JP7376235B2 - Video distribution system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a video distribution system.

Video distribution systems are becoming popular. There are two types of video distribution: a streaming method in which consecutive videos are passively played, and an on-demand method in which the intended video is actively played. In the on-demand system, the user is allowed to set the playback order, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 5350728 specification

However, in streaming video distribution, it is possible to change the development of the live video while watching the reaction of the viewers, but when using recorded video, it is possible to change the development of the video. It is difficult to distribute videos that develop according to the viewer's reaction.

The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can distribute videos tailored to the reactions of viewers.

The main invention of the present invention for solving the above problems is a video distribution system, which includes a video library that stores a plurality of video data, a video distribution section that distributes the video data, and at least a first video data. a reaction acquisition unit that acquires reaction information indicating reactions from a plurality of viewers during playback; and a reaction acquisition unit that determines second video data to be distributed next to the first video data according to the reaction information. A switching determination unit is provided.

Other problems disclosed in the present application and methods for solving the problems will be made clear by the section of the embodiments of the invention and the drawings.

According to the present invention, it is possible to distribute videos tailored to the reactions of viewers.

1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a video distribution system according to the present embodiment. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a distributor device 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a software configuration of a distributor device 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a video library 331. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a scenario storage unit 332. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a condition storage unit 333. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a comment storage unit 334. FIG. It is a figure explaining the flow of processing performed by the video distribution system of this embodiment. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the viewer terminal 1. FIG.

The contents of the embodiments of the present invention will be listed and explained. A video distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration.

[Item 1]
A video library that stores multiple video data,
a video distribution unit that distributes the video data;
a reaction acquisition unit that acquires reaction information indicating reactions from a plurality of viewers during playback of at least the first video data;
a switching determining unit that determines the second video data to be distributed next to the first video data according to the reaction information;
A video distribution system characterized by comprising:
[Item 2]
The video distribution system described in item 1,
The video distribution unit sends the first video data to a video distribution server that distributes the video data to each of the viewer terminals of the viewer,
The plurality of viewer terminals transmit comments input from the viewers to the video distribution server,
The reaction acquisition unit acquires the comment from the video distribution server as the reaction information,
The switching determining unit determines the second video data according to the number of predetermined words included in the comment or the number of viewers who posted the comment including the predetermined word;
A video distribution system featuring:
[Item 3]
The video distribution system described in item 1,
a scenario storage unit that stores information indicating the video data to be distributed next for each video data;
a condition storage unit that stores information indicating conditions for the reaction information and the video data to be distributed next;
Furthermore,
When there is the condition that the reaction information satisfies, the switching determining unit switches the video data to be distributed next to the first video data, which corresponds to the condition that the reaction information satisfies, to the second video data. determining the video data to be distributed next to the first video data from the scenario storage unit as the second video data if there is no condition that the reaction information satisfies;
A video distribution system featuring:

A video distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The video distribution system of this embodiment attempts to dynamically change the development (story) of a video streamed according to the reaction from viewers to the video streamed. In this embodiment, the reaction to a video is assumed to be a comment posted by a viewer when viewing the video. That is, the video to be played changes depending on the content of the comment posted while the video is being played. For example, if two characters appear in a video, the story can branch to a story centered around the character who has posted the most comments. The details will be explained below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a video distribution system according to this embodiment. The video distribution system of this embodiment includes a distributor device 3, the distributor device 2 is communicably connected to a streaming server 2, and the streaming server 2 is communicably connected to a viewer terminal 1. Ru. The distributor device 3 is a computer, such as a personal computer, a tablet computer, or a smartphone, that transmits videos. The distributor device 3 may be, for example, a home computer operated by a general user who wishes to distribute videos. Video data is sent from the distributor device 3 to the streaming server 2 using a streaming method. The streaming server 2 is a computer, such as a workstation, a personal computer, or a virtual computer provided by cloud computing, that distributes video data received from the distributor device 3 to the viewer terminal 1. The streaming server 2 can simultaneously distribute video data to multiple viewer terminals 1. The viewer terminal 1 is a computer operated by a viewer, such as a personal computer, a tablet computer, or a smartphone. The viewer operates the viewer terminal 1 to access the streaming server 2, and the viewer terminal 1 can receive and play video data sent from the streaming server 2. Furthermore, the viewer can operate the viewer terminal 1 to post comments on the video to the streaming server 2. In addition to the video data, comment data is also transmitted from the streaming server 2 to the viewer terminal 1, and as the video is played back, the comments regarding this video are also displayed on the viewer terminal 1.

Note that in the following description, the entire video that is distributed by streaming and played back linearly is particularly referred to as a "distributed video." The distributed video can be in a format in which images and audio captured by a camera or microphone are encoded into video data in real time and transmitted, but in this embodiment, the distributed video is created by preliminarily converting video data as parts (hereinafter referred to as , component video data), prepare a scenario in which this component video data is arranged, and send out the component video data according to the scenario, thereby transmitting the entire distributed video. ing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the distributor device 3. As shown in FIG. The distributor device 3 includes a CPU 301, a memory 302, a storage device 303, a communication interface 304, an input device 305, and an output device 306. The storage device 303 stores various data and programs, and is, for example, a hard disk drive, solid state drive, flash memory, or the like. The communication interface 304 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 30, and includes, for example, an adapter for connecting to Ethernet (registered trademark), a modem for connecting to a public telephone line network, and a wireless communication device for performing wireless communication. , a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector for serial communication, an RS232C connector, etc. The input device 305 is, for example, a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, button, microphone, or the like for inputting data. The output device 306 outputs data, such as a display, printer, or speaker.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the distributor device 3. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the distributor device 3 includes a video distribution section 311, a comment acquisition section 312, a switching determination section 313, a video library 331, a scenario storage section 332, a condition storage section 333, and a comment storage section 334.

Note that the video distribution unit 311, the comment acquisition unit 312, and the switching determination unit 313 are realized by the CPU 301 of the distributor device 3 reading a program stored in the storage device 303 into the memory 302 and executing it. The library 331, the scenario storage unit 332, the condition storage unit 333, and the comment storage unit 334 are realized as part of a storage area provided by at least one of the memory 302 and the storage device 303 included in the distributor device 3.

The video library 331 stores component video data. The component video data may be saved as a file encoded in any format such as MPEG4, MPEG2, AVI, MOV, etc., for example. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the video library 331. As shown in the figure, the video library 331 stores component video data in association with information (video ID) for identifying the component video data.

The scenario storage unit 332 stores a scenario of a distributed video. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the scenario storage unit 332. As shown in the figure, the scenario storage unit 332 stores scenario information and sequence information. Scenario information is information related to a scenario, and in the example shown in FIG. 5, for example, the name (title) of the scenario, the part video data played at the beginning of the scenario, and the information that identifies the scenario (scenario ID) are associated with each other. (starting video ID), etc. are included. Sequence information is information indicating the default playback order of component videos in a scenario. Sequence information corresponds to a scenario ID, a video ID indicating the component video data included in the scenario indicated by the scenario ID, and a next video ID indicating the component video data to be played next to the component video data indicated by the video ID. Included with. As described above, in the video distribution system of this embodiment, the component video data to be played next is changed depending on the viewer's reaction (comment), but if the viewer's reaction (comment) is If the following conditions are not met, part video data to be played next will be determined based on the sequence information as a default scenario.

The condition storage unit 333 stores information (hereinafter referred to as condition information) indicating conditions for branching in response to viewer reactions (comments). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the condition storage section 333. As shown in the figure, the condition information stored in the condition storage unit 333 includes a scenario ID, a determination period, a condition, and a next video ID. The scenario ID is information indicating a scenario. The determination period is information indicating a period during which it is determined whether the viewer's reaction (comment) satisfies the condition. The determination period may be specified relatively, such as from the current time to 5 minutes ago, or may be specified absolutely, such as from 00:00 to 00:10 on December 25th. The distribution device 3 determines whether the reactions of viewers during the period specified by the determination period, that is, the comments posted by the viewers during that period, match the conditions. Conditions are based on viewer reactions (comments posted by viewers), such as the number of comments posted within the above period that include a predetermined keyword, or the number of views that posted comments. The number of comments or viewers aggregated by region, for example, the aggregate value of the amount of money posted by viewers (average, median, maximum, minimum etc.), the number of sad viewers based on the happiness, anger, sorrow, and happiness of viewers determined by parsing the comments exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a comment containing the predetermined keyword has never been posted. You can set conditions such as:

The video distribution unit 311 distributes videos. The video distribution unit 311 reads out scenario information corresponding to a predetermined scenario from the scenario storage unit 332 by accepting a specification from the user, etc., and parts video data corresponding to the start video ID included in the read scenario information. The video can be distributed by reading out the component video data from the video library 331 (performing encoding or converting the video format to be distributed as necessary) and transmitting the read component video data to the streaming server 2. . Further, when the video distribution unit 311 has finished transmitting the read component video data, it acquires the next video ID corresponding to the scenario ID and the video ID indicating the component video data from the sequence information in the scenario storage unit 332, The component video data corresponding to the acquired next video ID can be read from the video library 331 and similarly transmitted to the streaming server 2. The video distribution unit 311 can end the video distribution process if the next video ID does not exist. Note that when the next video ID is determined by the switching determining unit 313, which will be described later, the transmission of the currently executed component video data is interrupted and the component video data corresponding to the next video ID determined by the switching determining unit 313 is transmitted. By reading out and transmitting it to the streaming server 2, the story can be changed.

The comment storage unit 334 stores comments posted by viewers. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the comment storage section 334. The comment storage unit 334 can store the viewer ID indicating the viewer who posted the comment, the date and time the comment was posted, the content of the comment, etc. in association with information for identifying the comment (comment ID).

The comment acquisition unit 312 acquires comments posted by viewers using the viewer terminal 1. For example, if the streaming server 2 provides an API for acquiring posted comments, the comment acquisition unit 312 can acquire the posted comments by calling the API. The comment acquisition unit 312 can register the acquired comment in the comment storage unit 334.

The switching determination unit 313 determines to switch the video. The switching determining unit 313 reads comments corresponding to the period from the comment storage unit 334 for each of the condition information stored in the condition storage unit 333, totals them, determines whether the conditions are satisfied, and sets the conditions. If the condition is satisfied, it can be transmitted to the video distribution unit 311 to send the component video data indicated by the next video ID in the condition information.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing executed by the video distribution system of this embodiment.

The video distribution unit 311 accepts the specification of the scenario (S421), and sets the start video ID included in the scenario information of the specified scenario as the playback ID (S422). The video distribution unit 311 reads component video data corresponding to the reproduction ID from the video library 331 (S423), and transmits the read component video to the streaming server 2 (S424). As a result, the video is distributed from the streaming server 2 to each viewer terminal 1 by streaming.

The comment acquisition unit 312 acquires comments posted by the viewer using the viewer terminal 1 from the streaming server 2 (S425). Comments can be obtained, for example, by calling an API provided by the streaming server 2.

The switching determining unit 313 reads comments posted during the determination period from the comment storage unit 334 for each piece of condition information stored in the condition storage unit 333 (S426), and determines whether the read comment satisfies the conditions of the condition information. It is determined whether or not (S427). Whether a comment satisfies the condition can be determined, for example, by counting the number of comments included for each keyword and determining whether the counted number exceeds a predetermined threshold.

If the comment satisfies the condition (S428: YES), the switching determining unit 313 sets the next video ID included in the condition information as the playback ID (S429), returns to step S423, and the video distribution unit 311 sets the playback ID Sends the parts video data corresponding to. Thereby, the flow of component video data can be changed depending on the comment.

If the comment does not satisfy the conditions for all of the condition information, when the video being played ends (S430: YES), the switching determining unit 313 sets the next video ID of the sequence information as the playback ID (S431). If the next video ID is set in the sequence information (S432: YES), the process returns to step S423, and the video distribution unit 311 transmits the component video data corresponding to the reproduction ID. On the other hand, if the next video ID is not set in the sequence information (S432: NO), the process ends.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the viewer terminal 1. As shown in FIG. 9(a), a video 511 is displayed based on video data distributed from the streaming server 2, and the viewer who is operating the viewer terminal 1 or another viewer terminal 1 is A comment 512 posted by the viewer operating the screen is displayed. In the example of FIG. 9(a), two characters (Ai-chan and Megu-chan) are displayed. On the other hand, comments such as "It's Ai-chan!" and "Good luck Megu-chan" are posted in comment 512.

Here, if the condition storage unit 333 contains condition information including the condition that the phrase "stop Ai-chan" is included, this phrase has been posted in the example of FIG. A moving image 513 as shown in FIG. 9(b) is now displayed. On the other hand, if the phrase is not registered in the comment, a video 514 as shown in FIG. 9(c) is displayed as the next video ID of the sequence information.

As described above, the video distribution system of this embodiment delivers linear video to the viewer terminal 1 via the streaming server 2 by continuously transmitting component video data, and also plays the component video data. Depending on comments from viewers inside, it is possible to decide which part video data to play next to the part video data currently being played. Therefore, it is possible to provide a linear video with different developments depending on the viewer's reaction. Therefore, even though recorded component video data is used, the video can be distributed without losing the live feel of the streaming video distribution method.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above embodiment is for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not for construing the present invention in a limited manner. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

For example, in this embodiment, the video sent from the distributor device 3 is distributed to the viewer terminal 1 via the streaming server 2, but the video is directly transmitted from the distributor device 3 to each viewer terminal 1. It can also be distributed.

Further, in this embodiment, the video library 331 stores video files encoded in a format such as MPEG4, but 3D models, scene files, etc. are stored in the video library 331, and these files can be stored in the video library 331. A moving image dynamically rendered based on the information may be transmitted.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the component video data is being played back, if the comment satisfies the condition, the transition to the next component video data is made (steps S428→S429→S423 in FIG. 8). After the video data is played to the end, the transition may be made to the next component video data. In this case, a step may be provided before or after step S429 in FIG. 8 to confirm that the reproduction of the component video data has ended.

In addition, in this embodiment, the component video data is switched according to comments posted by viewers (or keywords included in comments), but any viewer terminal that can be obtained from the viewer terminal 1 It is possible to switch according to the reaction. For example, the comment acquisition unit 312 acquires as an event that a predetermined area on the distributed video is clicked or tapped on the viewer terminal 1, and the switching determination unit 313 determines the number of occurrences of this event (i.e., The number of viewers who clicked or tapped a predetermined area on the distributed video is counted, and the component video data can be switched depending on whether this number exceeds a threshold. In this case, a threshold value for the number of viewers who clicked or tapped a predetermined area on the distributed video and a video ID indicating the component video data to be switched according to the area may be registered as condition information. When a distributed video is being viewed on a web browser on the viewer terminal 1, the comment acquisition unit 312 sends a click event that occurs on the web browser to the streaming server 2 or the broadcaster device 3, and the comment acquisition unit 312 directly or A click event can be acquired via the streaming server 2, and this click event may be stored in the comment storage section 334. In this case, the comment acquisition section 312 functions as an event acquisition section that acquires not only comments but also various events, and the comment storage section 334 functions as an event storage section that stores not only comments but also various events. It turns out.

Further, the event acquisition unit receives, for example, audio data captured by the viewer terminal 1, analyzes the received audio data, and determines that a specific pronunciation has been made (for example, that the viewer has uttered a specific keyword). (e.g., clapping, whistling, stamping, etc.) is acquired as an event, and the switching determining unit 313 can switch the video according to this event. In this case, condition information in which a different next video ID is set for each type of pronunciation may be registered in the condition storage unit 333 on the condition that a specific pronunciation is made. Note that the audio analysis may be performed by the viewer terminal 1, and the event acquisition unit may receive the analysis results.

Further, the event acquisition unit receives, for example, image data taken by the viewer terminal 1, analyzes the received image data, recognizes the viewer's posture, line of sight, gestures, etc., and detects the occurrence of these. This is acquired as an event, and the switching determining unit 313 can switch the video according to this event. In this case, condition information in which a different next video ID is set for each area on the video indicated by the type of posture, gesture, and the point of view is stored in the condition storage unit 333, on the condition that a specific posture, line of sight, or gesture occurs. All you have to do is register. Note that the image analysis may be performed by the viewer terminal 1, and the event acquisition unit may receive the analysis results.

Further, the event acquisition unit can acquire, for example, not an event that occurs on the viewer terminal 1, but an event that can be acquired on the system. Events that can be acquired on the system include, for example, the elapsed time since the start of distribution of the distribution image, the current time, the occurrence of an object collision on the distribution video, the location of the viewer or distributor, or the This may include the occurrence of specific weather conditions in a given region. The switching determining unit 313 can also switch videos according to such events.

1 Viewer terminal 2 Streaming server 3 Distributor device 311 Video distribution unit 312 Comment acquisition unit 313 Switching determination unit 331 Video library 332 Scenario storage unit 333 Condition storage unit 334 Comment storage unit

Claims (3)

A video library that stores multiple video data,
a video distribution unit that distributes the video data;
a reaction acquisition unit that acquires reaction information indicating reactions from a plurality of viewers during playback of at least the first video data;
a switching determining unit that determines the second video data to be distributed next to the first video data according to the reaction information;
a scenario storage unit that stores information indicating the video data to be distributed next for each video data;
a condition storage unit that stores information indicating conditions for the reaction information and the video data to be distributed next;
Equipped with
When there is the condition that the reaction information satisfies, the switching determining unit switches the video data to be distributed next to the first video data, which corresponds to the condition that the reaction information satisfies, to the second video data. If there is no condition that the reaction information satisfies, determining the video data to be distributed next to the first video data from the scenario storage unit as the second video data;
A video distribution system featuring: The video distribution system according to claim 1,
The video distribution unit sends the first video data to a video distribution server that distributes the video data to each of the viewer terminals of the viewer,
The plurality of viewer terminals transmit comments input from the viewers to the video distribution server,
The reaction acquisition unit acquires the comment from the video distribution server as the reaction information,
The switching determining unit determines the second video data according to the number of predetermined words included in the comment or the number of viewers who posted the comment including the predetermined word;
A video distribution system featuring: a step of storing multiple video data;
storing information indicating the video data to be distributed next in a scenario storage unit for each video data;
storing , in a condition storage unit, conditions for reaction information indicating reactions from viewers and information indicating the video data to be distributed next;
a step of distributing the video data;
acquiring the reaction information indicating reactions from the plurality of viewers during playback of at least the first video data;
a step of determining the second video data to be distributed next to the first video data according to the reaction information, and if there is the condition that the reaction information satisfies, the reaction information satisfies the condition; The video data to be distributed next to the first video data that corresponds to the condition is determined as the second video data, and if there is no condition that the reaction information satisfies, the video data is downloaded from the scenario storage unit. determining the video data to be distributed next to the first video data as the second video data;
A video distribution method characterized by being executed by a computer.