JP2014045323A - Server device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a server device that reduces a load on a user by reducing content list information to be transmitted to a terminal device side.SOLUTION: A server device comprises: a communication unit 25 that distributes a content to a terminal device via a network; and a control unit 26 that, on the basis of a distribution setting in which distribution support indicating that distribution is permitted or distribution non-support indicating that distribution is not permitted is described for each content, extracts the distribution-supported contents, and controls list information of the distribution-supported contents to be transmitted from the communication unit 25 to the terminal device.

Description

  The present invention relates to a server device having a function of distributing content via a network and related devices.

  In recent years, recorders (recording / playback apparatuses) having a function of recording a television broadcast and distributing the recorded content to a terminal device such as a television receiver via a home network, a so-called home server function, are increasing ( Patent Document 1).

  By using such a recording / playback device, the recorded content can be shared by a plurality of terminal devices, and the recorded content can be shared among a plurality of users.

JP 2011-71669 A

  The recording / playback apparatus having such a home server function transmits list information of all recorded contents to the terminal apparatus when a distribution request is received from the terminal apparatus. On the terminal device side, the user searches for and selects desired content from the displayed list information.

  In recent years, as the capacity of a hard disk device increases, the recording capacity of the recording / reproducing apparatus also increases, and a large amount of content tends to be stored in the recording / reproducing apparatus. In such a situation, a large amount of content list information is displayed on the terminal device side when distributed. The user selects a large amount of information, and the load on the user is large, which is not a convenient situation.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a server device that reduces the load on the user by reducing the list information of contents to be transmitted to the terminal device side. It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording / playback apparatus having the function of the server apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication unit that distributes content to a terminal device via a network and whether or not each content is permitted to be distributed or is not permitted to distribute. A control unit configured to extract the content corresponding to the distribution based on the described distribution setting and to control the distribution information to be transmitted from the communication unit to the terminal device. And

  According to this configuration, if there is content that is not distributed, it is possible to reduce the content list information to be transmitted to the terminal device, and it is possible to reduce the load of the user selecting and viewing the content list.

  In the server apparatus, the distribution setting is included in, for example, a recording reservation setting item for each content. Thereby, the user can manually set whether to support distribution or non-distribution when setting the recording reservation.

  In the server device, the distribution setting is included in, for example, a setting item for direct recording of each content. Thereby, when setting direct recording, the user can manually set whether to support distribution or not.

  In the above server device, the distribution setting can be changed after the content is recorded, for example. Thereby, the user can manually change the distribution setting of the desired content after recording.

  In the server apparatus, the distribution support and the non-delivery support may be switched based on a predetermined condition. Thereby, a delivery setting can be switched automatically.

  In the server apparatus, the predetermined condition is, for example, a condition relating to a period during which each content is not reproduced. In this case, it is preferable that the distribution setting of the content is made non-deliverable when the period during which each content is not reproduced reaches a predetermined period.

  As a result, content that has been recorded for a predetermined period of time without being played after recording or content that has been played but has not been played but has passed for a predetermined period of time is automatically made non-deliverable. Therefore, content that has not been played back for a long period of time and left unattended is omitted from the list of distributable content displayed on the terminal device side. Therefore, the user on the terminal device side to be distributed selects a desired content from a list of fewer contents, and the load on the user is reduced.

  In the server apparatus, the predetermined condition is, for example, a condition related to the number of times each content is reproduced. In this case, when the number of reproductions of each content reaches a predetermined number, it is preferable that the distribution setting of the content is compatible with the distribution.

  As a result, content with a large number of playbacks is automatically distributed as what the user likes. Therefore, the user can view this content on the terminal device side.

  In the server apparatus, the predetermined condition is, for example, a condition related to viewing restriction information. In this case, when there is an age restriction in the viewing restriction information, it is preferable that the distribution setting of the content is not compatible.

  As a result, content with age restrictions cannot be distributed, so that the content can be prevented from being distributed to a terminal device in a child room or the like.

  In the server apparatus, the predetermined condition is, for example, a condition regarding genre information based on an electronic program guide and / or performer information.

  As a result, the genre that the user is interested in and the content of the performer are automatically changed to be compatible with distribution. Therefore, this content can be viewed on the terminal device side.

  In the server device, it is preferable that the distribution setting can be set to be valid or invalid. This improves usability.

  In addition, the present invention may be a recording / playback apparatus that includes any of the server devices described above and a storage unit that stores the content, from the viewpoint of application to various products.

  According to the present invention, since there is content that does not support distribution, it is possible to reduce the list information of the content to be transmitted to the terminal device, and the load that the terminal device side sees and selects the list of content that can be distributed by the user Can be reduced.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the recording / reproducing apparatus of this invention, and its peripheral device. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement regarding the delivery of the video recording / reproducing apparatus of this invention. It is an example of a recording reservation setting screen of the present invention. It is an example of the setting screen of the direct recording of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, each embodiment can also be implemented combining in the possible range.

  Hereinafter, as an example of the server apparatus of the present invention, an optical disk apparatus (recording / reproducing apparatus) integrated with a hard disk drive (HDD) that can receive and record digital television broadcasts and distribute recorded contents (for example, programs) to terminal apparatuses. ).

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the recording / playback apparatus 10 and its peripheral devices. A display device 11 such as a television receiver, a network 12, and an antenna 14 are connected to the recording / playback device 10. In the following description, it is assumed that the network 12 is a home LAN (Local Area Network). The recording / reproducing apparatus 10 can be operated by the remote controller 13.

  The recording / playback apparatus 10 includes a tuner 16, a video / audio compression / decompression unit 17, an HDD recording / playback unit 18, a BD / DVD recording / playback unit 19, an OSD unit 20, a video output unit 21, and an audio output unit 22. , A memory 23, a remote control receiving unit 24, a communication unit 25, and a control unit 26.

  The tuner 16 demodulates and digitizes the digital television broadcast signal received by the antenna 14. The video / audio compression / decompression unit 17 compresses and encodes the video / audio data received from the tuner 16 in accordance with MPEG2 or the like, or is compressed by the HDD recording / reproducing unit 18 or the BD / DVD recording / reproducing unit 19. Decompress and decode video / audio data.

  The HDD recording / reproducing unit 18 records the compressed video / audio data received from the video / audio compression / decompression unit 17 on the HDD or reproduces the data recorded on the HDD. The BD / DVD recording / reproducing unit 19 records the compressed video / audio data received from the video / audio compression / decompression unit 17 on the inserted DVD or BD, or reproduces the data recorded on the DVD or BD. To do.

  The OSD unit 20 allows various setting values including a recording reservation to be set while being displayed on a part of the display device 11. The video output unit 21 analogizes the video signal from the OSD unit 20 and outputs the analog signal to the display device 11. The audio output unit 22 converts the audio signal from the video / audio compression / expansion unit 17 into an analog signal and outputs the analog signal to the display device 11. The memory 23 includes a ROM and a RAM. The remote control receiving unit 24 receives a signal from the remote control 13.

  The communication unit 25 connects to the network 12 and distributes the content stored in the HDD recording / reproducing unit 18 or the BD / DVD recording / reproducing unit 19 to the terminal device (not shown) via the network 12. As the terminal device, a terminal device having a function of communicating with the recording / playback device 10 via the network 12 can be used. A plurality of terminal devices may be connected to the network 12.

  The control unit 26 controls each unit of the recording / playback apparatus 10. For example, the control unit 26 extracts the content corresponding to the distribution based on the distribution setting in which whether the distribution is permitted for each content or whether the distribution is not permitted is described. Control is performed so that the content list information is transmitted from the communication unit 25 to the terminal device. Distribution settings may be stored as additional information in each content. In addition to or in place of it, the distribution settings (whether distribution is supported or not supported) of each content may be stored in the memory 23 as a list. Further, the contents corresponding to distribution may be stored in the memory 23 as a list. This control will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation related to distribution of the recording / reproducing apparatus 10. First, in step S10, the control unit 26 determines whether there is a distribution request from the terminal device. For example, when the user presses a distribution key on the remote controller of the terminal device, the terminal device issues a distribution request instruction to the recording / playback device 10.

  In step S10, when there is a distribution request, the control unit 26 controls the terminal device that has received the request to display a list of contents corresponding to distribution. Specifically, the process proceeds from step S10 to step S11. For example, when a list of distribution settings is stored in the memory 23, the control unit 26 reads the list of distribution settings. If the list is not stored, the distribution setting written as the additional information of each content is read. Next, it progresses to step S12 and the control part 26 extracts the content corresponding to distribution. Then, the process proceeds to step S13, and the recording / reproducing apparatus 10 transmits the extracted content list information corresponding to distribution from the communication unit 25 to the terminal device via the network 12.

  Thereby, the user can select the content desired to be distributed from the list of contents displayed on the terminal device side. At this time, since the user does not recognize the existence of non-delivery compatible content, the load on the user is reduced. When the desired content is selected, the recording / playback apparatus 10 starts distributing the content.

  For example, the above distribution setting is included in the recording reservation setting items for each content. When the user sets the recording reservation with the recording / reproducing apparatus 10, for example, a desired program is selected from the EPG (electronic program guide) and the recording reservation is made. At this time, after a desired program is selected, a screen 30 as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed. On the screen 30, the date and time of the program to be reserved for recording and the program name are displayed, the recording mode is displayed in a selectable manner, and the distribution setting is displayed in a selectable manner. For example, the screen 30 shows a state in which DR is selected as the recording mode and distribution correspondence is selected.

  For example, at the time of direct recording (recording of a program being broadcast), the above distribution setting is included in the setting items for direct recording of each content. When the user sets direct recording with the recording / playback apparatus 10, for example, the user operates the recording button of the remote controller 13 while viewing a program being broadcast. At this time, after the recording button is operated, a screen 40 as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. On the screen 40, a message indicating that recording of the program being viewed is started is displayed, and the distribution setting is displayed in a selectable manner. For example, the screen 40 shows a state where non-delivery support is selected.

  Further, the above distribution setting may be changeable after the content is recorded (after recording). For example, the screen for displaying a list of recorded contents in the recording / playback apparatus 10 is provided with an item of changing distribution setting, and when the item is selected, the contents of the current distribution setting of each content (whether the distribution is supported) It may be displayed in a changeable manner. Thereby, the user can manually change the distribution setting of the desired content after recording.

  Further, the distribution setting may be switched between distribution support and non-distribution based on a predetermined condition. In other words, whether distribution is supported or not is automatically set. For example, the predetermined condition may be a condition relating to a period during which each content is not reproduced. In this case, when the period in which each content is not reproduced reaches a predetermined period (for example, one month), it is considered that the distribution setting of the content is not supported regardless of the contents of the current distribution setting. . The reproduction here may be reproduction at the time of distribution or reproduction for output to the display device 11.

  As a result, content that has been played for a predetermined period without being played back once since it was recorded, or content that has been played but has passed for a predetermined period of time after being played back, is automatically distributed even if it is set to be distributed at the time of recording. Changed to non-compliant. Therefore, content that has not been played back for a long period of time and left unattended is omitted from the list of distributable content displayed on the terminal device side. Therefore, the user on the terminal device side to be distributed selects a desired content from a list of fewer contents, and the load on the user is reduced.

  Note that only content whose predetermined period has elapsed since the last playback may be automatically made non-deliverable. As a result, content that has not been played yet does not automatically become non-distributed, and the content of the distribution setting set at the time of recording is maintained, so that the intention of the user at the time of recording is respected.

  For example, the predetermined condition may be a condition related to the number of times each content is reproduced. In this case, when the number of reproductions of each content reaches a predetermined number of times (for example, twice), it can be considered that the distribution setting of the content is compatible with the distribution regardless of the contents of the current distribution setting.

  As a result, content with a large number of playbacks is automatically changed to distribution-ready even if it is set to non-delivery support at the time of recording, assuming that the user likes it. Therefore, the user can view this content on the terminal device side.

  For example, the predetermined condition may be a condition regarding viewing restriction information added to the content. In this case, if there is age restriction in the viewing restriction information, it can be considered that the distribution setting of the content is not compatible regardless of the current distribution setting. As a result, content with age restrictions cannot be distributed, so that the content can be prevented from being distributed to a terminal device in a child room or the like.

  In addition, if each connected terminal device can be identified, by enabling the state of non-delivery corresponding to the distribution setting of the age-restricted content only when there is a distribution request from the terminal device in the child room, You may make it impossible to deliver.

  Further, for example, the predetermined condition may be a condition relating to genre information based on EPG and / or performer information. In this case, it is conceivable that the distribution setting of the content of the genre registered in advance by the user and the content in which the performer registered in advance by the user appears can be distributed regardless of the content of the current distribution setting.

  As a result, the content of a genre or performer that a certain user is interested in is automatically changed to distribution support even if another user has set the distribution non-support at the time of recording. Therefore, this content can be viewed on the terminal device side.

  When switching between distribution support and non-distribution support based on the predetermined condition described above, the distribution setting manually performed by the user at the time of recording reservation or direct recording may be omitted. In this case, for the content whose distribution setting is determined by the passage of time such as a predetermined period and the number of reproductions, the initial value may be determined as either distribution-compatible or non-distribution-compatible.

  Note that the recording / reproducing apparatus 10 may have a function capable of setting the above distribution setting to be valid or invalid. For example, the validity / invalidity may be set from the menu screen of the recording / reproducing apparatus 10. This improves usability.

  In the present invention, the content may be a photo or home video taken from another device.

  In the recording / reproducing apparatus 10 described above, at least the storage unit (HDD recording / reproducing unit 18, BD / DVD recording / reproducing unit 19) for storing contents is provided as an external device, so that the recording / reproducing apparatus 10 is a server device. It is good.

10 Recording / playback device (server device)
12 Network 25 Communication Unit 26 Control Unit

Claims (14)

A communication unit that distributes content to a terminal device via a network;
Based on the distribution setting in which distribution is permitted for each content or whether distribution is not permitted for distribution, the content corresponding to the distribution is extracted, and list information of the content corresponding to the distribution is obtained. And a control unit that controls to transmit from the communication unit to the terminal device.   The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution setting is included in a setting item for recording reservation of each content.   3. The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution setting is included in a setting item for direct recording of each content.   The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution setting can be changed after the content is recorded.   The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus switches between the distribution support and the distribution non-support based on a predetermined condition.   6. The server apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition relating to a period during which each content is not reproduced.   7. The server apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when a period in which each content is not reproduced reaches a predetermined period, the distribution setting of the content is not supported.   6. The server apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition relating to the number of times each content is reproduced.   9. The server apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the number of reproduction times of each content reaches a predetermined number of times, the distribution setting of the content is made compatible with the distribution.   The server apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition regarding viewing restriction information.   11. The server apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the viewing restriction information has an age restriction, the distribution setting of the content is not supported.   6. The server apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition relating to genre information or / and performer information based on an electronic program guide.   The server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution setting can be set to be valid or invalid. A server device according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
And a storage unit for storing the content.

Images