Patent ID: 8429703

Claim:
A video distribution apparatus that is connected via a network to a viewer apparatus that displays a video image, comprising: an extraction device that extracts image data of an area from the video image captured by a video capture device; a setting device that sets a restricted area in the video image captured by the video capture device; a determination unit that determines whether or not an intermediate area between a first area and a second area in the video image overlaps with the restricted area in the video image captured by the video capture device; and a distribution device that distributes image data of at least one intermediate area between the first area and the second area in the video image and extracted from the video data to the viewer apparatus via the network after distributing image data of the first area and before distributing image data of the second area in the video image and extracted from the video data captured by the video capture device in a case where the area extracted from the video image captured by the video capture device is changed from the first area to the second area and said determination unit determines that the at least one intermediate area between the first area and the second area in the video image does not overlap with the restricted area, and distributes the image data of the second area in the video image extracted from the video data without distributing image data of any intermediate area between the first area and the second area in the video image to the viewer apparatus via the network in a case where the area extracted from the video image captured by the video capture device is changed from the first area to the second area and said determination unit determines that the at least one intermediate area between the first area and the second area in the video image overlaps with the restricted area.