Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ CA 0223S192 1998-0~
SERVER FOR OFFERING A SERVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The invention concerns a server for offering a
service to a number of customers.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Servers for offering "Near Video-on-demand" (NVOD)
and "Video-on-demand" (VOD) services are known for
example from the magazine ntz, issue 3/1995, pages 18 to
25. From a program offering video information blocks,
mostly video films which are stored in a memory unit in
the server, the customer selects one video information
block which is immediately transmitted to the respective
customer (VOD), or at a time predetermined by the server
when the respective customer is able to switch on the
next time (NVOD). The customer is therefore limited to
the program offered by the server, and thus to a
selection from this offered program, and also to the time
of the transmission in the case of the NVOD.
A video processing unit is known from EP 0240794 A2.
The video processing unit is an expensive and voluminous
device, whereby image sequences stored on video tapes can
be processed, which is also called editing. This
includes the cutting, joining, rerecording of image
sequences, e.g., by selecting the most suitable settings
for assembling image sequences recorded by different
cameras in the correct order into a video information
block, thus producing, e.g., a high quality video film
which is used as master for a movie film. A customer who
has recorded image sequences on video tapes has to have
these video tapes transported to the place where the
video processing installation is located, and wait for
the return of the assembled video film. If the customer
does not wish to travel himself to the place where the
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video processing installation is located, he has little
influence on the composition of the video film.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A server of the invention for offering a service to
a number of customers, which avoids the above-cited
drawbacks, is provided with a receiving unit to receive
signals which are telemetrically transmitted by customers
via a telecommunications network, and contain the
customers' instructions for assembling image sequences
from several different known image sequences of at least
one video information block, and to transmit them to a
processing unit which is able to carry out the
instructions, and from where the assembled image
sequences are routed to a memory unit where they are
stored, and a transmitting unit is provided to transmit
the stored image sequences.
Such a server allows customers, e.g., private
customers who have recorded their own video films with a
camcorder, e.g., during a vacation, to telemetrically
edit their video films. In this way they can, e.g., cut
out jittery scenes, change the chronology of the action
and thus assemble a video film whose action was
determined in accordance with their own wishes. The
customers can also include previously existing image
sequences in their individually composed video film,
which gives them a further degree of freedom and
increases the appeal of the service. The customers do
not need to access a video processing installation, also
called a video editing place, but can, e.g., communicate
with the server from their homes via a telecommunications
network, and in this way assemble their video film
telemetrically. This can furthermore represent a saving
of several days time for the customers, since they do not
need to wait for the postal transmission of their video
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film, but the assembled video film can be directly
transmitted to them via the telecommunications network.
Another advantage of the server is that the
customers are able to place orders. For example, a
television program often transmits video films in several
parts or sequences. If a customer is unavailable at the
time when some of the parts are being transmitted, or
does not wish to see the video film at the appointed
time, or wants to see the entire film, with a video film
presented in three parts for example he can instruct the
server to record and store all three parts for him, so
that the customer can view the entire video film at a
time he can determine. The server's processing
installation is then for example a data administration,
also called a management. The customer can furthermore
instruct the server to assemble a video film containing
no blocks of advertisement for example. In this way the
customer can view the selected film without
advertisements at a later time, and/or, e.g., record it
himself on a video cassette with his video recorder.
In a preferred configuration of the invention, the
server's processing unit is a video processing unit for
editing video films containing several image sequences,
and the server's receiving unit is able to receive image
sequences transmitted by the customers via the
telecommunications network, and route them to the video
processing unit. The customer therefore does not need to
transmit a video tape to the processor by mail, but he
can rather transmit the content of the video tape, i.e.,
the succession of image sequences, to the servèr via a
telecommunications network. This provides the customer
with a time advantage and increased security that the
image sequences of the video tape will reach the server
in an undamaged condition.
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The telecommunications network is, e.g., a cable
television distribution network with a return channel,
which is also simultaneously used for VOD and/or NVOD,
where the transmission of the image sequences from the
customer to the server takes place via the return
channel, or an integrated services digital network called
ISDN or B-ISDN, where B stands for broad-band, or another
network such as, e.g., a telephone network, data network
or the so-called internet, or combinations thereof.
In another preferred configuration, the reception of
the image sequences takes place via a broad-band
connection and the reception of the instructions via a
narrow-band connection. This has the advantage that an
expensive transmission via a broad-band connection is
only used to transmit the video film to be processed to
the server, while the telemetric processing of the video
film, which only requires narrow-band control signals,
can take place via a cost-effective narrow-band
connection.
Furthermore in another configuration, partial areas
of the server's memory unit can be used by the customers
as files for several assembled image sequences. For
example, a customer telemetrically reserves a memory area
with a corresponding selectable capacity in the memory
unit, which he can then use exclusively, e.g., to
establish his own file in which his individual video
films are stored and to which he has constant access,
secured by a secret number for example. In this way the
customer does not need a shelf full of video cassettes at
home for example, and he can even dispense with a video
recorder altogether. The customer can use the server as
an outside video recorder with a connected data
management, and can even enter orders which the server
carries out for him. The customer can furthermore access
his file from any point on earth, since he only needs an
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identification number and possibly a secret number to
give him access to the server. In this way the customer
does not depend on location and can access the server for
example from a so-called set-top box of a neighbor or
friend, and he can view video films from his file
together with the neighbor or friend, and even process
the films if he wishes.
In another preferred configuration of the invention,
the transmitting unit of the server is designed so that
it can transmit individually stored image sequences at
one or more times which are telemetrically selected by
the respective customer, to one or more addresses which
are also telemetrically selected by respective customer.
If the customer wants to see a certain video film from
his file at a predetermined clock time in the home of his
friend, he previously instructs the server accordingly,
e.g., by making a telephone reservation. The server can
reduce his fees for a previously reserved transmission,
as opposed to access at any time, since the load on the
network can be better planned ahead of time, so that the
customer can be offered a more cost-effective rate for an
early reservation.
If the processing unit is able to process VPS
programming signals, a reservation can be made in a
simple manner by using existing standard control
characters. The control characters for VPS programming a
three-part television film, e.g., can be obtained from a
television magazine, and transmitted to the server by a
video recorder and a set-top box for example. Another
possibility is that a menu, which is sent out by the
server and can be called up and displayed on a customer's
television set, contains, e.g., a preview of television
films, several of which can be selected by the customer
with a remote control for example. The selected
television films are registered by means of VPS
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programming in the server's video recorders, and stored
in the respective customer's file.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Two embodiments of the invention are explained in
the following with the aid of figures 1 to 4, where:
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a transmission
system of the invention with a server, a
telecommunications network and a customer's terminal for
example;
FIG. 2 is a schematically illustrated assembly of a
server of the invention for another transmission system
of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematically illustrated assembly of a
customer's terminal for the transmission system in FIG.
2; and
FIG. 4 shows two diagrams containing image
sequences.
DE~ATr~r~n DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The first embodiment will now be explained with the
aid of FIG. 1. It shows a transmission system SYS of the
invention with a server SER, a telecommunications network
NET and a customer's terminal END for example.
The server SER contains a receiving unit EMP, a
processing unit EIN, a memory unit MEMO and a
transmitting unit SEN, which are interconnected by an
internal bus BUS. The processing unit EIN for example is
a data management with a microprocessor.
The server SER is used to provide a service to a
number of customers. The service includes providing an
assembly of image sequence to each customer in accordance
with the telemetrically transmitted instructions from the
respective customer.
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The customer's instructions are transmitted to the
server SER in the form of signals from a terminal END,
which is located as a rule in the customer's residence,
via the telecommunications network. To that end the
customer establishes a dialed connection to the server
SER, e.g., via a telephone in a switched telephone
network, e.g., by dialing the server SER's call number.
In that case the receiving unit EMP contains a number of
telephone connections and telephone sets in order to
maintain a simultaneously dialed connection with a number
of customers. After the dialed connection is
established, the customer enters his customer number,
e.g., through the telephone keyboard or a computer, in
order to utilize the service. The receiving unit EMP
contains a detecting unit to identify the entered
customer number, and to compare this number with customer
numbers stored in the memory unit MEM0. The connection
to the server SER only needs to be a narrow-band
connection, e.g., 64 kbit/s. The service provides, e.g.,
that from a program offered by the service provider, the
customer makes an individual selection for the assembly
of an individual video film containing for example a
three-part television film, or a video film he has
composed himself from several music video clips. The
assembled video film, which includes an image information
block with a succession of several image sequences
selected by the customer, is temporarily stored in the
memory unit MEM0, which, e.g., contains a fully
addressable memory, a so-called RAM (Read Access Memory),
and can be transmitted to the customer by the
transmitting unit SEN, e.g., via a cable television
distribution network with a broad-band forward channel
of, e.g., 1 Mbit/s, which is separate and independent
from the above telephone network. As an alternative, the
assembled video film can be recorded by the transmitting
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unit in a not illustrated video recorder located in the
server SER, so that the video film is recorded on a video
cassette which is sent to the customer by mail for
example.
The second embodiment of the invention will be
explained in the following with the aid of FIGs. 2 to 4.
FIG. 2 illustrates a server SER of the invention in
another transmission system of the invention.
The server SER includes a receiving unit EMP, a
processing unit EIN, a memory unit MEMO and a
transmitting unit SEN which are interconnected, and their
assembly corresponds to the elements of the same name in
FIG. 1, except for the processing unit EIN, which in the
second embodiment is a video processing unit, such as is
known, e.g., from EP 0240794 A2.
The server SER furthermore includes a video-on-
demand unit VOD, which makes video films available by
request from an offer of video films stored in the memory
unit MEMO. The available video films are received, e.g.,
by a television transmitter via an antenna, or are
transmitted via not illustrated video cassettes and video
recorder to the memory unit MEMO, where they are stored
in accordance with their addresses. Part of the memory
unit MEMO can also be separated from the server SER. If
necessary the server SER can then access the separated
part of the memory, which can also be part of a memory
unit of another server, e.g., via a broad-band glass
fiber, i.e., optical fiber connection.
The server SER furthermore contains a multiplexer
MUX and a demultiplexer DMUX. The multiplexer MUX
assembles the signals from the video-on-demand unit VOD
and the video processing unit EIN, and routes them to the
transmitting unit SEN, from where they are jointly
transmitted to the telecommunications network. The
telecommunications network is an optical fiber-coaxial
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cable network for example, in the form of a tree
structure, e.g., a hybrid fiber/cable network. The
transmitting unit SEN contains an electrical-to-optical
converter for converting the electrical signals of the
video-on-demand unit VOD and the video processing unit
EIN into optical signals. The optical signals are
transmitted to an optical broad-band network termination,
where they are reconverted into electrical signals and
subsequently routed to a coaxial cable network which is
also used for television signals. In this way they reach
the terminals of the customers. Via a return channel,
each customer is able to send broad-band and narrow-band
signals from a terminal to the server SER. These signals
are received by the receiving unit EMP, where they are
converted from optical to electrical and then routed to
the demultiplexer DMUX. In the demultiplexer DMUX the
received signals are divided into signals which are
destined for the video processing unit EIN. The divided
signals are then routed to the respective VOD and EIN
units.
The new service provides that the customer can now
transmit a video film he produced himself to the server
SER via the return channel of the glass fiber-coaxial
cable network, so that it can be processed telemetrically
with the aid of the video processing unit EIN. The
transmission of the video film to be processed takes
place via a broad-band connection, e.g., 1 Mbit/s. A
more cost-effective narrow-band connection, e.g., 64
kbit/s, is sufficient for transmitting the control
characters for the processing.
After the video film is received it is digitized,
unless it is already available in digitized form, and
temporarily stored in the memory unit MEMO. The
digitized digital video film is then transmitted in real
time to the customer, who can, e.g., perform the
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following functions by means of control characters:
forward and reverse winding, freeze frame, marking a
place from where the cut-off starts, marking the place
where the cut-off ends, selection of a partial area to be
inserted in another place, copying partial areas. In
this way the customer telemetrically processes his own
video film. The result of the individually assembled
video film is temporarily stored in the memory unit MEM0.
The stored video film can be transmitted to the customer
via the transmitting unit SEN and the optical fiber- -
coaxial cable network. Alternatively or additionally,
the customer can reserve a partial area of the memory
unit MEM0 as a file and let the server SER store the
assembled video film in this file. The customer then has
unrestricted access to this file, e.g., by means of a
secret number, so that customers are unable to utilize
the files of other customers.
FIG. 3 illustrates a customer's terminal END. The
terminal END is used to communicate with the server SER
in order to utilize one of its services. The terminal
END includes a so-called set-top box STB, a video
recorder REC, a television set TV and a camcorder CAM.
The set-top box STB has interfaces for connecting the
set-top box STB with the camcorder CAM, the video
recorder REC and the television set TV. For example, a
video film recorded with the camcorder CAM by the
customer is played back through the camcorder CAM and the
set-top box STB and transmitted to the server in FIG. 2.
To that end a connection to the server must first be
established via the return channel of the optical fiber-
coaxial cable network. This can take place with an
infrared remote control IR, which controls the set-top
box STB. The required control signals for processing the
video film are also produced by the infrared remote
control IR. The video film transmitted by the server is
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displayed on the television set TV. In that way the
television set TV serves as monitor of the telemetric
video processing unit. If the assembled video film is
transmitted to the terminal END, it can be recorded by
the video recorder REC on a video cassette.
FIG. 4 shows two diagrams containing image
sequences. FIG. 4a is a section of a customer's video
film to be processed, which was transmitted to the
server. The section has four sequential image sequences
1, 2, 3, 4. FIG. 4b is a section of a video film
assembled and processed in accordance with instructions
from the customer. The section has three sequential
image sequences 1, 4, 3. The image sequences which have
the same number in FIGs. 4a and b correspond to each
other. The image sequence 2 was cut out from the video
film because the customer felt it was not usable; it was,
e.g., jittery or did not fit into the video film theme.
In accordance with the customer's instructions, the image
sequence 4 was inserted between the image sequences 1 and
3.
The two embodiments are similar in structure so that
parts of the first embodiment can also be used in the
second and vice versa. For example a computer monitor
could be used instead of a television set in the second
embodiment, and the computer keyboard instead of an
infrared remote control for entering the control signals.
