight. Replay the program at the time of the nine-point period, and there is no limit on the number of times. However, if the user presses the replay button after nine o'clock, it will see the replay TV at the time period after nine o'clock, not the program from the time point of eight to nine o'clock. That is, the user can receive the replay television at the time of the time point by operating the control unit 41 of the set top box 40 at a certain point in time.

Obviously, the multimedia server 30 can connect to a plurality of set top boxes 40 while satisfying the replay request of the plurality of set top boxes 40 without interfering with each other.

It can be understood that the multimedia server 30 and the time shift server 50 can be integrated to form a television program replay server. Moreover, the network television program replay system 100 of the present invention can be used with different IP television networks 20.

The network television program replay system 100 of the present invention combines the technologies of the group broadcast and the multimedia server 30 to record and video stream transmission. When the user wants to watch the program content that has been missed during the time period, the set top box 40 can present the current The multicast broadcast is switched to the video stream of the multimedia server, and the user can watch the program of the time period from the beginning. The invention has a simple structure and provides a new TV usage mode for the user.

In summary, the present invention complies with the requirements of the invention patent and submits a patent application according to law. The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and equivalent modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art in light of the spirit of the present invention are It should be covered by the following patent application.

100‧‧‧Internet TV replay system

10‧‧‧Communication Server

20‧‧‧IP TV Network

30‧‧‧Multimedia server

31‧‧‧recording unit

32‧‧‧ storage unit

33‧‧‧Play unit

40‧‧‧Set top box

41‧‧‧Control unit

42‧‧‧Signal Transceiver Unit

50‧‧‧Time shift server

51‧‧‧Control Center

52‧‧‧Data Processing Center

53‧‧‧Signal Transceiver Center

Claims (16)

A network television program replay system includes a multicast server, an IP television network, and at least one set top box. The improvement is that the network television program replay system further includes a multimedia server and a time shift server, and the multimedia server includes a storage unit, the time shift server includes a data processing center, the group broadcast server multicasts the television program to the at least one set top box and the multimedia server through the IP television network; the group broadcast server will broadcast a television program And the time shifting server controls the multimedia server to automatically record the television program from the beginning of the television program and store the recorded television program in its storage unit; the time shifting server confirms to the multimedia server whether the recording has started The television program can be unicasted, and obtains a uniform resource locator of the television program recorded by the multimedia server, and stores the uniform resource locator in its data processing center; at any time point in the television program group broadcasting period, The set top box sends a replay request to the time shift server, and the time shift server returns the recorded power of the multimedia server. Depending on the uniform resource locator of the program, the set top box automatically switches from multicast to unicast, and connects to the multimedia server to receive the replay of the television program requested by the replay request. The network television program replay system according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia server further comprises a recording unit and a playing unit, and the recording unit receives the television program of the group broadcast server group broadcast via the IP television network. The television festival directory is archived and stored in the storage unit; the playback unit has a video stream transmission function, and can simultaneously satisfy the replay request of the plurality of set top boxes, and transmit the television programs stored in the storage unit to different set top boxes. For example, the network television program replay system described in claim 2, wherein the capital a material processing center for counting and sorting information of a television program recorded by a multimedia server; the time shift server includes: a control center for controlling a multimedia server for video recording and file management; and a signal receiving and receiving center for Receiving information from the at least one set top box and the multimedia server and transmitting information to the set top box and the multimedia server. The network television program replay system according to claim 1, wherein the set top box comprises a control unit and a signal transceiving unit, and the control unit is configured to control whether the set top box receives the multicast program or the unicast program according to the needs of the user; The signal transceiving unit is configured to send signals to the time shifting server or receive signals from the IP television network, the time shifting server and the multimedia server. The network television program replay system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit comprises a remote controller, and the receiving mode of the set top box is selected by operating a replay button, a stop button or a channel switching button of the remote controller. The network television program replay system according to claim 5, wherein when the replay button of the remote controller is operated, the signal receiving unit of the set top box receives a control signal requesting replay and sends the control signal to the time shift server. The replay request, when the signal receiving and receiving center of the time shifting server receives the request, transmits the uniform resource locator of the audio and video data in the data processing center to the set top box. The network television program replay system according to claim 1, wherein the set top box can be used in combination with a television or a computer to make the television or the computer a carrier for playing the video. The network television program replay system according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia server is integrated with the time shift server. A program replay server for a network television system, the network television system including a multicast server, an IP television network and at least one set top box, the network television program replay server comprising a multimedia server and a time shift server, the multimedia server comprising a storage unit, the time shift server comprising a data processing center The multimedia server and the at least one set top box respectively receive a group of broadcast television programs from the group broadcast server through the IP television network, and at the same time, the time shift server controls the multimedia server to automatically record the television program from the beginning of the television program. And storing the recorded television program in its storage unit; the time shift server confirms to the multimedia server whether the television program has been started and can be unicast, and obtains the uniform resource locator of the television program recorded by the multimedia server. And storing the uniform resource locator in its data processing center; at any point in the TV program multicast period, the time shift server receives the replay request from a set top box, that is, returns the television program recorded by the multimedia server Uniform resource locator to the set top box, the set top box is automatically switched from omnicast to unicast, and Connected to the multimedia server, the multimedia server sends the television program requested by the replay request to the set top box. The program replay server according to claim 9, wherein the multimedia server further comprises a recording unit and a playing unit, and the recording unit receives the television program of the multicast server group broadcast via the IP television network, and The television festival directory is made into a file and stored in the storage unit; the playback unit has a video stream streaming function, and can simultaneously satisfy the replay request of the plurality of set top boxes, and transmit the television program stored in the storage unit to different set top boxes. The program replay server according to claim 10, wherein the data processing center is configured to perform statistics and collation of information of a television program recorded by the multimedia server; the time shift server includes: a control center, configured to: Control multimedia server for video and file management; and The signal transceiving center is configured to receive information from the at least one set top box and the multimedia server and send information to the set top box and the multimedia server. The program replay server according to claim 9, wherein the set top box comprises a control unit and a signal transceiving unit, and the control unit is configured to control whether the set top box receives the multicast program or the unicast program according to the needs of the user; The transceiver unit is configured to send signals to the time shift server or receive signals from the IP television network, the time shift server, and the multimedia server. The program replay server according to claim 12, wherein the control unit comprises a remote controller, and the receiving mode of the set top box is selected by operating a replay button, a stop button or a channel switching button of the remote controller. The program replay server according to claim 13, wherein when the replay button of the remote controller is operated, the signal transceiving unit of the set top box receives a control signal requesting replay and sends a replay request to the time shift server. When the signal receiving and receiving center of the time shifting server receives the request, the unified resource locator of the audio and video data in the data processing center is transmitted back to the set top box. The program replay server according to claim 9, wherein the set top box can be used in combination with a television or a computer, so that the television or the computer becomes a carrier for playing the image. The program replay server of claim 9, wherein the multimedia server is integrated with the time shift server.