CONTENT DELIVERY SYSTEM AND METHOD, AND SERVER APPARATUS AND RECEIVING APPARATUS USED IN THIS CONTENT DELIVERY SYSTEM

• US 20080235742A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurihara, Shinichi, Yamaguchi, Kiyoshi, OSAKI, Yoshiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,468,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

A server apparatus includes a memory which stores a management table relating content identification information for specifying the content and a trick play request and a trick play data, and a transmitter which refers to the management table based on the content identification information and the trick play request, reads out the corresponding trick play data from the management table according to the reference result, to transmit the trick play data to the receiving apparatus from the specified reproduction starting position.

Claims

1. A content delivery system comprising:

a server apparatus which delivers a content to an internet protocol (IP) network according to a request; and

a receiving apparatus which is connected to the server apparatus through the IP network, wherein the server apparatus comprises;

a memory which stores a management table relating content identification information for specifying the content and a trick play request and a trick play data, the trick play request is different from a reproduction request of the content in the receiving apparatus and that is a request to the content, the trick play data is formed by editing the content in a reproduction format in accordance with a trick play; and

a trick play data transmitter which refers to the management table based on the content identification information and the trick play request, when receiving the content identification information, information indicating a reproduction starting position of the content, and a trick play request from the receiving apparatus; and

reads out the corresponding trick play data from the management table based on the reference result, to transmit the trick play data to the receiving apparatus from the specified reproduction starting position, and the receiving apparatus comprises;

a content reproducer which requests the server apparatus to provide the content and receives and reproduces the content delivered from the server apparatus in reply to the request;

a request transmitter which transmits the content identification information, the information indicating the reproduction starting position of the content and the trick play request to the server apparatus through the IP network at a time of a trick play request for the currently reproducing content; and

a receiver which receives and reproduces the trick play data transmitted from the server apparatus through the IP network in reply to the trick play request.

2. A method used in a system comprising a server apparatus which delivers a content to an internet protocol (IP) network according to a request and a receiving apparatus which is connected to the server apparatus through the IP network, the method comprising:

storing a management table relating content identification information for specifying the content and a trick play request and a trick play data in a memory of the server apparatus, the trick play request is different from a reproduction request of the content in the receiving apparatus and that is a request to the content, the trick play data is formed by editing the content in a reproduction format in accordance with a trick play;

requesting the server apparatus to provide the content and in reply to the request;

receiving and reproducing the content delivered from the server apparatus in the receiving apparatus;

transmitting the content identification information, the information indicating the reproduction starting position of the content, and the trick play request from the receiving apparatus to the server apparatus through the IP network at a time of a trick play request for the currently reproducing content;

referring to the management table based on the content identification information and the trick play request, in the server apparatus, when receiving the content identification information, the information indicating the reproduction starting position of the content, and the trick play request from the receiving apparatus;

reading the corresponding trick play data from the management table based on the reference result;

transmitting the data to the receiving apparatus from the specified reproduction starting position; and

receiving the trick play data transmitted from the server apparatus through the IP network, in order to reproduce the data in the receiving apparatus.

3. A server apparatus which is connected to a receiving apparatus for reproducing a content through an internet protocol (IP) network and delivers the content according to a reproduction request from the receiving apparatus, the server apparatus comprising:

a memory which stores a management table relating content identification information for specifying the content and a trick play request and a trick play data, the trick play request is different from a reproduction request of the content in the receiving apparatus and that is a request to the content, the trick play data is formed by editing the content in a reproduction format in accordance with a trick play; and

a transmitter which refers to the management table based on the content identification information and the trick play request, when receiving the content identification information, information indicating a reproduction starting position of the content, and a trick play request from the receiving apparatus, reads out the corresponding trick play data from the management table according to the reference result, to transmit the trick play data to the receiving apparatus from the specified reproduction starting position.

4. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the trick play data is composed of a header portion and a data portion, the header portion stores at least information about length and size of stream, variable speed/direction, and video bit rate, and the data portion includes a table indicating number information of group of picture (GOP), starting time, and starting position for every GOP.

5. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter performs pause by keeping delivering the same video frame when receiving a pause request from the receiving apparatus as the trick play request.

6. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter performs slow motion playback by speeding down transmission speed of the deliver content, when receiving a slow motion request as the trick play request.

7. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter performs slow motion playback by transmitting the same video frame of the delivery content to the receiving apparatus by the number of times m, when receiving a request for 1/m (m is natural number) slow motion playback as the trick play request.

8. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter decodes a specified video frame and keeps transmitting the frame to the receiving apparatus as one image data, when receiving a frame-by-frame advance request from the receiving apparatus.

9. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the case of transmitting a fast forwarding/rewinding file to the receiving apparatus as the trick play data, the transmitter transmits the data after thinning out the frames at first intervals previously determined when the corresponding content is a first reproduction file, while the transmitter transmits the data after thinning out the frames at second intervals wider than the first intervals when the content is a second reproduction file having a faster reproduction speed than the first reproduction file, and repeatedly transmits the predetermined video a plurality of times within the second intervals.

10. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter changes thinning out intervals according to a frame difference in a fast forwarding/rewinding file when transmitting the fast forwarding/rewinding file to the receiving apparatus as the trick play data.

11. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter transmits video of known noise or sound of winding a tape simultaneously when transmitting a fast forwarding/rewinding file to the receiving apparatus as the trick play data.

12. The server apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the transmitter combines the noise video or sound with the fast forwarding/rewinding file and transmits the above to the receiving apparatus.

13. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the memory stores data relating reproduction time to reproduction position for every trick play data, and

the transmitter transmits the related data according to a request from the receiving apparatus when transmitting the fast forwarding/rewinding file.

14. The server apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmitter creates a plurality of thumbnails by dividing the corresponding content at specified intervals and transmits them to the receiving apparatus, when receiving a request for jump playback from the receiving apparatus.

15. A receiving apparatus which is connected to a server apparatus for delivering a content to an internet protocol (IP) network according to a request, the receiving apparatus comprising:

a content reproducer which requests the server apparatus to deliver the content and receives and reproduces the content delivered from the server apparatus in reply to the request;

a transmitter which transmits the content identification information, information indicating a reproduction starting position of the content, and a trick play request to the server apparatus through the IP network, when there occurs a trick play request different from a reproduction request for the currently reproducing content; and

a receiver which receives and reproduces a trick play data transmitted from the server apparatus through the IP network according to the trick play request, the trick play data is formed by editing the content in a reproduction format according to a trick play.

16. The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the transmitter requests the server apparatus to stop the delivery at a time of a pause request, and

the receiver performs the pause by keeping the video displayed at the time of receiving the pause.

17. The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein at a time of a frame-by-frame advance request as the trick play request, the transmitter requests the server apparatus to stop the delivery, continues keeping a video signal of the specified frame until generating a next frame-by-frame advance request, requests the server apparatus to transmit a video signal of a next frame when there occurs the next frame-by-frame advance request, and requests the server apparatus to stop the delivery after the video signal of the next frame is delivered.

18. The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the receiver displays a known noise video on a screen or issues a sound of winding a tape when receiving a fast forwarding/rewinding file as the trick play data.

19. The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, comprising:

when the server apparatus stores data of relating reproduction time to reproduction position for every trick play data,

a unit to obtain reproduction starting position information included in the related data from the server apparatus, calculate the current reproduction position information according to the own reproduction time, and display the information in a bar on a display screen, when receiving a fast forwarding/rewinding file.

20. The receiving apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the transmitter transmits a jump playback request to the server apparatus as the trick play request, and

the receiver further comprises:

a unit to display a list of a plurality of thumbnails sent from the server apparatus on a display, in reply to the jump playback request; and

a unit to obtain the corresponding content from the server apparatus to reproduce the content when a user inputs an instruction of selecting a thumbnail on the list display.