Video content distribution system and transmission server

Abstract

To reduce a load on a TV receiver which receives meta data such as program information of image distribution in broadcasting and communication.SOLUTION: This invention comprises: a server system for distributing a video content; an intermediate share server which receives and converts meta data for selecting the video content; a transmission server which converts thumbnail information of the meta data; and a TV operation system which is constituted of a receiving terminal for receiving the video content and the converted meta data and receives and screen-displays the meta data, thereby facilitating selection of the video content by communication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is composed of a server system for distributing video content, an intermediate sharing server that receives metadata for selecting video content and performs conversion, a transmission server that receives the metadata output from the intermediate sharing server and converts it into an efficient transmission format, video content, and a receiving terminal that receives the metadata in the converted transmission format. In the transmission server according to the present invention, the load on the TV receiver that receives the metadata can be reduced, and efficient display can be achieved when presenting the screen.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to the evolution of the network, many video distribution services have been implemented. In particular, large-sized, large-screen TV receivers can not only receive broadcasts as before, but also be connected to the network and play the videos distributed, so that viewers can enjoy higher-quality and more immersive videos. This has become possible due to the high speed of the network and the improvement of the processing performance of TV receivers. In the future, it is considered that the opportunities to display and operate various video contents provided by the network on TV receivers will increase.

[0003] In this situation, viewers want a way to more easily select their preferred video content from the large amount of video content delivered via communication. Video content distributors and providers are also making efforts to make it easier for viewers to select video content. For example, they are using methods such as displaying video content in series and providing previews of upcoming episodes to encourage viewers to watch them continuously. Recently, there have been attempts to further subdivide series into seasons and then episodes, structuring the entire continuous content for viewers. For example, a structure such as "xxx series," "xxx season," and "episode x" can encourage viewers to watch continuously.

[0004] Furthermore, providers of video content typically use metadata to explain the content to viewers so that they are familiar with its contents. Metadata, in this context, is data that defines the title, synopsis, cast, and other details of the video content. Additionally, image information such as thumbnails can be provided to make the content easier for viewers to understand.

[0005] As mentioned above, structuring such as series, season, and episode can be achieved using metadata, and it is expected that video streaming content will increasingly be provided using structured metadata in the future. Therefore, even television receivers that allow users to enjoy large-screen, immersive video content need to support such structured metadata.

[0006] However, current television receivers, which use remote controls to select programs on a large screen, have a significantly different operating system compared to personal computers and smartphones, and are therefore not adequately equipped to handle structured metadata. While broadcast television allows for easy program selection using direct channel buttons on the remote and access to program guides or lists, selecting network-delivered video content using structured metadata requires using the remote control to narrow down content through multiple screens such as series, season, and episode, resulting in extremely poor usability. Furthermore, content providers are not uniform, and structured metadata may be distributed in different formats, such as only at the episode level or only at the season level. A method is needed that allows viewers to easily select desired video content without confusion, even when such different forms of metadata are transmitted. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Current television receivers use remote controls to select video content from program guides or program lists. Patent Application No. 2022-168108, for a program information distribution system and television receiver, overcomes the inconsistency between structured metadata (such as series, season, and episode) and program guides / lists by adding information to the metadata. Furthermore, it integrates different metadata transmitted from multiple distribution systems to facilitate processing by the receiver. While this is an excellent method, it presents the challenge of increased load on the receiver due to the ability to create richer screens. In particular, the extensive use of thumbnails leads to frequent retrieval of thumbnail images from the server, increasing network access and thus reducing usability. Additionally, the hierarchical structure of the metadata makes it complex, requiring its reconstruction during display processing, further increasing the load.

[0008] Figure 13 shows a conventional example of a program information distribution system and a video distribution system based on a television receiver, as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-168108.

[0009] The distribution system 13100 consists of a distribution content unit 13101, an encoder 13102, a distribution unit 13103, and a program information unit 13104. Video content output from the distribution content unit 13101 is compressed by the encoder 13102 and input to the distribution unit 13103. The distribution unit 13103 outputs the video and audio stream to the stream distribution network 13400. The program information unit 13104 generates metadata for program selection and outputs it to the intermediate sharing server 13500.

[0010] Distribution systems 13200 and 13300 operate in the same manner as distribution system 13100.

[0011] The intermediate sharing server 13500 consists of a receiving unit 13501, a program information storage unit 13503, and a transmitting unit 13502. The receiving unit 13501 receives metadata output from the distribution systems 13100, 13200, and 13300 and stores it in the program information storage unit 13503. The metadata transmitted from each of the distribution systems 13100, 13200, and 13300 is integrated or edited in the program information storage unit 13503 and then transmitted to the television receivers 13600 and 13700 by the transmitting unit 13502. In this embodiment, a configuration of three distribution systems and two television receivers is shown as an example, but even if both the distribution systems and television receivers increase, it is possible to accommodate this by improving the receiving and transmitting capabilities of the intermediate sharing server.

[0012] The television receiver 13600 consists of a receiving unit 13603, a decoder 13602, a content display unit 13601, a program information processing unit 13604, a selection screen unit 13605, a control unit 13606, and a remote control 13607. The receiving unit 13603 receives the video and audio stream transmitted via the stream distribution network 13400 and outputs it to the decoder 13602. The decoder 13602 decompresses the compressed video and audio stream, restores it to the original video content, and outputs it to the content display unit 13601. Meanwhile, the program information processing unit 13604 receives metadata transmitted from the intermediate sharing server 13500 and outputs the metadata processing result to the selection screen unit 13605. The selection screen unit 13605 configures a screen for program selection and outputs the result to the content display unit 13601. Here, the viewer uses the remote control 13607 to send a command to the control unit 13606 to execute a predetermined process.

[0013] The television receiver 13700 consists of a receiving unit 13703, a decoder 13702, a content display unit 13701, a program information processing unit 13704, a selection screen unit 13705, a control unit 13706, and a remote control 13707. The television receiver 13700 operates in the same way as the television receiver 13600.

[0014] Next, Figure 14 shows an example of a three-layer metadata structure based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-168108, a program information distribution system and a television receiver.

[0015] The metadata for creating the three-tiered structure of series, season, and episode consists of series information 14010, season information 14020, and episode information 14030. Series information 14010 includes a series ID, series name, series description, series thumbnail, and series genre to identify the series externally, and also a season list to include multiple seasons. Season information 14020 includes a season ID to identify the season externally, as well as a season name, season description, season thumbnail, and season genre, and also a season list to include multiple seasons. Episode information 14030 includes an episode ID to identify the episode externally, as well as an episode name, episode description, content length, program start time, program end time, episode thumbnail, and episode genre, and also a video URL to identify the server playing the video stream.

[0016] Figure 15 shows an example of a three-layer metadata structure based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-168108, a program information distribution system and a television receiver.

[0017] The video metadata in Figure 15 includes series ID 15011, season ID 15012, episode ID 15013, related program ID 15014, and service ID 15015. It also contains related program information 15020, video group 15030, and service provider information 15040. These additions allow for flexible handling of metadata with a hierarchical structure.

[0018] The contents of video group 15001, an attribute of program list information 15000, are defined as video group 15030. Video group 15030 contains video information list 15031, series information list 15032, season information list 15033, and episode information list 15034. Video information list 15031 can contain multiple copies of video information 15010 in list format. Series information list 15032, season information list 15033, and episode information list 15034 can each contain multiple copies of series information 14010, season information 14020, and episode information 14030, respectively, as shown in Figure 14.

[0019] Therefore, the program list information 15000 can be composed of any or a combination of the video information list 15031, series information list 15032, season information list 15033, and episode information list 15034, allowing for flexible handling of hierarchical metadata.

[0020] Business information 15040 consists of business ID 15045, business name 15041, business logo 15042, terms of service 15043, and a list of privacy policies (abbreviated as PP) 15044.

[0021] The business ID 15045 is an ID used to uniquely identify multiple distribution systems, the business name 15041 is the name representing the distribution system, and the business logo 15042 is displayed to make the distribution system easily identifiable to viewers. In addition, because there are multiple distribution businesses, the list of terms of service for viewers 15043 and the list of privacy policies (PP) 15044 can also be listed in a list structure.

[0022] Video information 15010 includes related program ID 15014, and related programs consist of related program ID 15021 and video information list 15022, as shown in related program information 15020. Related program information 15020 is introduced to define multiple video contents as a single unit according to the content user's intent. The video information list 15022 inside can accommodate multiple video information 15010s.

[0023] Video information 15010 also includes additional information: Series ID 15011, Season ID 15012, Episode ID 15013, and Service ID 15015. This allows for a three-tiered structure of video information, series, season, and episode, as well as linking it with channel information.

[0024] As described above, the metadata and intermediate sharing server in the program information distribution system and television receiver described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-168108 maintains good consistency between the three-tiered structure of series, season, and episode, and the program display and program list, enabling good screen display even with a hierarchical structure.

[0025] By the way, as shown in Figure 14, series information, season information, and episode information can each have a thumbnail, allowing for the creation of a very clear and rich screen. However, the television receiver needs to retrieve these thumbnail images from the server and display them on the screen. This is not a problem if there are only a few thumbnail images, but as in this example, if thumbnails can be stored for each hierarchical level, it is possible to retrieve a large number of thumbnails, which increases the communication load and makes the processing on the television receiver extremely slow.

[0026] Also, as shown in FIG. 15, when constructing a program guide, it is necessary to include channel information in the program guide information, obtain a list of program information for a specific date and time in the channel information, and further obtain video information from the program information. These complex hierarchical structures need to be constructed while searching for their respective IDs, and furthermore, they will be displayed. The processes of analyzing, constructing, and displaying these metadata increase the load on the receiver, leading to a decrease in operability such as delays in startup, screen transitions, and scroll up / down.

[0027] As described above, in the metadata and intermediate sharing server in the program information distribution system and the television receiver of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-168108, while the hierarchical metadata can be well coordinated to display a program guide and a program list, there are the following problems.

[0028] 1) It is possible to obtain thumbnails for any of the hierarchical metadata, increasing the receiver load due to the acquisition of a large number of thumbnail images 2) The metadata structure is hierarchical, increasing the receiver load for analyzing and reconstructing the complex metadata structure 3) The startup time and screen transition time of the program guide and program list increase due to the increase in the receiver load

Means for Solving the Problems

[0029] The present invention is composed of a server system that distributes video content, an intermediate sharing server that receives and converts metadata for selecting video content, a transmission server that receives the metadata output from the intermediate sharing server and converts it into an efficient transmission format, video content, and a receiving terminal that receives the metadata in the converted transmission format. In the transmission server according to the present invention, the load on the television receiver that receives the metadata can be reduced, and efficient display is possible when presenting on the screen.

[0030] As a first means: a distribution system that transmits metadata including video content and thumbnail information, An intermediate sharing server that receives, stores, and transmits metadata for selecting video content from the distribution system, A transmission server receives metadata output from the intermediate sharing server, converts multiple thumbnail images into a single image, converts the single image into a transmission format, and transmits the metadata. A television receiver that receives the aforementioned video content from the distribution system and metadata from the transmission server, A video content distribution system characterized by consisting of [the following].

[0031] As a second means: A video content distribution system characterized in that the thumbnail information distributed by the distribution system of the first means includes program thumbnails, video thumbnails, series thumbnails, and episode thumbnails.

[0032] As a third means: A video content distribution system characterized in that the transmission format of the transmission server of the first means consists of a group of files and directories that describe the structure of the metadata.

[0033] As a fourth means: The integration of thumbnail images of the transmission format of the transmission server in the first means is performed hierarchically, and an integrated image is generated for each hierarchical level. A video content distribution system characterized by the following features.

[0034] As a fifth means: The transmission format of the transmission server in the first means comprises a metadata structure in a directory structure. A video content distribution system characterized by the following features.

[0035] As a sixth means: The transmission format of the transmission server of the first means has a carrier configuration file and a channel configuration file. A video content distribution system characterized by the following features.

[0036] As a seventh means: the transmission format of the transmission server of the first means has notification information of the timing for acquiring metadata. A video content distribution system characterized by the following features.

[0037] As an eighth means: the transmission format of the transmission server of the first means has notification information of the timing for acquiring metadata. A video content distribution system characterized by the following features.

[0038] As a ninth means: having a maintenance file that notifies the metadata of the distribution system of the first means or the transmission format of the transmission server to perform maintenance. A video content distribution system characterized by the following features. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0039] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a first embodiment based on the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment based on the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of metadata based on the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a thumbnail based on the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of thumbnail information according to the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the three-layer structure and thumbnail according to the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of thumbnail display according to the present invention. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment based on the present invention. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of a metadata transmission format based on the present invention. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of a configuration file based on the present invention. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of metadata updating based on the present invention. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of maintenance based on the present invention. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows a conventional metadata transmission system. [Figure 14] Figure 14 shows an example of a conventional three-tiered metadata structure. [Figure 15] Figure 15 shows an example of conventional metadata. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0040] • Place a transmission server between the intermediate sharing server and the television receiver. • The system collects thumbnail images input to the transmission server and saves them as a single, integrated image. • Add thumbnail information indicating parameters for the integrated image to the metadata. • Program thumbnails, video thumbnails, series thumbnails, season thumbnails, and episode thumbnails use thumbnail information to extract the necessary parts from the integrated image. Each thumbnail is composed of cropped images. Thumbnail images are merged hierarchically and imported into the TV receiver hierarchically. • When expanding the screen hierarchy on the screen, retrieve the integrated image of the corresponding hierarchy. • Converts the format of metadata input by the transmission server. The transmission format pre-configures the metadata structure as a directory structure. • In the directory structure transmission format, the addition of carrier configuration files and channel configuration files eliminates the need for the television receiver to parse metadata. • The metadata update file notifies the system of when to retrieve metadata according to the transmission format. • Adding a maintenance file notifies that the transmission server is down.

[0041] Embodiments relating to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0042] (First embodiment) Figure 1 shows a first embodiment based on the present invention.

[0043] In this embodiment, unlike the conventional example, the transmission server 1800 is connected to the intermediate sharing server 1500. The television receivers 1600 and 1700 are connected to the transmission server 1800 and the stream distribution network 1400.

[0044] The distribution system 1100 consists of a distribution content unit 1101, an encoder 1102, a distribution unit 1103, and a program information unit 1104. The video content output from the distribution content unit 1101 is compressed by the encoder 1102 and input to the distribution unit 1103. The distribution unit 1103 outputs the video and audio stream to the stream distribution network 1400. Meanwhile, the output of the program information unit 1104 is output to the intermediate sharing server 1500. The program information unit generates metadata (including thumbnail information) for program selection and outputs it to the intermediate sharing server 1500.

[0045] Distribution systems 1200 and 1300, as well as distribution system 1100, operate in the same manner.

[0046] The intermediate sharing server consists of a receiving unit 1501, a program information storage unit 1503, and a transmitting unit 1502. The receiving unit 1501 receives metadata output from the distribution systems 1100, 1200, and 1300 and stores it in the program information storage unit 1503. The metadata transmitted from each distribution system is integrated and / or stored and / or converted in data format in the program information storage unit 1503, and then transmitted to the transmission server 1800 by the transmitting unit 1502.

[0047] Here, the transmission server converts the received metadata into a predetermined transmission format and transmits it to the television receivers 1600 and 1700.

[0048] In this embodiment, a configuration of three distribution systems and two television receivers is shown as an example. However, even if both the distribution systems and television receivers are increased, this can be accommodated by improving the receiving and transmitting capabilities of the intermediate sharing server and the transmission server.

[0049] The television receiver 1600 consists of a receiving unit 1603, a decoder 1602, a content display unit 1601, a program information processing unit 1604, a selection screen unit 1605, a control unit 1606, and a remote control 1607. The receiving unit 1603 receives the video and audio stream transmitted via the stream distribution network 1400 and outputs it to the decoder 1602. The decoder decompresses the compressed video and audio stream, restores it to the original video content, and outputs it to the content display unit 1601. Meanwhile, the program information processing unit 1604 receives metadata transmitted from the transmission server 1800 and outputs the metadata processing result to the selection screen unit 1605. The selection screen unit 1605 configures a screen for program selection and outputs the result to the content display unit 1601. Here, the viewer uses the remote control 1607 to send a command to the control unit 1606 to execute a predetermined process.

[0050] The television receiver 1700 consists of a receiving unit 1703, a decoder 1702, a content display unit 1701, a program information processing unit 1704, a selection screen unit 1705, a control unit 1706, and a remote control 1707. The television receiver 1700 operates in the same way as the television receiver 1600.

[0051] Figure 2 shows a detailed explanatory diagram of a first embodiment based on the present invention.

[0052] The transmission server 2800 (1800 in Figure 1) is connected to the intermediate server 2500 (1500 in Figure 1). The receiving unit 2801 receives metadata transmitted from the intermediate server 2500 (1500 in Figure 1) and outputs the received metadata to the formatting processing unit 2802. The formatting processing unit outputs the thumbnail image to the integrated image storage unit 2803 and also outputs the format-converted metadata to the transmission unit 2804. The integrated image storage unit 2803 integrates multiple thumbnail images into a single image and outputs it to the transmission / reception unit 2805. The transmission / reception unit 2805 is connected to the television receivers 2600 and 2700 and sends integrated image request signals from the television receivers 2600 and 2700 to the transmission / reception unit 2805. In response to the request signal, the transmission / reception unit 2805 retrieves the integrated image from the integrated image storage unit 2803 and transmits it to the television receivers 2600 and 2700.

[0053] Figure 3 shows an example of metadata based on the present invention. Compared to conventional metadata, thumbnail information 3000 and metadata update information 3100 have been added.

[0054] The thumbnail information includes the following attributes: thumbnail URL 3001, integrated image width 3002, integrated image height 3003, number of vertical tiles 3004, number of horizontal tiles 3005, tile start number 3006, and total number of tiles 3007. Additionally, the metadata update information 3100 includes video content update 3101 and metadata update 3102.

[0055] The program information 3300 has a program thumbnail 3302 as an attribute, but unlike conventional program thumbnails, the program thumbnail 3302 is composed of thumbnail information 3000. In other words, the program thumbnail 3302 has the following attributes: thumbnail URL 3001, integrated image width 3002, integrated image height 3003, number of vertical tiles 3004, number of horizontal tiles 3005, tile start number 3006, and total number of tiles 3007.

[0056] Similarly, the video thumbnail 3401 of the video information 3400 is also composed of thumbnail information 3000. Therefore, the video thumbnail 3401 also has attributes such as thumbnail URL 3001, integrated image width 3002, integrated image height 3003, number of vertical tiles 3004, number of horizontal tiles 3005, tile start number 3006, and total number of tiles 3007.

[0057] Metadata update information 3100 consists of video content update 3101 and metadata update 3102, and sets a value when the distribution system updates the metadata. Normally, a value indicating no change is set, and if an update has occurred, a value indicating a change is set.

[0058] Since metadata updates are sent from each distribution system, the intermediate sharing server can check whether updates have been made in each distribution system by viewing the metadata update information.

[0059] Figure 4 shows an example of a thumbnail based on the present invention. The thumbnail information 4400 is the same as the thumbnail information 3000 described in Figure 3. Here, the series thumbnail 4101 of the series information 4100 is composed of thumbnail information 4400. Similarly, the season thumbnail 4201 of the season information 4200 is composed of thumbnail information 4400. Furthermore, the episode thumbnail 4201 of the episode information 4300 is composed of thumbnail information 4400.

[0060] As described above, the program thumbnails, video thumbnails, series thumbnails, season thumbnails, and episode thumbnails shown in Figures 3 and 4 are all composed of thumbnail information.

[0061] Figure 5 shows an example of thumbnail information according to the present invention. The thumbnail information 5000 has the image parameters of the integrated thumbnail image 5100, namely the integrated image width 5101, integrated image height 5102, number of vertical tiles 5103, number of horizontal tiles 5104, tile start number 5105, and total number of tiles 5106. The integrated image is created by combining multiple thumbnail images into a single image, and is described as described above by thumbnail information 5000.

[0062] When the television receiver renders the thumbnail 5201 of content 1A in the program guide 5200 from the integrated thumbnail image 5100, the predetermined thumbnail is extracted based on the attributes of the video thumbnail 5202 described in the video information indicating content 1A, namely the integrated image width 5101, integrated image height 5102, number of vertical tiles 5103, number of horizontal tiles 5104, tile start number 5105, and total number of tiles 5106, and displayed on the program guide display screen 5200. Here, since the integrated thumbnail image 5100 is first captured by the television receiver, multiple thumbnails become a single image, and communication is completed in one go. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of communications despite capturing multiple thumbnails.

[0063] Next, the process of creating the integrated thumbnail image 5100 will be explained. The thumbnail images of episodes transmitted from the intermediate sharing server shown in Figure 2 are received by the receiving unit 2801 of the transmission server 2800 and sent to the formatting processing unit 2802. The formatting processing unit 2802 sends the transmitted thumbnail images to the integrated image storage unit 2803. The integrated image storage unit 2803 combines the thumbnail images of the individual episodes to form the integrated image 5100 shown in Figure 5.

[0064] The above explains the process for creating episode thumbnail images, but thumbnail images for series, seasons, etc., can also be created in a similar manner.

[0065] Figure 6 shows an explanatory diagram of the three-layer structure and thumbnails according to the present invention. Below the series information 6000 are the season information 6100, 6200, and 6300. Furthermore, below the season information 6100 are the episode information 6101, 6102, and 6103. Also, below the season information 6200 are the episode information 6201, 6202, and 6203. Below the season information 6300 are the episode information 6301, 6302, and 6303. When drawing thumbnails using metadata that constitutes such a hierarchical structure, an integrated image is formed by the season thumbnails 6401, 6402, and 6403, as well as the episode thumbnails 6411, 6412, and 6413, and the episode thumbnails 6431, 6432, and 6433. In this way, by forming an integrated image with thumbnail images for each layer, each layer can be captured by the television receiver. This allows for consistent display on the screen by capturing the image layer by layer if the integrated image is too large to be captured by the television receiver all at once.

[0066] Next, the process by which a hierarchical structure is created using series information, season information, and episode information will be explained using Figures 2 and 4. Figure 4 shows the structure of the series information, season information, and episode information transmitted from the intermediate sharing server 2500. The series information 4100 has a season list 4102 and constitutes a collection of season information 4200 in list format. The season information 4200 has an episode list 4202 and constitutes a collection of episode information 4300 in list format. The above processing is carried out by the format processing unit 2802 shown in Figure 2.

[0067] Next, as shown in Figure 4, the series information 4100 has a series thumbnail 4101, the season 4200 has a season thumbnail 4201, and the episode information 4300 has an episode thumbnail 4301. The thumbnail images corresponding to each of the above hierarchical structures are separated by the format processing unit 2802 and input to the integrated image storage unit 2803 shown in Figure 2. The integrated image storage unit 2803 combines the season thumbnail images obtained from the season information to form an integrated image. It also combines the episode thumbnail images obtained from the episode images to form an integrated image.

[0068] Next, the process of receiving and displaying the integrated thumbnail image shown in Figure 6 will be explained using Figure 2. The television receiver 2600 shown in Figure 2 has an update transmission / reception unit 2608. The update transmission / reception unit 2608 is connected to the transmission / reception unit 2805 of the transmission server 2800, and upon a transmission request from the update transmission / reception unit 2608, the television receiver 2600 acquires an integrated image which is a collection of thumbnail images. The integrated image received by the update transmission / reception unit 2608 is transmitted to the selection screen unit 2605 via the control unit 2606. Here, the selection screen unit 2605 cuts out the necessary thumbnail images from the integrated image to construct the display screen.

[0069] Meanwhile, the program information processing unit 2604 of the television receiver 2600 is connected to the transmission unit 2804 of the transmission server 2800 and receives metadata. The received metadata contains thumbnail information 3000 as shown in Figure 3, and transmits the parameters of the integrated image corresponding to the thumbnail information 3000 to the selection screen unit 2605 of the television receiver 2600. Based on the parameters of the integrated image, the selection screen unit 2605 extracts the necessary thumbnail images from the integrated image, constructs a display screen, and transmits it to the content display unit 2601. The content display unit 2601 then displays the predetermined thumbnail images.

[0070] Figure 7 shows an example of how a thumbnail is displayed on a television receiver.

[0071] In the case of the program list screen 7000, the screen is formed by arranging multiple episode thumbnails. In this case, only the integrated image that makes up the episode thumbnails is captured by the television receiver, making it possible to display them all at once. On the other hand, in the mixed screen 7100, which displays seasons and episodes at once, the integrated image containing both season thumbnails and episode thumbnails is captured by the television receiver, making it possible to display them all at once.

[0072] The above operations will be explained in detail using Figure 2. The television receiver 2600 shown in Figure 2 has an update transmission / reception unit 2608. The update transmission / reception unit 2608 is connected to the transmission / reception unit 2805 of the transmission server 2800, and in response to a transmission request from the update transmission / reception unit 2608, the television receiver 2600 acquires an integrated image which is a collection of thumbnail images. The integrated image received by the update transmission / reception unit 2608 is transmitted to the selection screen unit 2605 via the control unit 2606. Here, the selection screen unit 2605 cuts out the necessary thumbnail images from the integrated image and constructs the display screen.

[0073] Meanwhile, the program information processing unit 2604 of the television receiver 2600 is connected to the transmission unit 2804 of the transmission server 2800 and receives metadata. Here, the viewer uses the remote control 2607 to select the desired screen display. The command from the remote control 2607 is input to the control unit 2606, which selects the desired display screen. If the program list is selected, the program list screen 7000 shown in Figure 7 is displayed. On the program list screen 7000, thumbnail images 7011 to 7033 corresponding to each content extracted from the integrated image are displayed.

[0074] If a viewer selects a mixed screen using the remote control 2607, the mixed screen 7100 shown in Figure 7 will be displayed. The mixed screen 7100 displays series, seasons, and episodes in a mixed format. Appropriate thumbnail images are displayed according to the hierarchical structure shown in Figure 6.

[0075] In the screen selection unit 2605 of the television receiver 2600, the mixed screen 7100 is configured with series thumbnail images 7100 and 7200 as the top layer. In addition, episode thumbnail images 7101 to 7103 and thumbnail images 7201 to 7203 are configured as the lowest layer of the hierarchical structure. The display screen having the thumbnail images configured in the selection screen unit 2605 is transferred to the content display unit 2601, which displays a predetermined screen.

[0076] Figure 8 shows an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment based on the present invention.

[0077] A metadata update flag unit 8804 has been added to the transmission server 8800. The distribution systems 8100, 8200, 8300, the intermediate common server 8500, and the stream distribution network 8400 operate in the same manner as in the first embodiment shown in Figure 1.

[0078] The transmission server 8800 consists of a receiving unit 8801, a formatting processing unit 8802, an integrated image storage unit 8803, a transmitting unit 8805, a transmitting / receiving unit 8806, and a metadata update flag unit 8804.

[0079] Here, the metadata update flag unit 8804 acquires the metadata update information 3100 shown in Figure 3.

[0080] Metadata update information is transmitted from distribution systems 8100, 8200, and 8300 and received by transmission server 8800 via intermediate sharing server 8500. The metadata received by the receiving unit 8801 of transmission server 8800 is input to the formatting processing unit 8802, which extracts metadata update information from the metadata and inputs it to the metadata update flag unit 8804.

[0081] The format processing unit 8802 converts the metadata input from the receiving unit 8801 into a predetermined format and outputs it to the transmitting unit 8805.

[0082] Figure 9 shows an example of a metadata transmission format based on a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] The first level of Route 9000 contains the operator configuration file 9001, the metadata update file 9002, the maintenance file 9003, the operator directory 9100, and the operator directory 9200. Furthermore, under the operator directory 9100 are the channel configuration file 9101, the program guide directory 9102, and the program list directory 9301. Under the program directory 9102 are the channel directory 9103 and the channel directory 9203. Under the channel directory 9103 is the program information file 9104 for [date], which contains program information 9105 and video information 9106. Similarly, the program information file 9109 for [date] contains program information 9110 and video information 9111.

[0084] On the other hand, within the video group file 9310 located under the program list directory 9301, there are video information 9311, episode information 9312, season information 9313, and series information 9314.

[0085] Figure 10 shows an example of a configuration file based on a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] The business configuration file 10000 (9001 in Figure 9) contains business information 10100 and business information 10200. Business information 10100 has the following attributes: business ID 10101, business name 10102, business logo 10103, terms of use list 10104, and PP list 10105. Business information 10200 has the following attributes: business ID 10201, business name 10202, business logo 10203, terms of use list 10204, and PP list 10205. Here, the value of business ID 10101 is set to be the directory name of business directory 10600. Also, the value of business ID 10201 is set to be the directory name of business directory 10700.

[0087] In this way, by structuring a business directory according to the business ID of each distribution provider, a unique location is secured to store metadata information for each provider.

[0088] Typically, the distribution system is managed by the distribution provider, and by creating a directory structure for each provider, as described above, the processing load on the television receiver can be reduced.

[0089] Next, we will explain channel configuration file 10500 (9101 in Figure 9).

[0090] Channel configuration file 10500 contains channel information files 10300 and 10400. Channel information file 10300 contains service ID 10301, service name 10302, service logo 10303, and a list of program information for date x / x / x 10304. Channel information file 10400 contains service ID 10401, service name 10402, service logo 10403, and a list of program information for date x / x / x 10404.

[0091] Here, the value of service ID 10301 included in channel information 10300 is used as the directory name for channel directory 10602. Also, the value of service ID 10401 included in channel information 10400 is used as the directory name for channel directory 10603.

[0092] In this way, by configuring the channel directory according to the service ID for multiple channel information, a unique location is secured to store metadata information for each channel.

[0093] Channel directory 10602 contains program information file 10604 for date x / x / x, which includes program information 10305 and 10306 for date x / x / x, which are included in program information list 10304 for date x / x / x. These program information files 10305 and 10306 for date x / x / x are extracted and placed under channel directory 10602 as program information files 10604 and 10605 for date x / x / x.

[0094] Similarly, channel directory 10603 contains program information files 10606 and 10607 for date x / x / x, and lists program information files 10405 and 10406 ​​for date x / x / x, which are included in program information list 10404 for date x / x / x. These program information files 10405 and 10406 ​​for date x / x / x are extracted and placed under channel directory 10603 as program information files 10606 and 10607 for date x / x / x.

[0095] As described above, by converting the metadata in advance on the transmission server into the transmission format based on the present invention, it is not necessary to perform structural analysis of the metadata on the television receiver side, and the load on the television receiver can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, when displaying on the television receiver, in the case of program guide display, the program guide directory and its subdirectories can be displayed according to the directory structure, making it easy to perform the process of displaying from metadata.

[0096] Similarly, regarding the program list, the necessary information is located within the program list information directory in the business directory, which simplifies the display process on television receivers.

[0097] Figure 11 shows an example of metadata updating based on a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0098] Metadata update file 11000 consists of channel information files 11100, 11200, and 11300. Channel information file 11100 has metadata update information file 11101 as an attribute, and metadata update information file 11101 consists of video content update file 11102 and metadata update file 11103.

[0099] Channel information 11200 has metadata update information 11201 as an attribute, and metadata update information 11201 consists of video content update 11202 and metadata update 11203.

[0100] Channel information 11300 has metadata update information 11301 as an attribute, and metadata update information 11301 consists of video content update 11302 and metadata update 11303.

[0101] The intermediate sharing server 11700 integrates the metadata transmitted from each distribution system. Channel information is also integrated and sent to the transmission server 11500. The transmission server 11500 receives the metadata with the receiving unit 11401 and inputs it to the formatting processing unit 11402. The formatting processing unit 11402 inputs the respective channel information to the metadata update flag unit 11500. In the metadata update flag unit 11500, update flags 11501, 11502, and 11503 correspond to the metadata update information 11100, 11200, and 11300 for each channel. When a value indicating a change in the video content update or metadata update is indicated for each metadata update information, the update flags 11501, 11502, and 11503 are set to indicate the change. The representative update flag unit 11504 looks at the values ​​of each update flag, and if all update flags indicate an update, it considers it to have been updated and sends a notification of the update to the transmission / reception unit 11404. Furthermore, the representative update flag unit 11504 has a timer function, and if one or more updates occur within a predetermined time, it similarly sends a notification to the transmission / reception unit 11404 informing it of the updates.

[0102] When an update is notified, the television receiver 11600 obtains the new metadata, which has been changed to a transmission format, via the transmission unit 11403 of the transmission server 11500.

[0103] Figure 12 shows an example of maintenance based on the present invention.

[0104] Maintenance file 12000 consists of a maintenance notice start time 12001, a maintenance start time 12002, a maintenance end time 12003, and a user notification message 12004. Maintenance file 12000 is used to notify viewers that the service will be temporarily suspended when the transmission server or intermediate sharing server is being maintained. When the time specified in the maintenance notice start time 12001 in maintenance file 12000 arrives, a maintenance screen 12300 will pop up on the program guide screen 20160 on the television receiver. The values ​​of the maintenance start time 12002 and maintenance end time 12003 are used to notify the start and end times of the maintenance.

[0105] Although this invention provides an example using the transmission server 1800 shown in Figure 1, the functions of the transmission server 1800 may also be implemented within the intermediate sharing server 1500.

[0106] The operation of the above maintenance will be explained using Figure 2. Normally, the transmission server 2800 receives metadata from the transmission unit 2804, and the program information processing unit 2604 of the television receiver 2600 receives this metadata. When the transmission server 2800 enters maintenance mode, the transmission unit 2804 sends the maintenance file 12000 shown in Figure 12. The program information processing unit 2604 of the television receiver 2600, upon receiving the maintenance file 12000, detects that it has received the maintenance file 12000 shown in Figure 12, in addition to receiving the normal metadata. The program information processing unit 2604 creates a maintenance message 12300 based on the maintenance start time 12002, maintenance end time 12003, and user notification message 12004 from the maintenance file 12000 shown in Figure 12. The created maintenance message is transferred from the program information processing unit 2604 to the selection screen unit 2605, which then forms the maintenance screen. The maintenance screen is transferred from the selection screen section 2605 to the content display section 2601 and displayed as an overlay on top.

[0107] [Note 1] The present invention comprises a server system for distributing video content, an intermediate sharing server that receives and converts metadata for selecting video content, a transmission server that receives metadata output from the intermediate sharing server and converts it into an efficient transmission format, and video content and a receiving terminal that receives metadata in the converted transmission format. The transmission server according to the present invention can reduce the load on the television receiver that receives the metadata and enables efficient display when presenting it on the screen. In the thumbnail display according to the present invention, the transmission server combines multiple incoming thumbnails into a single image. The television receiver solves the above problem 1) by significantly reducing the number of communications by retrieving the combined thumbnail image from the transmission server.

[0108] Images that combine multiple thumbnail images will be referred to as integrated images below.

[0109] Furthermore, in the metadata transmission method using the transmission format according to the present invention, the metadata structure is described in advance by a set of files and a directory structure, so that the TV receiver does not have to perform detailed metadata analysis, thus solving problem 2) above. By combining these two solutions, the receiver load is reduced, and as a result, problem 3) above is solved.

[0110] [Note 2] • By deploying a transmission server, the thumbnail images are compiled, converted into a single image, and then transmitted to the television receiver, the load on the television receiver is reduced. • Add thumbnail information to metadata to efficiently display integrated images. • By using thumbnail information, program thumbnails, video thumbnails, series thumbnails, and episode thumbnails are integrated into a single image to efficiently present program guides and program lists. Thumbnail images are merged hierarchically, a merged image is generated for each hierarchical level, and the television receiver captures the merged image hierarchically. • The transmission server converts the metadata transmission format. The transmission format pre-configures the metadata structure as a directory structure. • The directory structure transmission format reduces the need for metadata analysis by television receivers by adding carrier configuration files and channel configuration files. • The metadata update file notifies the system of when to retrieve metadata according to the transmission format. • Adding a maintenance file notifies that the transmission server is down.

Claims

1. A distribution system equipped with a program information unit that transmits metadata, including thumbnail information corresponding to video content, to an intermediate sharing server, A receiving unit that acquires a thumbnail image corresponding to the video content and receives the metadata corresponding to the video content from the distribution system, A program information storage unit stores the thumbnail image received by the receiving unit and the metadata, and converts and integrates the data format of the metadata. A transmission unit that transmits the metadata stored in the program information storage unit, which has been converted and integrated into a data format, and the thumbnail image. An intermediate shared server equipped with, A transmission server receiving unit that receives the metadata, which is obtained by converting and integrating the data format output from the intermediate sharing server, and the thumbnail image, An integrated image storage unit integrates the associated thumbnail images to form an integrated image based on the metadata whose data format has been converted and integrated. A transmission server transceiver unit transmits the integrated image integrated in the integrated image storage unit and the metadata, which has been converted and integrated into a data format, to a television receiver. A transmission server equipped with, An update transmission / reception unit that receives the integrated image from the transmission server, A program information processing unit receives the metadata, which has been converted and integrated into a data format, from the transmission server. A selection screen section that obtains thumbnail images from the integrated image and configures a display screen based on thumbnail information contained in the metadata, which has been converted and integrated into a data format, A content display unit that displays the display screen configured in the aforementioned selection screen unit, A television receiver equipped with, A video content distribution system characterized by having the following features.

2. The thumbnail information corresponding to the aforementioned video content consists of a series thumbnail for the series information, a season thumbnail for the season information, and an episode thumbnail for the episode information. The integrated image storage unit constructs an integrated image using multiple season thumbnails and multiple episode thumbnails for each season, arranged hierarchically as thumbnail images. The video content distribution system according to feature 1.

3. A receiving unit that receives metadata, which has been converted and integrated from the data format output from the intermediate shared server, and a thumbnail image. An integrated image storage unit integrates the associated thumbnail images to form an integrated image based on the metadata whose data format has been converted and integrated. A transmitting / receiving unit transmits the integrated image integrated in the integrated image storage unit and the metadata, whose data format has been converted and integrated, to a television receiver. A transmission server equipped with the following features.

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