JP2005130087A - Multimedia information equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to quickly view a program in channel switching of digital broadcast. <P>SOLUTION: A channel information extraction part 104 stores information concerning a channel (and a program) being viewed at present into a channel information storage part 105. A channel transition history storage part 111 stores the history of user's channel transition. A user profile generation part 115 prepares a user profile indicating an operation pattern concerning the user's channel (program) transition from data stored in the storage part 111 and stores the user profile into a user profile storage part 116. A channel transition inference part 109 infers and determines the candidates of channels (programs) to which the user may shift the viewing channel (program) next at high probability from the user profile stored in the storage part 116 and the channel (program) information stored in the storage part 105. An information receiving part setting part 117 sets the reception of channel candidates to an information receiving part 101 or 102 which is not being used for present viewing on the basis of the inference result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a multimedia information device having a digital broadcast receiving function, a streaming broadcast receiving function, or an Internet connection function. More specifically, the present invention relates to a more comfortable operation feeling when switching a digital broadcast receiving channel or switching an Internet display site. The present invention relates to multimedia information equipment that provides information.

  In recent years, information has been distributed from various media to homes. For example, as broadcast waves, terrestrial, satellite and CATV (cable TV) provide TV broadcasts, radio broadcasts and data broadcasts, and images, sounds and information are provided via the communication line via the Internet and e-mail. Yes.

  Especially in the broadcasting system, the transition to so-called digital broadcasting systems, in which television signals are digitized and transmitted, is progressing, and in these systems, by adopting digital transmission and encoding methods, more than before, It has become possible to distribute a lot of content. In addition, high quality and multi-channel are progressing.

  MPEG2 video / audio coding and MPEG2 systems are adopted as the information coding system and transmission (multiplexing) system of this digital broadcasting system, respectively. MPEG2 video coding adopted as an information coding method uses a characteristic of general moving images to transmit a basic intra-frame coded image (I frame) at a substantially constant period. Is transmitted as an inter-frame encoded image (B frame, P frame) that encodes a difference value from the I frame, thereby reducing the overall transmission amount. In addition, the MPEG2 system, which is a multiplexing system for transmission, transmits information to be transmitted by dispersing it in packets called MPEG2 TS (transport stream), and information for reconstructing each packet on the receiver side. It is a system that transmits information called a PSI (Program Specific Information) section together.

  In the future, broadcast receivers, especially digital broadcast receivers, will not only receive broadcast waves, but will also incorporate Internet connection functions, which were traditional PC (personal computer) functions, and will receive information from various media. It is expected to evolve into a composite multimedia information device that can be enjoyed on a single device.

  On the other hand, in the communication system, with the advancement of digital encoding technology for image data and audio data, and the development of network environment (broadbanding), the distribution of moving images comparable to the image quality of VHS or DVD over the Internet, so-called streaming content Distribution (also called “streaming broadcasting”) is becoming widespread.

  This streaming broadcast uses the expression “broadcast”, but its mechanism is significantly different from that of normal television broadcast (broadcast: push type). Basically, there is no change in image / sound distribution over a communication line (peer-to-peer connection environment) such as the Internet, and the user needs to perform an operation to acquire desired streaming content autonomously. (Pull type). That is, unlike normal television reception, it cannot be received immediately after matching the channels.

  At present, streaming broadcasting is mostly received (utilized) using a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”), and therefore generally requires the following procedure.

  A user who wants to view a streaming broadcast first activates an Internet browser (browsing software) in order to find a desired content (streaming broadcast program) from many streaming contents scattered on the Internet. Visit the portal site or search using a search engine to find the desired streaming content.

  When program information (such as a title), distribution information (such as start time), and address information (URL: Uniform Resource Locator) relating to the desired streaming content is obtained, the address (URL) where the streaming content exists is accessed (Internet connection). The streaming content acquisition is started (streaming broadcast is received), and application software for reproducing the streaming is started and viewed (reproduced).

  Also, when receiving streaming content, data buffering processing for several seconds to several tens of seconds is usually required before playback is started. This buffering process is also a necessary requirement for decoding received data on the terminal side. However, most of the buffering process compensates for the uncertainties of data transmission mainly on the Internet, and smooths the terminal side. This is necessary for playback.

  Unlike the conventional analog broadcasting, the digital broadcasting system as described above has a problem that it takes time to change the channel. The first reason is due to the encoding method. When video data is decoded on the receiving device side, other frames cannot be restored unless the arrival of the I frame is waited. The second reason is due to the multiplexing method. In order to reconstruct the packetized video and audio information, the PSI sent together with the video and audio is received and arranged in the PSI. Various tables and descriptors are interpreted, and video and audio information must be reconstructed after waiting for arrival of a desired packet.

  Both are caused by the mechanism of the digital broadcasting system itself, and until now, it has been devised not to let the user perceive the slowness of switching, such as leaving the screen of the previous channel as a still image at the time of channel switching. However, this method does not essentially shorten the switching time.

  As another problem, there is a problem of display performance (speed) when the Internet access function is taken into the digital broadcast receiving apparatus.

  Conventionally, the display (switching) speed when accessing the Internet is often determined by the communication speed of the network. However, recent PCs have increased memory capacity and improved CPU speed. As a result, when a certain site is displayed, data of all sites linked from the site is read in advance and stored in the memory (or hard disk) in the PC, and then the user designates the link destination. Browser software with a pre-read function that displays data that has been read in advance in the memory (or hard disk) of a PC without accessing a server on the Internet is realized. ing. However, it is difficult to adopt such a method in a digital broadcast receiving apparatus which is a consumer product that is generally costly.

  Therefore, when the Internet access function is installed in the digital broadcast receiving apparatus, the conventional basic method, that is, the method in which the user first accesses the server on the Internet after specifying the link destination from the viewpoint of cost or the like. As a result, there was a problem that the display speed could not be sufficiently obtained.

  Currently, streaming broadcasting is mainly used by PC (personal computer) users. However, in the near future, the broadband communication line to the home will make it possible to enjoy streaming broadcast on the TV in the living room as well as normal TV broadcast.

  In such a case, the streaming broadcast is required to select and view a program (content) with the same feeling as a normal television broadcast.

  Viewing a streaming broadcast using a PC is the same as pulling information in response to a user's own request (instruction), like browsing a conventional website and e-mail. Even if the searchability and browsing ability are low, a normal PC user may not feel uncomfortable.

  However, general television viewers are accustomed to seeing a desired program as soon as the television receiver is turned on and a channel is selected. For this reason, it is not possible for TV viewers themselves to search for the streaming content itself and the location (address and file name if necessary) that they want to see, and then perform the pull-type content distribution operation from there. Realistic.

  There is a need to provide a form that allows the user to select and view content in a simpler manner with a TV viewing sensation.

  Furthermore, as described above, when receiving a streaming broadcast, unlike normal television broadcast reception, when switching the streaming content, a time of several seconds to several tens of seconds is required, which is a waiting time for the user.

  This is due to the above-described buffering time, and the time required for buffering (cache) the desired streaming content to the distribution-side server and the predetermined amount of buffering on the receiving terminal side. In general, the higher the bit rate of the content, that is, the higher the image quality, the longer the buffering time.

  As a result, there is a problem that the user cannot view the desired streaming content (program) as if switching the channel of the television broadcast.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a multimedia information device that can display (switch) at higher speed when switching channels for digital broadcasting or selecting an Internet site.

  It is an object of the present invention to present a multimedia information device capable of switching content (program) display at a higher speed when receiving a streaming broadcast via a communication line such as the Internet.

  The multimedia information device according to the present invention includes an information receiving means for receiving a digital broadcast, a channel information detecting means for detecting channel information of a display channel, and a channel transition history for storing history data of channel transition based on a user operation. Storage means; operation profile generation means for generating a user profile relating to channel transition based on the history data; inference means for predicting a next display channel based on the operation profile; and a next display channel predicted by the inference means Information receiving setting means for setting the information receiving means to the information receiving means.

  The multimedia information device according to the present invention includes address information detecting means for detecting address information of a display site on the Internet, site transition history storing means for storing history data of display site transitions based on user operations, and the history. Operation profile generation means for generating a user profile related to site transition based on data, inference means for predicting the next display site based on the operation profile, and the Internet that reads in advance data of the next display site predicted from the inference means It is characterized by comprising a connection control means and an information storage unit for storing pre-read display site data.

  The multimedia information device according to the present invention is a multimedia information device having a streaming content receiving function, which is a meta information extracting means for extracting meta information including an address of the streaming content, and the streaming content according to user viewing (playback). Viewing history storage means for storing history data relating to viewing, viewing profile generation means for generating a user profile relating to viewing of streaming content based on the operation history data, and streaming that is likely to be viewed by a user based on the viewing profile Inference means for predicting and determining content, Internet connection control means for reading data of the next streaming content candidate designated by the inference means in advance, and a streaming controller read in advance Characterized in that it comprises a data storage means for storing data Ntsu.

  The multimedia information device according to the present invention is a multimedia information device having a streaming content receiving function, wherein the meta information extracting means for extracting meta information including the address of the streaming content, and the streaming content according to the user's viewing switching operation Transition history storage means for storing history data relating to transitions between, operation profile generation means for generating user profiles relating to transitions between streaming contents based on the transition history data, and prediction of next streaming content based on the operation profiles Determining inference means, Internet connection control means for reading in advance the streaming content candidate data designated by the inference means, and data for the streaming content read in advance Characterized in that it comprises a 憶 information storage unit.

  According to the present invention, based on a user profile generated based on channel switching when watching TV or site switching when browsing the Internet, the next channel or next site candidate that the user is supposed to designate next is predicted, and the next By receiving or reading candidate information in advance, when the user switches between channels or sites, information on the next channel or next site can be displayed at high speed.

  In addition, based on a user profile generated based on viewing of streaming content, a content candidate that the user is supposed to designate next is predicted, and data (a part) of the next candidate is received (buffered) in advance. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a multimedia information device that can display at high speed when the user switches viewing content.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating main blocks of a multimedia information device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The multimedia information device 100 is a digital broadcast receiving terminal that performs processing for broadcast media as an information source, receives a broadcast wave from an antenna (not shown), and is controlled by a remote controller 114 to select a program selected by the user. (Video, audio) and information (data broadcast, etc.) are output to the display unit 108.

  The multimedia information device 100 includes an information reception unit 101, an information reception unit 102, an information separation unit 103, a channel information extraction unit 104, a channel information storage unit 105, an A / V / D decoder 106, a display synthesis unit 107, a channel transition inference. Unit 109, guide screen generation unit 110, channel transition history storage unit 111, calendar clock 112, command reception unit 113, user profile generation unit 115, user profile storage unit 116, and information reception unit setting unit 117.

  The information receiving units 101 and 102 selectively receive radio waves of a predetermined frequency from digital broadcast waves transmitted via an antenna or cable (not shown), and perform demodulation, A / D conversion, and error. Processing such as correction and descrambling for limited reception as necessary is performed to generate a data string called a transport stream (TS).

  The information separation unit 103 separates the transport stream output from the information reception unit 102 into video information, audio information, and data broadcast information, and related information accompanying these information, and the former is A / V / D The data is supplied to the decoder 106, and the latter is supplied to the channel information extraction unit 104.

  The channel information extraction unit 104 includes information related to the transmission path of each channel (modulation frequency, etc.), information related to a broadcast program (program title, broadcast date, time, etc.) from information sent as PSI / SI. Are extracted in association with each other and stored in the channel information storage unit 105.

  The A / V / D decoder 106 decodes the video information, the audio information, and the data broadcast related information from the information separation unit 103, and sends the decoded information to the display composition unit 107 as display data.

  The guide screen generation unit 110 generates a program information (EPG: electronic program guide) screen for selecting a program based on the information stored in the channel information storage unit 105. The generated guide screen is sent to the display synthesizing unit 107, and synthesized or switched with the display data body such as video, audio, and data from the A / V / D decoder 107, and displayed on the display unit 108.

  The remote controller 114 is a key part of the user interface when trying to view programs and information provided by TV broadcasting. The user can directly operate the remote controller 114 based on a guide screen displayed on the display unit 108. And used to select the desired program and information.

  The command receiving unit 113 receives a command from the remote controller 114, determines which program the user has shifted from the program currently being viewed based on the content of the command, and sends it to the channel transition history storage unit 111.

  The calendar clock 112, in cooperation with the command receiving unit 113, provides the channel transition history storage unit 111 with the date, day of the week, and time when the user switched the channel and viewed, and before and after the channel (program) transition, The channel transition history storage unit 111 is controlled so that it is recorded as a history only when viewing.

  As described above, the channel transition history storage unit 111 is composed of a data table that stores a history of which channel or program the user was viewing on which channel and which channel (program) the user has transitioned to. . In addition to basic information consisting of program channel, broadcast date and time (date, day of the week, and time), category, subcategory, title, etc., more detailed information provided by the broadcasting station (producer name, production, etc.) The parameter type to be handled changes in accordance with the processing algorithm of the user profile generation unit 115.

  The user profile generation unit 115 performs arithmetic processing on data input from the channel transition history storage unit 111 according to a predetermined algorithm (not necessarily fixed, and may be switched depending on a case), and the user channel (program) transition A user profile which is operation pattern data (knowledge base) is created and stored in the user profile storage unit 116.

  The user profile related to the channel (program) transition stored in the user profile storage unit 116 is a personal profile body of each user who uses the multimedia information device 100. Each person (father, mother, child ...) is stored and managed independently. Of course, the profile information of the family members (for a plurality of persons) may be accumulated together as one family profile, not by individual.

  The channel transition inference unit 109 is based on user profile data related to channel transition stored in the user profile storage unit 116 and currently viewable channel (program) information stored in the channel information storage unit 105 based on a predetermined algorithm. The channel (program) candidates that the user is likely to move to are inferred and determined. Here, when the user's next viewing program candidate exists in the same channel as the channel currently being viewed, it is a matter of course that no instruction to shift to a channel is issued.

  The information receiving unit setting unit 117 sets reception parameters (channel frequency and the like) in the information receiving units (tuners) 101 and 102 according to an instruction from the channel transition inference unit 109 so that the next candidate channel can be received. If the program currently being viewed is received by the information receiving unit 101, the next candidate channel is set in the information receiving unit 102. On the contrary, when the program currently being viewed is received by the information receiving unit 102, the next candidate channel is set in the information receiving unit 101. That is, the reception parameter of the next candidate channel is set to a receiving unit that is not currently used among the two information receiving units 101 and 102.

  FIG. 2 shows a basic operation flow regarding channel switching using a user operation profile according to the present embodiment. With reference to FIG. 2, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  When the power of the digital broadcast receiving terminal 100 is turned on (S111), the information receiving unit 101 first receives the channel selected at the end of the previous viewing and displays the image on the screen of the display unit 108. (S112).

  At the same time, information regarding the channel (& program) currently being viewed is extracted by the channel information extraction unit 104 and stored in the channel information storage unit 105 (S113). The channel information storage unit 105 sequentially updates and stores various SI information for generating a guide screen (EPG) in addition to information on the channel currently being viewed.

  The current date and day of the week are identified by the calendar clock 112 (S115). Thereafter, the channel transition inference unit 109 collates the profile data related to channel switching with the current channel (& program) information, and predicts and determines the next channel candidate (S116, S117).

  Here, in the past channel transition history (viewing history), there are those in which the corresponding channel, day of the week and time, and the program type (category, subcategory, etc.) match, and the channel transition destination in that case If there is a history, it is easy to infer and determine the next channel candidate from the information. As an example, the channel (& program) having the largest number of transitions from the currently viewed channel (& program) may be set as the next candidate. However, the history does not always remain in all cases. Therefore, in this embodiment, all of channel, program type, time, etc. are temporarily used by using a user profile that generalizes the channel transition history without applying the past channel (program) history of the user as it is. Even if the parameters do not match, an algorithm that can determine the next candidate is adopted.

  Since switching across channels is targeted, if the next program candidate exists in the same channel, the information receiving unit setting unit 117 is not particularly instructed to set the channel.

  When the next channel candidate is determined, parameters (in this case, the receiving unit 102) that are not currently receiving the information processing receiving unit (here, the receiving unit 101) receive parameters (for receiving the next channel candidate). A reception frequency or the like is set (S118). Furthermore, information (PSI / SI etc.) necessary for decoding the next channel candidate is received and stored in advance.

  Basically, the operation of the digital broadcast receiving apparatus stands by in this state, that is, the reception state in which the next channel candidate is set to the second tuner.

  In this state, when a channel switching operation is performed by the user, it is determined whether the instructed channel matches the predicted next channel candidate (S120). If they match, the information reception unit 102 is switched (S121), the channel is received, the packet is reconstructed based on the previously stored PSI / SI information, and the A / V / D decoder 106 send. As a result, the channel change (display) can be performed at a higher speed than when the channel change instruction is issued by the user and then the reception channel of the information reception unit is switched and then the PSI / SI information is received.

  At this time, not only the information receiving unit (tuner) but also two A / V / D decoders are provided, so that the process from the reception of information to the decoding of the video and audio can be performed in parallel. it can. In that case, faster channel switching is possible. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The feature of the present embodiment is that the next channel candidate is determined based on the user profile, and various configurations can be adopted as the configuration of the receiving system according to the required conditions.

  If a channel different from the channel predicted as the next channel candidate is designated as a result of channel switching by the user (S120), the reception parameter is set in the information receiving unit 102 (S122), and the reception environment is ready. , Switch the display. Thereby, compared with the case where a receiving channel is reset to the same information receiving part, the substantial switching speed becomes the same, but smooth switching is possible on the display screen.

  When the built-in calendar clock 112 determines that the viewer has watched for a predetermined time or longer after the channel switching (S124), the result is stored in the channel transition history storage unit 111 as a channel transition history (S125). The user profile is updated (S126). Note that this profile update may be performed at any time or at regular intervals if the CPU processing capacity of the device is sufficient, or in the case of a CPU with insufficient processing capacity, such as a midnight time zone. It may also be carried out in anticipation of a time period when television viewing is not performed. In the latter case, it is updated once a day.

  FIG. 3 is an example of user profile data used in this embodiment. In FIG. 3, C_ch_ID and N_ch_ID are channel IDs before and after channel switching, respectively, and C_prog_ID and N_prog_ID are program IDs before and after channel switching, respectively. C_Cat and C_Scat are the category and subcategory of the program that was viewed before switching the channel, respectively. N_Cat and N_SCat are the category and subcategory of the program viewed after channel switching, respectively. The program category is a major classification of programs being broadcast such as news, sports, dramas, and education, and the subcategory is a finer classification of each category. Specific examples of subcategories include baseball, soccer, and golf for sports. Date, Day, and Time represent the date, day of the week, and time when the channel transition occurred, and these pieces of information are input from the calendar clock 112 in the device. Date_Stamp is the latest date on which the event (channel transition) has occurred, and is input from the calendar clock 112 in the device in the same manner as Date, Day, and Time. Freq represents the frequency of occurrence of the event.

  In addition, the notation: −1 in FIG. 3 means “Don't care” and means that it is irrespective of the value of this parameter.

  For example, in the table shown in FIG. 3, the top row was broadcast on channel 14 at 8 pm (Time = 20) on Saturday (Day = 6) regardless of the date (notation: −1). This shows that the history of switching from the program with program ID 53 to the program with program ID 32 in channel 16 has been 8 times (Freq = 8) in the past. At the same time, the program before switching (program ID = 53) is baseball (C_Scat_ID = 120) of sports (C_Cat_ID = 2), and the program after switching (program ID = 32) is drama (N_Cat_ID = 16). I understand that.

  Although explanations of specific category and subcategory IDs are omitted, FIG. 3 shows some examples. A specific number (ID) is assigned to each category (sports, news, etc.).

  The fifth row of the table of FIG. 3 shows the channel 5 program ID = 133 to the channel 8 at 7:00 am (Time = 07) regardless of the day of the week and date (Date = −1, Day = −1). It can be seen that the program ID is switched to 264.

  The next channel candidate is determined by referring to such a user profile and performing arithmetic processing using a predetermined algorithm (for example, sorting (reordering) under a certain condition and then filtering under a certain condition). If there is no completely matched item in the profile at a certain channel switching timing, as described above, some parameters are treated as “Don't care” and are more generalized (relaxed conditions). Find a match and make it a candidate for the next channel.

  As shown in the eighth row of the table shown in FIG. 3, the viewing program has been transferred, but when there is no transition between channels (time zone), it is not particularly necessary to predict the next channel candidate. In such a time zone, an adjacent channel is set as a next channel candidate in preparation for the user's channel hopping (so-called zapping viewing).

  In order to simplify the explanation, the user profile related to channel transition shown in FIG. 3 is historical data in units of one hour as a time parameter, but in reality, a history with a finer frequency remains. become. Therefore, the digital broadcast receiving terminal to which this embodiment is applied operates to always check the current viewing channel (program) and the current time (date, day of the week) and continue to set the next channel candidate dynamically. To do.

  Although the embodiment including two information receiving units has been described, it is possible to set the predicted first and second candidates by providing three information receiving units. By doing this, it is clear that the hit rate at the time of channel switching becomes higher. There is also an advantage that it is possible to set up adjacent channels in both the up / down directions even when the adjacent channels are set in a time zone in which no prediction based on the history is necessary.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a user profile related to channel transition is generated from the history of channel transition of the user, the next candidate of the channel is predicted based on the profile, and the next candidate is assigned to one of a plurality of tuners. By setting in advance to receive, it is possible to eliminate the delay at the time of channel switching that has been in the conventional digital broadcast receiving terminal, and it is possible to perform comfortable channel switching and display.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a multimedia information device 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The multimedia information device 200 is a digital broadcast receiving terminal that performs processing for broadcast media as a basic information source, and an Internet connection function is added to the multimedia information device 100. However, for simplification of explanation, only the Internet connection function portion is extracted and shown in FIG.

  The Internet connection unit 201 is a connection unit (modem, router, etc.) to a communication line such as a telephone line, CATV, ADSL, and ISDN as hardware, and controls exchange of Internet protocols such as TCP / IP as software. Refers to middleware (driver). The Internet is accessed via the Internet connection unit 201, and information on various websites (hereinafter simply referred to as sites) is taken from there.

  The information storage units 202, 203, and 204 are buffer memories that store site information (display data). The information storage units 202, 203, and 204 store information on the currently displayed site and link destination information. The operation will be described later. Each piece of monomedia information sent as information on the site to be displayed is input to the monomedia decoder 205 and decoded (decoded) in accordance with the respective description language and encoding method. The display screen generation unit 206 arranges the decoded display information in a predetermined layout based on the received layout information, and generates a display screen. The generated screen is sent to the display unit 218 and displayed.

  The address information extraction unit 207 extracts the address (URL) of the currently displayed site and the address of a site that can be linked from the address, and stores it in the address information storage unit 208. At this time, as a linkable site, at least one layer is extracted and held, but two or more layers may be stored according to the configuration and capacity of the information storage unit.

  The remote controller 214, command receiver 213, and calendar clock 212 are different depending on whether the target display data is a channel (program) or an Internet site, and the basic functions are the same as the corresponding elements of the first embodiment shown in FIG. It is. However, the remote control 214 is provided with a URL (text) input function in addition to a simple channel switching function.

  The site transition history storage unit 211 is a data table that stores a history of which site the user is browsing and which site the user has moved from. The parameters to be stored are the URL of the site, date, day of the week, time, title, and the like.

  The user profile generation unit 215 performs arithmetic processing on the data input from the site transition history storage unit 211 with a predetermined algorithm, creates a user profile that is operation pattern data (knowledge base) related to the user's site transition, and stores the user profile. Stored in the unit 216.

  The site transition inference unit 209 applies a predetermined algorithm from user profile data related to site transition stored in the user profile storage unit 216 and a site linkable from the current site stored in the site information storage unit 208. Based on this, a candidate site that is likely to be transferred to the next user is inferred and determined.

  The internet connection control unit 217 sets the internet connection unit 201 to access the next candidate site information according to an instruction from the site transition reasoning unit 209. When information on the currently displayed (viewed) site is stored (buffered) in the information storage unit 202, information on the next candidate site is stored in the information storage unit 203. In the present embodiment, of the three information storage units, information on the next candidate site is stored in advance in a storage unit that is not currently used for display.

  It can also be used to hold the previous information of the currently displayed site for when the user presses the return button for one of the information storage units.

  FIG. 5 shows a basic operation flowchart relating to site switching using a user operation profile according to the embodiment shown in FIG. The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the power is turned on and the Internet browser application is activated (S211), first, information on the site specified in the activation page is received and stored in the information storage unit 202 (S212, S213).

  The display data of the site stored in the information storage unit 202 is decoded by the monomedia decoder 205, generated as one display screen based on the layout information, and displayed on the display unit 218.

  At the same time, the address information extraction unit 207 extracts the address of the currently viewed site and address information that can be linked from this site (up to one level below here) (S214), and stores it in the address information storage unit 208. (S215).

  Next, the current date and day of the week are identified by the calendar clock 212 (S216), and the site transition reasoning unit 209 compares the profile data related to site switching with the current site address information to predict and determine the next site candidate. (S217, S218).

  Here, if there is an item in the past site transition history (browsing history) that matches the address (URL) of the currently browsing site, and there is a history of the destination site in that case, It is easy to infer and determine the next site candidate from the information. As an example, a site having the largest number of transitions from the currently viewed site may be set as the next candidate. In the case of a website, unlike the TV channel (program) transition described in the first embodiment, there is not much incidental information (category etc.) other than the address related to the site. Therefore, the next candidate can be determined even when the full addresses do not match, such as by extracting text information in the address.

  When the next site candidate is determined, the address (URL) of the next site candidate is sent to the Internet connection control unit 217, and the address (URL) of the next site candidate is set in the Internet connection unit 201 (S219).

  The Internet connection unit 201 accesses the address (URL) of the next site candidate, receives the information (data) of the site (S220), and stores it in the information storage unit 203. Since information on the currently displayed site is stored in the information storage unit 202, information on the next site candidate is stored in the information storage unit 203, which is the next storage unit. In the operation flow shown in FIG. 5, it is described as an information storage unit N + 1 (S221).

  A typical website on the Internet is typically not only linked from several other sites, but is often linked to one or more, sometimes even tens of sites. In order to cope with such a situation, in this embodiment, not only one next site candidate is set, but also a plurality of candidates (second and third candidates) can be set. In the block diagram shown in FIG. 4, a configuration in which three information storage units 202, 203, and 204 are provided is shown, but in actuality, the number may be determined according to the requirements (performance and cost) of the device. . Naturally, the more you can, the more comfortable you can achieve.

  When one next site candidate is predicted and the information is read in advance, the next site candidate linked from there (predicting the current browsing site, two levels below) is predicted, and the information on the site is stored in the information storage unit. It is also possible to read in one (part). Although not clearly shown in the operation flow shown in FIG. 5, such an operation can be realized by returning from step S221 to step S241 once in FIG.

  Since one of the information storage units is currently occupied by storing the currently displayed site information, the prediction, reception and storage of the next site candidate are repeated until (number of information storage units −1) is reached. Basically, the next site candidate information fills the information storage unit and waits for a link designation by the user.

  In this state, when a link destination designation operation is performed by the user (S223), it is determined whether the address (URL) of the designated link destination (site) matches the predicted next site candidate (S224). . If they match, the information storage unit 203 or the hall 204 is switched (S225), and information from there is sent to the decoder 205 for display. In this case, since the information on the site is read in advance, it is possible to display much faster than when the link destination is specified and the information is downloaded (read) by connecting to the site.

  On the other hand, if the link destination site designated by the user is not set as the next site candidate, access to the designated site is set in the Internet connection unit 201 as usual (S226), and information on the site is downloaded. (S227).

  Regardless of the match / mismatch with the next site candidate, after the display site is transferred, if the built-in calendar clock 112 determines that the browsing is over a certain time (S229), the result is the site transition history storage unit as the site transition history 211 (S230), and then the user profile is updated as appropriate (S231). The update timing of the user file is the same as in the first embodiment.

  The structure of the user profile in the second embodiment is basically the same as the user profile in the first embodiment (FIG. 3). As parameters constituting the profile, the date, time, day of the week, date of last update, etc. are common, but since the events to be handled are different such as TV viewing and Internet browsing, parameters other than the common items are supplementary information of TV programs ( Category and sub-category) and the incidental information (URL and text information) of the Internet site.

  After the profile update, the process returns to step S214 to extract the currently viewed address, predict the next site candidate by the same flow as described above, and store the information in the information storage unit in advance.

  As a basic operation of the present embodiment, when channel switching or browsing site switching is performed once, the next candidate is predicted from each time and the operation is performed to prepare for the next switching.

  A feature of the second embodiment is that a next site candidate for Internet access is determined by a user profile created based on a past inter-site transition (link) history. In order to increase the hit rate of the next candidate, it is necessary to have a sufficient amount of browsing history, the number of profile parameters, and a sufficient storage capacity for storing the next candidate. You should consider the optimal configuration.

  FIG. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of an embodiment for receiving a streaming broadcast. A multimedia information device 300 shown in FIG. 6 is a multimedia receiving terminal for broadcasting media and the Internet as information sources. In addition to receiving digital broadcasting, the multimedia information device 300 receives various images and data via the Internet, The program selected by the user, streaming content (video and audio), and Internet information (website, e-mail, etc.) can be output to the display unit 318. For simplification of explanation, FIG. 6 shows only the portion of the streaming broadcast reception function extracted.

  The multimedia information device 300 includes an Internet connection unit 301, a content profile storage unit 302, a data buffer 303, a data buffer 304, a media decoder 305, a display screen generation unit 306, an address / meta information extraction unit 307, and an address / meta information storage unit. 308, a content inference unit 309, a user profile storage unit 310, a content viewing / transition history storage unit 311, a calendar clock 312, a command reception unit 313, a remote controller 314, a user profile generation unit 315, and an Internet connection control unit 316.

  The Internet connection unit 301 corresponds to a connection unit (modem, router, etc.) to a communication line such as a telephone line, CATV, ADSL, and FTTH as hardware, and a transport layer such as TCP, UDP, and IP as software. It corresponds to middleware (protocol stack) corresponding to an application layer that supports relatively lower-level Internet protocols corresponding to the network layer and different protocols (such as RTSP / RDT and MMS) depending on the type of streaming content. An external web server is accessed via the Internet connection unit 301, and various video, audio, and various information including streaming contents are fetched therefrom. The Internet connection unit 301 can simultaneously access a plurality of web servers and a plurality of contents in the server as needed. That is, a plurality of sessions can be established.

  The content profile storage unit 302 stores meta information of streaming content. The meta information here is information about the streaming content (content profile), and is described in the meta file sent from the streaming server before actual content distribution and the header portion of the content body. Recently, content profile information may be included in a file described in SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language). In these metafiles, in addition to the meta information itself (substance), the related link destination (URL) is often described as the profile information of the content. Accordingly, by referring to the metafile and following the link destination described therein, the profile information of the content can be acquired as a series of meta information.

  The meta information (content profile) includes information relating to the content body such as the content location address (URL), title, genre, abstract (summary), playback time, display resolution, target line rate, recording availability, producer, etc. There is information about distribution (target line rate, etc.). Content logo data that can be used to create content guide screens on the receiving terminal side can also be obtained by following the link destination.

  Data buffers 303 and 304 are buffer memories for storing streaming content data. Here, streaming data of the current and next candidate contents is stored, and the operation will be described later.

  The media decoder 305 decodes (decodes) streaming content and site information (characters, images, etc.) sent in various formats according to the respective description language and encoding method. The display screen generation unit 306 adjusts each decoded display information (data) to a predetermined presentation form based on the received layout and size information, and generates a display screen. The generated screen is sent to the display unit 318 and displayed.

  The address / meta information extraction unit 307 extracts elements necessary for content viewing history and inference, which will be described later, from the above-described meta information group including the address (URL) of the currently displayed content. And stored in the address / meta information storage unit 308. Even if the types of streaming contents are different, the content (description contents) of the meta information is not greatly different, but the description method (format) is different. Accordingly, the address / meta information extraction unit 307 is configured to be able to interpret a plurality of types of streaming content metafiles.

  The remote controller 314 is an important part of the user interface. When streaming content is received, the user directly controls the remote controller 314 based on the streaming content guide screen (or portal site screen) displayed on the display unit 308. Operate to select desired content. In addition to a channel switching function as a television remote control, a URL (text) input / selection function is added to the remote control 314.

  The command receiving unit 313 receives a command from the remote controller 314, and based on the content of the command, determines what content the user has viewed, and which content has been shifted from the viewed content to the content viewing / transition. It is sent to the history storage unit 311.

  The calendar clock 312 cooperates with the command receiving unit 313 to provide the content viewing / transition history storage unit 311 with the date, day of the week, and time when the user viewed the content, as well as the date, day of the week, and time when the content was switched. The content viewing / transition history storage unit 311 is controlled not only to view content but also to switch the content so that it is recorded as a history only when the content is viewed for a certain period of time before and after the content transition. .

  The content viewing / transition history storage unit 311 is a data table for storing a history of which content on which site the user is viewing and which content has been shifted from that content. The parameters to be stored are the URL and title of the content, the genre, the viewing date, the day of the week, and the time. The title and genre may be stored as necessary. In order to realize the basic function, the URL, date, day of the week, and time of the content may be stored.

  The user profile generation unit 315 processes the data input from the content viewing / transition history storage unit 311 with a predetermined algorithm, and obtains a user profile that is viewing / operation pattern data (knowledge base) related to user content viewing and transition. It is created and stored in the user profile storage unit 310. The algorithm of this process does not need to be fixed, and may be switched depending on the case.

  The user profile related to content viewing and transition is the personal profile body of each user who uses the multimedia information device 100, and is independent for each family member (such as father, mother and child) when used in a normal home. Accumulated and managed. However, depending on the case, the profile information of family members (for a plurality of persons) may be accumulated and managed as one family profile instead of individual.

  The content inference unit 309 applies a predetermined algorithm from the user profile data related to content viewing and transition stored in the user profile storage unit 310 and the currently linkable content stored in the address information storage unit 308. Based on this, the content that is likely to be selected next by the user is inferred and determined.

  In response to an instruction from the content inference unit 309, the Internet connection control unit 316 sets the Internet connection unit 301 to access the next candidate content information. If streaming data of the content currently being displayed and displayed (viewed) is stored (buffered) in the data buffer 303, the data of the next candidate content is stored in the data buffer 304. That is, the data of the next candidate content is buffered in advance in the storage unit not used for the current display. Therefore, the next candidate data can be buffered in advance by having two storage units as a minimum configuration of the data buffer and alternately using them.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. 7, 8, and 9 show a basic operation flow related to user viewing and content selection (switching) using an operation profile according to the present embodiment.

  When the multimedia information device 300 is turned on and viewing of streaming content is selected from a main menu (not shown), the multimedia information device 300 is connected to a previously designated streaming content portal site. Information described in HTML or the like of the site (page) and meta information (including an address (URL)) regarding all streaming contents registered therein are received and stored in the content profile storage unit 302 ( S313).

  Here, the meta information includes a location address (URL) of a content, a title, a category (genre), an abstract (summary), a reproduction time, recording availability, a producer, and the like. In addition, if possible, the distribution schedule and the like are acquired from information on the portal site.

  A series of information (meta information) related to the content stored in the content profile storage unit 302 is decoded by the media decoder 305, converted into a streaming content guide screen by the display screen generation unit 306, and displayed by the display unit 318. The (S314)

  The multimedia information device 300 integrates a streaming content guide function and an EPG (electronic program guide) function in digital broadcasting in order to seamlessly provide broadcast media and the Internet (media) to the user. The display is “integrated EPG” which can be confirmed on the screen with good listability.

  Of course, as a simpler display method, there is a method in which an Internet browser application is installed in the multimedia information device 300, and data of a portal site of some streaming contents existing on the Internet is received and displayed as it is. The user interface for selection is not very convenient. For this reason, the present embodiment employs the presentation form as described above.

  On the other hand, in steps S316 and S317, the address / meta information extraction unit 307 selects the address and file information of all the contents registered in the portal site from the information (meta information) stored in the content profile storage unit 302. (URL), title, category (genre), distribution schedule information, and the like are extracted and stored in the address / meta information storage unit 308.

  Next, the current date and time and the day of the week are identified from the calendar clock 312 (S317), and then the content inference unit 309 illuminates the user's profile data regarding the viewing and transition of the content and the information of the current streaming content guide, Candidates that are likely to be selected are predicted and determined (S318, S319). In FIG. 7, “next content candidate prediction” and “next content candidate determination” are described. These are the selection of the first streaming content immediately after the power is turned on and when switching from TV viewing to streaming viewing. In this case, it refers to predicting and determining the streaming content that is likely to be selected by the user from within the presented streaming content guide (S316) instead of “next”.

  At the same time and day of the week, if there is a match in the site address in the past content viewing and transition history, it is easy to infer and determine a viewing content candidate from that information. If there is no content with the same address, inference is made from the profile information of the content itself, such as the title, category, and creator of the content, regardless of distribution information such as the address, day of the week, and time, and candidates are determined.

  When the next content candidate is determined, the address (URL) of the next content candidate is sent to the Internet connection control unit 316, and the address (URL) of the next content candidate is set in the Internet connection unit 301 (S320).

  The Internet connection unit 301 accesses the address of the next content candidate, receives the streaming data of the site (S321), and stores it in the data buffer 303 (S322).

  Incidentally, the number of contents output as candidates from the content transition inference unit 309 is not necessarily one. Rather, there are many cases that range from several candidates to ten candidates. For this reason, in this embodiment, not only one next content candidate is buffered, but a plurality of (second and third) candidates are buffered. In that case, the Internet connection unit 301 simultaneously accesses URLs of a plurality of content candidates in accordance with instructions from the Internet connection control unit 316, and receives streaming data in parallel.

  FIG. 10 is an example of a data buffer management mode, and is a conceptual diagram when a necessary and sufficient capacity is allocated to each of the next content candidates from the content inference unit 309. Regarding the capacity of each segment (data buffer 1, 2, 3,...) In the data buffer, the distribution information (resolution, recommended distribution rate, etc.) of each content from the content profile (meta information) estimated as the next candidate. And the Internet connection unit 301 checks the traffic (congestion) status of the current communication path, calculates the actual line speed, and dynamically determines the buffering capacity required for each content. The resolution, distribution rate, etc. differ depending on the target content.

  Generally, the higher the resolution and the higher the delivery rate, the larger the buffer capacity required. In the example shown in FIG. 10, each segment (data buffers 1, 2, 3) is provided so that viewing can be smoothly started for any content within the next candidate (no image disturbance or interruption). ,...) Is basically allocated. In FIG. 10, segmentation is performed so that the maximum capacity is allocated to the content determined to require the most buffer capacity among the next content candidates. Accordingly, the number of contents buffered as the next candidate varies depending on the situation.

  FIG. 11 shows another example of a data buffer management mode. In FIG. 11, the largest buffer capacity is allocated to the next content candidate having the highest recommendation level (user selectability), and the small buffering capacity is sequentially allocated to the second and subsequent candidates. Yes. In this case, although it depends on the total buffer capacity, the necessary and sufficient capacity calculated from the above-described content distribution information and the line status is allocated to the content that is most likely to be selected as the next candidate. Allocates less buffering capacity sequentially, such as 90% and 80% of the required capacity.

  Further, the capacity allocation rate may be dynamically switched according to the recommendation degree (adaptation rate) of each next candidate output from the content inference unit 309. That is, when the first candidate is normalized as 100, the recommendation degree after the second candidate is 94, 88, 83. . . If so, the capacity of each segment is allocated according to the ratio. The degree of recommendation of the next content candidate is calculated by a predetermined algorithm in the content inference unit 309, but is roughly calculated based on the degree of matching of inference parameters (URL, genre, date, time, etc.).

  In FIG. 6, for the convenience of explanation, a diagram in which three data buffers are physically provided is shown. However, in reality, it is not necessary to have three physical buffers. The total capacity is determined by the performance and cost), and the number of data buffers (segments) and the respective capacities are determined dynamically. Naturally, a more comfortable operation feeling can be realized when the capacity and number of data buffers are larger.

  In this way, reception and buffering of the next content candidate are repeated up to the capacity of the data buffer. Basically, the user waits for content selection with the next content candidate filling the data buffer.

  In this state, when a content selection operation is performed by the user (S324), it is determined whether the address (URL including the file name) of the selected streaming content is predicted and buffered in the data buffer as the next content candidate. (S325). If they match, the data buffer is switched to the corresponding data buffer (S326), the data from there is sent to the decoder, and display is started (S329). At the same time, the Internet connection control unit 316 sets the connection to the address (URL) of the streaming content selected by the user with respect to the Internet connection unit 301, starts receiving the selected content, and then sequentially executes the data buffer. The streaming content is continuously played and viewed while updating the.

  In this way, by buffering the leading portion of the streaming content data that the user will select, the content can be played (viewed) as soon as the user selects the content, Compared with the case where information is downloaded (buffered) by connecting to the address and file (URL) after the content is designated, display at a much higher speed is possible.

  On the other hand, if the content selected by the user does not exist in the next content candidates, access to the designated site and file is set in the Internet connection unit 301 as usual (S327), and information on the site is buffered. Ring (S328).

  Regardless of whether or not it matches the next site candidate, if it is confirmed by the calendar clock 312 that the viewer has watched for a certain period of time after the transition to the display site (S330), the result is (streaming) content viewing history. It is stored in the content viewing / transition history storage unit 311 (S331), and then the user profile is updated as appropriate (S332). Note that the profile update may be performed at any time or at regular intervals if the CPU capacity of the device has a margin, and if there is no margin for the processing capability, it is usually a user, such as a midnight time zone. You may carry out in anticipation of the time zone when viewing by is not performed. In this case, it is updated once a day.

  After the profile update, the process returns to step S314, and if necessary, the currently viewed address is extracted, the next site candidate is predicted by the same flow as described above, and the information is stored in the information storage unit in advance. As a basic operation of the device, once switching of streaming content (site) is performed, the next candidate is predicted from each time and the operation is performed in preparation for the next switching.

  FIG. 12 is an example of user profile data relating to viewing used in the present embodiment. cnt_URL is the location address and file name (URL) of the content viewed by the user. CRID is a reference ID of the content. The content reference ID is an ID that identifies the content body independently of the URL that identifies the location of the content, and is a creator name + a classification name managed in a manner that guarantees the uniqueness of the content for each creator (content Category and series name). Incidentally, in FIG. 12, the notation “AAA / Sport” represents streaming content within the management category of sports of the creator of AAA or the content distribution manager.

  Cat is a category of the content. Specifically, there are news, sports, dramas, education, and the like. In the case of streaming content, at present, each content producer or distribution manager has its own classification.

  Note that standardization organizations such as MPEG-7 and TV Anytime Forum have been standardized as mechanisms for uniquely identifying content such as television, the Internet, and packaged media across media. If meta information (metadata contents and encoding method) and content reference method are standardized by the activity, it is possible to use meta information based on the standard.

  Date, Day, and Time represent the date, day of the week, and time when the user viewed the content, and these pieces of information are input from the calendar clock 312 in the device.

  Rec indicates whether or not the user has recorded the same content, and this recording history is also treated in the same manner as the viewing history for prediction of the next content candidate.

  FIG. 6 does not show functional blocks for content recording, but here, an external recording device (for example, a D-VHS or an HDD recorder) connected to the multimedia information device 300 via a digital or analog interface. ) Is assumed. The recording history is recorded when the user gives an instruction by remote control operation from the above-described streaming content guide screen or the like.

  Date_Stamp is the latest date on which the event (content viewing) has occurred, and is input from the calendar clock 312 in the device in the same manner as Date, Day, and Time. Freq represents the frequency of occurrence of the event.

  In addition, the notation “−1” in FIG. 12 means “Do n’t care” and means that it is irrespective of the value of this parameter. For example, the top line in FIG. 12 is called Filename1 of the content distribution site (ServerA) called AAA at 8:00 pm (Time = 20) on Saturday (Day = 6) regardless of the date (notation “−1”). This shows that the history of viewing the streaming content has been 10 times (Freq = 20) in the past. At the same time, it can be seen that the category of the viewed content is sports (Cat_ID = 2), and the most recently viewed is April 28, 2001.

  Although a specific description of the category ID is omitted, some examples are shown in FIG. A specific number (ID) is assigned to each category (sports and news, etc.) in the device, and category information obtained from the meta information of the content is recorded in the profile in the form of numbers using a comparison table etc. ing.

  From the 5th line in FIG. 12, regardless of the day of the week and the date (Date and Day are both “−1”), at 7 am (Time = 07), the viewing site of Filename 24 of GGG is viewed 20 times in the past. I understand that.

  FIG. 13 is an example of user profile data regarding content transition (switching) according to the present embodiment. C_cnt_URL and N_cnt_URL are the location address and file name (URL) of the content before and after content switching, respectively.

  C_CRID and N_CRID are reference IDs of content before and after content switching, respectively. C_Cat and N_Cat are content categories before and after content switching, respectively. In any case, the meaning of the description content is the same as CRID and Cat in FIG.

  Date, Day, and Time represent the date, day of the week, and time when the content transition occurred, and these pieces of information are input from the calendar clock 312 in the device. Date_Stamp is the latest date on which the event (content transition) has occurred, and is input from the calendar clock 312 in the device in the same manner as Date, Day, and Time. Freq represents the frequency of occurrence of the event, as in FIG.

  The notation “−1” in FIG. 13 means “Do n’t care” as in FIG. For example, in FIG. 13, the top line is the content distribution site (ServerA) called AAA at 8:00 pm (Time = 20) on Saturday (Day = 6) regardless of the date (notation “−1”). This shows that the history of switching from streaming content called Filename 1 to streaming content called Filename 5 on the same AAA site has been in the past 8 times (Freq = 8). At the same time, the category of the content before switching is sports (Cat_ID = 2), and the content after switching is drama (Cat_ID = 16).

  The fifth line in FIG. 13 shows a distribution site called YYY from Filename 24 of GGG at 7 am (Time = 07) regardless of the day of the week and the date (Date and Day are both “−1”). It is recorded that the past 16 times have been switched to Filename15.

  The next content candidate is estimated by referring to a user profile as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 and performing an arithmetic process using a predetermined algorithm. As an example of arithmetic processing, after sorting (reordering) under certain conditions, filtering is performed. When there is no perfectly matched condition in the profile at the timing of content switching, some parameters are treated as “Don't care”, and the one that matches in a more generalized (relaxed condition) form Find it as a candidate for the next content. Specifically, there is content of a genre that is likely to be preferred by the user from a viewable content group, focusing on parameters such as the category (genre) of the content itself rather than parameters of the transition history (URL). If so, it will be the next candidate.

  The user profiles shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 are historical data in units of one hour as a time parameter to simplify the explanation, but in reality, a history with a finer frequency remains. . Therefore, the multimedia information device 300 always checks the current viewing content and the current time (date, day of the week), and operates so as to continue setting the next content candidate dynamically.

  Furthermore, as another embodiment, the user profile may be generated as a user profile that takes into account not only the streaming content viewing and transition history but also the multimedia information device and the television program viewing history. . In that case, information such as genre and title among the information related to the TV program can be handled as parameters common to the attribute (meta information) of the streaming content, and what genre content the user likes. It becomes possible to grasp more accurately from various fields. This has the effect of inferring the next candidate for streaming content more accurately.

  In this embodiment, the next candidate for viewing streaming content is determined based on the user profile created based on the past content viewing history or inter-content transition history. In order to increase the matching rate (hit rate) of the next candidate, a sufficient amount of viewing and browsing history, the number of profile parameters, and a sufficient storage capacity for storing the next candidate are required. Among these, especially with regard to the user profile, at the initial stage of use of the device, a screen for asking the user about their interests and preferences is presented, and predetermined items (such as favorite genres) are input there. Thus, it is preferable to generate initial data of the user profile. In the initial stage of use, the next candidate is inferred from the initial data.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a user profile relating to content viewing and transition is generated from the viewing and transition history of the content viewed by the user, and based on the profile, content candidates that are likely to be viewed by the user By pre-buffering part of the streaming data (first part), the waiting time at the start of viewing (switching) in conventional streaming content viewing can be eliminated, allowing smooth content switching and viewing It becomes possible.

It is a schematic block diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of 1st Example. It is a data structure and content example of the user profile of 1st Example. It is a schematic block diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of 2nd Example. It is a schematic block diagram of the third embodiment of the present invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of 3rd Example. FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of the third embodiment following FIG. 7. FIG. FIG. 9 is an operation flowchart of the third embodiment following FIG. 8. FIG. It is a structural example of a data buffer. It is another structural example of a data buffer. It is a structural example of a user profile. It is another structural example of a user profile.

Explanation of symbols

100: Multimedia information device 101, 102: Information receiving unit 103: Information separating unit 104: Channel information extracting unit 105: Channel information storage unit 106: A / V / D decoder 107: Display composition unit 108: Display unit 109: Channel Transition reasoning unit 110: Guide screen generation unit 111: Channel transition history storage unit 112: Calendar clock 113: Command reception unit 114: Remote control 115: User profile generation unit 116: User profile storage unit 117: Information reception unit setting unit 200: Multi Media information device 201: Internet connection unit 202, 203, 204: Information storage unit 205: Mono media decoder 206: Display screen generation unit 207: Address information extraction unit 208: Address information storage unit 209: Site transition inference unit 211: Site transition History storage unit 2 2: Calendar clock 213: Command receiving unit 214: Remote control 215: User profile generation unit 216: User profile storage unit 217: Internet connection control unit 218: Display unit 300: Multimedia information device 301: Internet connection units 302, 303, 304 : Data buffer 305: Media decoder 306: Display screen generation unit 307: Address / meta information extraction unit 308: Address / meta information storage unit 309: Content transition inference unit 310: User profile storage unit 311: Content viewing / transition history storage unit 312: Calendar clock 313: Command receiving unit 314: Remote control 315: Internet connection control unit 318: Display unit

Claims (17)

Information receiving means for receiving digital broadcasting;
Channel information detecting means for detecting channel information of the display channel;
Channel transition history storage means for storing channel transition history data based on user operations;
Operation profile generation means for generating a user profile related to channel transition based on the history data;
Inference means for predicting the next display channel based on the operation profile;
An information reception setting unit that sets a next display channel predicted by the inference unit in the information reception unit.   2. The multimedia information device according to claim 1, wherein the information receiving means comprises a plurality of tuners, and the information reception setting means sets different display channels predicted by the inference means for each tuner. Address information detecting means for detecting address information of a display site on the Internet;
Site transition history storage means for storing display site transition history data based on user operations;
Operation profile generation means for generating a user profile related to site transition based on the history data;
An inference means for predicting the next display site based on the operation profile;
Internet connection control means for pre-reading data of the next display site predicted from the inference means;
A multimedia information device comprising: an information storage unit for storing data of a display site read in advance.   The multimedia information device according to claim 2, wherein the information storage unit reads data of a plurality of prediction sites that can be linked from the site.   The multimedia information device according to claim 3, wherein the information storage unit reads data of a site to be further linked from a prediction site linked to the site.   The multimedia information device according to claim 1, wherein the user profile includes parameters of date, day of the week, and time as incidental information of transition between channels.   The multimedia information device according to claim 1, wherein the user profile includes parameters of date, day of the week, and time as incidental information of transition between sites. A multimedia information device having a streaming content receiving function,
Meta information extraction means for extracting meta information including the address of the streaming content;
Viewing history storage means for storing history data regarding viewing of streaming content in accordance with user viewing (playback);
Viewing profile generation means for generating a user profile relating to viewing of streaming content based on the operation history data;
Inference means for predicting and determining streaming content likely to be viewed by a user based on the viewing profile;
Internet connection control means for pre-reading the next streaming content candidate data designated from the inference means;
A multimedia information device comprising data storage means for storing data of streaming content read in advance.   The multi inference according to claim 8, wherein the inference means infers a plurality of next streaming content candidates in accordance with a capacity of a storage unit, and reads data of the plurality of next streaming content candidates in the information storage unit in advance. Media information equipment.   The inference means infers a plurality of next streaming content candidates, and the information storage unit allocates more storage capacity to the streaming content having a high viewability according to the inference result of the inference means, and the viewability 9. The management is performed such that the allocated amount of storage capacity is sequentially reduced as the value becomes lower, and the Internet connection control unit reads data of a next content candidate in advance into the information storage unit. Multimedia information equipment. A multimedia information device having a streaming content receiving function,
Meta information extraction means for extracting meta information including the address of the streaming content;
Transition history storage means for storing history data regarding transitions between streaming contents according to a user's viewing switching operation;
Operation profile generation means for generating a user profile related to transition between streaming contents based on the transition history data;
Inference means for predicting and determining the next streaming content based on the operation profile;
Internet connection control means for pre-reading streaming content candidate data designated by the inference means;
A multimedia information device comprising an information storage unit for storing data of streaming content read in advance.   12. The multimedia information device according to claim 11, wherein data of a plurality of streaming content candidates is read in accordance with the capacity of the information storage unit.   12. The multimedia information device according to claim 11, wherein data of a plurality of streaming content candidates is read in order from a streaming content candidate having a high viewing possibility, while allocating a capacity of an information storage unit.   The multimedia information device according to claim 11, wherein the user profile includes a viewing history of streaming content and a viewing history of a television program.   The multimedia information device according to claim 11, wherein the user profile includes an operation history of streaming content and a viewing history of a television program.   The multimedia information device according to claim 11, wherein the user profile includes a viewing history of streaming content and a recording history of streaming content and a television program.   12. The multimedia information device according to claim 8, wherein the Internet connection unit simultaneously receives data of a plurality of streaming content candidates from the inference unit.

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