COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20100011402A1
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oshima, Hajime
• Granted Patent: US 8,434,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 21/2402 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

A communication apparatus for receiving video data transmitted by streaming from a transmission apparatus via a transmission path includes a video data reception unit configured to receive the video data, a reception data monitoring unit configured to monitor a processing status of the video data received by the video data reception unit, and a control request transmission unit configured to transmit a playback control request for the video data to the transmission apparatus, wherein, when the video data is played back at a playback speed, if the reception data monitoring unit determines that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of the communication apparatus, the control request transmission unit transmits to the transmission apparatus a playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus for receiving video data transmitted by streaming from a transmission apparatus via a transmission path, the communication apparatus comprising:

a video data reception unit configured to receive the video data;

a reception data monitoring unit configured to monitor a processing status of the video data received by the video data reception unit; and

a control request transmission unit configured to transmit a playback control request for the video data to the transmission apparatus,

wherein, when the video data is played back at a playback speed, if the reception data monitoring unit determines that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of the communication apparatus, the control request transmission unit transmits to the transmission apparatus a playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reception data monitoring unit monitors a current amount of video data received by the video data reception unit and stored in the communication apparatus and an upper-limit amount of video data storable in the communication apparatus, and

wherein, when the reception data monitoring unit determines that the current amount of stored video data exceeds the upper-limit amount, the control request transmission unit transmits the playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reception data monitoring unit monitors a current bit rate of video data received by the video data reception unit, and

wherein, when the reception data monitoring unit determines that the current bit rate exceeds a range of bit rates enabling a process, the control request transmission unit transmits the playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the video data is packetized and transmitted in a state where continuous numbers are assigned to individual packets,

wherein the reception data monitoring unit monitors the numbers assigned to the packets received by the video data reception unit, and

wherein, when the reception data monitoring unit determines that the numbers assigned to the packets are discontinuous, the control request transmission unit transmits the playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to determine that a playback at the playback speed is requested when a specific operation is performed,

wherein the control request transmission unit transmits the playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data according to the determination result while the specific operation on the user interface is continued.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a video information reception unit configured to receive information related to an image interval of intra-picture coded images transmitted from the transmission apparatus; and

a video information selection unit configured to select a playback speed of the video data based on the information related to the image interval received by the video information reception unit.

7. A communication apparatus for transmitting video data by streaming to a reception apparatus via a transmission path, the communication apparatus comprising:

a video data transmission unit configured to transmit the video data;

a control request reception unit configured to receive a playback control request for the video data from the reception apparatus; and

a transmission data monitoring unit configured to monitor a processing status of the video data transmitted by the video data transmission unit,

wherein, if the control request reception unit receives a playback control request from the reception apparatus requesting a playback of the video data at a playback speed and the transmission data monitoring unit determines that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of the reception apparatus, the video data transmission unit sets the video data proximate to a playback start time along a playback direction as intra-picture coded video data and sequentially transmits the video data to the reception apparatus.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the transmission data monitoring unit monitors a current bit rate of the video data transmitted by the video data transmission unit, and

wherein, when the control request reception unit receives the playback control request from the reception apparatus requesting a playback of the video data at the playback speed and the transmission data monitoring unit determines that the current bit rate exceeds a range of bit rates that enables a process by the reception apparatus, the video data transmission unit sets the video data after the playback start time as the intra-picture coded video data and transmits the video data to the reception apparatus.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a video information transmission unit configured to transmit to the reception apparatus information related to an image interval of intra-picture coded images of the video data transmitted by streaming.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the video data includes inter-picture predictive coded video data, and

wherein, when the control request reception unit receives the playback control request from the reception apparatus requesting a playback of the video data at the playback speed, the video data transmission unit transmits to the reception apparatus the intra-picture coded video data most proximate to a playback start time along a playback direction among the video data.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, when the control request reception unit receives the playback control request from the reception apparatus requesting the playback of the video data at the playback speed and the intra-picture coded video data of a head of a scene, the video data transmission unit transmits to the reception apparatus the intra-picture coded video data of the head of the scene most proximate to a playback start time along a playback direction.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a video data recording unit configured to record video data and supplementary information used at the time of transmitting the video data.

13. A communication apparatus for receiving video data transmitted by streaming from a transmission apparatus via a transmission path, the communication apparatus comprising:

a video data reception unit configured to receive the video data;

a reception data monitoring unit configured to monitor a processing status of the video data received by the video data reception unit; and

a control request transmission unit configured to transmit a playback control request for the video data to the transmission apparatus,

wherein, when the video data is played back at a playback speed, if the reception data monitoring unit determines that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of the communication apparatus, the control request transmission unit transmits to the transmission apparatus a playback control request to request a prohibition of transmission of inter-picture predictive coded video data.

14. A communication method for a reception apparatus that receives video data transmitted by streaming from a transmission apparatus via a transmission path, the communication method comprising:

receiving the video data;

monitoring a processing status of the received video data;

transmitting a playback control request for the video data to the transmission apparatus; and

when the video data is played back at a playback speed, if it is determined that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of the reception apparatus, transmitting to the transmission apparatus a playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data.

15. A communication method for a transmission apparatus that transmits video data by streaming to a reception apparatus via a transmission path, the communication method comprising:

transmitting the video data;

receiving a playback control request for the video data from the reception apparatus;

monitoring a processing status of the transmitted video data; and

if the transmission apparatus receives a playback control request from the reception apparatus requesting a playback of the video data at a playback speed and determines that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of the reception apparatus, setting the video data proximate to a playback start time along a playback direction as intra-picture coded video data and sequentially transmitting the video data to the reception apparatus.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process for receiving video data transmitted by streaming from a transmission apparatus via a transmission path, the program comprising:

receiving the video data;

monitoring a processing status of the received video data;

transmitting a playback control request for the video data to the transmission apparatus; and

when the video data is played back at a playback speed, if it is determined that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of a device receiving the video data, transmitting to the transmission apparatus a playback control request to request only intra-picture coded video data.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process for transmitting video data by streaming to a reception apparatus via a transmission path, the program comprising:

transmitting the video data;

receiving a playback control request for the video data from the reception apparatus;

monitoring a processing status of the transmitted video data; and

if the transmission apparatus receives a playback control request from the reception apparatus requesting a playback of the video data at a playback speed and determines that the playback speed exceeds a transmission capacity of the transmission path or a processing capacity of the reception apparatus, setting the video data proximate to a playback start time along a playback direction as intra-picture coded video data and sequentially transmitting the video data to the reception apparatus.