Comment distribution system, terminal device, comment distribution method, and program

Abstract

To provide a terminal device and a comment distribution method that allow users to share same video and communicate with each other using comments.SOLUTION: A method executed by a terminal device receives comment information from a comment distribution server, displays video to be reproduced, reads from the comment information a comment with which a comment assignment time corresponding to a video reproduction time of the video to be reproduced is associated of the comment information, and displays the read comment together with the video. The method also reproduces the video from the video reproduction time corresponding to a comment selected from a list of comments, and displays a comment corresponding to the video reproduction time, among comments received and stored during the video reproduction and comments received and stored prior to the comments received and stored during the reproduction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a comment distribution system, a terminal device, a comment distribution method, and a program that enable communication between users by utilizing the content being played while video content is being played. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there have been systems that display comments made by users on moving images, such as broadcast television programs, together with the moving images. For example, in a bulletin board related to television programs that have different broadcast times depending on the region, there is a system that stores comments for one scene of the television program in association with the net time from the start of broadcast, and displays previously posted content in accordance with the scene of the television program even if the time when the bulletin board is viewed is different (for example, see Patent Document 1). With this system, users can enjoy viewing comments while watching the television program without feeling a time lag in the broadcast time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-290949 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology system, comments are simply registered in correspondence with the time of the video (the playback time of the video) and then played back together with the video, so users cannot exchange comments in real time, and the system is not sufficiently interesting as a form of communication.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a comment distribution system, terminal device, comment distribution method, and program that enable users to share the same video and communicate with each other using comments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a comment distribution system in which a video distribution server that distributes video data, a comment distribution server that distributes comments on videos, and a plurality of terminal devices are connected via a network, the comment distribution server having a first comment information storage unit that receives and stores comment information each time the comment is transmitted from any one of the plurality of terminal devices, the comment information including a comment attachment time, which is a video playback time that indicates the elapsed time of the video based on the beginning of the video at the time the comment was attached by the terminal device, and the comment, and a comment information storage unit that reads out the comment information stored in the first comment information storage unit. and a comment information distribution unit that distributes the comment information to the terminal device, wherein the terminal device has a video playback unit that receives video data distributed from the video distribution server and plays it, a comment information receiving unit that receives comment information input for the video to be played from the comment distribution server, a second comment information storage unit that stores the comment information received by the comment information receiving unit, and a display unit that displays the video played by the video playback unit, reads from the second comment information storage unit comments with a comment attachment time corresponding to the video playback time of the video being played, and displays the read comments together with the video.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned comment distribution system, it has a judgment unit that judges whether or not the display position of a comment displayed by the comment display unit overlaps with the display position of another comment, and a display position control unit that displays each comment at a position where they do not overlap when the judgment unit judges that the display positions of the comments overlap.

[0008] The present invention is also characterized in that a terminal device in a comment distribution system in which a video distribution server that distributes video data, a comment distribution server that distributes comments on videos, and a plurality of terminal devices are connected via a network, the terminal device having a video playback unit that receives and plays the video data distributed from the video distribution server, a comment information receiving unit that receives comment information from the comment distribution server each time the comment information is transmitted from any one of the plurality of terminal devices to the comment distribution server, the comment information including a comment addition time, which is a video playback time that represents the elapsed time of the video based on the start of the video at the time the comment was added by the terminal device, and the comment, a comment information storage unit that stores the comment information received by the comment information receiving unit, and a display unit that displays the video played by the video playback unit, and reads from the comment information storage unit a comment with a comment addition time that corresponds to the video playback time of the video being played, from the comment information storage unit, and displays the read comment together with the video.

[0009] The present invention also relates to a comment distribution method in a comment distribution system in which a video distribution server that distributes video data, a comment distribution server that distributes comments on videos, and a plurality of terminal devices are connected via a network, wherein the comment distribution server receives and stores comment information each time the comment is transmitted from any one of the plurality of terminal devices, the comment information including a comment attachment time, which is a video playback time that indicates the elapsed time of the video based on the start of the video at the time the comment was attached by the terminal device, and the comment, and when the comment information is stored in a first comment information storage unit, the comment distribution server reads out the comment information and , and distributes it to each of the multiple terminal devices, and in the terminal devices, a video playback unit receives and plays video data distributed from the video distribution server, a comment information receiving unit receives comment information input for the video being played from the comment distribution server, a second comment information storage unit stores the comment information received by the comment information receiving unit during playback of the video, and a display unit displays the video played by the video playback unit, and reads from the second comment information storage unit a comment with a comment attachment time corresponding to the video playback time of the video being played, and displays the read comment together with the video.

[0010] The present invention is also a program for causing a computer of a terminal device in a comment distribution system in which a video distribution server that distributes video data, a comment distribution server that distributes comments on videos, and a plurality of terminal devices are connected via a network to function as: a video playback means that receives and plays the video data distributed from the video distribution server; a comment information storage means that receives and stores comment information each time the comment information is transmitted from one of the plurality of terminal devices to the comment distribution server, the comment information including the comment attachment time, which is the video playback time that represents the elapsed time of the video based on the start of the video at the time the comment was added by the terminal device, and the comment; and a display means that displays the video played by the video playback means, and reads from the comment information storage means a comment with a comment attachment time that corresponds to the video playback time of the video being played, from the comment information storage means, and displays the read comment together with the video. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, among the input comment information, the video playback time of the video to be played is The comment associated with the comment posting time is read from the comment information, and the read comment content is displayed together with the video. When a comment deletion request is input indicating comment information to be deleted from among the comment information input for the video, the comment is not displayed. Therefore, the comment can be displayed while taking into consideration the user's intention as to whether the comment is inappropriate for the video, and it is possible to improve the entertainment value of communication using comments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a comment distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a comment distribution server 2. [Diagram 3] 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a comment information storage unit 21. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the configuration of a terminal device 3. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on a display device 34. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on a display device 34. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the comment distribution server 2. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the terminal device 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on a display device 34. [Figure 10] 11 is a diagram for explaining a case where a comment is posted between users; [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing the functions of a comment distribution system in a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an authority table. [Figure 13] 11 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a display database 234. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the comment delivery system in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] A comment delivery system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a comment delivery system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this diagram, a video delivery server 1 delivers video data in response to a delivery request from a terminal device 3. This delivery is performed, for example, by streaming delivery. A comment delivery server 2 receives comments on a video delivered by the video delivery server 1 from the terminal device 3, and delivers the comments to each terminal device 3 viewing the video. The terminal device 3 is connected to the video delivery server 1 and the comment delivery server 3 via a network 4, receives and displays the video delivered from the video delivery server 1, and also receives and displays comments delivered from the comment delivery server 3 on the video.

[0014] Next, the comment delivery server 2 and the terminal device 3 in Fig. 1 will be further explained with reference to the drawings. Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the comment delivery server 2. In this figure, the comment information storage unit 21 stores the comment content as comment information in association with the comment content, with the video playback time based on the start point of playback of the video at the time the comment content was added being the comment addition time. An example of data stored in the comment information storage unit 21 is shown in FIG. 3. The comment information storage unit 21 stores multiple pieces of comment information, which are comments on videos distributed by the video distribution server 1 organized by thread. Each piece of comment information includes a video ID that identifies the video and a thread ID that identifies the thread, making it possible to identify which video and which thread it corresponds to. The comment information also includes a comment information input time that indicates the actual time the comment was added (said), in addition to the time the comment was added and the comment content. The comment information storage unit 21 includes multiple pieces of comment data that correspond to the real-time posting time (corresponding to the real-time information described above), a user name that is information for identifying the user who added the comment, and a comment display method that is information for specifying how the comment is to be displayed on the video, and when comment data is received from a terminal device 3 that is playing a video with the video ID and viewing comments in the thread with the thread ID, the received comment data is additionally stored. Here, since the thread ID is stored in correspondence with the video ID, it is possible to identify multiple different threads even if they are the same video. This comment information storage unit 21 corresponds to the first comment information storage unit described above.

[0015] Next, the comment information delivery unit 22 reads out the comment information stored in the comment information storage unit 21 and delivers it to the terminal device 3. The comment information update management unit 23 adds and stores the additional comment information received from the terminal device 3 via the communication unit 24 in the comment information storage unit 21 according to the video ID and thread ID. The communication unit 24 performs various types of communication with the terminal device 3, outputs information sent from the terminal device 3 to the comment information update management unit 23 to output instructions to add and store comment information, and outputs instructions to the comment information distribution unit 22 to distribute comment information.

[0016] Next, the terminal device 3 will be described with reference to the drawings. In this diagram, a video playback unit 31 transmits a delivery request for a video specified by a user of a terminal device 3 to a video distribution server 1, and receives and plays the video distributed from the video distribution server 1. A comment information receiving unit 32 receives comment information input for the video to be played from the comment distribution server 2. A comment information storage unit 33 stores the comment information received by the comment information receiving unit 32. This comment information storage unit 33 corresponds to the above-mentioned second comment information storage unit.

[0017] The display device 34 is a liquid crystal display device, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like, and displays various information. The first display unit 35 displays the video played by the video playback unit 31, and also reads out from the comment information stored in the comment information storage unit 33, comments associated with a comment posting time corresponding to the video playback time of the video being played, and displays the read out comments together with the video on the display device 34. The first display unit 35 also has a function of overlaying the comment content on the video. The second display unit 36 ​​displays a list of comments on the display device 34 as a comment list based on the comment data stored in the comment information storage unit 33. Here, the comments are displayed in the order of the information on the real time of comment posting included in the comment data.

[0018] The information displayed on the display device 34 will be further described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on the display device 34. In the display field 101, a URL (uniform resource locator) when the comment distribution server is accessed is displayed. In the display field 102, a video ID of the video being played is displayed. In the display field 103, the total number of times that the currently displayed video has been requested to be viewed is displayed as the number of views. When another user plays (requests to view) the video, the number of views of the user viewing the same video at that time is increased, and the count number is updated and displayed. In the display field 104, the video displayed by the first display unit is displayed. The display field 105 is an area in which comments displayed by the second display unit are displayed, and here, the comments are displayed on the video displayed by the display field 104. Here, the display field 105 is set to a size larger than the display field 104, and the overlaid comments and the like are trimmed outside the screen of the video, so that it is possible to understand that the comments themselves are not included in the video, but have been written by the user on the video.

[0019] The operation panel 106 displays a play button, a stop button, a rewind button, a fast-forward button, a volume control button, a playback status display field showing which part of the entire video is being played, and the like. When the mouse is used to move the cursor to any of the buttons and click, the input of the operation corresponding to the button is accepted. The display field 107 displays the playback time of the entire video and the video playback time of the video currently displayed in the display field 105. The input field 108 accepts the name of the user who will make a comment on the video through the input unit 37. Here, a check box is provided near the input field 108, and depending on whether the check box is checked or not, the user is prompted to select whether to input an email address, and when the check box is checked, the input field 108 may be divided into two, and the input of the user's name and the user's email address may be accepted. The input field 109 is input with information specifying how the comment is to be displayed. For example, the position at which the comment is to be displayed on the video, the font, the size of the characters, the start and end positions of the moving display, and the direction of the moving display can be set as information specifying the overlay display. It should be noted that the way in which comments are displayed can be determined in advance so that the user does not have to input anything.

[0020] A user inputs a comment into the comment field 110 via the input unit 37. When the button 111 is clicked, the comment input into the comment field 110, the name of the user input into the input field 108, and information on how to display the comment input into the input field 109 are transmitted to the comment distribution server 2. The display field 112 is an area where a comment list, which is a list of comments, is displayed. In this comment list, a number (reference number 112a) indicating the comment utterance order given to the comment, the name of the user who input the comment (reference number 112b), the comment utterance time when the comment was written (reference number 112c), and a part of the comment uttered (reference number 112d) are displayed in the order of the posted real time information. In this display field 112, an input field such as a check box for specifying whether or not to display the display field 112 on the screen is provided, and it is also possible to display or hide the display according to an instruction on whether or not to display input into this input field. In addition, the number of parts of the comments to be displayed in this display field 112 may be changed according to an instruction from the user. Display field 113 displays details of a comment on which the user places the cursor among the list of comments displayed in display field 112. The details of the comment include the full text of the comment, the name and email address of the user who made the comment, etc.

[0021] Checkbox 114 is used to specify that the comment to be entered in comment field 110 will be one line by inputting a check mark therein. For example, if a check mark is input in checkbox 114, and then input of the comment is completed by pressing, for example, the Enter key, the comment is transmitted to comment distribution server 2 as if the "Write" button had been clicked at the time the Enter key was pressed. This allows comments to be input quickly and easily.

[0022] 4, the input unit 37 is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and accepts input of various information from the user. The selection unit 38 accepts input of a selection of a comment input via the input unit 37 from the list of comments displayed by the second display unit 36. The playback control unit 39 reads out comment data of the comment selected by the selection unit 38 from the comment information storage unit 33, plays the video from the video playback time corresponding to the comment attachment time of the read comment data, and displays it on the display device 34 by the first display unit 35, and also displays the comment content of the read comment data on the display device 34 by the first display unit 35.

[0023] The transmission unit 40 receives data input of a comment content for the video displayed by the first display unit 35, and transmits the video playback time at the time the comment content is input as the comment content. The sending unit 40 also has a function of sending various information to the comment delivery server 2 and the video delivery server 1 according to instructions input from the input unit 37.

[0024] Next, the operation of the above-mentioned comment delivery system will be described. First, an overview of the operation of the comment delivery system will be described. First, the terminal device 3 accesses the comment delivery server 2, receives data of a list of videos with the most recent comment posting times, and displays it on the display device 34. At this time, for example, the display device 34 displays video names, thread names, etc. as a list of recent videos as shown in FIG. 6. Here, when a thread that the user wants to view is selected and the name of the thread is clicked with a mouse, the terminal device 3 transmits the video ID set in the video corresponding to the clicked thread to the video delivery server 1 and requests the video to be delivered, and transmits the thread ID and video ID set in the clicked thread to the comment delivery server 2 and requests the transmission of comment information. In response to this, the video delivery server 1 streams the video specified by the video ID to the terminal device 3 that made the delivery request. Meanwhile, the comment delivery server 2 reads out the comment information corresponding to the thread ID and video ID from the comment information storage unit 21 and delivers it to the terminal device 3 that made the delivery request.

[0025] The terminal device 3 receives the video distributed from the video distribution server 1 and displays it on the display device 34, and also displays the comment contents on the video based on the comment information distributed from the comment distribution server 2. Here, the comment contents, for which the comment adding time that matches the video playback time is set, are displayed on the video in sequence according to the video playback time from the start of playback of the video.

[0026] Next, the operations of the comment distribution server 2 and the terminal device 3 will be described in order. First, the operation of the comment delivery server 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7. The communication unit 24 of the comment delivery server 2 detects whether or not a delivery request for comment information has been received from the terminal device 3 (step S101). When a delivery request for comment information has been received, the communication unit 24 instructs the comment information delivery unit 22 to deliver the comment information. Here, the video ID and thread ID of the comment information included in the delivery request are output to the comment information delivery unit 22. The comment information delivery unit 22 reads out from the comment information storage unit 21 the comment information corresponding to the video ID and thread ID output from the communication unit 24 (step S102), and delivers the read comment information to the terminal device 3 that made the delivery request (step S103). Here, each piece of comment information associated with the video ID and thread ID is transmitted collectively.

[0027] On the other hand, when the comment data transmitted from the terminal device 3 is received instead of the delivery request of the comment information (step S104), the communication unit 24 outputs the comment data to the comment information update management unit 23. The comment information update management unit 23 refers to the comment information storage unit 21, identifies the comment information based on the video ID and the thread ID included in the comment data output from the communication unit 24, and additionally stores the received comment data to the identified comment information (step S105). When the additional storage is performed, the comment information delivery unit 22 identifies the terminal device 3 that is playing the video of the video ID and viewing the comment of the thread ID together with the video of the video ID, and delivers the additionally stored comment data to each of the identified terminal devices 3 (step S106). On the other hand, when the comment data transmitted from the terminal device 3 is not received instead of the delivery request of the comment information, the process proceeds to step S101. Here, a method for identifying a terminal device 3 that is playing a video with the same video ID and viewing comments in a thread with the thread ID can be, for example, to establish a session with a terminal device 3 that has accessed the comment distribution server 2, and identify a terminal device 3 with an active session as viewing a video. There is.

[0028] Next, the operation of the terminal device 3 will be described with reference to the drawings. When an instruction to play a video is input by a user (step S201), the input unit 37 of the terminal device 3 transmits the video ID of the instructed video to the video distribution server 1 via the transmission unit 40, requests distribution of the video, and transmits a request to distribute comment information to the comment distribution server 2. Then, when the comment information receiving unit 32 receives the comment information distributed from the comment distribution server 2 (step S202), it stores it in the comment information storage unit 33.

[0029] When the comment information is received and stored in the comment information storage unit 33, the video playback unit 31 receives the video distributed from the video distribution server 1, plays the received video, and displays it on the display device 34 by the first display unit 35 (step S203). When playback of the video starts, the first display unit 35 refers to the comment information storage unit 33 and determines whether or not there is comment data in which a comment adding time that matches the video playback time is set based on the current video playback time (step S204). If there is comment data in which a comment adding time that matches the video playback time is set (step S205-YES), the first display unit 35 calculates the display position of the comment data (step S206). Then, according to the calculated display position, the first display unit 35 controls the display of the comment on the video (step S206). On the other hand, the moving image reproducing unit 31 determines whether or not the reproduction has ended, and if the reproduction has ended, ends the process, and if the reproduction has not ended, proceeds to step S204.

[0030] On the other hand, if there is no comment to be displayed in step S205, the delivery unit 40 detects whether or not a comment has been input from the input unit 37 (step S209). If a comment has been input, the delivery unit 40 reads out the playback time (video playback time) indicated by the player of the software playing the video at the time the comment was input (for example, the time the "Write" button (reference numeral 111) was clicked), sets the video playback time as the comment attachment time, and associates the video ID of the video being played, the thread ID of the comment being viewed, the current real-time information (information on the current time), the user name of the user of the terminal device 3, the input comment content, and the comment display method, and additionally stores them as comment information in the comment list in the comment information storage unit 33 (step S210). Then, the transmission unit 40 transmits the additionally stored comment information to the comment delivery server 2 (step S211), and proceeds to step S208.

[0031] If it is determined in step S209 that a comment has not been input, the terminal device 3 detects whether or not comment data has been received by the comment information receiving unit 32 (step S212). If comment data has been received, the comment information receiving unit 32 adds and stores the received comment data in the comment information storage unit 33, and the process proceeds to step S208.

[0032] On the other hand, if comment data has not been received in step S212, the selection unit 38 of the terminal device 3 detects whether or not a comment selection operation has been input from the input unit 37 (step S214). If a comment selection operation has been input, the selection unit 38 outputs the comment content of the selected comment data to the playback control unit 39. In response to this output, the playback control unit 39 reads out the comment addition time stored in association with the selected comment data by referring to the comment information storage unit 33, and rewinds or fast-forwards the video playback position according to the video playback time corresponding to the read comment addition time, thereby causing playback to start from the video playback time that matches the comment addition time stored in association with the comment data (step S215), and causes the comment content of the comment addition time to be displayed, and the process proceeds to step S208.

[0033] Next, a case where a comment is displayed on the screen will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where a thread "Let's share our thoughts on the dish!" associated with a video of "Famous Chef's Omelet Rice" is selected in the "List of Recent Comments" in FIG. 5 will be described. When this thread is selected, the video of "Famous Chef's Omelet Rice" is played, for example, in the area of ​​the display box 104 in FIG. 5. Then, comments are displayed on the video in sequence according to the video playback time. FIG. 5 shows a screen when the video playback time is 9 seconds, and here, "It looks delicious!", a comment by user F with a comment addition time of 9 seconds, is moved from the right side of the screen to the left side and displayed (reference number 115). Then, when the video playback progresses and the video playback time reaches 13 seconds, a screen as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. Here, "It looks delicious!", a comment with a comment addition time of 9 seconds, is moved to the left side of the screen, and only the part of "It looks delicious!" is displayed in a state where it is trimmed outside the display box 104 and inside the display box 109 (reference number 200). Also, the comment "Famous chef's creations are nice" from user Z, who added the comment for 10 seconds, is displayed below the comment from user B (reference number 201), and the comment "Where do they use eggs?" from user E, who added the comment for 12 seconds, is displayed at the bottom of the screen (reference number 202). In this manner, the comments are displayed in sequence.

[0034] Although the above description focuses on the operation of only one terminal device 3, in reality, users viewing the same video and the same thread can exchange comments as follows. Here, the description will be given with reference to FIG. 10. For example, when a user E plays a video and inputs an additional comment "Whose eggs are they using?" at the 12 second mark (symbol a), the comment information of the additional comment is distributed via the comment distribution server 2 to terminal devices 3 that are viewing the same video and the same thread.

[0035] After the distribution, when the same video is played by another user C (symbol b), the comment information including the added comment is distributed to the terminal device 3 of user C. Then, when the video playback time is 12 seconds, a comment from user E, "Whose eggs are you using?", is displayed. Then, when user C, who has viewed this comment, responds by inputting a comment, "They seem to be from XX prefecture," at the point when the video playback time of user C is 15 seconds (for example, at the point when the video playback time of user E is 100 seconds), and transmitting the comment to the comment distribution server 2 (symbol c), the transmitted comment is distributed to the terminal device 3 of user E. At this time, for example, at the point when the video playback time is 100 seconds, some of user C's comments are displayed in order of real time in the list of user E's comments (symbol d). For example, the latest comment is displayed at the bottom (or top) of the comment list. When user E, who has viewed this comment list, clicks on a comment, the video being played returns to the 15-second point in the video playback time, and the comment "It seems to be from XX prefecture" is displayed on the screen of user E's terminal device 3 (symbol e). This allows user E to enjoy the video as if he or she had received a reply to his or her comment. By repeating this exchange of comments, users who are viewing the video at different times can communicate with each other through comments. In this way, comments are managed in the order in which they were entered in real time, and are displayed as a comment list, so that even users who do not play the video at the same time can exchange comments in real time and communicate with each other.

[0036] Furthermore, when such comments are posted and the video is played back from the point at which the comment was posted repeatedly, the difference in the timing of the video playback between users approaches zero, enabling users to exchange comments while viewing the same video at almost the same time.

[0037] Here, we have described a case where multiple users are viewing the same video, but when a user plays a video when no other users are viewing the video, the comment information stored up to that point is distributed from the comment distribution server 2 to the terminal device 3, and is played back sequentially according to the timing of the video playback. This allows users to view previously made comments in order according to the video playback time of the video, even when no other users are viewing the video. Comments can also be written here.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which, when a comment is added to the comment list and the added comment is clicked on by a user, the video is played from the video playback time that matches the comment attachment time set for the comment, and the comment is displayed; however, if the added comment is not clicked, the comment is displayed on the video when the video playback time reaches the comment attachment time set for the added comment. Even if a comment is posted by another user during the video playback time of the video you are viewing, the comments are displayed in the comment list in real time order, so that by clicking on the added comment, you can rewind or fast forward to the point in time when the comment was posted and view the comment. In addition, by rewinding the video playback time, the comments posted up to that point, including the newly added comment, are displayed in sequence according to the comment posting time and the video playback time.

[0039] It is also possible to rewind or fast forward the playback time by moving the slide bar in the playback status display field of operation panel 106. However, when this operation is performed, the video is rewound or fast-forwarded, and the comment you want to see quickly disappears from the screen, making it difficult to find. However, it is possible to start watching from the scene you want to see by selecting it from the comment list. In the above embodiment, the case has been described where the terminal device 3 receives the comment data distributed from the comment distribution server 2 and reflects and displays it on the screen, but a comment input by a user on one's own terminal device 3 may be displayed on the screen immediately upon input (before the comment is transmitted to the comment distribution server 2 and received by the comment distribution server 2). Specifically, when a comment is input in step S209 in Fig. 8, the input comment may be displayed on one's own terminal device 3, the process proceeds to step S210, the input comment is added and saved in a comment list, and then transmitted to the comment distribution server 2.

[0040] Next, display of comments will be described. The input comment can be set by inputting the display position such as the top, middle, or bottom of the screen, and the display time for moving the comment in the input field 109. When the display time is set, for example, the comment can be displayed in the top of the screen for a certain period of time (for example, 4 seconds) and then disappeared. It is also possible to adjust the movement speed by specifying the time from when the comment appears in the display area of ​​the screen until it moves out of the area and disappears (for example, 4 seconds). In addition, when a large number of comments are input in a concentrated manner during a certain video playback time, if they overlap on a line of the same height when displayed, it is possible to change the height on the screen and display or move the comment. In addition, if the movement speed differs according to the length of the comment character string due to the display time being set, the next comment may catch up before the comment finishes moving, so in such a case, the next comment may be displayed on a line of a different height or move.

[0041] Comments can be entered not only as sentences, but also as ASCII art (also called text art) by arranging characters and symbols. In this case, it is possible to draw a landscape or a realistic picture by unchecking the "1 line" checkbox 114 and writing characters and symbols over several lines. Here, the character font may be enlarged or reduced as necessary so that all the lines of the ASCII art fit within the screen.

[0042] Also, it may be possible to determine whether a comment is new or old based on real time, and to display a comment that was input at an older point in real time a certain time after it is displayed, and then to make it semi-transparent, and then to make it disappear. Also, it may be possible to set a degree of importance for a comment, and to change the character size of the comment according to the degree of importance. For example, a comment with a large number of response comments may be determined to be of high importance, and the character size of the root comment may be made large. Also, it may be possible to change the display position of the comment in the vertical direction (vertical direction of the screen) according to the degree of importance. For example, a comment with a high degree of importance may be displayed on a line at the top of the screen, and a comment with a low degree of importance may be displayed on a line at the bottom of the screen.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described where the video distribution server 1 and the comment distribution server 2 are separate servers, but the functions of the video distribution server 1 and the comment distribution server 2 may be realized by the same server. In the above embodiment, when viewing comments and videos in this service, the comment distribution server 2 is accessed, data on a list of recent comments is received, and a video and a thread are selected from the list of recent comments displayed on the display device 34. However, a URL may be created by specifying the video and thread, where the comments and videos can be viewed, and published on the Internet. Specifically, a URL that includes a video ID and a thread ID and allows the video to be played and the comment information of the thread to be received when clicked may be posted on a blog or a bulletin board on an Internet site, and other users may click on it. Also, such a URL may be set in a thumbnail image or the like, and may be clicked on.

[0044] Furthermore, for such a list of recent comments, thumbnail images may be displayed on the right-hand side or bottom of the screen where the video and comments are being viewed (e.g., Figure 5), or threads with the most views may be displayed as a ranking, and the user may click on a thumbnail image to display the thread associated with the clicked thumbnail image.

[0045] In the above embodiment, a case where a video ID and a thread ID are specified has been described, but a representative thread ID may be registered in advance for that video ID, and when only the video ID is specified, the representative thread may be displayed. When a comment is simply entered for a video without specifying which thread to write in, the comment may be written in the representative thread. When a certain number of comments (e.g., 100) are posted in a thread, a new thread may be generated by the comment distribution server 2 or a user.

[0046] In addition, for the comment list, if a comment has been displayed once on the video or if a user has clicked on the comment list to view it, it may be possible to specify that the comment has been viewed in the comment list. For example, the text color may be changed, or a mark indicating that the comment has been viewed may be displayed.

[0047] Also, an individual user identifier may be assigned to each user, and for example, a comment may be associated with the user identifier to create comment data. This makes it possible to identify who made the comment. Furthermore, comments may be displayed in different character colors depending on the user identifier, making it possible to identify the user who made the comment. Also, by allocating a user ID to a user who has accessed the system in advance and storing the user ID in the comment data, the comments posted by each user can be displayed in a list, for example, by a pop-up display. The user ID may be assigned to each user by prior user registration, or information identifying the terminal device may be used. When information identifying the terminal device is used, for example, a hash function may be calculated based on the information identifying the terminal device, and the result of the calculation may be used as the user ID.

[0048] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a case where a posted comment is deleted will be described. In this case, the comment to be deleted can be prevented from being displayed on the screen in response to a comment deletion instruction from a user having the authority to delete a comment, which is input via the terminal device 3. Also, even if a user does not directly have the authority to delete a comment, it is possible to make the comment semi-transparent or not to display the comment in response to the number of comment deletion requests from users without the authority.

[0049] The comment delivery system according to the second embodiment will be described below. Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing the functions of a comment distribution system in the second embodiment. In this figure, the same reference numerals are given to the parts corresponding to those in Fig. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the description will be made on the assumption that a comment ID is given to each comment in the comment information. 2, the communication unit 241 further receives comment deletion request information transmitted from the terminal device 3. The comment deletion request information here includes a comment ID to be deleted, a thread ID identifying the thread in which the comment to be deleted was registered, a video ID identifying the video corresponding to the thread, and a deletion request user ID for identifying the user who made the deletion request.

[0050] The comment information update management unit 23 includes an authority determination unit 231 , a deletion request count unit 232 , and a display selection unit 233 . The authority determination unit 231 receives the comment deletion request information received by the communication unit 242 from the terminal device 3 and determines whether or not the user has the authority to delete the comment based on the video ID, thread ID, and deletion request user ID included in the comment deletion request information. The authority determination unit 231 stores an authority table for determining whether or not the user has the authority in its internal memory area, and determines whether or not the user has the authority by referring to the table. An example of the authority table is shown in FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, the authority table stores a video ID, a thread ID, and a deletion authority user ID for identifying a user who has the authority to delete a comment registered in the thread ID in association with each other. Here, only one deletion authority user ID may be stored for one combination of a video ID and a thread ID, or multiple deletion authority user IDs may be stored. The authority determination unit 231 refers to this authority table and determines whether the combination of video ID and comment ID included in the comment deletion request information is in the authority table. If the video ID and comment ID are found, it further determines whether the deletion authority user ID associated with the comment ID in the authority table matches the user ID included in the comment deletion request information. If the deletion authority user ID matches the user ID included in the comment deletion request information, it determines that the user has the authority to delete the comment.

[0051] The deletion request count unit 232 determines that the authority decision unit 231 does not have the deletion authority. Based on the comment deletion request information, the number of deletion requests is counted for each comment requested to be deleted. The display database 234 stores the count number and the display method in association with each other. An example of information stored in the display database 234 is shown in Fig. 13. Here, the count number (n) which is the result of the counting by the deletion request count unit 232, information indicating the relationship with the range of the count number, and information specifying the display method are stored in association with each other. As the display method, "normal" which displays the comment, "semi-transparent" which displays the comment semi-transparently over the video, and "transparent" which corresponds to erasing the comment are set.

[0052] The display selection unit 233 reads out the display method corresponding to the count result (n) counted by the deletion request count unit 232 by referring to the display database 234, assigns the read out display method to the “comment display method” of the comment information, and stores it in the comment information storage unit 21.

[0053] Next, the operation of the comment delivery system in the above-mentioned second embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the comment delivery system in the second embodiment. First, as shown in the first embodiment, the comment distribution server 1 collects comments posted from the terminal devices 3 and distributes them as comment information to each terminal device 3, which displays the video and the comments on the screen. Then, when the user uses a mouse or the like to click on a comment that he or she wishes to delete among the comments displayed on the screen of the terminal device 3 and clicks the deletion request button displayed on the screen, the terminal device 3 reads out the comment ID, video ID, and thread ID of the clicked comment from the comment information storage unit 33, associates the read comment ID, video ID, and thread ID with the user ID of the user using the terminal device 3, and transmits them to the comment distribution server 1 as a comment deletion request (step S301).

[0054] When the comment distribution server 1 receives comment deletion request information from the terminal device 3 (step S401), the authority determination unit 231 determines whether or not the user ID included in the received comment deletion request information has the authority to delete the comment (step S402). If the determination result shows that the user has the authority to delete, the display selection unit 233 instructs the display selection unit 233 to delete the comment. In response to the instruction from the authority determination unit 231, the display selection unit 233 writes information indicating "do not display" in the "comment display method" of the comment information stored in the comment information storage unit 21 that matches the video ID, thread ID, and comment ID included in the received comment deletion request information.

[0055] Then, when the information of the "comment display method" of the comment information is updated, the comment information distribution unit 22 transmits the updated comment information to the terminal device 3 (step S404). The terminal device 3 receives the comment information transmitted from the comment distribution server 1, and displays the comments according to the comment display method. Here, the deleted comments are stored as comment data but are not displayed on the screen, and comments that are not subject to deletion are displayed on the screen.

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S402 that the user does not have the authority, the deletion request counting unit 232 detects this comment deletion request information as being from a user who does not have the authority to delete. The deletion request counting unit 232 then counts up the deletion requests for the comment IDs of the video ID and thread ID included in the comment deletion request information (step S405), temporarily stores the count in its own internal counter, and outputs the count result to the display selection unit 233. The display selection unit 233 determines the number of deletion requests to be displayed based on the count result output from the deletion request counting unit 232. The display method corresponding to the number of comments is read from the display database 234 (step S406), and the read display method is written as the "comment display method" in the comment information storage unit 21 according to the video ID, thread ID, and comment ID.

[0057] When the comment display method is written in the comment information storage unit 21, the comment information delivery unit 22 transmits the comment information after the comment display method is written to the terminal device 3 (step S404). As a result, the comment information is displayed on the terminal device 3 according to the transmitted comment information (step S302).

[0058] According to this embodiment, comments are deleted depending on the presence or absence of authority. This makes it possible to display comments that are inappropriate for the thread, taking into consideration the will of a user with special authority, such as the administrator of the thread. Furthermore, even if a user does not have the authority to delete a comment at his / her own will, the comment can be deleted or displayed differently from other comments, such as semi-transparently, depending on the number of users. This allows multiple users to write and delete comments, improving the entertainment value of the thread.

[0059] In the above-mentioned second embodiment, the case has been described where the deletion request count unit 232 refers to comment deletion request information for which the authority determination unit 231 has determined that the user does not have the deletion authority, but only one of the authority determination unit 231 and the deletion request count unit 232 may be provided in the comment information update management unit 23. That is, a deletion request may be accepted only from a user who has the deletion authority to delete a comment, and the comment may be made not to be displayed or made semi-transparent depending on the number of deletion requests received from users, regardless of whether the user has the authority to delete the comment.

[0060] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned second embodiment, the cases where the comment display method is "normal", "semi-transparent", and "transparent" have been described; however, it is sufficient if the comment to be erased can be displayed differently from the normal comment. For example, it is possible to have multiple levels of semi-transparency, change the color of the comment, change the character size, character font, color gradation, or to blank out the comment. Also, a request to cancel the comment deletion may be received from a user who has the authority to delete a comment, and the deleted comment may be displayed in response to this instruction.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the programs for implementing the functions of the comment information delivery unit 22, the comment information update management unit 23, and the communication unit 24 in Fig. 2, or the programs for implementing the functions of the video playback unit 31, the comment information receiving unit 32, the first display unit 35, the second display unit 36, the input unit 37, the selection unit 38, the playback control unit 39, and the transmission unit 40 in Fig. 4, and the functions of the authority determination unit 231, the deletion request count unit 232, the display selection unit 233, and the communication unit 241 in Fig. 11 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the programs recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to deliver comments and control the display of comments. Note that the term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0062] Furthermore, if a WWW system is used, the term "computer system" also includes the home page providing environment (or display environment). Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to devices that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and the servers and clients in such cases. This also includes memory that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory in a computer system. The program may be for implementing part of the above-mentioned functions, or may be capable of implementing the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system.

[0063] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 Video distribution server 2 Comment distribution server 3 Terminal device 21 Comment information storage unit 22 Comment information distribution section 23 Comment information update management section 24, 241 Communication section 31 Video playback section 32 comment information receiving unit 33 comment information storage unit 34 Display device 35 First display unit 36 Second display unit 37 Input unit 38 Selection unit 39 Playback control unit 40 Transmission unit 231 Authority determination unit 232 Erase request count unit 233 Display selection unit 234 Display Database

Claims

1. A system comprising a server and a plurality of terminal devices connected to the server via a network, The server, receiving a comment on the video sent from the server, the comment being added by a user who is viewing the video; Transmitting the video and comment information to the terminal device; The comment information is The comment, a comment giving time, which is a video playback time representing an elapsed time of the video from the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the comment was given; The terminal device a video playback means for receiving the video transmitted from the server and playing it; a comment control means for receiving the comment information and displaying the comment during a video playback time corresponding to the comment adding time; an input means for receiving an input of a rewind instruction for rewinding a video playback time of the video being played back to a predetermined time point; In response to the rewind instruction, the video playback means plays the video from a video playback time corresponding to the predetermined time point; The comment control means displays the comment at the video playback time corresponding to the comment addition time, and if there is an additional comment that was added after playing the video playback time corresponding to the specified time before accepting the rewind instruction, displays the additional comment at the video playback time corresponding to the additional comment addition time, which is the video playback time that represents the elapsed time of the video based on the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the additional comment was added.

2. A system including a plurality of terminal devices, the plurality of terminal devices are connected to a server via a network; The server, receiving a comment on the video sent from the server, the comment being added by a user who is viewing the video; Transmitting the video and comment information to the terminal device; The comment information is The comment, a comment giving time, which is a video playback time representing an elapsed time of the video from the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the comment was given; The terminal device a video playback means for receiving the video transmitted from the server and playing it; a comment control means for receiving the comment information and displaying the comment during a video playback time corresponding to the comment adding time; an input means for receiving an input of a rewind instruction for rewinding a video playback time of the video being played back to a predetermined time point; In response to the rewind instruction, the video playback means plays the video from a video playback time corresponding to the predetermined time point; The comment control means displays the comment at the video playback time corresponding to the comment addition time, and if there is an additional comment that was added after playing the video playback time corresponding to the specified time before accepting the rewind instruction, displays the additional comment at the video playback time corresponding to the additional comment addition time, which is the video playback time that represents the elapsed time of the video based on the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the additional comment was added.

3. A system including a video distribution server, a comment distribution server, and a plurality of terminal devices connected to the video distribution server and the comment distribution server via a network, The video distribution server transmits the video to the terminal device; The comment distribution server includes: receiving a comment on a video sent from the video distribution server, the comment being added by a user who is viewing the video; Transmitting the video and comment information to the terminal device; The comment information is The comment, a comment giving time, which is a video playback time representing an elapsed time of the video from the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the comment was given; The terminal device a video playback means for receiving and playing the video transmitted from the video distribution server; a comment control means for receiving the comment information and displaying the comment during a video playback time corresponding to the comment adding time; an input means for receiving an input of a rewind instruction for rewinding a video playback time of the video being played back to a predetermined time point; In response to the rewind instruction, the video playback means plays the video from a video playback time corresponding to the predetermined time point; The comment control means displays the comment at the video playback time corresponding to the comment addition time, and if there is an additional comment that was added after playing the video playback time corresponding to the specified time before accepting the rewind instruction, displays the additional comment at the video playback time corresponding to the additional comment addition time, which is the video playback time that represents the elapsed time of the video based on the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the additional comment was added.

4. A system including a plurality of terminal devices, the plurality of terminal devices are connected to a video distribution server and a comment distribution server via a network; The video distribution server transmits the video to the terminal device; The comment distribution server includes: receiving a comment on a video sent from the video distribution server, the comment being added by a user who is viewing the video; Transmitting the video and comment information to the terminal device; The comment information is The comment, a comment giving time, which is a video playback time representing an elapsed time of the video from the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the comment was given; The terminal device a video playback means for receiving and playing the video transmitted from the video distribution server; a comment control means for receiving the comment information and displaying the comment during a video playback time corresponding to the comment adding time; an input means for receiving an input of a rewind instruction for rewinding a video playback time of the video being played back to a predetermined time point; In response to the rewind instruction, the video playback means plays the video from a video playback time corresponding to the predetermined time point; The comment control means displays the comment at the video playback time corresponding to the comment addition time, and if there is an additional comment that was added after playing the video playback time corresponding to the specified time before accepting the rewind instruction, displays the additional comment at the video playback time corresponding to the additional comment addition time, which is the video playback time that represents the elapsed time of the video based on the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the additional comment was added.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the comment control means displays the comments so as to overlap at least a portion of the video.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the comment control means displays the comments so as to move in a predetermined direction.

7. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a means for determining whether or not there is a comment to be displayed based on a current video playback time.

8. One or more computers, A video playback means for receiving and playing a video; a comment control means for receiving comment information including a comment on the video added by a user who is watching the video and a comment adding time, which is a video playback time that represents an elapsed time of the video from the beginning of the video corresponding to the time when the comment was added, and displaying the comment at the video playback time that corresponds to the comment adding time; and a program that functions as an input unit that receives an input of a rewind instruction for rewinding a video playback time of a video being played back to a predetermined time point, In response to the rewind instruction, the video playback means plays the video from a video playback time corresponding to the predetermined time point; The comment control means displays the comment during a video playback time corresponding to the comment adding time, and when there is an additional comment added after playing the video playback time corresponding to the predetermined time point before receiving the rewind instruction, displays the additional comment during a video playback time corresponding to an additional comment adding time, which is a video playback time representing the elapsed time of the video from the beginning of the video, corresponding to the time when the additional comment was added. A program.

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