Video server device, test method thereof, and program

Abstract

To provide a video server device that enables automated testing.SOLUTION: A video server device includes: material characteristic information generation unit which generates characteristic information of material information based on the material information of a video; a material information storage unit which stores the material information in association with the characteristic information; a material information reproducing unit which acquires, from the material information storage unit, according to control information that designates material information to be reproduced, the material information designated in the control information and reproduces the acquired material information; and a reproduced material confirmation unit which acquires the characteristic information associated with the material information, according to the control information, from the material information storage unit, and confirms whether the acquired characteristic information matches a video obtained by the material information reproducing unit reproducing the material information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a video server device used in a broadcasting station, a test method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Broadcasting stations need to send out the intended broadcast material correctly according to the program schedule.

[0003] For this reason, broadcasting stations use a wide range of broadcasting equipment, including transmission studio equipment, video server devices, and the like.

[0004] The video server device is tested by the manufacturer, and only those that pass the test are delivered by the manufacturer to the broadcasting station.

[0005] The man-hours required for testing by manufacturers are enormous. Some test items are automated based on the response results to controls and whether or not an alarm is generated. However, confirmation that the specified material is played at the intended timing and that controlled effects such as video superimposition are executed correctly are still performed visually by testers, and the tests are not automated.

[0006] As such, the tests conducted by manufacturers are not fully automated, and tests that simulate actual operation and tests that repeat the same operations are still conducted by testers at the manufacturer, which means that the tests require a great deal of cost and time.

[0007] Video server equipment that passes these tests is delivered to broadcasting stations, but broadcasting stations also conduct their own tests on the video server equipment to confirm that the intended material is played back correctly according to the program schedule.

[0008] Among the performance checks carried out by broadcasting stations, the quality of the video and audio contained in the material is checked automatically using a function to detect video noise and abnormal sounds.

[0009] On the other hand, among the performance checks, confirmation that the intended material is being transmitted and that effect processing such as superimposition of images and text contained in the material is performed correctly at the intended timing are not automated and are carried out visually by testers at the broadcasting station.

[0010] As described above, the performance checks of video server devices performed at broadcasting stations are not fully automated, and broadcasting stations incur significant costs and labor for these performance checks.

[0011] Furthermore, because confirmation and judgment are performed by humans at both the manufacturer and the broadcasting station, there is concern that the confirmation results will vary depending on the skill of each tester. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-53169 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-319423 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-325266 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a video server device that allows automated testing, a testing method for the same, and a program. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The video server device of the embodiment includes a material feature information generation unit that generates feature information of the material information based on the material information of the video; a material information storage unit that stores the material information and feature information in association with each other; a material information playback unit that acquires the material information specified by the control information from the material information storage unit in accordance with control information that specifies the material information to be played back, and plays the acquired material information; and a playback material confirmation unit that acquires the feature information linked to the material information from the material information storage unit in accordance with the control information, and confirms whether the acquired feature information is consistent with the video obtained by playing back the material information by the material information playback unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video server device to which the test method of the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional testing method. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the testing method of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video server device to which the testing method of the second embodiment is applied. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video server device to which the testing method of the third embodiment is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the size relationships between parts and the size ratios between parts are not necessarily the same as those in reality. Furthermore, even when the same parts are shown, the dimensions and ratios may be different depending on the drawing. In this specification and each drawing, elements similar to those previously described with reference to the previous drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0017] (First embodiment) A video server device to which a test method according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video server device to which the test method of the first embodiment is applied.

[0019] In particular, to automate material playback confirmation tests, the video server device 10 of the first embodiment includes a control unit 12, a material characteristic information generation unit 14, a material information storage unit 16, a material information playback unit 18, a video output unit 20, and a playback material confirmation unit 22. The video server device 10 can be realized by a computer. A computer generally includes a CPU, memory, etc. in addition to a storage device such as the material information storage unit 16, but illustrations and descriptions of these general computer components will be omitted in this specification.

[0020] The material characteristic information generating unit 14 generates characteristic information b of the material information a based on the video material information a supplied from the material server 60 of the broadcasting station, and outputs the material information a and characteristic information b to the material information storage unit 16.

[0021] The material information storage unit 16 is formed of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores the material information a and the characteristic information b output from the material characteristic information generation unit 14 in association with each other.

[0022] As an example of feature information b, there is a method of determining the IN point (the position where OA starts) as an identifiable image, such as making the IN point of material α solid blue and the IN point of material β solid blue. Also, specific coordinates of the image of the IN point of the material or image data limited to a specific line can be used as feature information b.

[0023] The control unit 12 receives control information c that specifies the material information to be reproduced from the control device 50 of the broadcast station, and outputs the control information c to the material information reproduction unit 18 and the reproduction material confirmation unit 22.

[0024] In accordance with the control information c, the material information playback unit 18 obtains the material information a specified by the control information c from the material information storage unit 16, plays back the material information a, and outputs the playback result d to the video output unit 20.

[0025] The video output unit 20 outputs the reproduction result d by the material information reproduction unit 18 as video data e.

[0026] The playback material confirmation unit 22 acquires feature information b linked to material information a from the material information storage unit 16 in accordance with control information c. It also acquires video data e at the timing at which playback should start in accordance with control information c from the video output unit 20. It then determines whether the feature information b and the video data e are consistent. This consistency determination can be made, for example, by checking the image at the specified coordinates of the video data e and confirming that it is consistent with the feature information b, i.e., that playback of the material has started at the correct timing.

[0027] When the playback material confirmation unit 22 confirms the consistency between the feature information b and the image, it stores the test result summary s1 and the image j used to determine the consistency as evidence in the material information storage unit 16. Recording the video for the entire operation time in the material information storage unit 16 increases the capacity and load, but by storing only the image j used to determine the pass / fail status in this way, the capacity and processing load are reduced.

[0028] The tester can check the evidence stored in the material information storage unit 16 to confirm that the material has been played back correctly.

[0029] As explained above, the video server device 10 to which the testing method of this embodiment is applied generates feature information b for material information a and internally checks the output signal in accordance with the timing based on control information c, thereby automatically confirming that the intended material is being played back in accordance with the timing. This makes it possible to assist monitoring, save labor, reduce testing man-hours, improve quality, etc.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional testing method.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the testing method of the first embodiment.

[0032] 2, for example, when the scheduling information indicates that material A is to be played from 10:00 (10:00 AM), material B is to be played from 11:00 (11:00 AM), and material C is to be played from 12:00 (12:00 PM), material A is played on the video server device 10 under the control of the control device 50, and material A is displayed on the monitor 110, and the test is conducted by the tester actually visually checking this. This means that the tester is bound by the playback time.

[0033] In contrast, with the video server device 10, the tester can replace the visual confirmation described in Figure 2 by checking the evidence (the test result summary s1 and the image j used for consistency determination) stored in the material information storage unit 16 of the video server device 10, as shown in Figure 3.

[0034] In this way, the video server device 10 to which the test method of this embodiment is applied makes it possible to obtain test results for confirming the playback of material without being affected by the tester's individual skills. This reduces the time, burden, and time constraints on the tester, thereby contributing to labor savings.

[0035] (Second embodiment) A video server device to which a test method according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video server device to which the testing method of the second embodiment is applied.

[0037] In order to automate the verification testing of the effect processing applied to the video, the video server device 30 of the second embodiment includes a control unit 32, an effect characteristic information generation unit 34, an effect information storage unit 36, an input unit 38, an effect processing unit 40, a video output unit 42, and an effect processing verification unit 44. The video server device 30 can be realized by a computer. Therefore, as in FIG. 1, the illustration and description of the general components of a computer are omitted in FIG. 4 as well.

[0038] The effect characteristic information generating unit 34 generates characteristic information g of the effect information f based on the effect information f supplied from the effect information server 70 of the broadcasting station, and outputs the effect information f and characteristic information g to the effect information storage unit 36. The effect information f is information added to the video, such as superimposed weather information displayed in the corner of the screen.

[0039] The effect information storage unit 36 ​​is composed of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores the effect information f and feature information g output from the effect feature information generation unit 34 in association with each other. An example of the feature information g can also be similar to the feature information b.

[0040] The control unit 32 receives effect information f and control information h that specifies the timing at which the effect information f is added to the video from the control device 50 of the broadcasting station, and outputs the control information h to the effect processing unit 40 and the effect processing confirmation unit 44.

[0041] The input unit receives video data e to which effect information f is to be added from the video server device 10 shown in FIG. 1 or the video server 80 of a broadcasting station, and outputs the video data e to the effect processing unit .

[0042] The effect processing unit 40 acquires the effect information f specified by the control information h from the effect information storage unit 36 ​​in accordance with the control information h, and adds the effect information f to the video data e at the timing t specified by the control information h. Then, the video data e′ to which the control information h has been added is output to the video output unit 42.

[0043] The video output unit 42 outputs the video data e' output from the effect processing unit 40 to the effect processing confirmation unit 44 and to the outside.

[0044] The effect processing confirmation unit 44 acquires the video data e' from the video output unit 42 at the specified timing t. Furthermore, it acquires feature information g linked to the effect information f from the effect information storage unit 36 ​​in accordance with the control information h. It then compares the video data e' with the feature information g to automatically determine whether the effect processing was performed at the correct timing t. For example, if the effect information f is to superimpose a weather image in the upper left corner of the screen, the effect processing confirmation unit 44 reads only the upper left part of the video data e' from the video output unit 42 and checks whether it matches the feature information g of the weather image.

[0045] When the effect processing confirmation unit 44 confirms a match, it stores the test result summary s2 and the image j used to determine the match as evidence in the effect information storage unit 36. Like the material information storage unit 16, the effect information storage unit 36 ​​also increases capacity and load when it records video for the entire operation time, but by storing the image j used to determine pass / fail in this way, it is possible to reduce capacity and processing load.

[0046] By checking the evidence stored in the effect information storage unit 36, the tester can confirm that the effect-processed video has been correctly played back, instead of the conventional visual confirmation.

[0047] As described above, with the video server device 30 to which the test method of this embodiment is applied, when superimposing a clock or image on a video, it is possible to automatically confirm that the effect processing according to the control is being performed in accordance with the timing by referencing the image at the specified position of the output signal in accordance with the timing specified by the control information c. Furthermore, the image of the video signal used to confirm the playback of the material according to the control information c or to confirm the results of the effect processing can be stored in the effect information storage unit 36 ​​and can be confirmed as the operation results or test results.

[0048] This will enable monitoring assistance, labor savings, a reduction in testing man-hours, and improved quality. It will also be possible to obtain test results for playback confirmation of video with added effects processing, regardless of the tester's individual skills. This will reduce the tester's workload, burden, and time constraints, thereby contributing to labor savings.

[0049] (Third embodiment) A video server device to which a test method according to a third embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a video server device to which the testing method of the third embodiment is applied.

[0051] The video server device 90 of the third embodiment has a configuration that combines the functions of the video server device 10 and the video server device 30. Therefore, the same parts as those in Figures 1 and 4 are given the same numbers, and their explanations will be omitted or simplified.

[0052] That is, in order to automate the material playback verification test and the effect processing verification test applied to the video, the video server device 90 includes a control unit 13, a material characteristic information generation unit 14, a material information storage unit 16, a material information playback unit 18, a playback material verification unit 22, an effect characteristic information generation unit 34, an effect information storage unit 36, an effect processing unit 40, a video output unit 43, an effect processing verification unit 44, and a result verification unit 92. The video server device 90 can also be realized by a computer. Therefore, as with FIGS. 1 and 4, the illustration and description of the general components of a computer are omitted in FIG. 5.

[0053] Control unit 13 has the functions of both control unit 12 and control unit 32. That is, control unit 13 receives control information c that specifies the material information to be played back from control device 50 of the broadcast station, and outputs the control information c to material information playback unit 18 and played material confirmation unit 22. Control unit 13 also receives effect information f and control information h that specifies the timing at which effect information f is to be added to video from control device 50 of the broadcast station, and outputs the received control information h to effect processing unit 40, effect processing confirmation unit 44, and result confirmation unit 92.

[0054] The material information reproducing section 18 outputs video data e of the reproduction result d to the effects processing section 40.

[0055] The effect processing unit 40 acquires the effect information f specified by the control information h from the effect information storage unit 36, and adds the effect information f to the video data e at the timing t specified by the control information h. Then, the video data e' to which the control information h has been added is output to the video output unit 43.

[0056] The video output section 43 outputs the video data e' output from the effect processing section 40 to the playback material confirmation section 22, the effect processing confirmation section 44, and to the outside.

[0057] The playback material confirmation unit 22 acquires, from the material information storage unit 16, characteristic information b associated with material information a in accordance with the control information c. It also acquires, from the video output unit 43, video data e' at the timing at which playback should start in accordance with the control information c. It then checks whether the characteristic information b and the video data e' are consistent. This consistency check can be performed, for example, by checking image data at specified coordinates in the video data e' and confirming that the image data is consistent with the characteristic information b, i.e., that playback of the material started at the correct timing. When the playback material confirmation unit 22 confirms the consistency between the characteristic information b and the video data e', it outputs the video data e' for which consistency has been confirmed as a test result to the material information storage unit 16 and the result confirmation unit 92.

[0058] The effect processing confirmation unit 44 acquires the video data e' from the video output unit 43 at the specified timing t. Furthermore, it acquires the feature information g linked to the effect information f from the effect information storage unit 36 ​​in accordance with the control information h. It then compares the video data e' with the feature information g to automatically determine whether the effect processing was performed at the correct timing t. It then outputs the confirmation result i of the automatic determination to the result confirmation unit 92.

[0059] The result confirmation unit 92 confirms whether the playback of the material and the addition of the effect information have been performed as specified in the control information h, based on the control information h, the video data e' confirmed to be consistent by the playback material confirmation unit 22, and the confirmation result i by the effect processing confirmation unit 44. If the confirmation result is negative, the result confirmation unit 92 outputs an alarm signal k to an alarm monitoring device 100 provided outside the video server device 90. The alarm monitoring device 100 issues an alarm in response to the alarm signal k output from the result confirmation unit 92.

[0060] According to the video server device 90 configured as described above, when control is performed to play back material α and superimpose images from a certain time, playback control of material α is performed by the material information playback unit 18 and the playback material confirmation unit 22, and image superimposition control is performed by the effects processing unit 40 and the effects processing confirmation unit 44.

[0061] In addition, the playback material confirmation unit 22 compares the video data e' output from the video output unit 43 with the feature information b of the material α, automatically determines whether the specified material will start playing at the correct timing, and outputs the determination result to the result confirmation unit 92.

[0062] Furthermore, the effect processing confirmation unit 44 compares the video data e' output from the video output unit 43 with the image feature information g, automatically confirms that the effect processing is being performed at the correct timing, and outputs the confirmation result i to the result confirmation unit 92.

[0063] The result confirmation unit 92 then checks whether the playback of the material and the addition of effect information have been performed as specified in the control information h. If the confirmation result i is negative, an alarm signal k is output to an alarm monitoring device 100 provided outside the video server device 90, and an alarm is issued from the alarm monitoring device 100.

[0064] The video server device 90 to which the test method of this embodiment is applied is configured by combining the video server device 10 and the video server device 30, and therefore can achieve both the effects achieved by the video server device 10 and the effects achieved by the video server device 30.

[0065] That is, the video server device 90 can leave a summary s1 of the test results and the video data e' at the time of the judgment as evidence of the results of the material playback check test, and can also leave a summary s2 of the test results and the image j at the time of the judgment as evidence of the results of the playback check test of the video with effect processing added. By checking this evidence, instead of the conventional visual check, the tester can automatically determine whether the material is being played back and the effect processing is being performed according to the program guide, based on the confirmation results of whether the intended material is being played back in accordance with the timing and whether effect processing such as clock and image superimposition is being performed in accordance with the timing, and notify the tester of the result.

[0066] In this way, the video server device 90 to which the testing method of this embodiment is applied makes it possible to obtain test results for both raw material playback and video with processed effects added, regardless of the skill of the tester. This reduces the time, burden, and time constraints on the tester, thereby contributing to labor savings.

[0067] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10 Video server equipment 12,13 Control section 14 Material characteristic information generation unit 16 Material information storage unit 18 Material Information Reproduction Unit 20 Video output section 22 Recycled Material Verification Department 30 Video server equipment 32 Control section 34 Effect characteristic information generation unit 36 Effect information storage unit 38 Input section 40 Effects Processing Section 42 Video output section 44 Effect Processing Verification Section 50 Control device 60 Material Server 70 Effect Information Server 80 Video Server 90 Video server equipment 92 Results Confirmation Department 100 Alarm monitoring device 110 Monitor A material B Material C Material a Material information b. Characteristic information c. Control information d Playback result e,e' video data f Effect information g Feature Information h Control information i Confirmation results j Images used for consistency assessment k Alarm signal s1,s2 Summary t Timing α,β materials

Claims

1. a material characteristic information generating unit that generates characteristic information of the material information based on the material information of the video; a material information storage unit that stores the material information and the feature information in association with each other; a material information playback unit that, in response to control information that specifies the material information to be played back, acquires the material information specified by the control information from the material information storage unit and plays back the acquired material information; a playback material confirmation unit that acquires, in response to the control information, feature information associated with the material information from the material information storage unit, and confirms whether the acquired feature information is consistent with the video obtained by playback of the material information by the material information playback unit; A video server device comprising:

2. 2. The video server device according to claim 1, wherein said playback material checking section, upon checking the match between said feature information and said video, stores an image indicating said match in said material information storage section.

3. an effect characteristic information generating unit that generates characteristic information of the effect information based on the effect information added to the video; an effect information storage unit that stores the effect information and the feature information in association with each other; an effect processing unit that, in response to control information that specifies the effect information and the timing at which the effect information is to be added to the video, acquires the effect information specified by the control information from the effect information storage unit, and adds the acquired effect information to the video at the specified timing; a video output unit that outputs the video to which the effect information has been added by the effect processing unit; an effect processing confirmation unit that acquires, from the video output unit at the specified timing, the video to which effect information has been added by the effect processing unit, acquires feature information linked to the effect information from the effect information storage unit in accordance with the control information, and confirms whether the effect information has been added to the video; A video server device comprising:

4. the video to which the effect information is added is provided from another video server device; The other video server device a material characteristic information generating unit that generates characteristic information of the video material information based on the video material information; a material information storage unit that stores the video material information and the feature information in association with each other; a material information playback unit that, in response to control information specifying the video material information to be played back, acquires the video material information specified by the control information from the material information storage unit and plays back the acquired video material information; a playback material confirmation unit that acquires, in response to the control information, feature information associated with the video material information from the material information storage unit, and confirms whether the acquired feature information is consistent with the video obtained by playback of the video material information by the material information playback unit; 4. The video server device according to claim 3, wherein the video to which the effect information is added and provided from the other video server device is video obtained by reproducing the video material information by the material information reproduction section of the other video server device.

5. a material characteristic information generating unit that generates material characteristic information, which is characteristic information of the material information, based on the material information of the video; a material information storage unit that stores the material information and the material characteristic information in association with each other; an effect characteristic information generating unit that generates effect characteristic information, which is characteristic information of the effect information, based on the effect information added to the video; an effect information storage unit that stores the effect information and the effect characteristic information in association with each other; a material information reproducing unit that, in response to control information that specifies material information to be reproduced, effect information to be added to the video being reproduced using the material information, and the timing at which the effect information is to be added to the video, obtains the material information specified by the control information from the material information storage unit, and reproduces the obtained material information; an effect processing unit that acquires effect information designated by the control information from the effect information storage unit in response to the control information, and adds the acquired effect information to a video image obtained by the reproduction of the material information by the material information reproduction unit at the designated timing; a video output unit that outputs the video to which the effect information has been added by the effect processing unit; a playback material confirmation unit that acquires material characteristic information linked to the material information from the material information storage unit in accordance with the control information, and confirms whether the acquired material characteristic information is consistent with the video output by the video output unit; an effect processing confirmation unit that acquires the video to which the effect information has been added from the video output unit at the specified timing, acquires feature information linked to the effect information from the effect information storage unit in accordance with the control information, and confirms whether the effect information has been added to the video; A video server device comprising:

6. The video server device of claim 5, further comprising a result confirmation unit that confirms whether the playback of the material information and the addition of effect information are performed as specified in the control information based on the control information, the confirmation results by the playback material confirmation unit, and the confirmation results by the effect processing confirmation unit.

7. 7. The video server device according to claim 6, wherein if the result of the check by said result check section is negative, said result check section outputs an alarm.

8. A test method for a video server device, comprising: The video server device generating feature information of the material information based on the material information of the video; The material information and the characteristic information are linked and stored in a material information storage unit; In response to control information specifying the material information to be reproduced, the material information specified by the control information is acquired from the material information storage unit, and the acquired material information is reproduced; A testing method that acquires feature information linked to the material information from the material information storage unit in accordance with the control information, and checks whether the acquired feature information is consistent with the video obtained by playing the material information.

9. A test method for a video server device, comprising: The video server device generating characteristic information of the effect information based on the effect information to be added to the video; The effect information and the feature information are associated with each other and stored in an effect information storage unit; acquires, from the effect information storage unit, the effect information designated by the control information in accordance with the effect information and control information designating a timing at which the effect information is to be added to the video, and adds the acquired effect information to the video at the designated timing; outputting the video to which the effect information has been added; A testing method comprising: acquiring the video to which the effect information has been added from the output video at the specified timing; acquiring feature information linked to the effect information from the effect information storage unit according to the control information; and confirming whether the effect information has been added to the video.

10. A test method for a video server device, comprising: The video server device generating material feature information that is feature information of the material information based on the material information of the video; The material information and the material characteristic information are linked and stored in a material information storage unit; generating effect characteristic information that is characteristic information of the effect information based on the effect information added to the video; The effect information and the effect characteristic information are associated with each other and stored in an effect information storage unit; acquires, from the material information storage unit, material information designated by the control information in accordance with control information that designates material information to be reproduced, effect information to be added to the video being reproduced using the material information, and timing at which the effect information is to be added to the video, and reproduces the acquired material information; acquires, from the effect information storage unit in accordance with the control information, effect information designated by the control information, and adds the acquired effect information to the video obtained by reproducing the material information at the designated timing; outputting the video to which the effect information has been added; acquiring material characteristic information linked to the material information from the material information storage unit in accordance with the control information, and confirming whether the acquired material characteristic information is consistent with the output video; A testing method comprising: acquiring the video to which the effect information has been added from the output video at the specified timing; acquiring feature information linked to the effect information from the effect information storage unit according to the control information; and confirming whether the effect information has been added to the video.

11. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the units included in the video server device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images