Distribution system, client terminal, and method of controlling display

A client terminal configured to display a video image received from a sending client terminal via an information processing apparatus, the client terminal being communicably connected to an information processing apparatus via a network, the video image being a spherical image obtained by capturing surroundings in 360-degree directions, the video image including a plurality of images each including a part that is encrypted and has an angle of view other than a normal angle of view and other part that is not encrypted by the sending client terminal and has the normal angle of view, and including metadata including information indicating that the part having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view is encrypted, coordinates of the part having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view, and coordinates of the other part having the normal angle of view, the client terminal comprising circuitry to:

• receive, from the information processing apparatus, the part of each of the plurality of images;
• receive, from the information processing apparatus, the other part of each of the plurality of images, the other part of each of the plurality of images being received separately from the part of each of the plurality of images;
• receive, from the information processing apparatus, a decryption key for decrypting the part of each of the plurality of images having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view;
• decrypt the part of each of the plurality of images having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view by using the decryption key received;
• and
• generate and display the video image of an entirety of the spherical image by combining the other part of each of the plurality of images that is not encrypted and has the normal angle of view and the decrypted part of each of the plurality of images having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view, based on the coordinates of the part having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view and the coordinates of the other part having the normal angle of view included in the metadata.

A method of distributing a video image of a spherical image obtained by capturing surroundings in 360-degree directions, the method being performed by a distribution system including an information processing apparatus, a sending client terminal communicably connected to the information processing apparatus via a network, and a receiving client terminal communicably connected to the information processing apparatus via the network, the method comprising:

• providing, by the information processing apparatus, an encryption key to the sending client terminal;
• providing, by the information processing apparatus, a decryption key corresponding to the encryption key to the receiving client terminal in a case in which the receiving client terminal is operated by an authorized viewer;
• encrypting, by the sending client terminal, a part of each of a plurality of images constituting a video image using the encryption key received from the information processing apparatus, the part having an angle of view other than a normal angle of view;
• transmitting, by the sending client terminal, the plurality of images constituting the video image to the information processing apparatus with metadata of the video image, via the network, each of the plurality of images including the part that is encrypted having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view, and other part that is not encrypted having the normal angle of view, the part having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view being transmitted separately from the other part having the normal angle of view, and the metadata including information indicating that the part having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view is encrypted, coordinates of the part having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view, and coordinates of the other part having the normal angle of view;
• receiving, by the sending client terminal, from the information processing apparatus, the plurality of images constituting a video image and the metadata of the video image that are transmitted to the information processing apparatus by the sending client terminal;
• decrypting, by the sending client terminal, the part of each of the plurality of images having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view by using the decryption key received from the information processing apparatus;
• and
• generating and displaying, by the sending client terminal, the video image of an entirety of the spherical image by combining the other part of each of the plurality of images that is not encrypted and has the normal angle of view and the decrypted part of each of the plurality of images having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view, based on the coordinates of the part having the angle of view other than the normal angle of view and the coordinates of the other part having the normal angle of view included in the metadata of the video image.