Communications Terminal Local Content Playback Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for playing back content downloaded via two-dimensional barcodes on mobile devices experience long waiting times due to radio communications and may fail due to unreliable environments, and require recreation of content when playback restrictions change, leading to redundant communications and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A communications terminal and server system that includes a playback device, reading device, storage device, and control device to judge if content is already stored, allowing playback without re-downloading if present, and managing metadata for playback and update control to reduce redundant communications and improve efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If content is downloaded via radio communications from a server, then content can be acquired remotely, but waiting time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by storing access information and content metadata in advance on the recording medium and in the terminal's storage device. When playback is requested, the terminal first checks whether the content is already stored locally. If it is, the terminal can immediately play back the content without initiating a time-consuming radio communication download, thus eliminating waiting time for previously accessed content.
2Adaptability or versatility
If content is downloaded via radio communications, then content can be obtained, but reliability decreases due to communication environment dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a copy of the content storage mechanism by maintaining local storage of content in the terminal. Instead of relying on continuous radio communication to fetch content, the terminal stores copies of previously downloaded content locally. This copying approach ensures that even if radio communication fails or is unavailable, the terminal can still play back the content from its local storage, significantly improving reliability.
3Ease of operation
If playback restrictions are stored within content, then playback control is simple, but content must be recreated when restrictions change
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the content into two separate components: the actual content data and the access control information (restrictions). The access information is stored separately in the terminal's storage device, while the content itself is stored in the storage device. This segmentation allows the access control information to be modified independently without requiring recreation of the actual content, improving update efficiency while maintaining simple playback control through the separated access information.
4Loss of time
If content is stored in storage device, then playback can occur without re-downloading, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies universality by making the storage device serve multiple functions: it stores both the actual content data and the access control information, and it also serves as the medium for reading access information from recording media. The reading device and storage device work together as a unified system that handles both content storage and access control, reducing the need for separate dedicated components and thus limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving fast playback.
Data Source
AI summary
The communications terminal comprises: a playback device which playbacks content; a reading device which reads in access information recorded on a prescribed recording medium, the access information being necessary for downloading the content which can be played back by the playback device, via a network; a communications device which downloads via communications the content corresponding to the access information according to the access information read in; a storage device which stores the downloaded content, the storage device storing details of the access information in association with the content, the details of the access information being used in downloading the content; a judging device which judges whether or not the content corresponding to the read access information is present in the storage device, according to information which is stored in the storage device, when the access information is read in by the reading device; and a control device which controls the playback device, the reading device, the communications device, the storage device, and the judging device, wherein: if the judging device judges that the content is present in the storage device, the control device controls for acquiring the content corresponding to the access information read in from the storage device, and for playing back the content; and if the judging device judges that the content is not present in the storage device, the control device controls for downloading the content corresponding to the access information read in, and for playing back the content.