Information distribution apparatus, information distribution method, and computer readable recording medium on which information distribution program is recorded

An information distribution apparatus that distributes information to an externally provided plurality of receiving apparatuses which are capable of reproducing the information in real time, the information distribution apparatus comprising:

• an inquiry unit that inquires each of the plurality of receiving apparatuses as to whether the receiving apparatus is in a position to accept the information or not;
• an accumulation unit that receives a reply from each of the receiving apparatuses regarding the inquiry and accumulates all replies;
• and
• a distribution control unit that starts or stops the distribution of information on the basis of the number of replies accumulated in the accumulation unit wherein the distribution unit refrains from the distribution when the number of affirmative replies is less than a predetermined threshold.

An information distribution method of distributing an information to externally provided plurality of receiving apparatuses which is capable of reproducing the information in real time, the information distribution method comprising the steps of:

• inquiring each of the receiving apparatuses as to whether the receiving apparatus accepts the information or not;
• receiving a reply from each of the receiving apparatuses regarding the inquiry made in the inquiring step and accumulating all the replies;
• judging whether the number of affirmative answers in the replies exceeds a predetermined threshold or not;
• refraining from the distribution of the information when the number of the affirmative answers does not exceed the predetermined threshold;
• and
• starting the distribution of the information when the number of the affirmative answers exceeds the predetermined threshold.

A computer readable recording medium that contains a computer program to perform an information distribution to externally provided plurality of receiving apparatuses, wherein the information is capable of being reproduced in real time at the receiving apparatuses, and the computer program includes the steps of:

• inquiring to each of the receiving apparatuses as to whether the receiving apparatus accepts the information or not;
• receiving a reply from each of the receiving apparatuses regarding the inquiry made in the inquiring step and accumulating all the replies;
• judging whether the number of affirmative answers in the replies exceeds a predetermined threshold or not;
• refraining form the distribution of the information when the number of the affirmative answers does not exceed the predetermined threshold;
• and
• starting the distribution of the information when the number of the affirmative answers exceeds the predetermined threshold.

A computer readable recording medium that contains a computer program to perform an information distribution to externally provided plurality of receiving apparatuses, wherein the information is capable of being reproduced in real time at the receiving apparatuses and the computer program includes the steps of:

• inquiring to each of the receiving apparatuses as to whether the receiving apparatus accepts the information or not;
• receiving a reply from each of the receiving apparatuses regarding the inquiry made in the inquiring step and accumulating all the replies;
• visually displaying the number of replies accumulated in the accumulation step;
• judging whether the number of affirmative answers in the replies exceeds a predetermined threshold or not;
• selecting start or stop of the distribution of the information using a signal from a switch on the basis of the information in the displaying step;
• refraining from the distribution of the information when the stop is selected in the selecting step;
• and
• starting the distribution of the information when the start is selected in the selecting step.