JP2019023898A - Content output device, content distribution server, content output method, and content output program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a content output device, a content distribution server, a content output method, and a content output program that can acquire content before a user operates, and at the time of a user operation, reproduce the content immediately without a stand-by time.SOLUTION: A content output device 100 includes: a storage unit 101 capable of storing the name of content; a screen display unit 102 for displaying a music name; a determination unit 103 for determining a music name that may be selected in the future among music names stored in the storage unit on the basis of at least information about content on the screen display unit; a communication unit 104 for, before reproduction of the content corresponding to the music name displayed on the screen display unit is selected and started, acquiring the content corresponding to the music name determined by the determination unit from a server 110; and an output unit 105 for, when the music name corresponding to the content acquired by the communication unit is selected, outputting the content acquired by the communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a content output device, a content distribution server, a content output method, and a content output program that reproduce and output content that is distributed in a streaming manner. However, the use of the present invention is not limited to the content output device, the content distribution server, the content output method, and the content output program.

  Conventionally, various methods for streaming playback of content have been provided. For example, when the content is repeatedly played, a part of the streaming data is saved, and when the contents are played for the second time and thereafter, the saved part of the data is played back and then the streaming is played back. There is a technique for eliminating the waiting time for data acquisition (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

  Further, there is a technique for reducing the waiting time until reproduction by changing the size of streaming data transmitted from the server depending on the communication state, and stabilizing the reproduction of video and audio (for example, see Patent Document 2 below). ). In addition, there is a technique in which a desired program can be viewed without waiting time by downloading partial streaming data of a plurality of programs in advance (see, for example, Patent Document 3 below).

JP 2013-106323 A JP 2007-013675 A JP 2006-080612 A

  However, with the above-described conventional technology, the waiting time for streaming data acquisition cannot be eliminated. In the technology of Patent Document 1, the content of the first playback does not have some stored data and is played back by streaming from the beginning, so a waiting time occurs. In addition, since some data is stored, even data that needs to be viewed only once is stored, or when the number of times of reproduction increases, the amount of data increases, and convenience for the user may not be improved.

  With the technique of Patent Document 2, the waiting time until reproduction can be reduced, but this waiting time cannot be eliminated. In the technique of Patent Document 3, as the number of contents increases, streaming data to be downloaded increases, so that each problem that the data processing amount increases is given as an example.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the content output device according to the invention of claim 1 determines specific information that can be selected in the future based on information of content displayed on the screen display unit. And a communication unit that acquires content corresponding to the specific information or a part of the content from a content distribution server before selection of the specific information, and specific information corresponding to the content acquired by the communication unit. And an output unit that outputs the content acquired by the communication unit or a part of the content when selected.

  A content distribution server according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a content distribution server that distributes the content to a content output device that outputs the content, and acquires the content information on the screen display unit of the content output device A determination unit that determines specific information that can be selected in the future in the content output device; and the determination unit that determines the specific information displayed on the screen display unit of the content output device. A communication unit that transmits content corresponding to the specific information or a part of the content to the content output device.

  A content output method according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is a content output method implemented by a content output device, wherein specific information that can be selected in the future based on content information displayed on the screen display unit is determined. Determining the content corresponding to the specific information or a part of the content from the content distribution server before selecting the specific information, and the specific information corresponding to the acquired content And the step of outputting the content acquired by the communication unit or a part of the content by an output unit.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, a content output program causes a computer to execute the content output method according to the fourteenth aspect.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the content output apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the content output apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the navigation device. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing from content acquisition to reproduction by the navigation device. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a list of contents to be displayed on the display of the navigation device. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of display content analysis processing. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining another example of display content analysis processing. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of display history analysis processing. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of a reproduction history analysis process. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the aggregation process.

(Embodiment)
Exemplary embodiments of a content output device, a content distribution server, a content output method, and a content output program according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the content output apparatus according to the embodiment. The content output apparatus 100 according to the embodiment is connected to a server (content distribution server) 110 that distributes content via a network, and reproduces the content distributed from the server 110.

  The content output device 100 includes a storage unit 101, a screen display unit 102, a determination unit 103, a communication unit 104, and an output unit 105.

  The storage unit 101 stores specific information such as a song name for specifying content to be reproduced. The content may be acquired from the server 110 or the like, and the content itself may be stored in the storage unit 101. However, in the embodiment, an example in which content acquired from the server at the time of content playback is played back by streaming will be described.

  Further, the storage unit 101 can further store related information (eg, artist name, song composer name, etc.) that is information related to the content corresponding to the specific information (song name). Further, display history information that is history information on the date and time when the related information is displayed on the screen display unit 102 and output history information that is history information on the date and time when the content corresponding to the related information is output can be stored.

  The screen display unit 102 displays specific information such as a song name, related information (for example, artist name, songwriter name, etc.) and related information that is information related to content corresponding to the specific information (song name) on the screen display unit 102. It is also possible to display display history information that is history information on the date and time that has been output, and output history information that is history information on the date and time that content corresponding to the related information has been output.

  The determination unit 103 performs a process of determining specific information (song title) that the user can select in the future among the specific information stored in the storage unit 101.

  The determination unit 103 may perform processing for each function described below. For example, a first determination unit is provided, and the first determination unit can select specific information (song title) that the user can select in the future based on how to display the specific information (song name) displayed on the screen display unit 102. ). The first determination unit compares the display method of the specific information (song title) displayed on the screen display unit 102 with a display method condition set in advance, and assigns it to the condition every time the condition is met. The determined score is associated with the specific information (song name), and the specific information (song name) having a high score is determined as the specific information that the user can select in the future.

  In addition, a second determination unit is provided, and specific information (music name) that can be selected in the future by the user is determined based on related information (artist name, song composer name) displayed on the screen display unit 102. The second determination unit obtains the specific information (song name) of other content in common with the related information (artist name, song composer name) of the content corresponding to the specific information (song name) displayed on the screen display unit 102. The specific information (song name) that the user can select in the future is used. In addition, the second determination unit allows the user to select specific information (song name) of other content in common with related information (artist name, song composer name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 in the future. It can also be specified information (song name).

  Moreover, the 3rd determination part is provided and based on the display history information of the screen display part 102, the specific information (song name) which a user can select in the future is determined. The third determination unit calculates a transition pattern from one specific related information to another related information based on the selection pattern of the related information (artist name, song composer name) selected by the user based on the display history information. Based on the transition pattern, related information different from the related information displayed on the screen display unit 102 is set as specific information (song title) that the user can select in the future.

  Moreover, the 4th determination part is provided and the specific information (song name) which a user can select in the future is determined based on the output log information of a content. The fourth determination unit summarizes the output history information for each piece of related information (artist name, song composer name), and specifies specific information (song name) of the content that is output a lot from the content corresponding to the related information. It is assumed that the specific information (song name) is selected in the future by the user.

  The communication unit 104 includes content corresponding to the specific information (song name) determined by the determining unit 103 or a part of the content before the specific information (song name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 is selected by the user. Is obtained from the server 110.

  When the user selects specific information (song title) corresponding to the content acquired by the communication unit 104, the output unit 105 outputs the content acquired by the communication unit 104 for reproduction. At this time, the output unit 105 may output a part of the content for reproduction.

  The content output device 100 can be applied to a device having a streaming reproduction function such as a navigation device, a portable audio device, a smartphone, a network audio player, and the like.

  Further, the server 110 may have the functions of the storage unit 101 and the determination unit 103 of the content output apparatus 100. In this case, the server 110 performs a process of determining specific information (song title) that the user can select in the future among the specific information stored in the storage unit 101. At this time, the server 110 includes specific information (song name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 of the content output device 100, related information (artist name, song composer name) of content corresponding to the specific information (song name), and the like. Is acquired from the content output device 100, and the specific information (song name) that the user can select in the future is determined.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the content output apparatus according to the embodiment. The processes of the content output apparatus 100 and the server 110 are described.

  In the content output device 100, specific information (song title) is displayed on the screen display unit 102 (step S201). This specific information is not limited to one, and a plurality (a plurality of songs) based on a playlist or the like can be displayed.

  Then, the determination unit 103 determines specific information (song title) to be reproduced based on the display content of the screen display unit 102 (step S202). For example, the determination unit 103 determines that the specific information (song name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 is the specific information (song name) of the content to be reproduced. Here, the screen display unit 102 is limited in size, and may not be able to display all of a plurality (a plurality of songs) based on a playlist or the like. In such a case, while included in the playlist, the specific information (song name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 is determined as the specific information (song name) of the content to be reproduced.

  Then, the communication unit 104, before the specific information (song title) displayed on the screen display unit 102 can be selected by the user, the content corresponding to the specific information (song name) determined by the determination unit 103, or the content of this content A part of the server 110 is requested to acquire (step S203).

  The server 110 receives the content acquisition request from the content output device 100 (step S211), and distributes corresponding one or more contents to the content output device 100 (step S212).

  The content output apparatus 100 is ready to be played back by the content distribution from the server 110. For example, here, if there is a user operation, the content corresponding to the operated specific information (song name) can be immediately reproduced (step S204). In addition to this, even if there is no user operation, the distributed content may be immediately reproduced (for example, reproduced according to the playlist order).

  Here, the content to be played back by the determination unit 103 is determined before the user's operation. As described above, the determination unit 103 determines the content to be acquired from the server 110 by combining any one or more of the first determination unit to the fourth determination unit.

  If the setting is made according to the determination by the first determination unit, the specific information (song name) that the user can select in the future is determined by the specific information (song name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 as described above. .

  Further, if the setting is made in accordance with the determination by the second determination unit, specific information that the user can select in the future based on the related information (artist name, song composer name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 ( Song name). In addition, the second determination unit allows the user to select specific information (song name) of other content in common with related information (artist name, song composer name) displayed on the screen display unit 102 in the future. It can also be specified information (song name).

  Further, if the setting is made according to the determination of the third determination unit, specific information (song title) that the user can select in the future is determined based on the display history information of the screen display unit 102. The third determination unit calculates a transition pattern from one specific related information to another related information based on the selection pattern of the related information (artist name, song composer name) selected by the user based on the display history information. Based on the transition pattern, related information different from the related information displayed on the screen display unit 102 is set as specific information (song title) that the user can select in the future.

  Moreover, the 4th determination part is provided and the specific information (song name) which a user can select in the future is determined based on the output log information of a content. The fourth determination unit summarizes the output history information for each piece of related information (artist name, song composer name), and specifies specific information (song name) of the content that is output a lot from the content corresponding to the related information. Specific information (song title) that the user can select in the future is used.

  According to the above embodiment, the content output apparatus 100 requests the server 110 to distribute the content of the specific information (song title) displayed on the screen display unit 102 before the user operates, so that the user operation Sometimes content can be played immediately without waiting.

  Next, examples of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, a navigation device 300 is mounted on a user's vehicle and is connected to a server for communication. An example in which the navigation device 300 executes the function of the content output device 100 will be described.

(Hardware configuration of navigation device)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the navigation device. In FIG. 3, a navigation device 300 includes a CPU 301, ROM 302, RAM 303, magnetic disk drive 304, magnetic disk 305, optical disk drive 306, optical disk 307, audio I / F (interface) 308, microphone 309, speaker 310, input device 311, A video I / F 312, a display 313, a communication I / F 314, a GPS unit 315, various sensors 316, and a camera 317 are provided. Each component 301 to 317 is connected by a bus 320.

  The CPU 301 governs overall control of the navigation device 300. The ROM 302 records a boot program and a content output program. The RAM 303 is used as a work area for the CPU 301. That is, the CPU 301 controls the entire navigation device 300 by executing various programs recorded in the ROM 302 while using the RAM 303 as a work area.

  The magnetic disk drive 304 controls the reading / writing of the data with respect to the magnetic disk 305 according to control of CPU301. The magnetic disk 305 records data written under the control of the magnetic disk drive 304. As the magnetic disk 305, for example, an HD (hard disk) or an FD (flexible disk) can be used.

  The optical disk drive 306 controls reading / writing of data with respect to the optical disk 307 according to the control of the CPU 301. The optical disk 307 is a detachable recording medium from which data is read according to the control of the optical disk drive 306. As the optical disc 307, a writable recording medium can be used. In addition to the optical disk 307, an MO, a memory card, or the like can be used as a removable recording medium.

  Examples of information recorded on the magnetic disk 305 and the optical disk 307 include map data, vehicle information, images, and travel history. Map data is used when searching for routes in the navigation system. Background data that represents features (features) such as buildings, rivers, ground surfaces, and energy supply facilities, and road shape data that represents road shapes with links and nodes. Vector data including

  The audio I / F 308 is connected to a microphone 309 for audio input and a speaker 310 for audio output. The sound received by the microphone 309 is A / D converted in the sound I / F 308. For example, the microphone 309 is installed in a dashboard portion of a vehicle, and the number thereof may be one or more. From the speaker 310, a sound obtained by D / A converting a predetermined sound signal in the sound I / F 308 is output.

  Examples of the input device 311 include a remote controller having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, and the like, a keyboard, and a touch panel. The input device 311 may be realized by any one form of a remote control, a keyboard, and a touch panel, but may be realized by a plurality of forms.

  The video I / F 312 is connected to the display 313. Specifically, the video I / F 312 is output from, for example, a graphic controller that controls the entire display 313, a buffer memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) that temporarily records image information that can be displayed immediately, and a graphic controller. And a control IC for controlling the display 313 based on the image data to be processed.

  The display 313 displays icons, cursors, menus, windows, or various data such as characters and images. As the display 313, for example, a TFT liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like can be used.

  The camera 317 captures an image including, for example, a road outside the vehicle. The image may be either a still image or a moving image. For example, the outside of the vehicle is photographed by the camera 317, and the photographed image is analyzed by the CPU 301, or a recording medium such as the magnetic disk 305 or the optical disk 307 via the video I / F 312. Or output to

  The communication I / F 314 is connected to a network via wireless and functions as an interface between the navigation device 300 and the CPU 301. Communication networks that function as networks include in-vehicle communication networks such as CAN and LIN (Local Interconnect Network), public line networks and mobile phone networks, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), LAN, and WAN. The communication I / F 314 is, for example, a public line connection module, an ETC (non-stop automatic fee payment system) unit, an FM tuner, a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) / beacon receiver, or the like.

  The GPS unit 315 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs information indicating the current position of the vehicle. The output information of the GPS unit 315 is used when the CPU 301 calculates the current position of the vehicle together with output values of various sensors 316 described later. The information indicating the current position is information for specifying one point on the map data such as latitude / longitude and altitude.

  The various sensors 316 output information for determining the position and behavior of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a tilt sensor. The output values of the various sensors 316 are used for the calculation of the current position of the vehicle by the CPU 301 and the amount of change in speed and direction.

(Server configuration example)
The server 110 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. In this server, the GPS unit 315, the various sensors 316, the camera 317, etc. shown in FIG. 3 are unnecessary.

  The function of the screen display unit 102 shown in FIG. 1 can be realized using the display 313 shown in FIG. Further, the function of the communication unit 104 of FIG. 1 can be realized by using the communication I / F 314 of FIG. The content output apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 displays a display when the CPU 301 executes a predetermined program using programs and data recorded in the ROM 302, RAM 303, magnetic disk 305, optical disk 307, etc. shown in FIG. Based on the display state of 313, specific information (song name) is determined, and a series of functions for acquiring the corresponding content from the server 110 is realized.

  The specific information is information specific to the content that can specify the content. An example is a song name.

  Information associated with the content is related information. Examples include meta information such as release date, distributor, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, genre, and label.

(Example of processing from content acquisition to playback by navigation device)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing from content acquisition to reproduction by the navigation device. The process performed by the navigation device 300 and the process performed by the server 110 are described.

  First, the navigation device 300 requests the server 110 to acquire a list of specific information corresponding to reproducible content (step S401). Thus, when the server 110 receives a list acquisition request (data) from the navigation device 300 (step S411), the server 110 distributes a list of specific information corresponding to reproducible content to the navigation device 300 (step S412). ). Here, the list acquisition request made by the navigation apparatus 300 includes a set of specific information classified based on criteria such as song name, artist, genre, tone, song age and age group, multiple songs to be played, etc. The server 110 distributes a list of specific information or related information corresponding to the content according to these designations.

  Below, as an example of the list of specific information corresponding to the content according to the specification, the song name list is the song name list, the song name is the artist, genre, tone specification, song age and age group specification, playback A song name list that is classified according to the criteria such as a plurality of songs to be played is set as a playlist. This classification may be performed by the server 110 or the navigation device 300 based on related information, or may be arbitrarily classified by the user.

  When receiving the song title list from the server 110, the navigation device 300 displays at least a part of the song title list on the display 313 (step S402).

  After execution of step S402, the navigation apparatus 300 executes display content analysis processing on the display 313 (step S403), and display content display history and reproduction history analysis processing (step S404). The processes in step S403 and step S404 may be performed simultaneously in parallel, or one of them may be processed first.

  Thereafter, the navigation apparatus 300 performs a predetermined aggregation using the respective information acquired by executing the display content analysis process (step S403) and the display content display history and reproduction history analysis process (step S404). Processing is performed (step S405). Then, as a result of the aggregation process, in order to obtain the selected content in advance before the user's operation, a distribution request for the content is made to the server 110 (step S406).

  The server 110 receives the distribution request from the navigation device 300 (step S413), and distributes content corresponding to the distribution request to the navigation device 300 (step S414). As a result, the navigation device 300 can obtain the content from the server 110 in advance before the user's operation, and can immediately reproduce it during the user's operation (step S407). After the execution of step S407, the process can be continuously executed by returning to the process of step S401 when the song name list is acquired again. In addition to the list acquisition, the content acquisition suitable for the screen display can be continued by returning to the process of step S402 every time a predetermined time elapses or the like.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a list of contents to be displayed on the display of the navigation device. In the illustrated example, the playlist 501 acquired from the server 110 is displayed on the display 313 of the navigation device 300. Here, the acquisition status of the content from the server 110 is completed and the content that can be reproduced, the content that is the target of acquisition, and the like are also displayed. The playlist 501 is a collection of a plurality of playlists, and all playlists may be combined into a single folder, or a plurality of playlists 501 including a plurality of playlists may exist.

  Specifically, among the plurality of lists A (501a) to C (501c) of the play list 501, among the music names included in the list A (501a), the music a and the music aa are pie charts 502 (502a). The fact that the acquisition has been completed (the pie chart is filled in, indicating that 100% has been acquired) can be displayed, and it can be displayed that playback is possible. In addition, music aaa and music b are being acquired. In the pie chart 502b, a part of the circle is missing and 75% is acquired, and in the pie chart 502c, the music bb is about 40% acquired. It is displayed. In addition, the music bbb to music c indicate that they are waiting to be acquired by displaying only the outer periphery of the pie chart 502d. Further, since the music cc and the music ccc have not been acquired, the pie chart 502 is not displayed. Hereinafter, the description “music OO” represents a song name, and the list ◯ represents a playlist name.

  In this way, for the song name displayed on the display 313, the acquisition (pre-buffer) state of the content corresponding to the song name is displayed in each state such as pre-buffer completion, pre-buffering, pre-buffering schedule, etc. It can be displayed in different forms, and the user can be informed of the preparation status for content playback.

(Display content analysis processing example)
First, the display content analysis process (step S403) will be described. A display content analysis process is performed when a predetermined time has passed without any screen transition from the screen display state of the playlist on the display 313. The transition of the screen indicates that the music title displayed on the display 313 changes, such as scrolling and page turning. Further, the display time until the display content analysis process is started and the movement distance for determining the transition of the screen can be arbitrarily set.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of display content analysis processing. The navigation device 300 calculates the priority order of the content acquired from the server 110 for the song title displayed on the screen display portion of the display 313 (the process of the first determining unit).

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the display 313 is limited in size, so that the entire playlist 501 is not displayed. In this case, points are added to the song titles displayed on the display 313 based on the conditions shown in FIG.

  Specifically, with respect to the music b, since the self (music) is displayed, the score 10 is added, and since the entire list B (501b) including the music b is displayed, the score 8, the music b is the list B Since it is the first song of (501b), the score is 4, and as shown in the ranking table 610 of FIG. 6 (c), this song b has a score of 22, which is in priority order 1. As for the music bb, the player himself / herself (music) is displayed, so the score 10 is added, and the entire list B (501b) including the music bb is displayed, so the score 8 is added, and the music bb is 2 in the list B (501b). Since there is no score for the song, as shown in FIG. 6C, this song bb has a score of 18 and is given priority 2. In the above example, the priority order is obtained by adding points by displaying music on the display 313, but may be obtained by deductions by not displaying music on the display 313.

  As will be described later, the navigation device 300 sets the contents as candidates for acquisition from the server 110 in descending order of priority using the priority order obtained by the above processing.

  Regarding the conditions and points for scoring shown in FIG. 6B, the conditions can be increased or decreased, and the points for each condition can be set to arbitrary values, and these can be set by the user. Also good.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining another example of display content analysis processing. The navigation apparatus 300 extracts corresponding information (for example, a lyricist, a composer, and an arranger) corresponding to the song name displayed on the display 313, and extracts other song names that are not displayed on the display 313. A song name having related information in common with related information is specified (processing of the second determining unit). Such identification can be realized by using a known method such as collaborative filtering.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, for each content corresponding to each song name in the playlist 501 displayed on the display 313, the release date, release source, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, genre , Label, etc., are extracted as related information.

  Then, it is assumed that the song title (first hit chart) displayed on the display 313 shown in FIG. 7A has the related information shown in FIG. 7B. Then, as the part 701 of the related information shown in FIG. 7C, the information of the lyricist, the composer, the arranger, and the producer among the related information of FIG. 7B is used. Note that the information used is not limited to such information. A song in which any of the songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer indicated by the part 701 of the related information is identified from the other lists 501b and 501c not displayed on the display 313.

  As a result, in the list (work BGM) 501c shown in FIG. 7D, the song name 702 corresponding to the content including the part 701 (lyricist, composer, arranger, producer) of the related information is included. Assume that there is a song title 702 (song title iii / artist i). In this case, the song name 702 is specified as the song name related to the song name displayed on the display 313. At this time, for each song name 702, a list, related songs, and common items of the related information (for example, the above-mentioned lyricist, composer, arranger, producer, etc.) are extracted in the related information table 710 (see FIG. 10). .

  There may be a plurality of song names related to the displayed song names. In this case, since there is a possibility that the number of related song title candidates may be enormous, for example, the screening may be performed based on the number and types of common terms.

  Also, for example, the song name “Common Label” is more relevant than the song name “Common Lyrics”, and the song name “Longer Song & Composition Both” is more relevant than the song name “Common Composition”. You may give strength to sex and weight it.

  The above screening and weighting conditions may be performed by the system. Moreover, you may set by a user's operation.

  As will be described later, the navigation apparatus 300 sets an undisplayed content related in a part 701 of the related information obtained by the above processing as an acquisition candidate from the server 110.

  The process shown in FIG. 6 and the process shown in FIG. 7 can be executed in step S403 of FIG.

(Example of display history and playback history analysis)
Next, the history analysis process (step S404) in FIG. 4 will be described. After execution of step S402, the navigation apparatus 300 extracts a screen transition pattern from the display (viewing) history of the display screen on the display 313 (the process of the third determining unit). Also, user attributes (preference) are extracted from the content reproduction history (the process of the fourth determination unit). These processes can be realized using known techniques such as maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimation.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of display history analysis processing. As shown in FIG. 8A, it is assumed that the play list 501 has lists 501a to 501c and song names included in the lists 501a to 501c. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, a display history (screen display log) is acquired for the contents displayed on the display screen of the display 313.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, after the playlist 501 is first displayed, the list A (501a) is displayed, and then the playlist 501 is displayed again, and then the list B (501b) is displayed. Is displayed, and finally the play list 501 is displayed. In this case, the navigation device 300 analyzes the predicted transition destination based on the display history (screen display log) shown in FIG.

  In (b) of FIG. 8, since the transition to the next lists 501a and 501b is made sequentially while returning to the play list 501, as shown in the predicted transition destination table 810 of (c) of FIG. The transition destination predicted after the list 501 is determined as the list C (501c). In addition, the transition probability (85%) at this time is obtained. If there is another transition destination, the transition probability is obtained in the same manner. The predicted transition destination table 810 shows playlists that can be transitioned in the future by user selection. Here, the transition destination target is a playlist, but it is not limited to a playlist, and may be a song name, for example.

  As will be described later, the navigation device 300 makes a content acquisition request to the server 110 by using the transition probability information obtained by the above processing as a coefficient (parameter) at the time of content acquisition.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of a reproduction history analysis process. As shown in FIG. 9A, the navigation apparatus 300 acquires the reproduction date and time, the song title, the artist name, the genre, and the conductor (reproduction opportunity) as a reproduction log when the content is reproduced.

  Then, the reproduction logs are totaled. In the example shown in FIG. 9B, the user tendency 910 of content reproduction can be obtained by counting the number of reproductions for each item of the acquired song name, artist name, genre, and conductor. The content reproduction user tendency 910 shows the tendency of the number of reproductions in each item of the song name, artist name, genre, and conductor, and this makes it possible to predict which song title is easy for the user to select.

  As will be described later, the navigation device 300 makes a content acquisition request to the server 110 using the content reproduction history tabulation result (user tendency 910) obtained by the above processing as a coefficient (parameter) at the time of content acquisition.

  At this time, each item (song title, artist name, genre, conductor, etc.) of the user tendency 910 may react to the weight (value) of the coefficient so that the content of the item according to the user's preference can be preferentially acquired. become.

  In addition, since the navigation apparatus 300 does not reflect the user's preference for selecting music according to user's preference when randomly playing music, the user device 910 illustrated in FIG. 9 does not capture the history during random playback. .

  In addition, in the display history and playback history analysis processing (see FIGS. 8 and 9), it is also conceivable that users operating the navigation device 300 (viewing content) are different. In this way, when the user is different, the display history and the playback history are different, so when the user detects a different state (for example, a specific date and time), the display history and the playback history related to the specific date and time are ignored or analyzed as different user settings To do. This makes it possible to acquire content suitable for each user.

(Example of aggregation processing)
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the aggregation process. In the aggregation process (step S405) shown in FIG. 4, the information acquired by the display content analysis process (step S403) and the display history and reproduction history analysis process (step S404) is aggregated. Then, the content requested to the server 110 for prior acquisition is selected.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, (a) an acquired content candidate is multiplied by (b) a calculation parameter, and (c) an acquired content is selected.

  The acquired content candidates shown in FIG. 10A include a priority order table 610 (see FIG. 6) obtained by the acquired content obtained by the analysis processing (step S403) of the display content on the display 313, and the display. There is a related information table 710 of other undisplayed song names 702 (see FIG. 7) related to the song names displayed in 313.

  Also, the calculation parameters shown in FIG. 10B include transition probabilities for each predicted transition destination (list) in the predicted transition destination table 810 (see FIG. 8) obtained by the display history analysis process (step S404). In addition, the content reproduction history indicated by the user tendency 910 (see FIG. 9) is used for each item (song title, artist name, genre, conductor, etc.).

  As a result, the navigation apparatus 300 displays the content of the song title display ranking table 610 in FIG. 10A and the content of the acquisition candidate including the undisplayed song name 702 shown in the related information table 710. 10 (b) prediction transition destination table 810 and user tendency 910 calculation parameters (coefficient corresponding to the transition probability of prediction transition destination table 810, coefficient corresponding to the ratio of each item of user tendency 910, etc.). Multiplication is performed to create a priority order table 1010 acquired by the acquired content shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10C, the music piece c in the list C is the music piece in the first priority order, and the music piece b in the list B that is the first acquisition candidate is the second priority order. This is based on the fact that the weight (coefficient) of the transition probability of the calculation parameter shown in FIG.

  In the description of FIG. 10, both the above-described ranking table 610 and the (undisplayed) song name 702 related to the display shown in the related information table 710 are used as the acquired content candidates in (a). However, it is good also as a setting which uses only any one. In addition, (b) the prediction transition destination table 810 and the content reproduction user tendency 910 described above are used as calculation parameters, but only one of them may be set. Further, (b) the weight (coefficient) of each item of the predicted transition destination table 810 and the content reproduction user tendency 910 described above as calculation parameters can be arbitrarily set.

  In the processing described above, the display content analysis (step S403), the display and reproduction history analysis processing (step S404), and the aggregation processing (step S405) are not limited to being executed by the navigation device 300, but may be performed by the server 110 side. A configuration may be adopted in which necessary data is acquired from the content output apparatus 100 and analyzed and aggregated. The parameters used in these analysis and aggregation processes do not have to be fixed values, and may be appropriately modified by machine learning or the like, or may be changed by editing by the user.

  Further, in the processing of the display content analysis (step S403), the position of the input interface such as a mouse cursor, a stylus pen, or a finger touch that operates on the display content can be detected.

  Further, in the display and history analysis process (step S404), when a user cannot be specified, a general-purpose model may be used.

  Further, when the navigation apparatus 300 acquires a plurality of contents in parallel from the server 110, not only the priority order for acquiring the contents, but also the time required for acquisition for each content based on the file size and playback time of the contents, A difference in acquisition time between a plurality of contents may be obtained. By increasing the priority for acquiring content with a short acquisition time difference, the content can be acquired efficiently according to the network status and the like. In addition, the quality of the content to be acquired may be varied depending on the network state, and further, if the content is acquired at a low bit rate (low quality) only for a predetermined period at the beginning of content playback, the time that can be played back is set. It can be accelerated.

  Further, the content to be played back is not limited to a user operation, and the system (navigation device 300 or server 110) may automatically decide as a recommendation according to the playback state of the content so far.

  Further, when deleting the reproduced content, the priority at which the content was acquired, the elapsed time since the acquisition, the size of the data, and the acquisition status may be taken into consideration. The acquisition status includes the quality of content, what percentage of the content has already been acquired, and the like. For example, even if the entire content is acquired, if the quality is half the original bit rate, it is determined as 50%.

  In the embodiment, the navigation device is used as the content output device, but other devices having a streaming reproduction function such as a portable audio player, a smartphone, and a network audio player can also be used. Further, in the embodiment, the content is described as an example of music, but another streaming video may be used.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the content to be streamed is predicted and acquired in advance before the user operation. Thereby, at the time of the operation of starting the reproduction of the content, no waiting time is generated, and the reproduction can be performed immediately.

  The acquired content is obtained by analyzing the user's operation and preferences using the screen display state, display history, reproduction history, and the like. As a result, the content that the user wants to reproduce can be acquired with high accuracy.

  The content output method described in this embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Content output device 101 Memory | storage part 102 Screen display part 103 Determination part 104 Communication part 105 Output part 110 Server 300 Navigation apparatus

Claims (1)

A determination unit that determines specific information that can be selected in the future based on information of content displayed on the screen display unit;
A communication unit that acquires content corresponding to the specific information or a part of the content from a content distribution server before selecting the specific information;
When specific information corresponding to the content acquired by the communication unit is selected, the content acquired by the communication unit, or an output unit that outputs a part of the content;
A content output device comprising:

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