JP3573420B2 - Karaoke device performance reservation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a performance reservation device incorporated in or externally attached to a karaoke device, and particularly to a device for searching for a song to be sung based on a song album published by an artist and making a performance reservation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Examples of a performance reservation device (referred to as an electronic table of contents book) which is incorporated in or externally attached to a karaoke device are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-10-301582, JP-A-2000-20077, and JP-A-2000-99040. What was done is typical. This is configured using an operation input device such as a keyboard or a touch panel, a notebook computer equipped with a display, a hard disk device, or the like, and is coupled to the karaoke device by an infrared communication interface, an RS-232C interface, or the like. The hard disk device stores a database in which music IDs of the respective karaoke songs are classified and arranged by predetermined search keys such as song names, singer names, lyricists, and composers, and provides karaoke users with various search functions. For example, in a search by song title, a song in which the character string in kana notation entered by the user is included in the song title is searched and a list is displayed on a display. You can also search by artist name. Recently, systems have been developed that search for songs based on song names, artist names, and song phrases input by voice. In this way, the music ID of the music selected by the user can be easily transmitted interactively to the karaoke apparatus to make a performance reservation.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, many karaoke users sing songs of their favorite artists, but most people own the albums of their favorite artists or watch them at stores and are familiar with jackets and recorded songs. is there. For such albums, the songs on the jacket are easy to remember. For this reason, when searching for a song to sing at karaoke, it is often possible to find out which song is included in the album (or album name) of which artist without knowing the song name immediately. If you can show it, it is easy to find the target song. Especially in the case of songs on old albums, it is often convenient to remember only the number of the song on the jacket album without having to remember the song title at all. Also, if you look at the old album jackets of your favorite artists, you may have a new desire to remember and sing songs. In addition, you may recall the events involved and make a good old story with your friends.
[0004]
The inventors of the present invention have made the present invention based on the belief that if the user can search for a target song by using the jacket or album name as a clue, the process is close to a thinking process in which the user remembers the title of the song, which is easy and convenient to use.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A performance reservation apparatus for a karaoke apparatus according to the present invention is basically specified by the following items (1) to (8).
(1) It is a performance reservation device provided with a karaoke device, including a music album database and control means. (2) The music album database stores a plurality of album data. (3) The album data is an artist name. And (4) each song title is given a song ID if karaoke has already been recorded. (5) The control means includes a first to a third song title. (6) In the first processing, a plurality of music titles included in one album data searched according to the user input are displayed on the display means, and the music selected from the plurality of music titles according to the user input is selected. If the song ID is attached to the title, the process proceeds to the second process. If not, the process proceeds to the third process. (7) The second process is performed for the selected song title. To play reserve a music ID to respond to the karaoke apparatus (8) The third process, [0006] to store the artist name of the album data and the selected song title as karaoke recording requested songs
The present invention can be carried out based on the above-mentioned matters and appropriately adding the following matters (A), (B) and (C).
(A) The album data includes album jacket image data. The first processing is to display the album jacket image on the display means. (B) The first processing is to add a music ID when displaying a plurality of music titles. (C) In the first process, when a song title without a song ID is selected, the song title is displayed on the display means. Displaying on the display means a message indicating that the performance cannot be reserved and that the karaoke recording request has been accepted.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
=== Example of system configuration ===
The performance reservation device in this embodiment is a portable personal computer, and has a karaoke performance system connected to the karaoke performance device by an RS-232C interface 3 as shown in FIG. It is possible.
[0010]
<Basic functions of karaoke device>
In the karaoke apparatus 1, a central control unit 11 including a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM controls and supervises each of the peripheral components via a control bus. The hard disk device 12 stores a music database in which a large number of karaoke data including accompaniment music data and lyrics data of the karaoke music are stored. When receiving the request via the user interface 13 or the RS-232C interface 3, the central control unit 11 processes the corresponding karaoke data in the order of inputting the request.
That is, karaoke data corresponding to the requested music is taken out from the hard disk device 12 and the included karaoke accompaniment music data is transferred to the synthesizer 14 to generate karaoke accompaniment music. The synthesizer 14 includes a plurality of sound sources corresponding to the musical instruments that play the karaoke accompaniment music. The generated karaoke accompaniment music and the singing voice collected by the microphone 15 are mixed by the mixing amplifier 16 and the Sound is output from 17. The display 18 displays a background image input via the image control unit 19 and a lyric image with a color change of a portion to be sung.
[0011]
<Basic functions of the performance reservation device>
The performance reservation device 2 includes a central control unit 21, a hard disk device 22, an LCD (liquid crystal display) 23, operation input devices 24 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an RS-232C interface 3.
The hard disk device 22 stores a song database in which table-of-contents information such as song IDs, song title names, genre names, and artist names are registered using the song IDs as keys. The performance reservation device 2 is a music search system for searching for an arbitrary requested music by interactive processing with a user and transmitting the music ID of the requested music to the karaoke device 1. The central control unit 21 starts a search process in response to a predetermined command input by a user using a remote controller or the like, and arranges a search screen arranged in a method designated by the user, such as in alphabetical order of song titles, by artist, or by genre. Is displayed on the display 23. When the user performs a predetermined reservation operation using a remote controller or the like while looking at the search screen, the central control unit 21 transmits the music ID of the reserved requested music to the karaoke apparatus 1 through the RS-232C interface 3.
[0012]
=== Song Album Database ===
The hard disk device 22 of the performance reservation device according to the present embodiment stores, for the music albums published by all the artists registered in the above-mentioned music database, artist names, album titles, album jacket image data, titles of recorded music, and the like. A song album database in which album data is aggregated using the album title as a key is also stored. Among them, the recorded music titles are associated with a plurality of data for one album data. When karaoke data corresponding to the music database exists for each music title, the music ID is associated with the karaoke data. The jacket image data is image data expressed in a JPEG format or the like, and is distinguished from other data expressed in a text format or the like for convenience of data management and updating.
That is, the jacket image ID is described in the music album database, and the image data body in the JPEG format or the like is stored separately from other data in an appropriate storage unit such as a CD-ROM, and the jacket image ID is used as a clue. When the content of the above-mentioned music database is changed, for example, when new karaoke data is distributed to the karaoke device 1 that can be referred to, the change information is sent from the karaoke device 1 to the performance reservation device 2. The performance reservation device 2 updates the contents of the above-mentioned song database and song album database based on the change information. For example, the artist name registered in the song album database is increased or decreased. Further, as described above, among the songs registered in the song album database, those having karaoke data in the song database, that is, those having the song ID, also register the song ID.
Conversely, if a new album is published and new album data is registered in the music album database, the music database is accessed to search for karaoke data for the newly registered music, If so, the music ID is registered. In this way, consistency between databases is always ensured.
[0013]
=== Song selection process in album search ===
Before the user starts music selection, a list of music selection menus is displayed on the display 23 of the performance reservation device. The music selection menu includes, for example, “album search” according to the present invention, in addition to the basic menu of the electronic table of contents apparatus such as “singer name search”, “song name search”, and “keyword search”.
[0014]
When "Album Search" is selected by the user, the central control unit 21 of the performance reservation device displays the artist name on the display 23. Here, all artist names included in the song album database are scrolled and displayed in alphabetical order.
When the user selects a desired artist name by moving the cursor key of an operation input device such as a remote controller or the like, the central controller 21 accesses the music album database and reads out album data corresponding to the artist name. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the display 23 displays a set of jacket images and album names for one album in the upper and lower directions, and displays a list of six albums in two rows and three columns. If all the albums of the artist cannot be displayed at a time more than six at a time, scrolling display is performed by six keys at a time by moving the cursor key up and down.
Further, when the user selects an album in which the desired music is recorded from among them by using a cursor key or the like, the jacket image of the album is recorded on the left half surface of the display 23 as shown in FIG. A list of song titles is displayed vertically on the right half.
[0015]
Here, the title of a song having karaoke data that can be used by the karaoke apparatus, that is, the title of a song having a song ID is indicated in bold, and the title of a song not yet converted into karaoke data is indicated in thin. This is because, when displaying the titles of the recorded songs from the selected album data, the presence or absence of a song ID associated with each recorded song may be searched, or the titles of the recorded songs associated with the song IDs may be searched. A flag may be set in the song album database in advance, and the flag may be confirmed at the time of display. At this time, the display 23 indicates that "bold songs are available for karaoke.""Fine songs are not yet available for karaoke, but you can request them by selecting them." The note appears at the bottom.
[0016]
If the title of the target song found by the user is shown in bold, if the user selects it with the up and down cursor keys or the like, the display 23 indicates "Reserve this song for karaoke." Such a message is displayed, a performance reservation command including the corresponding music ID is sent from the central control unit 21 to the karaoke apparatus, and the music ID is registered in a performance reservation queue.
[0017]
=== Registration request ===
Regarding the songs indicated in fine characters on the album title list screen, the karaoke data has not yet been converted and the song ID does not exist. Can not. When such a song is selected by the user, a message such as "This song cannot be used for karaoke. Request karaoke recording." Is displayed on the display 23, and the performance reservation device is displayed. , Data such as a song name and an artist name is temporarily stored.
[0018]
These are collected as appropriate, and delivered to the host device as a karaoke recording desired song at an appropriate communication opportunity with the host device of the communication karaoke, or are extracted with a suitable storage medium at the time of maintenance. A company that supplies karaoke software can produce karaoke data based on this data in the order of music pieces with the largest number of requests.
Of course, when the recording request is received from the user, the total may be calculated immediately, and the display 23 may display "the current request order of this song is the third place". It also encourages users to enter recording requests.
[0019]
=== Other Embodiments ===
In the above-described embodiment, the song selection menu “Album Search” is first selected, and then the artist name is input. However, the music selection menu may be selected after information for specifying the artist is input. For example, it is convenient to handle a case in which a user who has attempted to search for “singer name” suddenly comes up with an idea after inputting the singer name and switches to “album search”. Alternatively, when the user selects “album search” after inputting the song title, the album published by the artist specified by the song title may be displayed. Similarly, when a user who has attempted to perform a “keyword search” selects “album search” after inputting a keyword, an album published by an artist corresponding to the input keyword may be displayed.
[0020]
The above-described performance reservation device 2 is configured independently of the karaoke device 1, but may be integrated with the karaoke device. In this case, if the display is shared between the karaoke performance function and the performance reservation function, there is a restriction that the performance cannot be reserved during the karaoke performance. For this reason, it is convenient to provide a separate display unit, such as providing a dedicated sub-display for the performance reservation function. Similarly, for the operation input device (user interface), it is convenient for the user if a remote controller or a keyboard is provided near each display.
[0021]
In addition, when displaying a list of music albums, the jacket image may not be displayed, and the jacket image may be displayed only when one music album is selected. Image display takes more time than text display, and when displaying album titles with jacket image data in a list, the number of albums displayed at a time on the screen is small. This is because it is also possible to quickly find the target album.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the karaoke apparatus concerning this invention, it is possible to search and select an album in which a song desired to be recorded is recorded. This is similar to the process by which many users remember music, and is easy to use. Even if you do not remember the song name, you can also search if you remember the recorded album or just the song order. Also, if you look at the jacket, it can be a trigger to bring out memories about the album, such as the time when the album was published or the first time you heard the album, so singing while watching the jacket when the song you want to sing is not decided This will increase the pleasure of selecting songs, and will broaden the conversations with friends at the karaoke venue. Furthermore, if the selected song is not yet a karaoke song, it is possible to request a karaoke song, so that it is possible to motivate the user to use karaoke continuously. As a result, the effect of increasing the number of karaoke users can be expected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration example of a karaoke performance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an example of a screen displayed on a display of the performance reservation device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and shows transition states in the order of (A), (B), and (C).
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Karaoke device 2 Performance reservation device 3 RS-232C interface 11 Central control unit 12 Hard disk device 13 User interface 14 Synthesizer 15 Microphone 16 Mixing amplifier 17 Speaker 18 Display 19 Video control unit 21 Central control unit 22 Hard disk device 23 Display 24 Operation input apparatus

Claims (4)

A performance reservation device that includes a music album database and control means and is associated with a karaoke device,
The song album database stores a plurality of album data,
The album data includes an artist name, an album title, and a plurality of song titles,
Each song title is given a song ID if karaoke is already recorded,
The control means enables the first to third processes,
In the first process, a plurality of music titles included in one album data searched according to the user input are displayed on the display means, and if a music ID is attached to the music title selected from the plurality of music titles according to the user input. If it is not attached to the second processing, it shifts to the third processing,
The second process reserves a music ID corresponding to the selected music title in the karaoke apparatus,
The third process is a performance reservation device that stores the selected song title and the artist name of the album data as a karaoke recording request song. The album data includes album jacket image data,
2. The performance reservation device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing causes the display unit to display the album jacket image. 3. The performance according to claim 1, wherein the first process displays, on a display unit, a plurality of music titles in a manner in which a music title with a music ID and a music title without a music ID are visually distinguishable. Reservation device. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first process displays, on a display unit, a message that indicates that a music title without a music ID is selected and that a request to record karaoke has been accepted. A performance reservation device according to any of the above.

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