Content transmission apparatus

A content transmitting method for use with a video camera which retains access account data provided beforehand by a manufacturer of the video camera for access to a server apparatus which solicits and mediates sales of contents to content users, said content transmitting method comprising the steps of:

• causing said video camera to generate a content for sale to the content users for payment thereof;
• causing said video camera to connect communicably with said server apparatus, which solicits and mediates sale of the content, using said access account data;
• generating comment information corresponding to said content;
• stream encoding, in a communicable streaming format, said content generated in said content generating step along with the comment information;
• and
• transmitting the stream encoded content along with comment information to said server apparatus connected communicably with said content transmission apparatus.

A content providing system comprising a video camera and a server apparatus which solicits and mediates sales of contents to content users, wherein said video camera includes:

• content generating means for generating a content for sale to the content users for payment thereof;
• communicating means for communicating with said server apparatus via a communication network for solicitation and mediation of the sale of the content;
• storing means for storing an access account data, provided beforehand by a manufacturer of the video camera, for access to said server apparatus;
• comment information generating means for generating comment information corresponding to said content;
• stream encoding means for stream encoding, in a communicable streaming format, the content generated by said content generating means along with the comment information;
• and
• controlling means for performing a connection control operation to connect said communicating means to said server apparatus using said access account data stored in said storing means, said controlling means further performing a transmission control operation causing said stream encoding means to stream encode said content along with said comment information to transmit the stream encoded content along with comment information to said server apparatus;
• and
• wherein said server apparatus includes:
• communicating means for conducting communications over said communication network;
• a contributor information database for storing contributor information about video cameras each provided beforehand by manufacturers of the video cameras with an access account;
• determining means which, if a connection request is made to said communicating means, references said contributor information database to determine whether said connection request is coming from any one of said video cameras each provided beforehand with said access account;
• a storage unit;
• content storage controlling means which, following the determination by said determining means, stores into said storage unit the content and comment information transmitted from the video camera connected communicably with said communicating means;
• presenting means for presenting, as a solicitation of an available content for sale, said content transmitted from said video camera through said communicating means;
• and
• transmission controlling means which, in response to a transmission request by an entity for said content presented by said presenting means, transmits said content to the requesting entity through said communicating means upon payment therefor.