JP2010045669A - Viewing video retrieval system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a viewing video retrieval system capable of efficiently selecting desired videos without omission. <P>SOLUTION: This viewing video retrieval system includes: an STB 30 receiving video data; a video distribution server 10 distributing video data requested from the STB 30 within video data stored in a storage means to the STB 30; a video database 20 with video information being information related to video data stored therein; a reservation setting terminal 40 for inputting a retrieval condition for retrieving video information thereto; and a viewing reservation server 21 holding video information corresponding to the retrieval condition received from the reservation setting terminal 40 within the video information as reservation video information. The STB 30 displays the reservation video information received from the viewing reservation server 21 on a display means, and requests the video distribution server of video data corresponding to information selected through an input means of the STB 30 within the reservation video information displayed on the display means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a viewing moving image search system, and is particularly useful when applied to providing video on demand via the Internet.

  Conventionally, a service (video on demand) has been provided that allows a user to select and view what he / she wants to watch from various movies and dramas. As a service providing such a service, a storage device storing moving image data encoding movies, dramas, etc., a moving image distribution server that distributes moving image data, and an STB that receives moving image data and displays it on a television or the like There is a video distribution system including a receiving device such as a (set top box) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In such a video distribution system, the STB acquires information related to a viewable video, for example, a video title, a synopsis, a performer, and the like from the video distribution server via communication means and displays the information on a television screen. The user selects what he / she wants to view from the title of the moving image displayed on the TV screen by remote control operation, and the STB requests the selected moving image from the moving image distribution server and displays the moving image on the TV screen.

  In general, in video-on-demand, since a large number of moving images can be viewed, various devices have been made so that a user can quickly select a desired moving image. For example, there is a video that is classified in advance according to the content of the video and the desired name is easily reached by selecting the classification name. According to this, when the user selects “Western movies” from “Western movies, Japanese movies” which is an example of the classification name displayed on the TV screen, a list of videos related to Western movies is displayed next. It becomes easy to select a video about.

  However, since the operation related to the selection of the moving image is performed by the remote controller, the method for selecting a desired moving image is restricted by the function of the remote controller. For example, in the case of using a remote control including a selection button for selecting an option displayed on the screen, a moving image selection method in which a selection name as described above is selected by appropriately operating the selection button to reach a desired moving image. Must be taken.

  If the method for selecting a moving image becomes fixed in this way, for example, when the title of a desired moving image is known in advance, it is not possible to select a moving image efficiently. In such a case, it is more efficient to search for a moving image including the title and select a desired moving image from the result. In addition, depending on the moving image, a large number of classifications must be scrutinized, and in some cases, a search omission that a desired moving image cannot be found occurs.

  Note that when searching for a video from a title, etc., the remote control requires a character input function. However, a general remote control often does not have a character input function, and even if it is installed, it is small. It is troublesome to input characters by operating buttons arranged on the remote controller, and as a result, it is not possible to easily select a moving image.

  As described above, in the video distribution system according to the prior art, although there are various viewpoints such as titles and performers in addition to the classification of the videos, these viewpoints can be flexibly handled due to restrictions on the functions of the remote control. There is a problem that a moving image cannot be selected efficiently and without omission.

JP 2006-135811 A

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a viewing moving image search system that can efficiently select a desired moving image without omission.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a receiving device that receives moving image data, and distributes the moving image data requested by the receiving device among the moving image data stored in the storage means to the receiving device. A moving image distribution server, a moving image database in which moving image information that is information about the moving image data is stored, a reservation setting terminal to which a search condition for searching for the moving image information is input, and the reservation setting of the moving image information A viewing reservation server that holds, as reservation moving image information, a search condition received from a terminal, and the receiving device displays the reserved moving image information received from the viewing reservation server on a display unit and the display unit The moving image distribution server requires moving image data corresponding to the selected moving image information displayed on the screen via the input means of the receiving device. In view video retrieval system, characterized by.

  In the first aspect, the reservation setting terminal and the viewing reservation server (information communication device) are made to input the search condition and hold the reserved moving image information, and the receiving apparatus uses the result of the reserved moving image information. In other words, the devices responsible for the search function and the function of using the result were separated. As a result, a search function for searching for a video from various viewpoints can be flexibly implemented in the viewing reservation server and reservation setting terminal that have less performance restrictions than the receiving device. You can search for videos you want to watch without omission. On the other hand, since the receiving device simply selects the reserved video information as a search result as appropriate, the user can quickly select and browse the video that the user wants to view even with a simple function remote controller or the like. it can.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the viewing moving image search system according to the first aspect, the viewing reservation server holds the reserved moving image information designated by the reservation setting terminal. In the viewing video search system.

  In the second aspect, the user can further narrow down the moving image information corresponding to the search condition to the reserved moving image information. Thereby, it is possible to browse only the moving image that the user really wants to view from the moving image corresponding to the search condition.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the viewing moving image search system described in the first or second aspect, user information related to a user permitted to view the moving image data of the moving image distribution server is stored. The viewing moving image search system includes a user information database, and the viewing reservation server holds the reserved moving image information for each user information.

  In the third aspect, appropriate moving image data can be provided by distinguishing a plurality of users.

  According to the present invention, the moving image data can be searched from various viewpoints (title, performer, synopsis, etc.), and the moving image data that the user intends to view can be accurately searched without omission. The reserved moving image information as the search result can be easily used with an input device such as a remote controller, so that the moving image data to be viewed can be quickly reproduced.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described. The description of the present embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention is not limited to the following description.

  In the present embodiment, a viewing video search system applied to a case where a business realizes a video on demand service in which video data obtained by encoding a video such as a movie or a drama is provided to a user upon request will be described. .

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a viewing moving image search system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the business facility 1, a moving image distribution server 10 that distributes moving image data, a moving image database 20 that stores moving image information that is information related to moving image data, and moving image data that a user desires to view. A viewing reservation server 21 for accepting reservations and a user information database 22 storing user information, which is information related to users, are installed so that they can transmit and receive data to and from each other via the LAN 51. Has been.

  On the other hand, the user-side facility 2 has an STB (set top box) 30 that is an example of a receiving device that receives moving image data, a television 31 that displays a video signal from the STB 30 on a screen, A remote controller 32, which is an example of an input means for performing the above operations, and a reservation setting terminal 40 for searching for a moving image to be viewed are installed. The STB 30 and the reservation setting terminal 40 are connected to the LAN 52.

  The STB 30 can transmit and receive data to and from the viewing reservation server 21 and the moving image distribution server 10 via the router 52 and the Internet 50 from the LAN 52. The reservation setting terminal 40 is connected to the router 53 from the LAN 52. In addition, data can be transmitted / received to / from the viewing reservation server 21 via the Internet 50.

  The moving image distribution server 10 is an information communication device including a storage unit such as a hard disk in which moving image data is stored. The moving image distribution server 10 searches for moving image data requested by the STB 30 from the moving image data stored in the storage unit, and stores the moving image data in the STB 30. It has a function to transmit. Prior to the transmission of the moving image data, the moving image distribution server 10 authenticates whether or not the transmission destination STB 30 is permitted to view and prevents unauthorized viewing by a person who is not permitted to view. Yes.

  The STB 30 is a device that receives moving image data to be viewed by a user from the moving image distribution server 10 and outputs the received data to the television 31 that is an example of a display unit. As will be described in detail later, the STB 30 receives reserved video information preset by the user from the viewing reservation server 21 and displays it on the television 31. When the user selects specific reserved moving picture information by remote control operation, the STB 30 requests the moving picture distribution server 10 for moving picture data corresponding to the reserved moving picture information and reproduces the moving picture data.

  The remote control 32 is provided with at least a selection button for selecting a specific video from the reserved video information displayed on the television 31, and the specific reserved video displayed on the television 31 by operating the selection button. You can choose information.

  The moving image database 20 is a database that holds moving image information that is information related to moving image data. The moving image information includes various attribute information related to the content of the moving image data. For example, in the case of movie moving image data, the attribute information includes character information such as a title, a synopsis, a performer, a director, a production company, and a production year, and a snapshot (image data) of a certain scene of the movie.

  The reservation setting terminal 40 is an information communication device including a general CPU, a storage device, and an input / output device, and a search condition for searching for moving image information is input via the input device. Examples of the search condition include “includes a designated character string in the title” and “production year is between 2000 and 2005”. In this way, a condition can be specified for each piece of attribute information of moving image information. Of course, conditions may be set for a plurality of attribute information, and a logical product or logical sum of these conditions may be used as a search condition.

  The viewing reservation server 21 is an information communication device including a general CPU, a storage device, and an input / output device. The viewing reservation server 21 has a function of searching for moving image information stored in the moving image database 20 that matches the search condition received from the reservation setting terminal 40. For example, when the viewing reservation server 21 receives “production year is between 2000 and 2005” as the search condition, the viewing reservation server 21 selects the moving image information whose attribute information related to the production year of the moving image information is “2000 to 2005”. Extract all.

  The moving image information obtained by such a search is referred to as reserved moving image information. The viewing reservation server 21 separately stores reserved moving picture information in the storage device. Alternatively, the viewing reservation server 21 separately holds the reserved moving image information designated by the reservation setting terminal 40 in the storage device. In any case, the search result of the search condition input at the reservation setting terminal 40 is held in the viewing reservation server 21 as reserved moving image information. As described above, the reserved moving image information is acquired by the STB 30 and used to select a moving image that the user intends to view.

  In this way, while the video information is searched between the reservation setting terminal 40 and the viewing reservation server 21, the STB 30 is connected to the viewing reservation server 21 and uses the search result as described above. That is, since the search function is separated from the STB 30, the search setting terminal 40 and the viewing reservation server 21 share the search function, and the STB 30 shares the viewing function.

  In addition, when the viewing reservation server 21 holds reserved moving picture information, the reserved moving picture information may be held in association with user information. Here, the user information refers to information about a user who is permitted to view the video data of the video distribution server. For example, the user information includes authentication information (user name, password, etc.) for specifying the user in addition to the name, age, address, and the like. User information is stored in advance in the user information database 22. As will be described in detail later, by storing the reserved video information in association with the user information, the STB 30 used by the user for the reserved video information corresponding to the search condition input by a certain user at the reservation setting terminal 40 It becomes possible to use only with.

  2 and 3 are flowcharts of processing of the viewing moving image search system according to the present embodiment. In the viewing moving image search system, roughly, the reservation setting terminal 40 and the viewing reservation server 21 perform viewing reservation processing for moving image data, and the STB 30, the viewing reservation server 21, and the moving image distribution server 10 perform viewing processing of moving image data. Done.

  First, the viewing reservation process will be described with reference to FIG. First, the viewing reservation server 21 authenticates the user to the reservation setting terminal 40 (step S10). For example, the user name and password are acquired from the reservation setting terminal, and the user is specified depending on whether or not the acquired user name and password correspond to user information stored in advance in the user information database. . By specifying the user, the viewing reservation server 21 grasps that the user having the user name “USER_1” is using the reservation setting terminal 40, for example.

  Next, the viewing reservation server 21 presents an input form for inputting search conditions (step S11). Then, the reservation setting terminal 40 displays the input form on a display or the like, the search condition is input from the user via the keyboard or the like, and the search condition is transmitted to the viewing reservation server 21 (step S12).

  In the present embodiment, a web browser is installed in the reservation setting terminal 40, and a web server is installed in the viewing reservation server 21. Information from the viewing reservation server 21 to the reservation setting terminal 40 is described and transmitted in HTML, and information from the reservation setting terminal 40 to the viewing reservation server 21 is described and transmitted by the web browser in a format interpretable by the web server. Is done.

  A specific example of steps S11 to S12 is as follows. FIG. 4 illustrates a search condition input form displayed on the reservation setting terminal 40. As shown in the figure, a text box 60 for inputting a search condition is displayed on the screen, and a button 61 for transmitting the search condition input in the text box 60 to the viewing reservation server 21 is displayed. . For example, a character string input in the text box 60 is transmitted to the viewing reservation server 21 when the button 61 is selected with a mouse or the like, and is used as a search keyword for searching the title among the attribute information of the moving image information. In addition, although not particularly shown, a search condition input form for searching for performers' names, synopsis, director names, and the like may be displayed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the viewing reservation server 21 searches for moving image information corresponding to the search condition received from the reservation setting terminal 40 (step S13). For example, when a search condition for searching for the title of the moving image information is received, the moving image information corresponding to the search condition is extracted from the moving image database 20.

  For example, it is assumed that the moving image information shown in Table 1 is stored in the moving image database 20 and the search condition is “includes“ α ”in the title”.

  Each row in Table 1 represents one piece of moving image information, and is composed of attribute information. The moving image data ID is an ID for identifying moving image data related to the moving image information. The viewing reservation server 21 accesses the moving image database 20 and searches for a title including “α” in the title. As a result, moving image information with moving image data IDs “1000” and “1001” is obtained. The obtained moving image information is reserved moving image information.

  Next, the viewing reservation server 21 transmits reserved moving picture information to the reservation setting terminal 40 (step S14). The reservation setting terminal 40 displays the reserved moving image information and transmits the reserved moving image information designated by the user to the viewing reservation server 21 (step S15).

  A specific example of steps S14 to S15 is as follows. FIG. 5 illustrates reservation video information displayed on the screen of the reservation setting terminal 40. As shown in the figure, two pieces of reserved moving picture information corresponding to the search condition are displayed on the screen. Further, when one of the two displayed reservation video information is selected with a mouse or the like, as shown in FIG. 6, details (attribute information) of the reservation video information are transmitted from the viewing reservation server 21, and the details are displayed. It has come to be.

  The user looks at the attribute information such as the synopsis and the performer, and presses the reservation button 62 with a mouse or the like if he / she wishes to view the moving image. By pressing the reservation button 62, the reservation moving image information is designated, and a message to that effect is transmitted to the viewing reservation server 21. Here, it is assumed that the two reserved moving image information displayed in FIG. 5 is designated. That is, the user has reserved to watch a video with the titles “α” and “α-2”.

  Next, the viewing reservation server 21 stores the reserved moving picture information designated by the user in association with the user information of the user (step S16). Table 2 exemplifies reservation video information associated with user information.

  Each row of Table 2 represents reserved moving picture information associated with user information. Thereby, the viewing reservation server 21 can grasp that the user whose user name is “USER_1” intends to view the moving image information whose moving image data IDs are “1000” and “1001”.

  Next, viewing processing will be described with reference to FIG. First, the viewing reservation server 21 authenticates the user to the STB 30 (step S20). For example, a user name and password are acquired from the STB 30, and the user is specified depending on whether or not the acquired user name and password correspond to user information stored in advance in the user information database. By specifying the user, the viewing reservation server 21 grasps that the user having the user name “USER_1” is using the STB 30, for example.

  Next, the viewing reservation server 21 transmits reserved moving picture information to the STB 30 (step S21). At this time, as the reserved moving image information, the above-described authentication result is used, and the reserved moving image information associated with the user information of the user of the STB 30 is transmitted. For example, from the reserved moving picture information shown in Table 2, only the reserved moving picture information associated with the user name “USER_1” is transmitted, and the reserved moving picture information associated with the user name “USER_2” is not transmitted. That is, the reserved moving image information as a result of a search performed by a certain user using the reservation setting terminal 40 is transmitted only to the STB 30 used by the user.

  Next, the STB 30 displays reserved moving picture information (step S22). That is, the STB 30 displays the reserved moving image information on the television 31 so that the user can select the reserved moving image information through the operation of the remote controller 32. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 illustrate an example of display of reserved moving picture information displayed on the television 31.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a menu screen for selecting moving image data from the STB 30 is displayed on the television 31. For example, the menu 64 in the middle of the screen displays options for moving images by category as in the past. Examples of such options include “select from new arrivals”, “select from ranking”, “select from genre”, “select from recommendation”, and image data that is a snapshot of the video data classified into these options 63 is displayed at the top of the screen. In addition, a reservation button 65 for browsing reservation video information is displayed at the lower right of the screen. When the reservation button 65 is selected by remote control operation, a list of reserved moving picture information received from the viewing reservation server 21 is displayed as shown in FIG. The user selects what he / she wants to view.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the STB 30 makes a request for moving image data to the moving image distribution server 10 (step S23). For example, the video data ID of the attribute information of the reserved video information selected by the remote controller 32 is transmitted to the video distribution server 10. The moving image distribution server 10 that has received the moving image data ID transmits the moving image data identified by the moving image data ID to the STB 30 (step S24). Then, the STB 30 that has received the moving image data reproduces the moving image data (step S25). As a result, movies and dramas are reproduced from the moving image data on the television 31.

  As described above, the viewing reservation server 21 holds reserved moving image information related to moving image data to be viewed based on a search condition from the user with the reservation setting terminal 40. On the other hand, the STB 30 presents the reserved moving image information as the search result to the user, and reproduces the moving image data desired by the user.

  In general, the reservation setting terminal 40 and the viewing reservation server 21 (information communication device) have higher performance than the STB 30, and various functions are realized by software. Therefore, a search function that flexibly supports various purposes and viewpoints. Easy to build. In addition, the information communication device has a variety of input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, so that it is easy to input search conditions.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the reservation setting terminal 40 and the viewing reservation server 21 (information communication device) are provided with a function of searching for moving image data from various viewpoints (title, performer, synopsis, etc.). Thereby, the user can perform an accurate search for various attributes of the moving image such as the title and the performer, and can accurately search the moving image data to be viewed without omission. In addition, since the user can use devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, the user can input search conditions without feeling bothered.

  On the other hand, since the STB 30 is configured to use the reserved moving image information, it is possible to select the reserved moving image information with a simple operation by the remote controller 32 and quickly reproduce the moving image data to be viewed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a viewing moving image search system according to the present embodiment. It is a processing flow of the viewing moving image search system according to the present embodiment. It is a processing flow of the viewing moving image search system according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the input form of search conditions. It is an example of the screen where the reservation animation information applicable to search conditions was displayed on the reservation setting terminal. It is an example of the screen at the time of designating details of reservation animation information and reservation animation information. It is an example of the selection menu of the moving image data displayed on the television. It is an example of the selection menu of the reservation moving image information displayed on the television.

Explanation of symbols

1 Business Facility 2 User Facility 10 Video Distribution Server 20 Video Database 21 Viewing Reservation Server 22 User Information Database 30 STB
31 TV 32 Remote control 40 Reservation setting terminal 50 Internet 51, 52 LAN
53 routers

Claims (3)

A receiving device for receiving video data;
A moving image distribution server for distributing moving image data requested from the receiving device among moving image data stored in a storage unit to the receiving device;
A video database in which video information that is information about the video data is stored;
A reservation setting terminal to which a search condition for searching for the video information is input;
A viewing reservation server that holds, as reserved moving image information, the video information that corresponds to the search condition received from the reservation setting terminal;
The receiving apparatus displays the reserved moving picture information received from the viewing reservation server on the display means and corresponds to the reserved moving picture information displayed on the display means selected via the input means of the receiving apparatus. A viewing moving image search system that requests moving image data from the moving image distribution server. In the viewing video retrieval system according to claim 1,
The viewing-and-listening moving image search system characterized in that the viewing-and-listening reservation server holds the reserved moving image information designated by the reservation setting terminal. In the viewing moving image search system according to claim 1 or 2,
Comprising a user information database storing user information relating to a user permitted to view the video data of the video distribution server;
The viewing moving image search system, wherein the viewing reservation server holds the reserved moving image information for each user information.