Information processing device, program, and control method

Abstract

An information processing device (10) that can connect to a terminal device (30A, 30B, 30C) having an arbitrary song playback application, said information processing device (10) comprising: a communication unit (13) that wirelessly connects to the terminal device; an acquisition unit (13) that acquires, from the terminal device and via the communication unit, song specification information associated with a song; a transmission unit (111) that transmits control information relating to the song playback application to the terminal device via the communication unit after the acquisition of the song specification information; a specification unit (112) that specifies a song on the basis of the song specification information; and a playback unit (114) that acquires the data of the song specified by the specification unit from a source other than the terminal device and plays back the same.

Description

Information processing device, program, and control method

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a program, and a control method.

[0002] In recent years, communication technologies using the Internet have become commonplace, and various related technologies have been devised. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for connecting a mobile terminal such as a smartphone and a car navigation system via communication.

[0003] Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth(R) Speaker User Manual (BOSE) (https: / / assets.bose.com / content / dam / Bose_DAM / Web / consumer_electronics / global / products / speakers / soundlink_flex / pdf / 866666_og_soundlink-flex_ml.pdf)

[0004] Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for connecting a terminal device to a car navigation system and outputting music, video, and the like via the car navigation system. In such a case, when connecting multiple terminal devices to the car navigation system, connection settings must be configured each time, which is cumbersome. Furthermore, the terminal device must continue to play music and video, which occupies the terminal device during playback, preventing it from performing other processes such as searching and capturing images. Furthermore, if the connection between the terminal device and the car navigation system is interrupted, playback is also interrupted.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least part of the above problems, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing device, program, and control method that allows multiple users to easily play music in an entertaining manner.

[0006] The information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device that can be connected to a terminal device having any music playback application, and is equipped with a communication unit that connects wirelessly to the terminal device, an acquisition unit that acquires music identification information linked to a music from the terminal device via the communication unit, a transmission unit that transmits control information related to the music playback application to the terminal device via the communication unit after acquiring the music identification information, an identification unit that identifies a music based on the music identification information, and a playback unit that acquires data of the music identified by the identification unit from a source other than the terminal device and plays it.

[0007] A program according to the present invention is configured to cause a computer to function as the information processing device described above.

[0008] The control method of the present invention is a control method implemented by an information processing device that can be interconnected with a terminal device having any music playback application, and includes the steps of wirelessly connecting with the terminal device, obtaining music identification information linked to the music from the terminal device, transmitting control information related to the music playback application to the terminal device after obtaining the music identification information, identifying a music based on the music identification information, and obtaining and playing data of the identified music from a source other than the terminal device.

[0009] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a system according to an embodiment. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of processing in a system according to an embodiment. 3 is a diagram illustrating a playback list according to an embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing another processing executed by a control unit of an information processing device according to an embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing another processing executed by a control unit of an information processing device according to an embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing another processing executed by a control unit of an information processing device according to an embodiment.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [System Overview] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the system 1 according to this embodiment includes an information processing device 10 and terminal devices 30A to 30C. The information processing device 10 is an information processing device that can be connected to the terminal devices 30A to 30C via an Internet communication network or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0011] The terminal devices 30A to 30C are configured by smartphones, tablet terminals, computers, etc., and can be connected to the information processing device 10 via an internet communication network or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other. In the example of Fig. 1, three terminal devices 30A to 30C are illustrated for the purpose of explanation, but four or more terminal devices can be connected to the information processing device 10 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0012] In the system 1, when a user operates the terminal devices 30A to 30C, a playlist can be created in the information processing device 10 and music can be played.

[0013] 1, the information processing device 10 includes a control unit 11, a display unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The control unit 11 is implemented in the information processing device 10 by, for example, a communication interface, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a memory that serves as a working area, and controls the operation of each unit of the information processing device 10. The control unit 11 includes a transmission unit 111, an identification unit 112, a creation unit 113, a reproduction unit 114, an audio output unit 115, and a storage unit 116 that are realized by the processor operating in accordance with a program stored in the memory or received via the communication interface.

[0014] The transmission unit 111 transmits control information to any of the terminal devices 30A to 30C via the communication unit 13. The identification unit 112 has an arbitrary music playback application and searches for and identifies music based on information acquired from the terminal devices 30A to 30C. The music playback application may be downloaded or installed in the information processing device 10, or may function on a browser.

[0015] The creation unit 113 creates a playlist that indicates the playback order of the plurality of songs searched and identified by the identification unit 112. The playback unit 114 plays back data of the plurality of songs in accordance with the playlist created by the creation unit 113.

[0016] The audio output unit 115 has an audio output terminal such as a speaker terminal or a headphone terminal, and outputs the audio signal of the music played by the playback unit 114 as audio information. The audio output unit 115 may also include a speaker. If the audio output unit 115 includes a speaker, the information processing device 10 functions as a speaker that can be shared by multiple users. The storage unit 116 stores the playlist created by the creation unit 113. The playlist stored in the storage unit 116 can be read, viewed, or shared at any time. The functions and operations of each unit of the control unit 11 will be described in detail below.

[0017] The display unit 12 may include a monitor such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display, and may display various information to the user by displaying images. The surface of the display unit 12 may include a touch panel that detects contact.

[0018] The communication unit 13 can be connected to the terminal devices 30A to 30C via the Internet or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other. The communication unit 13 may execute wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, or WUSB (Wireless USB), or may execute wired communication such as LAN (Local Area Network) or USB (Universal Serial Bus) instead of or in addition to wireless communication.

[0019] [General Configuration of Terminal Devices 30A to 30C] Each of the terminal devices 30A to 30C has a music playback application. The music playback application may be downloaded or installed on each terminal, or may function on a browser. As shown in FIG. 1 , the terminal device 30A includes a control unit 31A, a display unit 32A, and a communication unit 33A. The control unit 31A is implemented in the terminal device 30A by, for example, a communication interface, a processor such as a CPU, and memory that serves as a working area, and controls the operation of each unit of the terminal device 30A.

[0020] The display unit 32A may include a monitor such as an LCD or an organic EL display, and may present various types of information to the user by displaying a display image. The surface of the display unit 32A may be provided with a touch panel that detects contact. Similar to the communication unit 13 of the information processing device 10, the communication unit 33A may be connected to the information processing device 10 via an Internet communication network or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other. The communication unit 33A may perform wireless communication similar to the communication unit 13 of the information processing device 10, or may perform wired communication instead of or in addition to wireless communication.

[0021] Terminal devices 30B and 30C are similar to terminal device 30A, and terminal devices other than terminal devices 30A to 30C can also be considered similar to terminal device 30A.

[0022] [System Processing Overview] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of processing in the system 1. In Fig. 2, an arbitrary terminal device among the terminal devices 30A to 30C is described as the terminal device 30X. In the system 1, as shown in (1), a pairing process is performed between the terminal device 30X and the information processing device 10. When an instruction to play a song is given in the terminal device 30X as shown in (2), song identification information is transmitted from the terminal device 30X to the information processing device 10 as shown in (3).

[0023] The information processing device 10 then searches for and identifies the music as shown in (5) and transmits control information to the terminal device 30X as shown in (6). The terminal device 30X controls the playback of the music as shown in (7). Meanwhile, the information processing device 10 creates a playlist as shown in (8), stores the created playlist as shown in (9), and plays the music as shown in (10).

[0024] That is, in the series of processes (1) to (10), when a user operates terminal device 30X, information processing device 10 creates a playlist and plays music data according to the playlist. Therefore, multiple users can request the music they wish to play from each of multiple terminal devices 30A to 30C to information processing device 10, and information processing device 10 can create a playlist and play music in response to the requests of multiple users.

[0025] Details of each process will be explained below. (1) Pairing Process The pairing process is performed between the communication units 33A to 33C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C and the communication unit 13 of the information processing device 10. When the pairing process is performed, the terminal devices 30A to 30C and the information processing device 10 can communicate with each other. Details of the pairing process are similar to known techniques, so explanations will be omitted. Note that the information processing device 10 can independently perform pairing processes with multiple terminal devices 30A to 30C.

[0026] (2) Song Playback Instruction Song playback instructions are made by user operation via the display units 32A to 32C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C. A song playback instruction is a normal play instruction in any song playback application possessed by the terminal devices 30A to 30C. The user can transmit song identification information to the information processing device 10 by using any song playback application in the terminal devices 30A to 30C, for example, a song playback application that is normally used for listening to songs, to play a desired song, for example, by selecting a play button displayed on the display units 32A to 32C.

[0027] The music playback applications possessed by the terminal devices 30A to 30C may be the same or different. For example, the terminal device 30A may have a music playback application A, the terminal device 30B may have a music playback application B, and the terminal device 30C may have a music playback application C, and so on. Each of the terminal devices 30A to 30C may issue a music playback instruction using a different music playback application.

[0028] (3) Transmission of Song Identification Information Song identification information is transmitted between the communication units 33A to 33C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C and the communication unit 13 of the information processing device 10. The song identification information is information including at least one of the song title, artist name, album name, release date, composer name, lyricist name, arranger name, performance time, and a portion of the song's audio data, and is used to identify the song in the information processing device 10. As described above, a song playback instruction is issued by a normal playback instruction in any song playback application possessed by the terminal devices 30A to 30C. The control units 31A to 31C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C perform normal playback processing in response to the playback instruction, thereby starting transmission of song data to the information processing device 10.

[0029] Conventionally, music data transmitted from a mobile terminal includes the above-mentioned music identification information in the form of metadata, etc. In other words, the music identification information is the same as the music data that the control units 31A to 31C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C perform normal playback processing and transmit to the information processing device 10, and the terminal devices 30A to 30C perform the same processing as during normal playback without being restricted in any way by the information processing device 10 with regard to control.

[0030] In addition to the above-described information, it is also useful to use a URL indicating the song as the song identification information. In this case, the terminal devices 30A to 30C may transmit a URL indicating the song data to the information processing device 10 in addition to the normal playback process described above. The song identification information may also include information indicating the type of song playback application used on the terminal devices 30A to 30C.

[0031] (4) Acquisition of song identification information The song identification information is acquired by the identification unit 112 of the information processing device 10. The identification unit 112 acquires the song identification information transmitted to the communication unit 13 of the information processing device 10 from the communication units 33A to 33C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C.

[0032] (5) Searching and Identifying Songs Searching and identifying songs are performed by the identification unit 112 of the information processing device 10. The identification unit 112 searches for and identifies songs based on the song identification information described above. The identification unit 112 extracts metadata from the song identification information, for example, and searches for and identifies songs based on at least one of the song title, artist name, album name, release date, composer name, lyricist name, arranger name, and performance time included in the metadata.

[0033] The identification unit 112 uses a music playback application to identify a music piece based on the music identification information. That is, the identification unit 112 acquires music pieces from sources other than the terminal devices 30A to 30C. The identification unit 112 may automatically select top-ranked music pieces based on the search results to uniquely identify the music piece, or may present candidate music pieces from the search results to the user and prompt them to select one.

[0034] Furthermore, the identification unit 112 may identify songs based on a portion of the audio data of the songs themselves, instead of or in addition to the various types of song identification information described above. For example, the identification unit 112 may perform a search based on the various types of song identification information described above, and then narrow down the search results by applying technology such as voice recognition based on a portion of the audio data of the songs themselves. This configuration is expected to improve the accuracy of song search and identification.

[0035] Furthermore, if the music playback application possessed by the identification unit 112 is a music playback application that requires authentication information, the identification unit 112 may use the music playback application using the authentication information acquired by the information processing device 10. For example, if the music playback application used by the terminal devices 30A to 30C also requires authentication information, and the music playback application used by the terminal devices 30A to 30C and the music playback application possessed by the identification unit 112 are the same type of music playback application, the music playback application will be used by the terminal devices 30A to 30C and the information processing device 10 using different authentication information.

[0036] The identification unit 112 may also have multiple types of music playback applications. In this case, the identification unit 112 may search for and identify songs using the multiple types of music playback applications in accordance with a predetermined priority order, or may search for and identify songs by handling the multiple types of music playback applications in parallel. Furthermore, the identification unit 112 may be configured to allow the user to select which music playback application to use to search for and identify songs.

[0037] (6) Transmission of Control Information The transmission of the music identification information is performed by the transmitting unit 111 of the information processing device 10. The control information is control information related to the music playback application, and is either music playback stop information or playback volume adjustment information. The playback volume adjustment information may be, for example, information indicating so-called muting, which sets the playback volume to 0, or information gradually decreasing the playback volume.

[0038] The transmission unit 111 transmits the control information to one of the terminal devices 30A to 30C that is the source of the song identification information, and the timing for transmitting the control information can be as follows: The first is a fixed timing after a predetermined time has elapsed since the information processing device 10 acquired the song identification information. In this case, the transmission unit 111 transmits the control information to one of the terminal devices 30A to 30C a predetermined time, for example, 0.3 seconds, after the information processing device 10 acquired the song identification information. The predetermined time may be configured to be user-specifiable.

[0039] The second timing is when the identification unit 121 of the information processing device 10 completes identifying the song. In this case, when the identification unit 121 of the information processing device 10 completes identifying the song, the transmission unit 111 transmits the control information to one of the terminal devices 30A to 30C. As described above, such timing is particularly useful when the identification unit 112 identifies the song based on a part of the audio data itself.

[0040] When the processing is performed at any of the above timings, the search and identification of music as described in (5) and the transmission of control information as described in (6) may be processed in parallel. More specifically, the transmission of control information as described in (6) may be performed during the search and identification of music as described in (5).

[0041] (7) Control of music playback Control of music playback is performed by the control units 31A to 31C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C. When the terminal devices 30A to 30C acquire control information from the information processing device 10, the control units 31A to 31C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C control the music playback based on the control information.

[0042] If the control information is music playback stop information, the control units 31A to 31C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C stop playback of the music data being played by the normal playback process described in (3). By stopping playback of the music data in this way, it is possible to avoid the problem of the terminal devices 30A to 30C being occupied by playback execution, making it impossible to perform processes such as searching or taking pictures. Furthermore, by stopping playback of the music data, the user can start a series of processes for the next music they wish to request.

[0043] In addition, if the control information is information for adjusting the playback volume of a song, the control units 31A to 31C of the terminal devices 30A to 30C adjust the playback volume of the song data being played using the normal playback process described in (3).

[0044] (8) Creation of a Playlist A playlist is created by the creation unit 113 of the information processing device 10. The creation unit 113 creates a playlist that indicates the playback order of multiple songs based on the search and identification results for songs described in (5).

[0045] Fig. 3 shows an example of a playlist L created by the creation unit 113. As shown in Fig. 3, the playlist L includes an area d1 containing information about the song currently being played, and an area d2 containing information about the songs waiting to be played after the next song.

[0046] Area d1 includes area d11 containing information about the song currently being played, such as the title, artist name, and thumbnail of the song, and area d12 containing information indicating the request source of the song currently being played. Similarly, area d2 includes area d21 containing information about the songs waiting to be played from the next song onwards, such as the title, artist name, and thumbnail of the song, area d22 containing information indicating the playback order, and area d23 containing information indicating the request source of the song currently being played.

[0047] Note that areas d12 and d23, which contain information indicating the request source of the song being played, may contain the name of the terminal device, or a user name or nickname associated with the terminal device. By checking the information in areas d12 and d23, it is possible to identify the terminal device and user that requested the song. The creation unit 113 basically determines the playback order of songs in the order in which the song identification information was acquired, and creates a playlist. Other methods for creating playlists and updating playlists will be described later.

[0048] (9) Storage of Playlists Playlists are stored in the storage unit 116 of the information processing device 10. As described above, the playlists stored in the storage unit 116 can be read, viewed, or shared at any time. Therefore, for example, a playlist created at a party can be used to generate a log after the party, or can be viewed or shared among participants.

[0049] (10) Playback of Music Songs are played back by the playback unit 114 of the information processing device 10. The playback unit 114 plays back songs according to the song play list described in (8). Note that the playback unit 114 may determine the playback time and playback position when sequentially playing back each song according to the play list.

[0050] Regarding the playback time, in order to enable listening to a variety of songs, the playback time per song may be set to a short time, for example, about one to two minutes. Regarding the playback position, in relation to the playback time described above, the playback position may be set to a position that includes the chorus part, or the beginning of the song. The playback time and playback position may be configured to be user-specifiable. Furthermore, the system may be configured to allow playback according to the user's request, such as playing only the full version of the song currently being played.

[0051] Furthermore, the playback unit 114 sequentially plays back each song according to the playlist as described above, but when switching songs, the playback unit 114 may perform at least one of a process of changing at least one of the volume and BPM of the song and a process of adding special effects or special sounds to the song. When switching songs, the playback unit 114 may, for example, perform a process of matching at least one of the volume and BPM of the preceding song and the following song. By performing such a process, it is possible to reduce the sense of incongruity or discomfort that occurs when there is a large difference in volume or BPM between the preceding song and the following song, and to achieve a smooth and natural song switching.

[0052] Furthermore, when switching between songs, the playback unit 114 may perform a so-called cross-fade process, for example, fading out the preceding song and fading in the following song, or may perform effect processing in accordance with the song switch. By performing these processes, playback with a higher entertainment value can be realized. Note that the details of each of these may be configured to be configurable by the user.

[0053] As explained above, after the pairing process described in (1) has been executed, each time a command to play a song is issued in terminal device 30A to 30C as shown in (2), each part of system 1 repeats the processes from (3) to (10).

[0054] 2 may be always performed in the information processing device 10, or may be performed only under predetermined conditions. For example, the information processing device 10 may be configured to be switchable between a first mode in which the series of processes described with reference to Fig. 2 are performed, and a second mode in which music data played by the terminal devices 30A to 30C is acquired and output as sound by the information processing device 10, similar to a commonly known wireless speaker.

[0055] In the second mode described above, unlike the first mode, the information processing device 10 does not transmit control signals to the terminal devices 30A to 30C. The information processing device 10 then acquires data of music played by the terminal devices 30A to 30C and outputs the music. That is, in the first mode, music is played by the information processing device 10, and in the second mode, music is played by the terminal devices 30A to 30C.

[0056] [Processing for Creating a Playlist and Processing for Playing Music in the Information Processing Device 10] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing that corresponds to the processing from (3) to (6) and (8) to (10) in FIG. 2 and is executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10.

[0057] When the control unit 11 determines that the song identification information transmitted by the terminal device 30A to 30C via the communication unit 13 has been acquired (YES in step S101), the identification unit 112 searches for and identifies a song based on the song identification information (step S102).

[0058] Then, the transmitting unit 111 transmits the control information to the terminal devices 30A to 30C that are the senders of the music identification information (step S103). Meanwhile, the creating unit 113 creates a playlist based on the identification result by the identifying unit 112 (step S104), and the storage unit 116 stores the playlist (step S105). Then, the playing unit 114 plays the music according to the playlist (step S106).

[0059] 5 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10, which corresponds to the process (8) in FIG. 2. The flowchart in FIG. 5 shows an example of a process for determining the playback order of songs in a playlist. When the control unit 11 determines that two or more terminal devices are connected to the information processing device 10 via the communication unit 13 (YES in step S201), the creation unit 113 determines the playback order of songs in the playlist (step S202).

[0060] The playback order of songs in a playlist is determined based on at least one of the number of terminal devices connected to the information processing device 10 and the number of pieces of song identification information acquired from each terminal device. For example, if multiple terminal devices are connected to the information processing device 10, the creation unit 113 may determine the playback order of songs so as to equalize the number of requests from each terminal device. By determining the playback order in this manner, requests from multiple users can be accepted fairly, and the diversity of playlists can be improved to accommodate requests from various users.

[0061] The creation unit 113 may also determine the playback order of songs by, for example, giving higher priority to requests from newly connected terminal devices. By determining the playback order in this way, requests from newly joined users can be given priority. The playback order may also be configured to be changeable by the user.

[0062] Furthermore, the creation unit 113 may determine the playback order according to the characteristics of the songs, regardless of the number of terminal devices connected to the information processing device 10. The creation unit 113 may determine the playback order, for example, based on the BPM and key of the songs, so that songs with similar characteristics are played consecutively, or so that songs with similar characteristics are dispersed. Similarly, the creation unit 113 may determine the playback order, for example, so that songs of the same or similar genres are played consecutively, or so that songs of the same or similar genres are dispersed.

[0063] Then, the storage unit 116 stores the playlist in the changed playback order determined in step S202, thereby updating the playlist (step S203).

[0064] 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the control unit 11 of the information processing device 10, which corresponds to the process (10) in FIG. 2. The flowchart in FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a process for changing the playback times of songs when playing songs according to a play list. When the control unit 11 determines that the number of unplayed songs included in the play list is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (YES in step S301), the playback unit 114 changes the playback times of each unplayed song according to the number of unplayed songs (step S302).

[0065] The playback time of each song is changed depending on the number of unplayed songs in the playlist. For example, if the number of unplayed songs in the playlist is relatively small, the playback time of each unplayed song can be increased to prevent the remaining number of songs in the playlist from becoming too small.

[0066] Conversely, for example, if the number of unplayed songs in a playlist is relatively large, the playback time of each unplayed song can be shortened relatively, allowing songs in the playlist to be switched at a good tempo and a large number of songs to be played. In such a case, in step S301 of the flowchart in Figure 6, it is determined whether the number of unplayed songs is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0067] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an addition process that is performed in addition to the processes in Fig. 2. The flowchart in Fig. 7 shows an example of a process for adding songs to a playlist that is performed when the number of remaining songs in the playlist approaches 0. When the control unit 11 determines that the number of unplayed songs in the playlist is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (step S401: YES), the identification unit 112 searches for and identifies songs related to the songs in the playlist (step S402).

[0068] The identification unit 112 searches for and identifies songs related to songs that have already been played and songs that have not yet been played, which are included in the playlist. The search and identification of related songs is similar to known techniques, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] The storage unit 116 then stores the playlist to which the songs searched and identified in step S402 have been added, thereby updating the playlist (step S403). For example, even if the number of unplayed songs in the playlist approaches zero and requests cannot keep up, related songs can be automatically added to the playlist, eliminating the need to manage the remaining number of unplayed songs.

[0070] [Effects of the Embodiment] The information processing device 10 according to the present embodiment described above is an information processing device that can be interconnected with terminal devices 30A to 30C having any music playback application. The information processing device wirelessly connects with the terminal devices 30A to 30C, acquires music identification information associated with a music piece from the terminal devices 30A to 30C, and, after acquiring the music identification information, transmits control information related to the music playback application to the terminal devices 30A to 30C. The information processing device then identifies a music piece based on the music identification information, acquires data for the identified music piece from a device other than the terminal devices 30A to 30C, and plays it. This configuration allows the information processing device to transmit music identification information related to a desired music piece using a music playback application that a user normally uses to listen to music on the terminal device. This allows multiple users to easily enjoy music playback with a high level of entertainment without requiring a dedicated application or continuous communication connection.

[0071] In particular, the new system eliminates the need for connection settings, which was previously required each time multiple terminal devices were connected, reducing the user's workload. This reduces psychological resistance and encourages users to use the system more easily. Furthermore, there is no need to keep playing music or videos on the terminal device, as was the case with the past. Furthermore, the terminal device is not occupied during playback, allowing for processing such as searching and taking photos.

[0072] Furthermore, even if the connection with the terminal device is interrupted, the conventional problem of interrupted playback can be avoided.

[0073] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment is an information processing device that can be interconnected with terminal devices 30A to 30C that have any music playback application, and wirelessly connects with the terminal devices 30A to 30C, acquires music identification information associated with music from the terminal devices 30A to 30C, identifies music based on the music identification information, and creates a playlist that indicates the playback order of the identified music. This configuration allows multiple users to easily create highly entertaining playlists without the need for dedicated applications or cumbersome settings.

[0074] Furthermore, according to the information processing device 10 of this embodiment, the control information includes either playback stop information or playback volume adjustment information. By controlling playback on the terminal devices 30A to 30C based on such control information, it is possible to prevent unnecessary playback from continuing on the terminal devices 30A to 30C. Furthermore, if the control information is information to stop playback of a song, it is possible to avoid the problem of the terminal devices 30A to 30C being occupied by playback execution, making it impossible to perform processes such as searching or capturing images.

[0075] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment is interconnected with a plurality of terminal devices 30A to 30C, and acquires song identification information from the plurality of terminal devices 30A to 30C. The creation unit 113 changes the playback order in the playlist according to at least one of the number of connected terminal devices and the number of pieces of song identification information acquired from each terminal device. This allows requests from a plurality of users to be accepted fairly, and the diversity of the playlist can be improved in response to requests from various users.

[0076] Furthermore, according to the information processing device 10 of this embodiment, the playback unit 114 determines the playback time of each unplayed song in the playlist according to the number of unplayed songs in the playlist, so that songs can be played with an appropriate playback time according to the number of unplayed songs in the playlist.

[0077] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment further includes a storage unit 116 that stores the created playlist. Therefore, the stored playlist can be read, viewed, or shared at any time.

[0078] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment identifies songs related to songs included in a playlist and adds the related songs to the playlist. Therefore, even if the number of unplayed songs included in the playlist approaches zero and requests cannot keep up, the related songs are automatically added to the playlist, eliminating the need to manage the remaining number of unplayed songs.

[0079] Furthermore, according to the information processing device 10 of this embodiment, when switching songs, the playback unit 114 performs at least one of a process of changing the volume and / or BPM of the song and a process of adding special effects or special sounds to the song, thereby improving the quality and entertainment value of the song switching.

[0080] [Modifications of the Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention includes modifications and improvements within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.

[0081] In the above embodiment, only audio data may be used as music data, or audio data and image data may be used.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the song identification information is explained as information on a song-by-song basis, but the present invention can also be applied to song identification information on an album-by-album basis or song identification information for each playlist stored in terminal devices 30A to 30C.

[0083] Furthermore, the information processing device having the above-described functions is not limited to the examples described in the above embodiments, and the present invention may be applied to, for example, a computer that executes an application, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0084] [Summary of the Invention] The summary of the invention is as follows. [1] An information processing device connectable to a terminal device having a music playback application, the information processing device comprising: a communication unit for wirelessly connecting to the terminal device; an acquisition unit for acquiring music identification information linked to a music piece from the terminal device via the communication unit; a transmission unit for transmitting control information related to the music playback application to the terminal device via the communication unit after acquiring the music identification information; an identification unit for identifying a music piece based on the music identification information; and a playback unit for acquiring and playing back data of the music piece identified by the identification unit from a source other than the terminal device. [2] The information processing device according to [1], wherein the control information includes either playback stop information or playback volume adjustment information. [3] The information processing device according to [1] or [2], wherein the music identification information includes at least one of the music piece title, artist name, album name, release date, composer name, lyricist name, arranger name, performance time, and a portion of the music piece's audio data. [4] The information processing device according to any one of [1] to [3], further comprising a creation unit that creates a playlist indicating the playback order of the plurality of songs identified by the identification unit, and the playback unit plays back the plurality of data in accordance with the playlist. [5] The information processing device according to [4], characterized in that the communication unit interconnects with a plurality of terminal devices, the acquisition unit acquires song identification information from the plurality of terminal devices, and the creation unit changes the playback order in the playlist depending on at least one of the number of terminal devices connected to the communication unit and the number of pieces of song identification information acquired from each terminal device. [6] The information processing device according to [4] or [5], characterized in that the playback unit determines the playback time of each unplayed song in the playlist depending on the number of songs in the playlist that have not been played by the playback unit. [7] The information processing device according to any one of [4] to [6], further comprising a storage unit that stores the playlist created by the creation unit. [8] The information processing device according to any one of [4] to [7], characterized in that the identification unit identifies songs related to songs included in the playlist, and the creation unit adds the related songs to the playlist.[9] An information processing device according to any one of [1] to [8], characterized in that the playback unit, when switching songs, performs at least one of changing the volume or BPM of the song and adding a special effect or special sound to the song.

[10] A program configured to cause a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of [1] to [9].

[11] A control method implemented by an information processing device that can be mutually connected to a terminal device having an arbitrary song playback application, the control method including the steps of wirelessly connecting to the terminal device, acquiring song identification information linked to the song from the terminal device, transmitting control information related to the song playback application to the terminal device after acquiring the song identification information, identifying a song based on the song identification information, and acquiring and playing data of the identified song from a source other than the terminal device.

[12] An information processing device connectable to a terminal device having any music playback application, the information processing device comprising: a communication unit for wirelessly connecting to the terminal device; an acquisition unit for acquiring music identification information linked to music from the terminal device via the communication unit; an identification unit for identifying music based on the music identification information; and a creation unit for creating a playlist indicating the playback order of multiple music pieces identified by the identification unit.

[13] The information processing device according to

[12] , wherein the communication unit is connected to multiple terminal devices, the acquisition unit acquires music identification information from the multiple terminal devices, and the creation unit changes the playback order in the playlist depending on at least one of the number of terminal devices connected to the communication unit and the number of pieces of music identification information acquired from each terminal device.

[14] The information processing device according to

[12] or

[13] , wherein the creation unit determines the playback time of each unplayed music piece in the playlist depending on the number of unplayed music pieces in the playlist.

[15] The information processing device according to any one of

[12] to

[14] , further comprising a storage unit for storing the playlist created by the creation unit.

[16] An information processing device described in any one of

[12] to

[15] , characterized in that the identification unit identifies songs related to songs included in the playlist, and the creation unit adds the related songs to the playlist.

[17] A program configured to cause a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of

[12] to

[16] .

[18] A control method implemented by an information processing device connectable to a terminal device having an arbitrary music playback application, the control method including the steps of: wirelessly connecting to the terminal device; acquiring music identification information associated with the music from the terminal device; identifying music based on the music identification information; and creating a playlist indicating the playback order of the identified plurality of music.

[0085] 1...system, 10...information processing device, 11, 31A, 31B, 31C...control unit, 12, 32A, 32B, 32C...display unit, 13, 33A, 33B, 33C...communication unit, 30A, 30B, 30C...terminal device, 111...transmission unit, 112...identification unit, 113...creation unit, 114...playback unit, 115...audio output unit, 116...storage unit.

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of being mutually connected to a terminal device having any music playback application, comprising: a communication unit that wirelessly connects to the terminal device; an acquisition unit that acquires music identification information linked to a music from the terminal device via the communication unit; a transmission unit that, after acquiring the music identification information, transmits control information related to the music playback application to the terminal device via the communication unit; an identification unit that identifies a music based on the music identification information; and a playback unit that acquires data of the music identified by the identification unit from a device other than the terminal device and plays it.

2. An information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control information includes either playback stop information or playback volume adjustment information.

3. An information processing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the song identification information includes at least one of the song's title, artist name, album name, release date, composer name, lyricist name, arranger name, performance time, and a portion of the song's audio data.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a creation unit that creates a playlist indicating the order in which the plurality of songs identified by the identification unit are to be played, and the playback unit plays the plurality of data in accordance with the playlist.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that the communication unit is mutually connected to a plurality of the terminal devices, the acquisition unit acquires the song identification information from a plurality of the terminal devices, and the creation unit changes the playback order in the playlist depending on at least one of the number of the terminal devices connected to the communication unit and the number of pieces of song identification information acquired from each of the terminal devices.

6. An information processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that the playback unit determines the playback time of each unplayed song in the playlist according to the number of songs that have not been played by the playback unit.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a storage unit for storing the playlist created by said creation unit.

8. The information processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that the identification unit identifies songs related to songs included in the playlist, and the creation unit adds the related songs to the playlist.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when switching the music, the playback unit performs at least one of a process of changing at least one of the volume and BPM of the music and a process of adding special effects or special sounds to the music.

10. A program configured to cause a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A control method implemented by an information processing device capable of connecting to a terminal device having any music playback application, comprising the steps of: wirelessly connecting to the terminal device; acquiring music identification information linked to a music piece from the terminal device; transmitting control information related to the music playback application to the terminal device after acquiring the music identification information; identifying a music piece based on the music identification information; and acquiring data of the identified music piece from a device other than the terminal device and playing it.

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