JP5267475B2 - Information communication system, node device, information communication method, and information communication program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce reproduction delay of a content received from another device when operation at a reproduction position of the content is allowed. <P>SOLUTION: The information communication system includes a plurality of node devices, and an information processor for determining priority of each reproduction position of a content. The node device includes: a transmission means to transmit, to the information processor, operation history information indicative of history of operation at a reproduction position of a content; a reception means to receive a content request; a first acquisition means to acquire priority determined by the information processor; and a second acquisition means to acquire, from another device, partial contents corresponding to respective reproduction positions of the requested content in the descending order of priority determined by the information processor when the content request is received by the reception means. The information processor includes a reception means to receive the operation history information from the node device, and a determination means to determine priority based on the operation history information received by the reception means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication system including a plurality of node devices that can communicate with each other via a network.

  Conventionally, a system in which a terminal device reproduces content distributed via a network is known. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a video distribution server distributes a program video composed of a plurality of videos to a terminal device. The terminal device transmits information related to operations such as playback, pause, fast forward playback, skip, and stop of the program video to be viewed as viewing information to the terminal analysis server. The viewing analysis server analyzes the viewing concentration level, which is the concentration level at which the viewer views the program, based on the viewing information. The terminal device stores all the videos of the program viewed by the viewer. Then, the terminal device displays only the video whose viewing concentration is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold among the viewed program videos.

JP 2005-260578 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the terminal device displays only the video whose viewing concentration level is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value unless the terminal device has received all the video composing the program video. Could not do. Therefore, for example, when content is received and reproduced by streaming, the content is delayed in reproduction.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above points. The present invention provides an information communication system, a node device, an information communication method, and an information communication that can shorten the reproduction delay of content received from another device when the operation of the content reproduction position is enabled The purpose is to provide a program.

  In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is an information communication system in which content reproduced by a node device is transmitted and received between a plurality of node devices, wherein the information communication system includes the plurality of information communication systems. A node device and an information processing device that determines the priority of each reproduction position of the content, and the node device transmits operation history information indicating a history of operations at the reproduction position of the content to the information processing device. Requested when a request for content is received by the transmission means, a reception means for receiving a request for content, a first acquisition means for acquiring the priority determined by the information processing device, and the reception means. The partial contents corresponding to the respective reproduction positions of the selected contents are arranged in the order of the higher priority determined by the information processing apparatus in the other node devices. A second acquisition unit that acquires the operation history information from the node device, and the information processing device receives the operation history information from the node device, and the priority is based on the operation history information received by the reception unit. And determining means for determining the degree.

  According to the present invention, partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of content is acquired from another node device in descending order of priority determined based on the operation history of the reproduction position. The presence / absence of the operation history and the contents of the operation history are one of important factors that determine whether the number of partial content views is large or small. Therefore, by giving priority to content acquisition based on operation history information, even before all content data is acquired, partial content with a large number of views can be acquired and made reproducible. it can.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the information communication system according to the first aspect, the transmission unit transmits the operation history information including information of an operation to be normally reproduced, and the determination unit is normally reproduced. It is characterized in that the priority of the position is made higher than the priority of the position that has not been reproduced.

  According to the present invention, since the priority of the position that has been normally reproduced becomes higher than the priority of the position that has not been reproduced, the portion of the reproduction position that the user has desired to view so far is preferentially acquired. The Therefore, even before all the content data is acquired, it is possible to acquire the content that is assumed to have a large number of views and make it playable.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information communication system according to the first or second aspect, the transmission unit transmits the operation history information including information on an operation to be sought, and the determination unit includes a seek unit. The priority of the position that has not been reproduced by the above is made lower than the priority of the position that has been normally reproduced.

  According to the present invention, since the priority of the position that has not been reproduced by seek is lower than the priority of the position that has been normally reproduced, the portion of the reproduction position that the user has desired to view so far is preferentially acquired. Is done. Therefore, even before all the content data is acquired, it is possible to acquire the content that is assumed to have a large number of views and make it playable.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the information communication system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the transmission unit transmits the operation history information including information on an operation to be played slowly, and the determination is performed. The means is characterized in that the priority of the slow-played position is set higher than the priority of the normally played position.

  According to the present invention, since the priority of the slow-played position is higher than the priority of the normally played position, the part of the playback position important for the user is preferentially acquired. Therefore, even before all the content data is acquired, it is possible to acquire the content that is assumed to have a large number of views and make it playable.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the node device in the information communication system in which the content reproduced by the node device is transmitted / received between a plurality of node devices, and operation history information indicating a history of operation of the content reproduction position Is transmitted to an information processing apparatus that determines the priority of each reproduction position of the content based on the operation history information, a reception means that receives a request for content, and the priority determined by the information processing apparatus And when the content request is received by the receiving unit, the priority determined by the information processing apparatus is determined as a partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content. Second acquisition means for acquiring from other node devices in descending order.

  Partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the content is acquired from another node device in descending order of priority determined based on the operation history of the reproduction position. The presence / absence of the operation history and the contents of the operation history are one of important factors that determine whether the number of partial content views is large or small. Therefore, by giving priority to content acquisition based on operation history information, even before all content data is acquired, partial content with a large number of views can be acquired and made reproducible. it can.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the node device according to claim 5, further comprising third acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating a current reproduction position of the content, wherein the second acquisition means is requested. The partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the content is acquired in the order of higher priority after the current reproduction position indicated by the position information acquired by the third acquisition unit.

  The reproduction position after the current reproduction position is more likely to be reproduced later than the range before the current reproduction position. According to the present invention, it is possible to acquire a content having a large number of views from a reproduction position that is highly likely to be reproduced, and to make the content reproducible.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the node device according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the second acquisition means sets the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content within a predetermined range from the current reproduction position. Then, it is obtained in the order of higher priority.

  The reproduction position within a predetermined range from the current reproduction position is more likely to be reproduced later. According to the present invention, content having a large number of views is acquired from playback positions within a predetermined range from the current playback position and highly likely to be played, and is made playable. be able to.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the node device according to the sixth or seventh aspect, the second obtaining unit assigns partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content in descending order of priority. Acquiring and acquiring partial content corresponding to the current playback position.

  Depending on the user who reproduces the content by the node device, there are a user who wants to reproduce from the current reproduction position and a user who wants to reproduce from the desired reproduction position by changing the reproduction position. According to the present invention, even before all the content data is acquired, the content having a large number of views and the content corresponding to the current playback position are acquired and can be played back by any user. can do.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the node device according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, when the second acquisition unit includes a plurality of reproduction positions having the same priority, A partial content corresponding to a playback position close to the current playback position is preferentially acquired.

  The closer to the current playback position, the higher the possibility that it will be played later. According to the present invention, it is possible to acquire a content having a large number of views corresponding to a playback position that is close to the current playback position and that is highly likely to be played back, and make it playable.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is the node device according to any one of the fifth to ninth aspects, further comprising fourth acquisition means for acquiring content attribute information, wherein the second acquisition means is the second acquisition means. 4 Based on the attribute information acquired by the acquisition means, whether to acquire partial content corresponding to each playback position of the requested content in a predetermined playback order or in order of higher priority It is characterized by determining.

  According to the present invention, content can be efficiently acquired by selecting an acquisition method that matches the content attributes.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the node device according to the tenth aspect, the fourth acquisition unit acquires a total reproduction time of the content as the attribute information, and the second acquisition unit includes the total reproduction time. Is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is acquired in the order of higher priority.

  The longer the total content playback time, the easier it is to operate the playback position during content playback. Therefore, according to the present invention, the node device can acquire a content having a long total playback time by giving a priority to the playback position, thereby making it possible to play with a reduced delay. .

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the node device according to the tenth aspect, the fourth acquisition unit acquires the operation frequency of the reproduction position of the content as the attribute information, and the second acquisition unit includes the operation When the frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined number, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is acquired in descending order of priority.

  It can be considered that the operation of changing the reproduction position is more likely to be performed during the reproduction of the content, as the content is frequently operated at the reproduction position. Therefore, according to the present invention, the node device can acquire a content with a high operation frequency by assigning a priority to the reproduction position, thereby making it possible to reproduce the content with a small delay.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the node device according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the fourth acquisition unit acquires, as the attribute information, a value of a variance of priority levels at each reproduction position of the content, and The second acquisition means is characterized in that, when the variance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is acquired in order of the priority.

  It can be considered that the operation of the reproduction position is more easily performed during the reproduction of the content as the value of the priority distribution at each reproduction position of the content is larger. Therefore, according to the present invention, the node device can acquire a highly distributed content by giving a priority to the playback position, thereby making it possible to play with a reduced delay.

  The invention according to claim 14 is an information communication method in an information communication system in which content reproduced by a node device is transmitted / received between a plurality of node devices, and operation history information indicating a history of operation at a reproduction position of the content Is transmitted to an information processing apparatus that determines the priority of each reproduction position of the content based on the operation history information, a reception process that receives a request for the content, and the priority determined by the information processing apparatus And when the content request is received in the receiving step, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is determined by the information processing device as the priority. A second acquisition step of acquiring from other node devices in descending order.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, an operation that indicates a history of operation of the reproduction position of a content on a computer included in the node device in an information communication system in which content reproduced by the node device is transmitted and received between a plurality of node devices. A transmission step for transmitting history information to an information processing device that determines the priority of each reproduction position of the content based on the operation history information, a reception step for receiving a request for content, and the priority determined by the information processing device When the content request is received in the first acquisition step of acquiring the degree and the reception step, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is determined as the priority determined by the information processing device A second acquisition step of acquiring from other node devices in descending order. Characterized in that to.

  According to the present invention, partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of content is acquired from another node device in descending order of priority determined based on the operation history of the reproduction position. The presence / absence of the operation history and the contents of the operation history are one of important factors that determine whether the number of partial content views is large or small. Therefore, by giving priority to content acquisition based on operation history information, even before all content data is acquired, partial content with a large number of views can be acquired and made reproducible. it can.

It is a figure which shows an example of the connection aspect of each node apparatus in the content distribution storage system S which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation | movement outline | summary of the content distribution preservation | save system S when the node apparatus Nn reproduces | regenerates while downloading a content. It is a figure which shows the example of a schematic structure of center server SA. It is a figure which shows the example of an outline structure of the node Nn. It is a figure which shows the process example in the server process of the control part 21 of the node Nn which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the process example in the content acquisition process of the control part 21 of the node Nn which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the process example in the content reproduction | regeneration processing of the control part 21 of the node Nn which concerns on one Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an embodiment when the present invention is applied to a content distributed storage system.

[1. Outline and configuration of distributed content storage system]
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure and operation | movement outline | summary of the content distribution preservation | save system concerning this embodiment are demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection mode of each node device in the content distributed storage system S according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 includes a specific configuration diagram 101 of the content distributed storage system S and a conceptual configuration diagram 100. Specific Configuration of Content Distributed Storage System S As shown in FIG. 101, the content distributed storage system S includes a large number of node devices Nn (n = 1, 2, 3,...).

  As shown in the specific configuration diagram 101 of FIG. 1, the distributed content storage system S is configured by connecting a plurality of node devices Nn via the Internet. Further, as shown in a lower frame 101 of FIG. 1, IX (Internet eXchange) 3, ISP (Internet Service Provider) 4a and 4b, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) line provider apparatuses 5a and 5b, FTTH (Fiber To A network 8 such as the Internet is constructed by the device 6 of the line provider, the communication line 7 and the like. The network 8 is a real-world communication network. Note that a router for transferring data packets is appropriately inserted in the network 8 in the example of FIG. 1, but is not shown in FIG. 1. As the communication line 7, for example, a telephone line or an optical cable is used.

  A plurality of node devices Nn (n = 1, 2, 3,...) Are connected to such a network 8. Hereinafter, the node device is referred to as a “node”. Each node Nn is assigned a unique manufacturing number and an IP (Internet Protocol) address. Then, the content distributed storage system S according to the present embodiment has a peer-to-peer system formed by connecting any of a plurality of nodes Nn as shown in the conceptual configuration diagram 100 of FIG. It is a network system.

  The network 9 shown in the conceptual configuration diagram 100 of FIG. 1 is an overlay network 9 that configures a virtual link formed using the existing network 8. The overlay network 9 which is a logical network is realized by a specific algorithm, for example, an algorithm using DHT. Each node Nn connected to the content distributed storage system S is assigned a node ID, which is unique identification information having a predetermined number of digits. The node ID is, for example, a value obtained by hashing an IP address or manufacturing number individually assigned to each node Nn using a common hash function.

  In connection with the content distributed storage system S, a node Nn that is not connected, for example, the node N8 transmits a participation message indicating a request to participate in the content distributed storage system to any connected node Nn. Is done by doing. Participation in the content distributed storage system S means that the node device Nn is connected to the content distributed storage system S and can acquire content data from the content distributed storage system S. The arbitrary node Nn is, for example, a contact node that is always connected to the system S.

  Each node Nn holds a routing table using DHT. This routing table defines the transfer destinations of various messages on the content distributed storage system S. Specifically, a plurality of pieces of node information including node IDs, IP addresses, and port numbers of nodes Nn that are moderately separated in the ID space are registered in this routing table. One node connected to the content distributed storage system S stores the minimum necessary node information of the node Nn as a routing table. By transferring various messages between the nodes Nn, node information about the node Nn that does not store node information is acquired.

  The content distributed storage system S stores various content data replicas having different contents in a predetermined file format in a distributed manner in a plurality of nodes Nn. Hereinafter, the content data is referred to as “content”. A replica can be used between the nodes Nn. The original of each content is stored in the center server SA. For example, a replica of the content of a movie with the title XXX is stored in the node N5. On the other hand, a replica of the movie content whose title is YYY is stored in the node N3. Thus, the content is distributed and stored in the plurality of nodes Nn. Hereinafter, the node N in which the content replica is stored is referred to as a “content holding node”. In the following description, the original content and the replica are referred to as content without particular distinction.

  Information such as a content name and content ID, which is unique identification information for each content, is added to each content described above. This content ID is generated, for example, by hashing the content name + an arbitrary numerical value with a hash function common to the case of obtaining the node ID. Alternatively, the system administrator may give a unique ID value for each content.

  The location of the content that is distributed and stored is stored as index information by the node Nn that manages (stores) the location of the content. Hereinafter, the node Nn that manages (stores) the location of the content is referred to as a “root node”. The index information includes a set of node information of the node Nn that stores the content, content ID of the content, and the like. Such a root node is determined to be a node Nn having a node ID closest to the content ID, for example. The node ID closest to the content ID is, for example, the node ID with the highest number of upper digits that match. The root node is an example of an information processing device. For example, the index information for the content of a movie whose title is XXX is managed by the node N4 that is the root node of the content. Also, for example, the index information for the content of the movie whose title is YYY is managed by the node N7 that is the root node of the content. Further, such a root node is determined to be a node Nn having a node ID closest to the content ID, for example. The node ID closest to the content ID is, for example, a node ID that matches the content ID more frequently with the upper digits.

  When a user of a certain node Nn wants to acquire desired content, the node Nn that desires to acquire the content generates a message. Hereinafter, the node Nn that the user desires to acquire content is referred to as a “user node”. This message is a search message including the content ID of the content desired to be acquired and the IP address of the user node. The search message is a message for searching for a content holding node. The search message described above is sent to other nodes Nn according to the DHT routing table acquired by the user node. That is, the user node sends a search message toward the root node. As a result, the search message finally arrives at the root node by DHT routing using the content ID as a key.

  In each node Nn, attribute information such as content name and content ID of the content is described in the content catalog information. The content catalog information is created by the center server SA and distributed to all nodes Nn. The DHT routing is known in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-197400 and the like, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The root node that has received the search message obtains index information corresponding to the content ID included therein from the index information cache. The acquired index information is returned to the user node that is the source of the search message. The user node that has acquired the index information in this way can download (acquire) the content based on the index information. The user node transmits a content request message to the content holding node based on the IP address and port number of the content holding node included in the index information. The content request message includes the content ID of the content desired to be acquired. The content holding node that has received the content request message transmits the content corresponding to the content ID included in the content request message to the user node. In this way, the user node can download the content. The index information may include node information of a plurality of content holding nodes. In this case, the user node selects one content holding node from among the plurality of content holding nodes. The user node can connect to the selected content holding node and download the content.

  Note that the root node may transmit a content transmission request message to the content holding node indicated by the IP address or the like included in the index information. Thereby, the user node can also download the content from the content holding node. Further, the user node can also acquire the index information from a cache node that caches the same index information as the root node until the search message reaches the root node.

  Further, when the user node acquires and stores the content from the content holding node, the stored user node generates a publish message. The publish message is a message for informing the root node that the content has been saved. The publish message includes the content ID of the content and node information of the node device that stores the content. The publish message is sent toward the root node. As a result, the publish message arrives at the root node by DHT routing using the content ID as a key, like the search message. Then, the root node receives the publish message. The root node stores index information including a set of node information and content ID included in the publish message in the index information cache area. Thus, the user node becomes a new content holding node that holds the content.

[2. Content playback and download]
Next, an outline of content reproduction and download in the content distribution storage system S will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an outline of the operation of the distributed content storage system S when the node device Nn plays and downloads content.

  In the content distribution system S, content such as moving image data that can be played back by the node Nn exists as the content type. The reproducible content is divided into a plurality of data. This divided individual data is called “chunk”. A content ID is assigned to this chunk in the same way as normal content. Therefore, the node Nn can download the chunk in the same way as normal content. A chunk is an example of partial content.

  Each chunk constituting the content is assigned a sequence number corresponding to a predetermined reproduction order. For example, a sequence number 1 is assigned to the chunk whose playback order is the top, and sequence numbers 2, 3, 4,... Are sequentially assigned to chunks whose playback order is the second and subsequent. This sequence number corresponds to the playback position on the playback time axis of the content.

  During the reproduction of the content or when the content is reproduced by the node Nn, the user can operate the reproduction position. There are two types of playback position operations: normal playback and special playback. Normal playback is general playback and refers to playback of content at a normal playback speed, that is, at a single speed. Examples of special playback include playback modes such as slow playback, fast forward playback, rewind playback, and seek. Slow playback refers to playback of content at a speed slower than the playback speed during normal playback. Fast forward playback refers to playback of content at a speed faster than the playback speed during normal playback. Rewind playback refers to playing back content in the reverse order of a predetermined order. In other words, rewind playback refers to playing content in the direction opposite to the playback direction during normal playback on the playback time axis. Seek refers to moving the current playback position to a position specified by the user.

  In the content distributed storage system S, the order of downloading the respective chunks constituting the content by the node Nn is determined based on the history of operation of the content reproduction position. It is considered that the importance of viewing the user with respect to the content at each reproduction position differs depending on what reproduction is performed at each reproduction position. That is, the operation of the content playback position is considered to be one of the factors that determine the high possibility that the content at each playback position is played back, that is, the number of playbacks. Therefore, the content distributed storage system S is designed to download chunks in the order of the high possibility of reproduction. Accordingly, it is possible to shorten the content reproduction delay and smoothly reproduce the content. This will be specifically described below.

  For example, when the user of the node N2 wants to view the content, the node N2 is operated to access the Web server SW. The Web server SW transmits a Web page constituting the content distribution site to the node N2. And the content which a user wants to view is selected on the Web page which comprises a content delivery site. Then, the node N2 performs playback while sequentially downloading the content to be played in units of chunks (FIG. 2 (1)). Note that the order of downloading the chunks is determined based on an importance list described later, but description thereof is omitted here for convenience.

  When playing back content, the user may operate the playback position. The node N2 records viewing history information. This viewing history information is information indicating a history of operation of the reproduction position by the user. For example, in the viewing history information, for each chunk corresponding to each reproduction position, what kind of reproduction was performed by the operation of the reproduction position, that is, the reproduction mode is recorded. The viewing history information is an example of operation history information. The node N2 transmits the recorded viewing history information to the root node of the reproduced content, for example, the node N1 (FIG. 2 (2)). The transmitted viewing history information finally arrives at the node N1 by DHT routing.

  The node N1 updates the importance list based on the viewing history information received from each node Nn (FIG. 2 (3)). The importance list is information indicating the importance of each chunk constituting the content. The higher the importance, the higher the possibility of reproduction. The importance is an example of priority. In the importance list, for example, 0 is set as the initial value of the importance of each chunk. Then, the importance of each chunk is added based on the viewing history information. The value to be added is determined by the reproduction mode at the reproduction position corresponding to the chunk. For example, +2 is added for normal playback, +0 for seek, +4 for slow playback, +1 for fast-forward playback, and +3 for rewind playback. The reproduced part of the content is more likely to be reproduced than the part that has not been reproduced. Therefore, a positive value is added to the importance for the reproduced portion. In the case of seek, the value added to the position that has not been reproduced by moving the current reproduction position to the position designated by the user is +0. That is, the importance of the position that has not been reproduced does not increase. The slow-played part is considered to be a part where the user wants to watch the part carefully, for example. That is, the slow-played part is considered to be a more important part for the user among the played parts. Therefore, in the case of slow reproduction, the added importance value is larger than that in the case of normal reproduction. The fast-played part is considered to be a part where the user did not have to watch the part carefully, for example. Therefore, in the case of fast-forward playback, the added importance value is smaller than in the case of normal playback. For example, the rewinded portion may be a case where the user views the portion and then rewinds and views the portion. That is, it is considered that the portion that has been rewound and played is likely to be played many times. Therefore, in the case of rewind playback, the added importance value is larger than that in normal playback.

  In the present embodiment, normal playback, slow playback, fast forward playback, rewind playback, and seek are used as playback modes. However, for example, normal playback and seek may be used as the playback mode. In this case, a positive value corresponding to normal reproduction is added to the importance of the reproduction position reproduced by normal reproduction. In addition, one chunk may be played in a plurality of playback modes, for example, normal playback is initially performed and seek is performed from the middle. In this case, for example, priorities may be assigned in advance to the reproduction modes, and the higher priority may be added to the importance of the reproduced chunk. In this case, the priority order of the playback mode with the higher importance may be set higher than the priority level of the playback mode with the lower priority. For example, when a plurality of playback modes are executed for one chunk, the priority level of the playback mode with high importance may be increased. In this case, the importance of the value corresponding to the reproduction mode with high importance is added. When a plurality of playback modes are executed for one chunk, the priority of the playback mode with low importance may be increased. In this case, the importance of the value corresponding to the reproduction mode with low importance is added.

  Thereafter, for example, the user of the node N4 selects reproduction of the same content as the content reproduced by the node N2. Then, the node N4 acquires the importance list of the selected content from the node N1 that is the root node (FIG. 2 (4)). Then, the node N4 performs playback according to the operation of the playback position by the user while sequentially downloading the content to be played back in units of chunks based on the importance list (FIG. 2 (5)). Specifically, the node N4 downloads chunks in descending order of importance shown in the importance list. Note that it is not necessary to download a chunk already held by the node N4.

  Here, when the playback position is operated by the user or when the playback position is not operated, the chunks that have been downloaded so far in the order of importance are displayed at the current playback position. The corresponding chunk may not be included. Therefore, the node N4 downloads the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position while downloading the chunk in descending order of importance.

  In addition, in the content reproduction direction on the reproduction time axis, it is considered that the portion after the current reproduction position is more likely to be reproduced later than the portion in front of the current reproduction position. Therefore, chunks after the current playback position on the playback time axis are downloaded with priority over chunks ahead of the current playback position. In addition, it is considered that even the portion after the current playback position is more likely to be played later as it is closer to the current playback position. Therefore, chunks are downloaded in descending order of importance within a range from the current reproduction position to a preset set distance. This distance can be represented by, for example, the number of chunks and the playback time. For example, it is assumed that the number of chunks is used as the set distance and the number as the set distance is 10. When the sequence number at the current reproduction position is 5, the chunks are downloaded in descending order of importance from the chunks having the sequence numbers in the range from 6 to 15.

  Also, based on the content attributes, it is determined whether the order of downloading the chunks is the order of importance or the predetermined playback order, that is, the order of smaller sequence numbers. For example, the longer the total content playback time as an attribute, the higher the possibility that the playback position will be operated between the start and end of content playback. Therefore, when the total playback time is equal to or longer than a preset set time, the order of importance is high, and when the total playback time is less than the set time, the order of the sequence number may be low. The total playback time of the content can be acquired from the catalog information by the node Nn, for example. Also, for example, when the operation frequency of the content playback position is equal to or greater than a preset number of times as an attribute, the order of importance is high, and the frequency of operation of the content playback position is less than the preset number of times. May be in order of increasing sequence number. The operation frequency of the reproduction position can be acquired by the node Nn based on the operation of the reproduction position by the user. In addition, when the value of the importance distribution of the chunk corresponding to each reproduction position is greater than or equal to a preset setting value as an attribute, the order of importance is high, and the value of the dispersion is less than the setting value. In some cases, the sequence numbers may be in ascending order. The value of this variance can be calculated based on the importance set in the importance list.

[3. Configuration and function of each device]
Next, the configuration and function of each device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of the center server SA. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of the node Nn.

[3.1 Configuration of Center Server SA]
As shown in FIG. 3, the center server SA includes a control unit 11 including a CPU having a calculation function, a working RAM, a ROM for storing various data and programs, and the like. Further, the center server SA includes a storage unit 12 composed of an HD or the like for storing and storing various data and various programs. Furthermore, the center server SA includes a communication unit 13 for controlling communication of information with the node Nn through the network 8 or the like. Furthermore, the center server SA includes a display unit 14 such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display that displays various types of information. Furthermore, the center server SA includes an input unit 15 (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.) that receives an instruction from the operator and gives an instruction signal corresponding to the instruction to the control unit 11. The control unit 11, the storage unit 12, the communication unit 13, the display unit 14, and the input unit 15 are connected to each other via a bus 16.

  The storage unit 12 stores the node ID, IP address, port number, and the like of each node Nn. The control unit 11 performs overall control of the entire center server SA when the CPU reads and executes a program such as a database management program stored in the storage unit 12 or the like.

[3.2 Configuration of Node Nn]
As shown in FIG. 4, each node Nn includes a control unit 21 as a computer that includes a CPU having a calculation function, a working RAM, a ROM that stores various data and programs, and the like. Each node Nn includes a storage unit 22 composed of an HD (hard disk) or the like for storing and storing various data and various programs, and a buffer memory 23 for temporarily storing a replica of the received content. ing. Further, each node Nn includes a decoder unit 24 that decodes encoded video data (video information), audio data (audio information), and the like included in the content replica. Further, each node Nn performs a predetermined drawing process on the decoded video data and the like, and outputs it as a video signal, and displays a video based on the video signal output from the video processor 25. And a display unit 26 such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display. Further, each node Nn converts the decoded audio data into an analog audio signal by D (Digital) / A (Analog) conversion, and then amplifies this by an amplifier and outputs the audio processing unit 27, and this audio processing unit And a speaker 28 that outputs the audio signal output from the sound wave 27 as a sound wave. Furthermore, each node Nn includes a communication unit 29 for controlling communication of information between other nodes Nn and the like through the network 8. Furthermore, each node Nn includes an input unit 30 (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a remote controller, an operation panel, or the like) that receives an instruction from the user and gives an instruction signal corresponding to the instruction to the control unit 21. Yes. The control unit 21, the storage unit 22, the buffer memory 23, the decoder unit 24, the communication unit 29, and the input unit 30 are connected to each other via a bus 31. The input unit 30 is an example of a second search input unit. As the node Nn, for example, a personal computer, an STB (Set Top Box), or the like is applicable.

  The storage unit 22 includes a routing table using DHT, index information, an IP address and a port number of a contact node that is an access destination when participating in the content distributed storage system S, and an IP address and a port of the center server SA. Numbers and the like are stored. Also, the viewing history information and the importance list are stored in the storage unit 22 in association with the content IDs. Further, the storage unit 22 stores P2P software (including the information communication program of the present invention) and the like for connecting to the content distributed storage system S and communicating with other nodes Nn.

  The control unit 21 reads and executes a program stored in the storage unit 22 or the like, so that the transmission unit, the reception unit, the first acquisition unit, the second acquisition unit, the third acquisition unit, the fourth acquisition unit, It functions as a receiving means and a determining means. Note that the P2P software may be downloaded from a predetermined server on the network 8, for example, or may be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and read via a drive of the recording medium. Anyway.

[4. Operation of Content Distributed Storage System S]
Next, the operation of the distributed content storage system S according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a processing example in the server processing of the control unit 21 of the node Nn according to the present embodiment. Note that in FIG. 5, illustration of processes that are not necessary for the description of the present embodiment is omitted.

  The process shown in FIG. 5 is started when a server processing program included in the P2P software is started by causing the node Nn to execute the P2P software, for example. First, the control unit 21 determines whether viewing history information has been received from another node Nn (step S1). At this time, when the viewing history information is received as a receiving means (step S1: YES), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the node Nn that has received the viewing history information is a root node (step S2). ). A content ID is added to the viewing history information transmitted from another node Nn. Therefore, for example, based on the added content ID and the routing table, the control unit 21 determines whether or not there is a node Nn suitable for becoming a root node rather than the node Nn that has received the viewing history information. judge. Then, when there is no node Nn suitable for becoming the root node than the node Nn that has received the viewing history information, the node Nn that has received the viewing history information is regarded as the root node. The node Nn that is more suitable to be the root node than the node Nn that has received the viewing history information is assigned, for example, a node ID that is closer to the added content ID than the node ID of the node Nn that has received the viewing history information. Node Nn.

  At this time, when the node Nn itself that has received the viewing history information is the root node (step S2: YES), the control unit 21 updates the importance list based on the received viewing history information as a determination unit. (Step S3). Specifically, the control unit 21 determines an importance list corresponding to the content ID added to the viewing history information from the storage unit 22. Then, the control unit 21 adds the importance corresponding to the reproduction mode of the corresponding chunk set in the viewing history information to the importance of each chunk set in the determined importance list.

  In step S2, when the node Nn itself that has received the viewing history information is not the root node (step S2: NO), the control unit 21 relays the viewing history information to another node using the routing table (step S2). Step S4).

  When the viewing history information is not received (step S1: NO), the control unit 21 finishes the process of step S3, or finishes the process of step S4, the importance level is received from another node Nn. It is determined whether a list request message has been received (step S5). At this time, when receiving the importance list request message (step S5: YES), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the node Nn itself that has received the importance list request message is a root node (step S5). S6). Whether or not the node Nn itself that has received the importance list request message is a root node is determined based on the content ID included in the importance list request message in the same manner as in step S2.

  At this time, when the node Nn itself that has received the importance list request message is the root node (step S6: YES), the control unit 21 transmits the importance list to the user node (step S7). Specifically, the control unit 21 reads the importance list corresponding to the content ID included in the received importance list request message from the storage unit 22, and transmits the read importance list.

  In step S6, when the node Nn itself that has received the importance list request message is not the root node (step S6: NO), the control unit 21 transmits the importance list request message to another node using the routing table. (Step S8).

  When the importance level request message has not been received (step S5: NO), the control unit 21 finishes the process of step S7, or finishes the process of step S8, from another node Nn. It is determined whether a content request message has been received (step S9). At this time, when the content request message is received (step S9: YES), the control unit 21 transmits the requested chunk to the node Nn that is the source of the content request message (step S10). Specifically, the control unit 21 reads the chunk corresponding to the content ID included in the received content request message from the storage unit 22, and transmits the read chunk. When the control section 21 finishes the process of step S10, the control section 21 proceeds to step S9.

  In step S9, when the content request message has not been received from another node Nn (step S9: NO), the control unit 21 determines whether or not a server processing program termination request has been made by a user operation. (Step S11). At this time, if there is no termination request (step S11: NO), the control unit 21 proceeds to step S1. On the other hand, when there is an end request (step S11: YES), the control unit 21 ends the process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a processing example in the content acquisition processing of the control unit 21 of the node Nn according to the present embodiment. For example, a user selects content that the user wants to view as a content request at a content distribution site. The control unit 21 accepts content selection as a reception unit and transmits a request to the Web server SW. Then, the Web server SW transmits an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document of the selected Web page for content reproduction to the node Nn. The control unit 21 causes the display unit 26 to display a web page based on the received HTML document. The process shown in FIG. 6 is started, for example, when a Web page for content reproduction is displayed.

  First, the control unit 21 acquires an importance list as a first acquisition unit. Specifically, the control unit 21 transmits an importance list request message to the root node (step S21). The content ID of the content to be reproduced is described in the HTML document received from the Web server SW. Therefore, the control unit 21 transmits an importance list request message including the content ID described in the HTML document. Thereafter, the control unit 21 receives the importance list transmitted from the root node (step S22).

  Next, the control unit 21 downloads the first chunk of the content to be reproduced (step S23). First, the control unit 21 acquires meta information indicating the content ID of each chunk in association with the sequence number. This meta information may be described, for example, in an HTML document of a Web page for content reproduction. And the control part 21 receives index information from a root node by transmitting the search request containing the content ID of the chunk which should be downloaded. Next, the control unit 21 transmits a content request message including the content ID of the chunk to be downloaded to the content holding node based on the received index information. Next, the control unit 21 receives a chunk from the content holding node. Then, the control unit 21 stores the received chunk in the storage unit 22.

  When the process of step S23 is completed, the control unit 21 determines whether or not all the chunks constituting the content to be reproduced have been downloaded (step S24). At this time, when there is still a chunk that has not been downloaded (step S24: NO), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position is stored in the storage unit 22 ( Step S25). For example, a sequence number indicating the current reproduction position is set in a predetermined area of the working RAM in content reproduction processing described later. Therefore, the control unit 21 acquires a sequence number indicating the current reproduction position from the work RAM as a third acquisition unit. The sequence number set in the work RAM is an example of position information. Next, the control unit 21 acquires a content ID corresponding to the acquired sequence number from the meta information. Then, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the chunk corresponding to the acquired content ID is stored in the storage unit 22.

  At this time, if the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position is not stored in the storage unit 22 (step S25: NO), the control unit 21 downloads the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position (step S26). . When the control section 21 finishes the process of step S26, the control section 21 proceeds to step S24.

  On the other hand, when the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position is stored in the storage unit 22 (step S25: YES), the control unit 21 determines that the total reproduction time of the content to be reproduced is equal to or longer than the set time as a threshold value. It is determined whether or not (step S27). At this time, if the total content playback time is less than the threshold (step S27: NO), the control unit 21 proceeds to step S29.

  On the other hand, if the total content playback time is equal to or greater than the threshold value (step S27: YES), the control unit 21 sets the importance distribution value of each chunk constituting the content to be played back as the set value as the threshold value. It is determined whether or not this is the case (step S28). At this time, if the value of importance distribution of each chunk is less than the threshold value (step S28: NO), the control unit 21 proceeds to step S29. On the other hand, if the variance of the importance of each chunk is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S28: YES), the control unit 21 proceeds to step S30.

  In step S29, the control unit 21 downloads chunks in the order of sequence numbers as the second acquisition unit. Specifically, the control unit 21 selects, from among the chunks that are not stored in the storage unit 22, the chunk that has the closest playback order as the download target. Then, the control unit 21 downloads the selected chunk. After completing the process of step S29, the control unit 21 proceeds to step S24.

  In step S30, the control unit 21 downloads a chunk based on the importance list as a second acquisition unit (step S30). Specifically, the control unit 21 extracts chunks that are not stored in the storage unit 22 from the chunks included in the range from the current playback position to the set distance. Next, the control unit 21 selects a chunk having the highest importance among the extracted chunks as a download target. At this time, when there are a plurality of chunks having the highest importance, the control unit 21 selects a chunk whose playback position is closest to the current playback position as a download target. Then, the control unit 21 downloads the selected chunk. After finishing the process of step S30, the controller 21 proceeds to step S24. Note that when the processing in step S29 is completed, if there is still a chunk that has not been downloaded and the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position is stored in the storage unit 22, the determination processing in steps S24 to S28. Then, the process of step S29 is executed again. Therefore, by repeating the process of step S29, chunks are downloaded in descending order of importance.

  In step S24, when all the chunks constituting the content to be reproduced are downloaded (step S24: YES), the control unit 21 ends the process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a processing example in the content reproduction processing of the control unit 21 of the node Nn according to the present embodiment. The process illustrated in FIG. 7 is started, for example, when the user performs an operation for starting playback of content such as normal playback after the Web page for content playback is displayed on the display unit 26. First, the control unit 21 determines whether or not an operation for requesting the end of content reproduction from the user has been performed using the input unit 30 (step S41). At this time, if the operation for requesting the end of the content reproduction has not been performed (step S41: NO), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the operation of the content reproduction position has been performed using the input unit 30. Determination is made (step S42).

  At this time, when the operation of the content reproduction position is performed (step S42: YES), the control unit 21 moves the content reproduction position (step S43). Specifically, the control unit 21 changes the sequence number indicating the reproduction position set in the work RAM based on the reproduction mode corresponding to the operation of the reproduction position.

  Next, the control unit 21 records viewing history information (step S44). For example, the control unit 21 stores the reproduction mode corresponding to the operation of the reproduction position in correspondence with the content ID described in the HTML document received from the Web server SW and the sequence number indicating the current reproduction position. Record in part 22.

  When the operation of the content playback position has not been performed (step S42: NO), or when the process of step S44 has been completed, the control unit 21 stores a chunk corresponding to the current playback position in the storage unit 22. It is determined whether or not it is stored (step S45). At this time, when the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position is not stored in the storage unit 22 (step S45: NO), the control unit 21 waits until the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position is downloaded. (Step S46).

  The control unit 21 corresponds to the current reproduction position when the chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position is stored in the storage unit 22 (step S45: YES) or when the process of step S46 is completed. The chunk is played back (step S47). At this time, the control unit 21 adds 1 to the sequence number indicating the reproduction position set in the work RAM. After finishing the process of step S47, the control unit 21 proceeds to step S41.

  In step S41, when an operation for requesting the end of content reproduction is performed (step S41: YES), the control unit 21 transmits the recorded viewing history information to the root node (step S48). At this time, the control unit 21 transmits the content ID described in the HTML document received from the Web server SW, added to the viewing history information. When the control section 21 finishes the process of step S48, the control section 21 ends the process shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the node Nn receives a request for content, the chunk corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is sorted in descending order of importance based on the importance list. Download from another node Nn. Therefore, chunks corresponding to the respective reproduction positions of the content are acquired from other nodes Nn in descending order of importance determined based on the operation history of the reproduction positions. The presence / absence of the operation history and the contents of the operation history are one of the important factors that determine whether the number of chunks viewed is large or small. Therefore, by assigning importance to content acquisition based on viewing history information, even before all content data is acquired, chunks with a large number of views can be acquired and made reproducible. .

  Further, the importance list is updated so that the importance of the position where the root node is normally reproduced is higher than the importance of the position where the root node is not reproduced. Accordingly, the portion of the playback position that the user has desired to view so far is preferentially acquired. Therefore, even before all content is acquired, it is possible to acquire content that is assumed to have a large number of views and to make it playable.

  In addition, the importance list is updated so that the importance of the position where the root node has not been reproduced by the seek is lower than the importance of the position where the root node is normally reproduced. Accordingly, the portion of the playback position that the user has desired to view so far is preferentially acquired. Therefore, even before all the content data is acquired, it is possible to acquire the content that is assumed to have a large number of views and make it playable.

  Further, the importance list is updated so that the importance of the position where the slow reproduction is performed by the root node is higher than the importance of the position where the normal reproduction is performed. Therefore, the portion of the reproduction position important for the user is acquired with priority. Therefore, even before all the content data is acquired, it is possible to acquire the content that is assumed to have a large number of views and make it playable.

  In addition, the node Nn acquires a sequence number indicating the current playback position of the content. Then, the node Nn acquires chunks corresponding to the respective reproduction positions of the requested content in the descending order of importance after the current reproduction position indicated by the sequence number. Accordingly, it is possible to acquire a content with a large number of views from a reproduction position where the possibility of reproduction is high and to make the content reproducible.

  In addition, the node Nn acquires chunks corresponding to the respective reproduction positions of the requested content in descending order of importance within a preset distance range from the current reproduction position. Therefore, it is possible to acquire a content with a large number of views from playback positions within a set distance range from the current playback position and have a high possibility of being played back, and make it playable. .

  In addition, the node Nn acquires chunks corresponding to the respective reproduction positions of the requested content in order of importance, and acquires a chunk corresponding to the current reproduction position. Depending on the user who reproduces the content by the node Nn, there are a user who wants to reproduce from the current reproduction position and a user who wants to reproduce from the desired reproduction position by performing an operation of changing the reproduction position. Therefore, even before all the content data is acquired, the content having a large number of views and the content corresponding to the current playback position can be acquired and can be played back for any user. .

  In addition, when there are a plurality of playback positions having the same importance, the node Nn preferentially acquires a chunk corresponding to the playback position close to the current playback position. Accordingly, it is possible to acquire a content having a large number of views corresponding to a playback position that is close to the current playback position and that is likely to be played back, and make the playback state possible.

  Further, the node Nn acquires the attribute of the content, and acquires the chunk corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content in order of the sequence number based on the acquired attribute information, or in descending order of importance. Decide whether to get. Therefore, content can be efficiently acquired by selecting an acquisition method that matches the content attributes.

  Here, the node Nn acquires the total playback time of the content as attribute information, and when the total playback time is equal to or longer than the set time, the chunk corresponding to each playback position of the requested content is acquired in descending order of importance. You may do it. In this case, the node Nn can obtain a content with a long total playback time by adding importance to the playback position and making it possible to play with a reduced delay.

  Also, the node Nn acquires the operation frequency of the content playback position as attribute information, and if the operation frequency is equal to or greater than the set number of times, the chunk corresponding to each playback position of the requested content is acquired in descending order of importance. You may do it. In this case, the content that is frequently operated by the node Nn can be reproduced with a low delay by obtaining the reproduction position with importance.

  Further, the node Nn calculates a value of importance distribution at each reproduction position of the content as attribute information, and when the distribution value is equal to or larger than a set value, a chunk corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is calculated. It may be acquired in order of importance. In this case, the node Nn can acquire the content with high dispersion by adding importance to the reproduction position, thereby making it possible to reproduce the content with a small delay.

  In the above embodiment, the information processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to the root node. However, the information processing apparatus of the present invention may be applied to the center server SA. In this case, the center server SA receives viewing history information from each node Nn, and determines the importance of each chunk for all contents.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the peer to peer network using DHT was applied, it is not restricted to this. For example, a hybrid peer-to-peer network or the like may be applied.

  Further, the present invention may be applied to a client-server type system. In this case, the server device distributes each chunk constituting the content to the client terminal device. Also, the server device receives viewing history information from the client terminal device, and determines the importance of each chunk for all contents.

3 IX
4a, 4b ISP
5a, 5b DSL line dealer apparatus 6 FTTH line dealer apparatus 7 communication line 8 network 9 overlay network 11 control section 12 storage section 13 communication section 14 display section 15 input section 16 bus 21 control section 22 storage section 23 buffer memory 24 decoder Unit 25 video processing unit 26 display unit 27 audio processing unit 28 speaker 29 communication unit 30 input unit 31 bus Nn node SA center server SW Web server S content distributed storage system

Claims (15)

An information communication system in which content reproduced by a node device is transmitted and received between a plurality of node devices,
The information communication system includes:
The plurality of node devices;
An information processing device for determining the priority of each reproduction position of the content;
With
The node device is
Transmission means for transmitting operation history information indicating a history of operations at the playback position of the content to the information processing apparatus;
A receiving means for receiving a request for content;
First acquisition means for acquiring the priority determined by the information processing apparatus;
When a request for content is received by the receiving unit, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is assigned to the other node devices in descending order of priority determined by the information processing device. Second acquisition means for acquiring from:
With
The information processing apparatus includes:
Receiving means for receiving the operation history information from the node device;
Determining means for determining the priority based on the operation history information received by the receiving means;
An information communication system comprising: The information communication system according to claim 1,
The transmission means transmits the operation history information including information of an operation to be normally reproduced,
The information communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determining means sets the priority of the normally reproduced position to be higher than the priority of the position not reproduced. In the information communication system according to claim 1 or 2,
The transmission means transmits the operation history information including information on an operation to seek,
The information communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determining means sets the priority of the position that has not been reproduced by seek to be lower than the priority of the position that has been normally reproduced. The information communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The transmission means transmits the operation history information including information on an operation to be played slowly,
The information communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determining means sets the priority of the slow played position to be higher than the priority of the normally played position. The node device in an information communication system in which content reproduced by a node device is transmitted and received between a plurality of node devices,
Transmission means for transmitting operation history information indicating a history of operations at the playback position of the content to an information processing apparatus that determines the priority of each playback position of the content based on the operation history information;
A receiving means for receiving a request for content;
First acquisition means for acquiring the priority determined by the information processing apparatus;
When a request for content is received by the receiving unit, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is assigned to the other node devices in descending order of priority determined by the information processing device. Second acquisition means for acquiring from:
A node device comprising: The node device according to claim 5, wherein
A third acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating a current reproduction position of the content;
The second acquisition unit acquires partial content corresponding to each playback position of the requested content in the order of higher priority after the current playback position indicated by the position information acquired by the third acquisition unit. A node device characterized by: The node device according to claim 6, wherein
The node device according to claim 2, wherein the second acquisition unit acquires partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content within a predetermined range from the current reproduction position in descending order of priority. In the node device according to claim 6 or 7,
The second acquisition means acquires the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content in order of the priority and acquires the partial content corresponding to the current reproduction position. . The node device according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The node device, wherein the second acquisition means preferentially acquires a partial content corresponding to a reproduction position close to a current reproduction position when there are a plurality of reproduction positions having the same priority. . The node device according to any one of claims 5 to 9,
A fourth acquisition means for acquiring content attribute information;
The second acquisition unit acquires the partial content corresponding to each playback position of the requested content based on the attribute information acquired by the fourth acquisition unit, in a predetermined playback order, or A node device which determines whether to acquire in order of high priority. The node device according to claim 10,
The fourth acquisition means acquires the total playback time of the content as the attribute information,
The second acquisition means acquires the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content in descending order of priority when the total reproduction time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. Node device. The node device according to claim 10,
The fourth acquisition means acquires the operation frequency of the playback position of the content as the attribute information,
The second acquisition means, when the operation frequency is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, acquires partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content in descending order of priority. apparatus. The node device according to claim 10,
The fourth acquisition means acquires a dispersion value of the priority level at each reproduction position of the content as the attribute information,
The second acquisition unit is configured to acquire partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content in descending order of priority when the variance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Node device. An information communication method in an information communication system in which content reproduced by a node device is transmitted and received between a plurality of node devices,
A transmission step of transmitting operation history information indicating a history of operations at the reproduction position of the content to an information processing apparatus that determines the priority of each reproduction position of the content based on the operation history information;
A reception process for receiving a request for content;
A first acquisition step of acquiring the priority determined by the information processing device;
When a request for content is accepted in the accepting step, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is assigned to the other node devices in descending order of priority determined by the information processing device. A second acquisition step acquired from
An information communication method characterized by comprising: In a computer included in the node device in an information communication system in which content reproduced by the node device is transmitted and received between a plurality of node devices,
A transmission step of transmitting operation history information indicating a history of operations at the playback position of the content to an information processing apparatus that determines the priority of each playback position of the content based on the operation history information;
A reception step for receiving a request for content;
A first acquisition step of acquiring the priority determined by the information processing apparatus;
When a request for content is accepted in the accepting step, the partial content corresponding to each reproduction position of the requested content is assigned to the other node devices in descending order of priority determined by the information processing device. A second obtaining step to obtain from
An information communication program characterized in that

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