Video on demand (VOD) system and method of reconstructing the same

• US 20060156340A1
• Filed: 01/10/2006
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Hong-Mook
• Application Number:
  US11/328,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20060156340A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23116 involving data replication, e.g. over plural servers synchronization of replicated data G06F11/1658; error detection or correction by means of data replication G06F11/2053; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/10; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/27; replication or mirroring of data in data networks H04L67/1095
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2312 Data placement on disk arrays data placement in general G06F3/0604
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2405 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the server, e.g. server load allocation of resources in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/50; performance measurement of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A VOD (video on demand) system in which the replication number of service blocks may depend on the number of instances of an object and service blocks based on access frequencies of the object and service blocks, and a method of reconstructing the VOD system. The VOD system may provide a frequency calculator calculating a frequency of requesting objects and a frequency of requesting service blocks and a controller controlling replication and storing of the objects and the service blocks according to the frequency calculator. The VOD system reconstruction method may include measuring an access frequency of an object and an access frequency of service blocks, comparing disk bandwidth wasted under current conditions with disk bandwidth consumed during system reconstruction, and reconstructing the system based on the comparing results and the measured access frequency of the object and measured access frequency of the service blocks.

Claims

1. A VOD (video on demand) system comprising:

a frequency calculator calculating a frequency of requesting objects and a frequency of requesting service blocks; and

a controller controlling replication and storing of the objects and the service blocks according to the frequency calculator.

2. The VOD system of claim 1, wherein the controller determines a number of replicated objects based on the frequency of requesting the objects and determines a number of the replicated service blocks based on the determined number of the replicated objects and the frequency of requesting the service blocks.

3. The VOD system of claim 1, further comprising:

a system disk including at least one disk and storing the replicated objects and the replicated service blocks.

4. A source device, comprising:

a system reconstruction device; and

an access counter calculating a frequency of requesting objects and a frequency of requesting service blocks and transferring the calculated frequencies to a system reconstruction device, wherein

the system reconstruction device controls replication and storing of objects and service blocks based on the calculated frequencies.

5. The source device of claim 4, wherein a number of the replicated objects is determined according to the frequency of requesting the objects;

and

a number of the replicated service blocks is determined according to the determined number of the replicated objects and the frequency of requesting the service blocks.

6. The source device of claim 4, further comprising:

a random number generator generating a random number used for authentication and contents encoding; and

an authentication/key exchange device’

authenticating a sink device and generating an authentication result and an encoding algorithm selection signal used for authentication and contents encoding.

7. The source device of claim 6, further comprising:

a contents storage device receiving system reconstruction information from the system reconstruction device and storing data including random access points (RAP).

8. The source device of claim 7, further comprising:

an encoding module encoding the contents received from the contents storage device based on a key received from the authentication/key exchange device and the encoding algorithm selection signal.

9. The source device of claim 8, further comprising:

a source device controller commanding a transmission of stored data from the contents storage device to the encoding module when the sink device is authenticated.

10. The source device of claim 7, further comprising:

a contents provider providing initial construction information to the system reconstruction device and original data to the source device.

11. The source device of claim 10, further comprising:

an option clip generation module generating at least one option clip based on the original data and a VCR function.

12. The source device of claim 11, further comprising:

an RAP insert module inserting RAPs into at least one of the original data and the at least one option clip and providing the RAP inserted content to the content storage device based on information from the system reconstruction device.

13. A computer program product storing program instructions for execution on a computer system, which when executed by the computer system causes the computer system to perform a method for requesting data from a VOD system, the method comprising:

generating a request for at least one of an object and service block provided by the VOD system.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the generating includes:

organizing a request such that the request includes a bit representing service format, a number of bits representing a VCR function, a bit representing RAP information, a bit representing a contents ID, and a plurality of bits representing a device ID.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the bit representing service format is a LSB (Least Significant Bit) and indicates whether a user requests real time service or storing service.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein, in the bit representing service format, 0 indicates a real time service and 1 indicates a storing service.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the bit representing the VCR function differs according to a VCR function supported by the source device.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the bit representing RAP information is used for a clip conversion.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the bit representing the contents ID includes information on contents desired by the user.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the bit representing the device ID indicates an ID of a sink device and the ID is used for authenticating the sink device.

21. A VOD system reconstruction method comprising:

measuring an access frequency of an object and an access frequency of service blocks;

comparing disk bandwidth wasted under current conditions with disk bandwidth consumed during system reconstruction; and

reconstructing the system based on the comparing results and the measured access frequency of the object and measured access frequency of the service blocks.

22. The VOD system reconstruction method of claim 21, wherein the reconstructing the system comprises:

establishing an access frequency of an object and an access frequency of the service blocks as an initial value input during an initial stage;

comparing the measured access frequency of the object and the measured access frequency of the service blocks with the established access frequencies to determine whether the access frequency has changed, if it is determined that the access frequency proceeding to the comparing disk bandwidth wasted under current conditions with disk bandwidth consumed during system reconstruction.

23. The VOD system reconstruction method of claim 21, wherein the reconstructing is triggered by inputting a new instance.

24. The VOD system reconstruction method of claim 21, further comprising:

authenticating requests for the objects and service blocks, wherein the access frequency of the objects and the access frequency of the service blocks are based on the requests.

25. A selective replication method comprising:

measuring an access frequency of an object and an access frequency of service blocks; and

replicating a number of objects and service blocks based on the measuring.