Video distribution system, video distribution method, and video distribution program

Abstract

To provide a moving image distribution system, a moving image distribution method, and a moving image distribution program that when a plurality of distribution users virtually coact in a moving image through character objects, enable selection of coaction partners.SOLUTION: A moving image distribution system 1 comprises a server device. The server device comprises one or a plurality of computer processors; distributes a moving image distributed by a first user, to a plurality of other users by executing a computer readable instruction; receives a coaction request by a second user selecting a coaction request button displayed on the moving image; on the basis of second user evaluation information stored in a storage, determines coaction propriety; when coaction between the first user and the second user is permitted, generates a coaction moving image in which the first user and the second user coact; and distributes the coaction moving image to one or a plurality of viewing users.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosure in this specification relates to a video distribution system, a video distribution method, and a video distribution program. More specifically, the disclosure in this specification relates to a video distribution system, a video distribution method, and a video distribution program for live-distributing a video including a character object generated based on the movement of a user.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a video distribution system is known that generates an animation of a character object based on the movement of a distribution user and live-distributes a video including such an animation of the character object. Such a video distribution system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-184689 (Patent Document 1) and "Yusuke Hasegawa, The Dawn of the New Era of Virtual Idols PROJECT MariA, CG WORLD, Japan, Bone Digital Co., Ltd., November 10, 2017, Vol. 231, pp. 74-79" (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] A video distribution service is provided that distributes a video including a character object generated based on the movement of a distribution user. As such a service, "Virtual Cast" provided by Dwango Co., Ltd. is known. In Virtual Cast, the character objects of other users enter the video being distributed by a certain distribution user, and two distribution users can virtually co-star in the video via their respective character objects.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In order to maintain the quality of the distributed video, which distribution users are co-performers is a major concern for the distribution users. However, unlike the case where actors gather in a studio to co-perform in the real world, when co-performing virtually via character objects, it is difficult to grasp the distribution users who are co-performers. When there is an application for co-performance from other users, if the application is automatically accepted or left to the decision of the distribution user, there is a risk that co-performers who exhibit undesirable behavior will appear in the distributed video. When co-performance in the video is performed via character objects, since the co-performers have anonymity, it is difficult to stop them from taking undesirable actions.

[0007] Thus, when multiple distribution users co-perform virtually in a video via character objects, in order to ensure the quality of the distributed video, it is desirable to appropriately select co-performers. However, as described above, unlike co-performance in the real world, it is difficult to predict whether a co-performer will take desirable actions before the distribution of the video.

[0008] The objective of the present disclosure is to provide a technical improvement that solves or alleviates at least some of the problems of the above-described prior art. One more specific objective of the present disclosure is to provide a video distribution system, a video distribution method, and a video distribution program capable of selecting a co-star who virtually co-stars in a video.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] A video distribution system according to one aspect of the present invention includes one or more computer processors. In one aspect, the one or more computer processors execute computer-readable instructions to determine the co-star eligibility of the second user based on co-star applicant information regarding the second user in response to receiving a co-star application for co-starring with the first user from the second user, and when the co-starring of the second user is permitted, generate a co-star video in which the first user and the second user co-star, and distribute the co-star video to one or more viewing users. The determination of co-star eligibility may be made based on co-star applicant information regarding the first user.

[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, the co-star video is a character co-star video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user. In another aspect of the present invention, the co-star video is an audio co-star video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user. The character co-star video and the audio co-star video may be switchable alternately.

[0011] In one aspect of the present invention, the co-star applicant information includes user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the second user.

[0012] In one aspect of the present invention, the co-star applicant information includes video evaluation information indicating an evaluation of a video distributed by the second user.

[0013] In one aspect of the present invention, the co-star applicant information includes the video distribution time or the number of video distribution times of the second user.

[0014] In one aspect of the present invention, the co-star applicant information includes co-star prohibition information that identifies a user who has prohibited the second user from co-starring.

[0015] When it is determined that the second character object is in a non-active state in the co-star video based on the motion data indicating the movement of the second user, the video distribution system in one aspect of the present invention excludes the second character object from the co-star video.

[0016] The video distribution system in one aspect of the present invention excludes the second character object from the co-star video based on co-star performer evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the second user by the viewing user during the distribution of the co-star video.

[0017] The video distribution system in one aspect of the present invention excludes the second character object from the co-star video based on a request from the first user.

[0018] One aspect of the present invention relates to a video distribution method executed by one or more computer processors executing computer-readable instructions. The video distribution method includes: a step of determining the eligibility of the second user to co-star based on co-star applicant information regarding the first user or the second user in response to receiving a co-star application for co-starring with the first user from the second user; a step of generating a co-star video in which the first user and the second user co-star when the co-starring of the second user is permitted; and a step of distributing the co-star video to one or more viewing users.

[0019] One aspect of the present invention relates to a video distribution program. The video distribution program causes one or more computer processors to execute a process of determining the eligibility of a second user to co-star based on co-star applicant information regarding the first user or the second user in response to receiving a co-star application from the second user to co-star with the first user, a process of generating a co-star video in which the first user and the second user co-star when the co-star of the second user is permitted, and a process of distributing the co-star video to one or more viewing users.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to select a co-star who virtually co-stars in a video.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with appropriate reference to the drawings. The same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals in the plurality of drawings.

[0023] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a video distribution system according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a video distribution system 1 according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically showing users Ua and Ub who distribute videos in the video distribution system 1 and distribution user devices 20a and 20b used by the users Ua and Ub. The distribution user device 20a has a function for distributing a video including a character object generated based on the movement of the user Ua in the video distribution system 1, and the distribution user device 20b has a function for distributing a video including a character object generated based on the movement of the user Ub in the video distribution system 1. As will be described in detail later, the video distribution system 1 can generate and distribute a video including character objects of two or more distribution users. In other words, in the video distribution system 1, two or more distribution users can virtually co-star via their respective character objects in the video. In this way, when two or more distribution users are virtually co-starring in the video via their respective character objects, the video is called a co-starring video. For example, when a video including a character object generated based on the movement of the user Ub is being distributed, the user Ua can apply to co-star with the user Ub. When this co-starring application is permitted, a co-starring video including the character object of the user Ub and the character object of the user Ua is generated and the co-starring video is distributed. The distribution user devices 20a and 20b may have a function of viewing the videos distributed in the video distribution system 1.

[0024] The video distribution system 1 includes a viewing user device 10, distribution user devices 20a and 20b, a server device 60, and a storage 70. The viewing user device 10, the distribution user devices 20, the server device 60, and the storage 70 are connected to be communicable with each other via a network 50. The server device 60 is configured to distribute a video including animations of character objects of distribution users Ua and Ub, as will be described later. In addition to the video distribution service, the server device 60 may provide a social networking service for users to communicate with each other or a platform function for the service.

[0025] In the video distribution system 1, the video is distributed from the server device 60 to the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. The distributed video is displayed on the display of the viewing user device 10. A viewing user who is a user of the viewing user device 10 can view the distributed video using the viewing user device 10. Although only one viewing user device 10 is shown in FIG. 1 to simplify the drawing, the video distribution system 1 may include a plurality of viewing user devices. By viewing the distributed video, the distribution users Ua and Ub can perform a performance while checking the video in the video. In addition, the distribution users Ua and Ub can view, using the distribution user devices 20a and 20b, a video including character objects of other users.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the distribution user device 20a includes a computer processor 21a, a communication I / F 22a, a display 23a, a camera 24a, and a microphone 25a. Similarly, the distribution user device 20b includes a computer processor 21b, a communication I / F 22b, a display 23b, a camera 24b, and a microphone 25b. Since the distribution user device 20a and the distribution user device 20b have the same configuration and functions, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the two, they may be collectively referred to as the distribution user device 20, and their components may also be referred to as the computer processor 21 and the like.

[0027] The computer processor 21 is an arithmetic unit that loads an operating system and various programs that implement various functions from storage into memory and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The computer processor 21 is, for example, a CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, various other arithmetic units, or a combination thereof. The computer processor 21 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, PLD, FPGA, or MCU. In FIG. 1, the computer processor 21 is illustrated as a single component, but the computer processor 21 may be a set of a plurality of physically separate computer processors.

[0028] The communication I / F 22 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof. The distribution user device 20 can transmit and receive data to and from other devices via the communication I / F 22.

[0029] The display 23 has a display panel and a touch panel. The touch panel is configured to be able to detect a touch operation (contact operation) of the player. The touch panel can detect various touch operations such as a tap, double-tap, and drag of the player. The touch panel may be provided with a capacitive proximity sensor and configured to be able to detect a non-contact operation of the player.

[0030] The camera 24 continuously images the faces of the distribution users Ua and Ub and acquires imaging data of the faces of the distribution users Ua and Ub. The imaging data of the faces of the distribution users Ua and Ub imaged by the camera 24 is transmitted to the server device 60 via the communication I / F 22. The camera 24 may be a 3D camera capable of detecting the depth of a person's face.

[0031] The microphone 25 is a sound collection device configured to convert the input voice into voice data. The microphone 25 is configured to be able to acquire the voice inputs of the distribution users Ua and Ub. The voice inputs of the distribution users Ua and Ub acquired by the microphone 25 are converted into voice data, and this voice data is transmitted to the server device 60 via the communication I / F 22.

[0032] The viewing user device 10 may include the same components as the distribution user device 20. For example, the viewing user device 10 may include a computer processor, a communication I / F, a display, and a camera. The viewing user device 10 may perform the same functions as the distribution user device 20 by downloading and installing a predetermined application software.

[0033] The viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 are information processing devices such as smartphones. In addition to smartphones, the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 may be mobile phones, tablet terminals, personal computers, e-book readers, wearable computers, game consoles, and various other information processing devices capable of playing videos. Each of the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20 may further include a sensor unit including various sensors such as a gyro sensor, and a storage for storing various information, in addition to the above-described components.

[0034] Next, the server device 60 will be described. In the illustrated embodiment, the server device 60 includes a computer processor 61, a communication I / F 62, and a storage 63.

[0035] The computer processor 61 is an arithmetic unit that loads an operating system and various programs for realizing various functions from the storage 63 or other storage into the memory and executes the instructions included in the loaded programs. The computer processor 61 is, for example, a CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, various other arithmetic units, or a combination thereof. The computer processor 61 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, PLD, FPGA, or MCU. In FIG. 1, the computer processor 61 is illustrated as a single component, but the computer processor 61 may be a set of a plurality of physically separate computer processors.

[0036] The communication I / F 62 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP / IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof. The server device 60 can transmit and receive data to and from other devices via the communication I / F 62.

[0037] The storage 63 is a storage device accessed by the computer processor 61. The storage 63 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or various other storage devices capable of storing data other than the above. Various programs can be stored in the storage 63. At least a part of the programs and various data that can be stored in the storage 63 may be stored in a storage (for example, the storage 70) physically separate from the server device 60.

[0038] In this specification, each of the programs or the instructions included in the programs described as being executed by the computer processor 21 or the computer processor 61 may be executed by a single computer processor or may be executed distributively by a plurality of computer processors. Also, each of the programs or the instructions included in the programs described as being executed by the computer processor 21 or the computer processor 61 may be executed by a plurality of virtual computer processors.

[0039] Next, the data stored in the storage 63 will be described. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage 63 stores model data 63a, object data 63b, co-star applicant information 63c, co-star video information 63d, and various other data necessary for the generation and distribution of the distribution video other than the above.

[0040] The model data 63a is model data for generating character animations. The model data 63a may be three-dimensional model data for generating three-dimensional animations, or two-dimensional model data for generating two-dimensional model data. The model data 63a includes, for example, rig data (which may also be called "skeleton data") showing the skeletons of the character's face and parts other than the face, and surface data showing the shape and texture of the character's surface. The model data 63a can include a plurality of different model data. These plurality of model data may have different rig data from each other, or may have the same rig data. These plurality of model data may have different surface data from each other, or may have the same surface data.

[0041] The object data 63b includes asset data for constructing a virtual space that constitutes a video. The object data 63b includes data for drawing the background of the virtual space that constitutes the video, data for drawing various objects displayed in the video, and data for drawing various other objects displayed in the video. The object data 63b may include object position information indicating the positions of the objects in the virtual space.

[0042] An example of co-performer applicant information 63c is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in the figure, various data regarding the user who uses the video distribution system 1 is stored in association with the account information of the user as the co-performer applicant information 63c. As will be described later, the co-performer applicant information 63c can be referred to in order to determine whether to permit an application for co-performance made by the user with another user. The co-performer applicant information 63c of a certain user may include user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the user, video evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the video distributed by the user, a distribution time indicating the distribution time of the video distributed by the user, the number of times the video distributed by the user has been distributed, and co-performance prohibition information in which co-performance with the user is prohibited. The co-performer applicant information 63c may include information other than the above.

[0043] The user's account information is, for example, user identification information (user ID) that identifies the user. The user ID is assigned to the user when the user first registers for service use in the video distribution system 1.

[0044] User evaluation information associated with a user's account information is information indicating evaluations from other users regarding the user. The user evaluation information is, for example, user evaluation points represented by natural numbers. A user of the video distribution system 1 can distribute a video including their own character object via the server device 60. The user evaluation points of a certain user may be updated based on feedback from viewing users regarding the video distributed by the user. For example, feedback from viewing users includes selection of a "Like" button displayed on the viewing screen, selection of a "Boo" button indicating a negative evaluation, gifting of an item displayed on the viewing screen (giving a gift), sending of comments from the viewing screen, and various other feedback. The "Like" button is assumed to be selected when a viewer has a favorable impression of the viewed video or the distributing user who distributed the viewed video. The "Like" button may be shown as an icon including characters indicating a favorable impression such as "Like" or "いいね" on the viewing screen. The "Boo" button is assumed to be selected when a viewer has a negative impression such as dislike of the viewed video or the distributing user who distributed the viewed video. The "Boo" button may be shown as an icon including characters indicating dislike such as "dislike" or "よくないね" on the viewing screen. In this specification, the button and icon for indicating a favorable impression may be referred to as a "favorable impression button" and a "favorable impression icon" respectively, and the button and icon for indicating a negative impression may be referred to as a "negative impression button" and a "negative impression icon" respectively. The evaluation points may include the number of selections of the favorable impression button, the number of selections of the negative impression button, the number of gifting of gifts (or the amount of gifting), the number of comments, or other parameters related to feedback from viewing users. For example, when positive feedback or negative feedback is given from viewing users, the user evaluation points may be increased. The user evaluation points may evaluate the number or amount of positive feedback from viewing users as the number of points, or may evaluate the number or amount of negative feedback from viewing users as the number of points.Furthermore, the user evaluation points may increase or decrease depending on the respective numbers of positive feedback and negative feedback. More specifically, the user evaluation points may be increased when positive feedback is given, decreased when negative feedback is given, or vice versa. The user evaluation points of a certain user may be updated by means other than the feedback on the videos distributed by the user. For example, when a certain user communicates with other users using the social networking service provided by the server device 60, the user evaluation points may be updated based on the activities using the social networking service.

[0045] The video evaluation information associated with the user's account information is information indicating the evaluations from other users on the videos distributed by the user. The video evaluation information is, for example, video evaluation points represented by natural numbers. The video evaluation points of a certain user may be updated based on the feedback from the viewing users on the videos distributed by the user. When positive feedback or negative feedback is given from the viewing users who have viewed the video distributed by a certain user, the video evaluation points of the user may be increased. When feedback is given on the video distributed by a certain user, both the user evaluation points and the video evaluation points may be updated.

[0046] The distribution time associated with the user's account information is the distribution time of the videos distributed by the user. This distribution time may be the total distribution time since the start of using the video distribution system 1, or may be the distribution time within a certain period. The number of distribution times associated with the user's account information is the number of distribution times of the videos distributed by the user. This number of distribution times may be the total distribution time since the start of using the video distribution system 1, or may be the number of distribution times within a certain period.

[0047] The co-starring prohibition information associated with the user's account information is the user ID of another user who designates the said user as a co-starring prohibited user. In the video distribution system 1, a certain user can designate other users who do not co-star. For example, user A can designate user B, who is considered to take undesirable actions in the videos distributed by user A himself / herself, as a co-starring prohibited user. In this case, the user ID of user A is stored as co-starring prohibition information in association with the user ID of user B. When user A designates user B as a co-starring prohibited user, the user ID of user B may be stored as co-starring prohibition information in association with the user ID of user A.

[0048] An example of co-starring video information is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in the figure, as co-starring video information 63d, various data related to the co-starring video are stored in association with co-starring video identification information for identifying the co-starring video. The co-starring video information 63d of a certain co-starring video may include co-starring user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the co-starring users in the co-starring video, and co-starring time information indicating the elapsed time since the start of the co-starring of the co-starring video.

[0049] When a certain user makes a co-starring application with another user and the co-starring application is permitted and the co-starring video is distributed, the user who made the co-starring application may be called a "co-starring user". Also, the user who originally distributed the video and received the co-starring application may be called a "host user". The co-starring user information indicates an evaluation of the co-starring user rather than the host user. The co-starring user evaluation information of a certain co-starring user is, for example, co-starring user evaluation points represented by natural numbers.

[0050] The co-starring time information indicates the elapsed time since the co-starring of the co-starring user and the host user started.

[0051] The distribution user device 20 may implement functions other than the face motion data generation unit 211a by executing a distribution program and / or other programs with a computer processor. For example, the distribution user device 20 may implement a function of playing back a received video by executing a viewing program for video viewing. The distribution program and the viewing program may be packaged in one application software, or may be provided as separate application software.

[0052] The viewing user device 10 may be configured to provide functions similar to those of the distribution user device 20. For example, the viewing user device 10 may implement a function of playing back a received video by executing a viewing program for video viewing, and may also implement a function similar to that of the face motion data generation unit 211a by executing a distribution program.

[0053] Next, the functions realized by the computer processors 21a and 21b will be described more specifically. The computer processor 21a functions as the face motion data generation unit 211a by executing computer-readable instructions included in the distribution program. Similarly, the computer processor 21b functions as the face motion data generation unit 211b by executing computer-readable instructions included in the distribution program. At least a part of the functions realized by the computer processors 21a and 21b may be realized by a computer processor other than the computer processors 21a and 21b of the video distribution system 1. At least a part of the functions realized by the computer processors 21a and 21b may be realized, for example, by the computer processor 61 installed in the server device 60.

[0054] The face motion data generation unit 211a generates face motion data, which is a digital representation of the movement of the face of the distribution user Ua, based on the imaging data of the camera 24a. Similarly, the face motion data generation unit 211b generates face motion data, which is a digital representation of the movement of the face of the distribution user Ub, based on the imaging data of the camera 24b. The face motion data is generated as needed as time passes. The face motion data may be generated at predetermined sampling time intervals. Thus, the face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 211a can digitally represent the movement (change in expression) of the face of the distribution user Ua in time series, and the face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 211b can digitally represent the movement (change in expression) of the face of the distribution user Ub in time series. The face motion data generated by the face motion data generation units 211a and 211b is transmitted to the server device 60 via the communication I / Fs 22a and 22b.

[0055] In the distribution user device 20, in addition to the face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 211a, body motion data that is a digital representation of the position and orientation of each part of the body other than the face of the distribution users Ua and Ub may be generated. The distribution user device 20 may transmit the body motion data to the server device 60 in addition to the face motion data. In order to generate the body motion data, the distribution users Ua and Ub may wear motion sensors. The distribution user device 20 may be configured to be able to generate body motion data based on the detection information of the motion sensors worn by the distribution users Ua and Ub. The body motion data may be generated at predetermined sampling time intervals. In this way, the body motion data represents the movements of the bodies of the distribution users Ua and Ub as digital data in time series. The generation of the body motion data based on the detection information of the motion sensors worn by the distribution users Ua and Ub may be performed, for example, in a shooting studio. The shooting studio may be equipped with a base station, a tracking sensor, and a display. The base station may be a multi-axis laser emitter. The motion sensors worn by the distribution users Ua and Ub may be, for example, Vive Trackers provided by HTC CORPORATION. The base station provided in the shooting studio may be, for example, a base station provided by HTC CORPORATION. Also, a supporter computer may be installed in a separate room from the shooting studio. The display in the shooting studio may be configured to display the information received from the supporter computer. The server device 60 may be installed in the same room as the room where the supporter computer is installed. The room where the supporter computer is installed and the shooting studio may be separated by a glass window. In this case, the operator of the supporter computer (sometimes referred to as "supporter" in this specification) can visually recognize the distribution users Ua and Ub. The supporter computer may be configured to be able to change the settings of various devices provided in the shooting studio according to the operations of the supporter.The supporter computer can, for example, set the scanning interval by the base station, set the tracking sensor, and change various settings of various other devices. The supporter can input a message to the supporter computer and display the input message on the display of the shooting studio.

[0056] Next, the functions realized by the computer processor 61 will be described in more detail. The computer processor 61 functions as an animation generation unit 61a, a video generation unit 61b, a video distribution unit 61c, a co-star application determination unit 61d, a co-star application processing unit 61e, and a co-star end processing unit 61f by executing computer-readable instructions included in the distribution program.

[0057] The animation generation unit 61a is configured to generate an animation of a character object by applying the face motion data generated by the face motion data generation unit 21a of the distribution user device 20 to predetermined model data included in the model data 63a. The animation generation unit 61a can generate an animation of the character object such that the expression of the character object changes based on the face motion data. Specifically, the animation generation unit 61a can generate an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the movement of the expression of the distribution user Ua based on the face motion data regarding the distribution user Ua. Similarly, the animation generation unit 61a can generate an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the movement of the expression of the distribution user Ub based on the face motion data regarding the distribution user Ub.

[0058] When body motion data regarding the distribution users Ua and Ub is provided from the distribution user device 20, the animation generation unit 61a can generate an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the movements of the bodies and expressions of the distribution users Ua and Ub based on the body motion data and face motion data regarding the distribution users Ua and Ub.

[0059] When the video generation unit 61b distributes the video of the distribution user Ua, it can generate a background image showing the background using the object data 63b, and generate a video including this background image and the animation of the character object corresponding to the distribution user Ua. The video generation unit 61b can synthesize the voice of the distribution user Ua generated based on the voice data received from the distribution user device 20a into the generated video. Similarly, when the video generation unit 61b distributes the video of the distribution user Ub, it can generate a background image showing the background using the object data 63b, and generate a video including this background image and the animation of the character object corresponding to the distribution user Ub. The video generation unit 61b can synthesize the voice of the distribution user Ub generated based on the voice data received from the distribution user device 20b into the generated video. In the video generated by the video generation unit 61b, the character objects corresponding to the distribution users Ua and Ub are displayed superimposed on the background image. As described above, the video generation unit 61b can generate an animation of a character object that moves in synchronization with the movement of the expression of the distribution user Ua or the distribution user Ub, and generate a distribution video in which the voice of the distribution user Ua or the distribution user Ub is synthesized into this animation.

[0060] The video distribution unit 61c distributes the video generated by the video generation unit 61b. This video is distributed to the viewing user devices 10 via the network 50 and other viewing user devices. The generated video is also distributed to the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. The received video is played back on the viewing user devices 10 and the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. The video distribution unit 61c may monitor at least one of the video distribution time and the number of distribution times for each distribution user. The video distribution unit 61c may update the distribution time and the number of distribution times of the co-star applicant information based on the monitoring result.

[0061] Examples of the display of the video distributed from the video distribution unit 61c are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6a to 6b. In these figures, it is assumed that the distribution user Ub uses the distribution user device 20b to distribute a video including his or her character object, and the video is being played back on the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user devices 20a and 20b. In FIG. 6a, the distribution user Ua is not performing video distribution and is viewing a video distributed by another distribution user, the distribution user Ub. Therefore, in the description of FIGS. 5 and 6a to 6b, the distribution user Ua may also be referred to as a viewing user. FIG. 5 shows an example of the display of the video being played back on the viewing user device 10, FIG. 6a shows an example of the display of the video being played back on the distribution user device 20a, and FIG. 6b shows an example of the display of the video being played back on the distribution user device 20b.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, a display image 30 of the video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the viewing user device 10. The display image 30 displayed on this viewing user device 10 includes the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub generated by the animation generation unit 61a, a gift button 32, an evaluation button 33, a comment button 34, and a comment display area 35.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 6a, a display image 130 of a video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the distribution user device 20a. Similar to the display image 30, this display image 130 includes the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub, the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, the comment button 34, and the comment display area 35. In addition to this, the display image 130 includes a co-starring application button 36 for applying to co-star with the distribution user Ub in the video distributed by the distribution user Ub. The distribution user device 20a can display the display image 130 of the distributed video by executing, for example, application software including a viewing program.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the display image 30 of the viewing user device 10 does not include the co-starring application button 36. For example, when application software including a distribution program is not downloaded or installed in the viewing user device 10, and when the application software including the distribution program is not activated in the viewing user device 10, the display image 30 of the viewing user device 10 is generated so as not to include the co-starring application button 36. In other embodiments, the co-starring application button 36 may also be displayed on the display image 30 of the viewing user device 10. For example, when application software including a distribution program is downloaded or installed in the viewing user device 10, or when the application software including the distribution program is activated in the viewing user device 10, the display image 30 of the viewing user device 10 is generated so as to include the co-starring application button 36.

[0065] Since the character object 31 is generated by applying the face motion data of the distribution user Ub to the model data included in the model data 63a as described above, its expression changes in synchronization with the movement of the expression of the distribution user Ub. When body motion data is provided from the distribution user device 20, the character object 31 can be controlled so that parts other than its face also change in synchronization with the movement of the body of the distribution user Ub.

[0066] The gift button 32 is displayed on the display screen 30 so as to be selectable by an operation on the viewing user device 10. The gift button 32 can be selected, for example, by a tap operation on the area of the touch panel of the viewing user device 10 where the gift button 32 is displayed. In one embodiment, when the gift button 32 is selected, a window for selecting a gift to gift to the distribution user (here, the distribution user Ub) who is distributing the video being viewed is displayed on the display screen 30. The viewing user can purchase a gift to be gifted from among the gifts displayed in the window. In other embodiments, in response to the selection of the gift button 32, a window including a list of purchased gifts is displayed on the display screen 30. In this case, the viewing user can select a gift to be gifted from among the gifts displayed in the window. When the gift button 32 is selected on the viewing user device 10, gifting information may be transmitted to the server device 60. This gifting information may include gift identification information (gift ID) for identifying the gift to be gifted. In this way, the viewing user who is viewing the video can provide (gift) a desired gift to the distribution user who is distributing the video by selecting the gift button 32.

[0067] The evaluation button 33 is displayed on the display screen 30 so as to be selectable by the viewing user who uses the viewing user device 10. The evaluation button 33 can be selected, for example, by a tap operation on the area of the touch panel of the viewing user device 10 where the evaluation button 33 is displayed. When the evaluation button 33 is selected by the viewing user who is viewing a video, evaluation update information indicating that a positive evaluation has been given to the distribution user (in the illustrated example, the distribution user Ub) who distributes the video or that a positive evaluation has been given to the distributed video may be transmitted to the server device 60. The server device 60 can update the co-star applicant information based on the evaluation update information from the viewing user. For example, at least one of the user evaluation information and the video evaluation information included in the co-star applicant information may be updated based on the evaluation update information from the viewing user. For example, when the evaluation button 33 included in the display image 30 shown in FIG. 5 is selected by the viewing user, at least one of the user evaluation information and the video evaluation information of the distribution user Ub who distributes the video displayed on the viewing user device 10 may be updated. Evaluation information indicating that a negative evaluation has been given to the video may be transmitted to the server device 60 by the selection of the evaluation button 33. Evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation of the video may be referred to as positive evaluation information, and evaluation information indicating that a negative evaluation has been given to the video may be referred to as negative evaluation information. When the server device 60 receives the positive evaluation information, it may increase at least one of the user evaluation information and the video evaluation information. When the server device 60 receives the negative evaluation information, it may decrease at least one of the user evaluation information and the video evaluation information.

[0068] The comment button 34 is displayed on the display screen 30 so that it can be selected by the user. When the comment button 34 is selected, for example, by a tap operation, a comment input window for inputting comments is displayed on the display screen 30. The viewing user can input comments via the input mechanism of the viewing user device 10 or the distribution user device 20a. The input comments are transmitted from the viewing user device 10 and the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60. The server device 60 receives comments from the viewing user device 10, the distribution user device 20a, and other user devices, and displays the comments in the comment display area 35 within the display image 30. In the comment display area 35, comments posted from each user are displayed, for example, in chronological order. The comment display area 35 occupies a partial area of the display screen 30. There is an upper limit to the number of comments that can be displayed in the comment display area 35. In the illustrated example, up to three comments can be displayed in the comment display area 35. When comments are posted exceeding the upper limit set for the comment display area 35, the comments are deleted from the comment display area 35 in order from the oldest posted time. For this reason, the longer the frequency of received comments is, the shorter the display time of each comment in the comment area 35 becomes.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 6b, a display image 40 of a video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the distribution user device 20b. The display image 40 displayed on this distribution user device 20b includes a character object 31 corresponding to the distribution user Ub, display instruction buttons 42a to 42c for displaying gifts received from the viewing user in the video, and a comment display area 35. The display image 40 displayed on the distribution user device 20b includes the same background image, character object image, and comments as the display image 30 and the display image 130. On the other hand, the display image 40 is different from the display image 30 and the display image 130 in that it does not include the gift button 32, the evaluation button 33, the comment button 34, and the co-star application button 36, and includes the display instruction buttons 42a to 42c.

[0070] When the co-performance application determination unit 61d receives a co-performance application from a certain user, it determines whether to permit the co-performance application of the user. The co-performance application is transmitted to the server device 60, for example, by selecting the co-performance application button 36 during the viewing of a distributed video, and this transmitted co-performance application is received by the server device 60. The user who makes the co-performance application is sometimes called the co-performance application user, and the user who receives the co-performance application is sometimes called the original user. For example, when user B makes a co-performance application to user A who is distributing an image, user A is the original user and user B is the co-performance application user. In the following, it will be described assuming that a co-performance application from distribution user Ua who is viewing a video including the character object 31 of distribution user Ub is made to distribution user Ub. Distribution user Ua can transmit a co-performance application for applying for co-performance with distribution user Ub from the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60 by selecting the co-performance application button 36 in the distribution user device 20a. In this example, distribution user Ua is the co-performance application user. In response to the selection of the co-performance application button 36, the application software including the distribution program may be activated in the distribution user device 20a. The server device can receive not only the co-performance application from distribution user Ua but also co-performance applications from various distribution users.

[0071] In one embodiment, when receiving a co - performance application for applying for a co - performance with distribution user Ub from distribution user Ua, the co - performance application determination unit 61d determines whether to permit the co - performance between distribution user Ua and distribution user Ub based on at least a part of the co - performance applicant information of distribution user Ua who is the co - performance application user. In one embodiment, the co - performance application determination unit 61d determines the co - performance availability of distribution user Ua based on the user evaluation information among the co - performance applicant information of distribution user Ua who is the co - performance application user. When the user evaluation information is a user evaluation point, if the user evaluation point is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the co - performance between distribution user Ua and distribution user Ub is permitted, and if it is below the threshold value, the co - performance between distribution user Ua and distribution user Ub is rejected. As described above, the user evaluation point can be updated by feedback from other users. The user evaluation information may be other than the user evaluation point. For example, the user evaluation information of a certain user may be the number of gifts received by the user. Since a gift is given from a viewing user to a distribution user, the number of gifts given to a certain user is considered to represent the evaluation of the user. The user evaluation information applicable to the present invention is not limited to those explicitly described in this specification. By determining the co - performance availability of distribution user Ua based on the user evaluation information of distribution user Ua, co - performance can be permitted only for users with high evaluations from other users.

[0072] In one embodiment, the co-performance application determination unit 61d determines the co-performance availability of the distributing user Ua, who is the co-performance application user, based on the video evaluation information among the co-performance applicant information of the distributing user Ua. When the video evaluation information is the video evaluation points, the co-performance application determination unit 61d may permit the co-performance of the distributing user Ua with the distributing user Ub when the video evaluation points are greater than a predetermined threshold, and may reject the co-performance of the distributing user Ua with the distributing user Ub when the points are less than or equal to the threshold. The video evaluation information applicable to the present invention is not limited to those explicitly described in this specification. By determining the co-performance availability of the distributing user Ua based on the video evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the video distributed by the distributing user Ua, co-performance can be permitted only for users who have distributed videos highly evaluated by other users.

[0073] In one embodiment, the co-performance application determination unit 61d determines the co-performance availability of the distributing user Ua, who is the co-performance application user, based on one or both of the distribution time and the number of distributions among the co-performance applicant information of the distributing user Ua. The co-performance application determination unit 61d may permit the co-performance of the distributing user Ua with the distributing user Ub when at least one of the distribution time and the number of distributions is greater than a threshold value determined for each. The co-performance application determination unit 61d may permit the co-performance of the distributing user Ua with the distributing user Ub when both the distribution time and the number of distributions are greater than the threshold values determined for each. By determining the co-performance availability of the distributing user Ua based on the distribution time and / or the number of distributions of the videos distributed by the distributing user Ua, co-performance can be permitted only for users who are active in video distribution.

[0074] In one embodiment, the co-performance application determination unit 61d determines the eligibility of the distribution user Ua to perform together based on the co-performance prohibition information among the co-performance application user information of the distribution user Ua who is the co-performance application user. For example, when the user ID of the distribution user Ub is included in the performance prohibition information, the co-performance application determination unit 61d rejects the co-performance of the distribution user Ua with the distribution user Ub, and when the user ID of the distribution user Ub is not included in the performance prohibition information, the co-performance application determination unit 61d permits the co-performance of the distribution user Ua with the distribution user Ub. By referring to the co-performance prohibition information, it is possible to avoid co-performing with a user for whom co-performance is prohibited.

[0075] In one embodiment, when receiving a co-performance application for co-performing with the distribution user Ub from the distribution user Ua, the co-performance application determination unit 61d determines whether to permit the co-performance between the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub based on at least a part of the co-performance applicant information of the distribution user Ub who is the original user. For example, when the user ID of the user Ua is included in the performance prohibition information in the co-performance applicant information of the distribution user Ub, the co-performance application determination unit 61d rejects the co-performance between the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub, and when the user ID of the distribution user Ua is not included in the performance prohibition information, permits the co-performance between the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub. In this way, by referring to the co-performance prohibition information included in the co-performance applicant information of the original user, it is also possible to avoid co-performing with a user for whom co-performance is prohibited. In one embodiment, the co-performance application determination unit 61d may refer to the co-performance prohibition information included in the co-performance applicant information other than the original user instead of or in addition to the co-performance applicant information of the original user to determine whether to permit the co-performance between the co-performance application user and the original user. For example, when a co-performance application from the distribution user Ua to the distribution user Ub is made, if the user ID of the distribution user Ua is included in the performance prohibition information in the co-performance applicant information of the distribution user Uc, which is different from both the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub, the co-performance application determination unit 61d may reject the co-performance between the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub. When the user ID of the co-performance application user is included in the performance prohibition information in the co-performance applicant information of a plurality of users other than the co-performance application user and the original user, the co-performance application determination unit 61d may reject the co-performance between the co-performance application user and the original user.

[0076] The co-starring application determination unit 61d may determine the feasibility of co-starring by combining the above determination conditions. For example, by combining the conditions related to user evaluation information and the conditions related to the distribution time, co-starring can be permitted only for users with high evaluations from other users and who are active in video distribution. As the popularity of the distributing user increases, there may be an influx of co-starring applications from other users. In such a case, by making the permission conditions for permitting co-starring used in the determination by the co-starring application determination unit 61d stricter, desirable co-starring partners can be selected from a large number of co-starring application users. The permission conditions used in the co-starring application determination unit 61d may be changed according to the popularity of the user who has received the co-starring application (in the above example, the distributing user Ub). For example, according to the popularity of the user who has received the co-starring application, the threshold values set for user evaluation points, video evaluation points, distribution time, distribution frequency, and other co-starring applicant information may be increased. The popularity of the user who has received the co-starring application can be determined based on, for example, the number of viewing users of the video distributed by the user.

[0077] In one embodiment, when the co-performance application is permitted by the co-performance application determination unit 61d, the co-performance application processing unit 61e generates a co-performance video in which the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub perform a co-performance based on the co-performance application. For generating the co-performance video, the co-performance application processing unit 61e acquires the face motion data and voice data of the distribution user Ua from the distribution user Ua. The face motion data of the distribution user Ua may be transmitted from the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60 together with the co-performance application, or may be transmitted from the distribution user device 20a to the server device 60 in response to a request from the server device 60 after the co-performance application is permitted. When the body movement of the distribution user Ua is also expressed as an animation, the body motion data may be provided to the server device 60 together with the face motion data of the distribution user Ua. When the co-performance application processing unit 61e cannot acquire the face motion data from the distribution user Ua, the co-performance application processing unit 61e may acquire only the voice data from the distribution user Ua. For example, when the distribution user device 20a used by the distribution user Ua does not have the function of the face motion data generation unit 211a or other functions for video distribution, when the function is disabled, and in other cases, the co-performance application processing unit 61e may acquire the voice data without acquiring the face motion data (and body motion data) from the distribution user Ua. Further, when the co-performance application is permitted by the co-performance application determination unit 61d, the co-performance application processing unit 61e may perform processing to prevent the co-performance application button 36 from being displayed (disable the co-performance application button 36) on the display image displayed on the distribution user device of each distribution user. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an extra co-performance application from being made when the co-performance is permitted.

[0078] In one embodiment, the co-starring application processing unit 61e generates a co-starring video by adding an animation of the character object of the distributing user Ua to the video being distributed that includes the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub, based on the face motion data of the distributing user Ua. The animation of the character object of the distributing user Ua may be generated in the animation generation unit 61a based on the face motion data of the distributing user Ua. The animation of the character object of the distributing user Ua may be generated by applying the face motion data of the distributing user Ua to the model data for the distributing user Ua included in the model data 63a. For example, the co-starring application processing unit 61e generates a layer including the animation of the character object of the distributing user Ua, and superimposes this layer on the video including the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub, thereby generating a co-starring video including the character object of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub. By generating a co-starring video including the character object of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub, even when the distributing user Ua and the distributing user Ub are using the video distribution system 1 from locations separated from each other, they can virtually co-star in the co-starring video. When the co-starring application processing unit 61e acquires voice data without acquiring face motion data (and body motion data) from the distributing user Ua, it superimposes a voice generated based on the voice data acquired from the distributing user Ua on the video including the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub, thereby generating a co-starring video including the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub and the voice of the distributing user Ua. Even when the model data for the distributing user Ua is not set as the model data 63a, the co-starring application processing unit 61e superimposes a voice generated based on the voice data acquired from the distributing user Ua on the video including the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub, thereby generating a co-starring video including the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub and the voice of the distributing user Ua. In this way, the distributing user Ua can co-star with the distributing user Ub using his own voice.

[0079] When the co-starring application processing unit 61e cannot obtain face motion data from the distributing user Ua, it distributes a co-starring video including the voice of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub, and then, at the timing when face motion data is obtained from the distributing user Ua, generates a character object of the distributing user Ua based on the face motion data of the distributing user Ua, thereby generating a co-starring video including the character object of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub. In this way, the co-starring application processing unit 61e can switch the co-starring video including the voice of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub to a co-starring video including the character object of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub. Conversely, the co-starring application processing unit 61e can switch the co-starring video including the character object of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub to a co-starring video including the voice of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub. In this way, the co-starring video in which co-starring is performed by voice (which may be referred to as a "voice co-starring video") and the co-starring video in which co-starring is performed by character objects (which may be referred to as a "character co-starring video") may be switchable alternately.

[0080] The generated co-starring video is distributed by the video distribution unit 61c. The co-starring video may be created by the distributing user device 20a. When the co-starring video is generated by the distributing user device 20a, the co-starring video is transmitted from the distributing user device 20a to the server device 60 and distributed by the video distribution unit 61c of the server device 60.

[0081] Display examples of the co-starring video distributed from the video distribution unit 61c are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A to 8B. In these figures, it is assumed that a co-starring application from the distributing user Ua to the distributing user Ub has been permitted, and thus a co-starring video including the character object 131 of the distributing user Ua and the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub is being distributed.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 7, a display image 230 of a co-starring video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the viewing user device 10. The display image 230 of the co-starring video displayed on this viewing user device 10 includes a character object 131 of the distributing user Ua in addition to the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub. The character object 131 of the distributing user Ua is generated in the animation generation unit 61a or the co-starring application processing unit 61e as described above. Similar to the original distribution image shown in FIG. 5, the display image 230 of the co-starring video includes a gift button 32, an evaluation button 33, a comment button 34, and a comment display area 35. In addition to these, the display image 230 of the co-starring video includes guest evaluation buttons 133a and 133b. The guest evaluation button 133a is a button for transmitting positive evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation to the guest user (in the illustrated example, the distributing user Ua is the guest user) to the server device 60, and the guest evaluation button 133b is a button for transmitting negative evaluation information indicating a negative evaluation of the co-starring video to the server device 60.

[0083] As shown in the figure, the distribution image 230 of the co-starring video is a horizontally long image. The co-starring application processing unit 61e or the video distribution unit 61c distributes the co-starring video as a horizontally long video. As a result, the distribution image 230 of the co-starring video is displayed as a horizontally long image on the viewing user device 10. In one embodiment, even if the original video (image) is vertically long as shown in FIG. 4, the co-starring video is converted to be horizontally long and distributed. Since the co-starring video includes character objects of two distributing users, making it a horizontally long image makes it easier to display the character objects of the two users without overlap. For example, in the co-starring video, the left half facing the viewing user's perspective may be assigned as the area for the character object of the original distributing user, and the right half may be assigned as the area for the character object of the distributing user who made the co-starring application. The assignment of areas to each distributing user may be arbitrarily determined so that the character objects do not overlap.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 8a, on the display of the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua, a display image 330 of the co-starring video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed. This display image 330 includes the same background image, character object image, and comment as the display image 230. On the other hand, the display image 330 is different from the display image 230 in that it does not include the gift button 32, evaluation button 33, comment button 34, and co-starring application button 36, but includes the display instruction buttons 42a to 42c.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 8b, a display image 430 of the co-play video distributed from the server device 60 is displayed on the display of the distribution user device 20b. The display image 430 includes the same background image as the image 330 displayed on the distribution user device 20a of the co-play partner distribution user Ua, character objects 31, 131, comments 35, and display instruction buttons 42a to 42c. On the other hand, a co-play end button 45 for ending the co-play is displayed on the display image 430. The co-play end button 45 is displayed on the screen 430 of the distribution user Ub who received the co-play application, but is not displayed on the screen of the distribution user Ua who made the co-play application. When the co-play end button 45 is selected on the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub (host user), a process for ending the co-play with the distribution user Ua in the co-play video is performed. For example, in response to the selection of the co-play end button 45, a co-play end instruction is transmitted from the distribution user device 20b to the server device 60. The distribution user Ub can set the co-play user Ua as a co-play prohibited user while playing the co-play video. For example, when the distribution user Ua performs undesirable actions or remarks in the co-play video, the distribution user Ua can be set as a co-play prohibited user. The setting of the distribution user Ua as a co-play prohibited user may be performed by recording the user ID of the distribution user Ub in the performance prohibition information of the co-play applicant information of the distribution user Ua. The server device 60 can automatically register the distribution user Ua as a co-play prohibited user in the co-play applicant information of the distribution user Ub, for example, when receiving a co-play end instruction from the distribution user device 20b. The distribution user Ub may set the distribution user Ua as an application prohibited user outside of playing the co-play video. For example, in response to confirming the posting of an undesirable message by the distribution user Ua in the messaging service provided by the video distribution system 1, the distribution user Ua may be set as an application prohibited user.

[0086] On the display image 430 of the distribution user Ub who is the host user, a warning button (not shown) for warning the guest user may be displayed. This warning button is displayed on the display image 430 of the host user, but not on the display image of the guest user. Different from the co-performance end button 45, the warning button does not immediately end the co-performance, but is assumed to be selected by the host user when the guest user takes an undesirable action for the host user. When the warning button is selected in the distribution user device of the host user (for example, the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub), a warning instruction is transmitted from the distribution user device 20b to the server device 60. When the warning button is selected in the distribution user device of the host user, warning information indicating that a warning has been given by the host user may be displayed on the display image 330 of the co-performance video displayed on the distribution user device of the guest user (for example, the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua). By displaying the warning information on the display image 230 of the viewing user, it is possible to show the viewing user that the host user is responding to the undesirable action of the guest user. The warning information may be displayed on the display image 230 in the viewing user device 10 instead of or in addition to the display image 330. The co-performance video including the warning information may be generated in the server device 60. The server device 60 may count the number of times a warning instruction has been given from a certain host user to a certain guest user, and when the number of warning instructions reaches a predetermined number (for example, 3 times), perform a process for ending the co-performance between the host user and the guest user. The process for ending the co-performance based on the warning instructions more than the predetermined number may be the same process as the process for ending the co-performance based on the co-performance end instruction described above.

[0087] The co-star application processing unit 61e may issue a video ID for identifying the created co-star video. Corresponding to this video ID, co-star video information regarding the co-star video can be stored in the storage 63. As described above, corresponding to the video ID of the distributed co-star video, the co-star time information of the co-star video may be updated. The co-star time information may be monitored for the distribution time of the co-star video in the video distribution unit 61c and updated based on the monitoring result.

[0088] Among the co-star video information, the co-star user evaluation information may be updated based on positive evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation from the guest user, the distribution user Ua, from the viewing user device 10, and negative evaluation information indicating a negative evaluation of the distribution user Ua. For example, when the server device 60 receives positive evaluation information indicating a positive evaluation from the viewing user device 10 to the distribution user Ua, the co-star user evaluation points may be increased, and when receiving negative evaluation information indicating a negative evaluation of the distribution user Ua, the co-star user evaluation points may be decreased. When the viewing user stops viewing the co-star video midway, there is a possibility that the viewing user is not satisfied with the co-star video. Therefore, when the viewing user stops viewing the co-star video midway, as if there is a negative evaluation of the guest user, the co-star user evaluation points of the guest user may be decreased. At least one of the positive evaluation information and the negative evaluation information may be updated to decrease over time. For example, even if the distribution user Ua has positive evaluation information of 100 points at a certain time, the positive evaluation information may be updated to approach zero as time passes. When the negative evaluation information about a certain user exceeds a predetermined value, co-starring with other users for the user may be prohibited. For example, in the display image displayed on the distribution user device of the user whose negative evaluation information exceeds the predetermined value, a process of not displaying the co-star application button may be performed.

[0089] When the co-performance end condition for ending the co-performance between the guest user, the distributing user Ua, and the host user, the distributing user Ub, is satisfied, the co-performance end processing unit 61f performs processing for ending the co-performance between the guest user, the distributing user Ua, and the host user, the distributing user Ub. In one embodiment, when the co-performance end processing unit 61f receives a co-performance end instruction from the distributing user device 20b of the host user, the distributing user Ub, it determines that the co-performance end condition is satisfied and performs processing for ending the distribution of the co-performance video. For example, when the co-performance end instruction is received, the co-performance end processing unit 61f stops generating the animation of the character object 131 of the distributing user Ua and generates a video that does not include the character object 131 of the distributing user Ua but includes the character object 31 of the distributing user Ub. In other words, the character object 131 of the guest user, the distributing user Ua, is excluded from the video to be distributed. By excluding the character object 131 of the guest user, the distributing user Ua, the co-performance between the distributing user Ua and the distributing user Ub ends. After the co-performance ends, the distribution of the video including the character object 31 without including the character object 131 may continue. The video distributed after the co-performance ends may be generated as a vertically long video as shown in FIG. 4. That is, the orientation of the video may be changed in response to the end of the co-performance. In one embodiment, the orientation of the video may be changed from horizontal to vertical in response to the end of the co-performance. In other embodiments, the distribution of the video by the host user, the distributing user Ub, may end in response to the end of the co-performance. In one embodiment, when a co-performance application from another user has already been received when the co-performance with the distributing user Ub ends, the co-performance application determination unit 61d may determine the eligibility of the other user's co-performance based on the co-performance application. In another embodiment, the co-performance end processing unit 61f may receive a co-performance application from another user in response to the end of the co-performance with the distributing user Ub. For example, processing for redisplaying the co-performance application button 36 (releasing the disabled state of the co-performance application button 36) may be performed in the display image of the distributing user device of each distributing user.

[0090] In one embodiment, the co-performance end processing unit 61f determines whether the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, is in a non-active state. When it is determined that the character object 131 is in a non-active state, it is determined that the co-performance end condition is satisfied. In one embodiment, whether the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is in a non-active state is determined based on at least one of the face motion data, body motion data, and voice data received from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua. Since the face motion data, body motion data, and voice data are all data indicating the movements of the distribution user, in this specification, these may be collectively referred to as "motion data". Whether the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is in a non-active state is determined based on the motion data, that is, based on at least one of the face motion data, body motion data, and voice data. For example, when there is no input of face motion data from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua for a certain period, the expression of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua in the co-performance video does not move for that certain period. Therefore, it may be determined that the character object 131 is in a non-active state. When there is no input of body motion data from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua for a certain period, the body movements of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua in the co-performance video do not move for that certain period. Therefore, it may be determined that the character object 131 is in a non-active state. When there is no input of voice data from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua for a certain period, the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua in the co-performance video remains silent for that certain period. Therefore, it may be determined that the character object 131 is in a non-active state.

[0091] In one embodiment, the co-starring end processing unit 61f ends the co-starring by excluding the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, from the video according to the co-starring video information of the distributed co-starring video. For example, when the co-starring user evaluation information is the co-starring user evaluation point, the co-starring end processing unit 61f can end the co-starring with the distribution user Ua by excluding the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua from the video when the co-starring user evaluation point becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold. The co-starring user evaluation point becomes smaller as negative evaluation information from the viewing user to the distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, is received. Therefore, by determining whether to end the co-starring with the distribution user Ua based on the co-starring user evaluation point, it is possible to avoid co-starring with a user with a low evaluation from the viewing user for a long period of time.

[0092] Next, with reference to FIG. 9, video distribution processing according to one aspect will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of video distribution processing in one embodiment. In the video distribution processing described with reference to FIG. 9, it is assumed that a video generated based on the face motion data acquired by the distribution user Ub using the distribution user device 20b is distributed.

[0093] First, in step S11, face motion data, which is a digital representation of the movement (expression) of the face of the distribution user Ub, is generated. The generation of the face motion data is performed, for example, by the face motion data generation unit 121b of the distribution user device 20b. In the distribution user device 20b, voice data may be generated based on voice input from the distribution users Ua and Ub. The generated face motion data and voice data are transmitted to the server device 60.

[0094] Next, in step S12, by applying the face motion data from the distribution user device 20b to the model data for the distribution user Ub, an animation of the character object 31 that moves in synchronization with the movement of the expression of the distribution user Ub is generated. The generation of this animation is performed, for example, by the above-described animation generation unit 61a.

[0095] Next, in step S13, a video including the animation of the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub is generated. The voice of the distribution user Ub may be synthesized in this video. The animation of the character object 31 is displayed superimposed on the background image. The generation of this video is performed, for example, by the above-described video generation unit 61b.

[0096] Next, the process proceeds to step S14, and the video generated in step S13 is distributed. This video is distributed to the viewing user device 10, other viewing user devices, and the distribution user device via the network 50. When the distributed video is played back on the viewing user device 10, for example, a display screen as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the viewing user device 10. The video is continuously distributed over a predetermined distribution period. The distribution period of the video can be set, for example, to 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes, or any other arbitrary time. The distribution of this video is performed, for example, by the above-described video distribution unit 61c.

[0097] Next, the process proceeds to step S15, and it is determined whether or not an end condition for ending the distribution of the video has been satisfied. The end condition is, for example, that the end time of the distribution has been reached, the distribution user Ub has performed an operation to end the distribution on the distribution user device 20b, or other conditions. If the end condition is not satisfied, the processes of steps S11 to S14 are repeatedly executed, and a video including an animation synchronized with the movement of the distribution user Ub, or if the co-performance with the distribution user Ua is continuing, the distribution of the co-performance video is continued. When it is determined that the end condition has been satisfied for the video, the distribution process of the video is ended.

[0098] Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the distribution process of the co-starring video in one embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process of distributing the co-starring video in one embodiment. In the distribution process of the co-starring video described with reference to FIG. 10, it is assumed that a co-starring application is made from the distribution user Ua who is viewing the video including the character object of the distribution user Ub to the distribution user Ub. The distribution process of the co-starring video is performed in parallel with the distribution process of the video shown in FIG. 9.

[0099] First, during the distribution of the video including the character object of the distribution user Ub, in step S21, it is determined whether a co-starring application has been made from a user other than the distribution user Ub. The co-starring application is made, for example, from the distribution user Ua. When the co-starring application is made by the distribution user Ua, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0100] In step S22, it is determined whether to permit the co-starring application of the distribution user Ua who has applied for co-starring. Whether to permit the co-starring application is determined based on at least a part of the co-starring applicant information of the distribution user Ua. For example, when the user evaluation point in the co-starring applicant information of the distribution user Ua is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the co-starring of the distribution user Ua with the distribution user Ub is permitted, and when it is below the threshold value, the co-starring of the distribution user Ua with the distribution user Ub is rejected. The determination of whether to permit this co-starring application is performed, for example, by the co-starring application determination unit 61d.

[0101] In step S22, when it is determined that the co-starring application is permitted, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, based on the face motion data of the distribution user Ua, the animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is generated. Then, by adding the animation of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua to the video being distributed (the video including the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub), a co-starring video is generated. The process in step S16 is performed, for example, by the co-starring application processing unit 61e described above.

[0102] Next, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the co-starring video generated in step S23 is distributed. This co-starring video is distributed to the viewing user device 10, other viewing user devices, and the distribution user device via the network 50. The co-starring video includes, for example, animations of the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua and the character object 31 of the distribution user Ub as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8a to 8b.

[0103] Next, the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, it is determined whether the co-starring end condition is satisfied. For example, when the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, is in an inactive state, when the co-starring user evaluation points are below a predetermined threshold, when an end instruction for co-starring is received from the distribution user Ub, who is the host user, or when any of the conditions that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of distribution of the co-starring video is satisfied, it is determined that the co-starring end condition is satisfied. When the co-starring end condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0104] In step S26, processing for ending the distribution of the co-starring video is performed. For example, by excluding the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua, who is a guest user, from the co-starring video, the co-starring between the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub is ended. Even when the co-starring ends, the video may continue to be distributed. The video distributed after the co-starring ends does not include the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua. The determination of the above co-starring end condition and the end process of co-starring are performed, for example, by the co-starring end processing unit 61f.

[0105] According to the above-described embodiment, in response to receiving a co-starring application for co-starring with the distribution user Ub from the distribution user Ua, the availability of co-starring between the distribution user Ua and the distribution user Ub is determined based on the co-starring applicant information regarding the distribution user Ub. Based on this determination, when co-starring is permitted, a co-starring video is generated, and the generated co-starring video is distributed. Thereby, co-starring performers can be selected based on the co-starring applicant information.

[0106] In the above-described embodiment, the co-starring applicant information includes user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the distribution user Ua who has applied for co-starring. Thereby, co-starring performers can be selected based on the evaluation of the user who applies for co-starring. Therefore, it becomes possible to permit co-starring only when the evaluation from other users regarding the distribution user Ua is high.

[0107] In the above-described embodiment, the co-starring applicant information includes video evaluation information regarding the videos distributed by the distribution user Ua. Thereby, co-starring performers can be selected based on the evaluation of the videos distributed by the user who applies for co-starring. Therefore, it becomes possible to permit co-starring only when the evaluation from other users regarding the videos distributed by the distribution user Ua is high.

[0108] In the above-described embodiment, the co-starring applicant information includes the video distribution time or the number of video distributions of the distribution user Ua. Thereby, co-starring performers can be selected based on the distribution time or the number of distributions of the videos distributed by the user who applies for co-starring. Therefore, it becomes possible to permit co-starring only when the distribution user Ua is active in video distribution.

[0109] In the above-described embodiment, the co-starring applicant information includes co-starring prohibition information that identifies users for whom the distribution user Ua is prohibited from co-starring. Thereby, when the distribution user Ua is registered as a co-starring prohibited user, co-starring with the distribution user Ua can be avoided.

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, when it is determined that the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is in a non-active state based on the motion data indicating the movement of the distribution user Ua, the character object 131 can be excluded from the co-starring video. Thereby, co-stars who do not contribute to the improvement of the entertainment value of the video can be excluded from the video of the distribution user Ub who is the host user.

[0111] In the above-described embodiment, the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua is excluded from the co-starring video based on the co-star evaluation information indicating the evaluation of the distribution user Ua by the viewing user. Thereby, co-stars with poor evaluations from viewers can be excluded from the video of the distribution user Ub who is the host user.

[0112] In the above-described embodiment, based on a request from the distribution user Ub who is the host user, the character object 131 of the distribution user Ua can be excluded from the video of the distribution user Ub. Thereby, co-stars can be excluded from the video according to the judgment of the distribution user Ub who is the host user.

[0113] In the video distribution system 1 according to the above embodiment, the distribution users Ua and Ub can distribute a video including a character object that moves according to their own expressions by means of a distribution user device 20 equipped with a camera such as a smartphone. In this way, in the video distribution system 1, since the facilities for the distribution users Ua and Ub to distribute videos are simplified, a platform that is easy for the distribution users Ua and Ub to participate in is realized.

[0114] In the processing procedures described in this specification, particularly in the processing procedures described using flowcharts, it is possible to omit a part of the steps (steps) constituting the processing procedure, add steps not explicitly shown as steps constituting the processing procedure, and / or change the order of the steps. As long as such omissions, additions, and order changes do not depart from the spirit of the present invention, the processing procedures with such omissions, additions, and order changes are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0115] At least a part of the functions realized by the computer processor 61 may be realized by a computer processor other than the computer processor 61 of the video distribution system 1. At least a part of the functions realized by the computer processor 61 may be realized, for example, by the computer processor 21 of the distribution user device 20 or by the computer processor of the viewing user device 10. Specifically, part or all of the functions of the animation generation unit 61a and the video generation unit 61b may be executed in the distribution user device 20. For example, a video generated in the distribution user device 20 may be transmitted to the server device 60 and distributed from the server device 60 to the viewing user device 10.

[0116] When a co-starring application is made from distribution user Ua, who is watching a video including the character object 31 of distribution user Ub, to distribution user Ub, the animation of the character object 131 of distribution user Ua who made the co-starring application may be generated by any of the server device 60, the distribution user device 20a of distribution user Ua, the distribution user device 20b of distribution user Ub, or the viewing user device 10. Also, the generation of a co-starring video including the generated character object 131 of distribution user Ua, the distribution video of distribution user Ub, and the character object 31 may be performed by any of the server device 60, the distribution user device 20a of distribution user Ua, the distribution user device 20b of distribution user Ub, or the viewing user device 10. In one example, when the animation of the character object 131 of distribution user Ua is generated by the distribution user device 20b of distribution user Ub, the face motion data and voice data of distribution user Ua are transmitted from the distribution user device 20a of distribution user Ua to the distribution user device 20b of distribution user Ub. In the distribution user device 20b, the animation of the character object 131 is generated by applying the face motion data and voice data of distribution user Ua received from the distribution user device 20a to the model data for distribution user Ua. This model data for distribution user Ua may be transmitted from the server device 60 to the distribution user device 20a. In another example, when the animation of the character object 131 of distribution user Ua is generated by the viewing user device 10, the face motion data and voice data of distribution user Ua are transmitted from the distribution user device 20a of distribution user Ua to the viewing user device 10, and the face motion data and voice data of distribution user Ub are transmitted from the distribution user device 20b of distribution user Ub to the viewing user device 10.In the viewing user device 10, the animation of the character object 131 is generated by applying the face motion data and voice data of the distribution user Ua received from the distribution user device 20a to the model data for the distribution user Ua, and the animation of the character object 31 is generated by applying the face motion data and voice data of the distribution user Ub received from the distribution user device 20b to the model data for the distribution user Ub. The model data for the distribution user Ua and the model data for the distribution user Ub may be transmitted from the server device 60 to the viewing user device 10. In this way, the animation of the character object of the distribution user can be generated by any device included in the video distribution system 1. The animation of the character object may be generated by a device not explicitly shown in FIG. 1. To the device that generates the animation of the character object, the face motion data and voice data of the distribution user Ua are transmitted from the distribution user device 20a of the distribution user Ua, and the face motion data and voice data of the distribution user Ub are transmitted from the distribution user device 20b of the distribution user Ub. In addition to the face motion, body motion may be transmitted.

[0117] The co-starring video may include character objects of three or more distribution users. That is, three or more distribution users may virtually co-star in the video using their respective character objects. An upper limit may be set on the number of distribution users who can co-star. When the number of distribution users who can co-star reaches the upper limit, a process of not displaying the co-starring application button 36 on the display image of the video being viewed by the distribution user (for example, the display image 130), or a process of disabling the co-starring application button 36 on the display image of the video being viewed by the distribution user (disable process) may be performed.

[0118] The invention described in the claims of the original application of the present application at the time of filing is appended below. [1] comprising one or more computer processors, The one or more computer processors execute computer-readable instructions to distribute a video delivered by a first user to a plurality of other users, receive a co-performance application from a second user among the plurality of other users to apply for co-performance with the first user by selecting a co-performance application button displayed in the video, judge the availability of co-performance between the first user and the second user in response to receiving the co-performance application from the second user, generate a co-performance video in which the first user and the second user perform together when the co-performance of the second user is permitted, and perform processing to prevent the co-performance application button from being displayed or to disable the co-performance application button on each user device of the plurality of other users, Video distribution system. [2] In response to the end of the co-performance with the second user in the co-performance video, perform processing to redisplay the co-performance application button or to release the disabled state of the co-performance application button on each user device of the plurality of other users, The video distribution system according to [1]. [3] The availability of co-performance between the first user and the second user is determined based on co-performance applicant information regarding the second user. The video distribution system according to [1] or [2]. [4] The co-performance applicant information includes user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the second user. The video distribution system according to [3]. [5] The co-performance applicant information includes video evaluation information indicating an evaluation of a video delivered by the second user. The video distribution system according to [3]. [6] The co-performance applicant information includes the video delivery time or the number of video deliveries of the second user. The video distribution system according to [3]. [7] The co-performance applicant information includes co-performance prohibition information that identifies users prohibited from co-performing by the second user. The video distribution system according to [3]. [8] The co-performance video is a character co-performance video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user. The video distribution system according to [1] or [2]. [9] The co-performance video is an audio co-performance video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user. The video distribution system according to [1] or [2].

[10] The co-performance video is a character co-performance video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user, or an audio co-performance video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user, The character co-performance video and the audio co-performance video can be switched alternately. The video distribution system according to [1] or [2].

[11] Comprising one or more computer processors, By executing computer-readable instructions, the one or more computer processors Distribute a video distributed by a first user to a plurality of other users, Receive a co-performance application from the second user among the plurality of other users to apply for co-performance with the first user by selecting a co-performance application button displayed in the video, In response to receiving the co-performance application, generate a co-performance video in which the first user and the second user co-perform, When the upper limit of the number of users who can co-star in the co-starring video is reached due to co-starring with the second user, perform processing to prevent the co-starring application button from being displayed or to disable the co-starring application button on each user device of the plurality of other users. Video distribution system.

[12] A video distribution method executed by one or more computer processors executing computer-readable instructions, comprising: Distributing a video distributed by a first user to a plurality of other users; Receiving a co-starring application from a second user among the plurality of other users to apply for co-starring with the first user by selecting a co-starring application button displayed in the video; Determining whether co-starring between the first user and the second user is possible in response to receiving the co-starring application from the second user; Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star when co-starring of the second user is permitted; When co-starring of the second user is permitted, performing processing to prevent the co-starring application button from being displayed or to disable the co-starring application button on each user device of the plurality of other users; A video distribution method comprising the above steps.

[13] A video distribution method executed by one or more computer processors executing computer-readable instructions, comprising: Distributing a video distributed by a first user to a plurality of other users; Receiving a co-starring application from a second user among the plurality of other users to apply for co-starring with the first user by selecting a co-starring application button displayed in the video; Determining whether co-starring between the first user and the second user is possible in response to receiving the co-starring application from the second user; Generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star when co-starring of the second user is permitted; When the upper limit of the number of users who can perform a co - performance in the co - performance video is reached due to the co - performance with the second user, performing a process of not displaying or disabling the co - performance application button on each user device of the plurality of other users; A video distribution method comprising the above.

[14] Causing one or more computer processors to: Distributing a video distributed by a first user to a plurality of other users; Receiving a co - performance application from the second user for applying for a co - performance with the first user by the second user selecting a co - performance application button displayed in the video among the plurality of other users; Determining whether the co - performance between the first user and the second user is possible in response to receiving the co - performance application from the second user; Generating a co - performance video in which the first user and the second user perform a co - performance when the co - performance of the second user is permitted; When the co - performance of the second user is permitted, performing a process of not displaying or disabling the co - performance application button on each user device of the plurality of other users; A video distribution program for causing the above to be executed.

[15] Causing one or more computer processors to: Distributing a video distributed by a first user to a plurality of other users; Receiving a co - performance application from the second user for applying for a co - performance with the first user by the second user selecting a co - performance application button displayed in the video among the plurality of other users; Determining whether the co - performance between the first user and the second user is possible in response to receiving the co - performance application from the second user; Generating a co - performance video in which the first user and the second user perform a co - performance when the co - performance of the second user is permitted; When the upper limit of the number of users who can co-star in the co-starring video is reached due to co-starring with the second user, a process for not displaying the co-starring application button or disabling the co-starring application button on each user device of the plurality of other users is performed; A video distribution program for causing the execution.

Explanation of Signs

[0119] 1 Video distribution system

Claims

1. A video distribution system available to a plurality of users including a first user and a second user, one or more computer processors, a storage that stores user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the second user, associated with second user identification information for identifying the second user, comprising: the one or more computer processors, by executing computer-readable instructions, in response to receiving a co-performance application for co-performing with the first user from the second user, determine the eligibility of the second user to co-perform based on the user evaluation information of the second user, when the co-performance of the second user is permitted, generate a co-performance video in which the first user and the second user co-perform, and distribute the co-performance video to one or more viewing users. A video distribution system.

2. According to the user evaluation information of the second user, on the display image of another video distributed by another user different from both the first user and the second user that the second user views, a co-performance application button for applying for co-performance with the other user is not displayed. The video distribution system according to claim 1.

3. The user evaluation information of the second user includes negative evaluation information indicating a negative evaluation of the second user. The video distribution system according to claim 2.

4. When the negative evaluation information exceeds a predetermined value, a co-performance application from the second user to the other user is prohibited. The video distribution system according to claim 3.

5. The co-performance video is a character co-performance video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user. The video distribution system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The co-performance video is an audio co-performance video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user. The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The co-starring video is a character co-starring video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user, or an audio co-starring video including a first character object generated based on the movement of the first user and the voice of the second user, The character co-starring video and the audio co-starring video can be switched alternately. The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. Excluding a second character object generated based on the movement of the second user from the co-starring video based on a request from the first user. The video distribution system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. The user evaluation information of the second user is updated based on the activities of the second user in the social networking service. The video distribution system according to claim 1.

10. The social networking service is provided by a server for distributing the co-starring video. The video distribution system according to claim 9.

11. A video distribution method executed by one or more computer processors executing computer-readable instructions, A step of storing user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the second user in association with second user identification information for identifying the second user, A step of determining the availability of co-starring of the second user based on the user evaluation information of the second user in response to receiving a co-starring application for co-starring with the first user from the second user, A step of generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star when the co-starring of the second user is permitted, A step of distributing the co-starring video to one or more viewing users, A video distribution method comprising the steps of.

12. On one or more computer processors, A step of storing user evaluation information indicating an evaluation of the second user in association with second user identification information for identifying the second user, A step of determining the availability of co-starring of the second user based on the user evaluation information of the second user in response to receiving a co-starring application for co-starring with the first user from the second user, A step of generating a co-starring video in which the first user and the second user co-star when the co-starring of the second user is permitted, A step of distributing the co-play video to one or more viewing users; A video distribution program for causing the above to be executed.

Images