JP4839782B2 - Output control system and method, output control apparatus and method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology whereby contents congenial to a user can focus user's attention than other contents when the user views and listens to a plurality of contents. <P>SOLUTION: A signal analysis section 52 acquires status information indicating a user's preference status applied to contents being display objects of its own television receiver on the basis of user commands from a remote controller and image data and audio data of contents from a tuner 51, and outputs the status information to another television receiver via a data analysis section 53 and a data communication section 61. When the data analysis section 53 analyzes the status information of its own display apparatus and another display apparatus and discriminates that its own television receiver is a master television receiver, the data analysis section 53 controls processing of a signal processing section 55, generates a command for controlling the processing of the other display apparatus, and transmits the command to the other television receiver via a command transmission section 62. The technology above can be applied to multi-television systems each comprising a plurality of television receivers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an output control system and method, an output control device and method, and a program, and in particular, when viewing a plurality of contents, the contents that the user is interested in can be more noticed than the other contents. The present invention relates to an output control system and method, an output control apparatus and method, and a program.

  For example, a plurality of displays (television receivers) that are used when viewing different channels at the same time, or viewing images that are taken at different predetermined intervals in a time series and simultaneously (compared), etc. There is a multi-TV (television) system arranged vertically.

  The present applicant has previously proposed a scalable TV system in which the number of horizontal × vertical displays can be changed (scalable) as one of the multi-TV systems (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 1 shows a conventional multi-TV system 1.

  In the multi-TV system 1, the number of television receivers is set to 4 × 2 × 2, for example, and the displays of the four television receivers 2-1 to 2-4 are on the same surface. It is installed so as to face.

  In the multi-TV system 1 shown in FIG. 1, broadcast signals of different channels are received by the television receivers 2-1 to 2-4, and the received programs of the four channels are displayed on each display. Is displayed. Therefore, user A can view the programs of the four channels simultaneously.

  In the multi-TV system 1, the program of the channel received by one television receiver (for example, the television receiver 2-1) is displayed on the display of the four television receivers 2-1 to 2-4. Is displayed enlarged. Therefore, user A can view an enlarged program of one channel on a large display composed of four displays.

JP 2003-195843 A

  However, in a conventional multi-TV system, when a program of different channels is simultaneously viewed on a plurality of displays, the program of each channel is displayed with a preset luminance value and resolution. Normally, no special setting is made on any display, so that the program of each channel is displayed equally on each display.

  Therefore, for example, when a user mainly watches a program displayed on a certain display, if a scene change occurs in a program displayed on another display, the user's attention is In other cases, the user may miss an important scene in a program that was mainly viewed.

  To cope with this, it is possible to view the same channel program on multiple displays at the same time. However, if the same channel program is simultaneously viewed on multiple displays, the user, on the other hand, The program of the other channel could not be viewed, and therefore the information of the program of the other channel could not be obtained.

  As described above, in the conventional multi-TV system, the user cannot concentrate on viewing contents of interest and acquire information efficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and makes it possible to make a user's interest more interesting than other contents when viewing a plurality of contents. .

  The output control system according to the first aspect of the present invention is an output control system comprising a plurality of output control devices that perform control to output content to be output on a display on which a plurality of contents are displayed. The apparatus includes, based on a user operation, information acquisition means for acquiring status information indicating a user's interest status for the content to be output, and the status information acquired by the information acquisition means Based on the information transmission means for transmitting to the output control device, the own status information, and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, determines whether or not it is the master device Master device determining means for performing the processing on the content to be output according to the determination result by the master device determining means And a physical means.

  When the master device determination unit determines that the output control device is a master device, the output control device sends a command for instructing processing by the content processing unit in the other output control device to the other output control device. A command transmission means for transmitting, wherein the content processing means is a master device for the content to be output when the master device determination means determines that the content processing means is not the master device. Processing according to the command transmitted from the determined other output control device can be performed.

  The command may be a command for instructing a change in luminance value or resolution of an image of the content to be output.

  The command may be a command for instructing to reduce or mute the sound of the content to be output.

  The output control device further includes content transmission means for transmitting the content to be output to the other output control device when the master device determination means determines that the output control device is the master device. it can.

  The command may be a command for instructing enlargement of an image of the content to be output transmitted by the content transmission unit.

  The command may be a command for instructing output of audio of the content to be output transmitted by the content transmission unit.

  The information acquisition means calculates the ratio of the time when the content of the output target of the user is set as a voice output target by the user based on an operation instructing the voice output by the user. It is possible to obtain status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output.

  The information acquisition means is configured to select the own output target content from among the plurality of contents and an operation to set the own output target content as an audio output target. It is possible to acquire status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output.

  The display may be composed of a plurality of displays that respectively display a plurality of contents.

  An output control method according to a first aspect of the present invention is an output control method for an output control system including a plurality of output control devices that perform control to output content to be output on a display on which a plurality of contents are displayed. The output control method of the output control device is acquired by an information acquisition step of acquiring status information indicating a user's interest status with respect to the content to be output based on the user's operation, and the information acquisition step. The information transmission step of transmitting the status information of the received self to another output control device, the self status information, and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, The master device determination step for determining whether or not the master device is a master device, and depending on the determination result by the processing of the master device determination step, And a content processing step of performing processing for own output the content subject.

  An output control device according to a second aspect of the present invention constitutes an output control system including a plurality of output control devices, and a content to be output among the plurality of contents with respect to a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed. In the output control device that performs the control to output the information, the information acquisition unit that acquires the status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation, and the information acquisition unit Based on the information transmission means for transmitting the status information of itself to another output control device, the status information of the self, and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, A master device determination unit that determines whether or not the content is a device, and the content to be output according to the determination result by the master device determination unit. And a content processing unit to perform processing.

  The output control method according to the second aspect of the present invention constitutes an output control system including a plurality of output control devices, and a content to be output among the plurality of contents with respect to a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed. In the output control method of the output control device that performs control to output the information, the information acquisition step of acquiring status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation, and the information acquisition step The information transmission step of transmitting the status information of the self acquired by the processing to another output control device, the status information of the self, and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device. Based on a master device determination step for determining whether or not the device is a master device, and a determination by the processing of the master device determination step Depending on the result, and a content processing step of performing processing on the output target of the content of the self.

  The program according to the second aspect of the present invention is an output target of the plurality of contents with respect to a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed on the output control apparatus constituting the output control system including the plurality of output control apparatuses. An information acquisition step for acquiring status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation; The information transmission step of transmitting the status information of the self acquired by the processing of the acquisition step to another output control device, the status information of the self, and the other status transmitted from the other output control device A master device determination step for determining whether or not the device is a master device based on the information; and processing of the master device determination step. Depending on the determination result by, and a content processing step of performing processing on the output target of the content of the self.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of output control devices that perform control to output content to be output to a display on which a plurality of contents are displayed, respectively, based on user operations, Status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output is acquired, and the acquired status information of the user is transmitted to another output control device. Then, based on the status information of the self and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, it is determined whether or not the device is a master device, and the self is determined according to the determination result. Processing is performed on the content to be output.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, based on the user's operation, the situation information indicating the situation of the user's interest in the content to be output is acquired, and the acquired status information of the user Sent to the control device. Then, based on the status information of the self and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, it is determined whether or not the device is a master device, and the self is determined according to the determination result. Processing is performed on the content to be output.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a user can concentrate on viewing content of interest and efficiently acquire information.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of contents are viewed, the contents that the user is interested in can be focused more than other contents.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Correspondences between constituent elements of the present invention and the embodiments described in the specification or the drawings are exemplified as follows. This description is intended to confirm that the embodiments supporting the present invention are described in the specification or the drawings. Therefore, even if there is an embodiment which is described in the specification or the drawings but is not described here as an embodiment corresponding to the constituent elements of the present invention, that is not the case. It does not mean that the form does not correspond to the constituent requirements. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described here as corresponding to a configuration requirement, that means that the embodiment does not correspond to a configuration requirement other than the configuration requirement. Not something to do.

  The output control system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of output control devices (for example, the television receiver of FIG. 2) that perform control to output content to be output on a display on which a plurality of contents are displayed. In the output control system (multi-television device 21 in FIG. 2) comprising 31-1 to 31-4), the output control device is based on the user's operation and the user's interest in the content to be output. Information acquisition means (for example, the signal analysis unit 52 in FIG. 3) for acquiring the situation information indicating information, and information transmission means for transmitting the status information of the self acquired by the information acquisition means to another output control device ( For example, based on the data communication unit 61) of FIG. 3, the self status information, and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, the self Master device determination means (for example, the data analysis unit 53 in FIG. 3) for determining whether or not the device is a master device, and processing for the content to be output according to the determination result by the master device determination means Content processing means (for example, the signal processing unit 55 in FIG. 3).

  When the master device determination unit determines that the output control device is a master device, the output control device sends a command for instructing processing by the content processing unit in the other output control device to the other output control device. Command transmitting means (for example, command transmitting unit 62 in FIG. 3) for transmitting, and when the content processing means determines that the master apparatus determining means is not the master apparatus, the content processing means Can be processed according to the command transmitted from the other output control device determined to be the master device.

  The output control device, when the master device determination means determines that it is the master device, content output means (for example, FIG. 10) that transmits the content to be output to the other output control device. The data transmission module 131) can be further provided.

  The information acquisition means (for example, the viewing ratio calculation module 82 in FIG. 4) determines that the content to be output within the predetermined time is the audio output target by the user based on an operation instructed by the user to output audio. By calculating the ratio of the time that has been processed, it is possible to obtain status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output.

  The information acquisition means (for example, the command analysis module 111 in FIG. 10) is an operation by the user to select the content to be output from the plurality of contents, and to output the content to be output by voice. Based on the target operation, it is possible to acquire status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output.

  The display can be composed of a plurality of displays (for example, the display 56 of FIG. 3 included in the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 of FIG. 4) that respectively display a plurality of contents.

  An output control method according to a first aspect of the present invention is an output control method for an output control system including a plurality of output control devices that perform control to output content to be output on a display on which a plurality of contents are displayed. The output control method of the output control device includes an information acquisition step (for example, step S11 in FIG. 5) for acquiring status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation. The information transmission step (for example, step S12 in FIG. 5) for transmitting the status information of the device acquired by the processing of the information acquisition step to another output control device, the status information of the device, and the other A master device determination step for determining whether or not the device is a master device based on the other status information transmitted from the output control device. (For example, step S14 in FIG. 5) and a content processing step (for example, step S16 in FIG. 5) that performs processing on the content to be output according to the determination result of the master device determination step. S19 or S20).

  An output control device according to a second aspect of the present invention constitutes an output control system including a plurality of output control devices, and a content to be output among the plurality of contents with respect to a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed. In the output control apparatus that performs control for outputting the information, information acquisition means (for example, the signal analysis unit 52 in FIG. 3) that acquires status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation. ), Information transmission means (for example, the data communication unit 61 in FIG. 3) that transmits the status information of the self acquired by the information acquisition means to another output control device, the status information of the self, Based on the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, master device determination means for determining whether or not the device is the master device (for example, FIG. 3) Data analysis unit 53) and content processing means (for example, the signal processing unit 55 in FIG. 3) for processing the content to be output according to the determination result by the master device determination means. .

  The output control method according to the second aspect of the present invention constitutes an output control system including a plurality of output control devices, and a content to be output among the plurality of contents with respect to a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed. In the output control method of the output control device that performs control to output the information, an information acquisition step (for example, FIG. 5) that acquires status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation. Step S11), an information transmission step (for example, step S12 in FIG. 5) for transmitting the status information of the subject acquired by the processing of the information acquisition step to another output control device, and the status information of the subject Based on the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, a mask for determining whether or not the device is a master device. Content determination step (for example, step S14 in FIG. 5) and content processing step (for example, in FIG. 5) that processes the content to be output according to the determination result of the master device determination step. Step S16, S19, or S20).

  The program according to the second aspect of the present invention is an output target of the plurality of contents with respect to a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed on the output control apparatus constituting the output control system including the plurality of output control apparatuses. An information acquisition step (for example, FIG. 5) is a program for performing a process of performing control to output the content of the content, and acquires status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation. Step S11), an information transmission step (for example, step S12 in FIG. 5) for transmitting the status information acquired by the information acquisition step to another output control device, and the status of the user Based on the information and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device, it is determined whether or not the device is a master device. A master device determination step (for example, step S14 in FIG. 5) to be determined, and a content processing step (for example, a process for performing processing on the content to be output according to the determination result by the processing of the master device determination step (for example, Step S16, S19, or S20) of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a multi-television system to which the present invention is applied.

  The multi-television system shown in FIG. 2 uses a multi-television device 21 including a plurality of television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 and a command (hereinafter referred to as a user command) according to a user operation. The remote controller 22 is configured to emit light to the multi-television device 21 as a signal.

  The multi-television device 21 converts the user commands issued from the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 whose number of horizontal × vertical is 4 × 2 × 2, for example, and the remote controller 22 into optical signals. It is comprised by the light-receiving part 32 which receives the emitted light.

  The light receiving unit 32 receives light in which a user command issued from the remote controller 22 is converted into an optical signal, and transmits the received user command to the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4.

  Each of the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 includes a tuner, a display, a speaker, and the like, and is received via a light receiving unit 32 among broadcast signals received via an antenna (not shown). The content of the channel corresponding to the user command to be received is received, and the image and sound of the received content are output.

  Note that the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 can also function as a commonly used single television receiver. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 from each other, they are also simply referred to as the television receiver 31.

  The television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 output images and sounds of different contents received by each according to user commands received via the light receiving unit 32, or one television receiver 31. The image and sound of the content received in the above are output to individual displays as they are, or the content image received by one television receiver 31 is enlarged and output to four displays as one image. .

  In this multi-television system, when a video of different content is output on the display of each television receiver 31, the user operates the remote controller 22 to output content ( Television receiver 31) or one or a plurality of contents desired to be viewed (the television receiver 31 on which is displayed) are selected.

  The television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 can communicate with each other via a wireless or wired network (communication path) 33 such as infrared, Ethernet (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (trademark) so that they can communicate with each other. It is connected to the.

  Therefore, when the user selects the above-described content, the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 are received via the light receiving unit 32. Acquire status information indicating the user's interest status with respect to each display target content based on a user command corresponding to the selection of the content desired to be viewed, and transmit the acquired status information to each other Thus, the status information of the other television receiver 31 can be acquired.

  Each of the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 determines its role in the multi-television device 21 based on the acquired self and other situation information, and displays an image on each display target content. Alternatively, audio processing is performed, and the processed content is output to individual displays and speakers.

  That is, the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 are obtained by transmitting and receiving their own status information and all the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 constituting the multi-television device 21. Based on the other situation information, each autonomously plays a role of itself in the multi-television device 21, that is, whether it is a master device that transmits a command to the other television receiver 31, Alternatively, it is determined whether the slave device receives a command from the master device.

  Then, the television receiver 31-1 that has determined that it is the master device is different from the other television receivers 31-2 to 31-4 in the respective television receivers 31-2 to 31-4. Transmits a command for image processing or sound processing of the content to be displayed, performs predetermined processing on the content to be displayed, and outputs it from a display or a speaker.

  On the other hand, the television receivers 31-2 to 31-4 that have determined that they are slave devices perform image processing of the content to be displayed or according to the command from the television receiver 31-1 that is the master device. Audio processing is performed, and the content subjected to image processing or audio processing is output from a display or a speaker.

  The remote controller 12 sends a plurality of operation buttons for instructing the multi-television device 21 to sound volume, channel selection, and the like, and a user command input according to the operation of the user's operation button. 21 is provided with a light emitting unit for emitting light as an optical signal.

  In FIG. 2, an example in which the multi-television device 21 includes a total of four television receivers 31 including two in the horizontal direction and two in the vertical direction will be described. The number of receivers 31 may be other than that. Also, the arrangement method of the plurality of television receivers 31 may be an arrangement method other than 2 × 2.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the television receiver 31.

  The television receiver 31 shown in FIG. 3 includes a tuner 51, a signal analysis unit 52, a data analysis unit 53, a communication unit 54, a signal processing unit 55, a display 56, and a speaker 57.

  A user command from the remote controller 22 received by the light receiving unit 32 is input to the tuner 51 and the signal analysis unit 52.

  When a user command instructing channel change is input, the tuner 51 acquires a program (content) of a channel corresponding to the user command (user selection) from a broadcast signal received via an antenna (not shown). The acquired image data and audio data of the content are output to the signal analysis unit 52 and the signal processing unit 55.

  In FIG. 3, only the image data and audio data of the content from the tuner 51 are shown as the image data and audio data input to the signal analysis unit 52 and the signal processing unit 55. Content image data and audio data are also input from a camcorder, recording / playback apparatus, and the like connected to 31.

  Based on the user command input from the light receiving unit 32 or the image data or the audio data of the content input from the tuner 51 or the like, the signal analysis unit 52 indicates the user's interest in the content to be displayed. The status information to be shown and the data related to the content are acquired and output to the data analysis unit 53 and the data communication unit 61 of the communication unit 54.

  The data analysis unit 53 receives the status information and data from the signal analysis unit 52 and the other display device 31 obtained by the signal analysis unit 52 of the other display device 31 and transmitted by the data communication unit 61. Status information and data are input.

  The data analysis unit 53 analyzes the status information of itself and the other display device 31 so that the data analysis unit 53 is a master device that transmits a command to the other television receiver 31 or from the master device. If it is determined that the slave device is a master device that transmits a command to another television receiver 31, the signal processing unit 55 controls the processing performed by the signal processing unit 55. At the same time, a command for controlling processing in the other display device 31 is generated, and the generated command or the like is output to the command transmission unit 62.

  The communication unit 54 is functionally configured by a data communication unit 61 and a command transmission unit 62, and transmits information (data), commands, and the like to other television receivers 31 via the network 33.

  The data communication unit 61 transmits its own situation information and data obtained by the signal analysis unit 52 to another television receiver 31 via the network 33.

  A command is input from the data analysis unit 53 to the command transmission unit 62 only when the command transmission unit 62 is the master device. Therefore, the command transmission unit 62 transmits the command from the data analysis unit 53 to the other television receiver 31 via the network 33 only when the command transmission unit 62 is the master device.

  When self is the master device, the signal processing unit 55 performs processing according to the control of the data analysis unit 53 on the image data and audio data of the content from the tuner 51, and causes the display 56 to display the content image. The audio of the content is output from the speaker 57.

  When the device itself is not the master device, commands from other television receivers 31 are input to the signal processing unit 55 via the network 31 in addition to the image data and audio data of the content from the tuner 51. The signal processing unit 55 performs processing on the image data and audio data of the content from the tuner 51 in accordance with a command from another television receiver 31, displays the content image on the display 56, and outputs the audio of the content Is output from the speaker 57.

  The display 56 displays an image corresponding to the image data of the content from the signal processing unit 55. The speaker 57 outputs sound corresponding to the sound data of the content from the signal processing unit 55.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the first embodiment of the functions realized by the television receiver 31 of FIG.

  4 includes a user command reception module 81, a viewing ratio calculation module 82, a viewing ratio comparison module 83, a transmission command determination module 84, a luminance value calculation module 85, a communication module 86, a command reception module 87, and image processing. A module 88 and a voice processing module 89 are included.

  The user command receiving module 81 receives a user command from the light receiving unit 32, and based on the user command, whether or not the sound output from the own television receiver 31 is selected by the user, that is, the user's own television. It is analyzed whether the sound selection of John receiver 31 is mute or sound output, and the analysis result is supplied to the viewing ratio calculation module 82.

  The viewing ratio calculation module 82 obtains status information (viewing ratio information in the case of the example in FIG. 4) indicating the user's interest status with respect to the display target content based on the analysis result from the user command receiving module 81. That is, in the example of FIG. 4, whether or not the content to be displayed is content that the viewer is interested in is determined based on the total time during which the audio is output.

  Specifically, based on the analysis result from the user command receiving module 81, the viewing ratio calculation module 82 calculates, for example, the ratio of the audio output time in the latest 5 minutes for the content to be displayed by itself. The calculation result is supplied to the viewing ratio comparison module 83 and the information transmission module 91 as the viewing ratio information of the own television receiver 31.

  The viewing ratio comparison module 83 receives the viewing ratio information of the other television receiver 31 transmitted from the other television receiver 31 via the network 33 and the own viewing ratio calculated by the viewing ratio calculation module 82. Based on the information, it is determined whether it is a master device that transmits a command to another television receiver 31 or a slave device that receives a command from the master device. In response, the functions of the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93 are controlled.

  That is, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 compares the self and other viewing ratios so that the television receiver 31 with the largest viewing ratio outputs the content that draws the viewer's most interest. It is determined that it is a master device.

  When it is determined that the viewing ratio comparison module 83 is a master device that transmits a command to the other television receiver 31, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 further compares the viewing ratio of itself with a preset threshold value. In response to the comparison result, an on signal is output to the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93, and the functions of the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93 are started.

  For example, when the self viewing ratio is less than the threshold and the self viewing ratio is not significantly different from the viewing ratios of all the other television receivers 31, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 determines which content the user is interested in. Are also output to the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93, and the functions of the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93 are stopped (prohibited). Let

  In the case where there are some other television receivers 31 whose own viewing ratio is less than the threshold and whose viewing ratio is similar to the own viewing ratio, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 transmits the transmission value determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission. An on signal is output to the module 93 to start the functions of the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93, but commands and data are transmitted to the television receivers 31 having the same viewing ratio. I won't let you.

  When the own viewing ratio is equal to or greater than the threshold, it is determined that the user's interest is completely in the content to be displayed by the master device, and the viewing ratio comparison module 83 includes the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93. Is started, the transmission command determination module 84 is controlled, and a command to lower the resolution and brightness of the content image is transmitted to the other television receivers 31.

  At this time, in the example of FIG. 4, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 controls the processing of its own image processing module 88 and audio module 89 although the illustration of the arrow indicating the control is omitted.

  When the viewing ratio comparison module 83 determines that it is not a master device that transmits a command to the other television receiver 31 (that is, it is a slave device), An off signal is output to the luminance value data transmission module 93, and the functions of the transmission command determination module 84 and the luminance value data transmission module 93 are stopped (prohibited).

  The transmission command determination module 84 selects another television receiver 31 under the control of the viewing ratio comparison module 83, the arrangement position of the selected other television receiver 31 in the multi-television device 21, and viewing / listening. A command to be transmitted to the selected television receiver 31 is determined according to the ratio, the command transmission module 93 is controlled, and the determined command is transmitted to the selected television receiver 31.

  Content image data from the tuner 51 or the like is input to the luminance value calculation module 85 and the image processing module 88.

  The luminance value calculation module 85 calculates the luminance value of the corresponding image (specifically, the average value of the luminance values of all the pixels of the content image) based on the content image data input from the tuner 51 or the like, The luminance value data is output to the luminance value data transmission module 93 and the image processing module 88.

  The communication module 86 includes an information transmission module 91, a command transmission module 92, and a luminance value data transmission module 93.

  The information transmission module 91 transmits the viewing ratio information from the viewing ratio calculation module 82 to all the other television receivers 31 via the network 33.

  The command transmission module 92 transmits the command determined by the transmission command determination module 84 to another corresponding television receiver 31 via the network 33. That is, the command transmission module 92 determines that the viewing ratio comparison module 83 is a master device that transmits a command to the other television receiver 31 and starts the function of the transmission command determination module 84. Only when the command is received, the corresponding command is transmitted to the other television receiver 31.

  The luminance value data transmission module 93 transmits the luminance value data from the luminance value calculation module 85 to the corresponding other television receiver 31 via the network 33 under the control of the viewing ratio comparison module 83. That is, the luminance value data transmission module 93 also determines that the viewing ratio comparison module 83 is a master device that transmits a command to the other television receiver 31, and the function of the luminance value data transmission module 93. The luminance value data is transmitted to the other television receiver 31 only when the operation is started.

  The command receiving module 87 receives a command transmitted from the television receiver 31 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a master device), which is a master device, via the network 33, and the received command is transmitted to the image processing module 88 and the sound. This is supplied to the processing module 89.

  The image processing module 88 of the television receiver 31 (hereinafter also referred to as a slave device) as a slave device includes content image data from the tuner 51 and the like, luminance value data from the luminance value calculation module 85, and a command receiving module 87. The command received from the master device and the brightness value data of the master device transmitted from the master device via the network 33 are input.

  The image processing module 88 performs image processing of content image data using the luminance value data of the master device and its own luminance value data in accordance with a command from the master device. Then, the image processing module 88 causes the display 56 to display an image of content corresponding to the image data subjected to the image processing.

  On the other hand, since the command and luminance value data from the other television receivers 31 are not input to the image processing module 88 of the master device, the image processing module 88 controls the content of the content under the control of the viewing ratio comparison module 83. An image corresponding to the image data is displayed on the display 56. Note that the content output to the master device can also be subjected to image processing corresponding to the viewing ratio under the control of the viewing ratio comparison module 83.

  The audio processing module 89 of the slave device receives the audio data of the content from the tuner 51 and the command from the master device received by the command receiving module 87. The audio processing module 89 performs audio processing of the audio data of the content in response to a command from the master device, and outputs audio of the content corresponding to the audio data subjected to the audio processing from the speaker 57 or the audio of the content Output of data from the speaker 57 is stopped.

  On the other hand, since no command is input from the other television receiver 31 to the audio processing module 89 of the master device, the audio processing module 89 supports the audio data of the content under the control of the viewing ratio comparison module 83. Sound to be output from the speaker 57. Note that, by the control of the viewing ratio comparison module 83, audio processing corresponding to the viewing ratio can be performed on the content output to the master device.

  Next, an example of the multiple content output control process by the television receiver 31 of FIG. 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the user operates the remote controller 22 to instruct viewing of a plurality of contents, this multi-content output control process is started in the multi-television device 21, and each television receiver 31 receives the user's channel selection. The content is acquired from the broadcast signal of the corresponding channel, and the video of the acquired content is displayed on the display 56.

  For example, the user operates the remote controller 22 to select which television receiver 31 is to output the sound of the content displayed on the display 56. The remote controller 22 issues a user command corresponding to the user's operation as an optical signal to the multi-television device 21. The light receiving unit 32 receives a user command from the remote controller 22 and transmits it to each television receiver 31.

  The user command receiving module 81 of the television receiver 31 receives the user command from the light receiving unit 32, and analyzes whether the sound selection of the television receiver 31 by the user is mute or sound output. Then, the analysis result is supplied to the viewing ratio calculation module 82.

  Even if the user command receiving module 81 does not receive the user command from the light receiving unit 32, the user command receiving module 81 is based on the user command corresponding to the selection of the sound received in the past in the past, and the user's own television It analyzes whether the sound selection of the receiver 31 is mute or sound output, and supplies the analysis result to the viewing ratio calculation module 82.

  When the multiple content output control process is started, the viewing ratio calculation module 82, for example, in the step S11, based on the analysis result from the user command reception module 81, for example, the latest content to be displayed. The ratio of the audio output time in 5 minutes is calculated, and the calculation result is supplied to the viewing ratio comparison module 83 and the information transmission module 91 as the viewing ratio information of the own television receiver 31.

  In step S <b> 12, the information transmission module 91 transmits the viewing ratio information from the viewing ratio calculation module 82 to all other television receivers 31 via the network 33.

  In step S13, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 is calculated by the viewing ratio calculation module 82 and the viewing ratio information of the other television receiver 31 transmitted from the other television receiver 31 via the network 33. A master device that compares itself with other viewing ratios based on its own viewing ratio information, and that transmits a command to another television receiver 31 based on the comparison result in step S14. It is determined whether or not there is.

  When the own viewing ratio is larger than the other viewing ratios, it is determined in step S14 that the own viewing apparatus is the master device, and the process proceeds to step S15, and each corresponding module of the television receiver 31 performs step S15. And in S16, the process as a master apparatus is performed.

  That is, in step S15, command transmission processing as a master device is executed. In step S16, the image processing module 88 and the audio processing module 89 control the display 56 and the speaker 57 under the control of the viewing ratio comparison module 83. Thus, the content to be displayed is output.

  The command transmission process in step S15 will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, but by this command transmission process, the luminance value of the image of the content to be displayed by the television receiver 31 of the master device is calculated. The luminance value data is transmitted to the other television receiver 31, and the other television receiver 31 is instructed to perform image processing according to the comparison result between the viewing ratio of the master device and the threshold value. Command to send.

  In step S16, the image processing module 88 displays an image corresponding to the content image data from the tuner 51 or the like on the display 56, and the audio processing module 89 corresponds to the content audio data from the tuner 51 or the like. The sound to be output is output from the speaker 57.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the self is not the master device (that is, the self is a slave device), the process proceeds to step S17, and each module of the television receiver 31 performs steps S17 to S20. Then, processing as a slave device is executed.

  Specifically, in step S17, the luminance value calculation module 85 calculates the luminance value of the content image using the content image data input from the tuner 51 or the like, and uses the luminance value data as the luminance value data. The data is output to the data transmission module 93 and the image processing module 88. However, in this case, since the television receiver 31 is not a master device, the luminance value data transmission module 93 does not transmit the luminance value data to the other television receivers 31.

  On the other hand, the television receiver 31 serving as the master device transmits the luminance value data of the content image of the master device in step S42 of FIG. 6 to be described later, and the viewing of the master device in step S46, S47, or S52. A command corresponding to the comparison result between the ratio and the threshold is transmitted.

  Luminance value data from the television receiver 31 that is the master device is received by the image processing module 88, and commands from the television receiver 31 that is the master device are received by the command receiving module 87.

  In step S18, the command receiving module 87 determines whether or not a command from the master device (another television receiver 31) has been received. If the command receiving module 87 determines that a command has been received from the master device, the received command Is supplied to the image processing module 88 and the sound processing module 89.

  In step S19, the image processing module 88 and the sound processing module 89 process the image and sound of the content to be displayed according to the command, and cause the display 56 and the speaker 57 to output the processed content.

  For example, in step S46 of FIG. 6 to be described later, a command that causes the master device to perform image processing so that the image is obscured than the image displayed on the master device (that is, the resolution of the image is lowered and the brightness value is set to the master device). In response to the command, the image processing module 88 reduces the resolution of the content image to be displayed and receives it from the master device. Using the luminance value data thus obtained, the luminance value calculated in step S17 is subjected to image processing that is equal to or lower than the luminance value of the image of the master device, and the image of the content subjected to the image processing is displayed on the display 56.

  For example, in step S46 of FIG. 6 to be described later, when a command that does not output audio is transmitted from the master device, the audio processing module 89 prohibits output of the audio of the content in response to the command.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S18 that a command from the master device (another television receiver 31) has not been received, the image processing module 88 and the audio processing module 89 in step S20 display the content to be displayed. Is output.

  That is, for example, if it is determined yes in step S49 or S51 of FIG. 6 to be described later, the other television receiver 31 does not transmit a command, so in step S20, the image processing module 88 includes the tuner 51 and the like. The image corresponding to the image data of the content is displayed on the display 56 without performing processing according to the command, and the audio processing module 89 outputs the audio corresponding to the audio data of the content from the tuner 51 or the like to the command The signal is output from the speaker 57 without performing processing according to the above.

  After the content is output in step S16, S19, or S20, the process proceeds to step S21.

  In step S <b> 21, the user command receiving module 81 determines whether or not to finish viewing the plurality of contents based on the user command received from the remote controller 22.

  For example, the user operates the remote controller 22 to instruct viewing of one content using a plurality of screens. The remote controller 22 issues a user command corresponding to the user's operation as an optical signal to the multi-television device 21. The light receiving unit 32 receives a user command from the remote controller 22 and transmits it to each television receiver 31.

  When the user command receiving module 81 of the television receiver 31 receives this user command from the light receiving unit 32, the user command receiving module 81 determines to end the viewing of the plurality of contents, and the plurality of contents output control process is ended.

  If it is determined in step S21 that viewing of the plurality of contents has not yet ended, the process returns to step S11, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

  Next, the command transmission processing in step S15 in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. This command transmission process is executed by the television receiver 31 shown in FIG. 4 determined as the master device in step S14 of FIG.

  In step S41, the luminance value calculation module 85 calculates the luminance value of the content image using the content image data input from the tuner 51 or the like, and uses the luminance value data as the luminance value data transmission module 93 and The image is output to the image processing module 88. In step S42, the luminance value data transmission module 93 transmits the luminance value data from the luminance value calculation module 85 to all other television receivers 31 via the network 33.

  In step S43, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 further determines whether or not the own viewing ratio is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value.

  If it is determined in step S43 that the viewing ratio of the user is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, the transmission command determination module 84 in the television receiver 31 constituting the multi-television device 21 is determined in step S44. One television receiver 31 is selected, and in step S45, it is determined whether or not the selected television receiver 31 is a television receiver 31 around itself (master device).

  Here, the surrounding television receiver will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the multi-television device 21 includes 25 television receivers 31-1 to 31-25, for example, 25 × 5 × 5. The case where the television receiver 31-7 arranged second from the top and second from the top is the master device is shown.

  In this case, the television receiver 31 around the master device is a television receiver 31 located around the master device 8 that is hatched in the example of FIG. A television receiver 31-1 disposed at the upper left of the master device, a television receiver 31-2 disposed immediately above the master device, a television receiver 31-3 disposed at the upper right of the master device, A television receiver 31-6 disposed on the left side of the master device, a television receiver 31-8 disposed on the right side of the master device, a television receiver 31-11 disposed on the lower left side of the master device, A television receiver 31-12 disposed directly below the master device and a television receiver 31-13 disposed right below the master device are shown.

  Therefore, in the case of the example of FIG. 7, among the television receivers 31-1 to 31-25, the television receivers 31-4, 31-5, 31-9, 31-10, 31-14, 31- Reference numerals 15 to 31-25 denote television receivers 31 other than those around the master device.

  Returning to FIG. 6, when the selected television receiver 31 is, for example, the television receiver 31-1 in FIG. 7, in step S <b> 45, the selected television receiver 31 receives the surrounding television receiver. In step S46, the transmission command determination module 84 selects the television receiver 31 (FIG. 7) that has selected the command for image processing so as to be obscured from the image displayed on the master device. To the television receiver 31-1).

  Specifically, the transmission command determination module 84 controls the command transmission module 92 to reduce the resolution of the image displayed by the selected television receiver 31 and to change the luminance value to the luminance of the image displayed on the master device. A command to make the value lower than the value is transmitted to the selected television receiver 31.

  On the other hand, if the selected television receiver 31 is, for example, the television receiver 31-19 of FIG. 7, in step S45, the selected television receiver 31 is a television receiver 31 other than its surroundings. In step S47, the transmission command determination module 84 transmits a command to lower the resolution to the selected television receiver 31 (the television receiver 31-19 in FIG. 7).

  Thereby, the resolution of the image displayed on the display 56 of the television receiver 31 arranged around the master device 8 is displayed coarser than the resolution of the master device, and the luminance value is the luminance of the pixel of the master device. It appears darker than the value.

  Further, the resolution of the image displayed on the display 56 of the other television receiver 31 arranged outside the periphery of the master device 8 is displayed more coarsely than the resolution of the master device.

  Therefore, the content image displayed on the display 56 of the television receiver 31-7, which is the master device located at the center of the television receiver 31 arranged around the eight of the master device, is the display 56 around the eight. It is brighter and more conspicuous than the content displayed on the screen, so that it is easy for the user to see.

  Note that the process of step S45 described above is omitted, and a command for lowering the resolution and setting the luminance value to be equal to or lower than the luminance value of the image displayed on the master device is transmitted to all the television receivers 31 other than the master device. It can also be made to do.

  After the process of step S46 or S47, in step S48, the transmission command determination module 84 determines whether or not the command has been transmitted to all the television receivers 31. If it is determined in step S48 that the command has not yet been transmitted to all the television receivers 31, the process returns to step S44, and the process for the next television receiver 31 is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S48 that the command has been transmitted to all the television receivers 31, the command transmission process is terminated, and the process returns to step S15 in FIG. 5 and proceeds to step S16.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that the own viewing ratio is not greater than or equal to the preset threshold value, the viewing ratio comparison module 83 in step S49 determines that all television receivers constituting the multi-television device 21 are received. The machine 31 also determines whether or not the viewing ratio is similar to that of the master device.

  Here, the viewing ratio of the television receiver will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the multi-television device 21 is configured by four television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 having, for example, 4 × 2 × 2 units. The case where the television receiver 31-4 arranged in the second row from the top and the second row from the top is the master device is shown.

  Also, the numerical values shown in each of the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 in FIG. 8 indicate the viewing ratio calculated in each of the television receivers 31. That is, the viewing ratio in the television receiver 31-1 is 0.05, the viewing ratio in the television receiver 31-2 is 0.30, and the viewing ratio in the television receiver 31-3 is The viewing ratio in the television receiver 31-4 that is the master device is 0.30.

  At this time, since the viewing ratios of the television receivers 31-2 and 31-3 and the television receiver 31-4 are not different from each other by 0.05, it is assumed that the viewing ratio is similar. Since the viewing ratio between the receiver 31-1 and the television receiver 31-4 is 0.30, the viewing ratio is not the same. Note that the reference value of the difference for determining whether or not they are comparable can be changed.

  Therefore, in the case of the example of FIG. 8, it is determined in step S49 of FIG. 6 that all the television receivers 31 constituting the multi-television device 21 are not at the same viewing ratio as the master device. Advances to step S50.

  In step S50, the transmission command determination module 84 selects one television receiver 31 among the television receivers 31 constituting the multi-television device 21, and in step S51, the selected television receiver 31 is selected. Then, it is determined whether or not the television receiver 31 has a viewing ratio similar to that of the master device.

  If the selected television receiver 31 is, for example, the television receiver 31-1 of FIG. 8, it is determined in step S51 that the selected television receiver 31 is not the television receiver 31 having the same viewing ratio as the master device. The process proceeds to step S52, and the transmission command determination module 84 controls the command transmission module 92 to reduce the resolution of the image displayed by the selected television receiver 31, and the luminance value is displayed on the master device. A command for reducing the brightness value of the image or less is transmitted to the selected television receiver 31 (the television receiver 31-1 in FIG. 8).

  Further, if the selected television receiver 31 is, for example, the television receiver 31-2 in FIG. 8, it is determined in step S51 that the television receiver 31 has a viewing ratio similar to that of the master device. Then, the process skips step S52 and proceeds to step S53. That is, the command is not transmitted to the other television receivers 31 determined to have the same viewing ratio.

  In step S53, the transmission command determination module 84 determines whether or not the processing for all the television receivers 31 has been completed. If it is determined in step S53 that the processes for all the television receivers 31 have not been completed, the process returns to step S50, and the process for the next television receiver 31 is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S53 that the processes for all the television receivers 31 have been completed, the command transmission process is terminated, and the process returns to step S15 in FIG. 5 and proceeds to step S16.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S49 that all the television receivers 31 constituting the multi-television device 21 have the same viewing ratio as the master device, the process skips steps S50 to S53, The command transmission process is terminated, and the process returns to step S15 in FIG. 5 and proceeds to step S16.

  That is, also in this case, the command is not transmitted to the television receivers 31 having the same viewing ratio.

  As described above, in the multi-television device 21 of FIG. 2 configured by the television receiver 31 of FIG. 4, when a plurality of contents are viewed on a plurality of displays, the display target in each television receiver 31 is displayed. The function performed by each television receiver 31 is determined by transmitting / receiving the viewing rate information as the situation information indicating the user's interest in the content, which is information unique to the content. A corresponding process is performed on the content and output.

  That is, each television receiver 31 determines whether or not it is the master device based on the transmitted and received self and other viewing ratio information, and the television receiver that has determined that it is the master device. 31 displays the content of itself, and transmits to the other television receiver 31 the brightness value data of the content of itself and a command for processing other content so that the content of the content can be easily seen.

  Also, the television receiver 31 that has determined that it is a slave device receives the luminance value data and commands from the other television receiver 31 (master device), and uses the luminance value data to respond to the command. The process is performed on its own content and the content is output.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the content displayed on the television receiver 31-1 as the master device, that is, the content other than the content that the user mainly watched (the television receiver 31-2). To the content displayed on the television receiver 31-1, the resolution and luminance values of the content displayed on the television receiver 31-1 are displayed higher on the user. Looks like. Therefore, the user can easily focus on the content that the user has mainly watched.

  In the example of FIG. 9, the multi-television device 21 is configured by four television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 having, for example, 4 × 2 × 2 units. The case where the television receiver 31-1 which is the first from the top and is arranged in the first stage from the top is the master device is shown.

  In this case, since the image processing is performed so that the luminance value and resolution of the content image displayed on the television receivers 31-2 to 31-4 other than the master device are reduced, the resolution and luminance originally possessed by the content are processed. As a result, the content of the master device (television receiver 31-1) displayed by value is always brightest as compared with other contents displayed on the television receivers 31-2 to 31-4. And it is displayed with high resolution.

  Thus, the user can concentrate and view the content of interest, and if he / she is conscious, he / she can also watch other content from time to time, so that information on a plurality of contents can be obtained efficiently.

  FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the second embodiment of the functions realized by the television receiver 31 of FIG.

  10 includes a command analysis module 111, a communication module 112, a zoom information calculation module 113, a master communication module 114, and a signal processing module 115.

  In the example of FIG. 10, image data and audio data of content from the tuner 51 and the like are input to the master communication module 114 and the signal processing module 115, respectively.

  The command analysis module 111 receives a user command from the light receiving unit 32, analyzes whether or not the user has selected viewing of the content of the own television receiver 31, and displays the analysis result as the content to be displayed. Status information indicating the status of the user's interest in (in the case of the example of FIG. 4, active information (that is, information indicating whether or not the user has selected viewing of the content of the television receiver 31)) To the communication module 112 and the zoom information calculation module 113. Hereinafter, content in a state where viewing is selected by the user is also referred to as active content.

  Further, the command analysis module 111 analyzes whether the sound selection of the content of the television receiver 31 by the user is mute or sound output, and information on the sound selection is also included in the communication module 112. And output to the zoom information calculation module 113.

  The communication module 112 transmits the active information and voice selection information from the command analysis module 111 to all other television receivers 31 via the network 33.

  The zoom information calculation module 113 is a master device that transmits a command to another television receiver 31 based on its own active information and audio selection information from the command analysis module 111, or Then, it is determined whether the slave device receives a command from the master device, and the function of the master communication module 114 and the processing of the signal processing module 115 are controlled according to the determination result.

  That is, in the example of FIG. 10, the zoom information calculation module 113 is in an active state in which viewing of its own content is selected based on its own active information and audio selection information, and the audio of its own content is The sound output is determined to be the master device that outputs the content that most interests the viewer among the television receivers that display the content for which viewing is selected.

  The zoom information calculation module 113 includes a memory (not shown) for storing the result of the previous determination and a continuous number counter 121, and the zoom information calculation module 113 itself issues a command to the other television receiver 31. If it is determined that the master device is a master device that transmits the master device, it is determined whether it was the master device last time (that is, at the time of the previous determination), and the value of the continuous number counter 121 is operated according to the determination result, An on signal is output to the master communication module 114 to start the function of the master communication module 114 and to control the processing of the signal processing module 115.

  That is, when it is determined that the master device is also the last time, the value t of the continuous number counter 121 is incremented by 1. When it is determined that the previous time is not the master device, the value t of the continuous number counter 121 is reset. .

  Further, the zoom information calculation module 113 acquires active information and audio selection information of other television receivers 31 transmitted via the network 33. Then, the zoom information calculation module 113, based on the value t of the continuous number counter 121 and the active information of the other television receivers 31, over the display 56 of the surrounding television receivers 31, Zoom information for zooming (enlarging) the image is calculated.

  In other words, the zoom information calculation module 113 zooms in to display an image of its own content according to the zoom rate and the arrangement of the surrounding television receivers 31 for each display 56 of the surrounding television receivers 31. A zoom position indicating from which position of the image to zoom display is calculated, and a command for zooming the image of the master device at the calculated zoom ratio and zoom position is output to the command transmission module 132 and displayed by itself. The zoom ratio and zoom position of the image of the portion are supplied to the image processing module 141, and the zoom display of the image is controlled.

  In addition, the zoom information calculation module 113 outputs, for example, a command for outputting the sound of the master device instead of the sound of the other television receiver 31 to the command transmission module 132. At this time, for each display 56 of the surrounding television receiver 31, the left and right audio balance is calculated according to the arrangement of the surrounding television receiver 31, and the sound source position is placed at the position of the master device. It is also possible to send a command to do so.

  On the other hand, if the zoom information calculation module 113 determines that the zoom information calculation module 113 is not a master device that transmits a command to the other television receiver 31, the zoom information calculation module 113 outputs an off signal to the master communication module 114. The function of the communication module 114 is stopped (prohibited). At this time, the zoom information calculation module 113 does not control the processing of the image processing module 141.

  The master communication module 114 includes a data transmission module 131 and a command transmission module 132, and the function is controlled by the zoom information calculation module 113.

  The data transmission module 131 transmits the image data and audio data of the content from the tuner 51 and the like to all other television receivers 31 via the network 33 under the control of the zoom information calculation module 113. In other words, if the data transmission module 131 is not a master device, the function of the data transmission module 131 is not started, so that the content image data and audio data are not transmitted to the other television receiver 31.

  The command transmission module 132 sends a command for zooming and displaying the image of the master device at the zoom ratio and zoom position calculated by the zoom information calculation module 113 via the network 33 under the control of the zoom information calculation module 113. It transmits to all the other television receivers 31.

  The signal processing module 115 includes an image processing module 141 and an audio processing module 142.

  The image processing module 141 of the slave device receives the image data of the content from the tuner 51 and the like, the command transmitted from the master device via the network 33, and the image data of the master device.

  The image processing module 141 performs image processing on the image data of the master device and its own image data in accordance with a command from the master device, superimposes the image data subjected to the image processing, and corresponds to the superimposed image data The image to be displayed is displayed on the display 56.

  That is, the image processing module 141 enlarges the image of the master device based on the zoom rate and the zoom position indicated by the command from the master device with respect to the image data of the master device and its own image data. In accordance with the size, image processing for reducing the self image data is performed, the enlarged master device image and the reduced self image are superimposed, and the superimposed image is displayed on the display 56.

  On the other hand, commands and image data from the master device are not input to the image processing module 141 of the master device, and the image processing module 141 uses the zoom rate and zoom position instructed by the zoom information calculation module 113 for the content of its own content. The image is enlarged, and the enlarged image is displayed on the display 56.

  The audio processing module 142 of the slave device receives the audio data of the content from the tuner 51 and the like, the command transmitted from the master device via the network 33, and the audio data of the master device.

  The sound processing module 142 outputs sound corresponding to the sound data of the master device from the speaker 57 in response to a command from the master device.

  On the other hand, commands and audio data from the master device are not input to the audio processing module 142 of the master device, and the audio processing module 142 outputs audio corresponding to the audio data of its own content from the speaker 57.

  Next, another example of the multiple content output control process by the television receiver 31 of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the user operates the remote controller 22 to instruct viewing of a plurality of contents, the multi-television apparatus 21 starts the multi-content output control process of FIG. 11, and each television receiver 31 selects the user. The content is acquired from the broadcast signal of the channel corresponding to the station, and the video of the acquired content is displayed on the display 56.

  For example, the user operates the remote controller 22 to select one or more contents desired to be viewed. Further, for example, the user operates the remote controller 22 to select which display to output the sound of the content displayed on among the plurality of contents desired to be viewed.

  The remote controller 22 issues a user command corresponding to the user's operation as an optical signal to the multi-television device 21. The light receiving unit 32 receives a user command from the remote controller 22 and transmits it to each television receiver 31.

  The command analysis module 111 of the television receiver 31 stands by until a user command is received from the light receiving unit 32 in step S111. If the command analysis module 111 determines in step S111 that a user command has been received, in step S112, based on the received command, whether or not the user has selected to view the content of the television receiver 31 itself. In step S112, the analysis result is output to the communication module 112 and the zoom information calculation module 113 as active information.

  At this time, the command analysis module 111 also analyzes whether the audio selection of the content of the television receiver 31 by the user is mute or sound output, and the audio selection information is also included in the communication module 112. And output to the zoom information calculation module 113.

  In step S113, the communication module 112 causes the active information from the command analysis module 111 to be transmitted to all other television receivers 31 via the network 33. At this time, the audio selection information is also transmitted to all the other television receivers 31 via the network 33.

  In step S114, the zoom information calculation module 113 is in the active state of the television receiver 31 based on the active information from the command analysis module 111 (that is, the state in which content viewing is selected by the user). It is determined whether or not.

  If it is determined in step S114 that the self is in the active state, the zoom information calculation module 113 further determines that the own TV is based on the audio selection information of its content from the command analysis module 111 in step S115. If it is determined whether the selection of the sound of the content of the John receiver 31 is a sound output, and if it is determined that the selection of the sound of the content of the own television receiver 31 is a sound output, the television receiver 31 is selected. Each of the modules executes processing as a master device in steps S116 and S117.

  That is, in step S116, command transmission processing as a master device is executed. This command transmission process will be described later in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The zoom rate of the image of the content of the master device based on the number of times the master device has been continuously obtained by the command transmission processing in step S116 and the active information of the other television receivers 31 received via the network 33. The zoom position is calculated, and a command for zooming the image of the master device at the calculated zoom rate and zoom position is transmitted to the other television receiver 31 via the command transmission module 132 and the network 33. The zoom rate and zoom position of the image of the content of the master device (ie, self) are supplied to the image processing module 141.

  At this time, for example, a command for outputting the sound of the master device instead of the sound of the other television receiver 31 is output to the command transmission module 132.

  In step S117, the image processing module 141 enlarges the image of its own content at the zoom rate and zoom position indicated by the zoom information calculation module 113, and outputs the enlarged image to the display 56. As a result, the enlarged image is displayed on the display 56.

  At this time, the sound processing module 142 outputs sound corresponding to the sound data of its own content from the speaker 57.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S114 that the self is not active, or if it is determined in step S115 that the selection of the sound of the content of the television receiver 31 is not a sound, the process is as follows. Proceeding to step S118, each module of the television receiver 31 executes processing as a slave device in steps S118 to S120.

  That is, content image data and audio data from the tuner 51 or the like are input to the image processing module 141 and the audio processing module 142 of the slave device, respectively.

  In step S118, the image processing module 141 and the audio processing module 142 respectively acquire image data, audio data, and a command of content transmitted from the master device.

  In step S119, the image processing module 141 and the audio processing module 142, according to the acquired command, the content image data and audio data from the tuner 51, and the content image data and audio data transmitted from the master device. In step S120, the processed master device and its own image and sound are superimposed and output as necessary.

  Specifically, in step S119, the image processing module 141 performs, based on the zoom rate and zoom position indicated by the command from the master device, for the image data of the content to be displayed by the master device and the self image data. In addition to enlarging the content image of the master device and performing image processing for reducing the image data of its own content in accordance with the enlargement, in step S120, the enlarged content image of the master device and the reduced self content These images are superimposed, and the superimposed image is displayed on the display 56.

  At this time, the sound processing module 142 outputs sound corresponding to the sound data of the master device from the speaker 57 in response to a command from the master device.

  After the process of step S117 or step S120, in step S121, the command analysis module 111 determines whether or not to finish viewing the plurality of contents based on the user command received from the remote controller 22.

  For example, the user operates the remote controller 22 to instruct viewing of one content using a plurality of screens. The remote controller 22 issues a user command corresponding to the user's operation as an optical signal to the multi-television device 21. The light receiving unit 32 receives a user command from the remote controller 22 and transmits it to each television receiver 31.

  When the command analysis module 111 of the television receiver 31 receives this user command from the light receiving unit 32, the command analysis module 111 determines that the viewing of the plurality of contents is ended, and the plurality of contents output control process is ended.

  If it is determined in step S21 that viewing of the plurality of contents has not yet ended, the process returns to step S11, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

  In step S118 of FIG. 11, if a command or the like from the master device is not received, that is, it is not determined yes in both steps S114 and S115, and any television receiver 31 determines that it is the master device. If not, the command is not transmitted, so in step S119, the image processing module 141 displays the image corresponding to the image data of the content from the tuner 51 or the like on the display 56 as it is. That is, if no command is received, the content input to the television receiver 31 is output as it is.

  Next, the command transmission processing in step S116 in FIG. 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. This command transmission process is executed by the television receiver 31 which is the master apparatus determined as Yes in step S115 of FIG.

  In step S151, the zoom information calculation module 113 determines whether or not the previous time was also the master device (that is, whether or not the previous processing in step S115 in FIG. 11 was also Yes).

  If it is determined in step S151 that the apparatus was also the master device last time, in step S152, the zoom information calculation module 113 adds 1 to the value t of the continuous number counter 121, and the process proceeds to step S154.

  If it is determined in step S151 that it was not the master device last time, in step S153, the zoom information calculation module 113 resets the value t of the continuous number counter 121, and the process proceeds to step S154.

  On the other hand, in step S <b> 113 of FIG. 11 described above, active information and audio selection information are transmitted from the other television receiver 31 via the network 33.

  In step S154, the zoom information calculation module 113 acquires active information and audio selection information from the other television receiver 31, and in step S155, the value t of the continuous number counter 121 and the other television receiver. Based on the active information 31, zoom information for zooming the image of its own content is calculated over the display 56 of the surrounding television receiver 31.

  In other words, the zoom information calculation module 113 displays the image according to the zoom rate for zooming the image of its own content and the arrangement of each revision receiver 31 for each display 56 of all television receivers 31. A zoom position indicating from which position to zoom display is calculated, and a command for zoom display of the image of the master device is output to the command transmission module 132 at the calculated zoom ratio and zoom position. This is supplied to the image processing module 141 to instruct the zoom display of the image.

  At this time, the zoom information calculation module 113 outputs, for example, a command for outputting the sound of the master device instead of the sound of the other television receiver 31 to the command transmission module 132.

  In the example of FIG. 12, active information is used in the zoom information calculation module 113, but audio selection information may also be used.

  In step S156, the zoom information calculation module 113 causes the data transmission module 131 to transmit the image data and audio data of the content to be displayed by the master device to all the other television receivers 31, and the other televisions. A command related to zoom calculated for each receiver 31 is transmitted to the corresponding television receiver 31.

  When the command is transmitted to all the other television receivers 31 in step S156, the command transmission process is terminated, and the process returns to step S116 in FIG.

  As described above, in the television receiver 31 of FIG. 10, each television receiver 31 autonomously responds not only to the sound output information of audio but also according to the selection that the user desires to view the content. Then, it is determined whether or not it is a master device, and as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, an image of the content to be displayed by the master device is enlarged and displayed on each display.

  In the example of FIG. 13, the multi-television device 21 includes four television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 having a horizontal × vertical number of 2 × 2, for example. The John receivers 31-1 to 31-4 display images “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D” of the contents 161-1 to 161-4, respectively.

  In the case of the example of FIG. 13, among the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4, the television receiver 31-3 arranged first from the left and second from the top is the master device. In the display of each television receiver 31, the content image indicated by a bold line indicates that it is in an active state, and the one indicated by a dotted line is not in an active state. It is shown that.

  That is, in the example of FIG. 13, only the image “C” of the content 161-3 displayed on the display of the television receiver 31-3 is in a state selected by the user (active state), and The sound output of the content 161-3 is selected.

  In this case, the television receiver 31-3 determines that the television receiver 31-3 is the master device, and uses the image data of its own content 161-3 as the surrounding television receivers 31-1, 31-2, and 31-4. , And based on only the value t of the continuous number counter 121, the image “ The zoom ratio and zoom position for zooming in on “C” are calculated for each television receiver 31 including itself.

  Then, the television receiver 31-3 enlarges and displays the image “C” of its own content 161-3 from the calculated zoom position to the zoom magnification, and at the calculated zoom factor and zoom position, A command to zoom the image “C” of the content 161-3 is transmitted to the surrounding television receivers 31-1, 31-2, and 31-4.

  In response to this, the television receiver 31-1 expands the image “C” of the content 161-3 of the master device from the zoom position of the command to the zoom magnification, and accordingly, the television receiver 31- 1, the image “A” of the content 161-1 displayed in 1 is reduced, and the image “C” of the enlarged content 161-3 and the image “A” of the reduced content 161-1 are superimposed. To display.

  Similarly, the television receiver 31-2 expands the image “C” of the content 161-3 of the master device from the zoom position of the command to the zoom magnification, and displays it on the television receiver 31-2 accordingly. The image “B” of the content 161-2 that has been reduced is reduced, and the image “C” of the enlarged content 161-3 and the image “B” of the reduced content 161-2 are superimposed and displayed on the display. .

  Furthermore, the television receiver 31-4 enlarges the image “C” of the content 161-3 of the master device from the zoom position of the command to the zoom magnification, and displays it on the television receiver 31-4 accordingly. The image “D” of the content 161-4 that has been reduced is reduced, and the image “C” of the enlarged content 161-3 and the image “D” of the reduced content 161-4 are superimposed and displayed on the display.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the image “C” of the content 161-3 is not only the master device (the television receiver 31-1), but also the surrounding television receivers 31-1 and 31-2. , And 31-4 are enlarged and displayed.

  That is, in the display areas of the television receivers 31-1, 31-2, and 31-4 that are not the master device, the image “C” of the content 161-3 of the master device is displayed, and the master In the area where the image “C” of the content 161-3 of the device is not displayed, the image “A” of the content 161-1, the image “B” of the content 161-2, and the image “ “D” is reduced and displayed.

  As described above, since the image “C” of the content 161-3 selected by the user, being in the active state, and being output is displayed more conspicuously than the image of the other content, the user is interested in A certain content can be watched in a concentrated manner, and if the user is conscious, other content can be viewed occasionally. Therefore, information on a plurality of contents can be efficiently obtained.

  In the example of FIG. 14, the multi-television device 21 includes four television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 having a horizontal × vertical number of 2 × 2, for example. The John receivers 31-1 to 31-4 display images “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D” of the contents 171-1 to 171-4, respectively.

  In the case of the example of FIG. 14, as in the case of the example of FIG. 13, among the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4, the television arranged first from the left and second from the top. The case where the receiver 31-3 is a master device is shown. In the display of each television receiver 31, the content image indicated by a thick line indicates that it is in an active state, and is indicated by a dotted line. What is shown indicates that it is not in an active state.

  That is, in the example of FIG. 14, unlike the example of FIG. 13, the image “A” of the content 171-1 displayed on the display of the television receiver 31-1 and the display of the television receiver 31-3. When two images “C” of the displayed content 171-3 are selected according to the user's request (active state), and the sound output of the content 171-3 is selected. It is shown.

  In this case, the television receiver 31-3 determines that the television receiver 31-3 is a master device, and uses the image data of its own content 171-3 as the surrounding television receivers 31-1, 31-2, and 31-4. To the display of the surrounding television receivers 31-1, 31-2, and 31-4 based on the active information of the television receiver 31-1 and the value t of the continuous number counter 121. Then, the zoom ratio and the zoom position for zooming and displaying the image of its own content are calculated for every television receiver 31 including itself.

  That is, at this time, since the content 171-1 displayed on the television receiver 31-1 is in an active state, this is taken into consideration, and the image “A” of the content 171-1 is considered in the television receiver 31-1. "Is larger than the magnification at which the image" B "of the content 171-2 and the image" D "of the content 171-4 are displayed on the other television receivers 31-2 and 31-4. In this manner, the zoom rate and zoom position of the image “C” of the content 171-3 of the television receiver 31-3 are calculated.

  Then, the television receiver 31-3 enlarges and displays the image “C” of the content 171-3 from the calculated zoom position to the zoom magnification, and at the calculated zoom factor and zoom position, A command for zooming the image “C” of the content 171-3 is transmitted to the surrounding television receivers 31-1, 31-2, and 31-4.

  In response to this, the television receiver 31-1 enlarges the image “C” of the content 171-3 of the master device from the zoom position of the command to the zoom magnification, and accordingly, the television receiver 31- 1, the image “A” of the content 171-1 displayed in 1 is reduced, the image “C” of the enlarged content 171-3 and the image “A” of the reduced content 171-1 are superimposed, and the display To display.

  Similarly, the television receiver 31-2 enlarges the image “C” of the content 171-3 of the master device from the zoom position of the command to the zoom magnification, and displays it on the television receiver 31-2 accordingly. The image “B” of the content 171-2 that has been reduced is reduced, and the image “C” of the enlarged content 171-3 and the image “B” of the reduced content 171-2 are superimposed and displayed on the display. .

  Furthermore, the television receiver 31-4 enlarges the image “C” of the content 171-3 of the master device from the zoom position of the command to the zoom magnification, and displays it on the television receiver 31-4 accordingly. The image “D” of the content 171-4 that has been reduced is reduced, and the image “C” of the enlarged content 171-3 and the image “D” of the reduced content 171-4 are superimposed and displayed on the display.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the image “C” of the content 171-3 is displayed not only on the master device (the television receiver 31-1) but also on the surrounding television receivers 31-1 and 31-2. , And 31-4 on the display area of each of the television receivers 31-1, 31-2 and 31-4 which are not the master device, and are displayed in an enlarged manner. The image “C” of the content 171-1 and the content 171 to be displayed in the area where the image “C” of the content 171-3 is displayed and the image “C” of the content 171-3 of the master device is not displayed. -2 image "B" and content 171-4 image "D" are reduced and displayed.

  However, in this case, unlike the example of FIG. 13, the image “A” of the content 171-1 in the active state is more effective than the image “B” of the content 171-2 and the image “D” of the content 171-4 that are not active. "Is larger than the example in FIG. 13, the image“ C ”of the content 171-3 is displayed on a smaller scale. In the case of the example in FIG. 14, the display position is also calculated so as to be approximately in the center of the television receivers 31-1 to 31-4 so that the image “C” of the content 171-3 of the master device is easy to see. ing.

  As described above, not only the image “C” of the content 171-3 that is selected and activated by the user but also the content “171” of the content 171-3 and the activated content Although the image “A” of 171-1 is not as large as the image “C” of the content 171-3 being output, it is displayed more conspicuously than the image of the other content. That is, not only the content that is most desired to be viewed, but also other content that is desired to be viewed is displayed more easily than the content that is not desired to be viewed, so that the user can concentrate on viewing the content that interests them. In addition, since other contents desired to be viewed can be viewed, information on a plurality of contents can be efficiently acquired.

  In the examples of FIGS. 13 and 14, the display area is reduced while maintaining the aspect ratio of the content displayed on a device other than the master device. However, only a part may be cut out and displayed. Alternatively, the aspect ratio may be slightly changed to be displayed.

  As described above, when viewing a plurality of contents on a plurality of displays, the situation information indicating the state of interest of the user with respect to the contents, which is information specific to the contents to be displayed in each television receiver 31, is transmitted and received. The function performed by each television receiver 31 is determined by itself, and processing according to the determination result is performed on the content and output.

  Accordingly, the content is output according to the user's interest, so that the content desired by the user can be easily viewed.

  Specifically, when viewing a plurality of contents on a plurality of displays, situation information indicating the user's interest in the contents, which is content-specific information to be displayed on each television receiver 31, is transmitted and received. Then, based on the transmitted / received self and other viewing ratio information, each television receiver determines whether or not it is the master device, and the television receiver 31 determines that it is the master device. Is displayed, and a command for processing the other content is transmitted to the other television receiver 31 so that the user can easily see the content. On the other hand, it is determined that the device is a slave device. The received television receiver 31 receives a command from another television receiver 31 (master device). , Image processing corresponding to the command (voice processing) is carried out in its own content, the content is output.

  As a result, the content displayed on the television receiver as the master device, that is, the image of other content is processed and displayed so that the content mainly viewed by the user can be easily viewed. This makes it easier to focus on the content that the user has mainly watched.

  In addition, for example, since it is not necessary to set a master device in advance in the multi-television device 21, the master device and the slave device are considered even when the television receiver 31 is added to the multi-television device 21. Can be purchased without.

  In the above description, image processing such as resolution and luminance values, enlargement and reduction, and sound processing such as mute and sound reduction are performed, but other image processing and sound processing are performed. It is also possible to make the contents of the device stand out.

  In the above description, the multi-television apparatus including a plurality of television receivers including a tuner and a display has been described. However, the invention is not limited to a television receiver and does not have a tuner. The display device may be a display device, and does not need to have each display. The multi-television device includes only one display and includes a plurality of control units that control display on a plurality of windows on the display. Also applies.

  The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or can be executed by software. When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software executes various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, it is installed from a program recording medium in a general-purpose personal computer or the like.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a personal computer 201 that executes the above-described series of processing by a program. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 211 executes various processes according to a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 212 or a storage unit 218. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 213 appropriately stores programs executed by the CPU 211 and data. These CPU 211, ROM 212, and RAM 213 are connected to each other by a bus 214.

  An input / output interface 215 is also connected to the CPU 211 via the bus 214. The input / output interface 215 is connected to an input unit 216 including a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone, and an output unit 217 including a display and a speaker. The CPU 211 executes various processes in response to commands input from the input unit 216. Then, the CPU 211 outputs the processing result to the output unit 217.

  The storage unit 218 connected to the input / output interface 215 includes, for example, a hard disk, and stores programs executed by the CPU 211 and various data. The communication unit 219 communicates with an external device via a network such as the Internet or a local area network.

  A program may be acquired via the communication unit 219 and stored in the storage unit 218.

  The drive 220 connected to the input / output interface 215 drives a removable medium 221 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and drives the programs and data recorded therein. Get etc. The acquired program and data are transferred to and stored in the storage unit 218 as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a program recording medium for storing a program that is installed in a computer and is ready to be executed by the computer includes a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk), an optical disk (CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only). Memory, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disk, a removable medium 221 that is a package medium made of a semiconductor memory, a ROM 212 in which a program is temporarily or permanently stored, and a storage unit 218 It is comprised by the hard disk etc. which comprise. The program is stored in the program recording medium using a wired or wireless communication medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting via a communication unit 219 which is an interface such as a router or a modem as necessary. Done.

  In the present specification, the step of describing the program stored in the program recording medium is not limited to the processing performed in time series in the described order, but is not necessarily performed in time series. Or the process performed separately is also included.

  Further, in this specification, the system represents the entire apparatus constituted by a plurality of apparatuses.

It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional multi-television system. It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the multi-television system to which this invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the television receiver in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of functions realized by the television receiver of FIG. 3. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a multiple content output control process by the television receiver of FIG. 4. It is a flowchart explaining the example of the command transmission process of FIG.5 S15. It is a figure explaining the television receiver around a master apparatus. It is a figure explaining a viewing-and-listening ratio. It is a figure explaining the effect of the multi television system of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the other structure of one Embodiment of the function implement | achieved by the television receiver of FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a multiple content output control process by the television receiver of FIG. 10. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of command transmission processing in step S116 in FIG. 11. It is a figure explaining the example of a display of the image of the content by the multi television system which consists of a television receiver of FIG. It is a figure explaining the other example of a display of the image of the content by the multi television system which consists of a television receiver of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the personal computer to which this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

  21 multi-television device, 22 remote controller, 31-1 to 31-4 television receiver, 33 network, 52 signal analysis unit, 53 data analysis unit, 55 signal processing unit, 56 display, 57 speaker, 61 data communication unit , 62 command transmission unit, 81 user command reception module, 82 viewing ratio calculation module, 83 viewing ratio comparison module, 84 transmission command determination module, 86 communication module, 85 luminance value calculation module, 87 command reception module, 88 image processing module, 89 Speech processing module

Claims (14)

In an output control system comprising a plurality of output control devices that perform control to output content to be output on a display on which a plurality of contents are displayed.
The output control device includes:
Information acquisition means for acquiring status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation;
Information transmitting means for transmitting the status information of the self acquired by the information acquiring means to another output control device;
Master device determination means for determining whether or not the device is a master device based on the status information of the device and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device;
An output control system comprising: content processing means for processing the content to be output according to the determination result by the master device determination means. The output control device includes:
Command transmitting means for transmitting a command for instructing processing by the content processing means in the other output control device to the other output control device when the master device determining means determines that the master device is the master device; Further comprising
The content processing means, when the master device determination means determines that it is not the master device, from the other output control device determined to be the master device for the content to be output by itself. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein processing according to the transmitted command is performed. The output control system according to claim 2, wherein the command is a command for instructing a change in luminance value or resolution of an image of the content to be output. The output control system according to claim 2, wherein the command is a command that instructs to reduce or mute the sound of the content to be output. The output control device includes:
The output control according to claim 2, further comprising: a content transmission unit that transmits the content to be output to the other output control device when the master device determination unit determines that the master device is a master device. system. The output control system according to claim 5, wherein the command is a command for instructing enlargement of an image of the content to be output transmitted by the content transmission unit. The output control system according to claim 5, wherein the command is a command for instructing output of audio of the content to be output transmitted by the content transmission unit. The information acquisition means calculates the ratio of the time when the content of the output target of the user is set as a voice output target by the user based on an operation instructing the voice output by the user. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein situation information indicating a situation of a user's interest in the content to be output is acquired. The information acquisition means is configured to select the own output target content from among the plurality of contents and an operation to set the own output target content as an audio output target. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein status information indicating a user's interest status with respect to the content to be output is acquired. The output control system according to claim 1, wherein the display includes a plurality of displays that respectively display a plurality of contents. In an output control method of an output control system comprising a plurality of output control devices that perform control to output content to be output on a display on which a plurality of contents are displayed.
The output control method of the output control device is:
An information acquisition step for acquiring status information indicating a status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation;
An information transmission step of transmitting the status information of the subject acquired by the processing of the information acquisition step to another output control device;
A master device determination step for determining whether the self device is a master device based on the self status information and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device;
A content processing step of performing processing on the content to be output according to a determination result obtained by the processing of the master device determination step. In an output control device that configures an output control system including a plurality of output control devices and performs control to output content to be output among the plurality of contents on a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed.
Information acquisition means for acquiring status information indicating the status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation;
Information transmitting means for transmitting the status information of the self acquired by the information acquiring means to another output control device;
Master device determination means for determining whether or not the device is a master device based on the status information of the device and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device;
An output control device comprising: content processing means for processing the content to be output according to a determination result by the master device determination means. An output control method for an output control device, which configures an output control system including a plurality of output control devices and performs control to output content to be output among the plurality of contents on a display on which the plurality of contents are displayed In
An information acquisition step for acquiring status information indicating a status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation;
An information transmission step of transmitting the status information of the subject acquired by the processing of the information acquisition step to another output control device;
A master device determination step for determining whether the self device is a master device based on the self status information and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device;
A content processing step of performing processing on the content to be output according to the determination result of the processing of the master device determination step. The output control device that constitutes the output control system including the plurality of output control devices performs a process of performing control to output the content to be output among the plurality of contents on the display on which the plurality of contents are displayed. A program that
An information acquisition step for acquiring status information indicating a status of the user's interest in the content to be output based on the user's operation;
An information transmission step of transmitting the status information of the subject acquired by the processing of the information acquisition step to another output control device;
A master device determination step for determining whether the self device is a master device based on the self status information and the other status information transmitted from the other output control device;
A content processing step for processing the content to be output according to a determination result obtained by the master device determination step.

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