CN110087105B - Method and device for switching IPTV multicast to unicast - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application disclose a method and device for switching IPTV multicast to unicast, relate to the technical field of network communication, and solve the problem that a large number of users apply for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system collapse. question. The specific scheme is: first, the management server collects the user information of N users, generates a user list according to the user information of the N users, and configures the user list to the electronic program navigation server; the electronic program navigation server receives the program information sent by the set-top box. After the request, it is determined that the user list includes the set-top box identifier, and a program information response is sent, and the program information response includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program identifier and the unicast address of the program, so that the set-top box requests the multicast stream of the program or the unicast stream of the program. This embodiment of the present application is used for a process of requesting a unicast stream.

Description

Method and device for switching IPTV multicast to unicast

technical field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of network communications, and in particular, to a method and device for switching IPTV multicast to unicast.

Background technique

With the increasing development of network technology, streaming media is widely used in video-on-demand, online teaching, online live broadcast and many other services due to its intuitive, real-time, interactive and other characteristics. Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is a new type of media information service technology based on telecommunication network technology, Internet technology, radio and television network technology and media transmission technology. Both live and on-demand video programs can be watched on the terminal.

In the prior art, some live IPTV programs transmit streaming media to the user access network (Content Delivery Network (CDN)) through IP multicast. Not only reduces the occupation of network bandwidth, but also reduces the network load. In the process of multicast data forwarding, if the link or node fails and the multicast data transmission fails, the terminal device can obtain the backup unicast address from the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) server, and send the The scheduling server sends a unicast service request. However, when the multicast router fails or the content source injection fails, a large number of users will fail to apply for multicast services. At this time, if all users apply for multicast to unicast at the same time, the network load will increase instantaneously. even cause the system to crash.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present application provide a method and device for switching IPTV multicast to unicast, which solves the problem that a large number of users apply for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system collapse.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

A first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast, which is applied to a management server. The method includes: first, collecting user information of N users, where the user information includes set-top box identification, user account, user at least one of the service account number, set-top box multicast failure rate, user's home equipment model, user priority and user networking information; then, a user list is generated according to N user information, and the user list includes M set-top box identifiers; to the electronic program navigation server Send the user list, where N represents the number of users who have activated IPTV, and M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N. In the method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast provided by the embodiment of the present application, the management server collects and analyzes the user information of N users, generates a user list, and configures it to the electronic program navigation server, so that the electronic program navigation server only records the user list. The included set-top box identifier corresponding to the set-top box provides the multicast address of the program and the unicast address of the program, thereby effectively preventing a large number of users from applying for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system crashes. question.

With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, after generating the user list according to the user information, the method further includes: sending configuration information to the set-top box corresponding to each set-top box identification in the M set-top box identifications, where the configuration information is used to indicate permission The set-top box requests a unicast service. On the premise that the management server controls the number of users who can convert multicast to unicast, configure the set-top box to request the unicast service authority, and further control the number of users who apply for multicast to unicast at the same time, reducing network load.

In a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast is provided, which is applied to an electronic program navigation server. The method includes: receiving a user list sent by a management server, where the user list includes M set-top box identifiers; the receiver set-top box The program information request sent, the program information request includes a set-top box identification and a program identification, and the set-top box identification is any one of the M set-top box identifications included in the user list; query the user list according to the set-top box identification; determine that the user list includes the set-top box identification, and send program information to the set-top box In response, the program information response includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program identifier and the unicast address of the program. The method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast provided by the embodiment of the present application collects and analyzes the user information of N users through the management server, generates a user list, and configures it to the electronic program navigation server, so that the electronic program navigation server only records the user list. The included set-top box identifier corresponding to the set-top box provides the multicast address of the program and the unicast address of the program, thereby effectively preventing a large number of users from applying for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system crashes. question.

A third aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast, which is applied to a set-top box. The method includes: sending a program information request to an electronic program navigation server, where the program information request includes a set-top box identifier and a program identifier; receiving; The program information response sent by the electronic program navigation server, the program information response includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program ID and the unicast address of the program; the multicast stream of the program is requested according to the multicast address of the program; it is not received within the preset duration To the multicast stream of the program, determine that the multicast service request fails; send the first unicast service request to the scheduling server, where the first unicast service request includes the address of the scheduling server and the unicast address of the program; receive the service repeat sent by the scheduling server. Directional message, the service redirection message includes the unicast server address of the set-top box requesting the unicast stream of the program; send a second unicast service request to the unicast server, and the second unicast service request includes the unicast server address and the unicast address of the program . The IPTV multicast-to-unicast switching method provided by the embodiment of the present application collects and analyzes the user information of N users through the management server, generates a user list, and configures it in the electronic program navigation server, so that the electronic program navigation server only monitors users The set-top box corresponding to the set-top box identification included in the list provides the multicast address of the program and the unicast address of the program, so that the set-top box requests the multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program. The unicast address requests the unicast stream of the program, thus effectively avoiding the problem that a large number of users apply for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system collapse.

With reference to the third aspect, in a possible implementation manner, before sending the first unicast service request to the scheduling server, the method further includes: determining, according to configuration information, that the set-top box is allowed to request the unicast service, and the configuration information is used to indicate that the set-top box is allowed to request the unicast service. Unicast service. On the premise that the management server controls the number of users who can switch from multicast to unicast, the set-top box requests unicast services according to the configured set-top box's permission to request unicast services, and further controls the number of users who apply for multicast to unicast at the same time, reducing network load.

In combination with the above possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, before it is determined according to the configuration information that the set-top box is allowed to request the unicast service, the method further includes: receiving configuration information sent by the management server.

Combining the first aspect and the above possible implementation manner, in another possible implementation manner, after sending the first unicast service request to the scheduling server, the method further includes: receiving a service rejection message sent by the scheduling server, the service rejection message Used to indicate that the set-top box is not allowed to request a unicast stream of the program.

In a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast is provided, which is applied to a scheduling server. The method includes: a first unicast service request sent by a receiver top box, and the first unicast service request includes the scheduling server. address and the unicast address of the program; judge the unicast stream that allows the set-top box to request the program according to the network status, the network status includes the current number of unicast users and the resource consumption of the user's access network; send a service redirection message to the set-top box, the service The redirect message includes the unicast server address of the set-top box requesting the unicast stream of the program. The IPTV multicast-to-unicast switching method provided by the embodiment of the present application collects and analyzes the user information of N users through the management server, generates a user list, and configures it in the electronic program navigation server, so that the electronic program navigation server only monitors users The set-top box corresponding to the set-top box identification included in the list provides the multicast address of the program and the unicast address of the program, and the set-top box requests the multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program. The scheduling server then controls the set-top box to apply for the unicast service according to the network status, thus effectively preventing a large number of users from applying for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system crash problem.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, after judging whether the set-top box is allowed to request the unicast service of the program according to the network state, the method further includes: judging that the set-top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program, and sending the service rejection to the set-top box message, the Service Reject message is used to indicate that the set-top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program.

A fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a management server, including: a processing unit configured to collect user information of N users, where the user information includes set-top box identification, user account, user service account, set-top box multicast failure rate, user At least one of the family equipment model, user priority and user networking information, N represents the number of users who have opened IPTV; the processing unit is also used to generate a user list according to the N user information, and the user list includes M set-top box identifiers, and M is greater than equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; a sending unit, configured to send the user list to the electronic program guide server.

A sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an electronic program navigation server, including: a receiving unit, configured to receive a user list sent by the management server, where the user list includes M set-top box identifiers; Program information request, the program information request includes a set-top box identification and a program identification, and the set-top box identification is any one of the M set-top box identifications included in the user list; the processing unit is used for querying the user list according to the set-top box identification; The processing unit is also used to determine the user list It includes a set-top box identifier; a sending unit is used to send a program information response to the set-top box, where the program information response includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program identifier and the unicast address of the program.

A seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a set-top box, comprising: a sending unit for sending a program information request to an electronic program guide server, where the program information request includes a set-top box identifier and a program identifier; a receiving unit for receiving the electronic program guide The program information response sent by the server, the program information response includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program identifier and the unicast address of the program; the processing unit is also used to request the multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program; If the multicast stream of the program is not received within the preset duration, it is determined that the multicast service request fails; the sending unit is further configured to send a first unicast service request to the scheduling server, where the first unicast service request includes the address of the scheduling server and the unicast address of the program; the receiving unit is also used to receive the service redirection message sent by the scheduling server, and the service redirection message includes the unicast server address of the unicast stream of the set-top box requesting the program; the sending unit is also used to send the unicast The server sends a second unicast service request, where the second unicast service request includes the unicast server address and the unicast address of the program.

An eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a scheduling server, including: a receiving unit configured to receive a first unicast service request sent by a top box, where the first unicast service request includes an address of the scheduling server and a unicast address of a program Processing unit, for judging whether to allow the set-top box to request the unicast flow of the program according to the network state, the network state includes the number of users of current unicast and the resource consumption situation of the user access network; The processing unit is also used for determining that the set-top box is allowed to request the program The sending unit is configured to send a service redirection message to the set-top box, where the service redirection message includes the unicast server address of the unicast stream of the program requested by the set-top box.

It should be noted that, the functional modules of the fifth aspect to the eighth aspect may be implemented by hardware, and may also be implemented by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, a transceiver, used to complete the functions of a receiving unit and a sending unit, a processor, used to complete the functions of a processing unit, and a memory, used by the processor to process the program of the IPTV multicast-to-unicast switching method according to the embodiment of the present application instruction. The processor, transceiver and memory are connected and communicate with each other through the bus. Specifically, reference may be made to the function of managing the server's behavior in the IPTV multicast-to-unicast switching method provided in the first aspect, and the electronic program navigation server's behavioral function in the IPTV multicast-to-unicast switching method provided by the second aspect. , the function of the behavior of the set-top box in the method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast provided by the third aspect, and the function of scheduling the behavior of the server in the method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast provided by the fourth aspect.

In a ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a management server is provided, including: a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communication interface; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, the processor and the memory are connected through the bus, and when the processing When the server is running, the processor executes the computer-implemented instructions stored in the memory to cause the management server to perform a method as in any of the above-described aspects.

In a tenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including: computer software instructions; when the computer software instructions are run in the management server or a chip built in the management server, the management server executes the above IPTV group Switching method of broadcast to unicast.

An eleventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product containing an instruction, when the computer program product is run in a management server or a chip built in the management server, the management server executes the above-mentioned IPTV multicast-to-unicast conversion switching method.

A twelfth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an electronic program navigation server, including: a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communication interface; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, and the processor and the memory are connected through the bus, When the processor is running, the processor executes the computer-implemented instructions stored in the memory to cause the electronic program guide server to perform a method as in any of the above-described aspects.

A thirteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising: computer software instructions; when the computer software instructions are executed in an electronic program guide server or a chip built into the electronic program guide server, the electronic program The navigation server executes the above-mentioned switching method from IPTV multicast to unicast.

A fourteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions, when the computer program product is run in an electronic program navigation server or a chip built in the electronic program navigation server, the electronic program navigation server is made to execute the above-mentioned Switching method of IPTV multicast to unicast.

A fifteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a set-top box, including: a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communication interface; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, the processor and the memory are connected through the bus, and when the processing When the processor is running, the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to cause the set-top box to perform the method of any of the above-described aspects.

A sixteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising: computer software instructions; when the computer software instructions are executed in a set-top box or a chip built in the set-top box, the set-top box is made to perform the above-mentioned IPTV multicast relay. Unicast switching method.

A seventeenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product containing an instruction, when the computer program product is run in a set-top box or a chip built in the set-top box, the set-top box is made to execute the above-mentioned IPTV multicast-to-unicast switching method .

An eighteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a scheduling server, including: a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communication interface; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, the processor and the memory are connected through the bus, and when the memory is When the processor is running, the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to cause the scheduling server to perform a method as in any of the above-described aspects.

A nineteenth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising: computer software instructions; when the computer software instructions are run in the dispatch server or a chip built in the dispatch server, the dispatch server is made to execute the above IPTV Switching method from multicast to unicast.

A twentieth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions, when the computer program product runs in a scheduling server or a chip built into the scheduling server, the scheduling server enables the scheduling server to perform the above-mentioned IPTV multicast-to-unicast conversion switching method.

In addition, for the technical effects brought by the design methods of any of the above aspects, reference may be made to the technical effects brought by different design methods in the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

In the embodiments of the present application, the names of the management server, the electronic program guide server, the set-top box, and the scheduling server do not limit the devices themselves. In actual implementation, these devices may appear with other names. As long as the functions of each device are similar to the embodiments of the present application, they fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Description of drawings

1 is a simplified schematic diagram of an IPTV system architecture applying an embodiment of the present application provided by an embodiment of the present application;

2 is a flowchart of a method for switching from IPTV multicast to unicast according to an embodiment of the present application;

3 is a flowchart of another IPTV multicast-to-unicast switching method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a management server according to an embodiment of the present application;

5 is a schematic diagram of the composition of an electronic program navigation server according to an embodiment of the present application;

6 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a set-top box provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a scheduling server according to an embodiment of the present application;

8 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the composition of another management server provided by an embodiment of the present application;

10 is a schematic diagram of the composition of another electronic program navigation server provided by an embodiment of the present application;

11 is a schematic diagram of the composition of another set-top box provided by an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the composition of another scheduling server provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

In order to solve the problem that a large number of users apply for multicast to unicast at the same time, the network load increases instantaneously, and even the system crashes, the embodiment of the present application provides a switching method for IPTV multicast to unicast, the basic principle of which is: First, the management server collects the user information of the N users, generates a user list according to the user information of the N users, and configures the user list to the electronic program navigation server; The set-top box identification included in the information request queries the user list. If it is determined that the user list includes the set-top box identification, a program information response is sent to the set-top box. The multicast address requests the multicast stream of the program from the multicast server or requests the unicast stream of the program from the unicast server according to the unicast address of the program. The method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast provided by the embodiment of the present application collects and analyzes the user information of N users through the management server, generates a user list, and configures it to the electronic program navigation server. The electronic program navigation server only includes the user list including The set-top box corresponding to the set-top box identification provides the multicast address of the program and the unicast address of the program, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of a large number of users applying for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system collapse. .

The implementation of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

IPTV is a brand-new technology that utilizes broadband cable network and integrates various technologies such as the Internet, multimedia, and communication to provide home users with a variety of interactive services, including digital TV. FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic diagram of an IPTV system architecture to which embodiments of the present application can be applied. As shown in Figure 1, the system architecture can be divided into client, access network, metropolitan area network, as well as the backbone network and business center.

The backbone network and business center include management servers, electronic program navigation servers, scheduling servers, unicast servers, multicast routers and live broadcast sources. The management server is used to obtain user information of users who have activated IPTV in the network, and generate a user list, so as to control the number of users who convert multicast to unicast. The electronic program navigation server is used to provide users with indexes and navigation of various services, that is, the interface of IPTV, and perform service signaling interaction with the set-top box. The scheduling server is used for parsing a universal resource locator (Uniform Resource Locator, URL) of the unicast service, and implements scheduling to the unicast server through the URL parsing. Multicast routers are used to receive content injections from external multicast sources. The unicast server is used to obtain the multicast service flow from the multicast router and convert it into a unicast service flow for users to use. Live feeds are used to provide live programming. The backbone network and the service center may also include other routers, and the other routers may obtain the multicast stream from the multicast router through a protocol independent multicast (Protocol Independent Multicast, PIM) protocol and transmit it to the client.

The metropolitan area network includes a provider's edge equipment (Ultimate Provider Edge, UPE) router close to the user side. UPE routers are used to obtain multicast streams from multicast routers through the PIM protocol. At the same time, the Internet Group Multicast Protocol (IGMP) request from the client is terminated, and the multicast stream is copied to the client.

The access network includes an optical line terminal (Optical Line Terminal, OLT). The OLT is used to forward the client's IGMP request to the UPE.

The client includes an optical network terminal (Optical Network Terminal, ONT) and a set-top box (Set TopBox, STB). The ONT is used to access the set-top box and access the OLT. A set-top box is a service terminal, and through service exchange with an electronic program navigation server, it obtains a multicast address or a unicast address, and applies for a multicast service or a unicast service.

2 is a flowchart of a method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2 , the method may include:

S201. The management server collects user information of N users.

N represents the number of users who have opened IPTV in a region. The administrator can set the region according to their needs, which can be a city or a part of a city. The management server collects user information, and the user information includes at least one of set-top box identification, user account, user service account, set-top box multicast failure rate, user home equipment model, user priority and user networking information. The set-top box identifier is the set-top box account assigned by the system to uniquely distinguish the set-top box, or the MAC address of the network card of the set-top box. User accounts can be understood as usernames. The user service account represents the account of the package service purchased by the user. Set-top box multicast failure rate refers to the failure rate of set-top boxes applying for multicast streams in this period. User's home device model, such as ONT model, home gateway model, etc. The user priority is the priority of the user of the set-top box identified by the set-top box, for example, the level of the user may be a VIP (Very Important Person, VIP) user or a common user. User networking information, for example, an OLT or a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer, DSLAM) to which the set top box corresponding to the set top box identifier belongs. Optionally, the user information may further include the geographic location range to which the set-top box belongs, or the service level applied by the user.

S202, the management server generates a user list according to the N user information.

After the management server collects the user information of the N users, according to at least one factor in the set-top box identification, the user account, the user service account, the set-top box multicast failure rate, the model of the user's home equipment, the user priority and the user networking information, from the N users. M users are filtered out. For example, first, users can be screened according to the user account or user service account, and then the users can be sorted according to the multicast failure rate of the set-top box, and L users with a high multicast failure rate are obtained, and a specific user family is selected from the L users. The set-top box corresponding to the device model and/or the set-top box in the specific user networking information, obtains M set-top boxes, and generates a user list, where the user list includes the set-top box identifiers of the M set-top boxes. Of course, users can also be sorted according to their priorities, M users with high user priorities are acquired, and a user list is generated, where the user list includes the set-top box identifiers of the M users' set-top boxes. L is less than or equal to N, L can be equal to 100 or 200, and M is less than or equal to L.

S203. The management server sends the user list to the electronic program guide server.

After generating the user list according to the N user information, the management server sends the user list to the electronic program guide server.

It should be noted that the management server can periodically collect the user information of N users, and the period can be one month or one week. After completion, a user list is generated according to the N user information, and the user list is sent to the electronic program guide server.

S204: The electronic program navigation server receives the user list sent by the management server.

After the management server sends the user list to the electronic program guide server, the electronic program guide server receives the user list sent by the management server.

S205, the set-top box sends a program information request to the electronic program navigation server.

The program information request includes the set-top box identification and the program identification. The program identifier can be the identifier of the channel that the user needs to watch, for example, CCTV 1, CCTV 2 or CCTV 3 and other CCTV channels, and local satellite TVs such as Dragon TV, Hunan Satellite TV, and Beijing Satellite TV.

S206, the electronic program navigation server receives the program information request sent by the top box.

After the set-top box sends the program information request to the electronic program guide server, the electronic program guide server receives the program information request sent by the top box, and the program information request includes the set-top box identification and the program identification.

S207, the electronic program navigation server queries the user list according to the set-top box identifier.

After receiving the program information request sent by the set-top box, the electronic program navigation server queries the user list according to the set-top box identification. The user list includes M set-top box identifiers, and the set-top box identifier is any one of the M set-top box identifiers included in the user list.

S208. The electronic program navigation server determines that the user list includes the set-top box identifier. S209 is executed.

S209, the electronic program navigation server sends a program information response to the set-top box.

The program information response includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program identifier and the unicast address of the program.

There are three main ways of streaming media transmission technology: point-to-point (Unicast), multicast (Multicast) and broadcast (Broadcast). The point-to-point mode is characterized in that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the streaming media server-side application that transmits the streaming media and the client-side application that receives the streaming media. Multicast is also known as multicast. In multicast mode, the streaming media server-side application that transmits streaming media and the client-side application that receives streaming media have a one-to-many relationship. This one-to-many relationship can only be used in the same Established within a group, that is, all client applications belonging to a certain group can receive the streaming media transmitted by the streaming media server-side application, while client applications that do not belong to the group cannot receive the streaming media. In broadcast mode, the streaming media server-side application that transmits streaming media and the client-side application that receives streaming media also have a one-to-many relationship, but this one-to-many relationship is not limited to groups like multicast mode, and the same network segment All client applications on the server can receive the streaming media transmitted by the streaming media server-side application.

In addition, if the electronic program guide server determines that the user list does not include the set-top box identifier, the program information response sent by the electronic program guide server to the set-top box only includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program identifier.

S210. The set-top box receives the program information response sent by the electronic program navigation server.

After the electronic program guide server sends the program information response to the set-top box, the set-top box receives the program information response sent by the electronic program guide server, and the program information response includes the multicast address of the program corresponding to the program identifier and the unicast address of the program.

S211. The set-top box requests the multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program.

After the set-top box receives the program information response sent by the electronic program navigation server, the set-top box first requests to join the multicast group, and then requests the multicast stream of the program from the multicast server according to the multicast address of the program.

S212: The set-top box does not receive the multicast stream of the program within a preset time period, and it is determined that the multicast service request fails.

After the set-top box requests the multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program, but does not receive the multicast stream of the program within a preset time period, it is determined that the multicast service request fails. The preset duration can be from 1 second to 30 seconds. In order not to affect the user experience, the preset duration can be set between 3 seconds and 10 seconds.

S213: The set-top box sends a first unicast service request to the scheduling server.

The set-top box does not receive the multicast stream of the program within the preset time period, and after determining that the multicast service request fails, it applies for the unicast stream of the program according to the unicast address of the program. The first unicast service request includes the address of the scheduling server and the unicast address of the program.

S214. The scheduling server receives the first unicast service request sent by the top box.

After the set-top box sends the first unicast service request to the scheduling server, the scheduling server receives the first unicast service request sent by the set-top box.

S215. The scheduling server determines, according to the network state, that the set-top box is allowed to request the unicast stream of the program. Execute S216.

After receiving the first unicast service request sent by the set-top box, the scheduling server judges whether the set-top box is allowed to request the unicast stream of the program according to the network state. The network status includes the current number of unicast users and the resource consumption of the user's access network.

S216. The scheduling server sends a service redirection message to the set-top box.

The service redirection message includes the unicast server address of the unicast stream of the set-top box requesting program.

S217: The set-top box receives the service redirection message sent by the scheduling server.

After the scheduling server sends the service redirection message to the set-top box, the set-top box receives the service redirection message sent by the scheduling server.

S218: The set-top box sends a second unicast service request to the unicast server.

The second unicast service request includes the unicast server address and the unicast address of the program.

S219. The unicast server receives the second unicast service request sent by the top box.

S220. The unicast server sends the unicast stream of the program to the set-top box.

After the set-top box receives the unicast stream of the program sent by the unicast server, the terminal (TV) displays the program, and the user can watch the program.

After the management server sends the user list to the electronic program navigation server, that is, S203, in order to further control the number of users who apply for multicast to unicast at the same time and reduce network load, the set-top box can also be set to request the unicast service authority. As shown in Figure 3, the following steps may also be included:

S221. The management server sends configuration information to the set-top box corresponding to each set-top box identification in the M set-top box identifications.

The configuration information is used to indicate that the set-top box is allowed to request unicast services.

S222. The set-top box receives the configuration information sent by the management server.

Before the set-top box sends the second unicast service request to the unicast server, S223 needs to be performed before S218.

S223. The set-top box determines, according to the configuration information, that the set-top box is allowed to request a unicast service.

The configuration information is used to indicate that the set-top box is allowed to request unicast services. The configuration information can be a flag bit. When the flag bit is 1, the set-top box allows the set-top box to request unicast services, and when the flag bit is 0, the set-top box does not allow the set-top box to request unicast services.

In addition, if the scheduling server judges according to the network state that the set-top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program. S224 and S225 are performed.

S224. The scheduling server sends a service rejection message to the set-top box.

The Service Reject message is used to indicate that the set-top box is not allowed to request a unicast stream of the program.

S225. The set-top box receives the service rejection message sent by the scheduling server.

The method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast provided by the embodiment of the present application collects and analyzes the user information of N users through the management server, generates a user list, and configures it to the electronic program navigation server. The electronic program navigation server only includes the user list including The set-top box corresponding to the set-top box identification provides the multicast address of the program and the unicast address of the program, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of a large number of users applying for multicast to unicast at the same time, resulting in an instantaneous increase in network load and even system collapse. .

The foregoing mainly introduces the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. It can be understood that each network element, such as a management server, an electronic program guide server, a set-top box, and a scheduling server, includes corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing each function in order to implement the above functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that the present application can be implemented in hardware or in the form of a combination of hardware and computer software, in conjunction with the algorithm steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed by hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality using different methods for each particular application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

In this embodiment of the present application, the management server, the electronic program navigation server, the set-top box, and the scheduling server may be divided into functional modules according to the above-mentioned method examples. For example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be divided integrated in a processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware, and can also be implemented in the form of software function modules. It should be noted that, the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and there may be other division manners in actual implementation.

In the case where each functional module is divided according to each function, FIG. 4 shows a possible schematic composition diagram of the management server involved in the above and the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4 , the management server may include: a processing unit 41 and the sending unit 42.

The processing unit 41 is configured to support the management server to perform S201 and S202 in the method shown in FIG. 2 and S201 and S202 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

The sending unit 42 is configured to support the management server to perform S203 in the method shown in FIG. 2 , and S203 and S221 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

It should be noted that, all relevant contents of the steps involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, which will not be repeated here.

The management server provided by the embodiment of the present application is used to execute the above method, so the same effect as the above method can be achieved.

In the case where each functional module is divided according to each function, FIG. 5 shows a possible composition diagram of the electronic program navigation server involved in the above and the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5 , the electronic program navigation server may include: : receiving unit 51 , processing unit 52 and sending unit 53 .

The receiving unit 51 is configured to support the electronic program guide server to perform S204 and S206 in the method shown in FIG. 2 and S204 and S206 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

The processing unit 52 is configured to support the electronic program guide server to execute S207 and S208 in the method shown in FIG. 2 and S207 and S208 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

The sending unit 53 is configured to support the electronic program guide server to perform S209 in the method shown in FIG. 2 and S209 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

It should be noted that, all relevant contents of the steps involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, which will not be repeated here.

The electronic program navigation server provided by the embodiment of the present application is used to execute the above method, so the same effect as the above method can be achieved.

In the case where each functional module is divided according to each function, FIG. 6 shows a possible schematic diagram of the composition of the set-top box involved in the above and the embodiments. As shown in FIG. 6 , the set-top box may include: a sending unit 61, a processing unit 62 and receiving unit 63.

The sending unit 61 is configured to support the set-top box to perform S205, S213 and S218 in the method shown in FIG. 2 , and S205, S213 and S218 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

The processing unit 62 is configured to support the set-top box to perform S211 and S212 in the method shown in FIG. 2 , and S211 , S212 and S223 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

The receiving unit 63 is configured to support the set-top box to perform S210 and S217 in the method shown in FIG. 2 , and S210 , S217 , S222 and S225 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

It should be noted that, all relevant contents of the steps involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, which will not be repeated here.

The set-top box provided by the embodiment of the present application is used to execute the above method, and thus can achieve the same effect as the above method.

In the case where each functional module is divided according to each function, FIG. 7 shows a possible schematic diagram of the composition of the scheduling server involved in the above and the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7 , the scheduling server may include: a receiving unit 71 , a processing unit 72 and a sending unit 73 .

The receiving unit 71 is configured to support the scheduling server to perform S214 in the method shown in FIG. 2 and S214 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

The processing unit 72 is configured to support the scheduling server to perform S215 in the method shown in FIG. 2 and S215 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

The sending unit 73 is configured to support the scheduling server to perform S216 in the method shown in FIG. 2 , and S216 and S224 in the method shown in FIG. 3 .

It should be noted that, all relevant contents of the steps involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, which will not be repeated here.

The scheduling server provided by the embodiment of the present application is used to execute the above method, so the same effect as the above method can be achieved.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a computer device provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8 , the computer device may include at least one processor 81 , a memory 82 , a communication interface 83 , and a communication bus 84 .

Below in conjunction with Fig. 8, each constituent part of the computer equipment is specifically introduced:

The processor 81 is the control center of the computer equipment, and may be a processor or a general term for multiple processing elements. In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 81 may include a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU) or multiple CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG. 8 . The processor 81 may also be a specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application, for example: one or more microprocessors (Digital SignalProcessor, DSP) ), or, one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA).

Wherein, taking the processor 81 as one or more CPUs as an example, the processor 81 can execute various functions of the computer device by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 82 and calling data stored in the memory 82 .

In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the computer device may include multiple processors, such as the processor 81 and the processor 85 shown in FIG. 8 . Each of these processors can be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (eg, computer program instructions).

In an implementable manner of the embodiment of the present application, the computer device may be a management server, and the processor 81 is mainly configured to collect user information of N users, and generate a user list according to the N user information.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the present application, the computer device may be an electronic program navigation server, and the processor 81 is mainly configured to query the user list according to the set-top box identifier, and determine that the user list includes the set-top box identifier.

In another achievable manner of the embodiment of the present application, the computer device may be a set-top box, and the processor 81 is mainly used to request the multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program, and the program has not been received within a preset time period. Multicast stream, determine that the multicast service request failed.

In another achievable manner of the embodiment of the present application, the computer device may be a scheduling server, and the processor 81 is mainly configured to determine, according to the network state, that the set-top box is allowed to request the unicast stream of the program.

It should be noted that, all relevant contents of the steps involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, which will not be repeated here.

The management server, electronic program navigation server, set-top box, and scheduling server provided in the embodiments of the present application are used to execute the above method, and thus can achieve the same effect as the above method.

The memory 82 may be a Read-Only Memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of storage that can store information and instructions The dynamic storage device can also be an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage ( including compact discs, laser discs, compact discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and capable of being stored by a computer any other medium taken, but not limited to this. The memory 82 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 81 through a communication bus 84 . The memory 82 may also be integrated with the processor 81 .

Wherein, the memory 82 is used for storing the software program for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 81 .

The communication interface 83, using any device such as a transceiver, is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) and the like. The communication interface 83 may include a receiving unit to implement a receiving function, and a transmitting unit to implement a transmitting function.

The communication bus 84 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (Industry Standard Architecture, ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (Extended Industry Standard Architecture, EISA) bus, or the like. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of presentation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 8, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The device structure shown in FIG. 8 does not constitute a limitation of the computer device, and may include more or less components than shown, or combine some components, or arrange different components.

In the case of using an integrated unit, FIG. 9 shows another possible composition diagram of the management server involved in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9 , the management server includes: a processing module 91 and a communication module 92 .

The processing module 91 is used to control and manage the actions of the management server. For example, the processing module 91 is used to support the management server to perform S201 and S202 in FIG. 2 , S201 and S202 in FIG. other processes of technology. The communication module 92 is used to support the communication between the management server and other network entities, such as the communication with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. 1 . The management server may further include a storage module 93 for storing program codes and data of the server.

The processing module 91 may be a processor or a controller. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with this disclosure. A processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 92 may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 93 may be a memory.

When the processing module 91 is a processor, the communication module 92 is a communication interface, and the storage module 93 is a memory, the management server involved in this embodiment of the present application may be the computer device shown in FIG. 8 .

In the case of using an integrated unit, FIG. 10 shows another possible composition diagram of the electronic program guide server involved in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10 , the electronic program guide server includes: a processing module 1001 and a communication module 1002 .

The processing module 1001 is used to control and manage the actions of the electronic program guide server, for example, the processing module 1001 is used to support the management server to perform S207 and S208 in FIG. 2 , S207 and S208 in FIG. Other procedures of the described techniques. The communication module 1002 is used to support the communication between the electronic program guide server and other network entities, for example, the communication with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. 1 . The electronic program guide server may further include a storage module 1003 for storing program codes and data of the server.

The processing module 1001 may be a processor or a controller. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with this disclosure. A processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1002 may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 1003 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1001 is a processor, the communication module 1002 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1003 is a memory, the electronic program navigation server involved in this embodiment of the present application may be the computer device shown in FIG. 8 .

In the case of using an integrated unit, FIG. 11 shows another possible schematic composition diagram of the set-top box involved in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11 , the set-top box includes: a processing module 1101 and a communication module 1102 .

The processing module 1101 is used to control and manage the actions of the set-top box. For example, the processing module 1101 is used to support the management server to perform S211 and S212 in FIG. 2 , S211 , S212 and S223 in FIG. other processes of the technology. The communication module 1102 is used to support the communication between the set-top box and other network entities, such as communication with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. 1 . The set-top box may further include a storage module 1103 for storing program codes and data of the server.

The processing module 1101 may be a processor or a controller. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with this disclosure. A processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1102 may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 1103 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1101 is a processor, the communication module 1102 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1103 is a memory, the set-top box involved in this embodiment of the present application may be the computer device shown in FIG. 8 .

In the case of using an integrated unit, FIG. 12 shows another possible schematic composition diagram of the scheduling server involved in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12 , the scheduling server includes: a processing module 1201 and a communication module 1202 .

The processing module 1201 is used to control and manage the actions of the scheduling server, for example, the processing module 1201 is used to support the management server to perform S215 in FIG. 2 , S215 in FIG. 3 , and/or other processes for the techniques described herein . The communication module 1202 is used to support the communication between the scheduling server and other network entities, for example, the communication with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. 1 . The scheduling server may further include a storage module 1203 for storing program codes and data of the server.

The processing module 1201 may be a processor or a controller. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with this disclosure. A processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1202 may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 1203 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1201 is a processor, the communication module 1202 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1203 is a memory, the scheduling server involved in this embodiment of the present application may be the computer device shown in FIG. 8 .

From the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example for illustration. In practical applications, the above functions can be allocated as required. It is completed by different functional modules, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules, so as to complete all or part of the functions described above.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be Incorporation may either be integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted, or not implemented. On the other hand, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple different places . Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution in this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware, or may be implemented in the form of software functional units.

If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it may be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be embodied in the form of software products in essence, or the parts that contribute to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solutions, which are stored in a storage medium , including several instructions to make a device (may be a single chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes .

The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. . Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (25)

1. A method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast is applied to a management server, and the method comprises the following steps:

collecting user information of N users, wherein the user information comprises at least one of a set top box identifier, a user account, a user service account, a set top box multicast failure rate, a user home equipment model, a user priority and user networking information, and N represents the number of users for opening an interactive network television IPTV;

screening and generating a user list according to the N pieces of user information, wherein the user list comprises M set top box identifications, and M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N;

sending the user list to an electronic program navigation server;

and sending configuration information to the set top box corresponding to each set top box identifier in the M set top box identifiers, wherein the configuration information is used for indicating that the set top box is allowed to request unicast service.

2. A method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast is characterized in that the method is applied to an electronic program navigation server, and comprises the following steps:

receiving a user list sent by a management server, wherein the user list comprises M set top box identifications;

receiving a program information request sent by a set top box, wherein the program information request comprises a set top box identifier and a program identifier,

inquiring the user list according to the set top box identifier;

determining that the user list includes the set top box identification;

sending a program information response to the set top box, wherein the program information response comprises a multicast address of a program corresponding to the program identifier and a unicast address of the program;

the management server collects user information of N users, wherein N represents the number of users for opening the IPTV; the user list comprises M set top box identifications, wherein M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; receiving the user list configured by the management server.

3. A method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast is characterized in that the method is applied to a set top box and comprises the following steps:

sending a program information request to an electronic program navigation server, wherein the program information request comprises a set top box identifier and a program identifier;

receiving a program information response sent by the electronic program navigation server, wherein the program information response comprises a multicast address of a program corresponding to the program identifier and a unicast address of the program;

requesting a multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program;

receiving no multicast stream of the program within a preset time length, and determining that the multicast service request fails;

sending a first unicast service request to a scheduling server, wherein the first unicast service request comprises an address of the scheduling server and a unicast address of the program;

receiving a service redirection message sent by the scheduling server, wherein the service redirection message comprises a unicast server address of a unicast stream of the program requested by the set top box;

sending a second unicast service request to the unicast server, wherein the second unicast service request comprises the unicast server address and the unicast address of the program;

before sending a program information request to an electronic program navigation server, a management server collects user information of N users, wherein N represents the number of the users for opening an interactive network television IPTV; screening and generating a user list according to the N user information, wherein the user list comprises M set top box identifications, and M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; the management server configures the user list to the electronic program navigation server;

after the program information request is sent to the electronic program navigation server, the electronic program navigation server queries the user list according to a set top box identifier included in the program information request, so that the electronic program navigation server only provides a multicast address of the program and a unicast address of the program for the set top box corresponding to the set top box identifier included in the user list, and the set top box requests a multicast stream of the program from the multicast server according to the multicast address of the program or requests a unicast stream of the program from the unicast server according to the unicast address of the program.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein prior to said sending the first unicast traffic request to the scheduling server, the method further comprises:

determining that the set top box is allowed to request the unicast service according to configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used for indicating that the set top box is allowed to request the unicast service;

the configuration information is sent by the management server to a set top box corresponding to each set top box identifier in the M set top box identifiers, and the configuration information is used for indicating that the set top box is allowed to request unicast service.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein before the determining from the configuration information that the set top box is allowed to request unicast service, the method further comprises:

and receiving the configuration information sent by the management server.

6. The method according to any of claims 3-5, wherein if the scheduling server determines that the set top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program according to the network status, the method further comprises:

and receiving a service rejection message sent by the scheduling server, wherein the service rejection message is used for indicating that the set top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program.

7. A method for switching IPTV multicast to unicast is applied to a scheduling server, and comprises the following steps:

receiving a first unicast service request sent by a set top box, wherein the first unicast service request comprises an address of the scheduling server and a unicast address of a program;

determining a unicast stream allowing the set top box to request the program according to a network state, wherein the network state comprises the number of current unicast users and the resource consumption condition of a user access network;

sending a service redirection message to the set top box, wherein the service redirection message comprises a unicast server address of a unicast stream of the program requested by the set top box;

before receiving a first unicast service request sent by a set top box, a management server collects user information of N users, wherein N represents the number of the users for opening an interactive network television IPTV; screening and generating a user list according to the N user information, wherein the user list comprises M set top box identifications, and M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; the management server configures the user list to an electronic program navigation server;

after the electronic program navigation server receives a program information request sent by a set top box, the electronic program navigation server inquires a user list according to a set top box identifier included in the program information request, so that the electronic program navigation server only provides a multicast address of a program and a unicast address of the program for the set top box corresponding to the set top box identifier included in the user list, and the set top box requests a multicast stream of the program from the multicast server according to the multicast address of the program or requests a unicast stream of the program from the unicast server according to the unicast address of the program.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein after determining whether to allow the set top box to request unicast service of the program according to the network status, the method further comprises:

the judgment result is that the set top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program;

and sending a service rejection message to the set top box, wherein the service rejection message is used for indicating that the set top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program.

9. A management server, comprising:

the system comprises a processing unit, a network processing unit and a network management unit, wherein the processing unit is used for collecting user information of N users, the user information comprises at least one of set top box identification, user account numbers, user service account numbers, set top box multicast failure rate, user home equipment models, user priority and user networking information, and N represents the number of users for opening the IPTV;

the processing unit is further configured to filter and generate a user list according to the N user information, where the user list includes M set top box identifiers, and M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N;

a sending unit, configured to send the user list to an electronic program navigation server;

the sending unit is further configured to send configuration information to a set top box corresponding to each set top box identifier in the M set top box identifiers, where the configuration information is used to indicate that the set top box is allowed to request a unicast service.

10. An electronic program guide server, comprising:

the system comprises a receiving unit, a processing unit and a processing unit, wherein the receiving unit is used for receiving a user list sent by a management server, and the user list comprises M set top box identifications;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a program information request sent by the set top box, where the program information request includes a set top box identifier and a program identifier;

the processing unit is used for inquiring the user list according to the set top box identifier;

the processing unit is further configured to determine that the user list includes the set top box identifier;

a sending unit, configured to send a program information response to the set top box, where the program information response includes a multicast address of a program corresponding to the program identifier and a unicast address of the program;

the management server collects user information of N users, wherein N represents the number of users for opening the IPTV; the user list comprises M set top box identifications, wherein M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; the management server configures a user list to the electronic program guide server.

11. A set top box, comprising:

the sending unit is used for sending a program information request to the electronic program navigation server, wherein the program information request comprises a set top box identifier and a program identifier;

a receiving unit, configured to receive a program information response sent by the electronic program navigation server, where the program information response includes a multicast address of a program corresponding to the program identifier and a unicast address of the program;

the processing unit is also used for requesting the multicast stream of the program according to the multicast address of the program;

the processing unit is used for not receiving the multicast stream of the program within a preset time length and determining that the multicast service request fails;

the sending unit is further configured to send a first unicast service request to a scheduling server, where the first unicast service request includes an address of the scheduling server and a unicast address of the program;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a service redirection message sent by the scheduling server, where the service redirection message includes a unicast server address of a unicast stream of the program requested by the set top box;

the sending unit is further configured to send a second unicast service request to the unicast server, where the second unicast service request includes the unicast server address and the unicast address of the program;

the management server collects user information of N users, wherein N represents the number of the users for opening the IPTV; screening and generating a user list according to the N user information, wherein the user list comprises M set top box identifications, and M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; the management server configures the user list to the electronic program navigation server;

after receiving a program request sent by a set top box, an electronic program navigation server queries a user list according to a set top box identifier included in the program information request, so that the electronic program navigation server only provides a multicast address of the program and a unicast address of the program for the set top box corresponding to the set top box identifier included in the user list, and the set top box requests a multicast stream of the program from a multicast server according to the multicast address of the program or requests a unicast stream of the program from the unicast server according to the unicast address of the program.

12. The set top box of claim 11,

the processing unit is further configured to determine, according to configuration information, that the set top box is allowed to request a unicast service, where the configuration information is used to indicate that the set top box is allowed to request a unicast service;

the configuration information is sent by the management server to a set top box corresponding to each set top box identifier in the M set top box identifiers, and the configuration information is used for indicating that the set top box is allowed to request unicast service.

13. The set top box of claim 12,

the receiving unit is further configured to receive the configuration information sent by the management server.

14. A set-top box according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein, after the scheduling server determines, based on the network status, that the set-top box is not allowed to request a unicast stream of the program,

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a service rejection message sent by the scheduling server, where the service rejection message is used to indicate that the set top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program.

15. A dispatch server, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first unicast service request sent by a set top box, where the first unicast service request includes an address of the scheduling server and a unicast address of a program;

the processing unit is used for determining a unicast stream allowing the set top box to request the program according to a network state, wherein the network state comprises the number of current unicast users, the resource consumption condition of a user access network, the number of current unicast users and the resource consumption condition of the user access network;

a sending unit, configured to send a service redirection message to the set top box, where the service redirection message includes a unicast server address of a unicast stream of the program requested by the set top box;

the management server collects user information of N users, wherein N represents the number of the users for opening the IPTV; screening and generating a user list according to the N user information, wherein the user list comprises M set top box identifications, and M is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; configuring a user list to an electronic program guide server;

after receiving a program information request sent by a set top box, an electronic program navigation server queries the user list according to a set top box identifier included in the program information request, so that the electronic program navigation server only provides a multicast address of a program and a unicast address of the program for the set top box corresponding to the set top box identifier included in the user list, and the set top box requests a multicast stream of the program from the multicast server according to the multicast address of the program or requests a unicast stream of the program from the unicast server according to the unicast address of the program.

16. The scheduling server of claim 15 wherein,

the processing unit is further configured to determine that the set top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program;

the sending unit is further configured to send a service rejection message to the set top box, where the service rejection message is used to indicate that the set top box is not allowed to request the unicast stream of the program.

17. A management server comprising a processor and a memory, the memory for storing instructions, the processor for executing the instructions to cause the management server to perform the method of any of claims 1-2.

18. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a management server, cause the management server to perform the method of claim 1.

19. A management server, wherein the management server is a product comprising a chip, and the chip structure of the management server comprises a processor and a memory, the memory is coupled to the processor and is used for storing program instructions and data of the management server, and the processor is used for executing the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the management server executes the method of claim 1.

20. An electronic program guide server comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions, the processor being configured to execute the instructions to cause the electronic program guide server to perform the method of claim 2.

21. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on an electronic program guide server, cause the electronic program guide server to perform the method of claim 2.

22. An electronic program guide server, wherein the electronic program guide server is a product in a form of a chip, and the electronic program guide server comprises a processor and a memory, the memory is coupled to the processor and is configured to store program instructions and data of the electronic program guide server, and the processor is configured to execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the electronic program guide server performs the method according to claim 2.

23. A set-top box comprising a processor and a memory, the memory for storing instructions, the processor for executing the instructions to cause the set-top box to perform the method of any of claims 3-6.

24. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a set-top box, cause the set-top box to perform the method of any one of claims 3-6.

25. A dispatch server, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory to store instructions, the processor to execute the instructions to cause the dispatch server to perform the method of any of claims 7-8.

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