Specific control device, distribution system, specific control method, and specific control program

Abstract

To identify a portion where a specific person appears and provide the portion where the specific person appears to a viewer even in scenes where a specific person's face is not captured or in video where a specific person's face is not captured.SOLUTION: A specific control device receives person information, obtains video related to a person indicated by person information from a video storage device that stores video, identifies partial video that is a portion that includes the video of the person from the acquired video, identifies partial video position information, which is information indicating where the partial video is included in the video, identifies partial audio that is a portion including audio of the person, identifies partial audio position information, which is information indicating where the partial audio is included in the video, and causes appearance partial information storage means to store appearance partial information indicating the position in the video where the appearance portion, which corresponds to at least one of partial video and partial audio is included, including the partial video position information and the partial audio position information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a specific control device and the like.

Background Art

[0002] When a viewer wants to watch a video in which a specific person appears, generally, the viewer first searches for the name of the video in which the specific person appears on an information search site or the like. Then, the viewer uses a video distribution site or the like to watch the video in which the specific person appears. The video distribution site distributes videos such as movies and broadcast programs.

[0003] When the viewer wants to watch only the part where a specific person appears, first, the viewer starts playing the video to be watched from the beginning. Then, the viewer fast-forwards and plays the scenes where the specific person does not appear. When the viewer discovers a scene where the specific person appears, the viewer plays it normally. However, when fast-forwarding, there is a possibility that the viewer may not notice that the specific person appears and may fast-forward and play the appearance scene.

[0004] Therefore, it is desired that the part where the specific person does not appear can be skipped and the part where the specific person appears can be watched. This function may also lead to an increase in the number of videos watched and potentially an increase in revenue for the video provider (such as a broadcasting station).

[0005] As related technologies, there are the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. In these technologies, a scene in which the person to be detected is imaged is detected from the video, and the detected scene is played.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0007] In the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, scenes in which a person is captured are detected based on the facial image of the person to be detected. Therefore, scenes or videos in which the person's face is not captured, such as scenes in which only the person's voice is heard, scenes in which the person is speaking with their back to the camera, or animated works, are not detected.

[0008] In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a specific control device, etc., that makes it possible to provide viewers with the portion of a specific person's appearance even in scenes where the face of a specific person is not captured, or in videos where the face of a specific person is not captured. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In one aspect of the present invention, the specific control device includes a receiving unit that receives person information which is information indicating a person; a video acquisition unit that acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device that stores a video including video information and audio information; a video identification unit that identifies a partial video which is a portion including the video of the person from the acquired video and identifies partial video position information which is information indicating where in the video the partial video is included; an audio identification unit that identifies a partial audio which is a portion including the voice of the person from the acquired video and identifies partial audio position information which is information indicating where in the video the partial audio is included; and a control unit that associates appearance portion information which indicates where in the acquired video the appearance portion, which is a portion corresponding to at least one of the partial video and the partial audio, is included in the video with the person information and video information which is information related to the video, and includes the partial video position information and the partial audio position information in the appearance portion information and stores it in an appearance portion information storage means that stores the appearance portion information.

[0010] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, the specific control method receives person information which is information indicating a person, acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device which stores a video including video information and audio information, identifies a partial video which is a portion containing the video of the person from the acquired video, identifies partial video position information which is information indicating where in the video the partial video is located, identifies a partial audio which is a portion containing the voice of the person from the acquired video, identifies partial audio position information which is information indicating where in the video the partial audio is located, associates the acquired video with the person information and video information which is information related to the video, and includes the partial video position information and the partial audio position information in the appearance part information and stores it in an appearance part information storage means which stores the appearance part information.

[0011] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, the specific control program enables the computer to implement a receiving function that receives person information, which is information indicating a person; a video acquisition function that acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device that stores a video including video information and audio information; a video identification function that identifies a partial video from the acquired video, which is a portion that includes the video of the person, and identifies partial video position information, which is information indicating where in the video the partial video is included; a sound identification function that identifies a partial audio from the acquired video, which is a portion that includes the voice of the person, and identifies partial audio position information, which is information indicating where in the video the partial audio is included; and a control function that, for the acquired video, associates appearance portion information, which indicates where in the video the appearance portion, which is a portion corresponding to at least one of the partial video and the partial audio, is included, with the person information and video information, which is information related to the video, and includes the partial video position information and the partial audio position information in the appearance portion information and stores it in an appearance portion information storage means that stores the appearance portion information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, even in scenes where a specific person's face is not captured, or in videos where a specific person's face is not captured, it becomes possible to provide viewers with the portion in which a specific person appears. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example configuration of a specific control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the operation flow of a specific control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a system including a specific control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example configuration of a specific control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the information of the part appearing in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing an example of a video list image of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing an example of an option image of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing an example of an operation panel image of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing an example of a setting menu image of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of a specific control device of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of a specific control device of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of a specific control device of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of a specific control device of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of a display control device of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] [First Embodiment] The first embodiment of the present invention will be described. A specific example of the specific control device 10 in the first embodiment is the specific control device 20 in the second embodiment described later.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of the specific control device 10 of this embodiment. The specific control device 10 of this embodiment includes a receiving unit 11, a video acquisition unit 12, a video identification unit 13, an audio identification unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0016] The receiving unit 11 receives person information. The person information is information indicating a person.

[0017] The video acquisition unit 12 acquires videos related to the person indicated by the person information from the video storage device. The video storage device stores videos. Videos include video information and audio information.

[0018] The video identification unit 13 identifies a portion of the video from the acquired video. The portion of the video is the part that contains the video of the person indicated by the person information. The video identification unit 13 also identifies the location information of the portion of the video. The location information of the portion of the video indicates where in the video the portion of the video is located.

[0019] The audio identification unit 14 identifies partial audio from the acquired video. Partial audio is the portion containing the voice of the person indicated by the person information. The audio identification unit 14 also identifies the location information of the partial audio. Partial audio location information indicates where in the video the partial audio is located.

[0020] The control unit 15 stores the appearance portion information of the acquired video in the appearance portion information storage means. The appearance portion information is information indicating where in the video the appearance portion is located. The appearance portion is a part that corresponds to at least one of a partial video and a partial audio. The appearance portion information storage means stores the appearance portion information. At this time, the control unit 15 stores the appearance portion information in the appearance portion information storage means by associating it with the person information and the video information. The video information is information related to the video. The control unit 15 also stores the appearance portion information in the appearance portion information storage means, including partial video position information and partial audio position information.

[0021] Next, Figure 2 shows an example of the operation flow of the specific control device 10 of this embodiment.

[0022] The receiving unit 11 receives person information (step S101).

[0023] The video acquisition unit 12 acquires a video from the video storage device that is related to the person indicated by the person information (step S102).

[0024] The video identification unit 13 identifies a portion of the video from the acquired video. The video identification unit 13 also identifies the location information of the portion of the video (step S103).

[0025] The audio identification unit 14 identifies partial audio from the acquired video. The audio identification unit 14 also identifies the location information of the partial audio (step S104).

[0026] The control unit 15 stores the acquired video footage in the footage footage information storage means (step S105). At this time, the control unit 15 stores the footage footage information in the footage footage information storage means, including partial video position information and partial audio position information.

[0027] As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the identification control device 10 includes a receiving unit 11, a video acquisition unit 12, a video identification unit 13, an audio identification unit 14, and a control unit 15. The receiving unit 11 receives person information. Person information is information that identifies a person. The video acquisition unit 12 acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device. The video storage device stores a video. The video includes video information and audio information. The video identification unit 13 identifies a partial video from the acquired video. A partial video is the portion that includes the video of the person indicated by the person information. The video identification unit 13 also identifies the partial video position information. The partial video position information is information that indicates where in the video the partial video is located. The audio identification unit 14 identifies a partial audio from the acquired video. A partial audio is the portion that includes the audio of the person indicated by the person information. The audio identification unit 14 also identifies the partial audio position information. The partial audio position information is information that indicates where in the video the partial audio is located. The control unit 15 stores the appearance portion information of the acquired video in the appearance portion information storage means. The appearance portion information is information indicating where in the video the appearance portion is located. The appearance portion is a portion that corresponds to at least one of a partial video and a partial audio. The appearance portion information storage means stores the appearance portion information. At this time, the control unit 15 stores the appearance portion information in the appearance portion information storage means by associating it with the person information and the video information. The video information is information related to the video. The control unit 15 also stores the appearance portion information in the appearance portion information storage means, including partial video position information and partial audio position information.

[0028] In this way, the specific control device 10 identifies partial video position information and partial audio position information, includes the partial video position information and partial audio position information in the appearance portion information, and stores it in the appearance portion information storage means. As a result, the display control device can refer to the appearance portion information stored in the appearance portion information storage means and display information related to the appearance portion information on the viewer terminal. The display control device can also refer to the appearance portion information and provide the appearance portion to the viewer. Therefore, even in scenes where the face of a specific person is not captured, or in videos where the face of a specific person is not captured, it becomes possible to provide the viewer with the appearance portion of the specific person.

[0029] [Second Embodiment] Next, the specific control device 20 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The specific control device 20 in the second embodiment is a specific example of the specific control device 10 in the first embodiment.

[0030] First, Figure 3 shows an example configuration of the distribution system 80 including the specific control device 20 of this embodiment. The distribution system 80 includes the specific control device 20, the extraction engine 30, the appearance portion information storage means 40, and the display control device 50. The specific control device 20 is connected to the extraction engine 30 and the appearance portion information storage means 40. The specific control device 20 is also connected to the video storage device 60-i (where i is an integer between 1 and N). The display control device 50 is connected to the appearance portion information storage means 40. The display control device 50 is also connected to the video storage device 60-i. A viewer terminal 70 can be connected to the display control device 50.

[0031] The video storage device 60-i stores video. Video includes both video and audio information. Video can be, for example, movies or broadcast programs, but is not limited to these. The video storage device 60-i also transmits video requested by the specific control device 20 to the specific control device 20. The video storage device 60-i also transmits video requested by the display control device 50 to the display control device 50. The video storage device 60-i is provided by, for example, broadcasting stations or movie distribution companies. A company that provides the video storage device 60-i is sometimes called a distribution company.

[0032] The viewer terminal 70 is a terminal used by viewers who wish to watch a video. The viewer terminal 70 is a communication device such as a smartphone, mobile phone, or personal computer. The viewer terminal 70 can input information about the video that the viewer wishes to watch, such as information about the person whose video they wish to watch, into the display control device 50. The viewer terminal 70 can also input instructions regarding video playback operations, such as starting playback and stopping playback, into the display control device 50. The video is provided to the viewer terminal 70 from the video storage device 60-i via the display control device 50.

[0033] The specific control device 20 and the extraction engine 30 will be described later.

[0034] The appearance portion information storage means 40 stores appearance portion information. The appearance portion information is associated with person information and video information. Person information is information that identifies a person. Video information is information related to a video. The appearance portion information is information that indicates where in the video the appearance portion is included. The appearance portion is a portion that corresponds to at least one of a partial video and a partial audio. The partial video position information is information that indicates where in the video the partial video is included. The partial audio position information is information that indicates where in the video the partial audio is included. The partial video is the portion of the video that includes the video of the person identified by the person information. The partial video is the portion of the video that includes the audio of the person identified by the person information.

[0035] When person information is input from the viewer terminal 70, the display control device 50 retrieves the appearance portion information associated with the input person information from the appearance portion information storage means 40. It then provides the viewer terminal 70 with the information regarding the appearance portion. The display control device 50 also retrieves the video from the video storage device 60-i and plays it back on the viewer terminal 70. Details of the display control device 50 will be described later.

[0036] Next, Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the identification control device 20 of this embodiment. The identification control device 20 includes a receiving unit 21, a video acquisition unit 22, a video identification unit 23, an audio identification unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0037] The receiving unit 21 receives person information. Person information is information that identifies a person. The memory unit (not shown) of the specific control device 20 stores a list of person information of people to be included in the creation of appearance information. This list will hereafter be called the extracted person list. The extracted person list includes, for example, person information of famous actors, politicians, celebrities, etc. The receiving unit 21 receives person information by reading it from the extracted person list.

[0038] The video acquisition unit 22 acquires videos related to the person indicated by the person information from the video storage device 60-i. The person information here is the person information received by the receiving unit 21. The process of acquiring videos related to the person indicated by the person information may hereafter be referred to as video acquisition. The video acquisition unit 22 acquires related videos for one person indicated by the person information. After the video acquisition unit 22 has performed video acquisition for one person and the processing of the video identification unit 23, audio identification unit 24, and control unit 25 described later has been carried out, the receiving unit 21 has newly received person information for another person. Then, the processing of the video acquisition unit 22, video identification unit 23, audio identification unit 24, and control unit 25 is carried out for the new person.

[0039] The video storage device 60-i stores video. The video includes both video and audio information. The video storage device 60-i also stores metadata associated with the video. This metadata consists of text data such as cast information. Furthermore, the video storage device 60-i stores data such as the video's title, episode number, and production year, associated with the video.

[0040] The video acquisition unit 22 acquires video, for example, as follows: The video acquisition unit 22 transmits, for example, a person's name as person information to the video storage device 60-i. Then, the video storage device 60-i transmits a video containing the person's name in its metadata to the video acquisition unit 22. The video acquisition unit 22 receives the video transmitted from the video storage device 60-i.

[0041] In the case of older videos, metadata may not exist. Therefore, the specific control device 20 may also include a metadata extraction unit (not shown). The metadata extraction unit receives videos without metadata from each of the video storage devices 60-i. The metadata extraction unit may then perform character recognition on the captions present at the end of the video and store the recognized character data as metadata in the video storage device 60-i. It is preferable for the metadata extraction unit to perform metadata extraction before the video acquisition unit 22 acquires the video.

[0042] The video storage device 60-i may contain a vast number of videos. In this case, retrieving videos from all the videos stored in the video storage device 60-i may take a long time for video retrieval, partial video identification by the video identification unit 23, and partial audio identification by the audio identification unit 24. Therefore, the video retrieval unit 22 may specify the production year in addition to the person's name to the video storage device 60-i and retrieve videos from among those corresponding to the specified production year. For example, when retrieving videos for the first time, the video retrieval unit 22 may retrieve videos from the past 10 years, and then retrieve videos going back another 10 years at a time. The video retrieval unit 22 may also specify the range of videos to retrieve based on criteria other than the production year. For example, the video retrieval unit 22 may retrieve videos in order of the number of views, or in the case of broadcast programs, in order of the viewership rating at the time of broadcast. In this case, the video storage device 60-i stores information such as the number of views and viewership rating associated with each video.

[0043] Furthermore, even after video acquisition is complete for all videos stored in the video storage device 60-i, new videos may be added to the video storage device 60-i afterward. Therefore, the video acquisition unit 22 may perform video acquisition again at predetermined intervals (such as once a day or once a week). In this case, the video acquisition unit 22 may exclude videos that have already been acquired and for which the appearance portion information corresponding to the person information is stored in the appearance portion information storage means 40 from acquisition.

[0044] The video identification unit 23 identifies a portion of the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 22. The portion of the video is the part that contains the video of the person indicated by the person information. The video identification unit 23 also identifies the location information of the portion of the video. The location information of the portion of the video indicates where in the video the portion of the video is located.

[0045] More specifically, the video identification unit 23 inputs the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 22 to the extraction engine 30. Based on the input video, the extraction engine 30 identifies a portion of the video and identifies the location information of that portion of the video.

[0046] The extraction engine 30 can identify a portion of a video based, for example, on the face image of a person indicated by the person information. In this case, for example, the video identification unit 23 may input the face image and the video to the extraction engine 30. In this case, the storage unit (not shown) of the identification control device 20 may store the face image of the person indicated by the person information in association with the person information in the extracted person list.

[0047] Furthermore, the extraction engine 30 may identify partial video footage in a manner that does not require the input of facial images, for example. In this case, the video identification unit 23 inputs multiple videos acquired by the video acquisition unit 22 to the extraction engine 30. The extraction engine 30 may, for example, identify partial video footage by selecting a person who appears in more of the input videos as the person to be identified in that partial video footage.

[0048] Partial video position information may, for example, indicate the position of a part of the video based on the playback time from the start of the video. The playback time from the start of the video may hereafter be referred to as the timecode. Partial video position information may include, for example, the timecode of the start position of the part of the video and the timecode of the end position of the part of the video.

[0049] When the extraction engine 30 identifies the partial video location information, the video identification unit 23 receives the partial video location information from the extraction engine 30.

[0050] When the video identification unit 23 receives partial video position information from the extraction engine 30, the control unit 25 includes the received partial video position information in the appearance section information. The control unit 25 then associates the appearance section information with person information and video information and stores it in the appearance section information storage means 40. The video information is information related to the video. The video information includes, for example, the name of the video storage device that provided the video, the title of the work, the episode number, the year of production, etc.

[0051] Figure 5 shows an example of appearance information stored in the appearance information storage means 40. In the example in Figure 5, the person's name "Actor A" is stored as person information. In addition, the name of the video storage device, the title of the work, and the year of production are stored as video information. Furthermore, the time code is stored as appearance information. The appearance information may also include information indicating whether it is a video portion, an audio portion, or both a video and an audio portion, along with the time code.

[0052] Furthermore, the video identification unit 23 may generate thumbnail images from partial video. The video identification unit 23 can generate thumbnail images from the video at the starting point of the partial video, the video after a predetermined time from the starting point, or the video of a portion of the partial video with little movement. The control unit 25 may also store the thumbnail images in the featured portion information storage means 40 in association with the featured portion information.

[0053] The audio identification unit 24 identifies partial audio from the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 22. Partial audio is the portion containing the voice of the person indicated by the person information. The audio identification unit 24 also identifies the location information of the partial audio. Partial audio location information indicates which part of the video contains the partial audio.

[0054] For example, if a partial video identified by the video identification unit 23 exists, the audio identification unit 24 uses that partial video to acquire the voice characteristic information of the person indicated by the person information. The voice characteristic information is information that can identify a person's voice, such as a voiceprint pattern. The acquisition of voice characteristic information may also be performed by the extraction engine 30.

[0055] More specifically, the audio identification unit 24 extracts portions of the video footage identified by the video identification unit 23 that contain only one person. Then, it acquires audio feature information based on the audio of the extracted portion. It is also conceivable that the extraction engine 30 can assign information about the number of people being filmed to each portion of the video footage. In that case, the audio identification unit 24 may extract portions that contain only one person based on this information. Alternatively, the audio identification unit 24 may associate the extracted audio feature information with the person information and store it in the memory unit.

[0056] The audio identification unit 24 then inputs the acquired audio feature information and video to the extraction engine 30. The extraction engine 30 identifies the partial audio and also identifies the location information of the partial audio.

[0057] Partial audio position information may, for example, indicate the position of a portion of the audio based on the playback time from the start of the video. Partial audio position information may include, for example, the timecode of the start position of the portion of the audio and the timecode of the end position of the portion of the audio.

[0058] For individuals such as voice actors, for whom partial video footage may not be extracted, the audio characteristic information of the individual indicated by the individual information may be stored in the memory unit of the identification control device 20 in advance, associated with the individual information in the extracted individual list. Alternatively, the audio identification unit 24 may receive information specifying the location from which to acquire audio characteristic information for one or more videos, and acquire audio characteristic information from the audio at the location specified by that information. In this case, the video acquisition unit 22 may display an image on the administrator's terminal (not shown) for the administrator to specify the location from which to acquire audio characteristic information.

[0059] When the voice identification unit 24 receives partial voice location information from the extraction engine 30, the control unit 25 includes the received partial voice location information in the appearance section information and stores it in the appearance section information storage means 40. If appearance section information associated with the same person information and the same video information is already stored in the appearance section information storage means 40, the control unit 25 adds the partial voice location information to the appearance section information. If appearance section information associated with person information is not stored in the appearance section information storage means 40, the control unit 25 associates the partial voice location information with the person information and the video information, includes it in the appearance section information, and stores it in the appearance section information storage means 40. Furthermore, even if appearance section information associated with video information is not stored in the appearance section information storage means 40, the control unit 25 associates the partial voice location information with the person information and the video information, includes it in the appearance section information, and stores it in the appearance section information storage means 40.

[0060] Furthermore, the voice identification unit 24 may also convert the partial voice into text information. This conversion to text information is also called transcription. In this case, the extraction engine 30 may also be equipped with a transcription function. The extraction engine 30 may also perform transcription following or in parallel with the identification of the partial voice. When the extraction engine 30 performs transcription in parallel with the identification of the partial voice, it first transcribes the parts other than the partial voice, and outputs the text information of the parts identified as partial voice as the text information of the partial voice. The voice identification unit 24 or the extraction engine 30 may also transcribe only the voice of the person indicated by the person information based on the voice feature information.

[0061] The control unit 25 stores the text information of the partial audio in the partial audio information storage means 40, in association with the partial audio information.

[0062] Next, the display control device 50 of this embodiment will be described.

[0063] The display control device 50 retrieves video from the video storage device 60-i in response to a request from the viewer terminal 70 and displays it on the viewer terminal 70. The display control device 50 receives information about the person whose video the viewer wants to watch. The person whose video the viewer wants to watch is sometimes called the target person. The information about the target person is sometimes called the target person information. The display control device 50 retrieves the appearance portion information associated with the target person information from the appearance portion information storage means 40 and displays the image related to the appearance portion information on the viewer terminal 70.

[0064] Figure 6 shows an example of a video list image that the display control device 50 displays on the viewer terminal 70. The video list image includes a list of videos related to the person being viewed. In the example in Figure 6, the video list image includes the time codes of the parts in which the person being viewed appears. The time code column shows the time codes of the parts in which the person appears. Also, as in the example in Figure 6, the video list image may include thumbnail images.

[0065] Furthermore, as shown in the example in Figure 6, the video list image may also include information on how far the viewer has watched the video. In this case, the display control device 50 stores the information on how far the video has been watched as viewer information, which is information about the viewer, in the featured portion information storage means 40 or in the storage unit (not shown) of the display control device 50. The display control device 50 then indicates that the video has been watched as information on the watched video. The display control device 50 may also indicate whether each featured portion has been watched or not.

[0066] Furthermore, the video list image may include information on the total duration of each segment, as shown in the example in Figure 6. The video list image may also include information on the time already watched, or the remaining time after subtracting the time already watched from the total duration.

[0067] Furthermore, the display control device 50 may display the number of times a video has been shared and the number of "likes" on the video list image, as shown in the example in Figure 6. "Likes" are input to the display control device 50 from the viewer terminal 70 when a viewer likes a video. In this case, the display control device 50 displays the number of shares and "likes" stored in the memory unit on the video list image. The methods for sharing and "liking" will be described later.

[0068] The video list image may also be sorted by video information, for example, by title, production year, or popularity. Popularity could be measured by, for example, the number of shares or "likes."

[0069] Furthermore, the video list image may include an indication that newly discovered videos exist, as shown in the example in Figure 6.

[0070] The display control device 50 retrieves appearance information corresponding to the person information of the target viewer specified by the viewer terminal 70 from the appearance information storage means 40, and displays the information related to the appearance information as a video list image on the viewer terminal 70. At this time, the display control device 50 stores viewer information in the storage unit for each viewer. The viewer information includes the appearance information retrieved from the appearance information storage means 40 and information on how far the video has been watched. The appearance information included in the viewer information is stored for each person information. When the display control device 50 retrieves appearance information from the appearance information storage means 40, it first compares it with the appearance information included in the viewer information stored in the storage unit. The appearance information stored in the storage unit is the information from the previous time the appearance information was retrieved. If the appearance information retrieved this time includes videos that were not in the previously retrieved appearance information, the display control device 50 displays a message on the video list image indicating that there are newly found videos. The display control device 50 also updates the viewer information to the latest version.

[0071] The display control device 50 retrieves videos containing video information from the video storage device 60-i and plays them on the viewer terminal 70. In the case of purchasing or renting videos individually, the display control device 50 plays the parts that the viewer terminal 70 is interested in, skipping parts that are not relevant. In the case of purchasing or renting individual video segments, the display control device 50 retrieves the video of the segment from the video storage device 60-i and plays it on the viewer terminal 70.

[0072] Furthermore, the display control device 50 may display an optional image on the viewer terminal 70 in response to a request from the viewer terminal 70. An example of an optional image is shown in Figure 7. The optional image is an image for settings related to video playback and video search. The display control device 50 operates according to the settings of the optional image. The optional image may include, for example, a setting for where to start playing the video.

[0073] Furthermore, the optional images may include a setting to determine whether or not to use a video featuring the target audience as a Commercial Message (CM). If it is set to use a video featuring the target audience, the display control device 50 retrieves the CM featuring the target audience from the CM distribution device (not shown) and displays it on the viewer terminal 70. The timing of the CM display is arbitrary and is set in advance in the display control device 50.

[0074] Additionally, the optional images may include a setting to skip or not skip parts where the viewer's character appears only through voice (partial audio, but not partial video), such as a back view or animation. Furthermore, the optional images may include a setting to either play the video as usual or view only text information.

[0075] Furthermore, the display control device 50 may display an operation panel image on the viewer terminal 70 in response to a request from the viewer terminal 70. The operation panel image is an image for operations related to video playback. The display control device 50 plays the video according to the operations performed on the operation panel image.

[0076] Figure 8 shows an example of the control panel image. The control item labeled "Scene" is used to control playback on a segment-by-section basis. The control item labeled "Work" is used to control playback on a work (video) basis.

[0077] The display control device 50 acquires and plays a video from the video storage device 60-i in response to operation instructions input based on the operation panel image. The appearance portion information storage means 40 stores information on how far the video has been viewed in the storage unit.

[0078] Furthermore, the control panel image may include operation items for sharing. When a sharing instruction is input in response to an operation on an operation item for sharing, the display control device 50 shares the information of the video being played with the sharing destination. The sharing destination is, for example, a Social Networking Service (SNS). The display control device 50 sends the title of the work and timecode information to the designated sharing destination. It also updates the information of the number of shares stored in the memory unit. The number of shares is stored for each video or for each section in which it appears.

[0079] Furthermore, the control panel image may include an operation item for "liking". When an operation is performed on the operation item for "liking", and a "like" instruction is input, the display control device 50 updates the information of the number of "likes" stored in the memory unit for the video being played.

[0080] Furthermore, the display control device 50 may display a settings menu image on the viewer terminal 70 in response to a request from the viewer terminal 70. An example of a settings menu image is shown in Figure 9. The settings menu image is an image for setting up video distribution.

[0081] The settings menu image may include settings related to viewing videos provided by distribution providers with whom the user does not have a contract. These settings relate to contract processing when the information regarding the appearance of the person being viewed includes videos from a video storage device provided by a distribution provider with whom the user does not have a contract. If "Automatically contract" is set, the display control device 50 sends the pre-configured contract information to the distribution provider and enters into a contract. If "Please confirm" is set, the display control device 50 displays an image on the viewer terminal 70 asking the viewer whether or not to contract. If "Do not watch" is set, the display control device 50 does not retrieve videos from video storage devices with whom the user does not have a contract. In this case, the viewer information stored in the memory unit also includes information related to contracts.

[0082] Furthermore, the settings menu image may also include settings related to the termination of the contract between the distribution provider and the viewer. This setting is, for example, a setting related to the termination of a contract when the contract for a video storage device that has not been viewed for more than n days is about to expire. If "Automatically terminate" is set, the display control device 50 sends information to the distribution provider that the contract will be terminated. If "Notify me when it's about to expire" is set, the display control device 50 displays an image on the viewer terminal 70 asking the viewer whether or not to terminate the contract. If "Keep the contract" is set, the display control device 50 sends information to the distribution provider that the contract will be continued. Note that if the contract is automatically renewed until it is terminated, the display control device 50 does not need to send information to the distribution provider that the contract will be continued.

[0083] Furthermore, the settings menu image may include information about the currently subscribed streaming service provider. In this case, the settings menu image may also include information about fees related to video viewing, such as the monthly subscription fee.

[0084] Furthermore, the settings menu image may include information used during the contract process, such as credit card information registered at the time of contract.

[0085] Next, Figures 10 to 13 show examples of the operation flow of the specific control device 20 of this embodiment. Figure 10 shows an overview of the operation of the specific control device 20. Figure 11 is the operation flow for identifying partial video position information. Figure 12 is the operation flow for identifying partial audio position information. Figure 13 is the operation flow for transcription. Figures 11 to 13 are more specific operation flows of step S203 in Figure 10.

[0086] First, an overview of the operation of the specific control device 20 of this embodiment will be explained using Figure 10.

[0087] The video acquisition unit 22 of the specific control device 20 first specifies the acquisition range (step S201 in Figure 10). The acquisition range will be described later.

[0088] Next, the receiving unit 21 receives person information (step S202). The receiving unit 21 receives person information by reading the information of one person from the extracted person list.

[0089] Furthermore, regarding the person indicated by the person information, the video acquisition unit 22 acquires video, the video identification unit 23 identifies a portion of the video, and the audio identification unit 24 identifies a portion of the audio (step S203). The operations performed in step S203 will be described later.

[0090] Then, when step S203 is performed for all the individuals indicated by the person information registered in the extracted person list (YES in step S204), the video acquisition unit 22 performs step S201.

[0091] The acquisition range in step S201 is the range of videos to be acquired from the video storage device 60-i by the video acquisition unit 22. For example, when steps S202 to S204 are performed for the first time, the video acquisition unit 22 sets the acquisition range to include videos from the past 10 years. When steps S202 to S204 are performed for the second time or later, the video acquisition unit 22 sets the acquisition range to include 10 years further back in each subsequent step. In addition, new videos may be added to the video storage device 60-i. Therefore, even after all past years have been designated as the acquisition range, the video acquisition unit 22 should perform steps S201 to S204 at predetermined intervals (e.g., once a day, once a week). In this case, the video acquisition unit 22 should exclude videos that have already been acquired and whose partial video or audio has been identified from acquisition. The video acquisition unit 22 can determine whether partial video or partial audio is being recorded by using the featured part information stored in the featured part information storage means 40.

[0092] Next, using Figure 11, the operation flow of the specific control device 20 of this embodiment regarding the identification of partial video position information will be explained.

[0093] The video acquisition unit 22 acquires videos related to the person indicated by the person information from the video storage device 60-i (where i is an integer from 1 to N). The person information here is the person information received by the receiving unit 21. More specifically, the video acquisition unit 22 transmits the person's name indicated by the person information and the acquisition range specified in step S201 to the video storage device 60-i (step S301). Then, the video storage device 60-i transmits to the video acquisition unit 22 the videos included in the acquisition range whose metadata contains the person's name. The video acquisition unit 22 receives the videos transmitted from the video storage device 60-i (step S302). Note that the videos included in the acquisition range are, if the acquisition range is based on the year of production, videos produced in the year indicated by the acquisition range. The video acquisition unit 22 does not acquire videos for which it has already acquired information about the person.

[0094] The video identification unit 23 identifies a portion of the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 22. The video identification unit 23 also identifies the location information of the portion of the video.

[0095] More specifically, the video identification unit 23 inputs the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 22 to the extraction engine 30 (step S303). Based on the input video, the extraction engine 30 identifies a portion of the video and identifies the location information of that portion of the video (step S304).

[0096] When the extraction engine 30 identifies the partial video position information, the video identification unit 23 receives the partial video position information from the extraction engine 30 (step S305).

[0097] The control unit 25 associates the appearance portion information with person information and video information. The control unit 25 also stores the appearance portion information, to which the person information and video information are associated, in the appearance portion information storage means 40. At this time, the control unit 25 includes the received partial video position information in the appearance portion information and stores the appearance portion information in the appearance portion information storage means 40 (steps S306, S307).

[0098] Next, using Figure 12, the operation flow of the specific control device 20 of this embodiment regarding the identification of partial voice location information will be explained.

[0099] If a partial video exists for a person indicated by the person information, as identified by the video identification unit 23, the audio identification unit 24 uses that partial video to acquire the audio characteristic information of that person (step S308). The audio identification unit 24 may also receive information specifying the location from which to acquire audio characteristic information for one or more videos, and acquire audio characteristic information from the audio at the location specified by that information.

[0100] Then, the voice identification unit 24 inputs the voice feature information acquired in step S308 and the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 22 to the extraction engine 30 (steps S309, S310). If person information and voice feature information are already stored in the memory unit, the voice identification unit 24 may input the voice feature information stored in the memory unit to the extraction engine 30.

[0101] The extraction engine 30 identifies the partial audio and also identifies the location information of the partial audio (step S311).

[0102] When the voice identification unit 24 receives partial voice location information from the extraction engine 30 (step S312), the control unit 25 adds the received partial voice location information to the appearance part information stored in the appearance part information storage means 40 (steps S313, 314). If the appearance part information associated with the person information is not stored in the appearance part information storage means 40, the control unit 25 associates the person information with the video information, includes the partial voice location information in the appearance part information, and stores it in the appearance part information storage means 40. Also, if the appearance part information associated with the video information is not stored in the appearance part information storage means 40, the control unit 25 associates the person information with the video information, includes the partial voice location information in the appearance part information, and stores the appearance part information in the appearance part information storage means 40.

[0103] Furthermore, the voice identification unit 24 may also perform partial speech transcription. The operation flow of the identification control device 20 in transcription will be explained using Figure 13.

[0104] First, the specific control device 20 inputs the video acquired by the video acquisition unit 22 to the extraction engine 30 (step S315). Note that if the extraction engine 30 can perform transcription using the video input in step S310, step S315 may be omitted. The extraction engine 30 performs transcription of the partial audio (step S316). Then, the extraction engine 30 transmits the text information of the partial audio to the specific control device 20 (step S317).

[0105] The control unit 25 stores the text information of the partial audio in the partial audio information storage means 40 in association with the partial audio information (steps S318, S319).

[0106] Next, Figure 14 shows the operation flow of the display control device 50 of this embodiment.

[0107] The display control device 50 acquires video from the video storage device 60-i in response to a request from the viewer terminal 70 and displays it on the viewer terminal 70. The display control device 50 receives information about the person whose video the viewer wants to watch (step S401). The display control device 50 acquires the appearance portion information associated with the input person information from the appearance portion information storage means 40 (steps S402, step S403), and displays a list of video images related to the appearance portion information on the viewer terminal 70 (step S404).

[0108] Furthermore, the display control device 50, in response to a playback request from the viewer terminal 70 (step S405), makes a playback request to the video storage device 60-i (step S406) and retrieves the video from the video storage device 60-i (step S407). The playback request from the viewer terminal 70 to the display control device 50 is made by the viewer's operation on the video list image or on the operation panel image. In addition, if the videos in the video list image are played automatically in sequence, the display control device 50 also makes a playback request to the video storage device 60-i when the next video is played.

[0109] The display control device 50 then causes the viewer terminal 70 to play the video (steps S408 and S409). The display control device 50 also stores information indicating how far the video has been viewed in its storage unit or the section information storage means 40.

[0110] As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the identification control device 20 includes a receiving unit 21, a video acquisition unit 22, a video identification unit 23, an audio identification unit 24, and a control unit 25. The receiving unit 21 receives person information. Person information is information that identifies a person. The video acquisition unit 22 acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device. The video storage device stores a video. The video includes video information and audio information. The video identification unit 23 identifies a partial video from the acquired video. A partial video is the portion that includes the video of the person indicated by the person information. The video identification unit 23 also identifies the partial video position information. The partial video position information is information that indicates where in the video the partial video is located. The audio identification unit 24 identifies a partial audio from the acquired video. A partial audio is the portion that includes the audio of the person indicated by the person information. The audio identification unit 24 also identifies the partial audio position information. The partial audio position information is information that indicates where in the video the partial audio is located. The control unit 25 stores the appearance portion information of the acquired video in the appearance portion information storage means. The appearance portion information is information indicating where in the video the appearance portion is located. The appearance portion is a portion that corresponds to at least one of a partial video and a partial audio. The appearance portion information storage means stores the appearance portion information. At this time, the control unit 25 stores the appearance portion information in the appearance portion information storage means by associating it with the person information and the video information. The video information is information related to the video. The control unit 25 also stores the appearance portion information in the appearance portion information storage means, including partial video position information and partial audio position information.

[0111] In this way, the specific control device 20 identifies partial video position information and partial audio position information, includes the partial video position information and partial audio position information in the appearance portion information, and stores it in the appearance portion information storage means. As a result, the display control device can refer to the appearance portion information stored in the appearance portion information storage means and display information related to the appearance portion information on the viewer terminal. The display control device can also refer to the appearance portion information and provide the appearance portion to the viewer. Therefore, even in scenes where the face of a specific person is not captured, or in videos where the face of a specific person is not captured, it becomes possible to identify the appearance portion of a specific person and provide that portion to the viewer.

[0112] Furthermore, the voice identification unit 24 uses partial video footage to acquire voice feature information, which is information that can identify a person's voice, and uses the voice feature information to identify a portion of the voice. As a result, the voice identification unit 24 can identify a portion of the voice even if the voice feature information has not been registered in the identification control device 20 in advance.

[0113] Furthermore, the audio identification unit 24 extracts portions of the video footage in which only one person is being filmed, and acquires audio feature information based on the audio of the extracted portion. This makes it possible to acquire audio feature information with greater accuracy.

[0114] Furthermore, the audio identification unit 24 receives information specifying the locations from which to acquire audio feature information for one or more videos, and acquires audio feature information from the audio at the locations specified by the information specifying the locations from which to acquire audio feature information. Here, the audio feature information is information that can identify a person's voice. This makes it possible to acquire audio feature information even for people for whom there is no identified part of the video.

[0115] Furthermore, the audio identification unit 24 converts the partial audio into text information, associates the text information of the partial audio with the appearing part information, and stores it in the appearing part information storage means. This makes it possible to display the text information of the partial audio from the display control device 50 to the viewer terminal 70.

[0116] The distribution system also includes a specific control device 20, a means for storing appearance information 40, and a display control device 50. The display control device 50 acquires appearance information corresponding to the person information of the target viewer, who is a person specified by the viewer terminal 70, from the appearance information storage means 40. The display control device 50 then displays the acquired appearance information as a video list image on the viewer terminal 70. In this way, the display control device 50 can display a list of appearances of the target viewer on the viewer terminal 70.

[0117] Furthermore, the display control device 50 acquires the video from the video storage device and plays the video of the parts in which the person appears on the viewer terminal 70, skipping parts that do not appear. Alternatively, the display control device 50 may acquire the video of the parts in which the person appears from the video storage device and play that video on the viewer terminal. This makes it possible to fulfill the viewer's desire to watch only the parts in which the person they are interested in appears.

[0118] [Example Hardware Configuration] This section describes an example of hardware resource configurations for realizing the specific control devices (10, 20) in each embodiment of the present invention described above using a single information processing device (computer). Note that the specific control device may be realized using at least two information processing devices, either physically or functionally. Furthermore, the specific control device may be realized as a dedicated device. Also, only some of the functions of the specific control device may be realized using an information processing device.

[0119] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device capable of realizing a specific control device according to each embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 90 includes a communication interface 91, an input / output interface 92, an arithmetic unit 93, a storage device 94, a non-volatile storage device 95, and a drive device 96.

[0120] For example, the video acquisition unit 12 and control unit 15 in Figure 1 can be implemented using the communication interface 91 and the computing device 93. Furthermore, the receiving unit 11, video identification unit 13, and audio identification unit 14 can also be implemented using the computing device 93.

[0121] The communication interface 91 is a communication means for the specific control device of each embodiment to communicate with an external device by wire and / or wirelessly. If the specific control device is implemented using at least two information processing devices, these devices may be connected via the communication interface 91 to enable mutual communication.

[0122] The input / output interface 92 is a human-machine interface, such as a keyboard as an example of an input device, or a display as an output device.

[0123] The arithmetic unit 93 is implemented by a general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit) or microprocessor, as well as multiple electrical circuits. The arithmetic unit 93 can, for example, read various programs stored in the non-volatile memory device 95 into the memory device 94 and execute processing according to the read programs.

[0124] The storage device 94 is a memory device such as RAM (Random Access Memory) that can be accessed by the arithmetic unit 93, and stores programs and various data. The storage device 94 may also be a volatile memory device.

[0125] The non-volatile storage device 95 is a non-volatile storage device such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or flash memory, and is capable of storing various programs and data.

[0126] The drive device 96 is, for example, a device that processes data reading and writing to the recording medium 97, which will be described later.

[0127] The recording medium 97 is any recording medium capable of recording data, such as an optical disc, magneto-optical disc, or semiconductor flash memory.

[0128] Each embodiment of the present invention may be implemented, for example, by configuring a specific control device with the information processing device 90 illustrated in Figure 15, and supplying this specific control device with a program capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment above.

[0129] In this case, the embodiment can be realized by having the arithmetic unit 93 execute the program supplied to the specific control device. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure some, rather than all, of the functions of the specific control device using the information processing device 90.

[0130] Furthermore, the above program may be recorded on the recording medium 97, and configured to be stored in the non-volatile storage device 95 as appropriate during the shipping or operation phase of the specific control device. In this case, the method of supplying the above program may be to install it into the specific control device using an appropriate jig during the manufacturing phase before shipment or during the operation phase. Alternatively, the method of supplying the above program may be to download it from an external source via a communication line such as the Internet, or other general procedures.

[0131] Some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:

[0132] (Note 1) A receiving unit that receives person information, which is information that identifies a person, A video acquisition unit acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device that stores a video containing video information and audio information, A video identification unit identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the image of the person, and identifies a portion of the video that contains location information of the portion of the video. A voice identification unit identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the voice of the person, and identifies a portion of the video that contains the portion of the video, which is information indicating where the portion of the video contains the portion of the voice. A control unit that stores in an appearance information storage means that stores appearance information, which indicates the location of the appearance portion that corresponds to at least one of the partial video and partial audio portions of the acquired video, associating appearance portion information with the person information and video information which is information about the video, and including the partial video position information and the partial audio position information in the appearance portion information. A specific control device equipped with the following features.

[0133] (Note 2) The voice identification unit uses the partial video to acquire voice feature information, which is information that can identify the voice of the person, and uses the voice feature information to identify the partial voice. The specific control device described in Appendix 1.

[0134] (Note 3) The audio identification unit extracts from the partial video footage portions in which only one person is being filmed, and acquires the audio feature information based on the audio of the extracted portions. The specific control device described in Appendix 2.

[0135] (Note 4) The voice identification unit receives information specifying locations for one or more of the videos in which voice feature information, which is information that can identify the voice of the person, is to be acquired, and acquires the voice feature information from the voice at the locations specified by the information specifying locations for acquiring the voice feature information. The specific control device described in Appendix 1.

[0136] (Note 5) The voice identification unit further converts the partial voice into text information, associates the text information of the partial voice with the appearing part information, and stores it in the appearing part information storage means. The specific control device described in Appendix 1.

[0137] (Note 6) A specific control device described in any of Appendix 1 to Appendix 5, The aforementioned partial information storage means, Display control device and Equipped with, The display control device obtains the appearance portion information corresponding to the person information of the target viewer, who is a person specified by the viewer terminal, from the appearance portion information storage means, and displays the obtained appearance portion information as a video list image on the viewer terminal. Distribution system.

[0138] (Note 7) The display control device acquires the video from the video storage device and plays the video of the portion that appears on the viewer terminal, skipping the portion that does not appear. The distribution system described in Appendix 6.

[0139] (Note 8) The display control device acquires the video of the appearance portion from the video storage device and plays the video of the appearance portion on the viewer terminal. The distribution system described in Appendix 6.

[0140] (Note 9) Receiving person information, which is information that identifies a person. From a video storage device that stores a video containing video information and audio information, the video related to the person indicated by the person information is obtained. From the acquired video, a partial video is identified which is the portion containing the image of the person, and partial video position information is identified which is information indicating where in the video the partial video is located. From the acquired video, a partial audio is identified, which is the portion containing the voice of the person, and partial audio position information is identified, which is information indicating where in the video the partial audio is located. With respect to the acquired video, information indicating the location of the appearance portion, which corresponds to at least one of the partial video and partial audio portions, is associated with the person information and the video information, which is information about the video, and the partial video position information and the partial audio position information are included in the appearance portion information and stored in the appearance portion information storage means that stores the appearance portion information. A specific control method.

[0141] (Note 10) On the computer, A person information receiving function, which is information that identifies a person, A video acquisition function that acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device that stores a video containing video information and audio information, A video identification function that identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the image of the person, and identifies a portion of the video that contains location information of the portion of the video. A voice identification function that identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the voice of the person, and identifies a portion of the video that contains the portion of the video, which is information indicating where the portion of the video contains the portion of the voice. A control function that, with respect to the acquired video, associates appearance information, which indicates the location of the appearance portion that corresponds to at least one of the partial video and partial audio portions, with the person information and video information, which is information about the video, and includes the partial video position information and the partial audio position information in the appearance information, and stores the appearance information in an appearance information storage means that stores the appearance information. A specific control program that achieves this.

[0142] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present invention can be made, as can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 10, 20 Specific control devices 11, 21 Receiving section 12, 22 Video acquisition section 13, 23 Video Identification Department 14, 24 Voice Identification Section 15, 25 Control Unit 30 Extraction Engines 40 Appearance partial information storage means 50 Display control device 60-i video storage device 70 Viewer terminals 90 Information Processing Equipment 91 Communication Interface 92 Input / Output Interfaces 93 Arithmetic unit 94 Storage device 95 Non-volatile memory devices 96 Drive unit 97 Recording media

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives person information which is information indicating a specific person, A video acquisition unit acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device that stores a video containing video information and audio information, A video identification unit identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the image of the person indicated by the person information, and identifies a portion of the video that contains location information indicating where the portion of the video is located. A voice identification unit identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the voice of the person indicated by the person information, and identifies a portion of the video that contains partial audio location information, which is information indicating where in the video the partial audio is located. A control unit that stores in an appearance information storage means that stores appearance information, which indicates the location of the appearance portion that corresponds to at least one of the partial video and partial audio portions of the acquired video, associating appearance portion information with the person information and video information which is information about the video, and including the partial video position information and the partial audio position information in the appearance portion information. A specific control device equipped with the following features.

2. The voice identification unit uses the partial video to acquire voice feature information, which is information that can identify the voice of the person, and uses the voice feature information to identify the partial voice. The specific control device according to claim 1.

3. The audio identification unit extracts from the partial video footage portions in which only one person is being filmed, and acquires the audio feature information based on the audio of the extracted portions. The specific control device according to claim 2.

4. The voice identification unit receives information specifying a location for acquiring voice feature information, which is information that can identify the voice of the person indicated by the person information, for one or more videos, acquires the voice feature information of the person indicated by the person information from the audio at the location specified by the information specifying the location for acquiring the voice feature information, and identifies the partial voice of the person indicated by the person information based on the acquired voice feature information. The specific control device according to claim 1.

5. The voice identification unit further converts the partial voice into text information by transcription, associates the text information of the partial voice with the part information it appears in, and stores it in the part information storage means. The specific control device according to claim 1.

6. A specific control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The aforementioned partial information storage means, Display control device and Equipped with, The display control device obtains the appearance portion information corresponding to the person information of the target person, who is a person specified by the viewer terminal, from the appearance portion information storage means, and displays the obtained information regarding the appearance portion information as a video list image of the target person on the viewer terminal. Distribution system.

7. The display control device acquires the video from the video storage device and plays the video of the portion in which the target person appears on the viewer terminal, skipping the portion in which the target person does not appear. The distribution system according to claim 6.

8. The display control device acquires the video of the portion in which the target person appears from the video storage device and plays the video of the portion in which the target person appears on the viewer terminal. The distribution system according to claim 6.

9. Receiving person information which is information indicating a specific person, From a video storage device that stores a video containing video information and audio information, the video related to the person indicated by the person information is obtained. From the acquired video, a partial video is identified which is the portion containing the image of the person indicated by the person information, and partial video position information is identified which is information indicating where in the video the partial video is located. From the acquired video, a partial audio is identified, which is the portion containing the voice of the person indicated by the person information, and partial audio position information is identified, which is information indicating where in the video the partial audio is contained. With respect to the acquired video, information indicating the location of the appearance portion, which corresponds to at least one of the partial video and partial audio portions, is associated with the person information and the video information, which is information about the video, and the partial video position information and the partial audio position information are included in the appearance portion information and stored in the appearance portion information storage means that stores the appearance portion information. A specific control method.

10. On the computer, A receiving function that receives person information, which is information that identifies a specific person, A video acquisition function that acquires a video related to the person indicated by the person information from a video storage device that stores a video containing video information and audio information, A video identification function that identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the image of the person indicated by the person information, and identifies a portion of the video that contains location information of the portion of the video. A voice identification function that identifies a portion of the acquired video that contains the voice of the person indicated by the person information, and identifies a portion of the video that contains the location of the portion of the video, A control function that, with respect to the acquired video, associates appearance information, which indicates the location of the appearance portion that corresponds to at least one of the partial video and partial audio portions, with the person information and video information, which is information about the video, and includes the partial video position information and the partial audio position information in the appearance information, and stores the appearance information in an appearance information storage means that stores the appearance information. A specific control program that achieves this.

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