Karaoke live performance distribution service method

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a karaoke live distribution service method for real-time distribution of the whole story of a karaoke live performed using a karaoke device to a computer of a viewer.

【0002】

Background of the Invention

Karaoke is one of the few entertainments where you can experience the physical experience of actually singing aloud to the music and the spiritual experience of feeling uplifted and euphoric through the act of singing in public. As karaoke enthusiasts improve their singing ability through physical experience, let's show their karaoke singing style (Karaoke live) to the general public and get a bigger mental experience. There are people who want to perform live.

【0003】

In order to fulfill the desires of those who wish to perform live, it is most appropriate to have their own karaoke live broadcast live, but it is exaggerated to participate in auditions and karaoke competitions hosted by TV stations etc. However, it is not always possible to participate in these events if there is a qualifying round or a lottery.

【0004】

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-194787, in order to fulfill the wishes of those who wish to perform live, karaoke live is converted into video and audio (AV) data in a predetermined format and "recorded", and the AV data file is recorded on a predetermined website. The karaoke audition device to be released at is disclosed. In addition, the technology is also disclosed as an audition method in which a general viewer who sees the published contents examines each karaoke live and notifies the performers of the karaoke live of the examination result. However, this disclosure technology cannot "live" karaoke live. In other words, it can be redone. Therefore, live performers cannot experience the tension, uplifting feeling, and euphoria that their karaoke singing is being watched in real time. In addition, since the screening results will be notified to the live performers at a later date, the performers will not feel the evaluation of others for their own live performances. Even for those who watch the live, they can watch the recorded karaoke live at any time at their own convenience, so they are not willing to watch it seriously so as not to miss the whole story of the live. Therefore, even if the examination is carried out, the attitude of the examination itself will be sloppy.

【0005】

[Disclosure of Invention]

Recently, a constant Internet connection environment using a broadband communication line has become widespread in ordinary households, and communication infrastructure and browsing software that support streaming distribution and multicast distribution have been enhanced. Therefore, it is not so difficult to deliver karaoke live to the computer of the viewer in real time. Rather, it is possible to widely announce to the general public that karaoke live performances will be held at karaoke venues scattered around the country, or to allow viewers to watch karaoke live performances arbitrarily selected from the beginning. Is more important. In addition, enabling viewers to watch karaoke live in real time from start to finish is also for viewers to seriously evaluate and judge karaoke live and to feed back the results to live performers. It is an essential condition.

【0006】

The present invention is a karaoke live distribution service method, which is specified by the following items (1) to (5). (1) Establish a service information site on the Internet that communicates with the computer attached to the karaoke machine and the computer of general users. (2) The computer attached to the karaoke device communicates with the service information site, and registers the program of the person who wants to perform live and the program information such as the identification information of the karaoke device performing the performance and the desired performance time. (3) The service information site organizes the program information of a large number of people who want to perform live, makes the accessing user computer browse it, identifies the program they want to watch, and recognizes the address information of the computer of the person who wants to watch it. (4) The service information site aggregates the information of the desired performances to be viewed from the user computer, notifies the performance execution command to the computer attached to the karaoke device, and corresponds to the data sent from the computer attached to the karaoke device. Prepare for multicast distribution for delivery to the viewer computer. (5) The computer attached to the karaoke device causes the karaoke device to play the karaoke music of the performance specified at the time specified from the service information site, and generates video / audio stream data including the singing voice and appearance of the live performer. Send to the prepared multicast distribution system.

【0007】

The present invention also includes the following karaoke live distribution service method. The service information site organizes the desired performance time in the performance information, the karaoke device sets the performance start time of the karaoke music of the performance, and notifies the performance start time to the computer attached to the karaoke device by the performance execution command. Karaoke live distribution service method to do.

【0008】

The service information site acquires the number of viewers for each program based on the information of the desired program to be viewed collected from the user computer, and notifies the computer attached to the karaoke device of the information on the number of viewers, and the computer attached to the karaoke device. Is a karaoke live distribution service method that presents and outputs this information related to the number of viewers to those who wish to perform live in a timely manner.

【0009】

The service information site causes the accessing user computer to input an evaluation for the program being viewed on the computer, and transfers the information on the input evaluation to the computer attached to the karaoke device performing the program. A karaoke live distribution service method that notifies and the attached computer appropriately presents and outputs this evaluation-related information.

【0010】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

=== Network configuration === Fig. 1 shows a network configuration diagram to which the service method in the embodiment of the present invention is applied, and Fig. 2 shows a connection diagram of devices and computers in a karaoke shop. Karaoke stores 10 in each region have a plurality of guest rooms 11, and each guest room 11 is equipped with one karaoke device 12, a guest room computer 13 similar to a personal computer, and a video camera 14.

【0011】

The karaoke device 12 in each guest room 11 acoustically outputs the mixed sound of the accompaniment music of the karaoke song requested by the user and the singing sound from the microphone 15 from the speaker 16 and outputs the lyrics image to the display 17 attached to the speaker 16. Further, the guest room computer 13 having an audio signal output terminal and outputting the mixed audio signal from this terminal is connected to the karaoke device 12 in the same guest room 11 via a predetermined interface such as RS232C standard to perform data communication in a timely manner. At the same time, while capturing the captured video signal from the video camera 14 and the mixed audio signal from the karaoke device 12, it is converted into digital AV data in streaming format in real time.

【0012】

A LAN is installed in the karaoke shop 10. Each guest room computer 13 is connected to a LAN, and sends out various data received by user input and the AV streaming data on the LAN. In addition, the LAN is equipped with a store server 20 that controls data communication between the computer on the Internet side and the computer on the LAN while controlling the guest room computer 13 in the store, and controls and sends out each guest room computer 13. Relay and transfer various data and AV streaming data to the Internet.

【0013】

On the other hand, a Web server 1 and a general user's personal computer 2 are connected to the Internet. A website (service information site) 1a managed and operated by a karaoke company is set up on a certain Web server 1. This site 1a announces the holding of karaoke live performances in various places on the Web page and solicits viewers, and also uses the AV streaming data sent from the store servers 20 in each place as a karaoke live program. It provides a karaoke live distribution service that distributes multicast to the personal computer (computer of the person who wants to watch) 2 of the person who wants to watch.

【0014】

=== Acceptance of live appearances and announcement of holding === In this example, we solicit applicants for karaoke live performances in various places, and invite those who wish to watch a specific karaoke live at the start of the live performance. It has come to be streamed in real time from. For that purpose, it is necessary to accept requests from users of karaoke machines in various places to perform at the live, and to register the performances and live start times of the karaoke live on the service information site 1a.

【0015】

In addition to the AV streaming data creation process, the guest room computer 13 indicates that the karaoke live will be performed by the user's operation input, the program (music identifier), the information about the person who wants to perform live (self-introduction information), and the performance request. It also accepts time, etc., and executes a process of sending live performance information on the LAN by adding the identification information of the karaoke device 12 in the same room to the reception information. In this embodiment, in addition to texts such as personal information (name, age, gender, etc.) and message text of the person who wants to perform live, as self-introduction information, video and audio (AV message) that the person who wants to perform will introduce himself are also included. I have registered. As a method of registering this AV message, when the guest room computer finishes accepting all the text information such as the performance and the desired performance time, prepare to capture the video and audio from the video camera 14 and the microphone 15 and introduce the self-introduction scene. Encourage applicants to record. Then, according to the predetermined user input, the video and audio for a predetermined time are taken in and created in an AV data file in a predetermined format, and the information input in the previous characters and this AV data file are included in the performance information and sent to the LAN. .. The store server 20 in each karaoke store 10 sends live program information from each guest room computer 13 to a predetermined program implemented in the service information site 1a.

【0016】

The service information site 1a collects program information about a large number of karaoke live programs collected from store servers 20 in each region, and creates a live program guide that lists the program information for each live in order according to the desired performance time. , Publish this on a web page. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show a schematic configuration diagram of the program information collected on the service information site 1a and a screen of the Web page of the live program guide created based on the schematic configuration diagram. In this embodiment, a large number of karaoke live performances are allocated to a plurality of time zones, and a plurality of karaoke live performances whose performance start times are close to each other start and end in a predetermined time zone. Then, the actual live start time is adjusted so that a plurality of karaoke live performances are performed in each of the plurality of time zones. Specifically, each karaoke live is assigned to one of a plurality of time zones based on the desired performance time of the performance information of each karaoke live and the performance time of the karaoke song to be the performance, and the karaoke allocated to a certain time zone. The next time zone is set after the end of the live performance. In addition, the waiting time of those who wish to perform live is shortened as much as possible so that the time difference between the desired performance time and the actual live start time does not become too large.

【0017】

In addition, a program column 30 is assigned to each karaoke live on the Web page (program guide page) of the live program guide, and each program column 30 has a program 31, live start time 32, performance time 33, and self-introduction information in characters. 34 An image sample (thumbnail) 35 of the AV message is posted, and a check column 36 for entering the fact that the program is to be viewed is provided. Then, the program columns 30 in the same time zone are arranged in the vertical column direction, and the program columns 30 in the previous and next time zones are arranged in the left-right row direction. Therefore, the viewer will select only one live program from each column. In addition, a link for ordering the corresponding AV message is set in the thumbnail 35 in the program column 30, and when the thumbnail 35 which is the viewing applicant computer 2 is instructed, the corresponding AV message is sent to this computer. It is delivered and the predetermined streaming playback program is activated. As a result, the video and audio of the AV message are output.

【0018】

When the check mark 36 in the live program column 30 is instructed to display the check mark and then the "OK" button 37 is instructed by the viewing applicant computer 2, the identifier of the checked program is specified on the service information site. Will be delivered to the program. This program acquires and stores the delivered program identifier and the IP address of the computer that sent the identifier, and returns a Web page indicating that the program viewing reservation has been accepted. In addition, if multiple programs in the same time zone are instructed, a Web page will be returned stating that only one program can be selected from one time zone and that the program will return to the previous program guide page and be checked again. To do. Then, the service information site 1a aggregates the program identifiers from the viewer computer 2 and calculates the number of viewers for each program. Of course, the audience rating can be calculated by dividing the number of viewers of each program by the number of viewers of all programs in the same time zone.

【0019】

=== Holding of karaoke live === The service information site 1a announces the holding of karaoke live and recruits viewers, and for each store server 20, the start time for each karaoke live, the number of viewers and viewing Notifying the rate, the store server 20 transfers this information to the corresponding guest room computer 13.

【0020】

The guest room computer 13 displays and outputs a message prompting the live performers to prepare for the start of the karaoke live and the number of viewers (or audience rating) of the karaoke live for the karaoke live whose start time is approaching. At this time, the number of viewers and the audience rating of other karaoke live performances performed in parallel in the same time zone may be displayed and output. Then, the guest room computer 13 gives a performance instruction of the karaoke music to be performed to the karaoke device 12 at the live start time, and acoustically outputs the accompaniment music and the lyric image of the music to the speaker 16 and the display 17 attached to the karaoke device. Let me. The live performers will demonstrate the karaoke live by singing to the video camera 14.

【0021】

=== Distribution of karaoke live program === In this embodiment, the viewing applicant computer 2 is always connected to the Internet via a wideband communication line such as ADSL, and is connected to a predetermined connectionless protocol. It is assumed that the computer that has accessed based on this is set to accept the access. Then, when AV streaming data is delivered from the service information site 1a that has been accessed based on a predetermined protocol in addition to the browser, dedicated software (Karaoke live software) for giving the streaming data to the streaming playback program. Is implemented. This karaoke live software is resident in the viewing applicant computer 2, and is activated at the same time as the computer 2 is started to monitor the access from the service information site 1a.

【0022】

When the karaoke live is started, the guest room computer 13 sends the AV streaming data to the store server 20. The store server 20 relays and transfers the AV streaming data to the service information site 1a. The service information site 1a multicasts the AV streaming data sent from each store server 20 to the corresponding viewing applicant computer 2 based on the previously acquired program identifier and IP address. The karaoke live program is running on the viewing applicant computer 2, and when AV streaming data is sent from the service information site 1a, the streaming video playback program is started and the video and audio of the karaoke live are output in real time. Will be done. Figure 5 shows the process of providing the karaoke live distribution service explained above.

【0023】

=== Change example === In the above embodiment, the Internet connection environment of the viewing applicant computer is set to accept the connectionless protocol, and the service information site unilaterally sends AV streaming data to the viewing applicant computer. Was being delivered. Even in a connection environment that accepts only connection-type protocols, if you install dedicated software that keeps you connected to the service information site at all times as long as you are connected to the Internet, you can install it on the viewing applicant's computer during startup. Since a certain viewing applicant computer always maintains a session with the service information site in the back round, the viewing applicant computer accepts the AV streaming data even if it is sent, and the karaoke live is imaged. Sound output is possible. Instead of preparing a multicast distribution system on the service information site side, each store server or guest room computer may be configured to directly distribute AV streaming data to a plurality of viewing applicant computers. In this case, the service guide site notifies the computer in charge of the multicast distribution process in advance of the destination.

【0024】

Viewers can also review karaoke live performances and feed back the screening process and screening results to the performers in real time. Specifically, a Web page including a function for returning the score entered in the score input field as form data is prepared on the service information site. On the service information site, when a computer that wants to watch a karaoke live is actually being watched and the computer requests this Web page and returns the score, each score or the total or average value of the returned score is calculated at the corresponding store. It is sent to a specific guest room computer via the server, and the guest room computer displays and outputs this score. Of course, if the score status of all karaoke live performances held at the same time is sent to the guest room computer, the live performers can check the scores of other karaoke live performances. Of course, the score may be the average value of all the scores returned from the viewing applicant computer.

【0025】

The network configuration in which the service method of the present invention is implemented is not limited to the above embodiment, and if the store has only one karaoke device, the store server function and the guest room computer function are implemented. You can attach the computer to the karaoke machine. Of course, it is also possible to implement the functions of these computers in the karaoke device itself.

【0026】

=== Other Examples === In addition to the embodiment in which the service information site unilaterally distributes AV streaming data to the viewing applicant computer, for example, a dedicated Web page for each viewing applicant is prepared on the service information site. However, it is also possible to have the computer of the viewer who ordered this dedicated Web page watch the corresponding karaoke live from the start.

【0027】

Figure 6 shows an example of a dedicated Web page. On this dedicated Web page, a message urging the viewer to watch the karaoke live that is about to start is described, and a program column 40 of the karaoke live that the viewer wants to watch has previously selected on the program guide page is arranged. In addition, for karaoke live that is ready for distribution of AV streaming data, a button 41 with the characters "view" written in the program column 40 is arranged, and an instruction operation to this button 40 is performed. It is enabled. For programs that are not ready for distribution, a button 42 with the characters "waiting" is arranged, and the instruction operation to the button 42 is invalidated. A link is set to the "view" button 41 to have the corresponding AV streaming data delivered, and when the "view" button 41 is instructed on the viewing applicant computer, the corresponding karaoke live AV streaming The data is distributed, and the karaoke live pattern is output as audiovisual. If the "view" button 41 is instructed before the start of the karaoke live, the service information site will send out the AV streaming data prepared in advance to the effect of "please wait for a while". In order for the viewing applicant computer to order the dedicated Web page, a different URL may be associated with each dedicated Web page, and this URL may be notified to the corresponding viewing applicant computer in advance. Alternatively, using a well-known cookie, the service information site sends a unique cookie to each viewing applicant computer to which the karaoke live identifier has been sent, and associates the URL of the dedicated Web page with each cookie. Then, the corresponding dedicated Web page may be delivered to the viewing applicant computer accessed together with the cookie.

【0028】

[Effect of the invention]

According to the karaoke live distribution service method of the present invention, it is possible to distribute the whole story of the karaoke live performed using the karaoke device to the viewers in real time. Therefore, the live performers can experience a feeling of tension, euphoria, and uplifting. Viewers are also motivated to watch karaoke live seriously.

【0029】

It is also possible to present the number of viewers and the evaluation of live viewers to live performers in real time. Therefore, the performer can feel the viewer's live reaction to his / her own live performance, and can perform the live performance more seriously.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network provided with the karaoke live distribution service method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a network configuration diagram inside a karaoke store where karaoke live performances are held.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of program information registered on the service information site in the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a program guide page published by the above service information site.

FIG. 5 is a procedure diagram showing a process of providing a karaoke live distribution service in the above embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a dedicated Web page prepared by a service guide site for each live viewer in another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a Service information site 2 Applicant computer 10 Karaoke shop 11 Guest room 12 Karaoke device 13 Guest room computer 14 Video camera