JP2009303119A - Content updating apparatus, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content updating apparatus, a method and a program for preparing a content with presence while considering the viewing state of a user who has viewed the content in the past. <P>SOLUTION: The content updating apparatus 1 includes: a content DB 22 which stores a content to be reproduced in a terminal 5 connected through a communication network 3; an avatar DB 24 which stores an avatar of a user of the terminal 5; a content reproduction part 12 for synthesizing the content and the user's avatar in accordance with the reception of a content reproducing request from the terminal 5 and reproductively transmitting the synthesized content to the terminal 5; a reproducing state receiving part 15 for receiving reproducing state data from the terminal 5; a reproducing state DB 26 for storing the received reproducing state data; and a content updating part 16 for updating the content stored in the content DB 22 based on the reproducing state data stored in the reproducing state DB 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content update apparatus, method, and program for updating content using information of a terminal that has played the content.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, along with the rapid spread of the Internet, people who have a preference gather in a virtual space of the Internet. In the virtual space, unlike the real space, there is no difficulty due to time and distance separation, and those who have a preference can easily gather across countries and across time. Various environments are provided for gathering people with good taste using the advantages of the Internet. For example, in order to share the impressions and the like received by each user, a content providing server that displays the avatar selected by the user in the three-dimensional virtual space on the terminal and displays the desired content is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-115117 A

  The content providing server described in Patent Document 1 displays an avatar selected by a user who views the same live broadcast when many users are viewing the same live broadcast. It provides a place where people who watch the broadcast gather. However, since the content providing server described in Patent Literature 1 is for grasping the situation in real time, when the user views at his / her favorite time, other users who view at the same timing can be selected. Stay on hold. Therefore, when there is no user viewing at the same timing, the presence is not satisfactory.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a content updating apparatus, method, and program for creating realistic content in consideration of viewing situations of users who have viewed content in the past.

  The inventor has found a mechanism for a user to participate in past contents, and has completed the present invention. Specifically, the present invention provides the following.

(1) a content storage unit that stores content to be played back on a terminal that is communicably connected via a communication network;
A user image storage unit for storing an image corresponding to the user of the terminal;
Combining the content corresponding to the reproduction request with the image corresponding to the user of the terminal stored in the user image storage unit in response to receiving the content reproduction request from the terminal A content playback unit that transmits the content to the terminal so that the content can be played back;
A playback status receiving unit that receives playback status information indicating the playback status of the composite content in the terminal from the terminal;
A playback status storage unit for storing the playback status information received by the playback status receiving unit;
A content update unit that updates the content stored in the content storage unit based on the playback status information stored by the playback status storage unit;
A content update apparatus comprising:

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, the content to be transmitted to the terminal is obtained by synthesizing the image corresponding to the user with the content specified by the user of the terminal. You can display the status of participating in. In addition, since the content is updated based on the status reproduced on the terminal, the more the content is reproduced on the terminal, the more the content corresponds to the reproduction status of the terminal. Therefore, it is possible to provide content with a sense of reality by displaying the viewing status viewed in the past.

(2) The user image storage unit stores an image of an avatar that is a character representing the user as an image corresponding to the user.
The content update apparatus according to (1).

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, since the image of the user's avatar is displayed as the image corresponding to the user, the situation in which the user is participating in the content can be expressed more specifically.

(3) The playback status receiving unit receives the playback status information including an image corresponding to the user at the playback time of the composite content in the terminal from the terminal.
The content update device according to (1) or (2).

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, the content is updated based on the situation played back on the terminal. Therefore, the content that displays the image corresponding to the user of the terminal as the content is played back on the terminal is provided. can do.

(4) The reproduction status receiving unit receives the reproduction status information including operation information by the user regarding an image corresponding to the user of the terminal from the terminal.
The content update device according to any one of (1) to (3).

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, the content is updated based on the operation information regarding the image corresponding to the user. The operation information related to the image corresponding to the user is related to, for example, an operation for giving a motion to the image or outputting sound from the image, and refers to an operation by the user during reproduction on the terminal. Therefore, for example, it is possible to provide content including movement and sound to an image corresponding to the user, and it is possible to provide content with a more realistic feeling.

(5) The playback status receiving unit receives the playback status information indicating that the playback of the composite content has ended from the terminal,
The content update unit is stored in the content storage unit based on the playback status information stored in the playback status storage unit in response to receiving the playback status information corresponding to the end of playback of the composite content. Update the content,
The content update device according to any one of (1) to (4).

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, the content stored in the content storage unit is updated in response to the end of the content playback at the terminal. For example, when playing back on a plurality of terminals, The content can be updated so as to eliminate the inconsistency of update due to.

(6) The content playback unit is a terminal different from the terminal, and receives the content playback request from another terminal communicably connected via the communication network. Including the image indicating the playback position on the terminal, and transmitting the composite content to the other terminal so as to be playable.
The content update device according to any one of (1) to (5).

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, since the playback position on the other terminal is displayed, it is possible to grasp the playback status on the other terminal where the same content is played back.

(7) The content reproduction unit synthesizes an image corresponding to a user of the other terminal with the synthesized content in response to receiving a request to move to the reproduction position of the terminal from the other terminal. Send to the other terminal in a playable manner,
The content update apparatus according to (6).

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, the playback position at the other terminal where the same content is played back is displayed. Therefore, by moving to the playback position at the other terminal, the same content is displayed at a plurality of terminals. The same part can be shared. In addition, since an image corresponding to the user is displayed, it is possible to provide an environment in which a sense of reality can be enjoyed together.

(8) The content includes an avatar that is a character representing the user who created the content.
The content update device according to any one of (1) to (7).

  According to such a configuration of the present invention, since the avatar of the user who created the content is included, the avatar of the user who created the content becomes an organizer and gathers the audience, for example, in a virtual space such as a concert or a play Various contents of user participation type can be provided.

(9) a content storage unit that stores content to be played back on a terminal that is communicably connected via a communication network;
A user image storage unit for storing an image corresponding to the user of the terminal;
A server comprising
Combining the content corresponding to the reproduction request with the image corresponding to the user of the terminal stored in the user image storage unit in response to receiving the content reproduction request from the terminal Transmitting the content reproducibly to the terminal;
Receiving playback status information indicating the playback status of the composite content in the terminal from the terminal;
Storing the received playback status information;
Updating the content stored in the content storage unit based on the stored reproduction status information;
Content update method.

  (10) A content update program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the method according to (9).

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the condition where the user's avatar is participating in a content can be displayed on a terminal. Further, by displaying the viewing status of viewing content in the past on the terminal, it is possible to provide content with a sense of reality.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This is merely an example, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this.

[Entire configuration of content update system and functional configuration of content update device]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a content update system 100 and a functional configuration of the content update device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The content update system 100 includes a content update device 1, a communication network 3, and a terminal 5. As shown in FIG. 1, a content update device 1 and a terminal 5 are communicably connected via a communication network 3 typified by a communication line such as the Internet.

  The content update device 1 includes a control unit 10 and a storage unit 20. The control unit 10 includes a content reproduction request reception unit 11, a content reproduction unit 12, a content transmission unit 13, a reproduction status reception unit 15, and a content update unit 16. The storage unit 20 includes a content database (hereinafter, the database is also referred to as a DB) 22, an avatar DB 24, and a reproduction status DB 26. The contents of each DB will be described later.

  The content update device 1 is, for example, a server, and the number of hardware is not limited, and may be configured by one or a plurality of hardware as necessary. In the case of a plurality of hardware, each hardware may be connected via the communication network 3. For example, the functions of the present embodiment may be realized by using separate servers (devices) for each function described later, and by linking the servers by transmitting and receiving signals between the servers.

  The content reproduction request receiving unit 11 receives a reproduction request for content to be reproduced on the terminal 5 from the terminal 5. The content reproduction unit 12 synthesizes the content and an avatar (an image corresponding to the user) that is a user character of the terminal 5 to be described later to create a composite content. In addition, the content playback unit 12 plays back the created composite content. Here, the contents are related to music or video. More specifically, it refers to a combination of various forms of information such as characters such as movies, TV programs, songs, performances, video games, animation, news, still images, moving images, and voices. The content transmission unit 13 transmits the reproduced composite content to the terminal 5.

  The playback status receiving unit 15 receives playback status information from the terminal 5. The reproduction status information refers to data indicating a reproduction status including the image of the user avatar of the terminal 5 displayed on the terminal 5. The content update unit 16 updates the content based on the received reproduction status information.

  The terminal 5 is, for example, a personal computer (PC) including an input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse for a user to input an operation for reproducing the content and a display screen for displaying the content. Using the terminal 5, the user can view the content or input an operation to the user's own avatar displayed in the content while viewing the content.

[Hardware Configuration of Content Updating Device 1]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the content update apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The server in which the present invention is implemented may be a standard server, and an example of the configuration is shown below.

  The content update device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1010 (a plurality of CPUs such as a CPU 1012 may be added in a multiprocessor configuration), a bus line 1005, a communication I / F (I / F: An interface) 1040, a main memory 1050, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) 1060, a display device 1022, an I / O controller 1070, an input device 1100 such as a keyboard and a mouse, a hard disk 1074, an optical disk drive 1076, and a semiconductor memory 1078. The hard disk 1074, the optical disk drive 1076, and the semiconductor memory 1078 are collectively referred to as the storage unit 20.

  The control unit 10 is a part that controls the content updating apparatus 1 in an integrated manner. By appropriately reading and executing various programs stored in the hard disk 1074, the control unit 10 cooperates with the hardware described above, and performs various types of the present invention. The function is realized.

  The communication I / F 1040 is a network adapter used when the content update apparatus 1 transmits / receives information to / from the terminal 5 (FIG. 1) via the communication network 3 (FIG. 1). The communication I / F 1040 may include a modem, a cable modem, and an Ethernet (registered trademark) adapter.

  The BIOS 1060 records a boot program executed by the CPU 1010 when the content update device 1 is started, a program depending on the hardware of the content update device 1, and the like.

  The display device 1022 includes a display device such as a cathode ray tube display device (CRT) or a liquid crystal display device (LCD).

  The I / O controller 1070 can be connected to a storage unit 20 that is a storage device such as a hard disk 1074, an optical disk drive 1076, and a semiconductor memory 1078.

  The input device 1100 is for accepting input by the administrator of the content update device 1.

  The hard disk 1074 stores various programs for causing the hardware to function as the content update device 1, a program for executing the functions of the present invention, and a DB table and records to be described later. The content updating apparatus 1 can also use a hard disk (not shown) separately provided as an external storage device.

  As the optical disc drive 1076, for example, a DVD-ROM drive, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or a CD-RAM drive can be used. In this case, the optical disk 1077 corresponding to each drive is used. A program or data may be read from the optical disk 1077 by the optical disk drive 1076 and provided to the main memory 1050 or the hard disk 1074 via the I / O controller 1070.

  The computer in the present invention refers to an information processing device including a storage device, a control unit, and the like, and the content update device 1 includes an information processing device including a storage unit 20, a control unit 10, and the like. The information processing apparatus is included in the concept of the computer of the present invention.

[Hardware configuration of terminal 5]
The terminal 5 has the same configuration as that of the content update device 1 described above. In the above-described example, an example realized by a so-called computer has been described. Furthermore, as long as the principle of the present invention can be applied, it may be realized by various terminals such as a mobile phone and a PDA (Personal Data Assistant).

[Content DB 22 and Avatar DB 24]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the content DB 22 and the avatar DB 24 stored in the storage unit 20 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 3A shows an example of the content DB 22. The content DB 22 is a database for associating various information related to content and content data indicating the content actually displayed on the terminal 5 using the content ID as key information.

  The content DB 22 includes a content ID 22a, a last update date and time 22b, an organizer ID 22c, content data 22d, a playback status 22e, and a playback user ID 22f. As described above, the content ID 22a stores a symbol that uniquely indicates the content. This symbol may be appropriately given by the control unit 10 when the user stores content created by the user in the content DB 22. The last update date and time 22b stores the date and time when the content was last updated, that is, the update date and time of the content data. The host ID 22c stores the user ID of the user who created the content. The user ID is a symbol that uniquely indicates the user.

  The content data 22d stores content data that is the content itself. The playback status 22e stores status information indicating whether the content is being played back. When the content is being played back on the terminal 5, “playing” is stored in the playback status status 22e. When no content is being played back on any of the terminals 5, nothing is stored in the playback status status 22e. . The reproduction user ID 22f stores the user ID of the user who is reproducing the content. In FIG. 3A, the content data specified by the content ID is stored in the content data 22d of the content DB 22, but may be stored in another DB.

  FIG. 3B shows an example of the avatar DB 24. The avatar DB 24 is a database that associates display information about the user with the user ID as key information.

  The avatar DB 24 includes a user ID 24a, a nickname 24b, and an avatar image 24c. The user ID 24a stores a symbol uniquely indicating the user, like the organizer ID 22c and the reproduction user ID 22f in the content DB 22. The nickname 24b stores the nickname (also referred to as a handle name) of the user of the terminal 5 uniquely specified by the user ID 24a. The nickname stored in the nickname 24b is used for display on the terminal 5, for example. The avatar image 24c stores an image of an avatar that is a character representing the user.

[Screen example during content playback]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed when content is reproduced on the display screen of the terminal 5 according to the present embodiment.

  A content player 30 for playing back content is displayed on the display screen of the terminal 5. The content player 30 is displayed when the control unit 10 activates software for receiving information stored in the terminal 5, and displays the content on the display screen of the terminal 5. The content player 30 includes a content name display unit 31 that displays the content name of the content to be reproduced in the upper left. In this example, the content ID is displayed, but the content name may be stored and displayed in the content DB 22.

  A content display unit 32 is provided at the center of the content player 30 to display the content of the content being reproduced. In this example, a state in which a concert is being performed in a virtual space is shown. In the case of this example, the fixed content portion 40 displays an avatar 43 included in the content first registered in the content DB 22 by the user who created the content. The avatar 43 is an avatar of the user who created the content. Therefore, the content display unit 32 can display content representing a user-participation-type concert in a virtual space such as this example in which the avatar 43 of the user who created the content becomes an organizer and gathers spectators.

  The variable content section 41 displays a large number of avatars of users who have viewed this content in the past. The variable content section 41 also displays an avatar 42 of “Mr. A” who is the current viewing user. In this way, the content display unit 32 can more specifically express and display the situation in which the user's avatar 42 of the terminal 5 is participating in the content.

  The content player 30 has a status bar 33 for displaying the status of the content below the content display unit 32, and a playback position display unit 34 indicating the current playback position is displayed on the left side of the status bar 33. . Further, the content player 30 has a time display unit 36 at the lower right portion of the status bar 33. The time display unit 36 displays the playback time of the entire content and the current playback time, and the playback time in the total time is associated with the location indicated by the playback position display unit 34 in the status bar 33. It has been.

  Further, the content player 30 has a mosh selector 35 in the lower center portion of the status bar 33. In the mosh selection unit 35, three operation buttons of mosh parts 35a, 35b, and 35c are displayed. The mosh parts 35a, 35b, and 35c are parts (parts) prepared in advance for putting movement and voice into the user's avatar. According to the content reproduced on the display screen of the terminal 5, the user appropriately selects (operates) the mosh parts 35a, 35b, and 35c, so that the user avatar displayed on the content display unit 32 becomes the mosh parts 35a, It produces effects according to 35b and 35c. This effect may be video only. In that case, the effect related to the sound may be expressed using a balloon.

  In addition, by appropriately selecting the mosh parts 35 a, 35 b, and 35 c, the terminal 5 transmits reproduction status information including operation information (the contents of effects according to the operation) to the content update device 1. In this way, the user's avatar displayed on the content display unit 32 produces an effect corresponding to the mosh parts 35a, 35b, and 35c, so that the avatar is provided with more realistic content including movement and sound. can do.

[Content playback example 1]
Next, reproduction of the same content by the two terminals 5 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the reproduction timing of the content according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the reproduction status DB 26 stored in the storage unit 20 according to the present embodiment.

  First, FIG. 5 visually shows the timing at which the content with the content ID “A01” is reproduced on the two terminals 5. 17 seconds after “Mr. A” plays the content whose content ID is “A01”, “Mr. B” is the same content as the content that “Mr. A” is viewing, and the content ID is “A01” Is starting to play. If this content is a content of 60 seconds, then “Mr. A” and “Mr. B” will have the same content at different timings on different terminals 5 until “Mr. A” finishes viewing the content. You are watching.

  FIG. 6 shows a display screen of the terminal 5 in the example shown in FIG. The left side of FIG. 6 shows the display screen of the terminal 5 for “Mr. A”, and the right side shows the display screen of the terminal 5 for “Mr. B”. Hereinafter, in the description of FIG. 6, “A” is added to the end of the code for the “Mr. A” terminal 5, and “B” is added to the end of the code for the “Mr. B” terminal 5. Each is distinguished.

  FIG. 6A shows a case where the content with the content ID “A01” is played on the terminal 5A. FIG. 6 (1) shows a content playback screen at the time indicated by (1) in FIG. An avatar 51 of “Mr. A” who views the content is displayed on the content display portion 32A. Further, the current display time related to the playback time of the content displayed on the terminal 5A is visually displayed by the status bar 33A and the playback position display unit 34A. The terminal 5B has not yet played back the content with the content ID “A01”.

  Next, FIG. 6B shows a screen on which the content whose content ID is “A01” has begun to be reproduced on the terminal 5B. FIG. 6 (2) shows a content playback screen at the time indicated by (2) in FIG. Comparing the display screens of FIG. 6 (1) and FIG. 6 (2) of the terminal 5A, the content whose content ID is “A01” is continuously reproduced, and the position of the reproduction position display portion 34A of the status bar 33A is changed. Thus, it can be seen that the regenerated time is advanced. On the other hand, in the content display section 32B of the terminal 5B, in addition to the “Mr. B” avatar 52 viewing the content, the “Mr. A” avatar 51 viewing the same content before “Mr. B” views. Is displayed. From the position of the reproduction position display part 34B of the status bar 33B, it can be seen that the terminal 5B has started to reproduce the content whose content ID is “A01”, and only a little time has passed.

  FIG. 6 (3) shows a screen when the content whose content ID is “A01” is continuously reproduced on the terminal 5A and the terminal 5B. FIG. 6 (3) shows a content playback screen at the time indicated by (3) in FIG. From the position of the reproduction position display unit 34A of the terminal 5A and the position of the reproduction position display unit 34B of the terminal 5B, it can be seen that more time has elapsed than in FIG. Similarly to FIG. 6B, the avatar 51 is displayed on the terminal 5A, and the avatar 51 and the avatar 52 are displayed on the terminal 5B.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the reproduction status DB 26 according to the present embodiment. The reproduction status DB 26 is a database that collects and stores information related to content reproduction on the terminal 5. The reproduction status data (reproduction status information) received from the terminal 5 is stored in the reproduction status DB 26.

  The playback status DB 26 includes a content ID 26a, a data date 26b, a content time 26c, and playback status data 26d. As described in FIG. 3 above, the content ID 26a stores a symbol that uniquely indicates the content. The date 26b stores the date and time when the reproduction status data was created. In the content time 26c, the playback time when the content is played on the terminal 5 is stored. Each data stored in the content ID 26a, the data date 26b, and the content time 26c is grasped by the property of the reproduction status data received from the terminal 5.

  The reproduction status data 26d is data indicating the reproduction status at the terminal 5, and stores the reproduction status data received from the terminal 5. The reproduction status data includes an operation image of the user's avatar when the content is reproduced on the terminal 5. As shown in FIG. 7, the playback status data is sequentially stored in the playback status DB 26 in the order in which the playback status data is received. In this example, the reproduction status data received from the terminal 5A and the terminal 5B shown in FIG. 6 are stored in order.

[Flowchart of main processing]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the main process of the content update apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

  S1: The content reproduction request receiving unit 11 receives a content reproduction request from the terminal 5.

  S2: The control unit 10 confirms the reproduction status of the content in the requested content DB 22 (hereinafter referred to as requested content). The playback status can be confirmed by referring to the playback status status 22e of the corresponding content ID in the content DB 22.

  S3: The control unit 10 determines whether or not the requested content is being reproduced on the other terminal 5. When the requested content is being played back on another terminal 5 (step S3: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S5, performs the second content playback process, and then moves the process to step S6. Transfer. On the other hand, when the requested content is not being played back by another terminal 5 (step S3: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S4, performs the first content playback process, and then performs the process in step S6. Move to. The first content reproduction process and the second content reproduction process will be described with reference to FIGS.

  S6: The control unit 10 confirms the reproduction status of the content in the requested content DB 22 (hereinafter referred to as “requested content”), and determines again whether or not the requested content is being reproduced on another terminal 5. . If the requested content is being reproduced (step S6: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S12. On the other hand, when the requested content is not being reproduced (step S6: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S7.

  S7: The control unit 10 determines whether or not the requested content has been reproduced on the plurality of terminals 5. When the requested content is reproduced on the plurality of terminals 5 (step S7: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S9. On the other hand, when the requested content is not reproduced by the plurality of terminals 5 (step S7: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S8.

  S8: The content update unit 16 updates the content DB 22 based on the playback status data corresponding to the content ID of the requested content stored in the playback status DB 26. Specifically, a record in which the content ID stored in the content ID 26a stored in the reproduction status DB 26 matches the content ID of the requested content is extracted. Then, after the extracted records are sorted in ascending order of the content time 26c, the sorted records are updated in order with respect to the data of the corresponding content data 22d stored in the content DB 22. When the update is completed, the last update date 22b of the content DB 22 is updated. Then, the control part 10 moves a process to step S10.

  S9: The content update unit 16 updates the content DB 22 based on the playback status data of the terminal 5 that was last played out of the playback status data corresponding to the content ID of the requested content stored in the playback status DB 26. This is based on the fact that the playback status data of all the terminals 5 played so far can be updated by using the playback status data of the terminal 5 played back last.

  S10: The control unit 10 deletes the record corresponding to the content ID of the requested content from the records stored in the reproduction status DB 26.

  S11: The control unit 10 updates the status of the reproduction status corresponding to the content ID of the requested content in the content DB 22. Specifically, “playing” stored in the playback status status 22e corresponding to the corresponding content ID in the content DB 22 is deleted. Further, the control unit 10 changes the date stored in the last update date 22b to the last update date of the content data.

  S12: The control unit 10 deletes the user ID of the user of the terminal 5 from the reproduction user ID corresponding to the content ID of the requested content in the content DB 22. Then, the control part 10 complete | finishes this process.

  In this way, the content data stored in the content DB 22 is updated in response to the end of the content reproduction on the terminal 5. And when reproducing | regenerating by the some terminal 5, content data memorize | stored in content DB22 is updated after the reproduction | regeneration by the terminal 5 reproduced | regenerated last is complete | finished. Therefore, the content can be updated so as to eliminate the update inconsistency due to the reproduction time. In addition, since the content is updated based on the situation reproduced on the terminal 5, the more the content is reproduced on the terminal 5, the more the avatar of the user of the terminal 5 is displayed, and the viewing situation viewed in the past is displayed. It is possible to provide realistic content.

[Flowchart of content playback processing]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the first content reproduction process in the content update device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the second content reproduction process in the content update device 1 according to the present embodiment.

  S21 in FIG. 9: The control unit 10 updates the playback status 22e corresponding to the content ID of the requested content in the content DB 22 to “playing”.

  S22: The control unit 10 adds the user ID of the user of the terminal 5 to the reproduction user ID 22f corresponding to the content ID of the requested content in the content DB 22.

  S23: The control unit 10 acquires the avatar image of the user of the terminal 5 from the avatar DB 24.

  S24: The content reproduction unit 12 and the content transmission unit 13 combine the requested content and the avatar to create a combined content and transmit it to the terminal 5.

  Therefore, the content to be transmitted to the terminal 5 is obtained by synthesizing the user's avatar with the requested content specified by the user of the terminal 5, so that the terminal 5 displays a situation in which the user's avatar is participating in the content. be able to.

  S25: The playback status receiving unit 15 receives playback status data from the terminal 5.

  S26: The control unit 10 stores the received reproduction status data in the reproduction status DB 26. Specifically, the items of the content ID 26a, the data date 26b, the content time 26c, and the playback status data 26d shown in FIG. 7 are stored in the playback status DB 26 based on the playback status data.

  S27: The control unit 10 determines whether or not the content reproduction has been completed at the terminal 5, that is, whether or not the reproduction status reception unit 15 has received reproduction status data indicating that the content reproduction at the terminal 5 has been completed. to decide. When the reproduction of the content is completed (step S27: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to the main process (FIG. 8). On the other hand, when the reproduction of the content has not ended (step S27: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S24.

  Step S31 in FIG. 10: The control unit 10 adds the user ID of the user of the terminal 5 to the reproduction user ID 22f corresponding to the content ID of the requested content in the content DB 22.

  S32: The control unit 10 acquires the avatar image of the user of the terminal 5 from the avatar DB 24.

  S33: The control unit 10 newly creates history reflected content in which the reproduction status data corresponding to the content ID of the requested content stored in the reproduction status DB 26 is updated with respect to the requested content stored in the content DB 22.

  S <b> 34: The content reproduction unit 12 and the content transmission unit 13 combine the history reflection content created in S <b> 33 and the avatar to create a composite content, and transmit it to the terminal 5.

  S35: The playback status receiving unit 15 receives playback status data from the terminal 5.

  S36: The control unit 10 stores the received reproduction status data in the reproduction status DB 26. Specifically, the items of the content ID 26a, the data date 26b, the content time 26c, and the playback status data 26d shown in FIG. 7 are stored in the playback status DB 26 based on the playback status data.

  S37: The control unit 10 determines whether or not the content reproduction has been completed at the terminal 5, that is, whether or not the reproduction status reception unit 15 has received reproduction status data indicating that the content reproduction at the terminal 5 has been completed. to decide. When the reproduction of the content is completed (step S37: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to the main process (FIG. 8). On the other hand, when the reproduction of the content has not ended (step S37: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to step S33.

[Content playback example 2]
In FIG. 11, unlike FIG. 6, a case will be described in which the terminal 5 that has previously played back content displays the user's avatar of the terminal 5 that has played back content later. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen display example according to the present embodiment, and shows a display screen of the terminal 5 in the case of the example shown in FIG. 5 described above. As in FIG. 6, the display screen of the terminal 5 for “Mr. A” is shown on the left of FIG. Hereinafter, in the description of FIG. 11, “A” is added to the end of the code for the “Mr. A” terminal 5, and “B” is added to the end of the code for the “Mr. B” terminal 5. Each is distinguished.

  FIG. 11 (1) is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 6 (1), and is a case where the content with the content ID “A01” is being played on the terminal 5A. The terminal 5B has not yet played back the content with the content ID “A01”.

  Next, FIG. 11 (2) shows a screen when the content having the content ID “A01” starts to be reproduced on the terminal 5B. FIG. 11 (2) shows a content playback screen at the time indicated by (2) in FIG. Compared with FIG. 6, information (an image showing a reproduction position) of other users who are viewing the same content is displayed on the terminal 5 </ b> A. In the status bar 33A of the terminal 5A, another reproduction position 61 indicating the viewing position of “Mr. B” and another user name 62 displaying “Mr. B” are displayed. On the other hand, as compared with FIG. 6, similarly to the terminal 5 </ b> B, in the status bar 33 </ b> B of the terminal 5 </ b> B, the other playback position 63 indicating the viewing position of “Mr. Name 64 is displayed. Therefore, by selecting the reproduction position display unit 34B displayed on the terminal 5B and dragging and dropping to the other reproduction position 63, the movement request data is transmitted to the content update device 1. Then, the display screen is changed to that shown in FIG.

  In the terminal 5A of FIG. 11 (2) ', an avatar 52 of "Mr. B" is displayed on the content display section 32A. In addition, the other playback position 61 of the status bar 33A overlaps at the same position as the playback position display section 34A, and the other user name 62 is displayed at the same position as the playback position display section 34A. On the other hand, the content whose playback position has been changed to the playback position of “Mr. A” is displayed on the content display section 32B on the terminal 5B. Therefore, in FIG. 11 (2) ', the contents displayed on the content display unit 32A of the terminal 5A and the content display unit 32B of the terminal 5B are exactly the same.

  In this way, for example, the content display unit 32B of the terminal 5B displays the playback position on the terminal 5A, which is another terminal, so that the user of the terminal 5B plays back on the terminal 5A on which the same content is played back. The situation can be grasped. Further, the user can move the playback position of the terminal 5B to the playback position of the terminal 5A and display the same content at the same location on the terminal 5A and the terminal 5B at the same time. And since the avatar of the user of the terminal 5A and the terminal 5B is displayed on the content display part 32A and the content display part 32B, the user of the terminal 5A and the terminal 5B can taste a sense of reality together.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to embodiment mentioned above. The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

(Deformation)
In the present embodiment, a concert in a virtual space has been described as an example. However, content related to a theater or content created by a user may be used. Moreover, although a user's avatar was displayed in order to produce that the user participated, characters, such as a mascot which identifies a user, may be sufficient. Moreover, the mosh part shown in FIG. 4 is only an example.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the content update system which concerns on this embodiment, and the function structure of a content update apparatus. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the content update apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows content DB and avatar DB which are stored in the memory | storage part which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed at the time of the content reproduction with the terminal concerning this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the reproduction | regeneration timing of the content which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of reproduction | regeneration condition DB stored in the memory | storage part which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the main process in the content update apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the 1st content reproduction | regeneration processing which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the 2nd content reproduction process which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display concerning this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Content update apparatus 5 Terminal 10 Control part 11 Content reproduction | regeneration request | requirement receiving part 12 Content reproduction | regeneration part 13 Content transmission part 15 Reproduction | regeneration condition reception part 16 Content update part 20 Storage part 22 Content DB
24 Avatar DB
26 Playback status DB
100 content update system

Claims (10)

A content storage unit that stores content to be played back on a terminal that is communicably connected via a communication network;
A user image storage unit for storing an image corresponding to the user of the terminal;
Combining the content corresponding to the reproduction request with the image corresponding to the user of the terminal stored in the user image storage unit in response to receiving the content reproduction request from the terminal A content playback unit that transmits the content to the terminal so that the content can be played back;
A playback status receiving unit that receives playback status information indicating the playback status of the composite content in the terminal from the terminal;
A playback status storage unit for storing the playback status information received by the playback status receiving unit;
A content update unit that updates the content stored in the content storage unit based on the playback status information stored by the playback status storage unit;
A content update apparatus comprising: The user image storage unit stores an image of an avatar that is a character representing the user as an image corresponding to the user.
The content update apparatus according to claim 1. The playback status receiving unit receives the playback status information including an image corresponding to the user at the playback time of the composite content in the terminal from the terminal;
The content update apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The playback status receiving unit receives the playback status information including operation information by the user regarding an image corresponding to the user of the terminal from the terminal;
The content update apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The playback status receiving unit receives the playback status information indicating that the playback of the composite content has ended from the terminal,
The content update unit is stored in the content storage unit based on the playback status information stored in the playback status storage unit in response to receiving the playback status information corresponding to the end of playback of the composite content. Update the content,
The content update apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The content playback unit is a terminal different from the terminal, and plays back the content in the terminal in response to receiving the content playback request from another terminal communicably connected via the communication network. Including the image indicating the position, and transmitting the composite content to the other terminal in a reproducible manner;
The content update apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The content playback unit can synthesize and play an image corresponding to the user of the other terminal with the composite content in response to receiving a request to move to the playback position of the terminal from the other terminal. Send to the other terminal,
The content update apparatus according to claim 6. The content includes an avatar that is a character representing the user who created the content.
The content update apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A content storage unit that stores content to be played back on a terminal that is communicably connected via a communication network;
A user image storage unit for storing an image corresponding to the user of the terminal;
A server comprising
Combining the content corresponding to the reproduction request with the image corresponding to the user of the terminal stored in the user image storage unit in response to receiving the content reproduction request from the terminal Transmitting the content reproducibly to the terminal;
Receiving playback status information indicating the playback status of the composite content in the terminal from the terminal;
Storing the received playback status information;
Updating the content stored in the content storage unit based on the stored reproduction status information;
Content update method.   A content update program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the method according to claim 9.

Images