JP3774669B2 - Distribution system and distribution method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a program guide information distribution server that distributes program guide information on which, for example, Internet broadcast programs are placed.When,Program distribution server that distributes the programAnd distribution systemAnd to distribute the program guide informationDelivery methodAbout.
[0002]
[Prior art]
With the broadband access environment to the Internet, video content distribution has become popular. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are Internet broadcasting station websites whose business is to distribute video content as programs, and websites that distribute video as additional tasks other than the original business. Video distribution sites such as Internet broadcasting stations are easy to open because they require far less capital investment than ordinary broadcasting stations. For this reason, video distribution sites such as many Internet broadcasting stations have been established, and a wide variety of programs are provided.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Now, when viewing an Internet broadcast program, a user often determines a program to view by viewing a program guide provided from a predetermined website.
[0004]
A video distribution site such as an Internet broadcasting station can be easily established, and provides a wide variety of video contents. For this reason, it may be unclear whether the program is desired by the user only by using character information such as a general program guide. Also, Internet broadcast programs cannot be viewed immediately by pressing a remote control switch like a television, and operations such as connection to the Internet, preparation of playback software, and buffering are relatively complicated. Also, depending on the content and viewing mode, the program is charged. Therefore, it is not desirable to access programs that are not worth watching as user psychology as much as possible.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a program guide information distribution server for distributing program guide information capable of selecting a program having access value, a program distribution server for distributing the program, and the program thereof An object of the present invention is to provide a program guide information distribution method for distributing table information.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  According to the present inventionDistribution systemIsA distribution system comprising a program distribution server for distributing a program and a program guide information distribution server for distributing program guide information on which the program is placed, the program distribution server including a distribution means for distributing a program to a user, Monitoring means for monitoring a reproduction trend including at least one of reproduction of the program, fast-forwarding of the program, rewinding of the program, still-image reproduction by program pause, and repeated reproduction of the program for the program distributed by the means; And the program guide information distribution server receives the reproduction trend data obtained by monitoring by the monitoring means, and received by the receiving means.Generation means for generating program guide information on which the program is placed so that the reproduction trend information of the program obtained based on the playback trend is included, and the program guide information generated by the generation means is the userTerminalTransmitting means for transmitting toThe monitoring means obtains the reproduction trend data of the program reproduced in the offline state stored in the user terminal when accessed from the user terminal, and the receiving means Receive offline playback data that has been acquiredIt is characterized by that.
[0007]
  According to the present inventionDistribution systemAccording to the above, the program guide information including the reproduction trend information of the program obtained based on the reproduction trend is generated and transmitted to the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with reproduction trend information that serves as a reference when determining the access value of the program.Further, since the receiving means is provided, it is possible to obtain the reproduction trend data accurately and reliably compared to the case where the user's reproduction trend is investigated by a questionnaire or the like. Further, since the user's reproduction trend for the distributed program is monitored, the user's reproduction trend for the program can be known.
[0008]
  According to the present inventionDistribution systemIsA user terminal that stores reproduction trend data for a program downloaded from a program distribution server and reproduced in an offline state, and transmits the stored reproduction trend data to the program distribution server when the program distribution server is accessed May be further provided.
[0011]
  According to the present inventionDeliveryThe method includes a distribution step of distributing a program to a user, a program distributed by the distribution step, playing a program, fast-forwarding the program, rewinding the program, reproducing a still image by pausing the program, and repeatedly reproducing the program A monitoring process for monitoring reproduction trends including at least one;An acquisition step of acquiring data of a reproduction trend for a program reproduced in an offline state stored in the user terminal when accessed from the user terminal;Monitoring processMonitoring withOf reproduction trends obtained byAnd offline trend data acquired in the acquisition processA generation process for generating program guide information on which a program is placed so that the reproduction trend information of the program obtained based on the program is included, and the program guide information generated in the generation processTerminalAnd a transmission step of transmitting to.
[0012]
  According to the present inventionDelivery methodAccording to the above, the reproduction trend of the user's program is monitored, program guide information including the reproduction trend information of the program obtained based on this reproduction trend is generated, and this is transmitted to the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with program guide information including reproduction trend information that serves as a reference when determining the access value of a program.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the program guide information distribution server 1 and the program distribution server 3 according to the present embodiment.
[0014]
First, the outline of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Video content, which is an example of a program, is distributed from the program distribution server 3 of the content provider to the user terminal 5. The monitoring means 9 of the program distribution server 3 monitors the user's program playback trend (whether the program has been played to the end). The reproduction trend data is sent to the program guide information distribution server 1, and based on the data, program reproduction trend information (for example, the percentage of the users who have selected to view the program to the end of the program) is calculated. The Then, the program table information including the reproduction trend information is generated by the generation unit 15. The program guide information is distributed to the user's terminal 5 through the transmission means 23 in response to a program guide access request from the user. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the program guide information including the reproduction trend information of the program (percentage of users who have watched the program until the end) is distributed to the user, the program is referred to this percentage. The value of access can be judged. Therefore, the user can select a program having access value.
[0015]
A modified example of the outline of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The user connects to the program guide information distribution server 1 from the user terminal 5 via the transmission unit 23 (or the reception unit 11 and the transmission unit 23). At that time, the user and the terminal are authenticated. User authentication may be performed using an authentication method performed by an Internet service such as a user ID or a cookie. The user registers in advance preference information such as the user's favorite genre and playback environment information such as a video format and size that can be played back by the terminal.
[0016]
A program to be viewed is selected by selecting a program from a program guide displayed by user login or by directly specifying a program site, and video content is distributed from the program distribution server 3 of the content provider to the user terminal 5. . At this time, the program guide includes the reproduction trend information of the program in advance.
[0017]
The monitoring means 9 of the program distribution server 3 monitors the reproduction trend of the user's program. The reproduction trend data is sent to the program guide information distribution server 1, and based on the data, program reproduction trend information (for example, the percentage of the users who have selected to view the program to the end of the program) is calculated. The Then, the program table information including the reproduction trend information is generated by the generation unit 15. The program guide information is distributed to the user's terminal 5 through the transmission means 23 in response to a program guide access request from the user. Thereby, the reproduction trend information of the program is updated. According to the present embodiment, since the program guide information including the reproduction trend information of the program is distributed to the user, it is possible to determine the value of accessing the program with reference to this percentage. Therefore, the user can select a program having access value.
[0018]
Next, the configuration of the present embodiment will be described in the order of the program distribution server 3 and the program guide information distribution server 1 with reference to FIG. The content provider distributes its own program to the user's terminal 5 by each program distribution server 3. The program distributed to the user by the program distribution server 3 is also called content, and in this embodiment, video (moving image) is distributed. Note that the present invention can also be applied to a program distribution server that distributes audio such as music and talk. The program distribution server 3 provides Internet broadcasting, but the present invention can be applied if bidirectional communication such as cable television broadcasting, CS broadcasting, and BS digital broadcasting is possible.
[0019]
The program distribution server 3 includes a content database (content DB) 6 that stores programs, a program distribution unit 7 that distributes programs to the user's terminal 5 by streaming, and a user's playback of the programs distributed by the program distribution unit 7. Reproduction trend monitoring means (hereinafter referred to as monitoring means) 9 for monitoring the trend. Each element constituting the program distribution server 3 may be physically integrated as shown in FIG. 1, or may be logically configured through a network or the like (not shown).
[0020]
Streaming distribution is distribution in which a user plays a program file while downloading it to the terminal 5. For streaming distribution provided by the program distribution server 3, a method of discarding data that has been reproduced while reproducing the data of the file received by the terminal 5, or buffering the data of the file received by the terminal 5 in a hard disk or memory. There is a playback method. The streaming distribution of the program distribution server 3 is a VOD (video on demand) type in which a program file is uploaded to the program distribution server 3 in advance and distributed in response to a user request.
[0021]
The user's playback trend for the program monitored by the monitoring means 9 is whether the program has been viewed (played back) to the end, whether the program has been fast-forwarded, whether the program has been rewound, or has been paused and played back a still image , And whether the program was repeatedly viewed (reproduced). The program can be monitored by installing predetermined software on the program distribution server 3 or the terminal 5, or by installing predetermined hardware.
[0022]
On the other hand, the program guide information distribution server 1 includes a receiving unit 11 that receives information from the program distribution server 3 and the terminal 5, a reproduction trend information calculation unit (hereinafter referred to as a calculation unit) 13 that calculates reproduction trend information of a program, To search for program guide information generating means (hereinafter referred to as generating means) 15 for generating program guide information, a program guide information database (hereinafter referred to as program guide information DB) 17 in which program guide information is stored, and Internet broadcast programs. The search data creating means 19 for creating the search data, the program search information database (hereinafter referred to as the search information DB) 21 constructed based on the search data, and the program guide information and the search information are transmitted to the terminal 5. Transmitting means 23.
[0023]
The receiving means 11 has a function of receiving data obtained by the program distribution server 3 that distributes a program monitoring a user's reproduction trend, a function of receiving a program guide access request from the terminal 5, and the like.
[0024]
The calculation means 13 calculates the reproduction trend information of the program based on the reproduction trend of each user with respect to the program sent from the reception means 11. The reproduction trend information of the present embodiment uses the percentage of users who have selected to view a program who have viewed (reproduced) the program to the end. This is because Internet broadcast programs are time-consuming to watch and are often charged, so it is a serious concern for the user whether another user has watched (played back) the program until the end, and the user selects the program. It is because it becomes a reference when. Whether the program was normally played and watched to the end, whether the program was fast-forwarded and watched, what percentage of the total time spent watching fast-forwarded, whether the program was rewound and watched, or rewinded How much of the total time you watched, and whether you paused and played a still image, or what percentage of the total time you paused and watched a still image The viewing form factor quantified by a function that takes at least one or more of the number of times and time of special playback that can be used as an argument. A value calculated based on the above may be used as reproduction trend information.
[0025]
The generation unit 15 generates program guide information that is an Internet broadcast program guide displayed on the terminal 5. The reproduction trend information calculated by the calculation means 13 is sent to the generation means 15 and processed so that the reproduction trend information of the program is included in the program table together with the program.
[0026]
The program guide information subjected to this processing is stored in the program guide information DB 17. The program guide information DB 17 transmits the program guide information to the user's terminal 5 through the transmitting means 23 based on the access request for the program guide from the user's terminal 5 received by the receiving means 11.
[0027]
The search data creation means 19 includes user information processing means 25 that processes user information input to the terminal 5 by each user, and video analysis means 27 that analyzes the video of the program distributed by the program distribution server 3.
[0028]
User information transmitted from the terminal 5 and received by the receiving unit 11 is supplied to the user information processing unit 25. User information includes, for example, user preferences (such as the genre of a favorite program), playback environment of the user's terminal 5 (video resolution required for playback, transfer rate when the program is distributed, and application for playing the program) Of the user) who viewed the program. The user information processing means 25 executes processing for acquiring this user information. Based on the acquired user information, the search data creating means 19 creates search data using the user information as a search key (that is, search data for searching for an Internet broadcast program).
[0029]
A video-on-demand program is sent from the program distribution server 3 through the receiving means 11 to the video analysis means 27. The video analysis means 27 classifies the program by genre, or calculates data (time, resolution, video change rate, average luminance, average frequency, etc.) characterizing video and sound in advance. Search data using these as search keys is created by the search data creation means 19.
[0030]
Note that the search data creating means 19 is sent from the program distribution server 3 through the receiving means 11 with information on the reproduction time of the program to be distributed (program within minutes) and the reproduction start time (program starting at what time). The search data creation means 19 creates search data using these as search keys.
[0031]
The search data of the Internet broadcast program created by the search data creation means 19 is sent to the search information DB 21. A program search information DB 21 is constructed based on the search data.
[0032]
The functions of the program distribution means 7, the monitoring means 9, the reception means 11, the calculation means 13, the generation means 15, the search data creation means 19 (user information processing means 25, video analysis means 27) and the transmission means 23 are, for example, various processors ( CPU, MPU), ASIC, and a predetermined program. The functions of the program guide information DB 17 and the search information DB 21 can be realized by a semiconductor memory such as a hard disk or an EEPROM that can store information.
[0033]
The terminal 5 includes a stationary terminal such as a desktop personal computer and a portable terminal such as a mobile phone. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the terminal 5 reproducing the distributed program. The terminal 5 displays a video display unit 29 on which the video of the program being played back is displayed, a playback button 31 for starting playback of the program, a pause button 33 for pausing playback of the program, and stops playback of the program. A stop button 35, a rewind button 37 for rewinding the program, a fast-forward button 39 for fast-forwarding the program, and a position display unit 41 for displaying the current playback position of the program.
[0034]
The position display unit 41 has an elongated shape in the horizontal direction, and one end thereof indicates a program playback start position 43 and the other end thereof indicates a program playback end position 45. The cursor 47 moves from the start position 43 toward the end position 45 when the program reproduction starts. Thereby, it is possible to know the relative reproduction amount of the program, that is, how many percent of the program has been reproduced.
[0035]
The program guide information distribution server 1, the program distribution server 3, and the terminal 5 are connected by the Internet, a dedicated line, or the like. Communication between them may be either broadband (ADSL, CATV Internet, optical fiber, etc.) or narrowband (analog modem, ISDN, etc.).
[0036]
Next, an example of the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining this. This description is also an example of a program guide information distribution method according to the present embodiment.
[0037]
The program distribution server 3 distributes the program requested by the user to the terminal 5 in response to each user's program access request (step 1). Then, the user's playback trend during program playback is monitored by the monitoring means 9 of the program distribution server 3 (step S3).
[0038]
A method for detecting the playback trend of video content will be described below. Currently, there are AVI, MPEG, QuickTime, etc. as video file formats used for VOD type video distribution performed on the Internet or the like. In general, a content time length is recorded as additional information in video content created in these formats. In addition, since the application for reproducing the video content of each format can detect the reproduction time, by using this function, it is possible to detect at which reproduction time special reproduction such as fast forward and rewind was performed.
[0039]
A specific example will be described with reference to FIG. When the playback button 31 is pressed, playback of video content starts. The playback time and the cursor 47 are linked, and the cursor 47 moves from the left end 43 to the right end 45 as playback progresses. When the cursor 47 reaches the end position 45 without performing any operation on each button (31, 33, 35, 37, 39) during the reproduction, that is, the reproduction time reaches the content time length without the special reproduction operation. In this case, the user has viewed the program through normal playback to the end.
[0040]
During the content reproduction, it is monitored whether each button such as the fast forward button 39 and the rewind button 37 is clicked. If the button is clicked, the date / time when the data set of the contents of each special reproduction operation and the reproduction time is performed. Along with the information, it is once recorded in the terminal 5 and sent to the reproduction trend monitoring means 9 in units of viewing. The viewing unit is a unit of playback / viewing until the end of the video content or until the viewing is stopped by the playback stop operation. It does not depend on special playback operations such as fast forward, rewind, and pause. The transmission of the data set to the reproduction trend monitoring means 9 may be performed at a predetermined timing other than the above.
[0041]
Next, the reproduction trend data of each user for the program is sent from the monitoring means 9 to the program guide information distribution server 1. Based on the reproduction trend, the reproduction trend information of the program (here, the percentage of the user who has selected viewing of the program who viewed the program to the end) is calculated by the calculation means 13 (step S5).
[0042]
Next, the calculated reproduction trend information is sent to the generation unit 15. The generation means 15 generates program guide information on which the program name and its reproduction trend information are placed (step S7). The generated program guide information is stored in the program guide information DB 17. Based on the access request for the program guide of each user, the program guide information stored in the program guide information DB 17 is transmitted to the user's terminal 5 (step S9). As a result, the program guide shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the terminal 5 of the user who has requested the program guide. The program name is displayed in the program column, and an example of the reproduction trend information, “percentage of users who have watched (reproduced) the program until the end”, and the like are displayed in the reproduction column until the end.
[0043]
By providing a scene index in advance to the video content to be provided and calculating the reproduction trend information for each scene by the above method, the reproduction trend information can be presented to the user not in units of programs but in units of scenes in the program. Video content scenes are automatically indexed by a video producer or video provider by subjectively judging scene indexing or using a scene detection program or the like.
[0044]
In addition, after the video content is downloaded, when the video content is played back in a state where the terminal 5 is not connected to the network, that is, in an offline state, the content and playback time of each special playback operation detected during the playback of the content Is stored in the terminal 5 for each viewing unit together with the date and time information of the reproduction operation. When the user accesses the system for the purpose of viewing a different program, the stored data is sent to the reproduction trend monitoring means 9. At that time, reproduction trend information is calculated in the same procedure as described above.
[0045]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the reproduction trend information is displayed in the program guide. From this, it is possible to determine the viewing value of the program. In other words, as an example, if the percentage is high, the percentage of users who have watched the program to the end is large, so it can be estimated that it is an interesting program, and the viewing value is high. Low. Viewing Internet broadcasts takes time and effort such as connecting to the Internet, and there are many paid programs. Thus, compared to television broadcasting, users are more interested in whether it is worth accessing programs they watch. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to select a program having access value by referring to the percentage of users who have viewed the program until the end, which is very convenient for the user.
[0046]
In addition, according to the program distribution server 3 according to the present embodiment, the user's program playback trend is monitored, so the user's playback trend for the program can be known. More specifically, it can be estimated that the user is interested in the program when viewing the program to the end, and can be estimated that the user is very interested in the program when viewing the same program repeatedly. Also, it can be estimated that the video scene fast-forwarded by the user does not attract the user's interest, while the rewinded scene attracts interest. Therefore, the user's type, favorite program, and the like can be grasped from these reproduction trends, and it can be used as a program creation document.
[0047]
Note that this embodiment can also search for Internet broadcast programs. An example of this search operation will be described below. When a user wants to search for a program distributed by Internet broadcasting, first, a search request is input to the terminal 5 and transmitted to the program guide information distribution server 1.
[0048]
This search request is received by the receiving means 11 and sent to the search information DB 21. The search information DB 21 transmits the search information on which the search key is placed to the terminal 5 of the user who made the search request by the transmission means 23. When the user makes a predetermined input to the search key and transmits it to the program guide information distribution server 1, the search information DB 21 provides search information including the program name to the terminal 5 of the user through the transmission means 23.
[0049]
As described above, the search key is closely related to video reproduction such as the reproduction environment of the user's terminal 5 and data characterizing the video of the program to be distributed. You can search for programs that are close to your image.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
  As described above, according to the present inventionDistribution system and distribution methodAccording to the above, a program obtained based on a reproduction trend including at least one of reproduction of a program to the end, fast-forwarding of the program, rewinding of the program, still image reproduction by program pause, and repetitive reproduction of the program The reproduction trend information is put on the program guide information distributed to the user. Therefore, the user can select a program having access value by using the reproduction trend information as a reference for selecting the program.
[0051]
  Further, according to the present inventionDistribution systemAccording to the above, since the reproduction trend of the user with respect to the program can be known, it can be used as a reference for creating the program.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a program guide information distribution server and a program distribution server according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a terminal reproducing a program distributed by a program distribution server according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operations of the program guide information distribution server and the program distribution server according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a program table distributed using this embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Program guide information distribution server
3 ... Program distribution server
5 ... Terminal
6 ... Content database
7 ... Program distribution means
9 ... Reproduction trend monitoring means
11. Receiving means
13 ... Reproduction trend information calculation means
15 ... Program guide information generating means
17 ... Program guide information DB
19: Search data creation means
21 ... Search information DB
23 ... Transmission means
25 ... User information processing means
27 ... Video analysis means
29 ... Video display section
31 ... Play button
33 ... Pause button
35 ... Stop button
37 ... Rewind button
39 ... Fast-forward button
41 ... Position display section
43 ... start position
45 ... End position
47 ... Cursor

Claims (3)

A distribution system comprising a program distribution server for distributing a program, and a program guide information distribution server for distributing program guide information on which the program is placed,
The program distribution server is
Distribution means for distributing the program to a user;
Reproduction including at least one of reproduction of the program, fast-forwarding of the program, rewinding of the program, reproduction of a still image by pausing the program, and repetitive reproduction of the program for the program distributed by the distribution means Monitoring means for monitoring trends,
The program guide information distribution server includes:
Receiving means for receiving the reproduction trend data obtained by monitoring by the monitoring means;
Generating means for generating program guide information on which the program is placed so as to include reproduction trend information of the program obtained based on the reproduction trend received by the receiving means ;
Transmitting means for transmitting the program guide information generated by the generating means to a user terminal ,
The monitoring means obtains the data of the reproduction trend for a program reproduced in an offline state stored in the user terminal when accessed from the user terminal,
The distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit also receives reproduction trend data in an offline state acquired by the monitoring unit . The reproduction trend data of a program downloaded from the program distribution server and reproduced in an offline state is stored, and when the program distribution server is accessed, the stored reproduction trend data is stored in the program distribution server. The distribution system according to claim 1 , further comprising a user terminal that transmits to the terminal . A delivery process for delivering the program to the user;
Reproduction including at least one of reproduction of the program, fast-forwarding of the program, rewinding of the program, still image reproduction by pausing the program, and repetitive reproduction of the program for the program distributed in the distribution step A monitoring process to monitor trends;
An acquisition step of acquiring the reproduction trend data for a program reproduced in an offline state stored in the user terminal when accessed from the user terminal;
The reproduction trend information of the program obtained based on the reproduction trend data obtained by monitoring in the monitoring step and the reproduction trend data in the offline state obtained in the obtaining step is included. Generating a program guide information on which the program is placed; and
A transmission step of transmitting the program guide information generated in the generation step to a user terminal;
A distribution method characterized by comprising:

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