Video content transmitting system and method

• US 20010025378A1
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Published: 09/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shibata, Koichi, Sakamoto, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2181 comprising remotely distributed storage units, e.g. when movies are replicated over a plurality of video servers distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A video content transmitting system is provided in which a video content transmitting server among a plurality of servers is automatically determined as to which server can establish a network bandwidth of each of all routes for video content transmission to a proper address of a video content play terminal by using a network protocol usable by the terminal. Information of a network protocol and a network route bandwidth used between the server and terminal is stored at a protocol information manager and a bandwidth information manager. In response to a video content transmission request from a terminal, bandwidths necessary for the routes to the terminal are established and video contents are transmitted by using the network protocol usable by the terminal.

Claims

1. A video content transmitting system having at least one video content transmitting server and being capable of transmitting requested video contents in response to a request from any of video content play terminals connected via a network to said at least one video content transmitting server, said video content transmitting system comprising:

means for storing information of a network protocol capable of video content transmission between the video content play terminal and the video content transmitting server; and

means for determining the video content transmitting server capable of transmitting video contents to a relevant video content play terminal requesting video content transmission, in accordance with the network protocol information stored in said information storing means.

2. A video content transmitting system according to

claim 1

, wherein said network protocol information storing means includes a table storing a name of each network protocol capable of video content transmission between each terminal and each video content transmitting server.

3. A video content transmitting system according to

claim 1

, wherein:

said network includes at least a first network and a second network, in one transmission mode, the first network is used when a video content transmission request is transmitted to the video content transmitting system from the video content play terminal and the second network is used when the video contents are transmitted from the video content transmitting server to the video content play terminal in response to said video content transmission request; and

said video content transmitting system further comprises;

means for storing an address for identifying the video content play terminal issued the video content transmission request via the first network and an address for identifying the video content play terminal receiving the video contents via the second network; and

means for determining a video content destination address to which the video contents are transmitted, in accordance with the stored addresses of the video content play terminal on the first and second networks.

4. A video content transmitting system having at least one video content transmitting server and being capable of transmitting requested video contents in response to a request from any of a video content play terminals connected via a network to said at least one video content transmitting server, said video content transmitting system comprising:

means for managing information of a total available bandwidth for video content transmission of a network route between each video content play terminal and each video content transmitting server, and information of a bandwidth now in use for the video content transmission;

bandwidth calculating means for calculating a bandwidth of the network route to be used for transmission of requested video contents; and

transmission processing means for determining the video content transmitting server capable of transmitting the requested video contents to the requested video content play terminal, in accordance with the total available bandwidth, the bandwidth now in use and the calculated bandwidth necessary for video content transmission.

5. A video content transmitting system according to

claim 4

, wherein said bandwidth information managing means includes a table storing information indicative of a relation between each network route, the total available bandwidth and the bandwidth now in use.

6. A video content transmitting system according to

claim 4

, wherein:

the network includes at least a first network and a second network, in one transmission mode, the first network is used when a video content transmission request is transmitted to the video content transmitting system from the video content play terminal and the second network is used when the video contents are transmitted from the video content transmitting server to the video content play terminal in response to said video content transmission request; and

said video content transmitting system further comprises;

means for storing an address for identifying the video content play terminal issued the video content transmission request via the first network and an address for identifying the video content play terminal receiving the video contents via the second network; and

means for determining a video content destination address to which the video contents are transmitted, in accordance with the stored addresses of the video content play terminal on the first and second networks.

7. A video content transmitting system having at least one video content transmitting server and being capable of transmitting requested video contents in response to a request from any of a video content play terminals connected via a network to said at least one video content transmitting server, said video content transmitting system comprising:

means for storing information of a network protocol usable for video content transmission between the video content play terminal and the video content transmitting terminal;

means for managing information of a total available bandwidth for video content transmission of a network route between each video content play terminal and each video content transmitting server, and information of a bandwidth now in use for the video content transmission;

bandwidth calculating means for calculating a bandwidth of the network route to be used for transmission of requested video contents; and

transmission processing means for determining the video content transmitting server capable of transmitting the requested video contents to the requested video content play terminal, in accordance with the stored network protocol information and/or in accordance with the total available bandwidth, the bandwidth now in use and the calculated bandwidth necessary for video content transmission.

8. A video content transmitting system according to

claim 7

, wherein:

the network includes at least a first network and a second network having a transmission bandwidth larger than a transmission bandwidth of the first network, the first network is used when a video content transmission request is transmitted to the video content transmitting system from the video content play terminal and the second network is used when the video contents are transmitted from the video content transmitting server to the video content play terminal in response to the video content transmission request; and

said video content transmitting system further comprises;

means for storing an address for identifying the video content play terminal issued the video content transmission request via the first network and an address for identifying the video content play terminal receiving the video contents via the second network; and

means for determining a video content destination address to which the video contents are transmitted, in accordance with the stored addresses of the video content play terminal on the first and second networks.

9. A video content transmitting method for a video content transmitting system having at least one video content transmitting server and being capable of transmitting requested video contents in response to a request from any of video content play terminals connected via a network to said at least one video content transmitting server, said video content transmitting method comprising the steps of:

preparing a table for storing information of a network protocol capable of video content transmission between the video content play terminal and the video content transmitting server; and

determining the video content transmitting server capable of transmitting video contents to a relevant video content play terminal requesting video content transmission, in accordance with said network protocol information stored in said table.

10. A video content transmitting method for a video content transmitting system having at least one video content transmitting server and being capable of transmitting requested video contents in response to a request from any of video content play terminals connected via a network to said at least one video content transmitting server, said video content transmitting method comprising the steps of:

managing information of a total available bandwidth for video content transmission of a network route between each video content play terminal and each video content transmitting server, and information of a bandwidth now in use for video content transmission;

calculating a bandwidth of the network route to be used for transmission of requested video contents; and

determining the video content transmitting server capable of transmitting the requested video contents to the requested video content play terminal, in accordance with the total available bandwidth, the bandwidth now in use and the calculated bandwidth necessary for video content transmission.

11. A video content transmitting method for a video content transmitting system having at least one video content transmitting server and being capable of transmitting requested video contents in response to a request by from any of video content play terminals connected via a network to the video content transmitting server, said video content transmitting method comprising the steps of:

preparing a table for storing information of a network protocol usable for video content transmission between the video content play terminal and the video content transmitting terminal;

managing information of a total available bandwidth for video content transmission of a network route between each video content play terminal and each video content transmitting server, and information of a bandwidth now in use for video content transmission;

calculating a bandwidth of the network route to be used for transmission of requested video contents; and

determining the video content transmitting server capable of transmitting the requested video contents to the requested video content play terminal, in accordance with the stored network protocol information and/or in accordance with the total available bandwidth, the bandwidth now in use and the calculated bandwidth necessary for video content transmission.

12. A video content transmitting method according to

claim 11

, wherein said table for storing information of a network protocol usable for video content transmission between the video content play terminal and the video content transmitting terminal can change a name of a network protocol in accordance with the request by the video content play terminal and a network infrastructure.