Information processing system, information processing method and storage medium

Abstract

The present technology relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a storage medium, which make it possible to support easier provision of comments on content. An information processing system is provided, which has the following functions: based on input from a creator, control is performed to generate a script consisting of identification information and comment information of the content, and the script is stored in a predetermined storage medium so that a user can browse the script; and support generation of a script by a creator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a storage medium, and particularly to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a storage medium capable of more easily performing support for providing content and comments on the content together with the content. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, as methods for providing content have diversified, various services and devices have been provided (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses that when a user inputs text, the text is sent to a server, text-to-speech synthesis is performed on the server, a voice file is output and stored in a predetermined area on the server, a link to the voice file is generated, and the link is sent to a client PC.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a system that performs speech synthesis on text data to generate synthesized speech, and generates speech content in which the synthesized speech and speech data are organized in a predetermined order.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a system capable of giving an evaluation based on a second user to a playlist generated based on a first user provided from a server or the like, so that the difference between the playlist and the second user's preference can be grasped.

[0006] Reference List

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-257562

[0009] Patent Document 2: WO 2008 / 001500

[0010] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-246681 Summary of the Invention

[0011] Technical Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0012] Meanwhile, when providing content and comments on the content and the like together, there is a need to support easier provision of the content and its comments.

[0013] The present technology has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present technology is to enable easier execution of support for providing content and comments on the content together with the content.

[0014] Solution to the problem

[0015] An information processing system according to one aspect of the present technology is an information processing system including: a control unit that generates a script including identification information and comment information of the content based on input from a creator, and performs control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium for a user to browse, wherein the control unit has a function of supporting the generation of the script by the creator.

[0016] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present technology is an information processing method, which includes: performing the following operations through an information processing device: generating a script including identification information and comment information of the content based on input from a creator, and performing control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that a user can browse it; and supporting the generation of the script by the creator.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present technology, a storage medium is a storage medium that records a program for enabling a computer to function as an information processing device, the information processing device including: a control unit that generates a script including identification information and comment information of the content based on input from a creator, and performs control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium for a user to browse, wherein the control unit has a function of supporting the generation of the script by the creator.

[0018] In a content providing system, content providing method, and storage medium according to one aspect of the present technology, a script including content identification information and comment information is generated based on input from a creator, and control is performed to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that users can browse it. In addition, script generation by creators is also supported. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a representative diagram showing the outline of this technology.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an overview of a content providing system to which the present technology is applied.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the flow of content reproduction by the content providing system to which the present technology is applied.

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of rights processing in the case of performing distribution including music.

[0023] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of rights processing in the case of performing VPC type distribution.

[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a content providing system to which the present technology is applied.

[0025] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a script used in the content providing system.

[0026] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a content providing system to which the present technology is applied.

[0027] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an author terminal device.

[0028] Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control unit in an author terminal device.

[0029] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a distribution server.

[0030] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control unit in a distribution server.

[0031] Figure 13 It is a sequence diagram showing the overall processing flow of the content providing system.

[0032] Figure 14 This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing when supporting the generation of a scenario when a creator produces a program.

[0033] Figure 15 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the first embodiment.

[0034] Figure 16 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 17 1 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the case of presenting songs listened to by a creator when creating a program.

[0036] Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface of a program creation tool.

[0037] Figure 19 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the second embodiment.

[0038] Figure 20 This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing when a program is automatically generated and presented from a plurality of packages.

[0039] Figure 21 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a program automatically generated from a plurality of packages.

[0040] Figure 22 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the third embodiment.

[0041] Figure 23 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the third embodiment.

[0042] Figure 24 : is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the case of presenting a popular foreword and postscript.

[0043] Figure 25 is a diagram showing an example of a program creation screen including input areas for a preface and an afterword.

[0044] Figure 26 : is a diagram showing an example of presenting the ranking of the introduction and postscript of songs.

[0045] Figure 27 : is a diagram showing an example of presenting a similar preface and postscript.

[0046] Figure 28 is a diagram showing an example of presenting lyrics of a song.

[0047] Figure 29 is a diagram showing an example of presenting a related web page.

[0048] Figure 30 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the fourth embodiment.

[0049] Figure 31 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the fourth embodiment.

[0050] Figure 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of another configuration of an embodiment of a content providing system to which the present technology is applied.

[0051] Figure 33 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case where a return process is executed when the preface and postscript are cited.

[0052] Figure 34 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the fifth embodiment.

[0053] Figure 35 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description will be made in the following order.

[0055] 1. First Implementation: Script Generation Support Function (Basic Configuration)

[0056] 2. Second Implementation: Song Candidate List Presentation Function

[0057] 3. Third Implementation Method: Automatic Program Generation Function

[0058] 4. Fourth Implementation: Popular Preface and Postscript Presentation Function

[0059] 5. Fifth Implementation: Preface and Postscript Quote Return Function

[0060] 6. Modify the example

[0061] 7. Computer configuration

[0062] <Representative Image>

[0063] Figure 1 This is a representative diagram showing the outline of this technology.

[0064] This technology is to more easily generate a script for providing content and its comments by performing support for providing content and comments on the content together when programming the content.

[0065] exist Figure 1 In the program, the creator operates the UI of the program creation tool to set a preface and postscript for "Song abc" of "Idol Group A".

[0066] At this time, the program creation tool supports the creation of programs by creators by presenting the popularity rankings of the preface and postscript of "Song abc", presenting the preface of the song "Song xyz" similar to "Song abc", presenting the lyrics of "Song abc" and presenting web pages related to "Idol Group A".

[0067] Since the creator can set the preface, postscript, etc. while checking the relevant information presented by the program creation tool, the creator can generate the script of the program more easily.

[0068] <1. First embodiment>

[0069] (Overview of the Virtual Podcast System)

[0070] Figure 2 The following shows an overview of a content providing system to which this technology is applied. Figure 2 In the example of FIG, a virtual podcast system is shown as an embodiment of a content providing system to which the present technology is applied.

[0071] The virtual podcast system allows creators to easily create podcast programs by selecting songs and composing sentences using their terminal devices. Podcasting is a method for publishing audio and video data files on the Internet, and is a form of Internet radio and Internet television. Note that sentences are not limited to text and can also be provided as voice files.

[0072] The podcast program created by the creator is registered in the distribution server. Therefore, the user can operate the user's own terminal device and reproduce the podcast program distributed from the distribution server to watch or listen to the program.

[0073] At the same time, according to the creator of the podcast program, he or she hopes to efficiently distribute the podcast program created by him or her so as to allow more users to watch or listen to the podcast program.

[0074] In addition, when distributing songs through podcasts, the song's copyright processing occurs for the creator who performs the distribution, and thus such work is troublesome for the creator. Therefore, he or she should want other people to perform the song's copyright processing on his or her behalf.

[0075] In recent years, in video distribution sites, a creator opens his or her own video distribution channel and sends information through video content of various topics, and the creator obtains compensation such as advertising revenue based on the number of times the video is reproduced or advertising revenue obtained by creating a cooperative video with an advertiser as a reward for providing video content to users.

[0076] Also for the creator who distributes the podcast, compensation for the podcast he or she created is an extremely important issue, and he or she would like to return appropriate compensation.

[0077] The aforementioned programming, distribution rights processing, and monetization are unavoidable issues for creators distributing podcast programs, and a mechanism for easily resolving these issues is needed. The virtual podcast system provides a mechanism for responding to creators' requests for programming, distribution rights processing, and monetization while allowing creators to create and distribute podcast programs so that users can watch or listen to them.

[0078] Figure 3 The process of reproducing a podcast program generated by a virtual podcast system is shown.

[0079] Figure 3 The Nth track and the (N+1)th track that are temporally consecutive among the tracks included in the podcast program are shown.

[0080] Each track consists of a preface (warm-up), a song, and an after-song.

[0081] The preface introduces the song and includes text (sentences). In this example, the preface includes the text "This song was written with ... and it's still a great song!" The text corresponding to the preface can be converted into speech by text-to-speech (TTS) and read out.

[0082] The song includes identification information (ID) for identifying the song and information about the song title and artist name. For example, by using the song ID "1234567", the streaming distribution of the song specified by the song ID can be requested to the music distribution service signed by the user.

[0083] The postscript is a description after listening to the song and includes text (sentences). In this example, as the postscript, the text "It is still the best song ..." is described. The text corresponding to the postscript can be read out using TTS.

[0084] Here, when distributing a podcast program, the following two cases are assumed as rights processing for including songs in the program.

[0085] The first is the case of distributing a program including songs. In this case, Figure 4 As shown, the creator creates a podcast program as a complete package including songs and talks (preface and postscript) and distributes the podcast program, so copyright processing of the songs occurs for the creator who distributes the program.

[0086] The second is when VPC type distribution is performed. In this case, if Figure 5 As shown, the song is distributed using a music distribution service, and since the creator only creates and distributes the talk (preface and postscript), copyright processing of the song does not occur for the creator.

[0087] That is, when the creator distributes a podcast program, the configuration data, preface, and postscript about the configuration of the program are distributed. Therefore, since part of the songs in the program are distributed by the music distribution service, the copyright processing of the songs does not occur for the creator.

[0088] In VPC type distribution, since the songs distributed through streaming by the music distribution service and the talks (preface and postscript) to be distributed by the creator are synthesized and programmed on the user terminal device used by the user, the rights processing of the song part in the podcast program programmed on the user terminal device side is performed by the user.

[0089] As described above, in VPC type distribution, when distributing a podcast, the creator distributes the identification information (song ID) of the song without producing a complete podcast program, so that the song distributed through streaming by the music distribution service is reproduced based on the song ID on the user terminal device side used by the user.

[0090] That is, since the user's terminal device reproduces the song using the rights that the user has already acquired through the contract with the music distribution service, no copyright processing of the song occurs against the creator. On the other hand, since the user can also reproduce songs within the normal song distribution range of the music distribution service with which the user has signed a contract, the user can reproduce the song specified by the song ID indicated by the creator without paying any additional fees. In the virtual podcast system, podcast programs are distributed through this type of virtual podcast (VPC) distribution.

[0091] Note that the user's contract with the music distribution service is not limited to a paid user contract (premium user), and even in a free user contract (free user), the rights can be used in the case where a song can be reproduced only by inserting an advertisement.

[0092] Figure 6 An example of the overall configuration of a virtual podcast system is shown.

[0093] like Figure 6 As shown, the functions provided by the virtual podcast system are roughly divided into creator-side functions provided by the creator terminal device, various distribution service-side functions provided by the distribution server, and user-side functions provided by the user terminal device.

[0094] In the creator terminal device, the program creation tool and the voice creation tool are executed according to the operation of the creator (podcaster), and a podcast program is generated.

[0095] For example, the program creation tool generates a podcast program based on the song ID of a song selected from a song list (directory) for song selection provided by a song distribution service and the text of the preface and postscript of the song whose sound during speech synthesis has been adjusted by the speech creation tool, and registers the podcast program to the program distribution service.

[0096] The voice creation tool provides a TTS voice adjustment function based on the data for voice creation provided by the voice distribution service. By operating the voice creation tool and using the TTS voice adjustment function, the creator can make the TTS voice reproduced on the user side his or her favorite voice.

[0097] The program distribution service provides a service for distributing podcast programs registered by a program creation tool to user terminal devices.

[0098] The song distribution service corresponds to a music distribution service that a user of a user terminal device has contracted (subscribed to). The song distribution service distributes songs specified by song IDs set in podcast programs in response to requests from the user terminal device. In addition, the song distribution service provides a song list for song selection to the creator terminal device.

[0099] The voice distribution service provides a service for distributing TTS voices obtained by voice synthesis of the preface and postscript of the songs set in the podcast program to the user terminal device. In addition, the voice distribution service provides the data for voice creation to the creator terminal device.

[0100] In the user terminal device, the program renderer is executed according to the operation of the user (listener), and the podcast program is reproduced.

[0101] When reproducing a desired program from among podcast programs published by a program distribution service, the program renderer performs rendering of songs distributed from the song distribution service and TTS voices distributed from the voice distribution service based on configuration data (reproduction data) related to the configuration of the program.

[0102] Therefore, the podcast program is reproduced (recreated) and can be viewed or listened to by the user. Note that the program renderer executed by the user terminal device can also be said to be a reproduction player.

[0103] Figure 7 An example of a script describing the configuration of a podcast show is shown.

[0104] like Figure 7 As shown, in the virtual podcast system, a podcast program is configured by setting a plurality of song IDs of the songs to be programmed and a collection of the preface and postscript of the songs. Figure 7 The script shown in is described.

[0105] exist Figure 7 In the script, the title and owner of the program, the release date, the name of the service used as the distribution source of the song, etc. are described at the beginning as information about the program.

[0106] In the script, information about the tracks is described after information about the program. Figure 7 An example of the description of the first track among N tracks is shown.

[0107] In the track, information on the number (Number), preface (Warm-up), song (song), and postscript (After-song) of the target track is described.

[0108] In the song, identification information (id) for identifying the song and information about the song title (title) and artist name (artist) are described. For example, by describing the song ID "1234567", the music distribution service "serviceA" can be requested to distribute the song specified by the song ID.

[0109] In the preface (Warm-up) and postscript (After-song), commentary information corresponding to comments about the song is described. For example, the preface contains the text "This song was written with...... It's still a great song!", and the postscript contains the text "It's still the best song...", allowing these texts to be converted into speech and read aloud using the TTS service.

[0110] exist Figure 7 In the example, only the first track is described, that is, an example of describing information related to the first song is shown. However, for the second and subsequent songs, similar to the first song, the song ID, preface, and postscript are described as a set for each song.

[0111] In this way, the creator terminal device used by the creator generates a script including the song ID of the song and the preface and postscript related to the song, and registers it in the program distribution service, thereby distributing it to users.

[0112] On the other hand, in the user terminal device used by the user, based on the script published by the program distribution service, control is performed so that the song indicated by the song ID is distributed through streaming using the rights that the user has acquired through the contract with the music distribution service, and control is performed so that TTS voices for the preface and postscript are provided.

[0113] In other words, the script only describes the song ID of the song as well as the preface and postscript in text, and does not include the data of the song or voice reproduced in the podcast program. Instead, in the user terminal device, the data of the song or voice is reproduced based on the song ID described in the script and the information indicated by the preface and postscript, thereby recreating the program created by the creator.

[0114] Furthermore, an already existing playlist can be programmed by generating a script for adding prefaces and postscripts to the songs (their song IDs) in the playlist, and thus, the user can easily programme the playlist simply by inputting the prefaces and postscripts of the songs.

[0115] (System Configuration)

[0116] Figure 8 The configuration of a virtual podcast system is shown as an example of the configuration of an embodiment of a content providing system to which the present technology is applied. Note that this content providing system can also be said to be an information processing system including a plurality of information processing devices.

[0117] exist Figure 8In the embodiment, the content providing system 1 includes a creator terminal device 10, a user terminal device 20, a program distribution server 30A, a song distribution server 30B and a voice distribution server 30C.

[0118] In the content providing system 1 , the creator terminal device 10 , the user terminal device 20 , the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 30B, and the voice distribution server 30C are connected to one another via a network 50 .

[0119] The creator terminal device 10 is a device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer, and is used by a creator.

[0120] The creator terminal device 10 generates a script of a podcast program according to the creator's operation, and transmits (uploads) the script of the podcast program to the program distribution server 30A via the network 50 .

[0121] The user terminal device 20 is a device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a music player, a game device, or a personal computer, and is used by a user.

[0122] The user terminal device 20 accesses the program distribution server 30A via the network 50 according to an operation performed by the user, and receives (downloads) the script of the podcast program.

[0123] The program distribution server 30A includes one or more servers that provide a program distribution service. The program distribution service is a service for distributing podcast programs and is provided by a program distributor.

[0124] The program distribution server 30A receives the script of the program transmitted (uploaded) from the creator terminal device 10 via the network 50 , and registers the script in a storage medium so that the user can browse it using the user terminal device 20 .

[0125] When the program distribution server 30A receives a reproduction request for a program transmitted from the user terminal device 20 via the network 50 , the program distribution server 30A reads the script of the program from the storage medium and distributes the script to the user terminal device 20 as the reproduction request source.

[0126] The song distribution server 30B includes one or more servers that provide music distribution services. Music distribution services are services that distribute songs over the Internet and are provided by music distributors. For example, music distribution services are provided in an unlimited listening format with a fixed-rate stream.

[0127] Upon receiving a distribution request for a song transmitted from the user terminal device 20 via the network 50 , the song distribution server 30B specifies the song corresponding to the received distribution request and distributes streaming data of the song to the user terminal device 20 as the distribution request source.

[0128] The voice distribution server 30C includes one or more servers that provide a voice distribution service. The voice distribution service is a service for distributing voices such as TTS voices or original voices via the Internet and is provided by a voice distributor.

[0129] When the voice distribution server 30C receives a voice distribution request transmitted from the user terminal device 20 via the network 50, the voice distribution server 30C acquires the voice corresponding to the received distribution request and distributes the voice data to the user terminal device 20 that is the distribution request source.

[0130] Note that in the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish them, the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 30B, and the voice distribution server 30C are referred to as distribution servers 30. In addition, the program distributor, the music distributor, and the voice distributor may be the same business or different businesses.

[0131] The network 50 includes a communication network such as the Internet, an intranet, or a mobile phone network, and enables interconnection between devices using a communication protocol such as Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP).

[0132] (Configuration of the creator's terminal device)

[0133] Figure 9 Shown Figure 8 An example of the configuration of the creator terminal device 10.

[0134] like Figure 9 As shown, in the creator terminal device 10 , a central processing unit (CPU) 101 , a read-only memory (ROM) 102 , and a random access memory (RAM) 103 are connected to each other via a bus 104 .

[0135] The CPU 101 controls the operation of each unit of the creator terminal device 10 by executing a program recorded in the ROM 102 or the storage unit 107. Various data are stored in the RAM 103 as appropriate.

[0136] An input-output I / F 110 is also connected to the bus 104 . An input unit 105 , an output unit 106 , a storage unit 107 , a communication unit 108 , and a near-field wireless communication unit 109 are connected to the input-output I / F 110 .

[0137] The input unit 105 supplies various input data to each unit including the CPU 101 via the input-output I / F 110. The input unit 105 includes an operation unit 111, a camera unit 112, and a sensor unit 113, for example.

[0138] The operation unit 111 is operated by the author and supplies operation data corresponding to the operation to the CPU 101. The operation unit 111 includes physical buttons, a touch panel, and the like.

[0139] The camera unit 112 photoelectrically converts light from a subject incident thereon and performs signal processing on an electric signal obtained as a result, thereby generating and outputting captured image data. The camera unit 112 includes an image sensor, a signal processing unit, and the like.

[0140] The sensor unit 113 performs sensing of spatial information, temporal information, and the like, and outputs sensor data obtained as a result of the sensing.

[0141] The sensor unit 113 includes an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, and the like. The acceleration sensor measures acceleration in the three directions of the X, Y, and Z axes. The gyroscope sensor measures angular velocity in the three directions of the X, Y, and Z axes. Note that an inertial measurement unit (IMU) may be provided to measure three-dimensional acceleration and angular velocity using an accelerometer in three directions and a gyroscope having three axes.

[0142] In addition, the sensor unit 113 may include various sensors, such as a sound sensor (microphone) that detects sounds such as the creator's voice, a biometric sensor that measures information such as the heart rate, body temperature, or posture of a living being, a proximity sensor that measures nearby objects, and a magnetic sensor that measures the magnitude and direction of a magnetic field.

[0143] The output unit 106 outputs various types of information via the input-output I / F 110 under the control of the CPU 101. The output unit 106 includes a display unit 121 and a sound output unit 122, for example.

[0144] The display unit 121 displays an image or the like corresponding to image data under the control of the CPU 101. The display unit 121 includes a panel unit such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, a signal processing unit, and the like.

[0145] The sound output unit 122 outputs sound corresponding to the sound data under the control of the CPU 101. The sound output unit 122 includes a speaker, headphones, etc. connected to an output terminal.

[0146] The storage unit 107 records various data and programs under the control of the CPU 101. The CPU 101 reads and processes various data from the storage unit 107, and executes the programs.

[0147] The storage unit 107 is configured as an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 107 may be configured as an internal storage device, or may be an external storage device such as a memory card.

[0148] The communication unit 108 communicates with other devices via the network 50 under the control of the CPU 101. The communication unit 108 is configured as a communication module compatible with cellular communication (eg, LTE-Advanced, 5G, etc.), wireless communication such as a wireless local area network (LAN), or wired communication.

[0149] The near field wireless communication unit 109 performs wireless communication according to a near field wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Near Field Communication (NFC), and exchanges various data.

[0150] Notice, Figure 9 The illustrated configuration of the creator terminal device 10 is an example, and for example, a microphone may be provided as an input unit, or an image processing circuit such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a power supply circuit, etc. may be provided.

[0151] Figure 10 1 shows an example of a functional configuration of the control unit 100 in the creator terminal device 10. The functions of the control unit 100 are realized by the CPU 101 executing a program such as a program creation tool or a voice creation tool.

[0152] exist Figure 10 , the control unit 100 includes an input receiving unit 151, a song information acquiring unit 152, a program generating unit 153, a voice information acquiring unit 154, a voice generating unit 155, a registering unit 156, and a supporting unit 157.

[0153] The input receiving unit 151 receives operation data corresponding to the author's operation supplied from the input unit 105 , and supplies the operation data to the program generating unit 153 .

[0154] The song information acquisition unit 152 acquires song information about songs supplied from the communication unit 108 communicating with the song distribution server 30B, and supplies the song information to the program generation unit 153. The song information includes information such as a song list and song ID received from the song distribution server 30B.

[0155] Based on the operation data provided from the input receiving unit 151 , the program generating unit 153 processes the song information provided from the song information acquiring unit 152 and the commentary information about the preface and postscript, thereby generating a script of the podcast program and providing the script to the registration unit 156 .

[0156] The speech information acquisition unit 154 acquires speech information about the speech of the preface and postscript supplied from the communication unit 108 communicating with the speech distribution server 30C, and supplies the speech information to the speech generation unit 155. The speech information includes information such as information about speech at the time of speech synthesis or speech creation received from the speech distribution server 30C.

[0157] The voice generating unit 155 processes the voice information supplied from the voice information acquiring unit 154 to generate a voice for the creator to set the foreword and postscript, and supplies the voice to the program generating unit 153 .

[0158] When generating a podcast program, the program generation unit 153 uses the voice provided from the voice generation unit 155 to provide the creator with information about the settings of the preface and postscript (voice during voice synthesis, etc.), thereby generating a script of the program and providing the script to the registration unit 156.

[0159] The registration unit 156 controls the communication unit 108 to upload and register the script of the program supplied from the program generation unit 153 to the program distribution server 30A via the network 50 .

[0160] The support unit 157 operates in cooperation with the input receiving unit 151, the song information acquiring unit 152, the program generating unit 153, and the voice information acquiring unit 154, thereby supporting the creation of a scenario by a creator.

[0161] (Distribution server configuration)

[0162] Figure 11 Shown Figure 8 An example of the configuration of the distribution server 30 of FIG. Note that the distribution server 30 corresponds to Figure 8 Any of the program distribution server 30A, song distribution server 30B, and voice distribution server 30C shown.

[0163] In the distribution server 30, a CPU 301, a ROM 302, and a RAM 303 are connected to each other via a bus 304. An input-output I / F 310 is also connected to the bus 304. An input unit 305, an output unit 306, a storage unit 307, a communication unit 308, and a drive 309 are connected to the input-output I / F 310.

[0164] The input unit 305 includes a microphone, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The output unit 306 includes a speaker, a display, etc.

[0165] The storage unit 307 includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a semiconductor memory, etc. The communication unit 308 is configured as a communication module compatible with wireless communication such as a wireless LAN or wired communication such as Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0166] The drive 309 drives a removable recording medium 311 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory.

[0167] Figure 12 1 shows an example of a functional configuration of the control unit 300 in the distribution server 30. The functions of the control unit 300 are realized by the CPU 301 executing a program for each service.

[0168] exist Figure 12 In the example, the control unit 300 includes a request reception-response unit 351 , a distribution processing unit 352 , and a database 353 .

[0169] The request reception-response unit 351 receives various requests supplied from the communication unit 308 communicating with the creator terminal device 10 or the user terminal device 20 , and supplies the requests to the distribution processing unit 352 .

[0170] The distribution processing unit 352 performs distribution processing according to various requests supplied from the request reception-response unit 351 .

[0171] The database 353 is recorded in the storage unit 307 including a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or a semiconductor memory.

[0172] For example, scripts for podcast programs and the like are stored in the database 353 of the program distribution server 30A. Furthermore, songs provided by music distribution services are stored in the database 353 of the song distribution server 30B in association with their song IDs. Furthermore, the database 353 of the voice distribution server 30C stores information related to voice during speech synthesis or voice creation, as well as preface and postscript voice data.

[0173] When executing the distribution processing, the distribution processing unit 352 processes various data stored in the database 353 , generates responses according to various requests, and supplies the responses to the request reception-response unit 351 .

[0174] The request reception-response unit 351 controls the communication unit 308 to transmit responses according to various requests supplied from the distribution processing unit 352 to the author terminal device 10 or the user terminal device 20 as the request source via the network 50 .

[0175] Next, the flow of processing executed in each device of the content providing system 1 will be described.

[0176] (Entire processing flow)

[0177] Figure 13 1 is a sequence diagram showing the overall processing flow of the content providing system 1 .

[0178] exist Figure 13 In the example, the program creation tool is executed by the creator terminal device 10, and the program renderer is executed by the user terminal device 20. Figure 13 In the example, the program distribution service is provided by the program distribution server 30A, the music distribution service is provided by the song distribution server 30B, and the TTS service is provided by the voice distribution server 30C.

[0179] In the creator terminal device 10, the program creation tool is executed by the control unit 100, and the processing of steps S11 to S14 is performed.

[0180] The program creation tool requests the song distribution server 30B for a song list, thereby acquiring the song list sent from the song distribution server 30B and presenting the song list to the creator (S11 and S12).

[0181] The program creation tool generates a script of the podcast program based on the song ID of the song selected by the creator from the song list and the text of the preface and postscript of the song input by the creator (S13), and registers the script in the program distribution server 30A (S14).

[0182] Therefore, in the program distribution server 30A, the scripts of the podcast programs created by the creators are stored in the database 353 and can be browsed by the user using the user terminal device 20.

[0183] In the user terminal device 20 , the program renderer is executed by the control unit 200 , and the program renderer operates in cooperation with each distribution server 30 , so that the processes of steps S15 to S26 are performed.

[0184] In the program renderer, when an instruction for reproducing the podcast program published to be browsed on the program distribution server 30A is given by the user's operation, the script of the program distributed from the program distribution server 30A is received (S15 and S16).

[0185] The program renderer requests the voice distribution server 30C to perform voice synthesis of the text of the preface based on the preface provided at the beginning of the received script ( S17 ).

[0186] In the speech distribution server 30C, in response to the request from the program renderer, speech synthesis of the main text of the preface is performed ( S18 ), and the result of the speech synthesis is distributed ( S19 ).

[0187] Therefore, in the program renderer, the result of the speech synthesis distributed from the speech distribution server 30C is received and rendering processing is performed so that the TTS speech of the introduction part set in the programmed song is reproduced.

[0188] Next, based on the song ID set next to the preface of the received script, the program renderer requests the song distribution server 30B that provides the music distribution service contracted by the user to distribute the song specified by the song ID (S20).

[0189] In the song distribution server 30B, in response to a request from the program renderer, the rights acquired by the user through the contract with the music distribution service are confirmed (S21), and when it is determined that the user has legal rights and reproduction of the song specified by the song ID is possible, streaming distribution of the song is performed (S22).

[0190] Therefore, in the program renderer, the streaming data of the song distributed from the song distribution server 30B is received and rendering processing is performed so that the song specified by the song ID is reproduced as a program-based song.

[0191] Thereafter, when the reproduction of the song distributed by streaming is completed, the program renderer requests the voice distribution server 30C to perform voice synthesis of the text of the postscript based on the postscript set next to the song ID of the received script (S23).

[0192] In the speech distribution server 30C, in response to a request from the program renderer, speech synthesis of the postscript text is performed ( S24 ), and the result of the speech synthesis is distributed ( S25 ).

[0193] Therefore, in the program renderer, the result of the speech synthesis distributed from the speech distribution server 30C is received and rendering processing is performed so that the TTS speech of the postscript part set in the programmed song is reproduced.

[0194] In addition, in the script of the podcast program, since the song ID of each of a plurality of songs is programmed together with the text of the preface and postscript of the song, after completing the processing of steps S17 to S25, the processing returns to the processing of step S17 (S26), and the processing of steps S17 to S26 is repeated according to the number of song IDs.

[0195] Therefore, in the program renderer, reproduction is repeatedly performed in the order of the preface, song, and postscript for each song ID set in the script of the program, and the podcast program can be viewed or listened to by the user.

[0196] The entire processing flow has been described above.

[0197] (Process of supporting creators)

[0198] Figure 14 This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the case of supporting the generation of a scenario when a creator creates a program.

[0199] exist Figure 14 In steps S11 to S14, as in Figure 13 As described in steps S11 to S14, the script of the podcast program is generated by the program creation tool and registered in the program distribution server 30A.

[0200] At this time, Figure 14 In the sequence diagram of , when a script for a podcast program is generated, processing (S13A) for supporting script generation is performed.

[0201] That is, the program creation tool receives a song list from the song distribution server 30B by sending information such as the user ID of the creator registered in the music distribution service to the song distribution server 30B providing the music distribution service contracted by the creator (S11 and S12).

[0202] Therefore, in the creator terminal device 10, when the creator creates a podcast program, a song list is presented by the program creation tool, and designation of songs to be included in the program is supported (S13A).

[0203] Although the details will be described later, when a creator creates a podcast program, that is, when generating the script of the program, support is not limited to specific support for songs, and also provides support for setting prefaces and postscripts, setting the order of songs, etc.

[0204] In response to the creator's operation of receiving such support, a script of the podcast program is generated (S13B) and registered in the program distribution server 30A (S14).

[0205] Afterwards, as referenced Figure 13 As described in the sequence diagram in , the podcast program is reproduced by the program renderer (S15 to S26).

[0206] In other words, in the program renderer, when an instruction is given to reproduce a podcast program published on the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 30B and the voice distribution server 30C are accessed based on the script of the program, so that the preface, song and postscript of each song specified by the song ID are repeatedly reproduced.

[0207] The flow of processing in the case of supporting the generation of a scenario when a creator creates a program has been described above.

[0208] (Overall image processed)

[0209] Figure 15 and Figure 16 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the first embodiment.

[0210] Figure 15 and Figure 16The illustrated processing is realized by (the control unit 100 of) the creator terminal device 10 and (the control unit 300 of) the distribution server 30 in the content providing system to which the present technology is applied, operating in cooperation.

[0211] That is, the process is performed by at least one of the control unit 100 or the control unit 300 .

[0212] In the content providing system 1, as Figure 15 As shown, when a script is generated based on an input from an author using the author terminal device 10, a script generation support process (S111) is executed.

[0213] In script generation support processing, such as Figure 16 As shown, the system supports designation of content (S131), setting of comments (S132), setting of the reproduction order of content (S133), and the like.

[0214] Here, content includes songs distributed by music distribution services. Commentary, for example, includes a preface or postscript for a song, and only one of the preface and postscript is required. For example, when programming songs, in addition to inserting a preface or postscript per song, you can also insert narration as a preface and then play three songs consecutively. Or, after playing four songs consecutively, you can insert a postscript expressing your impressions of the songs.

[0215] Back to Figure 15 In the description, in the case where a script is generated according to an instruction from the creator ("Yes" in S112), a script including identification information of the content and comment information corresponding to the comments on the content is generated based on the input (S113), and the script is stored in a predetermined storage medium for the user to browse using the user terminal device 20 (S114).

[0216] Here, content identification information includes song IDs that can identify songs distributed by the music distribution service, etc. Comment information includes text indicating comments, link information to the original voice of the creator, etc. Note that the description will be given assuming that the comment information corresponds to comments related to the content, but the comment information is not necessarily related to the content and can correspond to comments unrelated to the content. In addition, the predetermined storage medium can be, for example, the storage unit 307 (database 353) of the program distribution server 30A.

[0217] As described above, when content is programmed, it is possible to more easily generate a scenario by performing support for providing content, commenting on the content, and the like.

[0218] For example, when a creator programs a song, even if they can choose the first two or three programs, the preface, and the postscript, it is assumed that they cannot think more than that. Alternatively, even if the creator easily chooses favorite genres and songs, it is assumed that the creator is concerned about the order in which the songs will be played.

[0219] On the other hand, the present technology provides a tool that supports creators to easily select favorite songs and determine the order in which the songs are reproduced when creating a podcast program using a program creation tool.

[0220] <2. Second embodiment>

[0221] As a method of supporting creators when creating podcast programs, there is a method of presenting a song candidate list on the screen of a program creation tool.

[0222] The songs presented in the song candidate list may be songs that at least the creator (user) has listened to.

[0223] For example, songs by artists that the creator likes, songs that he or she plays frequently, songs that the creator has rated highly in the past (e.g., "like"), songs shared with other users, and songs specified by a music recognition application can all be included in the song candidate list. Conversely, songs by artists that the creator dislikes, songs that he or she has played infrequently within a predetermined period, and songs that the creator has rated low in the past (e.g., "dislike") do not need to be included in the song candidate list.

[0224] Furthermore, songs of artists whose concerts the creator has attended, purchase history at ticket agencies, etc. may be referenced, or songs that were listened to in the same period as when the song was already a candidate may be included.

[0225] (Flow of Song Candidate List Presentation Process)

[0226] Figure 17 This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the case of presenting songs that the creator has listened to when creating a program.

[0227] exist Figure 17 In steps S11 to S14, as in Figure 13 As described in steps S11 to S14, the script of the podcast program is generated by the program creation tool and registered in the program distribution server 30A.

[0228] At this time, the song distribution server 30B specifies a list of song candidates that the creator has listened to from the reproduction history of the creator's songs in the music distribution service based on the creator's user ID, and provides the list as a song candidate list to the program creation tool (S51).

[0229] For example, the reproduction history of a song may include songs that are reproduced frequently by the creator himself or herself, songs that were highly rated by the creator in the past (e.g., songs given "likes"), songs shared by the creator with other users, songs specified by an application (music recognition application) that can identify songs reproduced around the creator, and the like.

[0230] In addition, when specifying song candidates, it is possible to refer to songs of artists whose concerts the creator has attended in the past, purchase history at ticket agencies, etc. Alternatively, songs that the creator has listened to in the same period as when the song was already a candidate for the song can be included.

[0231] Therefore, in the program creation tool, when a creator creates a podcast program, a song candidate list provided from the song distribution server 30B is presented, and designation of songs to be included in the program is supported (S13A).

[0232] Figure 18 An example of a user interface (UI) of a program creation tool is shown.

[0233] exist Figure 18 , the program creation screen 410 is a screen displayed when the program creation tool is executed, and is a UI for creating a podcast program.

[0234] The program creation screen 410 includes an operation area 411 , a title setting area 412 , an opening statement setting area 413 , a song preface-postscript setting area 414 , a song preface-postscript setting area 415 , and a song candidate list area 421 .

[0235] The operation area 411 is an area for operating and listening to songs to be set in the program. The operation area 411 includes buttons for reproducing or stopping songs, buttons for selecting previous and next songs, a search bar indicating the position of the song being reproduced, etc.

[0236] The title setting area 412 is an area for setting the title of the program.

[0237] The opening speech setting area 413 is an area for setting the opening speech. For example, in the opening speech setting area 413, a voice file of the opening speech is set. However, if the opening speech is not required, the voice file does not necessarily have to be set.

[0238] The set song introduction-afterword area 414 is an area where the set song and the introduction and afterword of the song are displayed.

[0239] For example, in the song preface / postscript setting area 414-1, a preface of "voice file 1" and a postscript of "voice file 2" are set for the song "Song 1". In addition, in the song preface / postscript setting area 414-2, a preface of "voice file 3" and a postscript of "voice file 4" are set for the song "Song 2".

[0240] The song preface-postscript setting area 415 is an area for setting a song and the preface and postscript of the song.

[0241] The song preface-postscript setting area 415 includes a song adding button ("Add music from song catalog") for selecting a file of a desired song from a song catalog, a preface adding button ("Add voice file before") for setting a desired preface, and a postscript adding button ("Add voice file after") for setting a desired postscript.

[0242] The song candidate list area 421 is an area for displaying a song candidate list (candidate song list) provided by the song distribution server 30B. In this example, "Song 1," "Song 2," "Song 3," "Song 4," "Song 5," and so on are presented as song candidates based on the song's reproduction history, such as the frequency of reproduction by the composer.

[0243] The creator can select a desired song at least from songs that the creator has listened to by referring to the song candidates presented in the song candidate list area 421 of the program creation screen 410 .

[0244] At this time, for example, in the case where the creator terminal device 10 is a device such as a smart phone with a touch panel, the desired song can be selected by a tapping operation, or in the case where the creator terminal device 10 is a device such as a personal computer with a mouse, the desired song only needs to be selected by a clicking operation.

[0245] Furthermore, in the song candidate list area 421 , in the case where the introduction and postscript have been set to be browseable for the song candidates presented as a list, the introduction and postscript may be presented together with the song candidates as reference information.

[0246] By operating the program creation screen 410 by the creator, for example, the following podcast program is created.

[0247] Opening remarks ("opening remarks file")

[0248] Introduction to the first song ("Voice File 1") → First song ("Song 1") → Postscript to the first song ("Voice File 2")

[0249] Preface of the second song ("Voice File 3") → Second song ("Song 2") → Postscript of the second song ("Voice File 4") ......

[0250] Note that, although not shown here due to duplication, the preface and postscript may be similarly provided for the third and subsequent songs.

[0251] Back to Figure 17 As described, in the program creation tool, a script of a podcast program is generated based on the song ID of a song selected by the creator from a song candidate list and the preface and postscript of the song (S13B), and the script of the podcast program is registered in the program distribution server 30A (S14).

[0252] Afterwards, as referenced Figure 13 As described in the sequence diagram in , the podcast program is reproduced by the program renderer (S15 to S26).

[0253] In other words, in the program renderer, when an instruction is given to reproduce a podcast program published on the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 30B and the voice distribution server 30C are accessed based on the script of the program, so that the preface, song and postscript of each song specified by the song ID are repeatedly reproduced.

[0254] The flow of processing in the case of presenting songs that the creator has listened to when the creator creates a program has been described above.

[0255] (Overall image processed)

[0256] Figure 19 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the second embodiment.

[0257] This is achieved by the creator terminal device 10 (control unit 100) and the distribution server 30 (control unit 300) operating in collaboration in the content providing system to which this technology is applied. Figure 19 The processing shown. Note that Figure 19 The treatment shown is with Figure 15 The script generation support process shown here corresponds to the process (S111).

[0258] In the content providing system 1, as Figure 19As shown, a content candidate list is received in response to a request including a user ID of an author (S211 and S212), and content according to the content reproduction history of the author is presented as a content candidate list on an interface for creating a script (S213).

[0259] In other words, on the creator terminal device 10, songs based on the creator's playback history are prioritized in the song candidate list sent from the song distribution server 30B on the program creation tool UI, and the song candidate list can be designated as a program. For example, the content candidate list can be presented in descending order of the creator's playback history.

[0260] <3. Third embodiment>

[0261] As a method of supporting creators when they create podcast shows, there is a method of presenting new automatically generated shows to the creators.

[0262] As a method of automatically generating a program, by generating in advance a plurality of packages storing songs and prefaces and postscripts of the songs and analyzing the prefaces and postscripts, a script of a new program can be automatically generated based on the analysis results.

[0263] (Flow of Automatic Program Generation Processing)

[0264] Figure 20 This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the case of automatically generating and presenting a program from a plurality of packages.

[0265] exist Figure 20 In steps S11 to S14, as in Figure 13 As described in steps S11 to S14, the script of the podcast program is generated by the program creation tool and registered in the program distribution server 30A.

[0266] At this time, when the creator creates a podcast program, the program creation tool automatically generates a new podcast program using multiple pre-generated packages and presents the program to the creator, thereby supporting the generation of the program script.

[0267] In the program creation tool, a song is designated and the preface and postscript of the song are set, and a plurality of packages storing the song, the preface and the postscript are generated (S13A). Note that, in practice, it is assumed that the generation of the package is performed in advance before starting to create the program.

[0268] The program creation tool automatically generates a script for a new program by analyzing the prefaces and postscripts stored in a plurality of packages (S13B). Here, the order of the songs in the automatically generated program is set by analyzing the context of the prefaces and postscripts through natural language processing, etc.

[0269] Figure 21An example of a program automatically generated from multiple packages is shown.

[0270] Figure 21 A case where a program is automatically generated from three packages P1 to P3 is shown.

[0271] Package P1 stores the preface "This song reminds me of when I first entered college. I recommend it to you", song A, and the postscript "It's really heartwarming. It could be a perfect ending song".

[0272] Package P2 stores the preface "It is the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Speaking of cherry blossoms in full bloom, there is this song", song B, and the postscript "It is fun".

[0273] Package P3 stores the preface "Spring feels good. When spring comes, this song plays in my head", song C, and the postscript "What do you think of it? Does it make you feel refreshed?"

[0274] exist Figure 21 In the example, three packages P1 to P3 are specified from keywords related to "spring", and the preface and postscript of each song are analyzed, so that a program reproduced in the order of song B, song C, and song A is generated as an automatically generated program.

[0275] In other words, since the postscript for song B stored in package P2 indicates that song B is "fun," song B is set as the first song in the automatically generated program. Furthermore, the postscript for song A stored in package P1 indicates that song A is a song that "creates a perfect ending," and therefore song A is set as the third song from the end of the automatically generated program. Consequently, the remaining song, song C, is set as the second song in the automatically generated program.

[0276] Back to Figure 20 As described above, in the program creation tool, the automatically generated program generated in this manner is presented to the creator. The creator checks the content of the presented automatically generated program and, if the creator adopts the program, indicates that the program is adopted, so that the script of the automatically generated program is registered in the program distribution server 30A (S14).

[0277] Note that when checking the contents of an automatically generated program, the creator can register the program after editing the preface, postscript, or songs.

[0278] Afterwards, as referenced Figure 13 As described in the sequence diagram in , the podcast program is reproduced by the program renderer (S15 to S26).

[0279] In other words, in the program renderer, when an instruction is given to reproduce a podcast program published on the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 30B and the voice distribution server 30C are accessed based on the script of the program, so that the preface, song and postscript of each song specified by the song ID are repeatedly reproduced.

[0280] The flow of processing in the case of automatically generating and presenting a program from a plurality of packages has been described above.

[0281] (Overall image processed)

[0282] Figure 22 and Figure 23 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the third embodiment.

[0283] Figure 22 and Figure 23 The illustrated processing is realized by (the control unit 100 of) the creator terminal device 10 and (the control unit 300 of) the distribution server 30 in the content providing system to which the present technology is applied, operating in cooperation.

[0284] In the content providing system 1, as Figure 22 As shown, multiple packages are generated, which include identification information of the content, first comment information corresponding to the preface of the content, and second comment information corresponding to the postscript of the content (S311), and the multiple packages are stored in a predetermined storage medium for users to browse using the user terminal device 20 (S312).

[0285] Here, the content includes songs and the like distributed by a music distribution service, and the identification information of the content includes a song ID and the like that can identify the song.

[0286] The first comment information includes the text or original voice of the introduction. The second comment information includes the text or original voice of the postscript. In other words, the package includes the introduction, song ID, and postscript. For example, the predetermined storage medium may be database 353 of program distribution server 30A.

[0287] Furthermore, in the content providing system 1, as Figure 23 As shown, a plurality of packages stored in a predetermined storage medium are acquired (S331), the contents of the prefaces and postscripts included in the plurality of packages are analyzed (S332), the order of the packages is specified based on the analysis result, and a new script is automatically generated (S333).

[0288] Then, the automatically generated new script is presented on the interface (S334).

[0289] Specifically, the creator's terminal device 10 presents the automatically generated program (script) on the program creation tool's UI. Multiple prefaces and postscripts for the program are pre-generated as a package (preface, songs, and postscript), and these prefaces and postscripts are analyzed, allowing the new program to be automatically generated and presented to the creator. Furthermore, for example, the program can be automatically generated by determining the order in which the multiple prefaces, songs, and postscripts are arranged based on their content.

[0290] <4. Fourth embodiment>

[0291] As a support method for creators when creating podcast programs, there is a method of presenting popular prefaces and postscripts to the creators or presenting relevant information of all media.

[0292] As a method of presenting the preface and postscript of popularity, the preface and postscript of popularity can be presented by specifying the most popular preface and postscript based on user evaluation of the preface and postscript of a specific song. In addition, relevant information of any media can be presented, such as a web page of an article related to the singer of the song or lyrics of the song posted on the Internet.

[0293] (Popular preface and postscript presentation process)

[0294] Figure 24 : is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the case of presenting a popular foreword and postscript.

[0295] exist Figure 24 In steps S11 to S14, as in Figure 13 As described in steps S11 to S14, the script of the podcast program is generated by the program creation tool and registered in the program distribution server 30A.

[0296] At this time, when the creator creates a podcast program, the program creation tool supports the generation of the program's script by specifying the most popular prefaces and postfaces based on user evaluations of the prefaces and postfaces of specific songs, thereby presenting popular prefaces and postfaces.

[0297] In the program creation tool, the song candidate list provided from the song distribution server 30B is presented to the creator so that a desired song is designated from the song candidate list according to the creator's operation (S13A).

[0298] Figure 25 An example of a UI of a program creation tool is shown.

[0299] exist Figure 25, the program creation screen 510 is a screen displayed when the program creation tool is executed, and is a UI for creating a podcast program. The program creation screen 510 includes a song selection area 511, a preface input area 512, and a postscript input area 513.

[0300] The song selection area 511 is an area for selecting songs to be set in the program. Figure 25 In the example of , since the creator has selected “Song abc” by “Idol Group A” as the desired song from the song candidate list, the image of the cover of the song is displayed in the song selection area 511 .

[0301] The preface input area 512 is an area for inputting the preface of the song. For example, if the creator terminal device 10 is a device such as a smartphone with a touch panel, the creator can perform a tapping operation on the soft keyboard displayed on the display unit 121 superimposed with the touch panel to input a desired comment for the preface as text.

[0302] In addition, if the creator terminal device 10 can use a voice recognition application programming interface (API) service on the cloud, the voice recognition service can be used to convert the voice input of the desired preface by the creator into text. Alternatively, if the creator terminal device 10 is a device such as a personal computer with a keyboard, it is only necessary to operate the keyboard to input the comments of the desired preface.

[0303] The postscript input area 513 is an area for inputting postscripts of a song. In the postscript input area 513, a desired postscript comment is inputted by operating the software keyboard or by voice inputting by the composer.

[0304] Back to Figure 24 The program creation tool requests the song distribution server 30B for the introduction and postscript of a specific song (S13B). In response to the request from the program creation tool, the song distribution server 30B generates a list of introductions and postscripts based on user evaluations (S61). The generated list is sent to the program creation tool (S13C).

[0305] Therefore, the program creation tool receives the list from the song distribution server 30B and presents the list of prefaces and postscripts to the creator in the order of user evaluation (S13D).

[0306] Figure 26 An example of presenting the ranking of the introduction and postscript of a song is shown.

[0307] exist Figure 26 , the preface and postscript ranking 521 shows the ranking of the preface and postscript of song abc specified by the composer.

[0308] exist Figure 26 In the example, as the rankings of the intro and postscript of song abc, the first place is "Intro A" and "Postscript B", the second place is "Intro C" and "Postscript D", the third place is "Intro E" and "Postscript F", the fourth place is "Intro G" and "Postscript H", and the fifth place is "Intro I" and "Postscript J".

[0309] Back to Figure 24 The creator checks the contents of the rankings of the presented prefaces and postscripts, and inputs the prefaces and postscripts to the preface input area 512 and postscript input area 513 ( Figure 25 ), and thus, the original preface and postscript are generated (S13E).

[0310] Therefore, for example, the song ID of song abc is set as the first song of the podcast program, and the preface and postscript ranked by popularity are set as the preface and postscript of song abc. In addition, if there is a second or subsequent song to be programmed, the process returns to step S13A (S13F), and the processes of steps S13A to S13F are repeated.

[0311] Then, when the program formation of the songs is completed, the script of the podcast program is registered in the program distribution server 30A (S14).

[0312] Afterwards, as referenced Figure 13 As described in the sequence diagram in , the podcast program is reproduced by the program renderer (S15 to S26).

[0313] In other words, in the program renderer, when an instruction is given to reproduce a podcast program published on the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 30B and the voice distribution server 30C are accessed based on the script of the program, so that the preface, song and postscript of each song specified by the song ID are repeatedly reproduced.

[0314] The flow of processing in the case of presenting popular prefaces and postscripts has been described above.

[0315] In the above description, the case where creation of the preface and postscript is supported by presenting rankings of popularity to the creator is exemplified, but the support method when creating the preface and postscript is not limited thereto, and other support methods may be used.

[0316] Figure 27 An example of presenting a similar preface and postscript is shown.

[0317] exist Figure 27 In , similarity comment 531 indicates the preface of similar songs of "song abc" specified by the creator. Figure 27 , "Song xyz" of "Idol Group A" is selected as a similar song to "Song abc", and the introduction of "Song xyz" is presented.

[0318] For example, the creator can input the preface of "Song abc" into the preface input area 512 ( Figure 25 )middle.

[0319] Figure 28 An example of presentation of lyrics for a song is shown.

[0320] exist Figure 28 In , the song lyrics 541 indicate the lyrics of "song abc" specified by the creator. Figure 28 , “Oh, ...abc abc abc...” is presented as the lyrics of “song abc”.

[0321] For example, the creator checks the lyrics of "Song abc" and enters the lyrics in the preface input area 512 and postscript input area 513 ( Figure 25 ) and enter the preface and postscript of "Song abc".

[0322] Figure 29 An example of presenting related web pages is shown.

[0323] exist Figure 29 In FIG, the web page 551 indicates a web page of an article related to "idol group A" that performed "song abc" specified by the creator.

[0324] For example, the creator can check an article related to "idol group" and refer to the article to create a new program in the preface input area 512 and postscript input area 513 ( Figure 25 ) and enter the preface and postscript of "Song abc".

[0325] In this way, it is possible to support the creation of programs by creators by presenting relevant information of various media as a UI of a program creation tool.

[0326] Note that as information for supporting the creation of a program by a creator, for example, information such as a brief history of the artist, a conversation at the time when the selected song was released, plot information about the selected song, ranking changes, statistical information such as the number of sales and downloads, information about the world at the time of the song's release, and contact information can be presented. In addition, information such as information that the creator himself or herself has promoted or mentioned the song on a blog in the past, information about live performances where the song has been released, and links to past information of the creator (user) (in this case, the creator himself or herself is a student, etc.) can be included.

[0327] (Overall image processed)

[0328] Figure 30 and Figure 31 1 is a flowchart describing an overall image of the processing in the fourth embodiment.

[0329] Figure 30 and Figure 31 The illustrated processing is realized by (the control unit 100 of) the creator terminal device 10 and (the control unit 300 of) the distribution server 30 in the content providing system to which the present technology is applied, operating in cooperation.

[0330] In the content providing system 1, as Figure 30 As shown, user evaluations of comments indicated by comment information corresponding to identification information of content included in a script stored in a predetermined storage medium so as to be browsable by a user are collected (S411).

[0331] Here, the predetermined storage medium may be, for example, the database 353 of the program distribution server 30A.

[0332] Content includes songs distributed by music distribution services, and identification information for the content includes song IDs that can identify the songs. Commentary information includes text indicating the commentary, link information to the creator's original voice, and the like. Commentary information includes, for example, the preface and postscript provided for a song, and only at least one of the preface and postscript needs to be provided.

[0333] Furthermore, in the content providing system 1, as Figure 31 As shown, when the user evaluation of the comment indicated by the comment information corresponding to the identification information of the content specified by the creator is equal to or greater than a certain level ("Yes" in S431), the comment is presented on the interface of the generated script (S432).

[0334] That is, in the creator terminal device 10, based on the user evaluation sent from the song distribution server 30B, the program creation tool UI is presented. Figure 26The preface and postscript in the list are ranked 521 and so on as the preface and postscript list.

[0335] <5. Fifth embodiment>

[0336] As a method of supporting creators when they create podcast programs, there is a method of returning profits to the creators when the preface or postscript is quoted.

[0337] For example, as a method of returning profits, when a creator registers (uploads) a preface and postscript quoted from another creator as his or her own program, a portion of the profits can be returned to the other creator who quoted the preface and postscript.

[0338] At this time, credit information of the producers (other creators) of the quoted preface and postscript is given as metadata of the script of the podcast program.

[0339] (Other system configurations)

[0340] Figure 32 An example of another configuration of an embodiment of a content providing system to which the present technology is applied is shown.

[0341] exist Figure 32 In, such as Figure 8 As in , the content providing system 1 includes the creator terminal device 10, the user terminal device 20, the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 30B and the voice distribution server 30C, but a return processing server 31 is further provided.

[0342] In response to a request from the program distribution server 30A, the return processing server 31 executes a return process for returning the reward obtained in the program distribution to the creator.

[0343] Note that the return processing server 31 has Figure 11 The configuration of the distribution server 30 shown is similar to the configuration.

[0344] (Processing of return of citations in the preface and postscript)

[0345] Figure 33 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case where a return process is executed when the preface and postscript are cited.

[0346] exist Figure 33 In steps S11 to S14, as in Figure 13 As described in steps S11 to S14, the script of the podcast program is generated by the program creation tool and registered in the program distribution server 30A.

[0347] At this time, in the program creation tool, when the creator quotes the preface and postscript created by other creators when creating a podcast program, in addition to the creator's own credit information, the credit information of the other creators is also added as metadata of the program's script (S71).

[0348] exist Figure 33 In steps S15 to S26, the podcast program is reproduced by the program renderer, such as Figure 13 As described in steps S15 to S26 in .

[0349] In other words, in the program renderer, when an instruction is given to reproduce a podcast program published on the program distribution server 30A, the song distribution server 60B and the voice distribution server 60C are accessed based on the script of the program, so that the preface, song and postscript of each song specified by the song ID are repeatedly reproduced.

[0350] At this time, the program distribution server 30A requests the return processing server 31 to perform return processing in response to the program distribution of the podcast (S72). This request includes credit information added to the program script as metadata.

[0351] In the return processing server 31, in response to the request from the program distribution server 30A, a return process according to the credit information is performed (S73).

[0352] This rebate process returns the rewards earned from podcast program distribution to the creators included in the credit information. In this example, in addition to the creators who created the program using the program creation tool, the rewards earned from program distribution are also returned to other creators who created the preface and postscript cited in the program.

[0353] For example, if a program is created by multiple creators, the contribution ratio based on the number of characters, etc., can be clearly described, and compensation can be distributed based on the contribution ratio. In addition, when quoting the preface and postscript, the return rate of compensation can be changed between quoting the entire program and quoting a portion of it.

[0354] In addition, as another method of returning profits, for example, the amount of profits returned to the creator can be reduced when the program of the podcast created by the creator is watched by a free user who uses the music distribution service for free, compared to the case where the program is watched by a premium user who has a paid contract with the music distribution service.

[0355] (Overall image processed)

[0356] Figure 34 and Figure 35 1 is a flowchart for describing an overall image of the processing in the fifth embodiment.

[0357] Figure 34 and Figure 35 The illustrated processing is realized by (the control unit 100 of) the creator terminal device 10 and (the control unit 300 of) the distribution server 30 in the content providing system to which the present technology is applied, operating in cooperation.

[0358] In the content providing system 1, as Figure 34 As shown, based on input from the creator, a script is generated, which includes identification information of the content, comment information corresponding to comments about the content, credit information indicating the creator himself or herself, and credit information of other creators who have generated comments cited by the creator (S511), and the script is stored in a predetermined storage medium for user browsing (S512).

[0359] Here, content includes songs distributed by music distribution services, and identification information for the content includes, for example, song IDs that can identify the songs. Commentary information includes text indicating the commentary and links to the original voice of the creator. Commentary is, for example, the introduction or postscript provided for a song, and only at least one of the introduction or postscript needs to be provided. Note that the script can include link information for accessing the referenced comment.

[0360] The credit information includes not only the program's creator, but also the creator of the preface and postscript. For example, when quoting a preface or postscript, the credit information includes not only the credit of the creator who created the program, but also the credit of other creators who created the quoted preface or postscript. The credit information can also include information used when performing return processing such as contribution rates. For example, the predetermined storage medium may be database 353 of program distribution server 30A.

[0361] Furthermore, in the content providing system 1, as Figure 35 As shown, in a case where a script stored in a predetermined storage medium is reproduced by a user ("Yes" in S531), the content providing system 1 is controlled to perform return processing on the author and other authors according to the reproduction of the script (S532).

[0362] That is, in the case where the program distribution server 30A distributes the script of the program in response to the request from the user terminal device 20, the return processing server 31 is caused to perform return processing based on the credit information related to the program.

[0363] <6. Modification Example>

[0364] In speech synthesis, for example, phonemes of celebrities may be purchased as phonemes of TTS, phonemes of a user or creator himself or herself may be used, or artificial phonemes not related to a specific person may be used.

[0365] The order of the songs to be programmed may be the same as the order of a past list (e.g., a playlist) that the creator has listened to in the past, or may be arranged in chronological order based on the peak period of the frequency of reproduction history of each song. The order of the songs to be programmed may be the order of the year in which the songs were released.

[0366] The preface and postscript are not limited to TTS voices and may be voices recorded by a person such as an author (original voice), for example. Input of the preface and postscript is not limited to keyboard operations or touch operations and may be performed by voice input.

[0367] <7. Computer Configuration>

[0368] The processing of each step of the above-mentioned flowchart can be performed by hardware or software. In the case where a series of processing is performed by software, a program constituting the software is installed in a computer of each device.

[0369] The program executed by the computer can be provided by, for example, recording the program in a removable recording medium as a package medium, etc. In addition, the program can be provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

[0370] In a computer, by attaching a removable recording medium to a drive, a program can be installed in a storage unit via an input / output interface. Furthermore, a program can be received by a communication unit via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in a storage unit. Furthermore, the program can be pre-installed in a ROM or storage unit.

[0371] Here, in this description, the processing performed by the computer according to the program does not necessarily have to be performed in time series in the order described in the flowchart. That is, the processing performed by the computer according to the program also includes processing performed in parallel or individually (for example, parallel processing or object processing).

[0372] Furthermore, the program may be processed by a single computer (processor) or by a plurality of computers in a distributed manner. Furthermore, the program may be transferred to a remote computer and executed.

[0373] In addition, in this specification, a system refers to a group of multiple components (devices, modules (components), etc.), and it does not matter whether all components are in the same housing. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, as well as a single device consisting of multiple modules housed in one housing, are both systems.

[0374] Note that the embodiment of the present technology is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present technology. For example, the present technology can adopt a cloud computing configuration in which one function is shared by multiple devices via a network and processed collectively.

[0375] In addition, each step described in the above flowchart can be performed by one device, or can be performed by multiple devices in a shared manner. In addition, when multiple processes are included in one step, the multiple processes included in the step can be performed by one device or by multiple devices in a shared manner.

[0376] Furthermore, the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may be provided.

[0377] Note that the present technology can also adopt the following configurations. (1)

[0379] An information processing system, comprising:

[0380] a control unit that generates a script including identification information and comment information of the content based on an input from the creator, and performs control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that the user can browse it,

[0381] The control unit has a function of supporting the creator to generate the script. (2)

[0383] The information processing system according to (1) above, wherein

[0384] The control unit preferentially presents content according to the content reproduction history of the creator as a candidate list of content on an interface for generating the script. (3)

[0386] The information processing system according to (1) or (2) above, wherein:

[0387] A plurality of packages are stored in the predetermined storage medium, each package including identification information of content, first comment information corresponding to a preface introducing the content, and second comment information corresponding to a postscript after providing the content, and

[0388] The control unit:

[0389] automatically generating a new script by analyzing the contents of the preambles and postscripts of the plurality of packages to specify the order of the packages; and

[0390] The new script is presented on the interface on which the script was generated. (4)

[0392] The information processing system according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein

[0393] collecting user evaluations of comments indicated by the comment information corresponding to identification information of content included in a script stored in the predetermined storage medium so that the user can browse, and

[0394] The control unit presents, on an interface for generating the script, comments having user evaluations of a certain level or higher among comments indicated by the comment information corresponding to identification information of the content specified by the creator. (5)

[0396] The information processing system according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein

[0397] The control unit presents relevant information of persons related to the content on an interface for generating the script. (6)

[0399] The information processing system according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein

[0400] The control unit:

[0401] generating a script based on input from the creator, the script including identification information and comment information of the content, credit information indicating the creator himself or herself, and credit information of other creators who have generated comments cited by the creator;

[0402] Controlling to store the script in the predetermined storage medium so that the user can browse it; and

[0403] Control is performed to execute return processing on the author and the other authors according to the reproduction of the scenario. (7)

[0405] The information processing system according to (6) above, wherein

[0406] The control unit controls link information for accessing the referenced comment to be included in the script. (8)

[0408] The information processing system according to (6) or (7) above, wherein

[0409] The credit information is metadata of the script. (9)

[0411] The information processing system according to (4), (6) or (7) above, wherein

[0412] The content includes songs, and

[0413] The comment includes at least one of a preface and a postscript set for the song. (10)

[0415] The information processing system according to any one of (1) to (9) above, further comprising:

[0416] a first terminal device used by the creator;

[0417] a second terminal device used by the user;

[0418] a first server having the predetermined storage medium storing the script; and

[0419] A second server distributes the content. (11)

[0421] An information processing method, comprising:

[0422] Perform the following operations through information processing equipment:

[0423] generating a script including identification information and comment information of the content based on an input from the creator, and performing control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that a user can browse the script; and

[0424] Supporting generation of the script by the author. (12)

[0426] A storage medium recording a program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device, the information processing device comprising:

[0427] a control unit that generates a script including identification information and comment information of the content based on an input from the creator, and performs control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that the user can browse it,

[0428] The control unit has a function of supporting the creator to generate the script.

[0429] Reference Signs List

[0430] 1 Content provision system

[0431] 10 Creator terminal device

[0432] 20 User terminal equipment

[0433] 30 Distribution Servers

[0434] 30A Program Distribution Server

[0435] 30B song distribution server

[0436] 30C Voice Distribution Server

[0437] 31 Return processing server

[0438] 50 Network

[0439] 100 control unit

[0440] 101 CPU

[0441] 102 ROM

[0442] 103 RAM

[0443] 104 bus

[0444] 105 Input Unit

[0445] 106 output units

[0446] 107 storage units

[0447] 108 Communication Unit

[0448] 109 Near Field Wireless Communication Unit

[0449] 110 Input-Output I / F

[0450] 111 operating unit

[0451] 112 Camera unit

[0452] 113 sensor unit

[0453] 121 display unit

[0454] 122 Sound output unit

[0455] 151 Input receiving unit

[0456] 152 Song Information Acquisition Unit

[0457] 153 Program Generation Unit

[0458] 154 Voice Information Acquisition Unit

[0459] 155 Speech Generation Unit

[0460] 156 Registration Units

[0461] 157 Support Units

[0462] 300 control unit

[0463] 301 CPU

[0464] 302 ROM

[0465] 303 RAM

[0466] 304 bus

[0467] 305 Input Unit

[0468] 306 Output Unit

[0469] 307 storage unit

[0470] 308 Communication Unit

[0471] 309 Driver

[0472] 310 Input-Output I / F

[0473] 351 Request Receive-Response Unit

[0474] 52 distribution processing units

[0475] 353 Database

Claims

1. An information processing system, comprising: a control unit that generates a script based on an input from a creator and performs control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that a user can browse the script, the script including identification information of the content and comment information of the creator on the content, The comment information includes first comment information corresponding to a preface introducing the content and second comment information corresponding to a postscript after providing the content. The control unit has a function of supporting the creator to generate the script.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit preferentially presents content according to the content reproduction history of the creator as a candidate list of content on an interface for generating the scenario.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: storing a plurality of packages in the predetermined storage medium, each package including identification information of content, first comment information corresponding to a preface introducing the content, and second comment information corresponding to a postscript after providing the content, and The control unit: automatically generating a new script by analyzing the contents of the preambles and postscripts of the plurality of packages to specify the order of the packages; and The new script is presented on the interface on which the script was generated.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: collecting user evaluations of comments indicated by the comment information corresponding to identification information of content included in the script stored in the predetermined storage medium so that the user can browse, and The control unit presents, on an interface for generating the script, comments having user evaluations of a certain level or higher among comments indicated by the comment information corresponding to identification information of the content specified by the creator.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit presents relevant information of persons related to the content on an interface for generating the script.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit: generating a script based on input from the creator, the script including identification information of content and comment information of the creator regarding the content, credit information indicating the creator himself or herself, and credit information of other creators who generated comments cited by the creator; Controlling to store the script in the predetermined storage medium so that the script can be browsed by a user; as well as Control is performed to perform return processing on the creator and the other creators according to the reproduction of the script.

7. The information processing system according to claim 6, wherein: The control unit controls link information for accessing the referenced comment to be included in the script.

8. The information processing system according to claim 6, wherein: The credit information is metadata of the script.

9. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein: The content includes songs, and The comment includes at least one of a preface and a postscript set for the song.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a first terminal device used by the creator; a second terminal device used by the user; a first server having the predetermined storage medium storing the script; as well as A second server distributes the content.

11. An information processing method, comprising: The following operations are performed through information processing equipment: Generate a script based on an input from a creator, and perform control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that a user can browse the script, the script including identification information of the content and comment information of the creator on the content; as well as supporting generation of said script by said creator, The comment information includes first comment information corresponding to a preface introducing the content and second comment information corresponding to a postscript after providing the content.

12. A storage medium recording a program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device, the information processing device comprising: a control unit that generates a script based on an input from a creator and performs control to store the script in a predetermined storage medium so that a user can browse the script, the script including identification information of the content and comment information of the creator on the content, The comment information includes first comment information corresponding to a preface introducing the content and second comment information corresponding to a postscript after providing the content. The control unit has a function of supporting the creator to generate the script.

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