JPH1066027A - Broadcasting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To continue broadcasting without making a device large in scale and high in cost even when any fault is caused in an on-air buffer. SOLUTION: Before the start of broadcasting, broadcast data for one day are transferred from a server 30 through a 2nd switcher 40 to an on-air buffer part 51 of a sending part 50 and according to these broadcast data, broadcasting is performed. After one hour before the start of broadcasting, on the other hand, the broadcast data are reproduced by the server 30 and the broadcast data preceding to real broadcasting time for one hour are alternately recorded into 1st and 2nd optical disk devices 52 and 52. When the on-air buffer part 51 breaks down, the broadcast data recorded in these optical disk devices are reproduced and used for broadcasting while being selected through a 3rd switcher 80. The data are alternately recorded and reproduced at the 1st and 2nd optical disk devices 52 and 53 and broadcasting can be continued with no time limit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a broadcast apparatus for recording broadcast data in a hard disk drive (HDD) server and sequentially reproducing the broadcast data to broadcast.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of image processing technology and recording technology,
AV data composed of high-quality video data and audio data can be recorded on a hard disk drive (HDD), and an AV disk server is being put to practical use. A conventional broadcasting device using such an HDD server will be described with reference to FIG. The data of each program edited and generated by the editing machines (ED _{-1 to} ED _-n ) in the editing room is input to the server (SV) via the _first switcher (SW ₁ ) and accumulated. On the other hand, in the transmission sub room, according to the program transmission time table,
The transmission controller reads data of a program scheduled to be broadcast several hours to about one day ahead from the server (SV) via the _second switcher (SW ₂ ), and reads the data from the on-air buffer (O).
Record in B). Then, the program data recorded in the on-air buffer (OB) is sequentially read out according to the program transmission time table, and the switcher 3 (SW
₃ ) is on-air through.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned broadcasting device, the on-air buffer (O
When a failure occurs in B), there is a problem that it is not possible to appropriately cope with the problem and continue broadcasting. Usually, the on-air buffer (OB) is HDD RAID (Redundant Arrangement).
rays of Inexpensive Disks)-Class 3 or higher specification, and even if one or two HDDs crash, data is protected, but its reliability is limited and large. Trouble cannot be dealt with. In order to be able to cope with such a big trouble, it is necessary to provide another set of on-air buffers (OB) in parallel.
There is a problem that the broadcasting apparatus becomes large-scale and the cost is doubled.

Therefore, as a method of easily improving the reliability, each of the editing machines (ED- _i (i = 1 to n)) in the editing room includes:
Each filing device (LF) is installed, and the edited program for about 1 to 2 hours is individually filed and recorded, and when a trouble occurs, the program data is directly used by using the file. The method of sending may be taken. However, in this case, the management of the file becomes complicated, and a device for reproducing and transmitting the file in a hurry in such an emergency must be connected.
Problems occurred in connection of devices and switching of transmission data in real time, and could not be said to be a satisfactory measure.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an on-air buffer (OB) while suppressing an increase in the size and cost of the apparatus.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a broadcasting device that can appropriately continue broadcasting program data even when a failure occurs.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a low-cost, low-capacity backup device such as an optical disk device is provided in parallel with the on-air buffer. The backup device can appropriately acquire program data from a server in an emergency and appropriately transmit the program data.

Therefore, the broadcasting apparatus of the present invention has a recording capacity capable of recording, for example, about one day's worth of broadcast data, and prerecords one day's worth of broadcast data input prior to broadcasting, and First broadcast data recording / reproducing means for reproducing in response to the broadcast data, and having a recording capacity capable of recording, for example, about one hour's worth of broadcast data, and recording broadcast data input one hour prior to an actual broadcast; A second broadcast data recording / reproducing means whose main recording medium is a disk-shaped recording medium which is reproduced in response to a request; Scheduled broadcast data is reproduced and output to the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means, and when broadcasting is performed, the broadcast data is reproduced one hour ahead of the actual broadcast to record the second broadcast data. Output to playback means And first broadcast data recording / reproducing means are selected, and a broadcast data reproduction request is made to the selected broadcast data recording / reproducing means, and the selected broadcast data recording is performed. Output control means for selecting broadcast data reproduced and output by the reproduction means and outputting the selected data as a broadcast signal.

In such a configuration, a normal broadcast is performed via the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means when the output control means normally selects the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means. When the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means fails and appropriate broadcast data is no longer output, the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means is selected so that at least one hour of the previously inputted one hour is input. Minutes of broadcast data can be output, and in the meantime, measures such as recovery of the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means can be taken.

Preferably, the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means has, for example, two recording / reproducing means capable of recording one hour of broadcast data, and is inputted one hour before an actual broadcast. Broadcast data is alternately recorded on the two recording / reproducing means for one hour. With such a configuration, when there is a reproduction request from the output control means, the broadcast data to be broadcast at that time is recorded on a recording / reproduction means different from the recording / reproduction means currently recording. That is, the broadcast data requested by the recording / reproducing means may be reproduced. That is, the recording / reproducing means to be always reproduced and the recording / reproducing means for recording are different recording / reproducing means, and the broadcast data can be transmitted by the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means without any time limitation. Of course, the number of recording and reproducing means is not limited to two, but may be three or more.

Preferably, the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means is constituted by a recording / reproducing device using a hard magnetic disk as a main recording medium, and each recording / reproducing means of the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means is rewritable. It is composed of a recording / reproducing device using an optical disk of a possible type as a main recording medium. Further, the recording capacity of the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means may be any time,
When a failure occurs in the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means, until the function can be restored,
It is preferable that the capacity is such that the broadcast data can be continuously output.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a broadcasting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the broadcasting device according to the present embodiment. The broadcasting device 1 includes an editing unit 10, a first switcher 20, a server 30, a second switcher 40, a transmission device 50, a studio transmission unit 60, an offline editing unit 70, and a third switcher 80. The sending device 50 has an on-air buffer unit 51, a first optical disk device 52, a second optical disk device 53, and an optical disk controller 54.

First, the configuration and function of each section of the broadcasting device 1 will be described. The editing unit 10 includes a plurality (n) of editing machines 11 _{-1 to} 11 _-n , and edits various material data to generate program data. The storage-type program data to be broadcast is generated in the editing unit 10 at a time sufficiently earlier than the broadcast schedule, and is stored in the server 30 via the first switcher 20. It is assumed that the generated program data is obtained by compressing video data to about 22 Mbps. The first switcher 20 switches the outputs of the _n editing machines 11 _{-1 to} 11 _-n of the editing unit 10 as appropriate, and
Output to any input channel.

The server 30 has a large capacity A of a RAID system configured using a plurality of hard disk devices (HDDs).
V data storage device. The server 30 includes an editing unit 10
Is input via the first switcher 20 and accumulated until the end of the broadcast. During the storage, each program data is usually reproduced twice and output to the transmission device 50 via the second switcher 40. The first transfer is performed after the end of each day's broadcast. At this time, the program data to be broadcasted on the next day is sequentially selected, and the on-air buffer unit 5 of the transmitting device 50 is collectively selected.
1 is output. The second transfer is performed almost in parallel with the actual broadcast by the broadcast device 1, and the program data that is one hour ahead of the program data actually transmitted from the broadcast device 1 is reproduced according to the broadcast schedule. The data is output to a first optical disk device 52 and a second optical disk device 53. The server 30 has a plurality of input / output channels, and input / output is performed substantially in parallel via these channels.

The second switcher 40 outputs the output of the server 30 to the on-air buffer unit 51 and the transmission unit 50 of the transmission unit 50.
The output from a plurality of output channels of the server 30 is appropriately switched so that the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 and the studio sending unit 60 are appropriately input.

The transmitting section 50 stores program data of one day to be broadcast mainly for programs of the storage system, and actually broadcasts according to the broadcast schedule. As described above, the sending unit 50 includes the on-air buffer unit 51, the first optical disk device 52, the second optical disk device 53, and the optical disk controller 54. The on-air buffer unit 51 includes a hard disk device (H
DD) using a RAID-type AV data storage device (on-air buffer), and a transmission controller that controls reproduction and transmission of program data from the AV data storage device. In the on-air buffer unit 51, program data to be broadcast is collectively transferred from the server 30 and recorded before starting broadcasting on each day of broadcasting. Then, under the control of the sending controller, the on-air buffer (O
The program data recorded in B) is read out and output according to the broadcast schedule.

The first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 are rewritable optical disk devices, each having a recording capacity of 10 GByte. As described above, since the broadcast device 1 handles program data of about 22 Mbps, the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 each have a capacity to record one hour of program data. Become.

The first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 include an on-air buffer unit 51.
When the program data recorded in the program data is reproduced and actually broadcasted, program data one hour ahead of the transmitted program data is input from the server 30,
First optical disk device 52 and second optical disk device 53
For one hour. That is, the program data scheduled to be broadcast is started to be transferred from one hour before the start of the broadcast until one hour after the start of the broadcast,
Will be recorded. Further, the program data for one hour thereafter starts to be transferred from the start of the broadcast, and the second optical disk device 53
Will be recorded. Then, after that, the program data for one hour is updated and recorded on the first optical disk device 52 after updating the original program data. Thereafter, similarly, the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 alternately store the original program data. Be recorded.

During normal operation, as described above, in the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53, only program data is recorded while sequentially updating the recorded program data. Not done. However, when the on-air buffer unit 51 fails to output broadcast program data properly due to a failure or the like, the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 Is reproduced and provided for broadcasting. That is, the program data recorded one hour earlier in the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 is reproduced from the position to be broadcasted at present, and is output to the third switcher 80.

Since the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 record program data for one hour alternately, the first optical disk device 5
Assuming that the program data scheduled to be broadcast one hour after the server 30 is transferred to the server 2, the program data to be broadcasted now is stored in an optical disk device other than the optical disk device to which the program data is currently transferred from the server 30. You can get it by playing it. Further, the reproduction is continued in this manner, and when the program data recorded on the first optical disk has been reproduced to the end, the reproduction of the other optical disk may be started. When the reproduction of one optical disk is completed, the recording of the program data on the other optical disk is also completed, so that the switching between the optical disk for recording and the optical disk for reproduction can be performed at the right timing. As a result, the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 can continue to transmit the program data without any time limit.

The optical disk controller 54 controls the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 to operate as described above. That is, the program data input from the server 30 is appropriately recorded on the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 alternately. The on-air buffer unit 5
1 when a failure occurs in the on-air buffer unit 5
If the broadcast program data is no longer output properly from the first program data, the program data recorded on the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 are reproduced and switched as appropriate to the third switcher 80. Output.

The studio sending section 60 performs the same function as the sending section 50 mainly for programs recorded in the studio.
Thirdly, the data for broadcasting is used according to the actual broadcasting schedule.
To the switcher 80. Offline editor 70
Edits a program or the like recorded by the studio sending unit 60 to create desired program data.

The third switcher 80 is controlled by a control unit (not shown), and finally selects program data for broadcasting according to a broadcasting schedule. In the third switcher 80, according to the broadcast schedule, the program data output from the transmission unit 50 or the studio transmission unit 6
One of the program data output from 0 is selected.
In the third switcher 80, when the output program data of the sending unit 50 is selected, either the output of the on-air buffer unit 51 or the output of the first optical disk device 52 and the output of the second optical disk device 53 Select In this case, normally, the output of the on-air buffer unit 51 is selected. However, when a failure occurs in the on-air buffer unit 51 or when the output program data is not appropriate, the output from the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 is performed. Selected program data.

Next, the operation of the broadcasting device 1 will be described with reference to a specific example shown in FIG. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the broadcasting device 1, wherein FIG. 2A shows a broadcasting schedule, FIG. 2B shows an operation of the first optical disk device 52, and FIG. FIG. 9D is a diagram showing the operation of the optical disk device 53, FIG. 9D is a diagram showing the operation of the on-air buffer unit 51, and FIG. 9E is a diagram showing the transmission source of the program data selected by the third switcher 80.

First, in a normal broadcast, a broadcast schedule for one day is determined, so that after the end of the broadcast on the previous day and before the start of the broadcast on the next day, broadcast program data for the next day is broadcast. The data is transferred from the server 30 to the on-air buffer unit 51 of the sending unit 50 via the second switcher 40. And
One hour before the start of the broadcast (broadcast time -1), the server 30 starts reproducing the broadcast program data, and the program data A for one hour from the start of the broadcast is transferred to the second switcher 4.
0 is sequentially recorded on the first optical disc device 52 of the sending unit 50 via the “0”.

At the actual broadcast start time (broadcast time 0), the program data A recorded in the on-air buffer unit 51 is reproduced and transmitted through the third switcher 80, and the broadcast is started. By this time, the program data A for one hour from the start of the broadcast has already been recorded in the first optical disk device 52, so that the recording of the program data in the first optical disk device 52 ends. And this time,
The reproduction of the program data B for one hour between the broadcast times 1 and 2 is started by the server 30 and recorded on the second optical disk device 53. At this time, the first optical disk device 52 is in a standby state, and does not perform a substantially effective operation. Similarly,
The program data C for one hour of the broadcast time 2 to 3 is again
The program data A is updated and recorded on the optical disk device 52, and the program data D for one hour of the broadcast time 3 to 4 is updated and recorded on the second optical disk device 53 again. .

It is assumed that some trouble has occurred in the on-air buffer unit 51 during the transmission of the program data C of the broadcast time 2 to 3 performing such an operation, and the program data cannot be transmitted properly. In that case, based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown), the optical disk controller 54 starts reproducing the program data C already recorded on the first optical disk device 52 from the current broadcast position, and returns to the third position. To the switcher 80. The third switcher 80 is connected to the first optical disc device 52 and the second
Is switched so that the output data from the optical disk device 53 is selected as broadcast program data. As a result, as the program data to be broadcast, the program data C is appropriately transmitted without interruption.

When the broadcast time reaches 3 in this state, the program data C recorded on the first optical disk device 52 ends. However, the recording of the program data D on the second optical disk device 53 is also terminated, and the second optical disk device 53 is in a state where the program data D to be broadcast during the broadcast time 3 to 4 is backed up. Therefore, broadcast time 3
Thereafter, under the control of the optical disk controller 54, the reproduction of the program data D recorded on the second optical disk device 53 is started, and is output to the third switcher 80 as broadcast program data. Also, the program data C
This time, the program data E is transferred from the server 30 to the first optical disk device 52 for which the reproduction of.
In this manner, the transfer of the program data to be broadcast in the next hour from the server 30 and the reproduction of the transferred program data are alternately performed by the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53. By doing so, it is possible to continuously broadcast without using the on-air buffer unit 51.

If the on-air buffer unit 51 recovers during the broadcast time 5 to 6, for example, the third switcher 80 immediately outputs the output of the on-air buffer unit 51 based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown). Is selected as broadcast program data, and the broadcast is performed. Further, the optical disk controller 54 ends the reproduction of the program data from the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53. However, the transfer of the program data from the server 30 is continued.

As described above, in the broadcasting device 1 of the present embodiment, the first optical disk device 52 and the second optical disk device 53 can appropriately back up the on-air buffer unit 51. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in the on-air buffer unit 51, broadcasting can be appropriately continued, and a highly reliable broadcasting device with a low failure rate can be provided. Further, since only two optical disk devices capable of recording about one hour of program data and its controller are required to be added, it is possible to prevent the device from becoming large and expensive, and to provide a low-cost and high-cost broadcasting device. be able to. Also, the first optical disk device 52
In addition, a removable recording medium can be used as the second optical disk device 53. As a result, a broadcast device having a wider range of application than rechecking a transmitted program can be provided.

The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the broadcasting device 1 of the present embodiment, two optical disk devices capable of recording and reproducing data independently are provided in parallel as optical disk devices provided in parallel with the on-air buffer unit 51. However, for example, an optical disk device having a configuration in which data input / output is managed by one input / output unit for two recording media may be used. FIG. 3 shows the operation of the broadcasting device in such a case. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the first modified example of the broadcasting device 1,
(A) illustrates a broadcast schedule, (B) illustrates an operation of the first optical disk device, (C) illustrates an operation of the second optical disk device, and (D) illustrates an operation of the on-air buffer unit. FIG. 11E is a diagram showing a transmission source of the program data selected by the third switcher.

When the optical disk device having such a configuration is used, only recording or reproduction can be performed on the optical disk device. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when a failure occurs in the on-air buffer unit 51, the server 30
The transfer of the program data is stopped, and the already recorded program data is reproduced. Even with such an operation, broadcasting can be continued for one hour, during which time the on-air buffer unit 51 can be repaired and other measures can be taken. The optical disk device having such a configuration can be realized with a simpler configuration and at a low price than the optical disk device described in the present embodiment. Such a configuration may be used when only the continuation of the broadcast is required.

Further, a configuration using only one optical disk device may be employed. FIG. 4 shows the operation of the broadcasting device 1 in such a case.
Shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the second modified example of the broadcasting device 1, in which FIG. 4A shows the broadcasting schedule, FIG. 4B shows the operation of the optical disk device, and FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the on-air buffer unit, and FIG. 9D is a diagram showing a transmission source of the program data selected by the third switcher. As shown in FIG. 4, even in the optical disc device having such a configuration, as soon as a failure occurs in the on-air buffer unit 51, the transfer of the program data from the server 30 is stopped and the reproduction of the already recorded program data is started. By doing so, broadcasting can be continued for one hour. The configuration can be further simplified while having the same functions as those of the above-described first modification. The number of optical disk devices may be three or more.

In addition, the recording capacities of the server 30, the on-air buffer unit 51, the first optical disk device 52, and the second optical disk device 53 may be any suitable values according to the device configuration and the like. Also, any method and rate may be used for the compression method and compression rate of the program data stored in them.

[0034]

As described above, according to the broadcasting apparatus of the present invention, broadcasting of program data can be continued properly even when the on-air buffer fails. For this purpose, the backup function is realized by using an optical disk device having a lower speed and a lower capacity than a normally used on-air buffer, so that it is possible to prevent an increase in the size and cost of the device. As a result, good cost performance,
A high-performance broadcasting device can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a broadcast device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the broadcasting device shown in FIG. 1, where (A) is a diagram showing a broadcast schedule;
(B) is a diagram showing the operation of the first optical disk device,
(C) is a diagram showing the operation of the second optical disk device,
(D) is a diagram showing the operation of the on-air buffer unit,
(E) is a diagram showing a transmission source of the program data selected by the third switcher.

3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining an operation of a first modification of the broadcasting device shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a broadcasting schedule, and FIG. It is a figure which shows operation | movement, (C) is a figure which shows the operation | movement of a 2nd optical disk apparatus, (D) is a figure which shows the operation | movement of an on-air buffer part, (E) is selected by the 3rd switcher. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a transmission source of the program data.

4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining an operation of a second modification of the broadcasting device shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a broadcasting schedule, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the operation of the optical disk device; It is a figure, (C) is a figure showing operation of an on-air buffer part, and (D) is a figure showing a transmission source of program data selected by the 3rd switcher.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional broadcasting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Broadcasting apparatus, 10 ... Editing part, 11 ... Editing machine, 20 ... First switcher, 30 ... Server, 40 ... Second switcher, 50 ... Transmission part, 51 ... On-air buffer part, 52 ...
A first optical disk device, 53... A second optical disk device,
54 optical disk controller, 60 studio output unit, 70 offline editing unit, 80 third switcher

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A first broadcast data recording / reproducing means for recording broadcast data for a first period inputted prior to a broadcast for a predetermined first period, and reproducing the broadcast data in response to a request, A disk-shaped recording medium having a recording capacity capable of recording broadcast data for a second period broadcast sufficiently shorter than the first period, and recording broadcast data inputted prior to the second period for the broadcast; A second broadcast data recording / reproducing means for reproducing in response to a request, and broadcast data to be broadcast stored therein, and a broadcast for the broadcast scheduled for the first period prior to the broadcast for the first period. Server means for reproducing data and outputting the data to the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means, reproducing the broadcast data ahead of the broadcast by the second period, and outputting the reproduced data to the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means; The first broadcast data recording / reproducing means and Output control means for selecting any one of the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means and the broadcast data reproduced and output by the selected broadcast data recording / reproducing means, and outputting the selected data as a broadcast signal. . 2. The output control means normally selects the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means and issues a broadcast data reproduction request, and the broadcast data reproduced and output by the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means. When a failure occurs in the first broadcast data recording / reproducing means and proper broadcast data is no longer output, the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means is selected and a request for reproducing the broadcast data is issued. The broadcast apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast apparatus outputs broadcast data reproduced and output by the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means. 3. The second broadcast data recording / reproducing means includes a plurality of recording / reproducing means having a recording capacity capable of recording at least the broadcast data for the second period, Broadcast data input earlier is recorded in the plurality of recording / reproducing means in the order of the second period, and when the output control means requests the reproduction, broadcast data to be broadcast at that time is determined. 3. The broadcasting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said broadcasting data of said recording / reproducing means which has already been recorded is reproduced and output. 4. The first broadcast data recording / reproducing means is constituted by a recording / reproducing apparatus using a hard magnetic disk as a main recording medium, and each recording / reproducing means of the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means is rewritable. 4. The broadcasting device according to claim 3, comprising a recording / reproducing device using a writable optical disk as a main recording medium. 5. The broadcasting device according to claim 4, wherein said second period is set in advance to a time at which a function of said first broadcast data recording / reproducing means can be restored when a failure occurs. 6. The first broadcast data recording / reproducing means has a recording capacity capable of recording substantially one day of broadcast data, and the second broadcast data recording / reproducing means comprises one to three hours. 6. The broadcasting apparatus according to claim 5, comprising two systems of recording / reproducing means having a recording capacity capable of recording the broadcast data.