1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a digital broadcasting system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving signaling information for reception of broadcast services in a digital broadcasting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a second-generation mobile broadcast standard is Next Generation Handheld (NGH), which is established by Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), a European digital broadcast standards organization. DVB-NGH utilizes a Moving Picture Experts Group 2 (MPEG2) Transport Stream (TS)-based profile for ensuring the maximum capability with terrestrial broadcasting networks, and an Internet Protocol (IP) profile for interoperability with an IP network, which is expected to be used as a backbone network of next-generation broadcasting networks.
The MPEG2 TS profile provides broadcast service data, information about a transmission network in which the broadcast service data is transmitted, and physical layer information of the transmission network, using Program Specific Information/Service Information (PSI/SI) technology used in MPEG2 TS standards and DVB standards. However, the IP profile, because it does not use MPEG2 TS-based PSI/SI, should provide broadcast service data, information about a transmission network in which the broadcast service data is transmitted, and physical layer information (i.e., signaling information) of the transmission network, using a separate method.
The present invention is designed to address at least the problems and/or disadvantages described above and to provide at least the advantages described below.
Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for efficiently transmitting and receiving signaling information for reception of broadcast services in a digital broadcasting system.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for efficiently transmitting signaling information using an IP-based network.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving signaling information for reception of broadcast services using a Service Guide Delivery Descriptor (SGDD) in a digital broadcasting system.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for transmitting signaling information for receiving a broadcast service in a digital broadcasting system. The method includes generating service guide information including broadcast service data, information about a transmission network where the broadcast service data is transmitted, and information about a transmission network neighboring the transmission network; and transmitting the service guide information in an upper layer of an Internet Protocol (IP) layer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for transmitting signaling information for receiving a broadcast service in a digital broadcasting system. The apparatus includes a generator for generating service guide information including broadcast service data, information about a transmission network where the broadcast service data is transmitted, and information about a transmission network neighboring the transmission network; and a transmitter for transmitting the service guide information in an upper layer of an Internet Protocol (IP) layer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for receiving signaling information for receiving a broadcast service in a digital broadcasting system. The method includes receiving service guide information in an upper layer of an Internet Protocol (IP) layer; and checking broadcast service data, information about a transmission network where the broadcast service data is transmitted, and information about a transmission network neighboring the transmission network, which are included in the source guide information.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for receiving signaling information for receiving a broadcast service in a digital broadcasting system. The apparatus includes a receiver for receiving service guide information in an upper layer of an Internet Protocol (IP) layer; and a controller for checking broadcast service data, information about a transmission network where the broadcast service data is transmitted, and information about a transmission network neighboring the transmission network, which are included in the source guide information.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Throughout the drawings, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features and structures.
Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details such as detailed configurations and components are merely provided to assist the person of ordinary skill in the art with an overall understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art should appreciate that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness when their inclusion might obscure the subject matter of the present invention.
Although embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to DVB-NGH and Open Mobile Alliance Mobile Broadcasting Service (OMA BCAST) technology, which is an application layer standard for mobile broadcast, among broadcast technologies to which the present invention is applicable, by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.
Referring to
The administrative group 100, which is a group providing basic information with which a terminal receives the broadcast service guide, includes a Service Guide Delivery Descriptor (SGDD) 101. The SGDD 101 provides information about a channel on which a plurality of broadcast service guide's fragments may be received, scheduling information, and update information, to a terminal, such that the terminal may timely receive the broadcast service guide.
The provisioning group 110 is a group for providing rate information for reception of broadcast services and includes a purchase item fragment 111, a purchase data fragment 112, and a purchase channel fragment 113. The purchase item fragment 111 provides rate information for bundles of broadcast services, content, and time, to a user, which help the user subscribe to or purchase desired purchase items. The purchase data fragment 112 provides information about the ways the user can pay the fee. The purchase channel fragment 113 provides access information for subscribing to or purchasing broadcast services.
The core group 120 provides information about broadcast services themselves. Specifically, the core group 120 includes a service fragment 121, a schedule fragment 122, and a content fragment 123. The service fragment 121, which is a core of the broadcast service guide or a parent (or top) collection of content included in broadcast services, provides information about synopses, genres, and service areas of broadcast services. The schedule fragment 122 provides time information for each content included in the broadcast services, e.g., streaming and downloading. The content fragment 123 provides information about detailed descriptions, target user groups, service areas, and genres for the broadcast content.
The access group 130 includes an access fragment 131 and a session description fragment 132. The access group 130 provides broadcast service access information indicating the ways the user can receive broadcast services in the core group 120, and detailed information about the session through which content in the broadcast services is delivered. Using this information, the terminal accesses the broadcast services.
The access fragment 131 provides access-related information for enabling access to broadcast services, and provides delivery methods and session information for a related access session. The session description fragment 132 may be included in the access fragment 131, and may provide location information in the form of a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), in order for the terminal may check the session description information. The session description fragment 132 provides address information and codec information for the content existing in the session.
The broadcast service guide further includes a preview data fragment 124 and an interactive data fragment 125 in addition to the four groups. The preview data fragment 124 provides previews and icons for broadcast services and content, and the interactive data fragment 125 provides information about interactive broadcast services in which the user may participate.
Referring to
Broadcast service data 206 (e.g., the broadcast service guide described in connection with
The ULI 207 includes Robust Header Compression (RoHC) information for compressing IP headers of all IP streams for their transmission and reception, information for mapping broadcast service components to Physical Layer Pipes (PLPs), and physical parameters of PLPs associated with broadcast services. For example, the ULI 207 may include syntaxes as given in Table 1 below.
RoHC information included in the ULI 207 includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) length field, a ‘URL_byte or IP address+port number’ field, a Context Identification (CID) field, a context profile field, a static information length (static_info_length) field, and a static chain byte field. The information for mapping broadcast service components to PLPs includes an anchor flag field, a PLP id field, a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) mode field, and a Reserved for Future Use (RFU) field. The physical parameters of PLPs associated with broadcast services include a T_INT_APLPF field and a BS_APLPF field.
Each field in Table 1 may be defined as in Table 2 below.
In the CID field in Table 2, a small CID or a large CID is used for RoHC information. The small CID has one octet between 1 and 15, and the large CID has one or two octets between 1 and 16383. A size of the CID is determined by the following rules:
A range of protocols used to compress an IP stream is notified for RoHC information in the context profile field among the fields in Table 2. A static chain byte field is used to initialize an IP stream compressed based on RoHC information, and the size and structure of the static chain byte field depend on the context profile.
Based on the T_INT_APLPF in Table 2, the receiver determines whether it can process previously allocated PLP frames, for the time, and may calculate a buffer space for processing the next frame of the associated PLPs.
The NMI 208 includes network information for a cell where a terminal receives broadcast services and its adjacent cells, and physical layer information for enabling fast reception of broadcast services. For example, the NMI 208 includes syntaxes as shown in Table 3 below.
Each field in Table 3 may be defined as in Table 4 below.
The ULI 207 and NMI 208 are transmitted and received in an SGDD.
Referring to
An SGDD generator 330 generates an SGDD including the ULI 207 and NMI 208, and an SGDD transmitter 350 transmits the generated SGDD to a receiving apparatus.
Although the signaling information generator 310, the SGDD generator 330 and the SGDD transmitter 350 are implemented in separate units in
Referring to
By analyzing each of the ULI 207 and NMI 208, the signaling information analyzer 450 checks network information from a data layer to an application layer of the transmission network, which is included in the ULI 207, and checks information about a neighboring transmission network, which is included in the NMI 208. That is, the signaling information analyzer 450 checks RoHC information for all IP streams, information for mapping service components to PLPs, and physical parameters of PLPs associated with broadcast services, all of which are included in the ULI 207, and checks network information for a cell where the terminal receives broadcast services and its adjacent cells, and physical layer information for enabling fast reception of broadcast services, both of which are included in the NMI 208.
Although the SGDD receiver 410, the SGDD decomposer 430, and the signaling information analyzer 450 are implemented in separate units in
Referring to
In step 550, the SGDD generator 330 generates an SGDD including the generated ULI 207 and NMI 208. In step 570, the SGDD transmitter 350 transmits the generated SGDD to a receiving apparatus.
Alternatively, the ULI generation step (step 510) and the NMI generation step (step 530) are interchangeable.
Referring to
In summary, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, signaling information of an IP profile to a receiving apparatus (e.g., terminal) in an SGDD in DVB-NGH is provided, thereby reducing the delay time in which the receiving apparatus gets the signaling information.
As is apparent from the foregoing description, the above-described embodiments of the present invention provide signaling information of a transmission network and a transmission network physical layer for a DVB-NGH IP profile, using an IP-based signaling method, such that a terminal may efficiently receive the signaling information.
Further, the above-described embodiments of the present invention provide a method for efficiently configuring signaling information of a transmission network and a transmission network physical layer for a DVB-NGH IP profile.
Additionally, the above-described embodiments of the present invention provide signaling information of a transmission network and a transmission network physical layer for a DVB-NGH IP profile, to a terminal in an SGDD, thereby reducing the delay time in which the terminal gets the signaling information.
While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2011-0100522 | Oct 2011 | KR | national |
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/497,782, which was filed in United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jun. 16, 2011, and Korean Patent Application Serial No. 10-2011-0100522, which was filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Oct. 4, 2011, the entire disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61497782 | Jun 2011 | US |