Information provisioning apparatus and information provisioning method

• US 8,555,328 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Emura, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodarzi, Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAHAM, PAUL J
• Application Number:
  US13/165,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20110252454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 725/114, 725/115, 725/116
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

Information provisioning includes acquiring one of an audio and a video elementary stream of content that is composed of a plurality of segments, and actual data of metadata that includes information related to the content. The metadata is divided into metadata processing units (MPU) corresponding to segments subjected to processing in the plurality of segments. A transport stream of a MPEG-2 system is generated that includes packetized elementary stream (PES) packets acquired by packetizing the segments of the data stream and metadata PES packets acquired by packetizing at least one MPU.

Claims

1. An information provisioning apparatus, comprising:

an acquirer that acquires an audio elementary stream and a video elementary stream of content that is composed of a plurality of segments, and metadata that includes information describing the content;

a unitizer that divides the metadata into a plurality of metadata processing units, wherein a metadata processing unit (MPU) indicates a unit of the metadata and corresponds to a segment of the content, the MPU and the segment are configured to be processed for performing partial execution of the metadata in synchronization with the segment of the content; and

a multiplexer that generates a transport stream of a MPEG-2 system by multiplexing audio packetized elementary stream (PES) packets acquired by packetizing the audio elementary stream, video PES packets acquired by packetizing the video elementary stream, and metadata PES packets acquired by packetizing the MPU,

wherein the MPU identifies a processing start time of the segment of the content for performing the partial execution of the metadata in synchronization with the segment of the content.

2. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the metadata PES packets comprise control information of the metadata, and the control information of the metadata comprises at least one of a metadata type, a time synchronization flag, and a data length of the MPU.

3. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the metadata PES packets comprise control information of the metadata, and the control information of the metadata comprises a metadata type, a time synchronization flag, the processing start time and a duration of the segment of the content, and a data length of the MPU.

4. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein metadata comprises information describing the content and information related to one of a display method and a program.

5. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the metadata PES packets comprise control information of the metadata, and the control information of the metadata comprises a time synchronization flag.

6. The information provisioning method according to claim 5, wherein the control information of the metadata further includes time information that indicates a play start time of the segment of the content.

7. The information provisioning method according to claim 6, wherein the multiplexer places the audio PES packets, the video PES packets, and the metadata PES packets in the transport stream based on the time information.

8. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multiplexer generates the transport stream by placing the metadata PES packets of the MPU in the transport stream earlier in time than the processing start time of the segment of the content.

9. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the multiplexer places the metadata PES packets of the MPU in the transport stream by interleaving the metadata PES packets with the audio PES packets and the video PES packets.

10. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the metadata PES packets of the MPU are configured to be processed for generating the MPU before the processing start time of the segment of the content.

11. The information provisioning apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the multiplexer places the metadata PES packets of the MPU in the transport stream so that a difference in an arrival time of a last of the metadata PES packets of the MPU and the processing start time is less than a processing time for generating the MPU from the metadata PES packets.

12. An information provisioning method, comprising:

acquiring, by executing a set of instructions by a computer, an audio elementary stream and a video elementary stream of content that is composed of a plurality of segments, and metadata that includes information describing the content;

dividing, by executing the set of instructions by the computer, the metadata into a plurality of metadata processing units, wherein a metadata processing unit (MPU) indicates a unit of the metadata and corresponds to a segment of the content, and the MPU and the segment are configured to be processed for performing partial execution of the metadata in synchronization with the segment of the content; and

generating, by executing the set of instructions by the computer, a multiplexed transport stream of a MPEG-2 system by multiplexing audio packetized elementary stream (PES) packets acquired by packetizing the audio elementary stream, video PES packets acquired by packetizing the video elementary stream, and metadata PES packets acquired by packetizing the MPU,

wherein the MPU identifies a processing start time of the segment of the content for performing the partial execution of the metadata in synchronization with the segment of the content.

13. The information provisioning method according to claim 12, wherein the metadata PES packets comprise control information of the metadata, and the control information of the metadata comprises at least one of a metadata type, a time synchronization flag, and a data length of the MPU.

14. The information provisioning method according to claim 12, wherein the metadata PES packets comprise control information of the metadata, and the control information of the metadata comprises a metadata type, a time synchronization flag, the processing start time and a duration of the segment of the content, and a data length of the MPU.

15. The information provisioning method according to claim 12, wherein the metadata PES packets comprise control information of the metadata, and the control information of the metadata comprises a time synchronization flag.

16. The information provisioning method according to claim 12, wherein the multiplexed transport stream is generated by placing the metadata PES packets of the MPU in the multiplexed transport stream earlier in time than the processing start time of the segment of the content.

17. The information provisioning method according to claim 16, wherein the metadata PES packets of the MPU are configured to be processed for generating the MPU before the processing start time of the segment of the content.

18. The information provisioning method according to claim 17, wherein the multiplexed transport stream is generated by placing the metadata PES packets of the MPU in the transport stream so that a difference in an arrival time of a last of the metadata PES packets of the MPU and the processing start time is less than a processing time for generating the MPU from the metadata PES packets.