JP2003015675A - Communication karaoke system, karaoke sever, and karaoke terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication Karaoke system in which a disk drive prone to cause failure is eliminated from a Karaoke terminal. SOLUTION: A server 2 retrieves requested music data from a database 3 and transmits them to the Karaoke terminal 1, and also prepares for distributing corresponding picture data from database 4 by streaming. The Karaoke terminal temporarily stores the music data in the memory of a MIDI player 5; analyzes the accompaniment music of Karaoke and the data drawing the words thereby becoming prepared to start playing; sends a start signal to the server; and starts processing the acoustic outputs of the accompaniment music of Karaoke and generating the picture of the words. The server starts distributing the picture data by streaming with the start signal. When the picture data distributed by streaming reaches the Karaoke terminal having started processing the music data, the Karaoke terminal outputs not only the acoustic outputs of the accompaniment music of Karaoke but also the received picture.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication karaoke system, a karaoke server and a karaoke terminal,
In particular, the present invention relates to an on-denmand type communication karaoke system for sending music data and background image data from a karaoke server when a karaoke terminal selects music.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Music data employed in a general commercial communication karaoke system includes karaoke accompaniment music data described in an electronic musical score format represented by MIDI,
It has a structure in which CG lyrics drawing data for generating a lyrics image in synchronization with karaoke accompaniment music and changing colors is combined. Music data of a large number of existing music of 10,000 songs or more is recorded in a CDROM or a DVDROM, and mounted on a CDROM player or a DVDROM player of a karaoke terminal.

New song data produced one after another every month is timely distributed from the karaoke server to each karaoke terminal through the telephone network or ISDN, and is stored in the hard disk device of each karaoke terminal.

On the other hand, when a music piece is played on a karaoke terminal, various background images are displayed on the background of the lyrics image synchronized with the progress of the music. Most of the background images are live-action images, but there are also animation images and the like.

These image data are usually data which have been digitally compressed and encoded in the MPEG format or the like, and are stored in a CD.
It is recorded in a ROM or a DVDROM and is mounted in advance in a CDROM player or a DVDROM player of a karaoke terminal. When playing a music piece selected by a user on a karaoke terminal, various measures have been taken to link the music piece and the background image so that a background image suitable for the atmosphere of the music piece is displayed.

[0006]

As described above, the terminals of the conventional typical communication karaoke system frequently use disk devices such as hard disk devices, CDROM players and DVDROM players, and the disk devices are the heart of the terminals. Has become. As is well known, among computer equipment, hard disk devices, CDROM players, D
The failure rate of a disk device such as a VDROM player is high. That is, a mechanism for rotating the disk at a high speed, a servo mechanism for finely displacing the head at a high speed, or the like is likely to cause a failure.

The karaoke apparatus for business use is a device which is used very frequently and includes a hard disk drive and a CDRO.
Since the disk devices of the M player and the DVD ROM player frequently operate, the failure occurrence rate becomes high. If the disk device, which is the heart of the system, breaks down, the karaoke business must be interrupted, which has a great impact.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, to remove a disk device which is likely to cause a failure from a karaoke terminal, and to perform a karaoke performance. Another object is to realize a communication karaoke system, a karaoke server, and a karaoke terminal capable of displaying rich images on the background of lyrics at times.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured such that a large number of karaoke terminals individually communicate with a common karaoke server via a broadband information communication network. Here, the karaoke server stores a music database in which a large number of music pieces of music data in which lyrics drawing data are combined with karaoke accompaniment music data described in an electronic musical score format are stored, and a digital compression code to be displayed on the background of the lyrics image An image database accumulating image data for a long time, a music data download means for delivering music data designated from the karaoke terminal to the karaoke terminal, and a period during which the karaoke terminal plays the music data. An image stream distribution means for retrieving appropriate image data from the image database and transmitting the image data to the karaoke apparatus by a stream method. Further, the karaoke terminal transmits music selection information input by a user to the karaoke server, and memory means for temporarily storing the music data for one music delivered from the karaoke server based on the music selection information. And an audio output means for driving a sound source based on the karaoke accompaniment music data in the music data temporarily stored in the memory means to acoustically output the karaoke accompaniment music, and in synchronization with the processing of the karaoke accompaniment music data. Lyrics image generation means for sequentially generating a lyrics image synchronized with the progress of karaoke accompaniment music based on the lyrics display data in the music data temporarily stored in the memory means, and the karaoke server during the processing period of the music data. Image data decoding means for sequentially decoding the image data streamed from It is obtained by an image output means for displaying on the display and the lyric image sequentially generated by the image data and the generation unit sequentially outputted from the stage to superimpose synthesis.

According to the present invention, the karaoke server, which receives the request from the karaoke terminal, delivers the music data and the image data to the karaoke terminal via the broadband information communication network. Karaoke terminals are, for example,
One piece of music data having a small capacity is temporarily stored in the memory, and image data having a large capacity is sequentially acquired by stream distribution and reproduced as the performance progresses. Along with this reproduction, the music data stored in the memory is reproduced. In this way, the karaoke server takes out predetermined image data and transmits it to the karaoke device in a stream system during the period in which the music data is played at the karaoke terminal, and the karaoke terminal receiving the data outputs the predetermined image to the display. Therefore, it is not necessary to store and hold the image data in advance in the karaoke terminal. In other words, since a hard disk device and a disk device such as a CDROM player and a DVDROM player for storing and reproducing the image data, which have been indispensable in the past, are unnecessary, not only the cost and size are reduced, but also the failure rate is minimized. Suppressed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a communication karaoke system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the relationship between one karaoke terminal 1 and the karaoke server 2 is illustrated, but in reality, there are many karaoke terminals 1 and broadband information communication constructed using optical fibers, DSL, etc. as technical elements. Each karaoke terminal 1 individually communicates with the karaoke server 2 at any time via a network (broadband network).

The karaoke server 2 is a music database 3
And the image database 4 are managed. The music database 3 stores music data of many music pieces.
The music data for each song is karaoke accompaniment music data described in an electronic musical score format represented by MIDI, and CG lyrics drawing for generating a lyrics image in synchronization with the karaoke accompaniment music and changing colors. It has a structure that combines data. In the image database 4, image data for a long time is accumulated in a data structure that can be divided into appropriate lengths in total. The image data is compressed and encoded in a format such as MPEG4.

The karaoke terminal 1 has a system configuration of a computer without a disk device, and has a MIDI player 5 and a MIDI player 5 for temporarily storing the music data for one music downloaded from the karaoke server 2 in a semiconductor memory for processing. A MIDI sound source 6 for generating musical instrument sounds driven by time-series signals supplied from
The audio mixer 8 that mixes the audio signal from the IDI sound source 6 and the singing voice signal from the microphone 7, the amplifier 9 and the speaker 10 that acoustically output the signal of the audio mixer 8, and the image streamed from the karaoke server 2. An MPEG decoder 11 for sequentially decoding the data, background image data from the MPEG decoder 11, and lyrics drawing data (MID
A lyrics telop 12 for superimposing and synthesizing lyrics images sequentially generated by the I player 5) and a television monitor 13 for displaying a video signal output from the lyrics telop 12 are provided. Although not shown, the karaoke terminal 1 has a user interface for exchanging various kinds of usage information with the user, and receives a music selection input from the user.

A performance control sequence in the communication karaoke system described above is shown in FIG. First,
When the user selects a song to be sung by the user interface of the karaoke terminal 1, the karaoke terminal 1 transmits this song selection information to the karaoke server 2. In response to this, the karaoke server 2 prepares to take out the requested music data from the music database 3 and transmit the requested music data to the karaoke terminal 1 which has issued the request, and to stream the appropriately selected image data from the image database 4 Arrange.

In the karaoke terminal 1, the music data transmitted from the karaoke server 2 is temporarily stored in the memory of the MIDI player 5, and the karaoke accompaniment music and the lyrics drawing data are analyzed to prepare for the performance start. When ready, a start signal requesting the start of image data transmission is sent to the karaoke server 2 to start the acoustic output process of the karaoke accompaniment music and the lyrics image generation process.

The karaoke server 2 starts the stream distribution of the prepared image data by using the start signal as a signal. Karaoke terminal 1 that started processing music data
When the image data streamed from the karaoke server 2 arrives at, along with the acoustic output of the karaoke accompaniment music,
The lyrics are sequentially displayed and changed in color as the music progresses against the background of the image streamed from the karaoke server 2.

[0017]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a hard disk device, a CDROM player, a D
The karaoke terminal can be configured by a computer that does not use the disk device of the VDROM player, and the failure occurrence rate of the karaoke terminal can be significantly reduced. Moreover, since a rich image streamed from the server can be displayed on the background of the lyrics at the time of karaoke performance on the terminal, it is possible to functionally realize a quality equal to or higher than that of the conventional communication karaoke system. Further, since the content is centrally managed by the music database and the image database of the server, the content can be easily maintained and updated. Furthermore, since the operation is an on-demand method, the operation status of the terminal can be perfectly managed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a communication karaoke system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart summarizing a karaoke performance control sequence of the same system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 karaoke terminal 2 Karaoke server 3 Music database 4 Image database 5 MIDI player 6 MIDI sound source 7 microphone 8 audio mixer 9 amp 10 speakers 11 MPEG decoder 12 Lyrics Terror 13 TV monitor

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of karaoke terminals are configured to individually communicate with a common karaoke server via a broadband information communication network, and the karaoke server draws lyrics on karaoke accompaniment music data described in an electronic musical score format. A music database in which music data in which a plurality of pieces of music are combined is stored, an image database in which digital compression-coded long-time image data to be displayed on the background of the lyrics image is stored, and the karaoke terminal specifies And a music data download means for transmitting the music data to the karaoke terminal, and an image stream for extracting appropriate image data from the image database during the period when the music data is played by the karaoke terminal and transmitting it to the karaoke device in a stream system. Distribution means, the karaoke terminal, The music selection means for transmitting the music selection information input by the user to the karaoke server, the memory means for temporarily storing the music data for one music delivered from the karaoke server based on the music selection information, and the memory means Acoustic output means for driving a sound source based on the karaoke accompaniment music data in the temporarily stored music data to acoustically output karaoke accompaniment music; and temporarily storing in the memory means in synchronization with the processing of the karaoke accompaniment music data. The lyrics image generating means for sequentially generating the lyrics image synchronized with the progress of the karaoke accompaniment music based on the lyrics display data in the music data, and streamed from the karaoke server during the processing period of the music data. Image data decoding means for sequentially decoding the image data, and an image sequentially output from this decoding means. Communication karaoke system comprising the video output means for displaying said lyric image successively generated superimposed synthesized to display the data and the generation unit. 2. A karaoke server for constructing a communication karaoke system, wherein a plurality of karaoke terminals individually communicate with a common karaoke server via a broadband information communication network, in the electronic musical score format. A music database that stores a large number of music data that combines lyrics description data with the described karaoke accompaniment music data and digital compression-coded long-time image data that should be displayed in the background of the lyrics image. An image database, a music data download means for delivering music data designated by the karaoke terminal to the karaoke terminal, and an appropriate image data is fetched from the image database while the karaoke terminal is playing the music data. Image streaming to be transmitted to a karaoke device in a stream system Karaoke server which is characterized in that an over-time delivery means. 3. A karaoke terminal for constructing a communication karaoke system, wherein a plurality of karaoke terminals are configured to individually communicate with a common karaoke server via a broadband information communication network, wherein the user inputs Music selection means for transmitting the selected music information to the karaoke server, memory means for temporarily storing the music data for one music delivered from the karaoke server based on the music selection information, and the memory temporarily stored in the memory means. Acoustic output means for driving a sound source based on the karaoke accompaniment music data in the music data to acoustically output karaoke accompaniment music; and the music data temporarily stored in the memory means in synchronization with the processing of the karaoke accompaniment music data. The lyrics image synchronized with the progress of the karaoke accompaniment music is sequentially generated based on the lyrics display data in the Lyrics image generating means, image data decoding means for sequentially decoding the image data stream-distributed from the karaoke server during processing of the music data, image data sequentially output from the decoding means, and A karaoke terminal, comprising: a video output unit that superimposes and synthesizes the lyrics image sequentially generated by the generation unit and displays it on a display.