Server, information processing system, information processing program, and transmission method

Abstract

To make video content easier for users to understand. [Solution] A storage medium accessible to the server stores multiple video contents in a set order. The storage medium stores background information, which is information associated with at least one of the multiple video contents, and which is information about other video contents among the multiple video contents other than the specified video content. The storage medium stores history information showing the user's viewing history for the multiple video contents. The server receives information from the terminal indicating a specified video content designated by the user from among the multiple video contents. Based on the background information associated with the specified video content and the user's history information, the server generates additional content that describes the other video contents corresponding to the background information. The server sends the specified video content and the additional content to the terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a server, an information processing system, an information processing program, and a transmission method for transmitting video content to a terminal.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is a system for transmitting video content to a terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When there are a plurality of video contents provided to a user of a terminal and these video contents are content-related, if the user has not viewed a certain video content, it may be difficult for the user to fully understand the content even if viewing other video contents.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a server, an information processing system, an information processing program, and a transmission method that can make video content easy for a user to understand.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following configurations (1) to (14).

[0007] (1) An example of the present invention is a server for transmitting video content to a terminal used by a user. The storage medium accessible to the server stores a set sequence of video content. The storage medium stores background information, which is information associated with at least one of the video content, and which is information about other video content among the video content other than the one in question. The storage medium also stores history information, which shows the user's viewing history for the video content. The server receives information from the terminal indicating a designated video content specified by the user from among the video content. Based on the background information associated with the designated video content and the user's history information, the server generates additional content that describes the other video content corresponding to the background information. The server transmits the designated video content and the additional content to the terminal.

[0008] According to the configuration described in (1) above, additional content explaining the content of other video content different from the designated video content is transmitted to the terminal in addition to the designated video content. This makes it easier for the user to understand the transmitted video content.

[0009] (2) The server may send the specified video content and the additional content to the terminal such that the additional content is output to the terminal before the specified video content.

[0010] According to the configuration described in (2) above, it is possible to make it easier for users to view additional content before viewing the designated video content.

[0011] (3) The background information associated with video content may also be information about other video content that appears earlier in the sequence of multiple video contents.

[0012] According to the configuration described in (3) above, even if the user has not watched other video content that precedes the designated video content, the designated video content can be made easier for the user to understand.

[0013] (4) If the server's history information indicates that other video content corresponding to prerequisite information associated with a specified video content has not been viewed, the server may generate additional content that includes a portion of the content of that other video content corresponding to that prerequisite information.

[0014] According to the configuration described in (4) above, it is possible to generate additional content that is effective in understanding the specified video content.

[0015] (5) The background information may be information that can identify explanatory content describing other video content. The additional content may include explanatory content that is identified by the background information associated with the specified video content and which is indicated in the history information as unviewed video content.

[0016] According to the configuration described in (5) above, it is possible to generate additional content that is effective in understanding the specified video content.

[0017] (6) The history information may further indicate the user's viewing history of explanatory content. If the user views additional content, the server may update the history information to indicate that the explanatory content included in that additional content has been viewed. If the history information indicates that explanatory content identified by the prerequisite information associated with a specified video content has been viewed a predetermined number of times or more, the server may generate additional content without including that explanatory content.

[0018] According to the configuration described in (6) above, additional content containing more useful information for the user can be generated.

[0019] (7) An upper limit may be set for the length of the additional content. When the total length of one or more pieces of explanatory content, which is explanatory content specified by prerequisite information associated with the designated video content and is shown as unviewed in the viewing history information, exceeds the upper limit, the server may generate the additional content using a shortened version of at least one of the one or more pieces of explanatory content so that the total is below the upper limit.

[0020] According to the configuration of (7) above, it is possible to prevent the length of the additional content from becoming too long.

[0021] (8) An upper limit may be set for the length of the additional content. A priority may be set for the explanatory content. When the total length of one or more pieces of explanatory content corresponding to video content that is specified by prerequisite information associated with the designated video content and is shown as unviewed in the viewing history information exceeds the upper limit, the server may determine the explanatory content to be included in the additional content based on the priorities set for the one or more pieces of explanatory content so that the total is below the upper limit.

[0022] According to the configuration of (8) above, it is possible to prevent the length of the additional content from becoming too long.

[0023] (9) The storage medium may store digest information indicating the content of the digest version of each of the plurality of video contents. The server may further generate additional content including the content of the digest version based on the digest information corresponding to other video contents that are earlier in order than the designated video content among the plurality of video contents.

[0024] According to the configuration of (9) above, it is possible to generate additional content that is more useful to the user.

[0025] (10) Priorities may be set for the content of the digest version. The server may determine the content of the digest version to be included in the additional content based on the priorities set for the content of the digest version.

[0026] According to the configuration of (10) above, it becomes easier to generate additional content useful for the user.

[0027] (11) The server may generate additional content without including the content of the digest version corresponding to the video content indicated as unwatched in the (a) history information, or may generate additional content without including the content of the digest version corresponding to the video content indicated as unwatched in the (b) history information and having the designated information added thereto.

[0028] According to the configuration of (11) above, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the content of the video content that the user has not watched is informed to the user more than necessary by the additional content.

[0029] (12) An upper limit may be set for the length of the additional content. When the length of the additional content including one or more digest versions of the content selected based on a predetermined criterion from the digest versions of the content corresponding to each of the plurality of video contents exceeds the upper limit, the server may generate the additional content using the shortened version of the content for at least any one of the one or more digest versions of the content so that the length is below the upper limit.

[0030] According to the configuration of (12) above, it is possible to prevent the length of the additional content from becoming too long.

[0031] (13) A minimum length may be set for additional content. If the length of additional content based on the background and history information associated with the specified video content falls below the minimum length, the server may generate additional content, including a digest version, so that the length is equal to or greater than the minimum length.

[0032] According to the configuration described in (13) above, it is possible to prevent the length of the additional content from becoming too short.

[0033] (14) If the specified video content is the first video content in the sequence, the server may send the specified video content to the terminal without generating any additional content.

[0034] According to the configuration described in (14) above, the server processing load can be reduced and the amount of data transmitted can be reduced.

[0035] Another example of the present invention is an information processing system that performs each of the processes described in (1) to (14) above. Another example of the present invention is an information processing program (e.g., a server program) that causes a computer to perform all or part of the processes described in (1) to (14) above. Another example of the present invention is a transmission method that performs each of the processes described in (1) to (14) above on a server or information processing system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0036] According to the above-described server, information processing system, information processing program, and transmission method, video content can be made easier for users to understand. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0037] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system in this embodiment. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing an example of server configuration. [Figure 3]Block diagram showing an example of terminal device configuration. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of a set of video data stored on a server. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of how to generate introductory content. [Figure 6] A diagram showing another example of how to generate introductory content. [Figure 7] A diagram showing another example of how to generate introductory content. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of how to generate the opening content in a modified example. [Figure 9] This diagram shows an example of data stored in the server's memory. [Figure 10] A flowchart illustrating an example of the transmission process flow executed by the server. [Figure 11] A flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the viewing detection process executed by the server. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0038] [1. Configuration of the Information Processing System] The following describes the information processing system, information processing program, and information processing method according to this embodiment. First, the overall configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment and the configuration of the terminal devices and servers included in the information processing system will be described. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system includes a server 1 and a terminal device 2. These server 1 and terminal device 2 are connectable to a network 3 such as the Internet and / or a mobile communication network. Server 1 and terminal device 2 can communicate with each other via the network 3.

[0039] Server 1 is a server that provides services related to an application executed on terminal device 2 (specifically, an application for users of terminal device 2 to view video content). In this embodiment, Server 1 is a server that transmits (also called distributes) video to be viewed on one or more terminal devices 2. For example, Server 1 transmits video content to terminal device 2 in response to a request from terminal device 2, and terminal device 2 plays the video content transmitted from Server 1 using a predetermined application (see Figure 1). In Figure 1, there is one terminal device 2 included in the information processing system, but the information processing system may include multiple terminal devices, and Server 1 may transmit video content to each terminal device in response to requests from each terminal device.

[0040] Terminal device 2 is an example of an information processing device owned by the user, such as a smartphone, a portable or stationary game console, a mobile phone, a tablet device, a personal computer, or a wearable device. Terminal device 2 is capable of executing the above-mentioned application (in other words, a program) for playing the video content provided by server 1.

[0041] (Specific example of Server 1 configuration) Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of Server 1. Each component of Server 1 shown in Figure 2 is realized by one or more information processing devices. Here, in this specification, "server" refers to a single information processing device (i.e., a server device), and also to the entire group of server devices (i.e., a server system) if the functions of that server are realized by multiple server devices. In other words, "server" can be a server device or a server system. If a server system includes multiple information processing devices, each information processing device may be located in the same place or in different places. The hardware configuration of Server 1 in this embodiment may be the same as the hardware configuration for conventional servers.

[0042] As shown in Figure 2, Server 1 comprises a processing unit 11 and a storage unit 12. The processing unit 11 is electrically connected to each of the parts 12 to 15 of Server 1. The processing unit 11 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit, in other words, a processor) and memory. In Server 1, various information processing is performed by the CPU using memory to execute programs stored in the storage unit 12. The storage unit 12 is any storage device (also called a storage medium) that can be accessed by the processing unit 11. The storage unit 12 stores programs executed in the processing unit 11, data used for information processing by the processing unit 11, and data obtained by said information processing. In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores at least a program for processing performed on the server side to transmit video content to be played back on the terminal device 2 in response to a request from the terminal device 2.

[0043] Server 1 includes a communication unit 13. The communication unit 13 is connected to network 3 and has the function of communicating with other devices (for example, terminal device 2) via network 3. The processing unit 11 uses the communication unit 13 to send information to the other devices and to receive information from the other devices. Server 1 also includes an input unit 14 and a display unit 15 as input / output interfaces.

[0044] (Specific example of the configuration of terminal device 2) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of terminal device 2. As shown in Figure 3, terminal device 2 comprises a processing unit 21 and a storage unit 22. The processing unit 21 is electrically connected to each of the parts 22 to 25 of terminal device 2. The processing unit 21 has a CPU (in other words, a processor) and memory. In terminal device 2, various information processing is performed by the CPU using memory to execute a program stored in the storage unit 22 (more specifically, a program for playing video content transmitted from server 1). The storage unit 22 stores the program executed in processing unit 21, data used for information processing by processing unit 21, and data obtained by said information processing. The storage unit 22 may be a storage medium built into the main body of terminal device 2 (specifically, the device in which processing unit 21 is installed), or it may be a storage medium that can be attached to and detached from the main body (for example, a card storage medium). The above program may be downloaded from server 1 to terminal device 2 and stored in terminal device 2.

[0045] The terminal device 2 includes an input unit 23. The input unit 23 outputs data based on user input to the processing unit 21. The processing unit 21 determines the content of user input based on the data from the input unit 23. The input unit 23 may be any input device that accepts user input. In this embodiment, the input unit 23 includes a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 24, which will be described later. In addition to (or instead of) the touch panel, the input unit 23 may also include buttons and / or inertial sensors (e.g., acceleration sensors and gyroscopes). The input unit 23 may be an input device provided on the main unit of the terminal device 2, or it may be a separate input device (e.g., a controller that can communicate with the main unit).

[0046] The terminal device 2 includes a display unit 24. The display unit 24 displays images (for example, images of video content, etc.) generated by information processing performed in the processing unit 21 of the terminal device 2. The display unit 24 may be a display device provided on the main unit of the terminal device 2, or it may be a separate display device. The terminal device 2 may also include a speaker, microphone, and / or camera, etc.

[0047] Terminal device 2 includes a communication unit 25. In this embodiment, the communication unit 25 has the function of connecting to a mobile communication network (in other words, a cellular communication network) and performing communication. That is, terminal device 2 (specifically, processing unit 21) connects to network 3 via the mobile communication network using the communication unit 25 (in other words, via the communication unit 25) and communicates with other devices (for example, server 1, etc.). Processing unit 21 uses the communication unit 25 to transmit information to the other devices and to receive information from the other devices. The configuration of the communication unit for terminal device 2 to perform communication via network 3 is arbitrary. For example, the communication unit 25 may have the function of connecting to a wireless LAN using a Wi-Fi certified communication module, or it may have both the function of connecting to a mobile communication network and the function of connecting to a wireless LAN.

[0048] [2. Overview of processing in information processing systems] The following describes the general process performed in the information processing system in this embodiment. In this embodiment, Server 1 stores multiple video content items and transmits video content to Terminal Device 2 in response to a request from Terminal Device 2.

[0049] In this embodiment, Server 1 stores multiple video content items that are managed as a single group (for example, assigned a common group ID). Each of the multiple video content items included in a single group is assigned an order. This order is based on the content of the video content (for example, the story in a narrative video content). For example, if the multiple video content items included in a single group have consecutive stories, the order is set to the order of the stories. Also, for example, if 10 video content items from episode 1 to episode 10 are included in one group, the order is the order of the episode numbers. Also, for example, if each video content item, which was originally a single video content item, has been divided into multiple parts and is included in one group, the order is the chronological order of the original video content.

[0050] The above order only needs to be such that, for each video content within a group, the order of precedence with at least one other video content within that group can be identified. The above order does not need to be set so that each video content within a group can be arranged in a single line (i.e., the order of precedence with all other video content can be identified for any one video content). For example, if a group contains four video content A-D, the same order may be set for video content A-C (i.e., no order of precedence is set between video content A-C), and video content D may be set to appear later than video content A-C.

[0051] In this embodiment, while a sequence is assigned to multiple video contents within a single group as described above, the user of terminal device 2 can view these video contents in a different order. In other words, in this embodiment, multiple video contents can be played back on terminal device 2 in an order different from the one described above. For example, the user can use terminal device 2 to specify a desired video content from among the multiple video contents, and server 1 transmits the specified video content to terminal device 2.

[0052] [2-1. Data stored on the server] Figure 4 shows an example of a video data set stored on a server. The video data set shown in Figure 4 is a data set relating to multiple video content items included in one group. As shown in Figure 4, the video data set includes multiple video content items with a set order. In the example shown in Figure 4, each video content item is a continuous story with its own assigned episode number, and the set order is in the order of the episode numbers.

[0053] As shown in Figure 4, video content is associated with explanatory information, background information, and digest information. As will be explained in detail later, it is not necessary for all of the explanatory information, background information, and digest information to be associated with each piece of video content. In this embodiment, each piece of information associated with video content is pre-configured by the administrator of Server 1.

[0054] The descriptive information refers to descriptive content that describes at least a part of the content of the video content to which the descriptive information is associated. The descriptive content may, for example, be content that describes a character appearing in the video content, and specifically may include footage of the scene in which the character first appears, and / or footage of scenes in which the character plays an active role. Alternatively, the descriptive content may be content that describes the land or place where the video content takes place, and specifically may include footage of the scene in which the protagonist arrives at that land or place, and / or footage of scenes introducing that land or place.

[0055] In this specification, "content" refers to information output in any form, such as video, audio, and text. In other words, explanatory content may be video, audio, and / or text content (or a combination of some of these) that explains the content of video content. In this embodiment, however, the explanatory content is defined as content that includes video. Furthermore, "video content" above means content that includes video, and may be a combination of video and audio, or a combination of video, audio, and text.

[0056] The explanatory information may be in any format that indicates the explanatory content. In other words, the explanatory information may be in any format that enables the generation of explanatory content based on that explanatory information. For example, the explanatory information may include data of the explanatory content itself (e.g., video data), or, if the explanatory content is prepared on Server 1, it may be an ID attached to the explanatory content. Furthermore, the explanatory content may be generated by extracting a part of the video content corresponding to the explanatory content, or a part of the digest content described later. In this case, the explanatory information may be information indicating the part to be extracted from the video content or digest content (e.g., the part from 1 minute to 2 minutes of the video content). The explanatory content may be generated based on the video content, or it may be prepared separately from the video content (i.e., stored on Server 1). In the former case, the explanatory content may be generated by adding audio (e.g., narration) or text (e.g., subtitles) that are not part of the video content to a part of the video content. Furthermore, the explanatory content may or may not include content that is not included in the video content.

[0057] Prerequisite information refers to the content that serves as the basis for the video content associated with that prerequisite information. It can also be said that prerequisite information is information that, if known by the user, will make it easier for the user to understand the associated video content.

[0058] The specific content and format of the background information are arbitrary. The background information may be information that indicates the content of other video content different from the video content to which the background information is associated (for example, characters appearing in the other video content, or the setting or location), or it may be information that indicates the other video content itself. For example, if a character appears in the video content, the background information associated with the video content may be information that indicates that character. Alternatively, for example, it may be information that indicates other video content in which that character appeared (for example, if the video content is episode 3, it may be video content episode 1).

[0059] As will be explained in detail later, the background information is used to identify explanatory content (or explanatory information) that corresponds to other video content different from the video content to which the background information is associated. In this embodiment, Server 1 identifies the explanatory content based on the background information and generates the opening content described later using the identified explanatory content. The background information may be any information that can identify the explanatory content (or explanatory information). For example, the background information may be explanatory information corresponding to the other video content or information that indicates explanatory content. If the background information is information that indicates the explanatory content, then the background information may be in any format that allows for the generation of explanatory content based on the background information, similar to the explanatory information. Furthermore, if the background information indicates the explanatory content itself as described above, the explanatory information does not need to be associated with the video content (i.e., the explanatory information does not need to be stored separately from the background information).

[0060] In this embodiment, the background information associated with the video content is information relating to other video content that appears earlier in the sequence than the video content in question (specifically, information that identifies the other video content) among multiple video content (which are included in the same group as the video content). The term "information relating to other video content" may refer to information indicating the video content itself (for example, the video content's ID) or information indicating the content of the video content (for example, information indicating the characters that appeared in the video content). As will be described in detail later, this makes the video content easier for the user to understand, even if the user has not viewed other video content that appears earlier in the sequence than the video content in question. In other embodiments, the background information associated with the video content may also refer to information relating to other video content that appears later in the sequence than the video content in question (which are included in the same group as the video content).

[0061] Digest information refers to a digest version of the video content associated with the digest information (hereinafter referred to as "digest content"). Digest content is content that includes a portion of the video content corresponding to the digest content. Digest content may, for example, include video of one highlight scene from the video content, or video that combines multiple highlight scenes. Digest content may also include video, audio, and / or text that are not part of the video content, added to a portion of the video content. Digest content may or may not include content that is not included in the video content.

[0062] Digest information can be any format of information that indicates digest content. In other words, digest information can be any format of information that enables the generation of digest content based on the digest information. For example, digest information may include data of the digest content (e.g., video data), or, if digest content is prepared on server 1, it may be an ID assigned to the digest content. Furthermore, digest content may be generated by extracting a portion of the video content associated with the digest content, in which case the digest information may be information indicating the portion of the video content that is extracted (e.g., the portion from 1 minute to 2 minutes of the video content).

[0063] Furthermore, the explanatory content and digest content corresponding to a single video content may or may not overlap in some aspects.

[0064] Furthermore, it is not necessary for all information—explanatory information, background information, and digest information—to be associated with a single video content. For example, as shown in Figure 4, background information is not associated with the first video content in the sequence (i.e., the first episode). This is because it is assumed that users do not need to know the content of other video content in order to watch the first video content.

[0065] [2-2. Generating the opening content] In this embodiment, when a user specifies video content they wish to view on terminal device 2, terminal device 2 sends a request to server 1 to transmit the video content. In response to this request, server 1 generates introductory content corresponding to the video content and transmits both the introductory content and the video content to terminal device 2. Hereinafter, the video content that the user has specified as the target of viewing from among multiple video contents included in a single group will be referred to as the "specified video content."

[0066] Here, "opening content" refers to content that is played on terminal device 2 prior to the playback of the video content corresponding to the opening content. In this embodiment, the opening content is content that explains to the user the content of other video content that is played before the video content corresponding to the opening content. For example, if a certain character appears in the designated video content, and the user is not very familiar with this character (i.e., if the user has not watched the video content in which this character appears that is played before the designated video content), the user may not be able to fully understand the content of the designated video content. Therefore, in this embodiment, when server 1 transmits the designated video content to terminal device 2, it generates and transmits opening content corresponding to the designated video content, thereby allowing the user to understand the content of other video content that is played before the designated video content (in the above example, content related to the character). Even if the user has not watched the previous video content in multiple video contents within a single group (i.e., video content that is played before the designated video content), by watching the opening content, the user can learn about the content of the previous video content, making it easier to understand the content of the designated video content. The method for generating opening content will be described below.

[0067] Figure 5 shows an example of how the opening content is generated. The example shown in Figure 5 is one in which the user specifies the video content for episode 4 from among multiple video contents within a single group and sends it to terminal device 2 (the same applies to Figures 6 to 8 described later). In the example shown in Figure 5, the user has already watched the video content for episodes 1 and 3, but has not yet watched the video content for episode 2 (the same applies to Figures 6 to 8 described later). In addition, in Figure 5, information from Figure 4 that is not used to generate the opening content in the example shown in Figure 5 has been omitted (the same applies to Figures 6 to 8 described later).

[0068] In the example shown in Figure 5, when the above request is received from terminal device 2, server 1 first identifies the explanatory content to be used to generate the opening content based on the prerequisite information associated with the specified video content. Specifically, server 1 identifies the explanatory content that corresponds to video content that is earlier in sequence than the specified video content, which is the explanatory content identified by the above prerequisite information (i.e., the explanatory content indicated by the explanatory information associated with the video content indicated by the prerequisite information), and which corresponds to video content that has not yet been viewed. In this embodiment, server 1 stores history information indicating the viewing history of video content (specifically, information indicating whether the user has already viewed the video content) for each user. Server 1 determines whether the video content has been viewed or not based on the history information. As described above, in this embodiment, the opening content is generated based on the prerequisite information associated with the specified video content corresponding to the opening content and the history information regarding the video content.

[0069] In the example shown in Figure 5, the background information associated with the specified video content will indicate the video content for episode 1 and the video content for episode 2. Therefore, in the example shown in Figure 5, Server 1 will exclude the explanation content for episode 1 that corresponds to the video content that has already been viewed, and select the explanation content for episode 2 that corresponds to the video content that has not yet been viewed, from among the explanation content for episode 1 (i.e., the explanation content indicated by the explanation information associated with the first video content) and the explanation content for episode 2. As a result, the explanation content for episode 2 will be identified as the explanation content to be used to generate the opening content.

[0070] Next, Server 1 generates opening content based on the identified explanatory content. That is, Server 1 generates opening content that includes the identified explanatory content. The explanatory content may be prepared (or stored) in advance by Server 1, or it may be generated based on explanatory information. The specific method for generating opening content based on explanatory content is arbitrary. For example, Server 1 may use the explanatory content as is for the opening content, or if there are multiple identified explanatory content pieces, it may generate the opening content by concatenating those explanatory content pieces. Server 1 may also generate the opening content by adding other video, audio, and / or text to the explanatory content.

[0071] As described above, in this embodiment, if the history information indicates that other video content corresponding to the background information associated with the specified video content (i.e., the video content identified by the background information) has not been viewed, Server 1 generates introductory content that includes a portion of the content of the other video content corresponding to the background information (specifically, the explanatory content identified by the background information). In other words, in this embodiment, if the history information indicates that other video content corresponding to the background information associated with the specified video content has been viewed, Server 1 generates introductory content without relying on the background information. This makes it less likely for the introductory content to include content that the user already knows, thus enabling the generation of effective introductory content that makes the specified video content easier for the user to understand. In other embodiments, Server 1 may generate introductory content that includes explanatory content corresponding to video content that has not been viewed.

[0072] In this embodiment, an upper limit (e.g., 60 seconds) is set for the length of the opening content (for example, the length of the video playback if the opening content includes video). However, when generating the opening content based on the explanatory content selected using the method described above, the length of the opening content may exceed the upper limit. For example, if the upper limit for the length of the opening content is 60 seconds, and three explanatory content pieces, each 30 seconds long, are selected, generating the opening content to include each of these explanatory pieces would result in a length of 90 seconds, exceeding the upper limit.

[0073] Therefore, in this embodiment, if the length of the opening content based on the explanatory content selected by the above method exceeds the upper limit, Server 1 generates the opening content using a shortened version of the explanatory content (hereinafter referred to as "shortened explanatory content"). The shortened explanatory content is shorter than the corresponding explanatory content (for example, if the explanatory content includes video, the length of the video playback is shorter). For example, if the length of the explanatory content is 15 seconds, the length of the shortened explanatory content is 10 seconds. Server 1 may store the shortened explanatory content in advance, or it may generate the shortened explanatory content by extracting a part of the explanatory content.

[0074] Furthermore, the phrase "when the length of the introductory content based on the explanatory content exceeds the upper limit" does not require that the introductory content actually be generated, but rather includes cases where, assuming the introductory content is generated using the explanatory content, the length of said introductory content exceeds the upper limit. In this embodiment, Server 1 may determine whether the length of the introductory content generated using the explanatory content exceeds the upper limit after actually generating the introductory content, or it may determine whether the length of the introductory content used to generate the introductory content exceeds the upper limit without actually generating the introductory content.

[0075] Furthermore, Server 1 is not required to use shortened versions of the explanatory content for all of the multiple explanatory content pieces used to generate the opening content. If the length of the opening content is less than or equal to the upper limit, Server 1 may use shortened versions of some of the explanatory content pieces and use the remaining explanatory content pieces as they are to generate the opening content. For example, if the priorities described later are set for the explanatory content, Server 1 may select which explanatory content to use the shortened version of based on these priorities.

[0076] As described above, in this embodiment, if the total length of one or more explanatory contents related to video content that is identified by the background information associated with the designated video content and is indicated in the history information as unviewed exceeds the upper limit, server 1 generates additional content using shortened explanatory contents for at least one of the one or more explanatory contents so that the total length is less than or equal to the upper limit. This prevents the length of the introductory content from becoming too long. This prevents the amount of data of the introductory content transmitted to terminal device 2 from becoming too large.

[0077] Once the introductory content is generated as described above, Server 1 transmits the specified video content and the introductory content to Terminal Device 2. In this embodiment, Server 1 transmits the specified video content and the introductory content to Terminal Device 2 in such a way that the introductory content is output before the specified video content on Terminal Device 2. This makes it easier for the user to view the introductory content before viewing the specified video content.

[0078] Furthermore, the phrase "transmit the designated video content and the introductory content to the terminal" does not mean that both contents are transmitted simultaneously. For example, if each content is streamed on terminal device 2, server 1 transmits each content such that the introductory content is played first, followed by the designated video content. Server 1 may also transmit the introductory content and the designated video content as a single data file. Alternatively, server 1 may transmit the introductory content to terminal device 2 first, and then transmit the designated video content to terminal device 2 after determining that the introductory content has been viewed. Alternatively, server 1 may transmit the introductory content and the designated video content with playback restrictions to terminal device 2, and then remove the restrictions on the designated video content after determining that the introductory content has been viewed. Alternatively, the application for playing content on terminal device 2 may implement a function that allows the designated video content to be played only after the introductory content has been played. In this case, server 1 may transmit these contents in any order. In other embodiments, the order in which the designated video content and the opening content are played in the terminal device 2 may be arbitrary. For example, the terminal device 2 may play the designated video content and the opening content as specified by the user, or the user may be able to specify the playback order.

[0079] Furthermore, if there is no prerequisite information associated with the specified video content (for example, in the example shown in Figure 4, the specified video content is the first episode), Server 1 does not identify explanatory content and does not generate introductory content. As a result, Server 1 transmits the specified video content to Terminal Device 2 without introductory content. Thus, in this embodiment, if the specified video content is the first video content in sequence, Server 1 transmits the specified video content to Terminal Device 2 without generating introductory content. This reduces the processing load on Server 1 and the amount of communication by not generating and transmitting introductory content that is not strictly necessary. In other embodiments, prerequisite information (for example, prerequisite information regarding video content that is in a later sequence than the video content in question) may also be associated with the first episode video content.

[0080] As described above, in this embodiment, the opening content is generated to include explanatory content associated with unviewed video content. However, in this embodiment, the same explanatory content may be used to generate the opening content for multiple different video contents. For example, the same explanatory content for episode 2 may be used to generate the opening content for both episode 4 and episode 5. In this case, even if the user has not yet viewed the video content for episode 2, they may have already viewed the explanatory content for episode 2. In such cases, there is little need to repeatedly show the user the same explanatory content.

[0081] Therefore, in this embodiment, Server 1 will not use explanatory content that has been viewed more than or equal to a certain threshold (e.g., 3 times) to generate the opening content. Specifically, in addition to storing the viewing history of video content, Server 1 will also store the viewing history (specifically, the number of views) of explanatory content. When generating the opening content, it will use digest content only if the number of views of the explanatory content used for generation is less than the threshold. For example, in the example shown in Figure 5, if the number of views of the explanatory content for episode 2, which is identified by the prerequisite information and associated with unviewed video content, is greater than or equal to the threshold, Server 1 will not use that explanatory content to generate the opening content (see Figure 5). This prevents the same explanatory content from being included more than or equal to the threshold in multiple opening contents corresponding to different video content. Note that the above threshold number is arbitrary, and the threshold number may be set to 1 (that is, whether or not to use explanatory content to generate the opening content may be determined based on whether or not it has been viewed).

[0082] As described above, in this embodiment, Server 1 stores history information indicating the user's viewing history of explanatory content, and updates the history information to indicate that the explanatory content included in the opening content has already been viewed when the user views the opening content. Furthermore, if the history information indicates that the explanatory content identified by the prerequisite information associated with the specified video content has been viewed more than a certain number of times, Server 1 generates the opening content without including that explanatory content. This reduces the possibility that the opening content may contain explanatory content of little necessity, thus enabling the generation of opening content that contains more useful information for the user. In other embodiments, Server 1 does not need to use the fact that the number of times the explanatory content has been viewed is less than a certain number of times as a condition for generating the opening content.

[0083] In other embodiments, Server 1 may generate introductory content to include a specific explanatory content among the explanatory content, regardless of the viewing history of that explanatory content (for example, even if the video content corresponding to that explanatory content has already been viewed), if that explanatory content can be identified by the prerequisite information associated with the designated video content. Server 1 may also set the above-mentioned specific explanatory content so that, for example, content-important explanatory content, it is repeatedly included in the introductory content each time the user views multiple video contents.

[0084] Figure 6 shows another example of how the opening content is generated. In the example shown in Figure 5, the background information was information that indicated the video content, whereas in the example shown in Figure 6, the background information is information that indicates the content of the video content (for example, characters and locations that appear in the video content). Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 6, the background information indicates character B. In other words, the video content of episode 4 is content that assumes character B.

[0085] As described above, when background information indicates the content of the video content, the explanatory content is tagged with information indicating the content of the video content associated with that explanatory content (specifically, the explanatory information that indicates the explanatory content is tagged with information). In the example shown in Figure 6, the video content for episode 1 contains content related to character A (for example, character A appears in the video content for episode 1), and the explanatory content associated with the video content for episode 1 is tagged with information indicating character A. In addition, the video content for episodes 2 and 3 contains content related to character B, and the explanatory content for episode 2 and the explanatory content for episode 3 are tagged with information indicating character B. The tagged information is set to indicate the same content as the background information associated with at least one of the video contents within that group.

[0086] Furthermore, the background information may not be limited to one type but may include multiple types. For example, the background information may include information indicating character A and character B, or information indicating character B and location a. Similarly, the tag information attached to the explanatory content may not be limited to one type but may include multiple types. For example, a single explanatory content may have tag information indicating character A and tag information indicating character B.

[0087] In the example shown in Figure 6, if terminal device 2 requests that the video content of episode 4 be transmitted as the designated video content, server 1, similar to the example shown in Figure 5, identifies the explanatory content to be used to generate the opening content based on the background information associated with the designated video content. Specifically, server 1 identifies the explanatory content that has tag information indicating the same content as indicated by the background information associated with the designated video content. In the example shown in Figure 6, the background information associated with the video content of episode 4 indicates character B, so server 1 identifies the explanatory content of episodes 2 and 3 that has tag information indicating character B. If the explanatory content has multiple tag pieces, server 1 identifies the explanatory content that has at least one tag piece indicating the same content as indicated by the background information. In this way, in the example shown in Figure 6, as in the example shown in Figure 5, the explanatory content can be identified by the background information.

[0088] Aside from the process of identifying explanatory content based on background information, the process is the same in the example shown in Figure 6 as in the example shown in Figure 5. That is, Server 1 identifies the explanatory content used to generate the opening content from among the explanatory information associated with video content that is in a sequence earlier than the specified video content, which is identified by the above background information and is indicated by the explanatory information associated with the unviewed video content. In the example shown in Figure 6, the opening content is generated using the explanatory content of episode 2, which corresponds to the unviewed video content, from among the explanatory content of episode 2 and episode 3 identified by the background information. In the example shown in Figure 6, it is assumed that the number of times the explanatory content of episode 2 has been viewed is less than the above-mentioned threshold number.

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, the background information is information that can identify explanatory content that describes video content different from the video content to which the background information is associated (specifically, information that indicates video content corresponding to explanatory content, as shown in Figure 5, or information that indicates the content of video content corresponding to explanatory content, as shown in Figure 6). The opening content is explanatory content identified by the background information associated with the designated video content, and includes explanatory content about video content that is indicated as unviewed in the history information. As a result, the opening content is generated to include content about video content that the user has not yet viewed, and is less likely to include content that the user already knows. Therefore, it is possible to generate opening content that is effective in making the designated video content easy for the user to understand. In addition, the explanatory content used in the opening content can be easily identified by the background information.

[0090] In this embodiment, in addition to the explanatory content described above, introductory content may be generated using digest content. The method for generating introductory content when using digest content will be described below.

[0091] Figure 7 shows another example of how introductory content is generated. In the example shown in Figure 7, the explanatory content used to generate the introductory content is identified in the same way as in the example shown in Figure 5. The example shown in Figure 7 is one in which digest content is further included in the introductory content which includes explanatory content.

[0092] In this embodiment, a minimum length (for example, 30 seconds) is set for the opening content. In this embodiment, if the length of the opening content generated using the explanatory content (i.e., the opening content generated based on the background information associated with the specified video content) is less than the minimum length, Server 1 generates opening content including digest content so that the length is equal to or greater than the minimum length. In other words, Server 1 adds digest content to the opening content including the explanatory content to make the length of the opening content equal to or greater than the minimum length. This prevents the opening content from becoming too short. Note that the phrase "when the length of the opening content generated using the explanatory content is less than the minimum length" does not mean that opening content is actually generated, but rather includes cases where, if opening content were generated using the explanatory content, the length of that opening content would be less than the minimum length.

[0093] As described above, in this embodiment, Server 1 generates introductory content including digest content, provided that the length of the introductory content generated using the explanatory content is less than a minimum. In other embodiments, the conditions for generating introductory content including digest content are arbitrary and may differ from the above conditions. For example, in other embodiments, Server 1 may generate introductory content including digest content if the proportion or number of unviewed video content that precedes the designated video content is above a predetermined level (for example, if the proportion is 50% or more, or if the number is 5 or more). In this case, it is considered that the user has not fully grasped the content of one or more video contents that precede the designated video content, so by allowing such users to view the digest content included in the introductory content, they can better understand the content.

[0094] As described above, in this embodiment, Server 1 stores digest information indicating the digest content of each of the multiple video contents included in a group (Figure 4). Server 1 generates opening content including digest content based on the digest information corresponding to other video contents that appear earlier in the sequence than the designated video content. In the example shown in Figure 7, the designated video content is the video content of episode 4, so the digest content that can be included in the opening content is the digest content of episodes 1 through 3. This makes it possible to enrich the content of the opening content and generate opening content that is useful to the user. In other embodiments, Server 1 does not need to include digest content in the opening content, and does not need to prepare digest content.

[0095] In this embodiment, Server 1 generates the opening content using digest content corresponding to other video content that is in order earlier than the specified video content, specifically the digest content corresponding to the video content that has already been viewed. In this embodiment, the explanatory content included in the opening content is determined based on background information, whereas the digest content included in the opening content is determined independently of (i.e., not based on) background information. In the example shown in Figure 7, Server 1 excludes the digest content for episode 2, which has not been viewed, from the digest content for episodes 1 through 3, and generates the opening content using the digest content for episodes 1 and 3. As a result, the opening content is generated so that it does not include content that the user has not yet viewed, thus reducing the possibility of informing the user more than necessary about the content of video content that the user has not yet viewed. This reduces the risk, for example, that the user may learn too much about the content of video content that they have not yet viewed and lose interest in that video content.

[0096] In another embodiment, Server 1 may generate the opening content using digest content corresponding to unviewed video content under certain conditions. For example, in another embodiment, Server 1 may add designation information to the digest information indicating that if the video content has not been viewed, the digest content corresponding to that video content will not be used to generate the opening content. In this case, Server 1 generates the opening content using digest content corresponding to other video content that is earlier in the sequence than the designated video content, specifically digest content corresponding to viewed video content, or digest content for which the designation information is not attached. In other words, Server 1 generates the opening content by excluding digest content corresponding to unviewed video content that is earlier in the sequence than the designated video content, and for which the designation information is attached.

[0097] Furthermore, depending on the content of the digest content, it may be considered that there will be no problem if a user who has not yet watched the video content watches the digest content corresponding to that video content (for example, their interest in the video content will not be diminished). In such cases, Server 1 will not attach the specification information to the digest information indicating the digest content. On the other hand, if it is considered that there will be a problem if a user who has not yet watched the video content watches the digest content corresponding to that video content (for example, their interest in the video content will be diminished), Server 1 will attach the specification information to the digest information indicating the digest content. This will increase the number of candidate digest contents used to generate the opening content, making the generation of the opening content easier.

[0098] As described above, Server 1 generates additional content without (a) including digest content corresponding to video content that is indicated as unviewed in the history information, or (b) including digest content corresponding to video content that is indicated as unviewed in the history information, and without including digest content indicated by digest information to which specified information has been added. This reduces the possibility that the user may be informed of the content of unviewed video content more than necessary through the introductory content.

[0099] In other embodiments, the server 1 may generate additional content that includes digest content corresponding to unviewed video content, rather than digest content corresponding to already viewed video content. This allows the user to better understand the content of the unviewed video content.

[0100] In other embodiments, similar to explanatory content, Server 1 may also choose not to use digest content whose view count exceeds a certain threshold for generating introductory content. That is, Server 1 may store the view history (specifically, the view count) of digest content and, when generating introductory content, may use digest content only if its view count is less than the threshold.

[0101] The specific method for generating introductory content that includes additional content and digest content is arbitrary. For example, Server 1 may generate introductory content that includes explanatory content, and then add digest content to the generated introductory content to generate introductory content that includes both additional content and digest content. Alternatively, Server 1 may generate introductory content by appropriately combining explanatory content and digest content identified based on background information and historical information.

[0102] Furthermore, if the length of the introductory content, including the digest content, exceeds the above-mentioned upper limit, Server 1 generates the introductory content using a shortened version of the digest content (hereinafter referred to as "shortened digest content"). The shortened digest content is shorter than the corresponding digest content. For example, if the length of the digest content is 30 seconds, the length of the shortened digest content is 15 seconds. Server 1 may store the shortened digest content in advance, or it may generate the shortened digest content by extracting a portion of the digest content.

[0103] Server 1 is not required to use shortened digest content for all of the multiple digest contents used to generate the opening content. If the length of the opening content is less than or equal to the upper limit, Server 1 may use shortened digest content for some of the multiple digest contents and use the other digest contents as they are to generate the opening content. For example, if the priority described later is set for the digest content, Server 1 may select which digest contents to use the shortened version of based on this priority.

[0104] As described above, in this embodiment, if the length of the opening content, which includes one or more digest contents selected according to predetermined criteria from among the digest contents corresponding to each of the multiple video contents within a group, exceeds the upper limit, the server 1 generates the opening content using a shortened version of at least one of the one or more digest contents so that the length is less than or equal to the upper limit. This prevents the opening content from becoming too long. It also prevents the amount of data in the opening content from becoming too large. In this embodiment, the "predetermined criteria" is "a digest content that corresponds to a video content that has already been viewed, among the digest contents that correspond to other video content that is in order earlier than the designated video content." However, in other embodiments, the above predetermined criteria are arbitrary, and different criteria (for example, a criterion of random selection) may be used.

[0105] In another embodiment, Server 1 may set priorities for explanatory content and digest content, and determine which explanatory content and digest content to use for the opening content based on these priorities. A modified example of generating the opening content based on priorities will be described below with reference to Figure 8.

[0106] Figure 8 shows an example of how the introductory content is generated in the modified example described above. In this modified example, the explanatory content and digest content are assigned priorities (see Figure 8). Specifically, information indicating the priority is associated with each piece of explanatory information and each piece of digest information. In the example shown in Figure 8, the priority can take on a value of 5, from 1 to 5. In the example shown in Figure 8, the priority of the explanatory content is set to 5, indicating the highest priority, and the priority of the digest content is set to a value of 1 to 4.

[0107] In this modified example, as in the embodiment, Server 1 selects explanatory content to be used in the opening content from those corresponding to unviewed video content, and selects digest content to be used in the opening content from those corresponding to viewed video content. In this modified example, Server 1 selects each piece of content to be used in the opening content (i.e., explanatory content and digest content) in order of priority, within the limits mentioned above. In the example shown in Figure 8, the explanatory content identified by the background information and corresponding to unviewed video content is the explanatory content for episode 2. The digest content corresponding to viewed video content is the digest content for episodes 1 and 3. Therefore, Server 1 selects the content to be used to generate the opening content from the explanatory content for episode 2 and the digest content for episodes 1 and 3, in order of priority, within the limits mentioned above. In the example shown in Figure 8, it is assumed that using all three pieces of content would cause the length of the opening content to exceed the limit. Therefore, Server 1 selects the explanatory content for Episode 2, which has a priority of 5, and the digest content for Episode 1, which has a priority of 4, and excludes the digest content for Episode 3, which has a priority of 1, to generate the opening content.

[0108] In this modified example, if there are multiple explanatory contents identified by the background information that correspond to unviewed video content, and the total length of the introductory content including these multiple explanatory contents exceeds the upper limit, Server 1 will select the explanatory content to be used in the introductory content from among these multiple explanatory contents based on priority (in this case, digest contents that have a lower priority than the explanatory content will not be selected). That is, if the total length of one or more explanatory contents identified by the background information associated with the specified video content that correspond to video content that is indicated as unviewed in the history information exceeds the upper limit, Server 1 will determine which explanatory contents to include in the additional content based on the priority set for the one or more explanatory contents so that the total length is less than or equal to the upper limit. This prevents the length of the introductory content from becoming too long, similar to this embodiment.

[0109] Furthermore, as described above, in this modified example, Server 1 determines which digest content to include in the opening content based on the priority set for the digest content. This makes it possible to prioritize the inclusion of digest content that is more important for viewing the specified video content in the opening content, thus making it easier to generate opening content that is useful to the user. In addition, since the digest content to be included in the opening content can be selected, it is possible to prevent the length of the opening content from becoming too long. Here, the method of selecting the digest content to be included in the opening content based on priority is not limited to the above. For example, in other embodiments, Server 1 may select the digest content based on priority without relying on history information (i.e., regardless of whether the video content has been viewed or not).

[0110] Furthermore, in the above modified example, a common priority was set for the explanatory content and the digest content, but in other embodiments, different types of priorities may be set for the explanatory content and the digest content. For example, Server 1 may set a priority of 1 to 5 for each explanatory content and a priority of 1 to 5 for each digest content. In this case, Server 1 first selects the explanatory content to be used for the opening content based on the priority (as well as the background information and history information). Then, if the length of the selected opening content is less than the upper limit, Server 1 selects the digest content to be used for the opening content based on the priority. If the length of the selected opening content is greater than or equal to the upper limit, Server 1 does not select any digest content. In this way, even when different types of priorities are set for the explanatory content and the digest content, each content to be used for the opening content (i.e., explanatory content and digest content) can be selected using priority, similar to the above modified example.

[0111] In other embodiments, upper and lower limits may not be set for the introductory content. If no upper limit is set for the introductory content, Server 1 may not use shortened explanatory content and digest content, and may generate the introductory content without excluding some explanatory content from the explanatory content identified by the background information associated with the specified video content.

[0112] In other embodiments, the opening content may have separate upper limits for explanatory content and for digest content. That is, separate upper limits may be set for the total length of explanatory content used in the opening content and for the total length of digest content used in the opening content. In this case, Server 1 determines that the explanatory content used in the opening content is less than or equal to the upper limit, and also determines that the digest content used in the opening content is less than or equal to the upper limit. The method for determining the explanatory content and digest content may be the same as in the above embodiments and modifications. According to the above, digest content can always be included in the opening content. In other embodiments, Server 1 may set only one of the upper limits for explanatory content and the upper limit for digest content.

[0113] In other embodiments, the digest content included in the opening content may be fixed for each video content corresponding to the opening content. That is, Server 1 may pre-set the digest content to be included in the opening content for each video content corresponding to the opening content. In this case, Server 1 may generate opening content that includes the explanatory content identified by the method described above and the digest content pre-set for each video content.

[0114] [2-3. Determination of viewing of video content] In this embodiment, the determination of whether or not video content has been viewed is made by the server 1 based on information from the terminal device 2 that plays the video content. Specifically, when video content is played, the terminal device 2 notifies the server 1 of playback result information indicating the portion that has been played (which can also be called the portion that has been viewed). The playback result information includes, for example, information indicating the content (specifically, an ID) and information indicating the portion that has been played. The server 1 makes the above determination based on the playback result information transmitted from the terminal device 2 and updates the history information according to the determination result. If information indicating the number of views is stored as history information, the server 1 stores the number of times it has been determined to be viewed as the number of views. In other embodiments, the above determination may be made by the terminal device 2, and information indicating the determination result (for example, a notification indicating that the content has been viewed) may be transmitted from the terminal device 2 to the server 1. In this case, the server 1 updates the history information based on the information transmitted from the terminal device 2.

[0115] Furthermore, the determination of whether or not video content has been viewed is made based on the playback status of the video content on terminal device 2. The specific determination method is arbitrary, but server 1 may determine that the video content has been viewed if (a) a predetermined percentage (for example, 80%) of the entire video content has been played, or (b) a specific part of the video content has been played. The specific part mentioned above may be, for example, a part of the video content that is important in content. The specific part mentioned above may be, for example, a part corresponding to explanatory content or a part corresponding to digest content. Alternatively, for example, the user may be prompted to input to terminal device 2 that they have finished watching the video content, and server 1 may make the above determination based on that input.

[0116] Furthermore, when determining whether or not explanatory content has been viewed, similar to the case of video content, Server 1 may determine that the explanatory content has been viewed if (a) a predetermined percentage of the entire explanatory content (which may be a different percentage than in the case of video content) has been played, or (b) a specific part of the explanatory content has been played. Alternatively, for example, the user may be prompted to input to Terminal Device 2 that they have finished viewing the explanatory content, and Server 1 may perform the above determination based on that input.

[0117] [3. Specific examples of processing in information processing systems] Next, we will explain specific examples of information processing in an information processing system with reference to Figures 9 to 11.

[0118] [3-1. Data used in information processing] Figure 9 shows an example of data stored in the storage unit 12 of Server 1. As shown in Figure 9, Server 1 stores a server program. The server program is a program for controlling the transmission of video content (and the generation of opening content), and is a program for executing information processing performed on Server 1 (i.e., each process shown in Figures 10 and 11). In other words, by the processing unit 11 of Server 1 executing the server program, each process described later (see Figures 10 and 11) is executed on Server 1.

[0119] Server 1 stores the video data set described above. As described above, the video data set includes video content, explanatory information, digest information, and background information (see Figures 4 and 9).

[0120] Furthermore, Server 1 stores user data relating to the users of Terminal Device 2. The user data includes history information data showing the user's viewing history of video content. In this embodiment, the history information includes information indicating whether each video content has been viewed and information indicating the number of times each explanatory content has been viewed. If multiple Terminal Devices 2 can communicate with Server 1 and multiple users use the services provided by Server 1, Server 1 stores history information for each user.

[0121] In this embodiment, the data shown in Figure 9 is stored in the storage unit 12 of the server 1. However, in other embodiments, some or all of the above data may be stored in any storage medium accessible to the server 1. This storage medium is, for example, a data server provided separately from the server 1 (it can also be said that this storage medium is a component of the server 1).

[0122] Terminal device 2 may store some or all of the various data (see Figure 9) stored in server 1. Each piece of data used in the information processing system may be stored in either server 1 or terminal device 2. If the same data is stored in both server 1 and terminal device 2, the data stored in server 1 and the data stored in terminal device 2 will be synchronized at an appropriate time.

[0123] [3-2. Processing on the Server] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the transmission process performed by Server 1. The transmission process shown in Figure 10 is initiated when the communication unit 13 of Server 1 receives a request from Terminal Device 2 to transmit video content.

[0124] In this embodiment, the CPU (in other words, processor) of the processing unit 11 of the server 1 executes the program stored in the storage unit 12 to perform the processing of each step shown in Figures 10 and 11. However, in other embodiments, some of the processing of each of the above steps may be performed by a processor other than the CPU (for example, a dedicated circuit). Also, if the terminal device 2 can communicate with the server 1, some of the processing of each step shown in Figures 10 and 11 may be performed by the terminal device 2. Furthermore, the processing of each step shown in Figures 10 and 11 is merely an example, and the processing order of each step may be changed, or other processing may be performed in addition to (or instead of) the processing of each step, as long as similar results can be obtained.

[0125] Furthermore, the processing unit 11 of server 1 executes the processing of each step shown in Figures 10 and 11 using memory (or storage unit 12). That is, the CPU of processing unit 11 stores the data obtained by each processing step in memory, and when that data is used in subsequent processing steps, it reads the data from memory and uses it.

[0126] In the transmission process shown in Figure 10, first, in step S1, the processing unit 11 refers to the video data group stored in the storage unit 12 and determines whether or not there is prerequisite information associated with the specified video content identified by the request from the terminal device 2. If the result of the determination in step S1 is affirmative, the process in step S2 is executed. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S1 is negative, the process in step S5, which will be described later, is executed.

[0127] In step S2, the processing unit 11 determines whether there is explanatory content that corresponds to unviewed video content and is identified by the background information associated with the specified video content. The processing unit 11 makes the above determination based on the background information stored in the storage unit 12 and the history information of the user of the terminal device 2 that sent the request. If the determination result in step S2 is affirmative, the processing in step S3 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S2 is negative, the processing in step S5, which will be described later, is executed.

[0128] In step S3, the processing unit 11 determines whether there is any explanatory content identified in step S2 (i.e., explanatory content identified by the background information associated with the specified video content, and corresponding to video content that has not been viewed) whose number of views is less than the above-mentioned threshold number. The determination in step S3 is made by referring to the number of views of the explanatory content identified by the background information based on the history information stored in the storage unit 12 (more specifically, the history information concerning the user of the terminal device 2 that sent the above request). If the determination result in step S3 is affirmative, the processing in step S4 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S3 is negative, the processing in step S5, which will be described later, is executed.

[0129] In step S4, the processing unit 11 selects explanatory content to be used to generate the opening content (i.e., to be included in the opening content). Specifically, the processing unit 11 selects explanatory content that is identified by the background information associated with the specified video content, corresponds to video content that has not been viewed, and has been viewed less than the aforementioned criterion count. In this embodiment, the processing unit 11 stores the data of the selected explanatory content in the storage unit 12. Following step S4, the process of step S6, which will be described later, is executed.

[0130] On the other hand, in step S5, the processing unit 11 transmits the specified video content to the terminal device 2 using the communication unit 13 without any introductory content (i.e., without generating any introductory content). At this time, the terminal device 2 plays the specified video content without playing the introductory content. After step S5, the processing unit 11 terminates the transmission process shown in Figure 10.

[0131] In other embodiments, if any of the determination results in steps S1 to S3 are negative, the processing unit 11 may proceed to step S9 instead of step S5. As will be described in detail later, in this case, the processing in steps S9 and S12 generates introductory content including digest content, and the processing in step S13 transmits the introductory content and the specified video content from the server 1 to the terminal device 2. In other words, if there is no explanatory content to be included in the introductory content, the server 1 may generate introductory content including digest content without including explanatory content and transmit it to the terminal device 2 together with the specified video content.

[0132] In step S6, the processing unit 11 determines whether the length of the introductory content based on the explanatory content selected in step S4 exceeds the upper limit. The determination in step S6 may be made by actually generating the introductory content and detecting its length, or by calculating (also called estimating) the length of the introductory content based on the lengths of one or more selected explanatory content pieces. If the determination result in step S6 is positive, the processing in step S7 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S6 is negative, the processing in step S7 is skipped and the processing in step S8 is executed.

[0133] In step S7, the processing unit 11 changes at least a portion of the selected explanatory content to a shortened version of the explanatory content so that the length of the introductory content is less than the upper limit. In this embodiment, the processing unit 11 changes at least a portion of the explanatory content data stored in the storage unit 12 in step S4 to the data of the shortened explanatory content. The processing in step S8 is executed after step S7.

[0134] In step S8, the processing unit 11 determines whether the length of the opening content based on the explanatory content (i.e., the opening content generated using the explanatory content selected by the processing in step S4 and modified into a shortened version by the processing in step S7 under certain conditions) is less than the lower limit. The determination in step S8 may be made by actually generating the opening content and detecting its length, as in step S6, or by calculating (also called estimating) the length of the opening content based on the length of the explanatory content and / or shortened explanatory content used for generation. If the determination result in step S8 is positive, the processing in step S9 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S8 is negative, the processing in step S12, which will be described later, is executed.

[0135] In step S9, the processing unit 11 selects digest content to be used to generate the opening content (i.e., to be included in the opening content). Specifically, the processing unit 11 selects digest content that corresponds to video content that is earlier in sequence than the specified video content, and that corresponds to video content that has already been viewed. In this embodiment, the processing unit 11 stores the data of the selected digest content in the storage unit 12. The processing in step S10 is executed after step S9.

[0136] In step S10, the processing unit 11 determines whether the length of the introductory content, based on the explanatory content and the digest content (specifically, the digest content selected in step S9), exceeds the upper limit. The determination in step S10 may be made by actually generating the introductory content and detecting its length, as in steps S6 and S8, or by calculating (also called estimating) the length of the introductory content based on the length of each piece of content used for generation. If the determination result in step S10 is positive, the processing in step S11 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S10 is negative, the processing in step S12, which will be described later, is executed.

[0137] In step S11, the processing unit 11 changes at least a portion of the selected digest content to a shortened digest content so that the length of the opening content is less than the upper limit. In this embodiment, the processing unit 11 changes at least a portion of the digest content data stored in the storage unit 12 in step S9 to the data of the shortened digest content. The processing in step S12 is executed after step S11.

[0138] In step S12, the processing unit 11 generates opening content. Specifically, the processing unit 11 generates opening content based on the content stored in the storage unit 12 by the processing in steps S4, S7, S9, and S11 (specifically, explanatory content, abbreviated explanatory content, digest content, and / or abbreviated digest content). The processing in step S13 is executed after step S12.

[0139] In step S13, the processing unit 11 transmits the specified video content and the opening content generated in step S12 to the terminal device 2 using the communication unit 13. As described above, the processing unit 11 transmits the specified video content and the opening content to the terminal device 2 in such a manner that the opening content is output before the specified video content at the terminal device 2. After step S13, the processing unit 11 terminates the transmission process shown in Figure 10.

[0140] In other embodiments, when the explanatory content and digest content to be used in the opening content are determined based on priority (see Figure 8), after the processing in step S4, the processing unit 11, instead of processing in steps S6 to S12, selects the explanatory content and digest content to be used in the opening content based on priority and generates the opening content to include the selected content. Specifically, the processing unit 11 selects one or more explanatory and / or digest contents from the explanatory content selected in step S4 and the digest content corresponding to video content that is earlier in order than the specified video content, in order of priority, and so that the length of the opening content does not exceed the upper limit mentioned above. Then, the processing unit 11 generates the opening content to include the selected content. In this way, the opening content can be generated to include the content determined based on priority.

[0141] As described above, the video content requested by terminal device 2 and the introductory content corresponding to the video content are transmitted from server 1 to terminal device 2. Terminal device 2 plays the introductory content and the video content. When these contents are played, terminal device 2 transmits the playback result information described above to server 1. Terminal device 2 may transmit the playback result information to server 1 at any time. For example, terminal device 2 may repeatedly transmit playback result information indicating the playback result at a predetermined time interval to server 1 during the playback of each content, or it may transmit playback result information indicating the playback result of a playback to server 1 when a single playback on terminal device 2 is completed. Based on the playback result information, server 1 executes the viewing determination process described below.

[0142] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the viewing determination process performed by Server 1. The viewing determination process shown in Figure 10 is initiated when Server 1 receives the playback result information from Terminal Device 2.

[0143] In step S21, the processing unit 11 determines whether or not the explanatory content included in the opening content has been viewed on the terminal device 2. The determination in step S21 is made based on the playback result information received from the terminal device 2 using the communication unit 13, in accordance with the method described in "[2-3. Determination of Viewing of Video Content]" above. If the playback result information is repeatedly transmitted at predetermined time intervals during a single playback of the opening content on the terminal device 2, the processing unit 11 makes the above determination based on the multiple playback result information received. If the determination result in step S21 is positive, the processing in step S22 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S21 is negative, the processing in step S22 is skipped and the processing in step S23, which will be described later, is executed.

[0144] In step S22, the processing unit 11 updates the history information stored in the storage unit 12 for the explanatory content that was determined to have been viewed in step S21. Specifically, the processing unit 11 updates the history information to increase the number of views of the explanatory content by 1. The processing in step S23 is executed after step S22.

[0145] In step S23, the processing unit 11 determines whether or not the video content has been viewed on the terminal device 2. The determination in step S23 is made based on the playback result information received from the terminal device 2 using the communication unit 13, in accordance with the method described in "[2-3. Determination of Viewing of Video Content]" above. If playback result information is repeatedly transmitted at predetermined time intervals during a single playback of video content on the terminal device 2, the processing unit 11 makes the above determination based on the multiple playback result information received. If the determination result in step S23 is affirmative, the processing in step S24 is executed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S23 is negative, the processing unit 11 terminates the viewing determination process shown in Figure 11.

[0146] In step S24, the processing unit 11 updates the history information stored in the storage unit 12 for the video content that was determined to have been viewed in step S23. Specifically, the processing unit 11 updates the history information to indicate that the video content has already been viewed. After step S24, the processing unit 11 terminates the viewing determination process shown in Figure 11.

[0147] [4. Effects and Modifications of This Embodiment] As described above, in the above embodiment, server 1 is for transmitting video content to terminal device 2 used by the user. The storage medium accessible by server 1 stores the following information. • Multiple video content items with a set order • Prerequisite information that is associated with at least one video content among multiple video content, and is information about other video content among the multiple video content other than the said video content. • History information showing the user's viewing history for multiple video content titles. Furthermore, Server 1 performs the following processing operations. • The terminal device 2 receives information indicating the specified video content selected by the user from among multiple video contents (Figure 10). Based on the background information associated with the specified video content and the user's history information, additional content (e.g., introductory content) is generated that explains the other video content corresponding to the background information (step S12). • The specified video content and additional content are transmitted to terminal device 2 (step S13).

[0148] According to the above, additional content explaining the content of other video content different from the designated video content is transmitted to terminal device 2 in addition to the designated video content. This makes it easier for the user to understand the designated video content by viewing the additional content. Furthermore, according to the above, since the additional content is generated based on the history information, it is possible to generate additional content that corresponds to the user's viewing history. For example, it is possible to generate additional content related to video content that the user has not yet viewed.

[0149] The above-mentioned "storage medium accessible by Server 1" means that it may be a storage medium provided by Server 1, a storage medium provided separately from Server 1, or a combination of these storage media. In other words, in the above, the video content, background information, and history information may be stored in a storage medium provided by Server 1, or a portion of the video content, background information, and history information may be stored in a storage medium provided by Server 1, and the remaining portion may be stored in a storage medium provided separately from Server 1.

[0150] In the above embodiment, the opening content includes video content, but in other embodiments, the opening content may be information output in any form. For example, in other embodiments, the opening content may be text-only content or content consisting of text and audio. If the opening content includes text content, the text content may be displayed together with the video (for example, as subtitles) on the terminal device 2, or it may be displayed separately from the video (for example, as a still image).

[0151] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the video data set was stored on the server side, and the opening content was generated on the server side. However, in other embodiments, the video data set may be stored in terminal device 2, and the opening content may be generated in terminal device 2. In other words, in other embodiments, the functions that server 1 has in the above embodiment may be implemented by terminal device 2. In this case, terminal device 2 does not need to be connected to server 1 in a communicative manner.

[0152] In the above embodiment, when processing is performed using data (meaning including programs) in a certain information processing device, some of the data necessary for the processing may be transmitted from another information processing device different from the said information processing device. In this case, the said information processing device may perform the processing using the data received from the other information processing device and the data stored in itself.

[0153] In other embodiments, the information processing system may not have some of the configurations in the above embodiments, nor may it perform some of the processes executed in the above embodiments. For example, in order to achieve some of the specific effects in the above embodiments, the information processing system may have to have the configurations necessary to achieve those effects and perform the processes necessary to achieve those effects, but it may not have to have other configurations or perform other processes. [Industrial applicability]

[0154] The above embodiment can be used, for example, as an information processing system or server, with the aim of making video content easier for users to understand. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0155] 1 server 2 Terminal devices 11 Processing Section 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 21 Processing Unit 22 Memory section 25 Communications Department

Claims

1. A server for transmitting video content to a user's device, The storage medium accessible by the aforementioned server is: It stores multiple video contents with a set order, The background information, which is associated with at least one first video content among the plurality of video content and includes information about other video content among the plurality of video content other than the first video content, stores the background information regardless of whether the order includes information about the second video content immediately preceding the first video content. The system stores history information indicating the user's viewing history for the aforementioned multiple video contents. The aforementioned server, The terminal receives information from the aforementioned terminal indicating a designated video content specified by the user among the aforementioned multiple video contents. A server that, upon receiving information indicating the specified video content, generates additional content explaining other video content corresponding to the prerequisite information based on the prerequisite information associated with the specified video content and the user's history information, and transmits the specified video content and the additional content to the terminal.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the background information associated with the first video content does not include information relating to the second video content.

3. The server according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of video contents stored in the storage medium can be viewed by the user at any time.

4. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which transmits the designated video content and the additional content to the terminal such that the additional content is output to the terminal before the designated video content.

5. The server according to claim 1, wherein the background information associated with the first video content includes information about other video content that is in order earlier than the second video content.

6. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein if the history information indicates that the other video content corresponding to the prerequisite information associated with the designated video content has not been viewed, the server generates the additional content to include a portion of the content of the other video content corresponding to the prerequisite information.

7. The aforementioned background information is information that can identify explanatory content that describes the other video content, The server according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the additional content includes the explanatory content identified by the prerequisite information associated with the designated video content, and the explanatory content relating to the video content that is indicated in the history information as not having been viewed.

8. The aforementioned history information further indicates the user's viewing history for the explanatory content, When the user views the additional content, the history information is updated to indicate that the explanatory content included in the additional content has been viewed. The server according to claim 7, which generates additional content without including the explanatory content if the history information indicates that the explanatory content identified by the prerequisite information associated with the designated video content has been viewed more than a predetermined number of times.

9. The length of the aforementioned additional content is limited. The server according to claim 7 or 8, wherein if the total length of one or more explanatory contents relating to the video content, which is identified by the prerequisite information associated with the designated video content and which is indicated in the history information as not having been viewed, exceeds the upper limit, the server generates the additional content using a shortened version of at least one of the explanatory contents such that the total length is less than or equal to the upper limit.

10. The length of the aforementioned additional content is limited. The aforementioned explanatory content has a priority assigned to it. The server according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein if the total length of one or more explanatory contents, which are identified by the prerequisite information associated with the designated video content and which are indicated in the history information as not having been viewed, exceeds the upper limit, the server determines which explanatory contents to include in the additional content based on the priority set for the one or more explanatory contents, such that the total length is less than or equal to the upper limit.

11. The aforementioned storage medium is For each of the aforementioned multiple video contents, digest information indicating the content of the digest version of the video content is stored. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which generates the additional content including the digest version of the video content based on the digest information corresponding to other video content among the plurality of video content that is in an earlier order than the designated video content.

12. The content of the aforementioned digest version has been assigned a priority level. The server according to claim 11, which determines which digest content to include in the additional content based on the priority set for the digest content.

13. The server according to claim 11 or 12, which generates the additional content without including (a) the digest version content corresponding to the video content that is indicated in the history information as not having been viewed, or (b) the digest version content corresponding to the video content that is indicated in the history information as not having been viewed, and without including the digest version content indicated in the digest information to which predetermined designation information has been added.

14. The length of the aforementioned additional content is limited. The server according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein if the length of the additional content, which includes one or more digest versions of the content selected according to predetermined criteria from among the digest versions of the content corresponding to each of the plurality of video contents, exceeds the upper limit, the server generates the additional content using a shortened version of at least one of the one or more digest versions of the content so that the length is less than or equal to the upper limit.

15. A minimum length is set for the aforementioned additional content. The server according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein if the length of the additional content based on the prerequisite information and history information associated with the designated video content is less than the lower limit, the server generates the additional content, including the digest version, such that the length is equal to or greater than the lower limit.

16. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which transmits the designated video content to the terminal without generating the additional content if the designated video content is the first video content in the sequence.

17. An information processing system for transmitting video content to a user's device, The storage medium accessible by the aforementioned information processing system is: It stores multiple video contents with a set order, The background information, which is associated with at least one first video content among the plurality of video content and includes information about other video content among the plurality of video content other than the first video content, stores the background information regardless of whether the order includes information about the second video content immediately preceding the first video content. The system stores history information indicating the user's viewing history for the aforementioned multiple video contents. The aforementioned information processing system is The terminal receives information from the aforementioned terminal indicating a designated video content specified by the user among the aforementioned multiple video contents. An information processing system that, upon receiving information indicating the specified video content, generates additional content explaining other video content corresponding to the prerequisite information based on the prerequisite information associated with the specified video content and the user's history information, and transmits the specified video content and the additional content to the terminal.

18. An information processing program executed on a server computer for transmitting video content to a user's terminal, The storage medium accessible by the aforementioned server is: It stores multiple video contents with a set order, The background information, which is associated with at least one first video content among the plurality of video content and includes information about other video content among the plurality of video content other than the first video content, stores the background information regardless of whether the order includes information about the second video content immediately preceding the first video content. The system stores history information indicating the user's viewing history for the aforementioned multiple video contents. The aforementioned information processing program is A means for obtaining from the terminal information indicating a designated video content specified by the user among the aforementioned multiple video contents, An information processing program that, upon obtaining information indicating the specified video content, generates additional content describing other video content corresponding to the prerequisite information based on the prerequisite information associated with the specified video content and the user's history information, and causes the computer to function as a means for transmitting the specified video content and the additional content to the terminal.

19. A transmission method performed on a server for sending video content to a user's device, The storage medium accessible by the aforementioned server is: It stores multiple video contents with a set order, The background information, which is associated with at least one first video content among the plurality of video content and includes information about other video content among the plurality of video content other than the first video content, stores the background information regardless of whether the order includes information about the second video content immediately preceding the first video content. The system stores history information indicating the user's viewing history for the aforementioned multiple video contents. The aforementioned server, The terminal receives information from the aforementioned terminal indicating a designated video content specified by the user among the aforementioned multiple video contents. A transmission method comprising: receiving information indicating the specified video content, generating additional content that explains other video content corresponding to the prerequisite information based on the prerequisite information associated with the specified video content and the user's history information, and transmitting the specified video content and the additional content to the terminal.

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