JPH10271443A - Digital video broadcasting system and digital video recording system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] A digital video broadcasting system capable of executing an appropriate recording process by providing a total data capacity of digital video data to be transmitted / received to a destination. A data capacity management unit manages the total data capacity of digital video data transmitted by a transmission unit for each program, and provides the viewer with the total data capacity for each program as program information. On the other hand, in the digital video recording device 20 installed on the viewer side, when recording a program broadcasted by the broadcasting station 10, the recording management unit 24 operates in a plurality of video recording media stored in the recording device 25. Selects a video recording medium having a free space larger than the total data capacity provided as program information from the user and having the smallest free space among them, and the digital video received by the receiving unit 22 to the selected video recording medium. Record video data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital video broadcasting system for broadcasting a program by digital video data and a digital video recording system for recording the program, and more particularly to a system for receiving the total data capacity of digital video data transmitted and received. The present invention relates to a digital video broadcasting system and a digital video recording system that can perform appropriate recording processing by providing the above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, general video tape recorders widely used in homes record video such as programs broadcast on a television in an analog system. In this case, since the tape speed was constant, it was easy to determine whether the tape capacity was sufficient or not based on the broadcast time.

[0003] Further, even in a digital video tape recorder which has recently been commercialized and started to be distributed in the market, the tape speed is constant as in the case of an analog video tape recorder. The excess or deficiency could easily be determined by the broadcast time.

[0004] Therefore, a conventional television program reservation can be made by inputting a broadcast start time and a broadcast end time.
I was able to prepare the appropriate videotape.

[0005]

However, when video data is digitized (including compression) with a fixed image quality, the data amount after the digitization is not constant but varies depending on the video. Therefore, in order to efficiently record the digital data, it is necessary to change the recording rate and record. Therefore, in order to perform recording at a constant tape speed as in the related art, it is necessary to maintain a speed at which the highest recording rate can be secured, and there is a problem that a large amount of waste is generated on the tape. Was.

[0006] In digital broadcasting, which is expected to spread in the future, as one of recording methods, it is conceivable to record broadcast digital video data in a digital recorder as it is. On the other hand, assuming that disk-shaped video recording media will become the mainstream in place of tape-shaped video recording media, the drive speed of the media can be easily variably controlled. It is conceivable that the recording is performed efficiently while using such a method. However, according to such a method, it becomes impossible to determine whether the storage capacity of the video recording medium is excessive or insufficient based on the broadcast time as in the related art. There was such a problem.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and for example, by providing the total amount of digital video data to a receiving destination in addition to the broadcast time,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital video broadcasting system and a digital video recording that can execute appropriate recording processing.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, for example, a broadcasting station manages a total data amount for each program to be broadcasted, and stores the managed total data capacity in a receiving destination. On the other hand, the viewer can execute an appropriate recording process including selection of a video recording medium by using the total data capacity.

According to the present invention, the viewer can obtain the total data capacity of the program to be recorded, for example, by preparing a video recording medium having an appropriate free space in advance. Can be easily performed. Also, for example, while recording a program, when the recording capacity of the video recording medium on which the digital video data of the program is recorded becomes full, the video data is calculated based on the total data capacity and the recorded data capacity. The remaining capacity of the video recording medium is calculated, and the video recording medium having a free space larger than the calculated remaining capacity and having the smallest available space can be replaced with a recording medium to continue recording. become.

[0010] The broadcast station further manages the total data capacity when digital compression-encoded digital video data for broadcasting is expanded and then digitally encoded at different compression levels, and provides the viewer with the total data capacity. It is preferable to provide a means for performing this. This takes into account, for example, that the viewer expands digital video data of a broadcasted program and then digitally encodes and records the digital video data at different compression levels. Rather than providing the total data capacity when converting digital video data for broadcast, it provides the total data capacity when digital video data for broadcasting is decompressed and then digitally compressed and coded at different compression levels. As in the case of recording as it is, even when digital compression encoding is performed at a different compression level and recording is performed, appropriate recording processing can be performed without causing any error in the total data capacity.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital video broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the broadcasting station 10 includes a control unit 11, a transmission unit 12, and a data capacity management unit 13.

The control section 11 controls the entire system of the broadcasting station 10. The transmission unit 11 includes a control unit 11
In accordance with the instruction, the digital video data compressed at a predetermined compression level is transmitted. The data capacity management unit 13 manages the total data capacity of the digital video data for each program and provides it to the viewer as program information. The method of transmitting the total data capacity to be managed to the viewer side may be performed through various publications such as newspapers,
The information may be transmitted and received as accessory information of digital video data. That is, the feature of the present invention is not in the method of transmitting the total data capacity for each program to be managed, but in managing and providing and using the total data capacity appropriately.

On the other hand, the digital video recorder 20 installed on the viewer side includes a control unit 21, a receiving unit 22, a reproduction management unit 23, and a recording management unit 24. The control unit 21 controls the entire system of the digital video recording device 20. The receiving unit 21 receives digital video data transmitted from the broadcasting station 10 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 21. The reproduction management unit 23 reads out and reproduces the digital video data recorded in the recording device 25 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 21. And
The recording management unit 24 converts the digital video data received by the receiving unit 21 according to the instruction of the control unit 21 based on the total data capacity of the provided program information.
5 for proper recording.

Further, the recording device 25 of this embodiment is configured as an autochanger in which a plurality of video recording media are removably stored and accesses the video recording media selected by the video recording management unit 24.

Here, an example of an operation when the digital video recording apparatus 20 of this embodiment executes appropriate recording processing using the total data capacity of the provided program information will be described with reference to FIG.

While the receiving section 22 is receiving digital video data (N in step A1), the recording management section 24 records the digital video data on any video recording medium stored in the recording device 25. When the free space of the video recording medium is exhausted (step A
2), it is determined whether or not another replaceable video recording medium having a free space exists in the recording device 25 (step A3).
The remaining capacity of digital video data is calculated from the total data capacity provided as program information and the recorded data capacity,
After selecting and exchanging a video recording medium larger than the calculated remaining capacity and having the smallest available capacity (step A4, step A5), the recording of digital video data is continued (step A6).

That is, as in this embodiment, if the total data capacity of each program is managed on the broadcast station 10 side and provided to the viewer side, the viewer side can record the program at the time of recording the program. The most suitable video recording medium can be easily selected.

Further, for example, the data capacity management unit 13
It is also effective to manage the total data capacity when digital compression encoding is performed at a compression level different from that of the transmitted digital video data, and to provide the information as program information to the viewer. The principle of obtaining the total data capacity by the data capacity management unit 13 at this time will be described with reference to FIG.

The data capacity management unit 13 includes a compression level (2) and a compression level (in addition to the total data capacity of the digital video data (FIG. 3B) of the compression level (1) transmitted by the transmission unit 12. The total data capacity of the digital video data of 3) is also managed and provided (FIGS. 3D and 3D).
(E)). At this time, the data capacity management unit 13 does not actually acquire the total data capacity when the original video data (FIG. 3A), which is raw data, is digitally compressed and encoded at each compression level, but actually obtains it. The transmitted / received digital video data of the compression level (1) is temporarily expanded, and the total data capacity when the expanded video data (FIG. 3C) is digitally compressed and encoded at each compression level is acquired.

By managing and providing the total data capacity thus determined, for example, in the digital video recorder 20, the compression level (1)
The recording management unit 24 stores the digital video data of
When recording is performed at a compression level of the compression level (2) or the compression level (3) on the video recording medium inside, the recording process including the media selection can always be appropriately performed without generating a compression / expansion error. You can do it.

The total data capacity of the digital video data is managed not only by the above-mentioned broadcasting system but also by a digital video supply system such as storing and distributing digital video data on a DVD (Digital Video Disc) or the like. It is also effective to apply to

A disk-type recording medium 3 as shown in FIG.
In the case where digital video data is recorded and distributed, a management information section in which information for controlling display of the video data is stored separately from a data section in which digital compression-encoded video data is stored. Is provided. Therefore, if various total data capacities acquired according to the principle described above are stored in this management information section as capacity management information, the compression level of digital video data recorded on the disk-type recording medium 30 is converted and handled. In such a case, no compression / decompression error is generated.

[0023]

As described above in detail, according to the digital video broadcasting system and the digital video recording system of the present invention, in order to manage and provide the total data capacity of digital video data to be transmitted and received for each program, for example, Even if the drive speed of the video recording medium becomes variable, it is possible to easily select a video recording medium having a free space suitable for recording the program.

Also, by managing and providing the total data capacity after digitally compressing and encoding digital video data actually transmitted / received at different compression levels, the compression level of the received digital video data is converted. Even if the recording is controlled by the recording, no compression / decompression error or the like is caused.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital video broadcasting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating an example of an operation when the digital video recording apparatus according to the embodiment performs an appropriate recording process using the total data capacity of provided program information.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view for explaining the principle of acquiring the total data capacity by the data capacity management unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary view for explaining the recording format of digital video data on the disk-type recording medium of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... broadcast station, 11 ... broadcast station side control unit, 12 ... transmission unit,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Data capacity management part, 14 ... Video data database, 20 ... Digital video recorder, 21 ... Digital video recorder display device side control part, 22 ... Receiving part, 23 ... Playback manager, 24 ... Recording manager, 25 ... recording device, 30 ... disk type recording medium.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A digital video broadcasting system for broadcasting a program using digital compression-encoded video data, wherein: a data capacity management unit that manages a total data capacity of the digital compression-encoded video data for each program; A digital video broadcasting system comprising: program information providing means for providing a total data capacity of each program managed by the data capacity management means to a receiving destination as additional information of the program. 2. The program information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data capacity management means includes means for managing the total data capacity when the digital compression-encoded video data is expanded and digitally compressed and encoded at different compression levels. The providing means includes means for providing the total data capacity managed by the data capacity management means when the digital compression encoding is performed at the different compression level to the receiving destination as additional information of the program. The digital video broadcasting system according to claim 1. 3. A digital video recording system for receiving a program broadcasted by digital compression-encoded video data and recording the program on any one of a plurality of recording media. A total data capacity obtaining means for obtaining a total data capacity of the encoded video data; and selecting one of the plurality of recording media according to the total data capacity obtained by the data capacity obtaining means. A digital video recording system comprising: 4. A program broadcasted by video data digitally compressed and encoded at a first compression level is received, and the received video data at the first compression level is converted into video data at a second compression level. A digital video recording system for recording on any one of a plurality of recording media, and after expanding the video data digitally encoded at the first compression level, to a second compression level. A total data capacity obtaining means for obtaining a total data capacity when digital compression encoding is performed, and any one of the plurality of recording media according to the total data capacity obtained by the data capacity obtaining means. A digital video recording system comprising: a recording medium management means for selecting. 5. A recording data capacity integrating means for integrating a recorded data capacity of the broadcasted program, wherein the recording medium managing means stores the video data of the video data in the selected recording medium. When recording cannot be continued, the remaining capacity of the video data is obtained by a difference between the total data capacity acquired by the total data capacity acquisition means and the recorded capacity accumulated by the recorded capacity accumulation means. 5. The recording medium according to claim 3, further comprising means for re-selecting another recording medium having a large free space and having the smallest free space.
Digital video recording system as described. 6. A digital video supply system for supplying digital compression encoded video data, wherein a total data capacity of the digital compression encoded video data is provided as additional information of the video data. Digital video supply system. 7. A digital video supply system for supplying video data digitally coded and encoded at a first compression level, wherein a total data capacity of video data digitally coded and compressed at the first compression level and A digital compression encoding unit that decompresses the video data digitally encoded at the first compression level and then provides the total data capacity after the digital compression encoding at the second compression level as additional information of the video data. Video supply system.