JP7368524B2 - Video distribution system, video distribution method, and video distribution program - Google Patents

Description

The invention disclosed herein relates to a video distribution system, a video distribution method, and a video distribution program.

Various video distribution services have been known for a long time. In recent years, a video distribution system that generates animation of a character object based on the movement of a distribution user and live-distributes a video including the animation of the character object has been attracting attention. Such a video distribution system is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-184689 (Patent Document 1) and "Yusuke Hasegawa, The Beginning of a New Era of Virtual Idols" PROJECT MariA, CG WORLD, Japan, Born Digital Co., Ltd., November 2017. 10th, Vol. 231, pp. 74-79" (Non-Patent Document 1).

"Virtual Cast" provided by Dwango Co., Ltd. is known as a video distribution service that distributes videos including character objects generated based on the movements of distribution users. In virtual cast, character objects of other users participate in a video being distributed by a distribution user, and two distribution users can virtually co-star in the video through their respective character objects.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-184689

Yusuke Hasegawa, The Beginning of a New Era of Virtual Idols PROJECT MariA, CG WORLD, Japan, Born Digital Co., Ltd., November 10, 2017, Volume 231, pp. 74-79 Dwango Co., Ltd., “[Virtual Cast] About Convex”, [online], [searched on July 1, 2019], Internet <URL: https://qa.nicovideo.jp/faq/show/10740?category_id=718&site_domain =default〉

In conventional video distribution systems that allow virtual co-starring between users, a user who views a video sends a co-starring request to the distribution user who is distributing the video, and the co-starring request is sent to the distribution user who is distributing the video. A guest user to co-star with is selected based on the application. Many problems remain in the process of realizing this collaboration, as illustrated below.

First, since users who are viewing videos want to co-star with popular distribution users, requests for co-starring will be concentrated on some popular distribution users. Since videos are often streamed live, co-starring requests tend to be concentrated in a short period of time. Therefore, there is a problem in that the processing load for processing co-starring requests that are concentrated in a short period of time is large. If a user who views a video can unconditionally request co-starring, the problem of processing load for processing requests for co-starring becomes apparent.

Second, for distribution users who are less popular, there is a problem that it is difficult to utilize the co-starring function because there are few or no viewing users who request co-starring themselves.

Thirdly, in order to maintain the quality of the distributed video, it is a matter of great concern to the distribution users who will be the co-stars, but when co-starring virtually through character objects, it is important to Unless the user wishes to co-star with a video distribution user who is a video streaming user, the user is forced to apply for co-starring without knowing much about the distribution user who is to be the co-star. Since the user does not know the distribution user well, there is a possibility that the user may hesitate to apply for co-starring with the distribution user. In this way, in the conventional co-starring application process, because information about distribution users is insufficiently disclosed, co-starring requests are more likely to be made to popular distribution users who are well-known, and as a result, co-starring requests are made to popular distribution users. This will strengthen the tendency for applications to concentrate.

As described above, there is a problem in that the co-starring function in video distribution systems is not fully utilized. In addition to the above, there are unresolved problems with the co-starring function of conventional video distribution systems. Some of these issues will become apparent upon reference to this specification in its entirety.

It is an object of the present invention to provide technical improvements that solve or alleviate at least some of the problems of the prior art mentioned above. One of the more specific objectives of the present invention is to provide a new video distribution system, video distribution method, and video distribution program that can promote the use of co-star functions. One of the more specific objectives of the present invention is to provide a new video distribution system, video distribution method, and video distribution program that can reduce the processing load and/or traffic for providing a co-star function.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a video distribution system that includes one or more computer processors. In the video distribution system in one embodiment, the one or more computer processors distribute a video including an animation of a character object generated based on the movement of the first user by executing computer-readable instructions. , transmitting an invitation associated with host user information regarding the first user to a second user among a plurality of viewing users who view the video, and transmitting an invitation associated with host user information regarding the first user to a user device of the second user that received the invitation; a character string indicating that the invitation has been received from the first user, the host user information regarding the first user, and a first co-starring for transmitting a co-starring application for applying for co-starring with the first user. An application button is displayed, and the second user who has received the invitation requests to co-star with the first user. In response to receiving the co-star request, the first user and the second user co-star. A co-starring video is generated, and the co-starring video is played back on each user device of one or more viewing users.

In one aspect of the present invention, the character string, the host user information, and the first co-starring request button are arranged in a window displayed on the user device of the second user.

In one aspect of the present invention, the one or more computer processors display a previous second co-starring request button for transmitting the co-starring request on the image including the moving image after the window is no longer displayed.

In one aspect of the present invention, the host user information includes user evaluation information indicating evaluation for the first user. In one aspect of the present invention, the host user information includes viewer number information indicating the number of users viewing the video. In one aspect of the present invention, host user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the first user in the co-starring video is included. In one aspect of the present invention, the host user information includes video evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the video.

In one aspect of the present invention, the invitation includes first benefit information indicating a first benefit given to the second user when the second user makes the co-starring request. In one aspect of the present invention, the invitation includes second benefit information indicating a second benefit to be given to the second user when the co-starring video in which the second user and the first user co-star is generated. including.

In one aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first benefit and the second benefit changes depending on the evaluation of the co-starring video. In one aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first benefit and the second benefit changes depending on a second user's evaluation while the co-starring video is being distributed.

In one aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first benefit and the second benefit is an object that the second user can use in the co-starring video.

In one aspect of the present invention, the co-starring video includes a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user. It is.

In one aspect of the present invention, the co-starring video is a co-starring video that includes a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user.

In one aspect of the present invention, the co-starring video includes a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user. Alternatively, it is an audio co-starring video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user, and the character co-starring video and the audio co-starring video can be alternately switched.

In one aspect of the present invention, the one or more computer processors execute computer-readable instructions to deliver a moving image including an animation of a character object generated based on a movement of a first user, and Sending an invitation to one or more viewing users who view the video, accepting co-starring requests only from one or more invited users who have received the invitation among the plurality of viewing users, and accepting the co-starring request. A co-starring video in which the first user and a second user included in the one or more invited users co-star is generated according to the above, and the co-starring video is distributed to one or more viewing users.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a video distribution method performed by one or more computer processors executing computer-readable instructions. In one embodiment, the video distribution method includes the steps of: distributing a video including an animation of a character object generated based on the movement of a first user; and a second user of a plurality of viewing users who views the video. a step of transmitting an invitation associated with host user information regarding the first user to the user; and in response to receiving a co-starring request for co-starring with the first user from the second user who has received the invitation. The method includes the steps of: generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star, and distributing the co-starring video to one or more viewing users.

A video distribution program according to one aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: distributing a video including an animation of a character object generated based on the movement of a first user to one or more computer processors; a step of transmitting an invitation associated with host user information regarding the first user to a second user among viewing users, and requesting from the second user who received the invitation to co-star with the first user. A step of generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star in response to receiving a co-starring request, and a step of distributing the co-starring video to one or more viewing users are executed.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a new video distribution system, video distribution method, and video distribution program that can promote the use of co-star functions.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a video distribution system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a distribution user who distributes a video distributed by the video distribution system of FIG. 1 and a distribution user device used by the distribution user. 2 is a diagram illustrating user information stored in the video distribution system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating co-starring video information stored in the video distribution system of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the viewing user device 10 in one embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of a display screen displayed on delivery user device 20a in one embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of a display screen displayed on delivery user device 20b in one embodiment. It is a figure explaining the setting window displayed on distribution user device 20b. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of how an invitation is displayed on the distribution user device 20a that has received the invitation. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of a co-starring video displayed on the viewing user device 10 in one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the co-starring video displayed on the distribution user device 20a in one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the co-starring video displayed on the distribution user device 20b in one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing the flow of video distribution processing according to an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of an invitation process to co-star in one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing the flow of processing for distributing co-starring videos in one embodiment.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with appropriate reference to the drawings. Identical or similar components in multiple drawings are provided with the same reference numerals.

A video distribution system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a video distribution system 1 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows users Ua and Ub who distribute videos in the video distribution system 1 and distribution user devices used by the users Ua and Ub. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically showing 20a and 20b. In the video distribution system 1, the distribution user device 20a has a function for distributing a video including a character object generated based on the movement of the user Ua. It has a function for distributing a video containing a character object generated based on the movement of Ub. As will be described in detail later, the video distribution system 1 can generate a video including character objects of two or more distribution users and distribute the video. In other words, in the video distribution system 1, two or more distribution users can virtually perform together in a video via their respective character objects. In this way, when two or more distribution users virtually co-star in a video via their respective character objects, the video is called a co-star video.

User Ua and user Ub are both distribution users who distribute videos including character objects generated based on movement, and viewing users who view videos of other distribution users. Therefore, the distribution user devices 20a and 20b may have a function of viewing videos distributed by the video distribution system 1.

User Ua and user Ub can send an invitation to other viewing users to invite them to watch their videos. For example, when a video including a character object generated based on user Ub's movements is being distributed, user Ub can send an invitation to user Ua to watch user Ub's video. Based on this invitation, user Ua can apply to perform together with user Ub. When this co-starring request is approved, a co-starring video including the character object of the user Ub and the character object of the user Ua is generated, and the co-starring video is distributed. An invitation for co-starring in a video can be sent from the distribution user to any other viewing user. When user Ua participates in a video being distributed by user Ub through an invitation from user Ub, and when user Ub and user Ua perform together, the user Ub who sent the invitation is called the "host user" and the user who responds to this invitation User Ua who performs with user Ub may be called a "guest user." The concepts of host user and guest user are relative. For example, contrary to the above example, if user Ub co-stars in user Ua's video based on an invitation sent by user Ua to user Ub, user Ua becomes the host user and user Ub becomes the guest user. Become. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that an invitation is sent from user Ub to user Ua. That is, it is assumed that user Ub is a host user and user Ua is a guest user. However, the description regarding the user Ua in this specification may be extended to the general guest users as much as possible. Similarly, the description herein regarding the user Ub may be extended to the extent possible to the description regarding host users in general. For example, even when a description is given regarding distribution user Ua in this specification, the explanation can be understood as an explanation regarding guest users in general, and a description regarding distribution user Ub can be understood as an explanation regarding host users in general.

The video distribution system 1 includes a viewing user device 10, distribution user devices 20a and 20b, a server device 60, and a storage 70. The viewing user device 10, the distribution user devices 20a and 20b, the server device 60, and the storage 70 are connected to each other via a network 50 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The server device 60 is configured to distribute a video including animations of character objects of the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub, as will be described later. The server device 60 may be configured to be able to distribute videos other than videos including animations of character objects. In addition to the video distribution service, the server device 60 may also provide a social networking service for users to interact with each other or a platform function for the service.

In the video distribution system 1, videos are distributed from the server device 60 to the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. The distributed video is displayed on the display of the viewing user device 10. A viewing user who is a user of the viewing user device 10 can view the distributed video using the viewing user device 10. By viewing the distributed video, the distribution users Ua and Ub can perform while checking the video being distributed. Furthermore, the distribution users Ua and Ub can view videos including other users' character objects using the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. Although only one viewing user device 10 is shown in FIG. 1 to simplify the explanation, the video distribution system 1 may include a plurality of viewing user devices. Further, although only two distribution user devices are shown in FIG. 1, the video distribution system 1 may include three or more distribution user devices. As mentioned above, distribution users Ua and Ub are also viewing users. Therefore, when the user is not distributing his or her own video, the user can view videos distributed by other distribution users using the distribution user devices 20a and 20b.

In the illustrated embodiment, the distribution user device 20a includes a computer processor 21a, a communication I/F 22a, a display 23a, a camera 24a, and a microphone 25a. Similarly, the distribution user device 20b includes a computer processor 21b, a communication I/F 22b, a display 23b, a camera 24b, and a microphone 25b. Since the distribution user device 20a and the distribution user device 20b have similar configurations and functions, if there is no particular need to distinguish between the two, they may be collectively referred to as the distribution user device 20. A component may also be called a computer processor 21 or the like.

The computer processor 21 is an arithmetic device that loads an operating system and various programs for realizing various functions from storage into memory, and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The computer processor 21 is, for example, a CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, various other arithmetic devices, or a combination thereof. The computer processor 21 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, PLD, FPGA, or MCU. Although computer processor 21 is illustrated as a single component in FIG. 1, computer processor 21 may be a collection of multiple physically separate computer processors.

The communication I/F 22 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP/IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof. The distribution user device 20 can send and receive data to and from other devices via the communication I/F 22.

Display 23 has a display panel and a touch panel. The touch panel is configured to be able to detect a touch operation (contact operation) by a player. The touch panel can detect various touch operations such as tap, double tap, and drag by the player. The touch panel may include a capacitive proximity sensor and be configured to be able to detect a non-contact operation by the player.

The camera 24 continuously images the faces of distribution users Ua and Ub, and acquires image data of the distribution users Ua and Ub's faces. Image data of the faces of the distribution users Ua and Ub captured by the camera 24 is transmitted to the server device 60 via the communication I/F 22 . The camera 24 may be a 3D camera capable of detecting the depth of a person's face. The camera 24 may acquire imaging data by imaging parts of the distribution users Ua and Ub other than their faces, such as hands, legs, fingers, or other parts.

The microphone 25 is a sound collection device configured to convert input audio into audio data. The microphone 25 is configured to be able to acquire audio input from distribution users Ua and Ub. The voice input of the distribution users Ua and Ub acquired by the microphone 25 is converted into voice data, and this voice data is transmitted to the server device 60 via the communication I/F 22.

The viewing user device 10 may include the same components as the distribution user device 20. For example, viewing user device 10 may include a computer processor, a communication I/F, a display, and a camera. The viewing user device 10 may perform the same functions as the distribution user device 20 by downloading and installing predetermined application software.

The viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 are information processing devices such as smartphones. The viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 include, in addition to smartphones, mobile phones, tablet terminals, personal computers, e-book readers, wearable computers, game consoles, and various other information processing devices capable of playing back videos. You can. In addition to the above-described components, each of the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 may include a sensor unit including various sensors such as a gyro sensor, and a storage that stores various information.

Next, the server device 60 will be explained. In the illustrated embodiment, the server device 60 includes a computer processor 61, a communication I/F 62, and a storage 63.

The computer processor 61 is an arithmetic device that loads an operating system and various programs that implement various functions into memory from the storage 63 or other storage, and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The computer processor 61 is, for example, a CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, various other arithmetic devices, or a combination thereof. The computer processor 61 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, PLD, FPGA, or MCU. Although computer processor 61 is illustrated as a single component in FIG. 1, computer processor 61 may be a collection of multiple physically separate computer processors.

The communication I/F 62 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP/IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof. The server device 60 can send and receive data to and from other devices via the communication I/F 62.

Storage 63 is a storage device accessed by computer processor 61. The storage 63 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or various other storage devices capable of storing data. Various programs can be stored in the storage 63. At least some of the programs and various data that can be stored in the storage 63 may be stored in a storage that is physically separate from the server device 60 (for example, the storage 70).

Each program described herein as being executed by computer processor 21 or computer processor 61, or the instructions contained therein, may be executed by a single computer processor or distributed by multiple computer processors. It may also be executed as follows. Furthermore, each program executed by the computer processor 21 or the computer processor 61 or the instructions included in the program may be executed by a plurality of virtual computer processors.

Next, data stored in the storage 63 will be explained. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage 63 stores model data 63a, object data 63b, user information 63c, co-starring video information 63d, and various other data necessary for generating and distributing distributed videos.

The model data 63a is model data for generating character animation. The model data 63a may be three-dimensional model data for generating three-dimensional animation, or two-dimensional model data for generating two-dimensional model data. The model data 63a includes, for example, rig data (sometimes referred to as "skeleton data") indicating the skeleton of the character's face and parts other than the face, and surface data indicating the shape and texture of the character's surface. Surface data is sometimes called skin data. The model data 63a can include a plurality of different model data. This plurality of model data may have mutually different rig data, or may have the same rig data. This plurality of model data may have different surface data from each other, or may have the same surface data.

The object data 63b includes asset data for constructing a virtual space that constitutes a moving image. The object data 63b includes data for drawing the background of the virtual space constituting the video, data for drawing various objects displayed in the video, and data for drawing various objects displayed in the video other than these. Contains data. The object data 63b may include object position information indicating the position of the object in the virtual space.

An example of user information 63c is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, various data related to the user who uses the video distribution system 1 is stored as user information 63c in association with the account information of the distribution user. As described later, host user information is generated based on the user information 63c. The user information 63c of a certain user includes user evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the user, number of viewers information indicating the number of viewers of videos that the user has distributed or is currently distributing, and evaluations of videos distributed by the user. The guest user may also include video evaluation information shown and privilege information given to the guest user when co-starring with the user. The user information 63c may include information other than the above.

The user's account information is, for example, user identification information (user ID) that identifies the user. The user ID is assigned to the user when the user first registers to use the service with the video distribution system 1.

User evaluation information associated with a user's account information is information indicating evaluations of the user by other users. The user evaluation information is, for example, user evaluation points expressed as natural numbers. Users of the video distribution system 1 can distribute videos including their own character objects via the server device 60. A certain user's user evaluation points may be updated based on feedback from viewing users regarding a video distributed by the user. For example, feedback from viewing users may include selecting a "like" button that appears on the viewing screen, selecting a "boo" button that represents a negative rating, or gifting an item that appears on the viewing screen. This includes sending gifts), sending comments from the viewing screen, and various other types of feedback. The "Like" button is assumed to be selected when the viewer has a favorable impression of the viewed video or the distribution user who is distributing the viewed video. The "Like" button may be shown on the viewing screen as an icon including characters such as "Like" or "Like" indicating a favorable impression. It is assumed that the "boo" button is selected when the viewer has a negative impression, such as antipathy, toward the viewed video or the distribution user who is distributing the viewed video. The "boo" button may be shown on the viewing screen as an icon including characters such as "not good" or "dislike" indicating a negative feeling. In this specification, a button and an icon for indicating a favorable impression may be referred to as a "favorable impression button" and a "favorable impression icon", respectively, and a button and an icon for indicating an antipathy may be referred to as a "disapproval button" and an "antipathy icon", respectively. be. The evaluation points may include the number of favorable button selections, the number of negative button selections, the number of gifted gifts (or gifted amount), the number of comments, or other parameters related to feedback from viewing users. For example, user evaluation points may be increased when positive or negative feedback is given by the viewing user. User evaluation points may be evaluated as a number of points based on the number or amount of positive feedback from viewing users, or may be evaluated as a number of points based on the number or amount of negative feedback from viewing users. It may be. Furthermore, user evaluation points may be increased or decreased depending on the number of positive feedbacks and negative feedbacks. More specifically, the user evaluation points may be increased when positive feedback is given and decreased when negative feedback is given, or vice versa. A certain user's user evaluation points may be updated at a trigger other than feedback on a video distributed by the user. For example, when a certain user interacts with another user using a social networking service provided by the server device 60, user evaluation points may be updated based on the activity using the social networking service.

The video evaluation information associated with the user's account information is information indicating evaluations from other users of the video distributed by the user. The video evaluation information is, for example, a video evaluation point expressed as a natural number. A certain user's video evaluation points may be updated based on feedback from viewing users regarding the video distributed by the user. When a viewing user who has viewed the video gives positive feedback or negative feedback to a video distributed by a certain user, the video evaluation points of the user may be increased. When feedback is given to a video distributed by a certain user, both the user evaluation points and the video evaluation points may be updated.

The number of viewers information associated with the user's account information indicates the number of viewing users who have viewed or are currently viewing the video distributed by the user. The number of viewers information for a certain user may be the cumulative number of viewing users who viewed videos distributed by the user. For example, if a certain user has distributed a video 10 times, the viewer number information may be the total number of viewing users for each of the 10 distributions. While a video is being distributed, a new viewing user may start viewing the video, or a user who was viewing the video may stop viewing the video midway through. Therefore, the number of users viewing a certain video may vary depending on when the measurement is made after the start of viewing the video. The number of viewing users may be logged at regular time intervals, the average number of viewing users may be calculated based on this log, and the calculated average may be used as the number of viewing users of the video. For example, for a 10-minute video, the number of viewers may be recorded a total of 10 times at 1-minute intervals, and the average of the 10 recorded numbers of viewers may be taken as the number of users viewing the video. In another embodiment, the number of viewing users who were viewing the video at the time the distribution of the video ended may be the number of viewing users. The information on the number of viewers of a video may be information other than the above that is correlated with the number of users viewing the video.

The benefit information associated with a user's account information indicates a benefit given to a guest user who has applied for co-starring with the user in a video distributed by the user. The benefits associated with the account information of a certain user may be set by the user. Benefits associated with account information of a certain user may be set by someone other than the user. For example, the privilege associated with a certain user's account information may be determined by the operator of the video distribution system 1. The operator of the video distribution system 1 can determine benefits based on the usage status of the service by the user and/or users of the video distribution system 1 other than the user and other information. The privilege may be given to all users who have applied for co-starring, or may be given only to some of them. For example, benefits may be granted only to guest users who have actually performed together with the host user among the users who have applied for co-starring. A first benefit may be given when a co-starring request is made, and a second privilege different from the first privilege may be given when a co-starring event is actually performed as a result of the co-starring request. Benefits given to guest users include points that can be used in the video distribution service provided by distribution system 1, points that can be used on specific platforms other than distribution system 1, crypto assets such as Bitcoin, distribution users (e.g. , a gift to be given to the distribution user Ub), an object that can be displayed in the distributed video, and various other benefits. Objects that can be displayed in videos may be objects that can only be used in co-starring videos, for example.

An example of co-star video information is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, as co-starring video information 63d, various data related to the co-starring video are stored in association with co-starring video identification information for identifying the co-starring video. The co-starring video information 63d of a certain co-starring video includes host user evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the host user in the co-starring video, guest user evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the guest user in the co-starring video, and the information from the start of the co-starring video. Co-starring time information indicating elapsed time may be included.

The host user evaluation information indicates the evaluation of the host user in the co-starring video. The host user evaluation information for a certain host user is, for example, a host user evaluation point expressed as a natural number.

The guest user evaluation information indicates the evaluation of the guest user. The guest user evaluation information of a certain guest user is, for example, a guest user evaluation point expressed by a natural number.

The co-starring time information indicates the elapsed time since the guest user and the host user started co-starring.

Next, the functions realized by the computer processors 21a and 21b will be explained in more detail. The computer processor 21a functions as a face motion data generation section 21a1, an invitation presentation section 21a2, and a co-starring application section 21a3 by executing computer-readable instructions included in the distribution program. Similarly, the computer processor 21b functions as the face motion data generation section 21b1 and the invitation requesting section 21b2 by executing computer-readable instructions included in the distribution program. At least some of the functions realized by the computer processors 21a and 21b may be realized by a computer processor other than the computer processors 21a and 21b of the video distribution system 1. At least some of the functions realized by the computer processors 21a and 21b may be realized by the computer processor 61 installed in the server device 60, for example.

The face motion data generation unit 21a1 generates face motion data that is a digital representation of the distribution user Ua's facial movement based on the image data of the camera 24a. Similarly, the face motion data generation unit 21b1 generates face motion data that is a digital representation of the distribution user Ub's facial movement based on the imaging data of the camera 24b. Face motion data is generated as time passes. Face motion data may be generated every predetermined sampling time interval. In this way, the face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 21a1 can digitally represent the facial movements (changes in facial expression) of the distribution user Ua in a time-series manner, and the face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 21b1 The face motion data generated in can digitally represent the facial movements (changes in facial expression) of the distribution user Ub in a time-series manner. The face motion data generated by the face motion data generation units 21a1 and 21b1 is transmitted to the server device 60 via the communication I/Fs 22a and 22b.

In the distribution user device 20, in addition to the face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 21a1, body motion data that is a digital representation of the position and orientation of each part of the distribution users Ua, Ub's body other than the face is generated. may be generated. Distribution user device 20 may transmit body motion data to server device 60 in addition to face motion data. In order to generate body motion data, distribution users Ua and Ub may wear motion sensors. The distribution user device 20 may be configured to be able to generate body motion data based on detection information of a motion sensor attached to the distribution users Ua, Ub. Body motion data may be generated at predetermined sampling time intervals. In this way, the body motion data expresses the body movements of distribution users Ua and Ub in time series as digital data. The body motion data may be generated based on the detection information of the motion sensors attached to the distribution users Ua and Ub, for example, in a photography studio. The photography studio may be equipped with a base station, a tracking sensor, and a display. The base station may be a multi-axis laser emitter. The motion sensor attached to the distribution users Ua and Ub may be, for example, Vive Tracker provided by HTC CORPORATION. The base station provided in the photography studio may be, for example, a base station provided by HTC CORPORATION. Further, a supporter computer may be installed in a separate room from the photography studio. A display in the photography studio may be configured to display information received from the support computer. The server device 60 may be installed in the same room as the supporter computer. The room in which the supporter computer is installed and the photography studio may be separated by a glass window. In this case, the operator of the supporter computer (herein sometimes referred to as "supporter") can visually recognize the distribution users Ua and Ub. The supporter computer may be configured to be able to change the settings of various devices provided in the photography studio in accordance with operations by the supporter. The supporter computer can, for example, set the scanning interval by the base station, set the tracking sensor, and change various settings of various devices other than these. The supporter can enter a message into the supporter computer and display the entered message on a display in the photo studio.

In the distribution user device 20b, the invitation requesting unit 21b2 requests the server device 60 to send an invitation in response to the operation of the distribution user Ub. The invitation is transmitted from the server device 60 to the distribution user device 20a and other distribution user devices. The server device 60 may transmit host user information regarding the distribution user Ub who requested transmission of the invitation in association with the invitation from the distribution user Ub. The invitation may be included in the video being distributed, or may be sent separately from the video being distributed.

In the distribution user device 20a, when receiving an invitation from another distribution user from the server device 60, the invitation presentation unit 21a2 presents the invitation to the distribution user Ua. The invitation is, for example, an invitation to invite the user Ua to a video that the user Ub is distributing. The invitation presenting unit 21a2 may present host user information regarding the distribution user who has requested transmission of the invitation together with the invitation. The invitation presentation unit 21a2 may display the content of the invitation and host user information regarding the distribution user who sent the invitation on the display 23a.

Based on the distribution user Ua's operation on the distribution user device 20a, the co-starring application unit 21a3 transmits a co-starring application requesting co-starring with the other distribution user to the server device 60.
As described later, the distribution user device 20a may display an operation button for requesting co-starring in response to receiving an invitation, or an operation button for requesting co-starring regardless of whether or not it has received an invitation. A button may also be displayed.

In this specification, it is assumed that an invitation is sent from the distribution user Ub who uses the distribution user device 20b to the distribution user Ua who uses the distribution user device 20a. It is described as a function performed by computer processor 21b of device 20b. Since it is also assumed that the distribution user Ua sends an invitation, the distribution user device 20a may perform the same function as the invitation requesting unit 21b2. Similarly, since it is assumed that the distribution user Ub receives an invitation, the distribution user device 20b may perform the same functions as the invitation presentation section 21a2 and the co-starring application section 21a3.

The distribution user device 20 may implement functions other than the face motion data generation section 21a1 by executing the distribution program and/or other programs on a computer processor. For example, the distribution user device 20 may implement a function of playing the received video by executing a viewing program for video viewing. The distribution program and the viewing program may be packaged into one application software, or may be provided as separate application software.

Viewing user device 10 may be configured to provide similar functionality to distribution user device 20. For example, the viewing user device 10 may implement a function of playing the received video by executing a viewing program for video viewing, and may have a function similar to that of the face motion data generation unit 21a1 by executing a distribution program. The function may be realized.

Next, the functions realized by the computer processor 61 will be explained in more detail. By executing computer-readable instructions included in the distribution program, the computer processor 61 generates an animation generation section 61a, a video generation section 61b, a video distribution section 61c, an invitation processing section 61d, a co-starring application processing section 61e, and a co-starring end request processing section. It functions as a processing section 61f.

The animation generation unit 61a applies face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 21a of the distribution user device 20a or the face motion data generation unit 21b1 of the distribution user device 20b to predetermined model data included in the model data 63a. By doing so, the animation of the character object is generated. The animation generation unit 61a can generate an animation of the character object so that the facial expression of the character object changes based on the face motion data. Specifically, the animation generation unit 61a can generate an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the movement of the facial expression of the distribution user Ua, based on face motion data regarding the distribution user Ua. Similarly, the animation generation unit 61a can generate an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the facial movements of the distribution user Ub, based on face motion data regarding the distribution user Ub.

When the distribution user device 20 provides body motion data regarding the distribution users Ua, Ub, the animation generation unit 61a generates the distribution users Ua, Ub based on the body motion data and face motion data regarding the distribution users Ua, Ub. It is possible to generate an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the body and facial movements of the character.

When distributing the video of the distribution user Ua, the video generation unit 61b generates a background image indicating the background using the object data 63b, and generates a background image, an animation of a character object corresponding to the distribution user Ua, It is possible to generate a video containing. The video generation unit 61b can synthesize the generated video with the audio of the distribution user Ua, which is generated based on the audio data received from the distribution user device 20a. Similarly, when distributing the video of the distribution user Ub, the video generation unit 61b generates a background image indicating the background using the object data 63b, and combines this background image with the character object corresponding to the distribution user Ub. You can generate videos including animations. The video generation unit 61b can synthesize the generated video with the audio of the distribution user Ub, which is generated based on the audio data received from the distribution user device 20b. In the video generated by the video generation unit 61b, the character objects corresponding to the distribution users Ua and Ub are displayed superimposed on the background image. As described above, the video generation unit 61b generates an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the facial movements of distribution user Ua or distribution user Ub, and synthesizes the voice of distribution user Ua or distribution user Ub into this animation. You can generate videos for distribution.

The video distribution unit 61c distributes the video generated by the video generation unit 61b. This moving image is distributed via the network 50 to the viewing user device 10 and other viewing user devices. The generated video is also distributed to the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. The received video is played back on the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. The video distribution unit 61c may monitor at least one of the video distribution time and the number of distributions for each distribution user.

Display examples of videos distributed from the video distribution unit 61c are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6a to 6b. In these figures, it is assumed that distribution user Ub uses distribution user device 20b to distribute a video including his own character object, and that the video is being played on viewing user device 10 and distribution user devices 20a and 20b. ing. In FIG. 6a, it is assumed that distribution user Ua is not distributing a video, but is viewing a video distributed by distribution user Ub, who is another distribution user. Therefore, in the explanation regarding FIGS. 5 and 6a to 6b, the distribution user Ua may also be referred to as a viewing user. FIG. 5 shows a display example of a video being played on the viewing user device 10, FIG. 6a shows a display example of a video being played on the distribution user device 20a, and FIG. 6b shows a display example of a video being played on the distribution user device 20b. An example of how a video is displayed is shown below.

As shown in FIG. 5, an image 30 including a moving image distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the viewing user device 10. The image 30 displayed on the viewing user device 10 includes a character object 31 of the distribution user Ub generated by the animation generation unit 61a, a gift button 32, an evaluation button 33, a comment button 34, and a comment display area. 35 is included.

As shown in FIG. 6a, an image 40a including a moving image distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display 23a of the distribution user device 20a. Similar to the image 30, this image 40a includes a character object 31 of distribution user Ub, a gift button 32, an evaluation button 33, a comment button 34, and a comment display area 35. In addition to this, the image 40a may include a co-starring request button 36. The co-starring request button 36 is an operation button for transmitting a co-starring request for requesting co-starring with the distribution user Ub in the video that the distribution user Ub is distributing. By selecting the co-starring request button 36 on the distribution user device 20a, the distribution user Ua can transmit a co-starring application for co-starring with the distribution user Ub from the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60. The distribution user device 20a can display the image 40a of the distributed video, for example, by executing application software including a viewing program.

As shown in FIG. 5, the image 30 displayed on the viewing user device 10 may not include the co-starring request button 36. For example, if the application software including the distribution program is not downloaded or installed on the viewing user device 10, and if the application software including the distribution program is not activated on the viewing user device 10, the co-starring request button 36 is not included. The image 30 is generated so that the image does not appear. In other embodiments, the co-starring request button 36 may also be displayed on the image 30 of the viewing user device 10. For example, when application software including a distribution program is downloaded or installed on the viewing user device 10, or when application software including a distribution program is activated on the viewing user device 10, the co-starring request button 36 is included. The image 30 is generated as follows.

As described above, the character object 31 is generated by applying the facial motion data of the distribution user Ub to the model data included in the model data 63a, so the character object 31 is generated in synchronization with the facial movements of the distribution user Ub. His expression changes. When body motion data is provided from distribution user device 20, character object 31 can be controlled so that parts other than its face also change in synchronization with the body movements of distribution user Ub.

The gift button 32 is displayed on the display screen 30 so as to be selectable by operating the viewing user device 10. The gift button 32 can be selected, for example, by tapping an area of the touch panel of the viewing user device 10 in which the gift button 32 is displayed. In one embodiment, when the gift button 32 is selected, a message is displayed on the display screen 30 for selecting a gift to gift to the distribution user (here, distribution user Ub) who is distributing the video being viewed. window will be displayed. The viewing user can purchase a gift to be gifted from among the gifts displayed in the window. In other embodiments, in response to gift button 32 being selected, display screen 30 displays a window containing a list of purchased gifts. In this case, the viewing user can select a gift to be gifted from among the gifts displayed in the window. When the gift button 32 is selected on the viewing user device 10, gifting information may be transmitted to the server device 60. This gifting information may include gift identification information (gift ID) that identifies the gift to be gifted. In this way, by selecting the gift button 32, the viewing user who is viewing the video can provide a desired gift to the distribution user who is distributing the video.

The evaluation button 33 is displayed on the display screen 30 so as to be selectable by the viewing user using the viewing user device 10. The evaluation button 33 can be selected, for example, by a tap operation on a region of the touch panel of the viewing user device 10 in which the evaluation button 33 is displayed. When the evaluation button 33 is selected by a viewing user who is watching a video, a positive evaluation is given to the distribution user who distributes the video (in the illustrated example, distribution user Ub) or affirmation of the video being distributed. Evaluation update information indicating that an evaluation has been made may be transmitted to the server device 60. The server device 60 can update the user information 63c based on evaluation update information from viewing users. For example, at least one of the user evaluation information and video evaluation information included in the user information 63c may be updated based on evaluation update information from the viewing user. For example, when the evaluation button 33 included in the image 30 shown in FIG. At least one of the evaluation information may be updated. By selecting the evaluation button 33, evaluation information indicating that the video has been negatively evaluated may be transmitted to the server device 60. Evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation of the video may be referred to as positive evaluation information, and evaluation information indicating that the video has been negatively evaluated may be referred to as negative evaluation information. When receiving positive evaluation information, server device 60 may increase at least one of user evaluation information and video evaluation information. When receiving negative evaluation information, server device 60 may reduce at least one of user evaluation information and video evaluation information.

Comment button 34 is displayed on image 30 so that it can be selected by the user. When the comment button 34 is selected, for example, by a tap operation, a comment input window for inputting a comment is displayed on the display screen 30. The viewing user can input a comment via the input mechanism of the viewing user device 10 or the distribution user device 20a. The input comment is transmitted to the server device 60 from the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20a. The server device 60 receives comments from the viewing user device 10, the distribution user device 20a, and other user devices, and displays the comments in the comment display area 35 within the image 30. In the comment display area 35, comments posted by each user are displayed, for example, in chronological order. The comment display area 35 occupies a part of the display screen 30. There is an upper limit to the number of comments that can be displayed in the comment display area 35. In the illustrated example, up to three comments can be displayed in the comment display area 35. When a comment exceeding the upper limit set in the comment display area 35 is posted, the comment with the oldest posting time is deleted from the comment display area 35 in order. Therefore, the display time of each comment in the comment display area 35 becomes shorter as the frequency of received comments increases. In one embodiment, a scroll bar is installed on the image 30, and comments deleted from the comment display area 35 can be viewed by operating the scroll bar to scroll the comments.

As shown in FIG. 6b, the image 40b distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the distribution user device 20b. The image 40b displayed on the distribution user device 20b includes a character object 31 corresponding to the distribution user Ub, display instruction buttons 42a to 42c for displaying gifts received from viewing users in the video, and a comment display area. 35 is included. The image 40b displayed on the distribution user device 20b includes the same background image, character object image, and comment as the images 30 and 40a. On the other hand, image 40b differs from images 30 and 40a in that it does not include gift button 32, evaluation button 33, comment button 34, and co-starring request button 36, but includes display instruction buttons 42a to 42c. . The display instruction buttons 42a to 42c are displayed on the image 40, for example, in response to receiving a gift from a viewing user. In the illustrated embodiment, three display instruction buttons 42a to 42c are displayed on the image 40. Each of the display instruction buttons 42a to 42c is displayed on the image 40 so as to be selectable by the distribution user. When one of the display instruction buttons 42a to 42c is selected, for example, by a tap operation, an operation is performed to display the gift corresponding to the selected display instruction button. In this way, the display instruction buttons 42a to 42c are display instruction objects for instructing the gift to be displayed in the video being distributed.

The invitation processing unit 61d transmits an invitation to one or more distribution user devices included in the video distribution system 1 based on the invitation request from the invitation requesting unit 21b2. The invitation may be sent to the viewing user device 10. As described above, this invitation is a notification for inviting other distribution users to the video that distribution user Ub is distributing. The invitation request transmitted from the distribution user device 20b will be further explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a window for setting an invitation request displayed on the distribution user device 20b. A setting window 41 is displayed on the distribution user device 20b before or after the start of video distribution. The setting window 41 may be displayed in response to a user's operation, or may be displayed at a predetermined timing before or after the start of video distribution without any user operation.

In the illustrated embodiment, the settings window 41 includes a switch 41a, a stepper 41b, and a password setting area 41c. The switch 41a is a switch that switches whether or not it is necessary to send an invitation. The switch 41a is turned on or off depending on the user's operation. When the switch 41a is turned on, the settings are changed so that an invitation request is sent to the server device 60. When the switch 41a is turned off, no invitation request is sent to the server device 60. For example, an invitation request is sent to the server device 60 when the window 41 is closed after the switch 41a is turned on.

The stepper 41b is an operation unit for increasing or decreasing a numerical value input according to a user's operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the stepper 41b can increase or decrease the number of co-stars who can co-star in a video scheduled to be distributed or a video currently being distributed. In the example of FIG. 7, 10 people are set as the number of people who can perform together. When "-" is selected on the stepper 41b, the set number of people decreases from 10 to, for example, 9, and when "+" is selected on the stepper 41b, the set number of people decreases from 10 to, for example, 11. increases to In one embodiment, the number of co-stars may mean the upper limit number of users who co-star at the same time in a video to be distributed. In this embodiment, if the number of co-stars is set to 10, ten users can co-star in the video at the same time through their characters. In another embodiment, the number of people who can co-star at the same time is set to a smaller number (for example, two) than the set upper limit number of co-stars. In this case, the upper limit number of co-stars means the upper limit of the number of users who can co-star within the distribution time. For example, if the number of people who can co-star in a video at the same time is set to 2, and the upper limit of the number of co-stars is set to 10, the appearance order will be set for the 10 guest users, and the guest users will be perform together with the host user one by one. Instead of setting the number of co-stars, or in addition to setting the number of co-stars, the distribution user Ub may specify the destination of the invitation. For example, candidates for distribution users to be the destination of the invitation may be displayed in the window 41 so that the distribution user Ub can select them, and the distribution user selected by the distribution user Ub may be set as the destination of the invitation.

A co-starring password provided to a guest user who wishes to co-star is set in the password setting area 41c. This co-star password is, for example, a 4-digit number string. By notifying a co-starring password only to a specific distribution user among the distribution users using the distribution system 1, the distribution user Ub can perform a co-performance only with the specific distribution user. In other words, distribution user Ub can avoid co-starring with a distribution user who has not notified the co-star password. When notifying the co-starring password only to a specific distribution user, distribution user Ub can specify the specific distribution user by inputting the user ID of the distribution user to be notified. There are no particular restrictions on the method of specifying a specific distribution user to whom the co-star password will be notified. If password input is not required when applying for co-starring, the password setting area 41c is omitted.

The invitation requesting unit 21b2 generates an invitation request based on settings determined through the settings window 41 and other input interfaces as necessary, and transmits the invitation request to the server device 60. The invitation request also includes the user ID of the distribution user Ub. The invitation request may include the number of co-stars, a co-star password, information for specifying the distribution user to whom the invitation is directed, and other information necessary to conduct the invitation.

The invitation processing section 61d generates an invitation based on the invitation request from the invitation requesting section 21b2, and transmits the generated invitation to one or more distribution user devices. For example, if an invitation destination is specified in the invitation request, the invitation processing unit 61d transmits the invitation to the distribution user device of the specified distribution user. If the number of co-stars is set, the invitation processing unit 61d selects distribution users who will be invitation destinations until the set number of co-stars is reached, and sends invitations to the selected distribution users. Send. The distribution user to whom the invitation is directed may be selected at random or based on a predetermined algorithm. If the invitation request includes a co-starring password, the invitation processing unit 61d notifies the distribution user to whom the invitation is to be notified of the co-starring password.

When the invitation processing unit 61d receives an invitation request from the distribution user Ub, it refers to the user information 63c stored in the storage 63 and generates the host user information of the distribution user Ub. In one embodiment, the host user information of the distribution user (distribution user Ub) who made the invitation request is user evaluation information stored in association with the user account information of the distribution user (distribution user Ub) in the user information 63c. , video evaluation information, viewer number information, and bonus information, or is generated based on these information. In other words, the host user information of the distribution user who made the invitation request is the user evaluation information, video evaluation information, number of viewers information, and benefit information stored in association with the user account information of the distribution user. It may be at least one, or it may be a score generated based on these pieces of information. The host user information is preferably an index that can be referenced by the distribution user who received the invitation to decide whether or not to apply for a co-starring performance with the distribution user Ub. It is desirable that the index represents the

The invitation processing unit 61d can transmit the host user information of the distribution user Ub to the distribution user Ua and other distribution users in association with an invitation for inviting the distribution user Ub to perform together. Thereby, the distribution user who receives the invitation from the distribution user Ub can access the host user information of the distribution user Ub. In other words, the host user information of the distribution user Ub is associated with the invitation so that it can be presented to the distribution user who has received the invitation from the distribution user Ub. In one embodiment, the host user information is sent to the broadcast user as part of the invitation. Host user information may be sent to the distribution user along with the invitation. In other embodiments, the host user information may be stored on the server device 60 and the invitation may include a link to the host user information stored on the server device 60.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, processing in the distribution user device of the distribution user that has received the invitation will be described. FIG. 8 shows an example of how an invitation is displayed on the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua that has received the invitation from the distribution user Ub. Upon receiving the invitation from the distribution user Ub, the invitation presentation unit 21a2 of the distribution user device 20a displays a window 37 on the display 23a of the distribution user device 20a as shown. The window 37 includes a character string "I was invited by Ub." which indicates that the invitation has been received. This allows the distribution user Ua to know that the invitation from the distribution user Ub has been received. In addition to the character string, the window 37 can include a display area 37a, a co-starring request button 37b, and a co-starring decline button 37c.

The invitation presentation unit 21a2 displays the host user information of the distribution user Ub on the display area 37a. As described above, the host user information in one embodiment is an index representing the profile of distribution user Ub as a host user. The host user information may be, for example, viewer number information. When the number of users viewing the video distributed by distribution user Ub is large, distribution user Ua may be able to acquire many viewing users by co-starring with distribution user Ub. The host user information may be user evaluation information. If the user evaluation information of distribution user Ub is high, it means that distribution user Ub has acquired a high reputation from other users. Therefore, if the user evaluation information of the distribution user Ub is high, the distribution user Ua may be able to obtain a high evaluation himself by performing with the distribution user Ub. The host user information may be video evaluation information. If the video evaluation information of the distribution user Ub is high, it means that the video distributed by the distribution user Ub has acquired a high reputation. Therefore, if the video evaluation information of the distribution user Ub is high, the distribution user Ua may be able to obtain a high evaluation himself by appearing in the video of the distribution user Ub. The host user information may be bonus information. The benefit information indicates a benefit that the distribution user Ua obtains by applying for a collaboration with the distribution user Ub or a benefit that the distribution user Ua obtains by realizing the collaboration with the distribution user Ub. Such benefits serve as an incentive for performing together with distribution user Ub.

The host user information may be a score calculated using a predetermined algorithm based on some or all of the viewer number information, user evaluation information, video evaluation information, and bonus information. For example, it is thought that many distribution users aim to acquire more viewing users, so the number of viewers information may be considered more important to guest users than other information included in the user information 63c. . Therefore, it is possible to calculate a weighted average of viewer number information, user evaluation information, and video evaluation information by giving more weight to the viewer number information, and use the score represented by this weighted average as host user information. can. The method of calculating the score indicating host user information is not limited to what is explicitly described in this specification.

As described above, the viewer number information, user evaluation information, video evaluation information, and bonus information of distribution user Ub, as well as the score calculated based on these information, are based on distribution user Ub's profile as a host user or co-starring partner. It can be an indicator of its attractiveness. By displaying such host user information in the display area 37a, information that can be referred to when deciding whether or not to perform with the distribution user Ub who sent the invitation can be conveyed to the distribution user Ua who received the invitation. . The distribution user Ua can decide whether to perform together with the distribution user Ub based on the host user information.

The co-starring request button 37b included in the window 37 is an operation button for transmitting a co-starring request for requesting co-starring with the distribution user Ub in the video that the distribution user Ub is distributing. The co-starring request is transmitted to the server device 60 by selecting the co-starring request button 37b, and the transmitted co-starring request is accepted by the server device 60. The server device 60 can accept not only co-starring requests from distribution user Ua but also co-starring requests from various distribution users. If neither the co-starring request button 37b nor the co-starring decline button 37c is selected within a predetermined time after the window 37 is displayed, the window 37 may be deleted from the screen. As described above, the co-starring request button 36 may be displayed on the video 40a displayed on the distribution user device 20a. Therefore, the window 37 does not need to include the co-starring request button 37b. If the window 37 does not include the co-starring request button 37b, the distribution user Ua can select the co-starring request button 36 when applying for co-starring with the distribution user Ub.

In the illustrated embodiment, the co-starring request button 36 is displayed before the window 37 is displayed. In this case, distribution user Ua can apply for co-starring with distribution user Ub by selecting the co-starring request button 36 even before receiving the invitation. In this way, when accepting co-starring requests from distribution users who have not received an invitation, there is a possibility that an excessive number of co-starring requests will be made. In particular, if distribution user Ub is a popular distribution user, there is a possibility that a large number of co-starring requests will be made. Therefore, in another embodiment of the present invention, after receiving an invitation, the co-starring request button 36 may be displayed only on the distribution user device of the distribution user who received the invitation. When receiving an invitation, a co-starring request button 37b is displayed in the window 37, but after the window 37 disappears from the image, the co-starring request button 36 may be displayed on the image 40a. Thereby, co-starring requests can be accepted only from users who have received an invitation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "invited users").

In one embodiment of the present invention, the co-starring request button 36 may be displayed on the image 40a regardless of whether an invitation has been received. In this case, input of a co-starring password may be requested when the co-starring request button 36 is selected, and the co-starring request may be sent to the server device 60 only when the co-starring password is authenticated. The distribution user Ub can control the number of co-starring requests by notifying the co-starring password only to users who approve co-starring requests. The co-starring password may be notified to the user through a messaging function used within the video distribution system 1, a messaging function separate from the video distribution system 1 (for example, LINE provided by LINE Corporation), and channels other than these. may be notified. In this way, the co-starring password can be sent to users who are viewing the video being distributed by the related user Ub or to other users without being associated with an invitation from the distribution user Ub. By including the co-star password in the video, the co-star password may be notified to all viewing users who are viewing the video. A distribution user who has not secured enough viewing users can increase the possibility of receiving a co-starring request by transmitting the co-starring password to many (or all) viewing users. This makes it easier for distribution users who have not achieved high popularity to use the co-starring function as a host user.

When the co-starring request processing unit 61e receives a co-starring request from a certain user (for example, distribution user Ua), it determines whether or not to permit the co-starring request from the user. The co-starring application processing unit 61e may determine whether or not to permit co-starring between the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub based on at least a part of the user information 63c of the distribution user Ua who has made the co-starring request. For example, if the user evaluation points of the distribution user Ua who applied for co-starring are larger than a predetermined threshold, the distribution user Ua is permitted to perform with the distribution user Ub, and if it is below the threshold, the distribution user Ua is Co-starring with Ub may be refused. There are no particular restrictions on this criterion.

If the host user information includes privilege information and the privilege is an object that can be displayed in a video, the co-starring request processing unit 61e grants the privilege to the user who has applied for co-starring. You may also perform processing for this purpose. If the privilege is a point that can be used in the video distribution system 1, the co-starring application processing unit 61e can perform processing for granting the points to the user who has applied for co-starring. If the benefit is an object that can be displayed in a video, processing is performed to grant the object to the user who has applied for co-starring. For example, an object ID that specifies an object given as a benefit is stored in association with the user ID of the user who applied for co-starring.

When the co-starring request from the distribution user Ua is approved, the co-starring application processing unit 61e generates a co-starring video in which the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub perform together based on the co-starring request. In order to generate a co-starring video, the co-starring application processing unit 61e acquires face motion data and audio data of the distribution user Ua from the distribution user Ua. The face motion data of the distribution user Ua may be transmitted from the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60 together with the co-starring request, or may be sent from the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60 in response to a request from the server device 60 after the co-starring request is approved. The information may be sent to device 60. If distribution user Ua's body movements are also expressed as animation, body motion data may be provided to server device 60 along with distribution user Ua's face motion data. If the face motion data cannot be acquired from the distribution user Ua, the co-starring application processing unit 61e may acquire only the audio data from the distribution user Ua. For example, if the distribution user device 20a used by the distribution user Ua does not have the function of the face motion data generation unit 21a1 or any other function for video distribution, if the function is disabled, or if In this case, the co-starring application processing unit 61e may obtain voice data without obtaining face motion data (and body motion data) from distribution user Ua.

In one embodiment, the co-starring application processing unit 61e adds the animation of the character object of the distribution user Ua to the video being distributed including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub, based on the face motion data of the distribution user Ua. to generate a co-starring video. The animation of the character object of the distribution user Ua may be generated by the animation generation unit 61a based on the face motion data of the distribution user Ua. The animation of the character object of the distribution user Ua may be generated by applying the face motion data of the distribution user Ua to the model data for the distribution user Ua included in the model data 63a. For example, the co-starring application processing unit 61e generates a layer that includes the animation of the character object of the distribution user Ua, and superimposes this layer on the video that includes the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub. A co-starring video including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub can be generated. By generating a co-starring video that includes the character object of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub, distribution users Ua and Ub can use the video distribution system 1 from remote locations. Even if you do, you can virtually co-star in the co-star video. If the co-starring request processing unit 61e acquires voice data without acquiring face motion data (and body motion data) from the distribution user Ua, the co-starring request processing unit 61e adds the information acquired from the distribution user Ua to the video including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub. By superimposing the audio generated based on the generated audio data, it is possible to generate a co-starring video including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub and the voice of the distribution user Ua. Even if the model data for the distribution user Ua is not set as the model data 63a, the co-starring application processing unit 61e adds a message to the video including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub based on the audio data acquired from the distribution user Ua. By superimposing the generated sounds, it is possible to generate a co-starring video including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub and the voice of the distribution user Ua. In this way, distribution user Ua can perform with distribution user Ub using his or her own voice.

If the face motion data cannot be acquired from the distribution user Ua, the co-starring application processing unit 61e distributes the co-starring video including the voice of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub, and then acquires the face motion data from the distribution user Ua. By generating the character object of the distribution user Ua based on the face motion data of the distribution user Ua at this timing, it is possible to generate a co-starring video including the character object of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub. . In this way, the co-starring application processing unit 61e converts the co-starring video including the voice of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub into the co-starring video including the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub. Can be switched. On the contrary, the co-starring request processing unit 61e generates a co-starring video including the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub, and the co-starring video including the voice of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub. You can switch to video. In this way, there are co-starring videos in which co-starring is performed by audio (sometimes called "audio co-starring videos") and co-starring videos in which co-starring by character objects (sometimes called "character co-starring videos"). ) may be alternately switchable.

The generated co-starring video is distributed by the video distribution unit 61c. The co-starring video may be created by the distribution user device 20a. When the co-starring video is generated by the distribution user device 20a, the co-starring video is transmitted from the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60, and distributed by the video distribution unit 61c of the server device 60.

Display examples of co-starring videos distributed from the video distribution unit 61c are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10a to 10b. In these figures, it is assumed that the co-starring video including the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub is being distributed because the co-starring request from the distribution user Ua to the distribution user Ub has been approved. There is.

As shown in FIG. 9, an image 230 of the co-starring video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the viewing user device 10. The image 230 of the co-starring video displayed on the viewing user device 10 includes a character object 131 of the distribution user Ua in addition to the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub. The character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is generated by the animation generation section 61a or the co-starring application processing section 61e, as described above. The co-starring video image 230 includes a gift button 32, an evaluation button 33, a comment button 34, and a comment display area 35, similar to the original distribution image shown in FIG. In addition to these, the image 230 of the co-starring video may include guest evaluation buttons 133a and 133b. The guest evaluation button 133a is a button for transmitting positive evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation of a guest user (in the illustrated example, distribution user Ua is the guest user) to the server device 60, and The button 133b is a button for transmitting negative evaluation information indicating negative evaluation of the guest user to the server device 60. When the guest evaluation button 133a is selected by the viewing user who is watching the video, guest evaluation information indicating that the guest user has been positively evaluated is transmitted to the server device 60, and the guest evaluation button 133b is selected. Then, guest evaluation information indicating that the guest user has been positively evaluated may be transmitted to the server device 60. The server device 60 may update the guest user evaluation information in the co-starring video information 63d based on the guest evaluation information from the viewing user. Although not shown, one or more host evaluation buttons for evaluating the host user may be displayed together with the co-starring video. When a host evaluation button is selected by a viewing user who is watching a video, host evaluation information indicating that a positive evaluation or a negative evaluation has been given to the host user (distribution user Ub) is sent to the server device 60. may be done. The server device 60 may update the host user evaluation information in the co-starring video information 63d based on the host evaluation information from the viewing user. In one embodiment, the host user information of the distribution user (for example, distribution user Ub) who sent the invitation may be generated based on the co-starring video information 63d in addition to or instead of the user information 63c. For example, the host user information of the distribution user Ub may include the host user evaluation information of the co-starring video information 63d, and is generated based on the score generated based on the host user evaluation information and other information as necessary. You can. The host user evaluation information reflects positive or negative feedback from viewing users regarding the host user's behavior in the co-starring video. A distribution user who received an invitation applies for co-starring when the host user evaluation information of the distribution user who sent the invitation has a high value (that is, when the distribution user has a high reputation as a host user). This allows you to perform with excellent host users.

The co-starring video image 230 is a horizontally long image as shown in the figure. The co-starring application processing unit 61e or the video distribution unit 61c may distribute the co-starring video as a horizontally long video. As a result, the image 230 of the co-starring video is displayed on the viewing user device 10 as a horizontally long image. In one embodiment, even if the original video (image) is vertically oriented as shown in FIG. 5, the co-starring video is converted to horizontally oriented and distributed. Since the co-starring video includes character objects of two distribution users, by making the image horizontally long, it becomes easier to display the character objects of the two users without duplication. For example, in a co-starring video, the left half of the viewing user's viewpoint may be allocated to the character object of the original distribution user, and the right half may be allocated to the character object of the distribution user who requested the co-starring. . The allocation of areas to each distribution user may be arbitrarily determined so that character objects do not overlap with each other.

As shown in FIG. 10a, an image 330 of the co-starring video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua. The co-starring video image 330 displayed on the distribution user device 20a includes the same background image, character object image, and comment as the co-starring video image 230 displayed on the viewing user device 10. On the other hand, the image 330 of the co-starring video differs from the image 230 in that it does not include the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, the comment button 34, and the co-starring request button 36, but includes display instruction buttons 42a to 42c. .

A privilege display button 142 may be displayed on the image 330 of the co-starring video displayed on the distribution user device 20a. The benefit display button 142 is displayed on the image 330 so that it can be selected by the distribution user Ua. The privilege display button 142 is displayed on the image 330, for example, when the host user information includes privilege information and the privilege is an object that can be displayed in a video. In this case, the benefit display button 142 is associated with an object that is a benefit obtained by distribution user Ua applying for co-starring in response to an invitation from distribution user Ub. By selecting the privilege display button 142, an object associated with the privilege display button 142 may be displayed in the co-starring video. For example, the object may be an object indicating an accessory that can be worn by the character. In this case, by selecting the benefit display button 142, the accessory that is the object associated with the display instruction button is attached to the character. The benefit display button 142 may not be displayed on the image 330 if the host user information does not include benefit information.

If the host user information of the distribution user Ub associated with the invitation received by the distribution user Ua includes bonus information, as described above, the distribution user Ua will be notified when the request for co-starring is made and when the co-starring event is performed. Benefits will be granted in at least one of the following cases. The benefits given to the distribution user Ua may change depending on the evaluation of the co-starring video after the distribution of the co-starring video has started. For example, in the case where 100 points used within the distribution system 1 are given as bonus information, the points can be increased if the evaluation of the co-starring video is high. The evaluation of the co-starring video may be determined based on evaluation update information transmitted by selecting the evaluation button 33 after the start of distribution of the co-starring video. In another embodiment, the benefits given to the distribution user Ua may change depending on the evaluation of the distribution user Ua during the distribution of the co-starring video. The evaluation of the distribution user Ua during the distribution of the co-starring video may be determined based on the guest user evaluation information of the co-starring video information 63d.

As shown in FIG. 10b, an image 430 of the co-starring video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the distribution user device 20b. The image 430 of the co-starring video displayed on the distribution user device 20b includes the same background image, character objects 31, 131, comments 35, and display as the image 330 displayed on the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua who is the co-starring partner. Includes instruction buttons 42a to 42c. On the other hand, the image 430 displays a co-starring end button 45 for ending the co-starring performance. In one embodiment, the co-starring end button 45 displays not only the image 430 of the co-starring video on the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub who has received the co-starring request, but also the co-starring video image 430 on the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ua who has applied for co-starring. It may also be displayed in the video image 330. When the co-starring end button 45 is selected, a process for ending the co-starring with distribution user Ua in the co-starring video is performed. For example, in response to selection of the co-starring end button 45 on the distribution user device 20b, a co-starring end instruction is transmitted from the distribution user device 20b to the server device 60. The distribution user Ub can set the distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, as a user prohibited from co-starring while playing the co-starring video. For example, when distribution user Ua performs an undesirable action or behavior in a co-starring video, distribution user Ua can be set as a co-starring prohibited user. The distribution user Ua may be set as a user prohibited from performing together by recording the user ID of the distribution user Ub in the appearance prohibition information of the user information 63c of the distribution user Ua. For example, upon receiving an instruction to end co-starring from the distribution user device 20b, the server device 60 can automatically register the distribution user Ua as a user prohibited from performing together in the user information 63c of the distribution user Ub. The distribution user Ub may set the distribution user Ua as a prohibited user other than when playing the co-starring video. For example, in response to confirmation that the distribution user Ua has posted an undesirable message in the messaging service provided by the video distribution system 1, the distribution user Ua may be set as a prohibited user. Contrary to the above example, when the distribution user Ub engages in undesirable behavior or behavior, the host user is set as a user prohibited from co-starring in response to the co-starring end button 45 being selected on the distribution user device 20a. Good too.

A warning button (not shown) for giving a warning to the guest user may be displayed on the image 430 of the co-starring video on the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub who is the host user. This warning button may be displayed on the image 330 of the co-starring video on the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua who is the guest user. Unlike the co-starring end button 45, the warning button does not immediately end co-starring, but it is used when the guest user takes an action that is undesirable for the host user, or when the host user takes an undesirable action by the guest user. It is assumed that this option will be selected in some cases. When the warning button is selected on the host user's distribution user device (eg, distribution user device 20b of distribution user Ub), a warning instruction is transmitted from the distribution user device 20b to the server device 60. When the warning button is selected on the host user's distribution user device, the host user issues a warning in the image 330 of the co-starring video displayed on the guest user's distribution user device (for example, distribution user Ua's distribution user device 20a). Warning information indicating this may be displayed. The warning information may be displayed in the image 230 on the viewing user device 10. The co-starring video including the warning information may be generated by the server device 60. By displaying the warning information on the viewing user's image 230, it is possible to show the viewing user that the host user is responding to the guest user's undesirable behavior. The server device 60 counts the number of times a certain host user issues a warning instruction to a certain guest user, and when the number of warning instructions reaches a predetermined number (for example, three times), the server device 60 issues warning instructions to the host user and the guest user. You may perform processing to end the co-starring performance. The number of times a certain host user issues a warning instruction to a certain guest user may be stored as the user information 63c in association with the user account of the host user. The process for ending the co-starring performance based on the warning instruction for a predetermined number of times or more may be the same process as the process for ending the co-starring performance based on the co-starring end instruction described above.

The co-starring application processing unit 61e may issue a video ID that identifies the created co-starring video. Co-starring video information regarding the co-starring video can be stored in the storage 63 in association with this video ID. As described above, the co-starring time information of the co-starring video may be updated in association with the video ID of the co-starring video being distributed. The co-starring time information may be updated based on the monitoring result by monitoring the co-starring video distribution time in the video distribution unit 61c.

Among the co-starring video information, the guest user evaluation information includes positive evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation of the distribution user Ua who is a guest user from the viewing user device 10, and negative evaluation information indicating a negative evaluation of the distribution user Ua. may be updated based on. For example, the server device 60 may increase guest user evaluation points when receiving positive evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation of the distribution user Ua from the viewing user device 10, and may increase guest user evaluation points when receiving positive evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation of the distribution user Ua. If negative evaluation information indicating the evaluation is received, the guest user evaluation points may be decreased. When a viewing user stops viewing a co-starring video midway through, there is a possibility that the viewing user is not satisfied with the co-starring video. Therefore, when a viewing user stops viewing a co-starring video midway through, the guest user evaluation points of the guest user may be reduced, assuming that there has been a negative evaluation of the guest user. At least one of the positive evaluation information and the negative evaluation information may be updated to decrease over time. For example, even if distribution user Ua has positive evaluation information of 100 points at a certain time, the positive evaluation information may be updated to approach zero as time passes. If the negative evaluation information for a certain user exceeds a predetermined value, the user may be prohibited from co-starring with other users. For example, in an image displayed on a distribution user device of a user whose negative evaluation information exceeds a predetermined value, a process may be performed in which a co-starring request button is not displayed.

The co-starring end processing unit 61f causes the co-starring end processing unit 61f to terminate the co-starring end condition for ending the co-starring between the delivery user Ua who is the guest user and the delivery user Ub who is the host user, and the co-starring end processing unit 61f starts the delivery between the delivery user Ua who is the guest user and the host user Ub. Processing is performed to end the collaboration with user Ub. In one embodiment, when the co-starring end processing unit 61f receives a co-starring end instruction from the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub who is the host user, the co-starring end processing unit 61f determines that the co-starring end condition is satisfied and ends the distribution of the co-starring video. Process. For example, when the co-starring end instruction is received, the co-starring end processing unit 61f stops generating the animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua, and generates the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub without including the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua. Generate a video containing. In other words, the character object 131 of distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, is excluded from the video to be distributed. By eliminating the character object 131 of distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, the co-starring performance between distribution user Ua and distribution user Ub ends. After the co-starring ends, distribution of the video including the character object 31 without including the character object 131 may be continued. The video to be distributed after the performance ends may be generated as a vertically long video, as shown in FIG. In other words, the direction of the video may be changed in response to the end of the co-starring performance. In one embodiment, the orientation of the video may be changed from landscape to portrait in response to the end of the co-starring performance. In another embodiment, the distribution of the video by the distribution user Ub, who is the host user, may be terminated in response to the completion of the co-starring performance. In one embodiment, if a co-starring request from another user has already been received when the co-starring with the distribution user Ub has ended, the co-starring application processing unit 61e may receive a co-starring request from the other user based on the co-starring application. It is also possible to determine whether or not it is possible.

In one embodiment, the co-starring end processing unit 61f determines whether or not the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua who is the guest user is in a non-active state, and when it is determined that the character object 131 is in a non-active state, the co-starring end processing unit 61f terminates the co-starring event. It is determined that the condition is met. In one embodiment, whether or not the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is in a non-active state is determined based on at least one of face motion data, body motion data, and audio data received from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua. Judgment is made based on. Since face motion data, body motion data, and audio data are all data indicating the movement of a distribution user, they may be collectively referred to as "motion data" in this specification. Whether or not the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is in a non-active state is determined based on motion data, that is, based on at least one of face motion data, body motion data, and audio data. For example, if face motion data is not input from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua for a certain period of time, the expression of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua does not move for the certain period of time in the co-starring video, so the character object 131 becomes inactive. may be determined to be in the state. If there is no input of body motion data from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua for a certain period of time, the body movement of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua does not move for the certain period in the co-starring video, so the character object 131 becomes inactive. may be determined to be in the state. If there is no audio data input from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua for a certain period of time, the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua will be silent for the certain period in the co-starring video, so if the character object 131 is in an inactive state. may be determined.

In one embodiment, the co-starring end processing unit 61f terminates the co-starring by removing the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, from the video according to the co-starring video information of the co-starring video being distributed. For example, if the guest user evaluation information is a guest user evaluation point, the co-starring end processing unit 61f removes the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua from the video when the guest user evaluation point becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold. By doing so, it is possible to end the collaboration with the distribution user Ua. The more negative evaluation information about distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, is received from viewing users, the smaller the guest user evaluation points become. Therefore, by determining whether or not to end co-starring with distribution user Ua based on the guest user evaluation points, it is possible to avoid co-starring with a user who has a low evaluation from viewing users for a long period of time.

Next, with reference to FIG. 11, video distribution processing according to one embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing the flow of video distribution processing in one embodiment. In the video distribution process described with reference to FIG. 11, it is assumed that a video generated based on face motion data obtained by distribution user Ub using distribution user device 20b is distributed.

First, in step S11, face motion data that is a digital representation of facial movements (expressions) of distribution user Ub is generated. Generation of the face motion data is performed, for example, by the face motion data generation unit 121b of the distribution user device 20b. In the distribution user device 20b, audio data may be generated based on voice input from distribution users Ua and Ub. The generated face motion data and audio data are transmitted to the server device 60.

Next, in step S12, the face motion data from the distribution user device 20b is applied to the model data for the distribution user Ub, thereby generating an animation of the character object 31 that moves in synchronization with the facial movements of the distribution user Ub. be done. This animation is generated, for example, by the animation generation section 61a described above.

Next, in step S13, a video including the animation of the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub is generated. The voice of distribution user Ub may be synthesized with this video. The animation of the character object 31 is displayed superimposed on the background image. The generation of this moving image is performed, for example, by the above-mentioned moving image generation unit 61b.

Next, the process moves to step S14, and the video generated in step S13 is distributed. This moving image is distributed via the network 50 to the viewing user device 10, other viewing user devices, and distribution user devices. When the distributed video is played back on the viewing user device 10, an image of the video as shown in FIG. 5, for example, is displayed on the viewing user device 10. The video is continuously distributed over a predetermined distribution period. The video distribution period can be set to, for example, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes, or any other time. Distribution of this moving image is performed, for example, by the above-mentioned moving image distribution unit 61c.

Next, the process advances to step S15, and it is determined whether the termination condition for terminating the distribution of the moving image is fulfilled. The termination condition is, for example, that the distribution termination time has been reached, that distribution user Ub has performed an operation to terminate distribution on distribution user device 20b, or other conditions. If the termination condition is not met, the processes of steps S11 to S14 are repeatedly executed, and a video containing animation synchronized with the movements of the distribution user Ub, or a co-starring video if the co-starring with the distribution user Ua continues. distribution will continue. If it is determined that the termination condition is fulfilled for the video, the distribution process for the video is ended.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, a process for presenting an invitation to an invited user in one embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in which a distribution user who is distributing a video invites other distribution users to co-star in the video in one embodiment. In the co-starring video distribution process described with reference to FIG. 12, the distribution user Ub may invite the distribution user Ua to co-star, who is viewing a video containing the character object of the distribution user Ub. It is assumed. The co-starring invitation process may be performed in parallel with the video distribution process shown in FIG. 11, or may be performed before the video distribution process shown in FIG. 11 starts.

First, in step S21, an invitation request is transmitted to the server device 60 before or during distribution of a video including a character object of distribution user Ub. The invitation request is transmitted from the distribution user device 20b to the server device 60 in response to the operation of the distribution user Ub. The invitation request transmission process is performed by, for example, the invitation request unit 21b2.

Next, in step S22, host user information for distribution user Ub is generated based on the invitation request from distribution user Ub. As described above, the host user information is generated by referring to at least one of the user information 63c and the co-star video information 63d stored in the storage 63. The host user information generation process is performed by, for example, the above-mentioned invitation processing unit 61d.

Next, in step S23, an invitation inviting one or more distribution user devices including distribution user device 20a of distribution user Ua to co-star in distribution user Ub's video is transmitted. Further, host user information of distribution user Ub is transmitted in association with this invitation. The invitation and host user information transmission processing is performed by, for example, the above-mentioned invitation processing unit 61d.

Next, in step S24, the invitation is received at the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua. On the distribution user device 20a, a character string "Invited by Ub" indicating that the invitation has been received from distribution user Ub and host user information of distribution user Ub are displayed. As described above, the host user information is information generated based on the user information 63c, and is preferably an index representing the attractiveness of the distribution user Ub as a co-star partner. The display of the host user information is performed by, for example, the above-mentioned invitation presentation unit 21a2. The distribution user Ua can decide whether to apply for co-starring based on the host user information of the distribution user Ub displayed on the distribution user device 20a. The distribution user Ua can apply for co-starring by selecting the co-starring request button 37b displayed together with the host user information on the distribution user device 20a.

When a co-starring request is made, the co-starring video distribution process is subsequently performed. With reference to FIG. 13, a co-star video distribution process in one embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram showing the flow of processing for distributing co-starring videos in one embodiment. In the co-starring video distribution process described with reference to FIG. 13, it is assumed that a co-starring request has been made to the distribution user Ub from the distribution user Ua who is viewing a video including the character object of the distribution user Ub. ing. The co-star video distribution process is performed in parallel with the video distribution process shown in FIG. 11.

First, in step S31, it is determined whether or not a co-starring request has been made by a user other than the distribution user Ub during distribution of the video including the character object of the distribution user Ub. A co-starring request is made by distribution user Ua, for example. As described above, the distribution user Ua can apply for co-starring by selecting the co-starring request button 37b displayed on the distribution user device 20a after receiving the invitation. The co-starring request may be made by selecting the co-starring request button 36. The co-starring request may be made before receiving an invitation, or may be made by a user who has not received an invitation. When applying for co-starring before receiving an invitation, or when a co-starring request is made by a user who has not received an invitation, the co-starring password will be requested, and the co-starring request will only be made if the correct co-starring password is entered. Also good. If the request for co-starring is made by the distribution user Ua, the process proceeds to step S32. A co-starring request may also be made by one or more distribution users other than distribution user Ua.

In step S32, a guest user to co-star in the distribution user Ub's video is selected from among the users who have applied for co-star. A single guest user or a plurality of guest users may be selected. If an upper limit is set on the number of co-stars, guest users will be selected until this upper limit is reached.

In step S32, if distribution user Ua is selected as a guest user, the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, an animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is generated based on the face motion data of the distribution user Ua. Then, by adding the animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua to the video being distributed (the video including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub), a co-starring video is generated. The process in step S33 is performed, for example, by the co-starring application processing unit 61e.

Next, the process moves to step S34. In step S34, the co-starring video generated in step S33 is distributed. This co-starring video is distributed to the viewing user device 10, other viewing user devices, and distribution user devices via the network 50. The co-starring video includes, for example, the animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua and the animation of the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10a to 10b.

Next, the process moves to step S35. In step S35, it is determined whether the co-starring end condition is satisfied. For example, when the character object 131 of distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, is in a non-active state, when the guest user evaluation point falls below a predetermined threshold, or when an instruction to end co-starring is received from distribution user Ub, who is a host user. , when an instruction to end co-starring is received from distribution user Ua who is a guest user, when a predetermined time has passed since the start of distribution of co-starring video, or when other conditions for ending co-starring are met. It is determined that the termination condition is satisfied. If the co-starring end condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S36.

In step S36, processing is performed to end the distribution of the co-starring video. For example, the character object 131 of distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, is removed from the co-starring video, thereby ending the co-starring performance between distribution user Ua and distribution user Ub. Even if the co-starring ends, the video may continue to be distributed. The video distributed after the co-starring ends does not include the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua. The above-mentioned co-starring end condition determination and co-starring end processing are performed by, for example, the co-starring end processing unit 61f.

Next, examples of the effects of the above embodiment will be described. According to the embodiment described above, another distribution user (for example, distribution user Ua) who has received an invitation from distribution user Ub receives an invitation from distribution user Ub based on the host user information of distribution user Ub associated with the invitation. You can decide whether to apply for co-starring with Ub or not. Therefore, the user who received the invitation can decide whether to apply for co-starring after understanding the distribution user Ub who will be the host user. When processing co-starring requests based on invitations, the viewing user will receive many invitations from unknown distribution users, making it difficult for the viewing user to decide which distribution user he or she can co-star with. It can get difficult. In this way, simply using invitations may actually hinder the use of the co-star function. In the above embodiment, the host user information of the distribution user is presented to other distribution users in association with the invitation from the distribution user, so the user who has received the invitation can decide which distribution to use based on the host user information of the distribution user. You can choose whether to co-star with the user.

According to the above embodiment, when the distribution user Ub wants to co-star with other users in the video that he/she distributes, he/she can collaborate with other distribution users by sending an invitation that includes his or her own host user information. It is possible to encourage co-starring requests from users.

According to the above embodiment, co-starring requests can be accepted only from invited users who have received an invitation. For example, the co-starring request buttons 36 and 37b are displayed only on the distribution user device that has received the invitation. Thereby, co-starring requests from viewing users who have not received an invitation are not accepted, so the processing load for co-starring requests can be reduced. In particular, for popular distribution users, by adjusting the number of invited users to whom invitations are sent, it is possible to prevent receiving an excessive number of co-starring requests.

According to the above embodiment, the host user information includes information on the number of viewers who viewed the video of the distribution user (for example, distribution user Ub) who sent the invitation. As a result, the user who received the invitation (for example, distribution user Ua) can decide whether to apply for co-starring with distribution user Ub based on the number of users viewing the video distributed by distribution user Ub. Can be done.

According to the above embodiment, the host user information includes information on the number of viewers who viewed the video of the distribution user (for example, distribution user Ub) who sent the invitation. As a result, the user who received the invitation (for example, distribution user Ua) can decide whether to apply for co-starring with distribution user Ub based on the number of users viewing the video distributed by distribution user Ub. Can be done.

According to the above embodiment, the host user information includes user evaluation information of the distribution user (for example, distribution user Ub) who sent the invitation. Thereby, the user who received the invitation (for example, distribution user Ua) can decide whether to apply for co-starring with distribution user Ub based on the evaluation of distribution user Ub. According to the above embodiment, the host user information includes video evaluation value information of the distribution user (for example, distribution user Ub) who sent the invitation. Thereby, the user who received the invitation (for example, distribution user Ua) can decide whether to apply for co-starring with distribution user Ub based on the evaluation of the video distributed by distribution user Ub.

According to the above embodiment, the host user information includes host user evaluation information. The host user evaluation information reflects positive or negative feedback from viewing users regarding the host user's behavior in the co-starring video. A distribution user who received an invitation applies for co-starring when the host user evaluation information of the distribution user who sent the invitation has a high value (that is, when the distribution user has a high reputation as a host user). This allows you to perform with excellent host users.

In the video distribution system 1 according to the embodiment described above, distribution users Ua and Ub can distribute a video including a character object that moves according to their facial expressions using the distribution user device 20 equipped with a camera such as a smartphone. In this way, in the video distribution system 1, the equipment for distribution users Ua and Ub to distribute videos is simplified, so a platform in which distribution users Ua and Ub can easily participate is realized.

In the processing procedures described in this specification, particularly those explained using flowcharts, some of the steps constituting the processing procedure may be omitted, and some of the steps constituting the processing procedure may be omitted. It is possible to add steps that are not specified and/or change the order of the steps, and such omissions, additions, or changes in the order of processing procedures are also included in the present invention as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the present invention. within the scope of the invention.

At least some of the functions realized by the computer processor 61 may be realized by a computer processor other than the computer processor 61 of the video distribution system 1. At least part of the functions realized by the computer processor 61 may be realized by the computer processor 21 of the distribution user device 20 or the computer processor of the viewing user device 10, for example. Specifically, part or all of the functions of the animation generation unit 61a and the video generation unit 61b may be executed in the distribution user device 20. For example, a video generated by the distribution user device 20 may be transmitted to the server device 60 and distributed from the server device 60 to the viewing user device 10.

When a distribution user Ua who is viewing a video including a character object 31 of distribution user Ub makes a request for co-starring with distribution user Ub, the animation of the character object 131 of distribution user Ua who made the co-starring request is sent to the server. It may be generated by any of the device 60, the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua, the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub, or the viewing user device 10. Further, generation of a co-starring video including the generated character object 131 of the distribution user Ua, the distribution video of the distribution user Ub, and the character object 31 is performed by the server device 60, the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua, and the distribution of the distribution user Ub. This may be performed by either the user device 20b or the viewing user device 10. The co-starring video may be generated in a shared manner by the server device 60, the distribution user device 20a, the distribution user device 20b, the viewing user device 10, and devices other than these. In one example, when the animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is generated by the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub, the animation is sent from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua to the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub. Then, distribution user Ua's face motion data and audio data are transmitted. When a gift object is included in the co-starring video, data for displaying the gift object may be transmitted from the distribution user device 20a or the server device 60 to the distribution user device 20b. The distribution user device 20b generates the animation of the character object 131 by applying the face motion data and audio data of the distribution user Ua received from the distribution user device 20a to the model data for the distribution user Ua. This model data for distribution user Ua may be transmitted from server device 60 to distribution user device 20a. In another example, when the animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is generated by the viewing user device 10, the distribution user Ua's face motion data is transmitted from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua to the viewing user device 10. and audio data are transmitted, and face motion data and audio data of distribution user Ub are transmitted from distribution user device 20b of distribution user Ub to viewing user device 10. In the viewing user device 10, the animation of the character object 131 is generated by applying the face motion data and audio data of the distribution user Ua received from the distribution user device 20a to the model data for the distribution user Ua, and the animation of the character object 131 is generated from the distribution user device 20b. The animation of the character object 31 may be generated by applying the received face motion data and audio data of the distribution user Ub to the model data for the distribution user Ub. The model data for the distribution user Ua and the model data for the distribution user Ub may be transmitted from the server device 60 to the viewing user device 10. When a gift object is included in the co-starring video, data for displaying the gift object may be transmitted from the distribution user device 20a, the distribution user device 20b, or the server device 60 to the viewing user device 10. In this way, the animation of the distribution user's character object and/or the co-starring video including the animation of the character object can be generated by any device included in the video distribution system 1. Animation of the character object may be generated with equipment not explicitly shown in FIG. The device that generates the animation of the character object receives face motion data and audio data of the distribution user Ua from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua, and receives face motion data of the distribution user Ub from the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub. and audio data are transmitted. Body motions may be transmitted in addition to face motions.

The co-starring video may include character objects of three or more distribution users. That is, three or more distribution users may virtually co-star in a video using their respective character objects. An upper limit may be set on the number of distribution users who can perform together. When the number of distribution users who can perform together reaches the upper limit, the process of not displaying the co-starring request button 36 on the image of the video being viewed by the distribution user (for example, image 40a), or the image of the video being viewed by the distribution user A process (disable process) may be performed in which the co-starring request button 36 is made unselectable.

Below, the inventions described in the claims of the original application of the present application as filed are added.
[1]
comprising one or more computer processors;
The one or more computer processors may execute computer readable instructions to:
Distributing a video including animation of a character object generated based on the movement of the first user,
Sending an invitation associated with host user information that is an index representing the profile of the first user as a host user to a second user among the plurality of viewing users who view the video;
Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star in response to receiving a co-starring request for co-starring with the first user from the second user who has received the invitation;
distributing the co-starring video to one or more viewing users;
Video distribution system.
[2]
Accepting the co-starring request only from one or more invited users who have received the invitation among the plurality of viewing users,
The second user is included in the one or more invited users,
The video distribution system described in [1].
[3]
the host user information is presented to the second user;
The video distribution system according to [1] or [2].
[4]
The host user information includes user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the first user.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [3].
[5]
The host user information includes viewer number information indicating the number of users viewing the video.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [4].
[6]
The host user information includes host user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the first user in the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [5].
[7]
The host user information includes video evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the video.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [6].
[8]
The host user information includes first benefit information indicating a first benefit granted to the second user when the second user makes the co-starring request.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [7].
[9]
The first benefit changes depending on the evaluation of the co-starring video.
The video distribution system described in [8].
[10]
The first benefit changes depending on the second user's evaluation while the co-starring video is being distributed.
The video distribution system according to [8] or [9].
[11]
The first benefit is an object that the second user can use in the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to any one of [8] to [10].
[12]
The host user information includes second benefit information indicating a second benefit given to the second user when the co-starring video in which the second user and the first user co-star is generated.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [11].
[13]
The second benefit changes depending on the evaluation of the co-starring video.
The video distribution system described in [12].
[14]
The second benefit changes depending on the second user's evaluation while the co-starring video is being distributed.
The video distribution system according to [12] or [13].
[15]
The second benefit is an object that the second user can use in the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to any one of [12] to [14].
[16]
The co-starring video is a character co-starring video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [15].
[17]
The co-starring video is an audio co-starring video that includes a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user.
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [16].
[18]
The co-starring video includes a first character object generated based on the first user's movement and a second character object generated based on the second user's movement, or a character co-starring video including the first user's movement. is an audio co-starring video including the voice of a first character object and the second user generated based on;
The character co-starring video and the audio co-starring video can be alternately switched,
The video distribution system according to any one of [1] to [17].
[19]
A video distribution method performed by one or more computer processors executing computer-readable instructions, the method comprising:
distributing a video including an animation of a character object generated based on the movement of the first user;
transmitting an invitation associated with host user information that is an index representing the profile of the first user as a host user to a second user among the plurality of viewing users who view the video;
Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star in response to receiving a co-starring request for co-starring with the first user from the second user who received the invitation;
a step of distributing the co-starring video to one or more viewing users;
A video distribution method that includes
[20]
one or more computer processors;
distributing a video including an animation of a character object generated based on the first user's movements;
transmitting an invitation associated with host user information that is an index representing the profile of the first user as a host user to a second user among the plurality of viewing users who view the video;
Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star in response to receiving a co-starring request for co-starring with the first user from the second user who received the invitation;
a step of distributing the co-starring video to one or more viewing users;
A video distribution program that runs

1 Video distribution system 10 Viewing user device 20a, 20b Distribution user device 21a1, 21b1 Face motion data generation unit 21a2 Invitation presentation unit 21a3 Co-starring application unit 21b2 Invitation request unit 60 Server device 61a Animation generation unit 61b Video generation unit 61c Video distribution unit 61d Invitation processing unit 61e Co-starring application processing unit 61f Co-starring end processing unit 63 Storage

Claims (18)

comprising one or more computer processors;
The one or more computer processors may execute computer readable instructions to:
Distributing a video including animation of a character object generated based on the movement of the first user,
transmitting an invitation associated with host user information regarding the first user to a second user among the plurality of viewing users who view the video;
In a window displayed on the user device of the second user who has received the invitation, a character string indicating that the invitation has been received from the first user, the host user information regarding the first user, and the second user. Displaying a first co-starring application button for transmitting a co-starring request for applying for co-starring with one user,
After the window is no longer displayed, a second co-starring request button for transmitting the co-starring request is displayed on the image including the video on the user device of the second user;
Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star in response to receiving the co-starring request for co-starring with the first user from the second user who has received the invitation; ,
Playing the co-starring video on each user device of one or more viewing users;
The second co-starring application button is not displayed on the second user's user device before the second user receives the invitation.
Video distribution system. The host user information includes user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the first user.
The video distribution system according to claim 1. The host user information includes viewer number information indicating the number of users viewing the video.
The video distribution system according to claim 1 or claim 2 . The host user information includes host user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the first user in the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The host user information includes video evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the video.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The host user information includes first benefit information indicating a first benefit granted to the second user when the second user makes the co-starring request.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The first benefit changes depending on the evaluation of the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to claim 6 . The first benefit changes depending on the second user's evaluation while the co-starring video is being distributed.
The video distribution system according to claim 6 or claim 7 . The first benefit is an object that the second user can use in the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 6 to 8 . The host user information includes second benefit information indicating a second benefit given to the second user when the co-starring video in which the second user and the first user co-star is generated.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . The second benefit changes depending on the evaluation of the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to claim 10 . The second benefit changes depending on the second user's evaluation while the co-starring video is being distributed.
The video distribution system according to claim 10 or claim 11 . The second benefit is an object that the second user can use in the co-starring video.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 10 to 12 . The co-starring video is a character co-starring video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 13 . The co-starring video is an audio co-starring video that includes a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user.
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 14 . The co-starring video includes a first character object generated based on the first user's movement and a second character object generated based on the second user's movement, or a character co-starring video including the first user's movement. is an audio co-starring video including the voice of a first character object and the second user generated based on;
The character co-starring video and the audio co-starring video can be alternately switched,
The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 15 . A video distribution method performed by one or more computer processors executing computer-readable instructions, the method comprising:
distributing a video including an animation of a character object generated based on the movement of the first user;
transmitting an invitation associated with host user information regarding the first user to a second user among the plurality of viewing users who view the video;
In a window displayed on the user device of the second user who has received the invitation, a character string indicating that the invitation has been received from the first user, the host user information regarding the first user, and the second user. a step of displaying a first co-starring application button for transmitting the co-starring request for applying for co-starring with one user;
After the window is no longer displayed, displaying a second co-starring request button for transmitting the co-starring request on the image including the video on the user device of the second user;
Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star in response to receiving a co-starring request for co-starring with the first user from the second user who received the invitation;
Reproducing the co-starring video on each user device of one or more viewing users;
Equipped with
In the video distribution method, the second co-starring application button is not displayed on the second user's user device before the second user receives the invitation. one or more computer processors;
distributing a video including an animation of a character object generated based on the movement of the first user;
transmitting an invitation associated with host user information regarding the first user to a second user among the plurality of viewing users who view the video;
In a window displayed on the user device of the second user who has received the invitation, a character string indicating that the invitation has been received from the first user, the host user information regarding the first user, and the second user. a step of displaying a first co-starring application button for transmitting the co-starring request for applying for co-starring with one user;
After the window is no longer displayed, displaying a second co-starring request button for transmitting the co-starring request on the image including the video on the user device of the second user;
Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star in response to receiving a co-starring request for co-starring with the first user from the second user who received the invitation;
Reproducing the co-starring video on each user device of one or more viewing users;
run the
The second co-starring application button is not displayed on the second user's user device before the second user receives the invitation.