JP2013055638A - System and method for providing zapping data, and a recording medium for the method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and method for providing zapping data in which zapping data can be provided in real time in response to a request of channel change from a viewer in a digital broadcasting system on the basis of a cable, satellite, or Internet, and to provide a recording medium for the method.SOLUTION: The system comprises: a digital receiving device for receiving zapping data provided at the time of changing digital broadcasting and channels of the digital broadcasting; and a zapping data providing server for composing the zapping data according to the channel of the digital broadcasting and/or a time zone and sending out the zapping data which is composed in real time in response to a request of changing the channel of the digital receiving device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a zapping data providing system and method for transmitting / receiving zapping data such as advertisement information in real time during a channel change time of digital broadcasting.

  Digital broadcasting refers to TV broadcasting in which video and audio information to be displayed on a TV screen is encoded and sent out in a digital compressed signal. Existing analog broadcasts can only carry one video on one radio wave, and audio must be sent on another radio wave. On the other hand, digital broadcasting can place a large number of video and audio on a single radio wave and can compress information without degrading quality. A channel can be provided. Furthermore, the information can be easily controlled by using a computer, and it is possible to have bidirectionality capable of sending out information ordered on the viewer side. Due to such advantages, recently, not only cable and satellite broadcasts but also terrestrial broadcasts have been gradually switched to digital form, and an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service that enables TV broadcasts to be viewed via the Internet is also available. Commonly used and widely available.

  In order to receive digital broadcasts, a digital receiver called a set-top box must be provided. Such a digital receiver plays a role of receiving digital broadcast signals provided from various broadcasting stations or content providers and converting them into audio / video signals that can be reproduced on a TV screen. Various digital devices such as smart phones, tablet PCs, smart TVs, etc. that have been produced recently have all the functions of the set-top box implemented in one device, and the digital receiver and display device are integrated and released. I also do.

  On the other hand, generally, when viewing a digital broadcast, every time a viewer changes a channel, a time during which no video or audio is displayed is generated for about 0.5 to several seconds until the viewer moves to the next channel. This is a digital receiver that receives a digital broadcast signal in response to a user's channel change request and separates it into an audio, video signal and various information data to display it on the display screen. This is the time required for decoding into a reproducible form after checking. The time required from the time when the user requests to change the channel until the broadcast data of the changed channel is output on the screen is referred to as “channel zapping time”.

  In a digital broadcasting system, such channel zapping time can be a very important advertising resource for advertising agencies. Along with this, recently, an advertisement method for displaying data including various kinds of advertisement information, that is, “zapping data” on the TV screen during the channel zapping time has been proposed.

  In the conventional advertising system using channel zapping time, a separate memory module is implemented in the user's digital receiver to store various types of advertisement data, and the user's channel change request is input. Then, a method of outputting advertisement data stored in the memory is used. However, in order to actually implement such a system, it is necessary to further provide a large-capacity memory element capable of storing a large amount of multimedia data in the digital receiver, and accordingly, data is stored in the memory. Various control circuits that can be input / output and updated periodically must also be implemented. This causes an increase in manufacturing costs that cannot be handled from the standpoint of manufacturers of digital receivers (set-top boxes), and that new advertising systems cannot be applied to digital receivers that are already widely used. There are problems.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems. In a digital broadcasting system based on a cable, satellite, or the Internet, zapping data is transmitted in real time in response to a viewer's channel change request. An object of the present invention is to provide a zapping data providing system, a zapping data providing method, and a recording medium for the method. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to be able to send / receive zapping data in real time without implementing a separate memory module in the digital receiver.
Furthermore, a recording medium storing a computer-readable program that enables zapping data by a new system to be provided through a simple program installation even in a digital receiver that is already widely used without replacing equipment The purpose is to provide.

  A zapping data providing server according to the present invention organizes and manages the zapping data according to a database unit for storing zapping data to be provided during a digital zapping channel zapping time, and the digital broadcasting channel and / or time zone. A data sending / receiving unit that sends out zapping data corresponding to a channel and / or a time zone changed based on the zapping data organization when a channel change request is received from the data organization / management unit and the digital receiver; Including.

  The zapping data may include broadcast information related to the changed channel and / or advertisement information for a specific company, product or service.

  Furthermore, the zapping data providing server according to the present invention further includes a viewer information management unit that collects and manages viewer information for the zapping data, and the viewer information is provided by the zapping data according to the channel change request. Information of at least one of the recorded channel, date, time zone, region, and number of exposures may be included.

  A digital receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a broadcast receiving unit that receives a digital broadcast, a user input unit that receives a request for channel change of the digital broadcast from a user, and provides zapping data for the input channel change request Data communication unit that transmits to the server and receives the zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone changed from the zapping data providing server in real time, and the received digital broadcast or zapping data can be reproduced on the display device A data conversion unit for converting into an audio / video signal and an A / V output unit for outputting the converted audio / video signal.

  When the digital broadcast is received, the data communication unit can be connected to the zapping data providing server to maintain a communication connection state even if the user does not request a channel change.

  The system for providing zapping data according to the present invention organizes zapping data according to a digital broadcast and a digital receiver for receiving zapping data provided when the channel of the digital broadcast is changed, and the channel and / or time zone of the digital broadcast, A zapping data providing server for sending out the organized zapping data in real time in response to a channel change request of the digital receiver;

  According to a zapping data providing method of the present invention, a step of organizing zapping data to be provided at the time of changing a digital broadcasting channel according to a digital broadcasting channel and / or time zone, and receiving a channel change request from a digital receiver of a user. And sending the zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone changed in response to the channel change request in real time. Further, the method may further include recording viewer information for the sent zapping data.

  The operation method of the digital receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a step of inputting a channel change request from a user who is receiving a digital broadcast, a step of transmitting the channel change request to a zapping data providing server, and the zapping data providing server. Receiving the zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone to be changed from, converting the zapping data into an audio / video signal reproducible on a display device, and the channel zapping time of the digital broadcast Outputting the converted audio / video signal.

  According to the present invention, real-time data transmission between the zapping data providing server and the digital receiving device can be performed when a channel change request is made, and accordingly, zapping can be performed in real time without a separate memory module in the digital receiving device. A system capable of providing data can be implemented.

  Furthermore, by implementing the zapping data providing method and the operation method of the digital receiving apparatus in a computer program and recording them on a computer-readable recording medium, the digital receiving apparatuses that are already widely used can be easily replaced without exchanging devices. The zapping data according to the present invention can be provided through installation and execution of a simple program.

  Further, the zapping data providing server can maximize the advertising effect due to the exposure of the zapping data by organizing the zapping data according to the channel and the broadcast time zone that are changed when the channel of the digital broadcasting is changed. At the same time, the viewer information of the provided zapping data is managed as a database, thereby making it easier to calculate the advertising unit price and formulate the advertising plan.

It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the zapping data provision system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the zapping data provision server shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the digital receiver shown in FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of an embodiment of a zapping data providing server according to the present invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of one Embodiment of the digital receiver which concerns on this invention.

  The foregoing objects, features, and advantages will be described in detail later with reference to the drawings, and based on this, a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs should be able to easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. is there. In the description of the present invention, when it is determined that a specific description of a known technique related to the present invention can cloud the gist of the present invention unnecessarily, a detailed description is omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a zapping data providing system according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a zapping data providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a digital broadcasting center 100, a zapping data providing server 200, a digital receiving device 300, and a wired / wireless network 400 connecting them.

  Here, the zapping data can be provided in the form of keyword letters, symbolic logos and graphic images, moving images, meaningful sound, etc., and broadcast information for the channel to be changed and / or advertisement information for a specific company, product or service. Can be included. For example, the zapping data may include information regarding broadcast content that is currently or will be broadcast, representative channel information, and the like, as well as a specific product or service provider's logo, product image, address, telephone number, website, etc. Advertisement information such as a URL can be included.

  The digital broadcasting center 100 is a collective term for various forms of digital broadcasting providing systems such as terrestrial, satellite, cable broadcasting stations, or broadcast content providing servers based on the Internet.

  The zapping data providing server 200 organizes zapping data according to digital broadcasting channels and / or time zones, and responds to a channel change request from the digital receiver 300, and sends out zapping data corresponding to the changed channel in real time. .

  The digital receiver 300 receives digital broadcasts via various types of wired / wireless networks 400 such as terrestrial waves, satellites, cables, and the Internet. Further, when a user's channel change request is input during reception of a digital broadcast, a channel change request is sent to the zapping data providing server 200 during a short channel zapping time until video and audio of a new channel are displayed. The zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone to be transmitted and changed from the zapping data providing server 200 is received in real time and displayed on the user screen.

  Such a zapping data providing system utilizes a channel zapping time that is inevitably generated when a digital broadcasting channel is changed, and provides broadcast information or advertisement information to the viewer, thereby changing the channel from the viewer's standpoint. It is possible to quickly grasp this information and reduce the boredom of the broadcast standby time, and from the standpoint of the advertiser, it is possible to obtain a high advertising effect on broadcast contents, specific products, services, and the like.

  In particular, according to the present invention, unlike the previously proposed method, the zapping data is stored in the memory device in the digital receiving apparatus 300 and then the stored data is not output, but the user's channel is changed. When the request is received, a method of outputting the received zapping data through real-time communication with the zapping data providing server 200 is used. Therefore, since a separate memory element and various control circuits associated therewith are not required in the digital receiving device 300, the configuration of the device can be simplified and an increase in manufacturing cost can be prevented, which is already widely used. Also in the apparatus, the function of the present invention can be added through installation and execution of a computer program.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the zapping data providing server 200 shown in FIG.

  2, the zapping data providing server 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a database unit 201, a data organization / management unit 203, a viewer information management unit 205, and a data transmission unit 207.

  The database unit 201 stores zapping data such as various broadcast information and advertisement information to be displayed on the user's screen during the channel zapping time. This may be implemented by a separate database server.

  The data organization / management unit 203 generates the zapping data organization table by combining the zapping data stored in the database unit 201 with the channel information to be sent out and the time zone, and continuously updates it according to the request of the broadcaster or the advertiser. And manage. For example, when the zapping data is organized according to the channel, advertisement data related to golf equipment can be organized in the golf related channel, and advertisement data related to the automobile can be organized in the automobile related channel. Furthermore, taking the organization of zapping data according to time as an example, in the case of the above-mentioned golf channel, advertisements regarding female golf equipment are intensively organized in the morning hours that housewives mainly watch, and men retire from work. The advertising effect can be further enhanced by, for example, organizing more advertisements regarding male golf equipment in the time zone after the evening when many viewers watch later.

  Based on such an organization table, when the data organization / management unit 203 receives a channel change request from the digital receiver 300, the data organization / management unit 203 extracts zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone to be changed, and transmits the data. To 207.

  In response to the channel change request of the digital receiver 300, the data sending unit 207 sends the zapping data corresponding to the changed channel and / or time zone in real time.

  At this time, the broadcast data sent from the digital broadcasting center 100 and the zapping data sent from the data sending unit 207 of the zapping data providing server 200 can be sent to the digital receiving device 300 via different networks. For example, in the case of a satellite broadcasting system, broadcast data may be transmitted via a satellite, and zapping data may be transmitted via a cable or the Internet network.

  The viewer information management unit 205 can collect and manage viewer information for zapping data. Here, the viewer information includes information such as the channel, date, time zone, region, number of exposures, etc. on which the zapping data is provided. That is, the viewer information management unit 205 can analyze the channel change request received from the digital receiver 300 and create a database of information such as the number of exposures, the region, and the time zone of the zapping data organized in each channel. it can. Such a result can be used by the data organization / management unit 203 to determine the composition priority of the zapping data, or can be used as an input variable for an order-type algorithm according to the advertiser, and the degree of exposure of a specific advertisement can be set at multiple angles. By grasping it, it becomes possible to use it as a reference for calculation of an advertising unit price and establishment of a future advertising plan.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of the digital reception device 300 of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the digital receiving apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the network interface 301, the data conversion unit 307, the A / V output unit 309, the user input unit 311 and the configuration as a whole. A control unit 313 is included.

  The user input unit 311 receives a user channel change request via an input unit such as a remote controller.

  The network interface 301 includes a broadcast receiving unit 303 for receiving digital broadcasts provided on a number of channels and a data communication unit 305 for bidirectional communication with the zapping data providing server 200. If a conventional satellite or cable broadcast set-top box only has a function of unilaterally receiving digital broadcast data, in the present invention, the network interface 301 can communicate with the existing broadcast receiving unit 303 in both directions. By implementing the data communication unit 305 separately, it is possible to perform both a channel change request and a real-time transmission / reception function of zapping data corresponding thereto.

  Specifically, the data communication unit 305 immediately transmits a channel change request input from the user to the zapping data providing server 200, and the zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone changed from the zapping data providing server 200. Is received in real time. The received zapping data is converted into an audio / video signal that can be played back by a display device (not shown) via the data converter 307, output through the A / V output unit 309, and broadcasted to a new channel. It is displayed (or played back) on the user's screen during the channel zapping time.

  At this time, in order to receive the zapping data from the zapping data providing server 200 in real time and display it on the display device during the channel zapping time within about 0.5 to several seconds, the data communication unit 305 and the zapping data providing server 200 The data transmission / reception process must be performed within a very quick time. For this reason, the data communication unit 305 connects to the zapping data providing server 200 and keeps the communication connection state while the digital receiving device 300 is receiving the digital broadcast even if the user's request for channel change is not detected. Can be maintained.

  The data conversion unit 307 can operate in one of “digital broadcast output mode” and “zapping data output mode” under the control of the control unit 313. When a user's channel change request is input during the digital broadcast output mode operation, the control unit 313 switches the operation of the data conversion unit 307 to the zapping data output mode, and decodes and outputs the digital broadcast data of the new channel. The zapping data is output for a certain period of time. If the zapping data is not received for a certain period of time due to communication failure or the like in the zapping data output mode, the operation is switched again to the digital broadcast output mode.

  On the other hand, the digital receiver 300 according to the present invention is a set-top box for receiving satellite or cable broadcasting, or a digital TV incorporating a set-top box function, an IPTV based on the Internet network, It may be a digital device such as a DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) receiver, a PMP (Personal Multimedia Player) capable of viewing digital broadcasting, a smartphone, and a tablet PC.

  FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of an embodiment of the zapping data providing server 200 according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when considering the zapping data providing method of the zapping data providing server 200, the zapping data providing server 200 first organizes zapping data according to digital broadcasting channels and / or time zones (S401).

  When the zapping data providing server 200 receives a channel change request from the digital receiving device 300 (S403), the zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone changed based on the zapping data organization table is sent out in real time (S405). .

  Furthermore, the server 200 can record the viewer information for the sent zapping data (S407). The viewer information includes information such as the channel, date, time zone, region, and number of exposures for which zapping data is provided.

  The specific operation at each stage and the effects associated therewith are the same as those described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of an embodiment of the digital receiver 300 according to the present invention. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, the flow of operations of the digital reception device 300 will be considered.

  First, the digital reception device 300 outputs a broadcast of channels that have already been set during the digital broadcast of multiple channels received through the broadcast reception unit 303 (S501).

  During the broadcast viewing, the user input unit 311 senses whether there is a channel change request from the user (S503).

  When a user channel change request is input, the data communication unit 305 transmits the request to the zapping data providing server 200, and enters a zapping data reception standby state corresponding to the channel and / or time zone to be changed. (S505).

  When the data communication unit 305 receives the zapping data within a certain period of time after transmission of the channel change request (a waiting time until the digital broadcast data of the changed channel is converted into a reproducible audio / video signal and output) ( S507, yes), the digital receiver 300 converts the zapping data into a reproducible audio / video signal and outputs it to the display device (S509), and then outputs the digital broadcast of the changed channel (S511).

  If the zapping data cannot be received within a predetermined time after transmission of the channel change request due to communication failure or the like (No in S507), the digital broadcast of the changed channel is output immediately without outputting the zapping data (S511).

  The above-described zapping data providing method and digital receiver operating method according to the present invention can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium that is embodied by a computer program. Therefore, zapping data according to the present invention can be provided without exchanging devices by installing and executing such a program in a digital reception apparatus that is already widely used.

  Although the technical idea of the present invention has been specifically described by the preferred embodiment, it should be noted that the embodiment is for the purpose of explanation and not for the limitation. Further, it should be understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention that various embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

100 Digital broadcasting center 200 Zapping data providing server 201 Database unit 203 Data organization / management unit 205 Viewer information management unit 207 Data transmission unit 300 Digital reception device 301 Network interface 303 Broadcast reception unit 305 Data communication unit 307 Data conversion unit 309 A / V output unit 311 User input unit 313 Control unit

Claims (13)

A database section for storing zapping data to be provided during the channel zapping time of digital broadcasting,
A data organization / management unit that organizes and manages the zapping data according to the digital broadcasting channel and / or time zone, and a channel that is changed based on the zapping data organization when a channel change request is received from a digital receiver. And / or a zapping data providing server including a data sending unit that sends zapping data corresponding to a time zone in real time.   The zapping data providing server according to claim 1, wherein the zapping data includes broadcast information related to the channel to be changed and / or advertisement information for a specific company, product or service. A viewer information management unit for collecting and managing viewer information for the zapping data;
2. The zapping data providing server according to claim 1, wherein the viewer information includes at least one information of a channel, a date, a time zone, a region, and the number of exposures on which the zapping data is provided in response to the channel change request. A broadcast receiver for receiving digital broadcasts,
A user input unit that receives a request to change the channel of the digital broadcast from a user;
A data communication unit for transmitting the input channel change request to the zapping data providing server and receiving the zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone to be changed from the zapping data providing server in real time;
A digital receiving device comprising: a data converting unit that converts the received digital broadcast or zapping data into an audio / video signal that can be reproduced by a display device; and an A / V output unit that outputs the converted audio / video signal.   5. The digital receiving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the digital broadcast is received, the data communication unit is connected to the zapping data providing server to maintain a communication connection state without requesting the user to change the channel. .   5. The digital receiver according to claim 4, wherein the A / V output unit outputs an audio / video signal converted from the zapping data received in real time during the channel zapping time of the digital broadcast. A digital receiver for receiving digital broadcasting and zapping data provided at the time of changing the channel of the digital broadcast, and organizing zapping data according to the channel and / or time zone of the digital broadcast, and requesting a channel change of the digital receiver A zapping data providing system including a zapping data providing server that sends the organized zapping data in response in real time.   The zapping data providing system according to claim 7, wherein the digital broadcasting is provided through a wired / wireless network based on terrestrial, satellite, cable, or the Internet. Organizing zapping data to be provided when the digital broadcast channel is changed according to the digital broadcast channel and / or time zone;
Receiving the channel change request from the user's digital receiver, and sending out the zapping data corresponding to the channel and / or time zone changed in response to the channel change request in real time. How to provide. Recording viewer information for the sent zapping data;
The method according to claim 9, wherein the viewer information includes at least one information of a channel, a date, a time zone, a region, and the number of exposures on which the zapping data is provided in response to the channel change request. A step of inputting a channel change request from a user while receiving a digital broadcast;
Transmitting the channel change request to a zapping data providing server;
Receiving zapping data corresponding to the changed channel and / or time zone from the zapping data providing server;
A method of operating a digital receiving device, comprising: converting the zapping data into an audio / video signal that can be played back on a display device; and outputting the converted audio / video signal during a channel zapping time of the digital broadcast. .   11. A recording medium readable by a computer, wherein a program for implementing the zapping data providing method according to claim 9 or 10 is recorded.   12. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program that embodies the operation method of the digital receiver according to claim 11 is recorded.