Patent ID: 7533405
Filing Date: 2009-05-12
Classification: G11B,H04H,H04N

Abstract:
1. A nonlinear broadcast system that broadcasts material data by executing a plurality of transfer processes of the material data for broadcast in parallel for at least a certain duration, the transfer processes for broadcast utilizing a common hardware resource, the nonlinear broadcast system comprising: material storage means that is a recording medium storing a video data file including material data; cache means that is a memory temporarily storing the material data read from the recording medium; processing target specification information storage means storing processing target specification information that specifies which range in a video data file is indicated by the material data that is a processing target of each of the plurality of transfer processes; duration information storage means storing duration information showing durations, in each of which a different one of the transfer processes for broadcast is scheduled to be executed; first allocation means for allocating a required amount of the hardware resource to each transfer process for broadcast based on the processing target specification information, for the corresponding duration shown by the duration information; available amount calculation means for calculating an available amount of the hardware resource remaining after the first allocation means has allocated the required amount to each transfer process for broadcast; second allocation means for allocating, to one or more background transfer processes that are processes other than the transfer processes for broadcast, as much amount of the hardware resource as possible, so as not to exceed the calculated available amount; and process execution means for executing (a) each transfer process for broadcast utilizing the amount of hardware resource allocated by the first allocation means, and (b) each background transfer process utilizing the amount of hardware resource allocated by the second allocation means, wherein the hardware resource is a band for an access to the recording medium, when processing targets of the plurality of transfer processes indicate a same range in a same video data file, the first allocation means does not exceptionally allocate the required amount of the hardware resource to one of the plurality of transfer processes executed in a later duration, and the process execution means executes the transfer process to which the required amount of the hardware resource is not exceptionally allocated, by accessing the cache means to read the material data instead of accessing the recording medium.